| Stalemate In U.S. And Colombia Friendly PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The United States and Colombia played out a dull 0-0 draw in their friendly match on Tuesday with few chances for either team. feeds.nytimes.com |
Liverpool takeover: fans voice their joy on Twitter as Tom Hicks exits stage left How the news of Tom Hicks' defeat in High Court was greeted by Liverpool fans on Twitter. telegraph.co.uk |
'Psychic' World Cup octopus dies Paul the octopus, who shot to fame during this year's FIFA World Cup for correctly predicting the outcome of games, has died. foxsports.com.au |
Carragher awaits verdict on operation • Influential defender may be out for longer than six weeks• But Steven Gerrard could return earlier than expectedJamie Carragher will discover today whether he requires surgery on the shoulder injury that threatens to deprive Roy Hodgson of the influential Liverpool defender until at least mid-January.Liverpool's vice-captain dislocated his left shoulder five minutes from the end of the defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday after landing awkwardly following an aerial challenge with Peter Crouch. Initial estimates put the 32-year-old's recovery period at six weeks but, despite undergoing a scan on Merseyside yesterday, Liverpool's medical department has yet to decide whether to book the defender in for an operation that could prolong his absence. A decision is expected after further consultations today.With Daniel Agger out for at least another two weeks with a calf injury and Steven Gerrard sidelined with a hamstring tear suffered on England duty, the loss of Carragher is another untimely setback for Hodgson. Gerrard, however, is making good progress in his recovery and has a slight chance of returning 10 days ahead of schedule when Gérard Houllier returns to Anfield with Aston Villa on Monday night.Martin Kelly, meanwhile, is expected to sign a new three-and-a-half‑year contract this week. The 20-year-old defender has made 10 first‑team appearances this season but, with his deal due to expire at the end of the campaign, Liverpool are keen to reward his breakthrough with a contract that ties him to Anfield until 2014.Paul Konchesky has admitted he has not yet reached the level required at Liverpool and accepted full responsibility for the defeat at White Hart Lane. The left‑back was given a tough time by Aaron Lennon and was caught out of position and found lacking for pace as the winger raced through to score the winner in added time. Despite an encouraging team performance Konchesky was the one player who came in for criticism. He acknowledged his culpability against Spurs and stressed his determination to improve."I've got to up my game. Where I've played before has not been as high a standard as Liverpool but this is a good pressure," said the 29-year-old. "The fans want you to be in the top four because that's where Liverpool belong. Straight after [Lennon's winner] I knew that I'd have to hold my hands up but we also had chances to win the game. That's part of football and we've got to try to take the positives out of the game."I was gutted [over the winner]; being the last minute as well it didn't give us any time to get back into the game. But that's life, we've got to put it behind us, and I've got to put it behind myself for the next game."The former West Ham United defender has taken a while to settle having arrived from Fulham in the summer and his integration into the side has not been helped by changes within the team."I got injured early on so I'm just getting back to playing at full fitness now," Konchesky said. "I'm getting used to the atmosphere and the people surrounding the team. I can see signs that we're starting to play in the style he [Hodgson] wants. The more we work on it on the training ground, the more the players get used to what the manager wants."LiverpoolJamie CarragherAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Barcelona 5 Real Madrid 0: match report Pep Guardiola's Barcelona thrash José Mourinho's Real Madrid in opening El Clásico of Spanish La Liga season. telegraph.co.uk |