Watch & learn: Benzema in awe of Ronaldo

Karim Benzema equalled former Brazil striker Ronaldo's goal tally at Real Madrid on Saturday, with his two strikes against Villarreal moving him onto 104 for the Liga club.

But just where does the former Lyon star draw inspiration from?

Yep, you guessed it. It's the legendary former Inter, Barcelona and Madrid sensation himself - Ronaldo. Speaking to AS, Benzema said: "He inspired me in many respects. Firstly, his will to score goals. But I have also learned a lot from him in terms of movement in front of goal.

"I followed Ronaldo as a child and I still watch videos of him before matches."

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 12:00

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Moyes rues luck as Man United send in 81 crosses

Manchester United sent in a staggering 81 crosses in their 2-2 draw with Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday - the most of any side in the Premier League since 2006.

The hosts scored twice, through a Robin van Persie tap-in and a deflected Michael Carrick effort - but the bombardment from wide areas resulted in no goals.

But David Moyes was quick to blame his side's bad luck this season, rather than tactics, as struggling Fulham clinched a point with a stoppage time header from Darren Bent.

"It's been a bit like that this season so far," Moyes said after the game. "But today was probably as bad as it gets.

"We completely dominated the game and being 1-0 down was bad enough, but the amount of attempts and chances and the play we had, how we didn't win the game comfortably, I've no idea."

Monday, 10 February 2014 12:00

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Liverpool hammering just the start of Arsenal's gruelling run

Arsenal embarked on their tricky run of fixtures by being on the wrong end of a 5-1 hammering to Liverpool on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger’s side will have their title credentials tested further on Wednesday as they host Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, and that’s before facing Liverpool once again in the FA Cup fifth round next Sunday.

Let’s not forget, the Gunners have also been tasked with knocking Bayern Munich out of the Champions League.

Can Arsenal recover from their heavy setback at Anfield to pull through?

Sunday, 9 February 2014 12:00

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Gervinho beats Bolt by a neck

Roma star Gervinho appears to fancy himself as a sprinter.

The former Arsenal man scored twice in midweek as Roma fought hard to beat Napoli 3-2 in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.

And afterwards, Gervinho joked that, with the ball at his feet, he would give 100 and 200-metre world record holder Usain Bolt a run for his money.

"I would beat him [Bolt] with the ball at my feet," he said. "Without the ball, he would be quicker."

Gervinho failed to establish himself in the Premier League with Arsenal, but has been in fine form since moving to Italy, scoring five goals in Serie A.

Friday, 7 February 2014 12:00

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The Big Grapple: Mou & Henry battle for Cole

Ashley Cole's Chelsea future is shrouded with uncertainty at the moment, with the full-back's contract expiring at the end of the current campaign and no sign of a new deal being agreed anytime soon.

Jose Mourinho has previously expressed a desire to keep the England man, despite his consistent favoring of Cesar Azpilicueta in the left-back berth, but there may well be outside interference.

Speaking in a pre-match press conference on Friday, the former Real Madrid boss suggested that Thierry Henry could be attempting to convince Cole to make the move to MLS and join him at New York Red Bulls.

Could the promise of cash and the Big Apple tempt Cole to head to the USA?

Saturday, 8 February 2014 10:00

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