Mata, Fellaini give United League Cup edge

Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini celebrates scoring
 their second goal with manager Jose Mourinho.

Manchester: Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini struck to give Manchester United a 2-0 victory over injury-ravaged Hull City in Tuesday’s League Cup semi-final first leg at Old Trafford.

All eyes were on United captain Wayne Rooney, who is chasing a record 250th goal for the club, but it was Mata who broke the deadlock in the 56th minute before substitute Fellaini added a late second.

It puts Jose Mourinho’s men in the driving seat ahead of the return leg on January 26, although it was not until Fellaini headed home in the 87th minute that they finally put the game beyond Hull.

“We are not at Wembley, but the second goal is maybe the important goal,” Mourinho told

Sky Sports.

“I was expecting a difficult match. I wasn’t expecting to win by four or five.”

United have now won nine games in succession ahead of arch rivals Liverpool’s visit in the Premier League on Sunday.

Hull’s new manager Marco Silva, taking charge of his second game, was able to name only six substitutes and lost both Markus Henriksen and Josh Tymon to injury.

“I’m not happy with the result, but I’m happy with the work of my players,” said Silva.

“With all the problems we had, my boys worked well.”

Despite Mourinho making seven changes to the team that had outclassed Reading 4-0 in the FA Cup on Saturday, United picked up where they had left off, peppering the Hull goal with shots.

Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic had to produce a one-handed save to thwart Mata inside two minutes and moments later Andy Robertson stopped Rooney applying the finishing touch to Marcus Rashford’s shot.

Rooney goes close

The presence of David Meyler and Tom Huddlestone in defence and the fact there were only six players on the Hull bench told the story of the visitors’ injury problems and there was more to come.

Henriksen was left clutching his right shoulder in agony after being knocked over by Paul Pogba and had to go off in the 16th minute, with Abel Hernandez taking his place.

United, missing the ill Zlatan Ibrahimovic, continued to swarm forward, Henrikh Mkhitaryan twice shooting wide, Rashford lashing over and Jakupovic shovelling a long-range Pogba effort over the crossbar.

But Hull, the Premier League’s bottom club, began to offer an attacking threat of their own as half-time approached in the club’s first ever League Cup semi-final match.

Adama Diomande gave United a scare when he headed against the post, only for an offside flag to then go up, and both Robert Snodgrass and Hernandez tested David de Gea before the interval.

Rooney’s moment of history looked to have arrived in the 51st minute when Pogba’s fine, flighted pass set him racing in on goal from the right, but he drilled his shot inches wide of the far post.

Instead it was Mata who provided the breakthrough, stabbing in on the volley at the back post after Antonio Valencia’s cross from the right was headed back across goal by Mkhitaryan.

After Diomande had volleyed over acrobatically for Hull, Pogba came within a whisker of doubling United’s lead, his curling free-kick clanging against the left-hand post and bouncing away.

It seemed Hull would escape with only a one-goal deficit, but with three minutes remaining Fellaini met Matteo Darmian’s cross with a looping header that Huddlestone could only help over the line.

Silva’s injury woes mounted yet further in stoppage time when 17-year-old left-back Tymon had to limp off.

Liverpool, last season’s beaten finalists, visit Southampton in the first leg of the second semi-final on Wednesday.

Big guns avoid each other in FA Cup draw

London: Holders Manchester United and Premier League leaders Chelsea were both handed favorable home draws on Monday against second-tier opposition in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

United host nearby Wigan Athletic, the 2012-13 FA Cup winners, at Old Trafford while Chelsea will also be strong favorites to go through when they play Brentford at Stamford Bridge in a west London derby.

Wigan are just one place off the foot of the Championship and in a relegation battle. Brentford are mid-table.

If Plymouth Argyle can pull off a shock in their home replay with Liverpool their reward will be a home tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers, also of the Championship.

Manchester City travel to either Bolton or Crystal Palace and local pride will be at stake when Derby host Premier League champions Leicester City.

Tottenham Hotspur will expect to beat Wycombe Wanderers, of the fourth tier, at White Hart Lane, but Arsenal face a potentially tricky away trip to either Southampton or Norwich City.

Sutton United, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, will play home to Cambridge or Leeds if they win their replay against AFC Wimbledon.

The ties will take place January 27-30.

Full draw

Tottenham v Wycombe

Derby v Leicester

Oxford v Birmingham or Newcastle

Sutton or AFC Wimbledon v Cambridge or Leeds

Liverpool or Plymouth v Wolves

Southampton or Norwich v Arsenal

Ipswich or Lincoln v Brighton

Chelsea v Brentford

Manchester United v Wigan

Millwall v Watford

Rochdale v Huddersfield

Sunderland or Burnley v Bristol City or Fleetwood

Blackburn v Barnsley or Blackpool

Fulham v Hull

Middlesbrough v Accrington Stanley

Bolton or Crystal Palace v Manchester City

Matches to be played January 27-30

Fifa Football Awards: Malaysia's Mohd Faiz Subri wins Best Goal

Mohd Faiz Subri brought pride to Malaysia this week
with his Fifa win

Malaysian football star Mohd Faiz Subri has taken home Fifa's prestigious Puskas Award for the best goal of 2016, a first for his country.

The 29-year-old from Penang secured nearly 60% of the popular vote for his free-kick in the Malaysian Super League against Pahang state in February.

He was presented with the trophy by Brazilian football legend Ronaldo.

Others in the running included players like Marlone and Venezuelan midfielder Daniuska Rodriguez.

Faiz, who plays with the Penang FA team, spoke of his surprise at his win and dedicated the prize to his family, friends and country.

"I'm extremely happy because I didn't expect it at all, I'm certainly shocked because this is the biggest award I have ever won in my career," he said.

"The secret to my success is to be disciplined in my training. I'll continue to focus on competing in this year's Malaysia Super League."

'An honour for all Malaysians'

The win has resonated with football supporters and other Malaysians back home in the South East Asian nation.

"Faiz is now a world icon thanks to his ability," said Penang Football Association Team Manager Zairil Khir Johari.

"It's an amazing and well-deserved achievement, not only for Faiz but for football in Malaysia as a whole," he said.

He added: "I am confident he will now inspire a whole generation of footballers in our country."

Other Malaysians began expressing joy and pride for their "national hero" and shared congratulations for his achievements.

"Without or without our votes he deserved to win and did us proud," wrote Hafiq Hasan Basri from Kuala Lumpur.

Saegaran Kana remembered the moment as "an astounding goal". "Thanks for honouring Malaysia," he added.

"Faiz has made us all proud. It is an honour to all Malaysians when the world's top football players give their respect upon an incredible home feat," said Mohd Sukhimi.

"What an incredible milestone for Malaysia. I haven't even gotten over that crazy goal yet," said Elaine Loh in a Facebook post.

Ronaldo named Fifa's best player of 2016

Cristiano Ronaldo kisses the trophy after winning
the Fifa best player of the year award.

Zurich: Cristiano Ronaldo claimed Fifa’s inaugural best player of the year award on Monday, the latest prize for the Real Madrid and Portugal star after a glittering 2016 for club and country.

Leicester City’s Claudio Ranieri received the best men’s coach award following his side’s fairytale Premier League triumph.

But the night again belonged to the 31-year-old Ronaldo, who edged out long-time nemesis Lionel Messi for the trophy as well as France’s Antoine Griezmann, the top player at this summer’s European championship.

Ronaldo had already won the Ballon d’Or after his third Champions League title, thanks in major part to his 16 goals in 12 games, as well as triumphing with Portugal at Euro 2016 — the country’s first major prize.

“2016 was the best year of my career,” Ronaldo said after being handed the prize from Fifa President Gianni Infantino.

“It was a year that was magnificent at a personal level and at a sports level,” he added on the stage in Zurich.

Ranieri, 65, who saw off Real boss Zinedine Zidane and Portugal manager Fernando Santos, said the best coach honour was “incredible” after receiving the prize from Argentine football legend Diego Maradona.

Under Ranieri’s leadership, Leicester pulled off one of the greatest shocks in English football history by defying title odds of 5,000-1 to lift the Premier League trophy last season.

Having miraculously avoided relegation the previous season, the Foxes rode that wave of momentum all the way to the title.

US midfielder Carli Lloyd scooped the best women’s player of 2016, the two-time Olympic gold medallist adding to her 2015 Fifa Women’s World Player of the Year accolade.

The American finished ahead of Brazilian star Marta and Germany’s Melanie Behringer.

Spain’s La Liga accounted for nine of the 11 players in the FIFPro team of the year with Ronaldo and Messi headlining a star-studded line-up.

Ronaldo was joined by Real team-mates Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric while the side comprised four Barcelona players with Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez joining Messi.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer — named to the FIFPro World 11 for the fourth year running — was the only player selected without links to Spain’s top two clubs.

Juventus defender Dani Alves was included for a sixth time having help Barca to a league and cup double before leaving the Camp Nou for Italy last June.

World football’s governing body has launched the new award series after ending its six-year collaboration with France Football magazine for the Ballon d’Or.

Arabian Gulf Cup: Henk ten Cate expects Al Jazira response in semi-final

Abu Dhabi: Henk ten Cate, the Al Jazira coach, expects his chastened side to deliver in their home Arabian Gulf Cup semi-final on Monday, insisting they are not plagued by “negative effects” following their President’s Cup humiliation last Wednesday.

Al Jazira were trounced 6-0 by Al Wahda in the quarter-finals of the competition they won last year, a shocking result given that they are the Arabian Gulf League leaders.

But Ten Cate is adamant that there has been no lingering fallout from that surprise humbling as they prepare to face Al Ahli at 5.05pm at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium. “We have moved away from the negative effects of that loss and we have directed our focus fully on facing Al Ahli in the semi-final of the cup,” he said.

“It’s an important tournament for us. Al Ahli are a strong team, with a good group of players led by a smart coach [Cosmin Olaroiu] with a lot of experience in the UAE. He has achieved great success here. I do not think that the fact they have had more days of rest than us will give them the edge.

“On the contrary, we will face them in our stadium with our fans and we have a great desire to present a better image of ourselves after the last game and provide a strong level of performance to get the result we want.”

Ten Cate went on to mount a passionate defence of his team after they were subjected to intense criticism for their supine surrender to Al Wahda.

“We lost to Al Wahda because they outplayed us in all departments and we were frustrated certainly. But we can only think about the future now and not in any way allow this loss to wipe out the effects of the wonderful and great work done by the team over the past year. We must not forget that Al Jazira began 2016 threatened with relegation, but the team has done an exceptional job to win the President’s Cup and now be in first place in the league and be one step away from qualifying for the Arabian Gulf Cup final.

“I hope the players get the tribute they deserve for the work they have done in the past year. The team is still under construction. When I came here, I was asked to build a new team.”

The latest phase in Ten Cate’s recalibration of Al Jazira led to the arrival of the Brazilian forward Leonardo on Friday. Ten Cate, however, would not confirm whether his new recruit, who won the Asian Champions League last year with his previous club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, would make his debut against the Red Knights.

Sanchez nets winner for Betis against Malaga in high-voltage clash

Sevilla: Midfielder Joaquin Sanchez headed in the only goal to give Real Betis a 1-0 win over Malaga in a heated Spanish league match on Friday.

A total of 10 yellow cards were shown at the Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville, six to Malaga players and four to the hosts.

Sanchez, who left the field because of a deep cut on his forehead after a collision with an opponent, headed home from near the penalty spot midway through the first half.

Malaga’s best chances came from Uruguay defender Federico Ricca, who hit the woodwork once in each half.

Betis jumped up to eighth place with eight points, while Malaga dropped to 16th place with five.

League leader Real Madrid plays at Las Palmas on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Anti-Violence Commission has agreed to declare the Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday as a high risk fixture.

On Thursday, the commission also declared the Atletico’s match against Deportivo next Sunday as high risk, reported Efe on Friday.

Violence had broken out between fans of the two Spanish sides hours before their match in November 2014, leading to the death of a fan from his injuries.

Arabian Gulf League: Bani Yas boss Pablo Repetto demands victory over Dibba

Abu Dhabi: The Bani Yas boss, Pablo Repetto, will accept nothing less than victory against Dibba in today’s home Arabian Gulf League match after losing his two first domestic games of the new season.

Dibba downed the Sky Blues 3-2 earlier this month in the Arabian Gulf Cup, while Repetto’s side were unfortunate to lose 1-0 away to Al Ain in their AGL opener last Sunday following a battling display.

Repetto, who is in his first season in the

Liberty Media buys Formula One for $4.4b

Washington: US communications billionaire John Malone’s Liberty Media announced Wednesday it had sealed a deal to buy the iconic racing business Formula One for $4.4 billion.

Liberty said it would keep Bernie Ecclestone, who has long controlled the racing group, as Formula One chief executive, but also named Chase Carey, the vice chairman of 21st Century Fox, as the company’s new chairman.

Liberty will take control of the legendary jewel of motorsport by buying 100 per cent of Formula One controlling shareholder Delta Topco

US Open: Andy Murray dumped out by Kei Nishikori

New York: Kei Nishikori stunned Andy Murray to reach the US Open semi-finals, holding his nerve in a breathtaking final set to move two wins away from becoming the first Asian man to capture a Grand Slam singles title.

Japanese star Nishikori clinched a dramatic 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 comeback triumph in a shade under four hours against the Wimbledon winner and 2012 US Open champion.

Waiting for the 26-year-old next will be either 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro or third seed Stan Wawrinka.

England vs Pakistan: Stokes and Bairstow lead hosts to victory

Leeds: Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow both made fifties as England beat Pakistan by four wickets in the fourth One Day International at Headingley on Thursday.

England, now 4-0 up in this five-match series, slumped to 72 for four pursuing a target of 248.

But Stokes (69) and wicket-keeper Bairstow (61), only playing on his Yorkshire home ground after Jos Buttler was ruled out in the warm-up with a hamstring injury, got the innings back on track with a fifth-wicket partnership of 103.

Neither batsman was in at the finish of