Football News

Thomas Müller: We turned in a superb display in the first half. It was a feast for the eyes RB Leipzig beat Werder Bremen 3-0 on Saturday, taking the lead in the Bundesliga overnight, but Bayern gave the right answer and reclaimed top spot. Munich never left any doubt as to who would leave the pitch as winners, at times outplaying FC Köln in the 4-1 win, their fourth away victory in a row. "We turned in a superb display in the first half. It was a feast for the eyes," said Thomas Müller. Bayern all but put the game to bed in the first half. "We could have scored up to ten goals today," added captain Manuel Neuer. Reaction to Köln v Bayern Hansi Flick: "We played very well in the first half. We're very satisfied with our performance. I'm annoyed by the second half, our display wasn't as serious as before." Manuel Neuer: "Nobody had expected we'd get off to such a start. We had expected Köln to fight harder. We also made ruthle

Fran Kirby on her Chelsea FC Women absence Fran Kirby has spoken for the first time about the medical condition which has kept her out of the Chelsea Women team since November. The 26-year-old made the last of her four appearances for Chelsea this season as a substitute in November's 1-0 win over Manchester United after missing the start of the campaign because of injury. Following that game Kirby was diagnosed with pericarditis, a condition which is uncommon in athletes and refers to inflammation of the pericardium (the fluid-filled sac that surrounds your heart). Normally it is caused by a viral infection and manifests with symptoms typically including sudden onset of sharp chest pain, fever, nausea, shortness of breath and weakness. Those who contract pericarditis can recover quickly but for others – including our England international – it can take months with Kirby revealing she was sleeping 15 hours a day during the early stages of the illness and taking anti-inflammat

Gossip: City among clubs 'circling' Adama Traore? Are City really one of the clubs ‘circling’ Wolves’ Adama Traore? And who is the Oscar-winning director who counts Kevin De Bruyne as a dream dinner guest? All this, plus reaction to City’s 1-0 win over Bristol Women and Pep’s Champions League dream… TRANSFER GOSSIP Birmingham Mail: City among top clubs circling Traore? “Virtually every elite club in Europe is reportedly interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore. “The 24-year-old has come into his own under Nuno Espírito Santo at Molineux this season and is now one of the most feared players in the Premier League. “His performances have attracted plenty of attention with his former club Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur all linked with moves in the transfer market. “Traore, who only cost £18million from Middlesbrough in 2018, is bound to command a colossal transfer fee with some reports even suggesting Wolves hav

FC Bayern ready for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim FC Bayern host TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the DFB Cup round of 16 on Wednesday evening. Following an excellent start to the new year, the Reds want to maintain that momentum and seal their place in the quarter-finals. The situation Three games, three wins, 12 goals scored, one conceded - Bayern's record so far in 2020 makes for impressive reading. The German record champions also reclaimed top spot in the Bundesliga on Saturday, so they can go into the first midweek fixture of the year with plenty of confidence. "We want to build on our performances in the first three games of the year. The players have more confidence in their ability again," said Hansi Flick in Tuesday's press conference. The clash with Hoffenheim is Bayern's first home game in the cup this season. After beating Energie Cottbus 3-1 in the first round, the holders saw off VfL Bochum 2-1 in the second round thanks to two late goals. The opposition Hoffen

Neil Critchley on Villa lessons, Jones and Elliott and Shrewsbury analysis Neil Critchley hopes his youthful Liverpool team will show that they learned lessons in defeat by Aston Villa when they take on Shrewsbury Town. The U23s boss will lead a young Reds side in Tuesday night’s FA Cup fourth-round replay against League One opposition at Anfield. Critchley was in charge as a team of Academy players lost a Carabao Cup quarter-final at Villa Park in December - and he wants to see evidence that his players absorbed the experience of how that tie unfolded this time around. “I was really proud of the performance and I thought we never gave up our way of playing, but at the end I also couldn’t help feeling a little bit disappointed as well,” Critchley told Liverpoolfc.com of that night. “Two reasons: one is, I thought 5-0 was a harsh scoreline, I thought it was cruel, I didn’t think we actually deserved to get beat by that scoreline. But also the lesson we have to learn is: yes, the

Real Madrid Castilla 1-1 Langreo Marc Gual, who made his debut as a madridista, got the equaliser for the reserves in the second half after having a goal rulled out for a dubious offside. Real Madrid Castilla picked up a point at the Nuevo Ganzábal against Langreo. The task became difficult for the Whites in the 25th minute after Marc Nierga's goal, but debutant Marc Gual levelled the match up after the break. Raul's side are now unbeaten in their second consecutive match and will face Las Palmas Atletico at the Di Stefano in their next game. The reserves took to the field in a t-shirt in support of Pedro and were good in possession from the start and were very incisive on the flanks. It was Martin who tried his luck from distance with two efforts, but both shots were stopped by Adrian. In the 12th minute, a new attack by the Whites ended with César claiming for a penalty after an incident in the area. Despite Real Madrid's initiative, the Asturian team took the lead