SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has admitted he was "naive" for his Super Mario post on social media. The Italy international was banned for Sunday's 2-2 draw with Arsenalfor re-posting an image that appeared to make anti-Semitic and racist references. He admitted the charge and was also fined £25,000. The FA has published written reasons for sanctioning Balotelli, while acknowledging that the striker had not intended to cause offence. Roger Burden, who chaired the FA regulatory commission that punished the striker, wrote: "Mr Balotelli said that he deeply regretted posting the image and that he had removed it as soon as it was brought to his attention by other users that it could cause offence. "He said that he was shocked to find the image was offensive because, out of sheer naivety, he had not understood the implication of the comments which appeared on the image." In evidence submitted to the FA, Balotelli said that he deleted the image...

TEAM NEWS Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard is doubtful after injuring his ankle during the victory at Stoke. Oscar could be recalled to the starting line-up after only being named as an unused substitute on Monday. West Ham midfielder Mark Noble returns to the squad after recovering from an Achilles problem. Defender James Tomkins is the Hammers' only injury doubt after he was substituted against Leicester with a hamstring problem. MATCH PREVIEW In fourth place at Christmas, Sam Allardyce says his team are breaking barriers, and the timing couldn't be better - West Ham have begun the process of offering corporate packages in the Olympic Stadium where they will kick off the 2016-17 season. Not so long ago, this would have required a leap of faith from would-be purchasers wondering if they'd be watching Championship football in their plush padded seats; now it's not such a ludicrous stretch of the imagination to dream of Champions League games being di...

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says he could have asked for no more from Wayne Rooney, who played in midfield for United's 3-1 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford. Rooney scored twice and created a third for Robin van Persie. And Van Gaal was delighted with the 29-year-old's contribution as his side took their unbeaten run to eight games. "He scores two goals and gets an assist," Van Gaal said. "What more can you demand as a manager?" The Dutchman added: "In our last match against Aston Villa Rooney was a little bit too defensive so I asked for him to be more attacking. "He has the lung capacity to run 90 minutes as a midfielder." Although he has tended to be used either as an orthodox striker, or in an advanced role just behind a front two this season, Rooney has been picked in central midfield for United's last three games. The move has coincided with the combined absences at various points of Angel Di Maria wit...

Friday, 26 December 2014 F T Chelsea 2 - 0 West Ham United F T Burnley 0 - 1 Liverpool F T Crystal Palace 1 - 3 Southampton F T Everton 0 - 1 Stoke City F T Leicester City 1 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur F T Manchester United 3 - 1 Newcastle United F T Sunderland 1 - 3 Hull City F T Swansea City 1 - 0 Aston Villa F T West Bromwich Albion 1 - 3 Manchester City Saturday, 27 December 2014 F T Arsenal 2 - 1 Queens Park Rangers table # Team Name P W D L F A GD PTS 1 Chelsea 18 14 3 1 40 13 +27 45 2 Manchester City 18 13 3 2 39 15 +24 42 3 Manchester United 18 10 5 3 33 19 +14 35 4 Southampton 18 10 2 6 31 14 +17 32 5 West Ham United 18 9 4 5 29 21 +8 31 6 Arsenal 18 8 6 4 32 22 +10 30 7 Tottenham Hotspur 18 9 3 6 24 24 0 30 8 Swansea City 18 8 4 6 23 19 +4 28 9 Liverpool 18 7 4 7 22 24 –2 25 10 Newcastle United 18 6 5 7 19 26 –7 23 11 Stoke City 18 6 4 8 19 23 –4 22 12 Everton 18 5 6 7 27 28 –1 21 13 Aston Villa 18 5 5 8 11...