Match Report: Rafael Benitez in denial as Moussa Sissoko and Newcastle United expose the truth about Chelsea

Newcastle United 3 Chelsea 2: Newcastle are sparked into life by their new French connection

French fancy: Moussa Sissoko scored twice on his debut

You can, at least, not fault the defiance of Rafa Benitez. He again proved immovable, unlike his side. "We could have won every single game we draw or we lost, every single game," he insisted after yesterday's defeat. "In all the games we had chances and played good football in the majority of them. When we couldn't we still had chances to win."

Sterling charged with assaulting woman, 27, in Liverpool and he's heading for adult court despite alleged incident happening when he was 17

Accused: Raheem Sterling has been charged with assaulting a woman in Liverpool

Liverpool star Raheem Sterling has been charged with assaulting a woman.

The 18-year-old winger was summonsed to Liverpool Youth Court today on a charge of common assault.

The Jamaica-born footballer, who lives in Woolton, Liverpool, did not attend the hearing and solicitor Mick Hogan appeared on his behalf.

Police said a 27-year-old woman, who is known to the footballer, suffered 'slight' facial injuries during an alleged incident in Toxteth, on November 2.

During today's short hearing Mr Hogan told the court that Sterling denies the allegation.

He said the alleged offence took place when the footballer was 17 but, as he turned 18 in December, the matter should be transferred to the adult courts.

Mr Hogan said: 'I do have instructions to the effect that Mr Sterling will be pleading not guilty to this charge.

'He is aware of today's hearing and the club are very supportive.'

The move to the adult courts was supported by the prosecution and Chairman of the Bench Brian Upton adjourned the matter to Liverpool Magistrates' Court on February 22.

Sterling made his senior international debut for England last November against Sweden and has earned plaudits for his performances for Liverpool this season.

The youngster recently signed a new deal with the Anfield outfit after several months of wrangling.

Speaking to Mail Online earlier this month, Sterling said: 'I've become a better all-round person, especially in how I live my life off the pitch these days. And I've learned to be more selective with the people who I trust.

'The people close to me now are good for me, I've learned from the experiences I had growing up, from the people who weren't there for me. I now listen to my elders at home and at the club. I take on board what these people tell me.'

GAME 24 & 25

EPL - Match 24 & 25 - January 29 / 30 / Feb 2 / 3 Fixtures

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City      3:45    mio   102

Aston Villa v Newcastle United      3:45    mio   103

Sunderland v Swansea City      3:45    mio   104

Stoke City v Wigan Athletic      3:45    mio   105
 
 

 

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

Arsenal v Liverpool       3:45    mio   105

Manchester United v Southampton     4:00    mio   103

Reading v Chelsea       4:00    mio   104

Norwich City v Tottenham Hotspur     3:45    mio   105

Everton v West Bromwich Albion      3:45    mio   106

Fulham v West Ham United       4:00    mio   107

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Queens Park Rangers v Norwich City     8:45    mio   102

Newcastle United v Chelsea     11:00    mio   102

Arsenal v Stoke City        3:45    mio   103

Everton v Aston Villa     11:00    mio   104

Reading v Sunderland     11:00    mio   105

West Ham United v Swansea City     11:00    mio   106

Wigan Athletic v Southampton     11:00    mio   107

Fulham v Manchester United       1:30    mio   102

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

West Bromwich Albion v Tottenham Hotspur         9:30    mio   102

 Manchester City v Liverpool          12:00    mio   102
 

Saints steal a march on Liverpool after £10.2m Coutinho bid is accepted by Inter

Wanted man: Both Southampton and Liverpool have bid for Coutinho

 

 

 

Southampton have leapfrogged Liverpool in the race to sign Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan after having a £10.2million bid accepted for the midfielder.

The rival offer comes as Barcelona express an interest in signing Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, 30, but in the summer window as a replacement for the departing Victor Valdes.

Liverpool will step up interest in goalkeeping targets as they prepare for his departure but more pressing is the negotiations with Inter for Coutinho.

They had a £6.3m offer rejected for the Brazilian last Friday and have improved that bid to £8m.

They will now have to match Southampton's package to stand a chance of luring Coutinho to Merseyside. Southampton manager Maurico Pochettino had the 20-year-old on loan at Espanyol last season.

West Brom, meanwhile, are weighing up a loan for Liverpool's out of favour defender Sebastian Coates after allowing Craig Dawson to join Bolton on loan. West Brom boss Steve Clarke worked with Coates at Anfield. Wigan are also in the frame.

Benitez rages at Sir Alex and calls Materazzi a liar TEN times in astonishing rant

  

 

 

Anger management: Rafa Benitez hit out at Sir Alex Ferguson, below, and Marco Materazzi

 

 

 

 

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/video/espnfc/video?id=1309532&cc=4716

 

 

 

Rafa Benitez was ranting at the double last night, renewing his feud with Sir Alex Ferguson and accusing his former Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi of being ‘a liar’ 10 times during an amazing outburst.

Chelsea’s interim manager insisted it is ‘obvious’ his old Manchester United foe Ferguson is still putting undue pressure on match officials.

Benitez, who attracted notoriety for launching an infamous tirade of ‘facts’ about Ferguson’s approach to referees at Liverpool four years ago, claims that Ferguson has continued to throw his weight around.

He said: ‘Maybe now a lot of people are seeing the same things. I will not talk too much about that because it’s obvious. It’s a question for the FA what they do about it.

'What I said at that time was what I thought and what I’m seeing now is similar. It depends on the FA. I don’t know what they will do.

He was referring to the potential charge Ferguson faces for claiming linesman Simon Beck had a ‘shocking game’ at Spurs on Sunday.

Benitez’s willingness to reopen the debate about Ferguson’s influence may increase the enmity between long-standing rivals, but Ferguson is unlikely to be too concerned as his side have an 11-point lead over Chelsea.

Rafa Benitez’s feud with Marco Materazzi yesterday took an extraordinary twist when the Chelsea coach accused the former Inter Milan defender of being ‘a liar’ 10 times during an amazing outburst.

Benitez, who must overturn a 2-0 deficit against Swansea in tonight’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg, is furious over claims made by the World Cup winner.

Materazzi, who played under Benitez at the San Siro in 2010, claimed Chelsea’s interim manager ‘could not be trusted’ and ‘is weak’.

The Italian, who gained notoriety when he was headbutted by Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final, also claims Benitez took down pictures of predecessor Jose Mourinho at the training ground.

Benitez said: ‘In Italy everyone knows Materazzi and everyone at Inter knows him — he’s a liar. He’s lying. He’s lying. He’s lying, just lying. Everything he has said is a lie.

‘What he said about Mourinho is not true. Nobody knew Mourinho was leaving (in 2010) and no-one knew the Inter position would become available.

‘I don’t know about the locker room, so it’s a lie. If you talk about lies, then he is a liar.

‘I’ve spoken to his family and they told me I had to understand him so I want to respect him and be nice — but everyone knows him. He cannot discredit anyone because everyone knows him. Forget about him — it’s a lie. Simple.’

After a fleetingly promising start in Italy, Benitez's Inter began to struggle and following the manager's demands for money to spend he was sacked in December 2010, only six months into a two-year contract.

Chelsea fans have consistently been hostile to the Spaniard since he replaced Roberto Di Matteo and became the club's interim manager, and Materazzi, himself no stranger to controversy, says he understands why.

'Rafael Benitez is not my ideal coach,' the World Cup-winning defender said. 'If I was president of a club, I would not trust him with my team. What I did not like about him is how he introduced himself to the group.

’A great coach, like Jose Mourinho or (Marcelo) Lippi discusses rules with within the group, but Benitez wanted to write 10 or 12 rules. It was like the traffic or being back at school.’

Materazzi. who played briefly for Everton, is best known for his part in Zinedine Zidane's red card in the World Cup final of 2006, the legendary Frenchman's final act as a professional footballer.

Benitez held productive talks with Roman Abramovich on Sunday after the Chelsea owner returned to London from his holiday in St Barts.

The manager said: ‘Without giving away too many details, the owner was really pleased with the result against Arsenal (a 2-1 win on Sunday).

‘He has ideas and I do too. We share ideas and it’s fine. We explain to each other what we’re trying to do.’

Addressing Chelsea’s form, Benitez added: ‘Could we do a bit better? Yes. Could we have won games we lost? Yes. But the team is progressing and if you talk with the players they say we’re going in the right direction.’

 

 

 

 

Rafa's rules: Materazzi did not like the Spaniard's management style at Inter Milan

 

Brighton and Hove Albion player Anton Rodgers and three other footballers are accused of attacking a woman in a hotel room

Accused: (L-R) Steve Cook, Anton Rodgers, George Barker and Lewis Dunk

Four footballers took lewd photos as they sexually assaulted a drunken teenage girl in a hotel bedroom, a court heard today.

The players – one of them the son of Liverpool FC manager Brendan Rodgers – took the pictures of themselves performing sexual acts on the half-naked 19-year-old as a “record of their conquest”, the Old Bailey heard.

Anton Rodgers, 19, and three other players are accused of attacking a drunken woman in a hotel room after celebrating a cup final win.

Brighton and Hove Albion players Rodgers, Lewis Dunk, 21, and George Barker, 21, and former teammate Steve Cook, 21, who now plays for Bournemouth, all deny the charges.

The Old Bailey heard how the four footballers took pictures of themselves sexually assaulting the 19-year-old woman to have a “permanent record of their conquest”.

The sportsmen allegedly took the young woman back to their hotel room and assaulted her after celebrating victory for their club in the Sussex Senior Cup.

Rodgers, Barker and Dunk, all of Brighton; and Cook, of St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, also deny voyeurism.

The offences were said to have happened at the Jury's Inn Hotel in Brighton in July 2011.

Richard Barton, prosecuting, said: "This case concerns how a group of young professional footballers, intoxicated after a night out together celebrating a cup final victory, took advantage of a young woman, who herself was intoxicated and who was obviously in a vulnerable condition.

"After taking her back to a hotel room, they waited until she had fallen asleep, and so was unable to resist, and then sexually assaulted her in a deliberately humiliating way.

"They compounded the humiliation by taking photographs of themselves doing so in order to have a permanent record of their conquest."

He added: "They did so for their own gratification, intending to share the photographs between themselves and they may have done so to share with others at their football club.

"These were the actions of a group of arrogant young men labouring under the misguided belief that by reason of their privileged position they could with impunity take advantage of a young woman in this way, because even if she realised what they had done to her, she would not dare report it."

He said the teenager - described as chatty and bubbly - did not tell police for six months "through fear of repercussions".

She finally made a complaint about being "repeatedly taunted" about the incident by another footballer at the club.

Liverpool boss Rodgers, 39, watched with other family members from the public gallery as the case was opened.

Mr Barton said the woman spent the evening at four nightclubs.

At the last, Lola Lo, she met a number of footballers out celebrating and one bought her a drink.

"It would seem alcohol played a part in the events that night," said Mr Barton.

A friend of the woman did not consider her to be so drunk that she was a danger to herself.

It is possible her drink might have been spiked but there was no suggestion the accused had interfered with her drink, the prosecutor added.

But this was not a case of a drunken young woman who did things when drunk that she later regretted.

Mr Barton continued: "This is a case of a group of men taking advantage of a woman who through a combination of drink and tiredness, ended up unconscious.

"She was not in a condition to resist, give consent or prevent things happening."

The woman now had a series of flashbacks. One was walking along the seafront with Lewis Dunk, who had his arm round her.

She could remember waking up in a hotel room the next day in a double bed with Anton Rodgers next to her.

Another player, Ben Sampayo, was asleep on a single bed in the room, which had been booked for them by the club.

Mr Barton said Rodgers was wearing only his underwear and she did not have her bra on.

"Her dress was pulled up, exposing her body. Her breasts were exposed.

"Toilet paper was strewn around the room and there were remnants of shaving foam."

The woman had tried to ring her sister but her mobile battery was dead.

Stress: Father and son show the strain as they arrive at the Old Bailey

Mr Barton said she asked to use Rodgers'. He was reluctant at first but agreed after she was persistent.

She could not remember her sister's number and scrolled through photographs on the handset.

"She saw there was a whole series of photographs of a young woman wearing a pink dress.

"The woman was lying on a bed, clearly not awake and, in some of them, semi-naked men around her.

"She looked at some of the many photographs and then realised to her horror that she recognised the unconscious woman in the pink dress was in fact herself.

"She has no recollection of these photographs being taken."

It was the prosecution case that the men in the pictures were the defendants.

Mr Barton said the woman woke Rodgers up and asked him to delete the pictures.

"She wanted him to get rid of the photographs but he simply laughed at her. He told her that these were nothing to do with her," added the prosecutor.

"She pleaded with Rodgers to delete the photographs but he told her: 'Sorry, we are going to a barbecue'.

"He locked himself in a bathroom and had a shower. She was told by Sampayo to leave, which she did.

"The indifference shown towards her by Rodgers and the others that morning is indicative of the group's overall attitude to her and the events the night before."

Mr Barton said Sampayo had woken when the woman was allegedly arguing with Rodgers and she asked him how he would feel if it was him.

"He said that if there were a group of women with their genitals exposed near his face he would be proud of that and would put any photographs of it on Facebook."

The woman missed work that day but arrived the following day wearing "scruffy clothes" and appeared as though she had not slept, the court heard.

After she was questioned by her manager, she claimed she was attacked in the street but said she did not know the names of the men involved, fearing the repercussions of reporting the footballers, Mr Barton said.

Young star: Anton Rodgers in action for former club Chelsea

She provided detailed descriptions of the men to police in the hope the footballers would be identified as her attackers, jurors were told.

The prosecution say the woman's initial refusal to identify the defendants as her attackers proved she did not willingly take part in any sexual acts in order to sell a "kiss and tell" story.

"She is not a young woman who is a wannabe 'wag' but rather she was clearly mortified by what she subsequently found out had happened to her as she lay unconscious on that bed", said Mr Barton.

The jury heard that the woman saw two of the defendants - Rodgers and Barker - some time after the incident, when Barker allegedly said: "Do you remember having sex with me?"

The woman eventually went to police some six months after the alleged offences when another Brighton footballer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, revealed he had seen intimate photographs and videos of her from the hotel.

He claimed they had been shared among his teammates and threatened to post the photographs and videos online, the prosecutor said.

The woman spoke to her employers before contacting police on January 12, the court heard.

The woman told police she had seen a number of photographs of sexual acts being performed on her, the court heard.

She recalled one of the photographs showed the initials 'GB' sprayed on her thigh in shaving foam, with one of the defendants - George Barker - stood next to her grinning, the court heard.

The defendants were arrested on January 19 and interviewed by police.

Cook admitted that photographs had been taken of the woman with some of the players' genitals showing, but claimed he was in the background and did not take part.

In a prepared statement, Barker said only one photograph had been taken of the woman, which featured his initials written in shaving foam on her leg.

Dunk told police he woken up to see another player - Leon Redwood - writing 'GB' on the woman's leg in shaving foam but claimed he had not seen any photographs.

Rodgers refused to answer police questions, the court heard.

Another player - Ben Sampayo - was also interviewed by police and admitted to seeing photographs of the woman unconscious after he had been woken in the night by his teammates.

The jury was shown a photograph recovered by police from Barker's mobile telephone, which featured the defendant standing next to a woman, with the initials "GB" written in white foam on her leg.

No other photographs of the alleged abuse were found by police, the court heard.

Mr Barker told the jury the woman had provided a "clear and compelling account" of what the four defendants did at a time when she was "unconscious and so very vulnerable".

"Some of these defendants accept that something inappropriate did happen, but point the finger at someone else, denying their own involvement," he said.

"Sadly the truth is that they were in it together. They deliberately humiliated her and they did so for their own sexual gratification.

"If anyone during the trial were to suggest that it was a joke, then you may think it was singularly unfunny and constitutes conduct going far beyond that which would ever be considered acceptable even in jest between friends.

"Here it was with a vulnerable unconscious young woman and as such, the prosecution say, it constituted criminal sexual misconduct."

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow.

Liverpool boss Rodgers arrives in court to support son charged with sexual assault and voyeurism

Trial: Anton Rodgers has arrived at the Old Bailey on charges of sexual assault and voyeurism

Support: Brendan Rodgers was at the Old Bailey to back his son

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was at the Old Bailey today as his son Anton arrived to face trial accused of sexual assault and voyeurism.

The offences are alleged to have taken place at the Jury’s Inn hotel in Brighton, East Sussex, in July 2011.

Brighton and Hove Albion players Rodgers, 19, Lewis Dunk, 21, George Barker, 21, and former team-mate Steve Cook, 21, who now plays for Bournemouth, deny the charges.

The players are alleged to have assaulted a woman at the hotel. Rodgers, Barker and Cook are on bail.

The trial is not due to open in front of a jury until tomorrow.

Accused: Brighton and Hove Albion player Lewis Dunk (centre) arrives at the Old Bailey

Charged: Steve Cook (left) and George Barker (right) arrive, with Rodgers (bottom left) and Anton (bottom right)

 

Brighton defender Ben Sampayo, 19, has been told no further action will be taken against him over the alleged incident after he was arrested.

A sixth player, Seagulls midfielder Tommy Elphick, 24, was released without charge following the original arrests in January.

The charges come after a four-month investigation by Sussex Police.

In the cold: Rafa Benitez, pictured in training today, has the worst stats after 16 games in charge of all nine Chelsea bosses under Roman Abramovich

Snow joke: Gary Cahill was involved in a snowball fight as the Chelsea players trained at Cobham

In on it: Ashley Cole also picked up some snow during a break in training

Back to work: Fernando Torres (centre) is wrapped up as the players get on with their drills

The man they call the 'Special One' won an impressive 13 of his first 16 games (81 per cent). So too did the double-winning Italian Carlo Ancelotti but he lost one more game than Mourinho in the early stages of his career in west London.

Interestingly, Benitez's Chelsea have scored the most goals in his short spell in charge than any of the others, with an 8-0 home win over Aston Villa helping them on their way to an unsurpassed 40.

The special ones: Jose Mourinho (left) and Carlo Ancelotti each had a win rate of 81 per cent in their first 16 games at the helm

Request: Chelsea fans have been opposed to Benitez since he replace Roberto Di Matteo

Different beginnings, same end: Andre Villas-Boas (right) made a poor start to his reign but Luiz Felipe Scolari (left) won 11 of his first 16 games - but both were sacked in their first season at Chelsea

Short spell: Guus Hiddink (right) had a relatively successful stint as Chelsea manager

Hero: Di Matteo was sacked despite delivering the Champions League to Roman Ambramovich

Shrugged off: Avram Grant lost only one of his first 16 games in charge after succeeding Mourinho

Waving goodbye: Claudio Ranieri was in charge when Abramovich took charge of the club

Satisfied? Abramovich has had nine managers since taking control of Chelsea in 2003

BENITEZ STRUGGLES TO FIND FORM AT HOME

 

Chelsea have managed just two victories - albeit high-scoring ones - from their seven home matches in all competitions under Rafa Benitez, who has been jeered by Chelsea fans at every game.

It is now three matches since Chelsea last tasted victory at home and the natives are getting restless.

Ahead of Arsenal's visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Sportsmail takes a look at Chelsea's home-sickness under Benitez.

 

 

November 25: Chelsea 0 Manchester City 0 (Barclays Premier League)
Chelsea kept their first clean sheet in 11 matches but Benitez (right) was jeered and booed by the home fans, angry that Roberto Di Matteo had been sacked.

November 28: Chelsea 0 Fulham 0 (Barclays Premier League)

Another uninspiring goalless draw from Chelsea, who toiled against a well-organised Fulham side. Benitez and Fernando Torres bore the brunt of the fans' frustrations.

January 2: Chelsea 0 QPR 1 (Barclays Premier League)

Chelsea's west London rivals QPR won at Stamford Bridge for the first time in two decades with a goal from former Chelsea midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips.

January 9: Chelsea 0 Swansea 2 (Capital One Cup, semi-final first leg)

Chelsea were punished for another poor performance and Benitez was showered with more abuse from the stands, mainly for not bringing on new striker Demba Ba, as Swansea took charge of the tie.

January 16: Chelsea 2 Southampton 2 (Barclays Premier League)
Chelsea were cruising at 2-0 with goals from Ba and Eden Hazard but they allowed relegation-battling Southampton to hit back and claim the draw.

Forren policy: Defender seals £4.2m move to Southampton after snubbing Liverpool

The centre back becomes the second player after Gaston Ramirez to snub Liverpool in favour of the Saints

New boys: Vegard Forren shakes hands with his new boss, Mauricio Pochettino

Vegard Forren has given Southampton fans some cheer by signing for the club on the day they harshly sacked manager Nigel Adkins.

The centre back was set to move to Liverpool on trial but the south coast side acted quickly to bring him to St Mary's on a three-and-a-half year deal.

Saints desperately needed to boost their defensive options and this £4.2million acquisition will be viewed as a relative coup for the club.

Change of plan: Molde defender Vegard Forren has abandoned a trial at Liverpool in favour of Southampton

Fulham and Everton were also tracking the 24-year-old but new Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino will be able to deploy him as he bids to avoid the drop.

Forren has appeared five times for Norway and made 158 appearances for Molde between 2007 and 2012, scoring six goals.

The Suarez files... a history of controversy

Luis Kops it: We'll punish Suarez for 'unacceptable' dive claims, insists Liverpool manager Rodgers

  

Brendan Rodgers has torn into Luis Suarez after he admitted diving in an attempt to win a penalty earlier this season, describing the Uruguayan’s actions as ‘not acceptable’.

The Liverpool manager stopped short of fining his striker but insisted he will not tolerate any behaviour that undermines the club. ‘It was wrong to say what he said,’ said Rodgers. ‘It was not acceptable. This club has always kept its matters in house and that’s what we will do. But diving is not something we advocate here.’

The Northern Irishman spoke to Suarez (right) at the training ground after his admission that he dived to try to win a penalty against Stoke. Rodgers considered fining Suarez for his  ill-judged words on ESPN Argentina — a two-week sanction would have cost him £200,000 — but decided against it even though there was precedent when Everton manager David Moyes fined Phil Neville after he was booked for diving during the Merseyside derby in October.

The FA are aware of Suarez’s comments but are unlikely to take the matter further.

Given the consistent backing he has been given by his club this  season, his decision to give such a candid interview has embarrassed Liverpool and Rodgers does not want the episode to come back and haunt his side.

‘It’s been difficult for us this season with regards to penalties,’ added Rodgers. ‘We’ve only had one. The team always goes into every game looking to win in the best possible way with a sporting manner and we don’t want that to change.

‘But this situation might affect people’s thinking. I’m not saying it will do, but it could do. It might make  people think twice about things and that’s certainly  something we don’t want. The team puts maximum effort into the game and I wouldn’t want second thoughts going into anybody’s mind.

‘I’ve spoken to Luis on it. I’m not sure it makes a big difference if we are saying he is fined one week’s, two weeks’ or four weeks’ wages.

‘This is a big club, bigger than anyone and whatever people say goes around the world. It certainly doesn’t help him but, more importantly, it doesn’t help the team.

The game against Stoke on  October 6, in which Suarez admitted diving, ended in controversy, with Tony Pulis lambasting him for his theatrics and Rodgers defending the former Ajax striker after he was stamped on by Stoke defender  Robert Huth.

‘In fairness to him, most players wait until the end of their careers when they are writing their books to put it in,’ said Rodgers. ‘He has been honest enough to come out and say it in the middle of his career.

‘It’s something in the game that we are trying to clean up. My feeling as the manager of this club is that it (the dive) was wrong.

‘I don’t think I’ve been put in a difficult position. I’ve only ever called it honestly. I have defended him when I feel it is right and will continue to do that. Luis and I have a strong relationship and he understands that and knows that. I don’t feel let down, I’ll just call it like it is. I said at the time it was the wrong thing to do. I need to protect the club and the group and if anything puts that in jeopardy I will deal with that. Luis is aware of my feelings.’

Controversy: Suarez made headlines this month when he handled the ball at Mansfield

Ex-Premier League official and Sportsmail columnist Graham Poll has called on the FA to reprimand Liverpool's striker following last night's startling confession.

Poll said: 'Brendan Rodgers has said that Suarez is unfairly victimised but even he will struggle to plead his star striker's innocence after these quotes.'

'The name of Suarez should certainly attract papers now – those from the FA disciplinary department.

'Liverpool fans will, of course, claim victimisation once again but now that Suarez has confirmed what most outside of the red half of Merseyside have asserted all along even the most diehard must accept that their No 7 must be charged.'

Having been called up for England, the young forward has come a long way since his 2010 debut for Crystal Palace

With Manchester United ready to pounce for Palace starlet Wilfried Zaha, we asked our Crystal Palace expert Ed Malyon to give us the lowdown on the hottest player in the Championship.

"He looks about twelve," comments one supporter in the Holmesdale stand as a gangly, youthful striker takes to the field for Crystal Palace.

His shorts are pulled high above the waist, his shirt billows with excess polycotton yet his boots are electric blue. The boots, it will later emerge, are new. Bought for him as a present by his manager when it was decided that his shabby old black ones simply weren't fit for him to be making his professional debut in.

He touched the ball perhaps six times, but this brief 10-minute cameo was one of exciting promise - although whether this youngster's substitute appearance had come about because of his unique talent, or because of the club's perilous financial state was still unclear. After all, every player on the Eagles' substitute bench that day was an academy product, the oldest just 20 years-old.

This particular youngster was Wilfried Zaha, and once his club had survived a financial near-apocalypse in the approaching summer he would prove that he had made his bow for all the right reasons, going on to establish himself as a regular in the first team, just as many of the club's academy graduates had before.

Zaha though, is very much a one-of-a-kind player. Immediate comparisons were inevitably drawn to Victor Moses, with both players being exciting wingers capable of being the central frontman, but as is often the case with these lazy parallels it is wide of the mark.

Dutch playmaker is stalling on a move to Turkey as he would prefer to play in the Premier League - if anyone can afford him

Liverpool have made a sensational bid to ­hijack Wesley Sneijder’s move from Inter Milan to Galatasaray, writes the Sunday People.

Kop boss Brendan Rodgers thinks he has a good chance of luring the 28-year-old Holland star to the Premier League – even though Inter have already ­accepted an £8.2million deal from the Turkish side.

Sneijder, who has fallen out with Inter bosses, is stalling on the Gala deal because he would prefer to play in England – and Liverpool are ready to offer him the chance.

Wages are a problem – Sneijder is on £160,000 a week at the San Siro.

Club president Massimo Moratti wanted him to take a pay cut but Sneijder refused and that’s why the Italians are ready to let him go in a cut-price deal.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson backed off from a deal for Sneijder two years ago with the Dutchman reportedly asking for £220,000 a week.

That was on top of a £40m transfer fee for a player who cost Inter £13m when he moved to Italy from Real Madrid in 2009.

Sneijder is currently on more than Steven Gerrard is earning at Anfield but, given that low transfer fee, Rodgers believes he can land a top star comparatively cheaply.

Dream team: Liverpool want to team up Sneijder with Gerrard

Kop managing director Ian Ayre has been in talks with Liverpool’s Boston-based owners in the last 24 hours to see if a deal is feasible.

The prospect of seeing Sneijder team up with Gerrard in the middle of the park will get Liverpool fans buzzing before today’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.