Grant set for Kwarasey return talks

Ghana head coach, Avram Grant, will hold crunch talks with exiled goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey after watching him play on Sunday.

Since the past week, the Black Stars gaffer has been on a monitoring tour of the American Major League Soccer which now has a sizeable number of Ghanaians plying their trade in.

Grant watched rookie, Kwadwo Poku, come on as a half time replacement for David Villa in New York City FC’s one all draw with Philadelphia Union last Thursday evening.

Supersport.com has confirmed that, he is scheduled to return to the Yankee Stadium when Portland Timbers come visiting on Sunday night.

This match-up could possibly see three Ghanaians featuring at a point in time – Kwadwo Poku for New York City with Adam Kwarasey and Ishmael Yartey on the other side for Timbers – a sight the Israeli would probably relish.

The communications director of the Ghana FA in confirming Grant’s schedule, reveals the ex-Chelsea boss is keen on talking to Kwarasey over a return to the Black Stars team. The shot-stopper has turned down all national calls since his return from the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

“He is currently in the United States to monitor Ghanaian players. What I know for sure is that, he is watching Adam and Ishmael Yartey this weekend in a league match and then have a meeting with them,” says Ibrahim Sannie Daara.

“Definitely when he goes on monitoring, he will meet some of the players and key on the agenda will be talking to Adam Kwarasey. I don’t know how far the talks will go but he is keen on talking to Adam,” he affirmed.

Ghana look to have issues in the goalkeeping department with Fatau Dauda and recent number one, Razak Braimah, and Grant believes a personal encounter with Kwarasey could win him over to return to the national team.

Bale injured days before Atletico decider

Real Madrid suffered what could be a huge injury blow ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal, second leg against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday as Gareth Bale hobbled off with an injury just five minutes into their La Liga clash with Malaga on Saturday.

The Welshman went down holding his left calf after an innocuous looking challenge but immediately signalled to the bench that he needed to be replaced, with Manchester United loanee Javier Hernandez taking his over.

Real and Atletico are locked at 0-0 after the first leg last week in a repeat of last season's Champions League final.

Hazard fires Chelsea closer to title

Champions-elect Chelsea took a significant step towards the Premier League title as Eden Hazard's first-half goal secured a clinical 1-0 home win over in-form Manchester United on Saturday.

United were seeking a seventh consecutive league win, but despite bossing possession, it was Chelsea who prevailed after Hazard sped through to score his 13th goal of the campaign in the 38th minute at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian's strike left his side 10 points clear of second-place Arsenal, who welcome Jose Mourinho's side to the Emirates Stadium next weekend, when another Chelsea win will bring a first title since 2010 within reach.

United's recent surge had prompted talk of an improbable title tilt, but with Louis van Gaal's men 11 points below Chelsea having played a game more, automatic Champions League qualification is now their only objective.

And while United's football suggested there are better days ahead at Old Trafford, it is League Cup winners Chelsea, whose last seven wins have all been by a one-goal margin, who are on the brink of another coronation.

A calf injury to Michael Carrick obliged Wayne Rooney to drop into midfield for the visitors, but it was to the United captain that the first chance of the match fell on a warm, sunny afternoon in west London.

From Ashley Young's pass, the over-lapping Luke Shaw cut the ball back for Rooney, but the United number 10 shot's hit the stanchion to the left of the goal and bounced back into the net, fooling the travelling fans at the other end into thinking the deadlock had been broken.

United goalkeeper David de Gea had to toe the ball behind for a corner after Hazard's pass sent Cesc Fabregas scampering into the box, but for most of the first half, the away team looked serene.

With Ander Herrera assuredly anchoring the midfield, Van Gaal's men were finding passing triangles all over the pitch and they demonstrated their confidence when Paddy McNair advanced and saw a shot deflected wide.

FALCAO HITS POST

An uninformed observer would perhaps have been forgiven for thinking it was United, and not Chelsea, who were on the verge of the title, but seven minutes before halftime, the hosts went in front.

A United move broke down when Radamel Falcao failed to control Chris Smalling's pass and within seconds Chelsea were in, Oscar's back-heel freeing Hazard to motor through and beat De Gea left-footed at the near post.

Falcao – making his first start since February 28 – got a sniff of goal in first-half stoppage time when Rooney's stabbed pass was headed down by Marouane Fellaini, but Thibaut Courtois flew out to swat the ball off his toes.

Chelsea sat even deeper in the second half, but they came within inches of extending their lead after Herrera inadvertently drilled the ball straight to Nemanja Matic.

The Serbian's pass freed Didier Drogba, whose shot was partially blocked by Smalling, sending it looping over De Gea, but Hazard, following in, could only jab the ball against the bar from a tight angle.

United continued to press, with Courtois saving from McNair and Rooney – at the second attempt – while Juan Mata and Falcao also went close.

Mourinho stiffened his midfield by introducing Ramires in place of Oscar and Van Gaal responded with a double change, sending on wingers Angel di Maria and Adnan Januzaj for the final 20 minutes.

While Hazard again worked De Gea, United procured another sight of goal with 13 minutes to go when Shaw's pass released Falcao, only for the Colombian's left-foot shot to strike the outside of the post.

There was another scare for Chelsea at the death when Herrera went over Gary Cahill's outstretched leg in the penalty area, but to the relief of the hosts – and the disbelief of the visitors – referee Mike Dean adjudged it a dive.

Scrappy win huge boost for Barca – Enrique

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique hailed his players efforts despite a far from convincing display in a 2-0 win over Valencia on Saturday.

Goals in the first minute from Luis Suarez and last minute from Lionel Messi, his 400th for the club, bookended a match in which Valencia enjoyed the majority of the chances and were left to rue Dani Parejo's missed penalty in the first-half.

However, Enrique was quick to highlight the merit in Barca ending Valencia's 10-game unbeaten run in La Liga just four days after all but sealing their place in the Champions League quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory away to Paris Saint-Germain.

"It is a great result and a day to congratulate the players, who gave everything, and the fans who were immense," said Enrique.

"It was a complete day, we did the job and now the pressure is on others. Barca come out of the game greatly strengthened."

Seeing Paco Alcacer miss a hat-trick of good chances on top of Parejo's missed penalty, Enrique introduced Ivan Rakitic for Adriano at halftime in a tactical rejig that restricted the visitors to far fewer chances after the break.

"It was a different game to all those we have played at the Camp Nou. We had a marvellous start with the goal, and then we had a lot of problems overcoming their pressing.

"We committed errors that we don't normally and they had a lot of chances and deserved a bit more.

"In the second-half we made a change because Adriano had a yellow card and it went well, the game was more like what we wanted."

Valencia boss Nuno Espirito Santo, meanwhile, was left to reflect on what might have been after dominating the first 45 minutes.

"We played very well in the first-half and had a lot of good chances," he said.

"We go away hurt, sad and angry because we wanted to win. In the first-half we had too many chances to end up with this result."

Defeat leaves Valencia now four points adrift of third-placed Atletico Madrid and just three ahead of Sevilla, who play their game in hand against Granada on Sunday.

"We are proud but not satisfied because playing so well doesn't mean anything when you lose.

"We have an important objective but we need to keep picking up points."

Barca host Valencia, Real face Malaga

Peter Lim's takeover of Valencia has given the club's long-suffering fans hope the Singapore billionaire's investment will help propel their team back to the top in Spain and make them contenders in Europe again.

Saturday's La Liga game at leaders Barcelona is another chance for coach Nuno and the players to prove that the rebuilding project is on track and they can already compete with the continent's elite.

Valencia are fourth in the domestic league standings with seven games left and a win at the Nou Camp will keep them on course to secure a lucrative berth in the Champions League for next season.

They trail third-placed Atletico Madrid by a point ahead of the champions' game at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday. Real Madrid are second, seven points ahead of Atletico and two adrift of Barca before they host Malaga on Saturday.

"When we go to a stadium as important as Barcelona's we go there with the intention of winning and enjoying ourselves," Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves told a news conference on Wednesday.

"The match against Barca is a challenge for us," added the Brazilian. "This team is doing some great things this season and what could be better than a game against one of the best teams in the world?"

Valencia last won La Liga in 2004 under Rafa Benitez and reached consecutive Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001, losing to Real and Bayern Munich respectively.

The past decade has seen the club hobbled by financial problems which forced them to cash in top players, including David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata, to stay afloat.

However, Lim and his representatives have pledged a long-term commitment and some wise spending over the summer could lay the foundations for a run deep in Europe's elite club competition next term if Valencia secure their place.

The battle to avoid relegation continues at the other end of the La Liga table, with only three points separating debutants Eibar in 14th and third-from-bottom Levante in 18th.

Cordoba are five points adrift of Andalusian rivals Granada at the bottom ahead of their match at sixth-placed Villarreal on Sunday and appear doomed for the drop.

Lazio play down title chances

Lazio coach Stefano Pioli has played down suggestions that equalling Sven Goran Eriksson's club record of nine consecutive wins will put them within sight of challenging Juventus for the Serie A title.

Lazio have replaced city rivals Roma in second spot in the Italian top flight and sit 12 points behind Juventus ahead of their top-of-the-table clash in Turin later on Saturday.

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri underlined the danger of Pioli's visitors when he said the game was a "title decider".

But Pioli said: "Juventus have too much of a lead for us to become a threat. Even a win in Turin for us would change little."

Nevertheless, Lazio travel north on the back of eight consecutive league wins that has seen Pioli's men take their goals tally to 58 for the season – one more than Juve's total of 57.

A ninth consecutive win would see Pioli equal a club record set by Sven Goran Eriksson, who led the Biancocelesti to their second scudetto in 2000.

Pioli, meanwhile, claims a "more mature" Lazio have learned their lesson from a 3-0 defeat to Juventus in the Italian capital at the end of November.

"That game served as a lesson for us. We were far too generous and made the mistake of trying not to concede goals, and we lost our focus," he added.

"Now, the squad is more intelligent and more mature. This time, we'll be a lot more compact and that will allow us to concentrate on our own game.

"We have a chance to win this game and we'll certainly try. But trying to equal the record (of nine wins) has never been on our minds, we simply try to focus on one match at a time."

Juventus are looking to make up for last week's shock 1-0 defeat away to Parma, and the Bianconeri were also in action in midweek when they laboured to a 1-0 win over Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.

Allegri, for one, is not underestimating the task against a side which he said is having an "extraordinary season".

"Tomorrow's game could decide the scudetto. Lazio are having an extraordinary season and will come here on the back of eight straight wins.

"At the start of the season nobody would have imagined they'd be where they are now. They can still reach 82 points and Roma 81, so nothing's settled yet."

Allegri will still be without injured Paul Pogba but is set to hand Andrea Pirlo a start at the centre of midfield after the Italy international made his return from a five-week injury lay-off in midweek.

Arteta confident of new Arsenal deal

Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta expects to extend his contract at the Premier League club when he returns from injury.

The 33-year-old is recovering from an ankle problem but manager Arsene Wenger is keen to hold on to the Spaniard by offering him a 12-month extension.

However, the former Everton playmaker, who will miss Saturday's FA Cup semifinal against Reading, wants to get fully fit before signing a new deal at the Emirates.

"My only aim is to get back fit and try to perform on the pitch," he told Sky Sports.

"As long as I do that I am sure that I will continue with this club, with the relationship I have with the club and the respect I have from everybody here.

"In May, when everything is fine, we will sit down and talk and it will take five minutes," said Arteta who signed for the Gunners on transfer deadline day in August 2011.

Arteta, who had ankle surgery in January, has not played since November's Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund when he suffered a calf injury.

He plans to step up his rehabilitation next week and could return for the Premier League clash with Chelsea on April 26.

"I am not far. I have done five or six sessions with the first team and I am feeling good," Arteta added.

BVB poised to name Klopp's successor

Borussia Dortmund hope to name Jurgen Klopp's successor as head coach in the coming week, while hot favourite Thomas Tuchel made a rare appearance at Friday's Bundesliga clash in Frankfurt.

Tuchel, 41, earned his reputation as one of Germany's top coaches after five years at Mainz, but left in May 2014 after failing to agree terms.

He made an unexpected showing on Friday to watch Eintracht Frankfurt's goalless draw against third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach in the German league.

Having recently turned down the chance to coach relegation-threatened Hamburg and second division RB Leipzig, Tuchel is widely tipped to replace Klopp, who announced on Wednesday that he is leaving at the end of the season.

Klopp's departure after eight years in charge was a shock for Dortmund after the 47-year-old steered them to the 2011 and 2012 German titles and the 2013 Champions League final before they finished as Bundesliga's runners-up for the last two years.

"The answer shouldn't take forever, I think next week we will be able to present a decent solution," Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said ahead of tenth-placed Borussia's Bundesliga clash against Paderborn on Saturday.

"I don't know who the coach will be and I wouldn't say so if I did.

"It will definitely not be a second division coach and will be German-speaking."

Gladbach's Swiss coach Lucien Favre ruled himself out of the running for the Dortmund job on Friday in a Sky Sports interview following his side's draw.

"I can only say that I won't be Borussia Dortmund coach next season," said the 57-year-old.

Egypt lines up pre-Afcon games

Egypt senior national team director Alaa Abdel Azeez has revealed that the country's football association, the EFA, has contacted four nations for an international friendly with the Pharaohs next May.

The Egyptian FA wants to play host to the friendly match as well, supersport.com has been informed.

The Pharaohs are preparing for their first match in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania that will take place in Cairo on June 14.

The team's head coach, Hector Cuper, asked the EFA to hold two camps in May and June with two friendly matches with African teams.

"We sent a proposal for friendly matches to four teams. They are Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi and Zimbabwe but we have not received any reply from them yet. We are still working to secure good matches to be ready,” Abdel Azeez said.

Egypt have been drawn in Group G with Nigeria, Tanzania and Chad.

Mancini calls for win in 'poor' Milan derby

Roberto Mancini does not expect Sunday's meeting with city rivals AC Milan to be a classic, but hopes a win in the 'Derby della Madonnina' can help relaunch Inter Milan's poor season.

"It won't be like before, it will be comparatively poor, but the derby is always an important game and I hope the players will seize the opportunity to breath some life into our campaign," Mancini told reporters on Saturday.

With only eight games remaining this season, both Milan giants face a desperate run-in if they are to clinch a place in Europe next term.

Seven-time European champions Milan sit ninth, 28 points behind leaders Juventus and seven behind Fiorentina in the last Europa League qualifying spot. Inter are 10th, a point further behind.

Mancini, who won seven trophies including three consecutive league titles during his previous spell with Inter from 2004 to 2008, returned for his second spell at the club in November.

He took over from the sacked Walter Mazzarri only a day before the first Milan derby of the season, in which Inter snatched a 1-1 draw thanks to Joel Obi levelling Jeremy Menez's 23rd-minute opener for the hosts.

Five months on and Mancini has not succeeded in turning Inter's season around.

"I had hoped that we would be far higher up the table and in contention for a shot at the league title," said Mancini.

He admits the Nerazzurri, as hosts, will be feeling the pressure more but believes some positive thinking could prove key.

"We're playing at home, so it would be far worse for us if we lost," said Mancini.

"The players will be up for the derby, just as they are for all important games. For example, the night before big games I used to visualise how I could score goals the following day."

While Mancini's future at Inter seems secure, for now, the same cannot be said for his Milan counterpart Filippo Inzaghi.

The former Milan striker has endured a rollercoaster ride in what is his first senior coaching position. Despite the Rossoneri taking seven points from their past three games, he is expected to be replaced at the end of the season.

Inzaghi welcomed a visit to the club's Milanello training ground by club owner and president Silvio Berlusconi earlier this week and stressed that he has no worries about his future.

"When the president comes here his words, charisma and will to win make the difference," said Inzaghi.

"I'm calm, I have a contract and the club will make its evaluation at the end of the season, but I feel I have the support of (CEO, Adriano) Galliani.

"Everyone at the club has been patient with me... it's taken several months for me to realise what is needed to improve this squad. I've come here to win, not to pass the time."

Sekola scores late for Stars win

Free State Stars stole victory in the dying seconds of their Absa Premiership match against Polokwane City in Rustenburg on Saturday when a penalty goal from Moeketsi Sekola handed them a 3-2 win.

Polokwane had the first shot on goal in the seventh minute when Rendani Ndou let fly from distance, but his effort sailed narrowly wide of the target.

The home side continued to press forward and opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Ndou turned home a through ball from Puleng Tlolane.

Stars were virtually non-existent in the opening half hour, but managed to draw level in the 33rd minute when a long throw-in into the Polokwane box resulted in Camaldine Abraw heading home from ten yards.

The half ended all-square.

Polokwane came out firing in the second half and came close to taking the lead for the second time when Tlolane hit the crossbar with a stinging shot in the 63rd minute.

The away side took the lead against the run of play in the 74th minute thanks to a second goal from Abraw.

Polokwane, though, hit back almost immediately with Vusi Mthimkhulu equalising seconds after going behind.

The game was very open in the final 15 minutes, but both sides squandered chances in front of goal with some poor finishing and bad decision making.

Just as the game looked to be heading for a draw, Daniel Cardoso was brought down inside the Polokwane box and the referee pointed to the penalty spot in the 89th minute.

Sekola made no mistake from the penalty spot to give Stars the spoils.

Polokwane City (1) 2 (Ndou 18’, Mthimkhulu 75’)

Free State Stars (1) 3 (Abraw 33’+74’, Sekola 90’ pen)

Polokwane City: Marumo, Dhadhla (Kanyenda 77’), Tema, Nene, Lichaba, Alexander, Maluleke, Langa, Jembula (Monama 67’), Tlolane, Ndou.

Free State Stars: Diakite, Masehe, Cardoso, Sankara, Kerspuy, Shabalala, Somaeb (Mdluli 66’), Mashego, Venter [Basie 35’( Angula90’)], Sekola, Abraw.

Bayern edge closer to Bundesliga title

Injury-ravaged Bayern Munich beat Hoffenheim 2-0 on Saturday, shrugging off a string of absences and their midweek Champions League defeat at Porto to close in on the Bundesliga title.

Sebastian Rode scored in the 38th minute and Hoffenheim's Andreas Beck added an own goal in stoppage time as Bayern, with youngsters Mitchell Weiser and Gianluca Gaudino in the line-up, opened a 13-point lead over second-placed VfL Wolfsburg, in action against Schalke 04 on Sunday, with five matches left.

The German champions, who host Porto on Tuesday in the Champions League quarterfinal, second leg after Wednesday's 3-1 loss, were without half a dozen starters, including Philipp Lahm, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

But goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was in top form, spectacularly denying Anthony Modeste at point blank range after a defensive blunder by Brazilian Dante.

Rode then made the most of Bayern's second chance of the game, curling his shot from the edge of the box past keeper Oliver Baumann.

Rode was lucky not to be penalised for bringing down Eugen Polanski in the area a minute later but there was no denying the dominance of Bayern, who came close again when Robert Lewandowski scraped the bar at the start of the second half.

They did get a second goal when Thomas Mueller charged into the box and cut the ball back to the unfortunate Hoffenheim captain Beck who slipped the ball into his own net.

Bayer Leverkusen crushed relegation-threatened visitors Hanover 96 4-0 to jump into third spot on goal difference after Borussia Moenchengladbach, also on 54 points, drew 0-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.

Borussia Dortmund eased past visiting Paderborn 3-0, in their first game since the announcement that coach Juergen Klopp would leave at the end of the season, to keep their hopes of a Europa League place alive.

Last season's Bundesliga runners-up Dortmund climbed to 36 points, in eighth, three off sixth-placed Augsburg.

Messi nets 400th goal as Barca win

Lionel Messi scored the 400th goal of his Barcelona career as the Catalans beat Champions League-chasing Valencia 2-0 to move five points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga on Saturday.

Luis Suarez got Barca off to a flying start as he slotted home the opener after just 54 seconds from Messi's through ball.

However, it was Valencia who enjoyed the majority of the chances thereafter and they were left to rue Dani Parejo's missed penalty in the first half.

And Messi made sure of all three points with the final kick of the game after Diego Alves had saved his initial effort.

Madrid can move back to within two points of the leaders when they host Malaga later on Saturday.

Defeat, meanwhile, leaves Valencia still a point adrift of third-placed Atletico Madrid, who are in action away to Deportivo la Coruna.

Suarez scored two wonderful individual goals as Barca all but secured their place in the Champions League semifinals with a 3-1 win away to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

And he took less than a minute to pick up from where he left off in the French capital as Sergio Busquets fed Messi and his pass was fired low past Diego Alves by Suarez for his 12th goal in as many games.

However, Valencia went on to dominate the remainder of the opening 45 minutes and were desperately unlucky still to be behind at the break.

Rodrigo flashed a shot just wide before he was deemed to have been brought down inside the area by Gerard Pique.

Parejo's penalty was poorly struck, though, and Bravo made a comfortable save low to his right.

Paco Alcacer then had a hat-trick of chances to grab a deserved equaliser as he turned Andre Gomes's dangerous cross wide, saw a goalbound effort blocked by Pique and struck the outside of the post.

However, it could have been even worse for the visitors had Messi not sliced wide a great chance on his weaker right foot five minutes before halftime.

Barca boss Luis Enrique introduced Ivan Rakitic for Adriano at halftime in a tactical rejig to gain more control in midfield and Valencia found chances much more difficult to come by in the second period.

Messi was first to threaten after the break as he sent a dipping free-kick off the crossbar 25 minutes from time.

Luis Enrique then took the slightly surprising decision to replace Suarez with Pedro Rodriguez to keep the former Liverpool striker fresh for the return leg against PSG on Tuesday.

Bravo was needed to come to his side's rescue once more 15 minutes from time when he turned the ball behind from Rodrigo's volley.

But it was Messi who had the final word as he was given all the space he needed to break clear and score his 400th goal in 471 games for Barca in stoppage time as Valencia chased in vain for an equaliser.

Leicester make it three in a row

Leicester City claimed a third successive Premier League victory and boosted their relegation great escape act after a 2-0 win against Swansea City on Saturday.

Leonardo Ulloa's first-half strike set Nigel Pearson's hosts on their way before Andy King added a second late on to move Leicester up to 18th, level on 28 points from 32 matches with Hull City, who are outside the drop zone only on goal difference.

Struggling 10-man Burnley had no such luck in their bid for Premier League survival as they sunk to the bottom of the pile after a 1-0 defeat at 12th-placed Everton.

Tony Pulis's return to Crystal Palace as West Bromwich Albion manager ended on a sweet note as his side won 2-0 and ended a run of three straight defeats.

Stoke City claimed their first victory in five matches and moved up to ninth after coming from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium.

Later on Saturday, leaders Chelsea will attempt to open up a 10-point advantage over Arsenal at the top of the table if they beat third-placed Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

Adam dents Saints' Euro bid

Southampton saw their quest for Champions League football next season suffer a setback as they lost 2-1 away to Stoke on Saturday, while Leicester moved off the bottom of the Premier League table .

Defeat meant the Saints missed out on the chance to leapfrog Liverpool into fifth place and move to within two points of Manchester City, currently occupying the fourth and final Champions League spot on offer to English clubs.

Faltering defending Premier League champions City are at home to West Ham on Sunday, when Liverpool play top-flight rivals Aston Villa in an FA Cup semifinal at Wembley Stadium.

Morgan Schneiderlin scored from close range to put the Saints ahead in the 22nd minute at the Britannia Stadium after Jose Fonte headed on a corner from the right.

But the Potters were level early in the second half when Saints goalkeeper Kelvin Davis misjudged Steven N'Zonzi's chip into the box. The ball hit the crossbar and Mame Diouf fired in the rebound.

And Stoke were ahead six minutes from time when Charlie Adam followed up to score after Jon Walters's original shot was blocked.

FOXES AT THE DOUBLE

Leicester, buoyed by their 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion last weekend, saw off Swansea 2-0.

The Foxes needed just 15 minutes to take the lead at their King Power Stadium.

Argentinian forward Leonardo Ulloa, only drafted into the side after fellow striker David Nugent injured himself in the warm-up, latched on to a loose ball in the box after Wes Morgan had shielded it from Ashley Williams.

And King made the game safe for Leicester a minute from time when he scored after Esteban Cambiasso's free-kick was parried by Lukasz Fabianksi.

Leicester's third successive win took them off the bottom of the table for the first time since November and left them shy of safety on goal difference alone.

Ten-man Burnley found themselves at the foot of the standings after a 1-0 loss away to Everton.

Everton could have gone ahead in the ninth minute at Goodison Park when Aaron Lennon won a penalty after going down under a challenge from Dave Jones.

But regular penalty-taker Leighton Baines did not take the spot-kick and Ross Barkley's effort was well-saved by diving Clarets goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

Fortunately for Everton, it was not a costly miss with Belgium winger Kevin Mirallas turning in a cross from Seamus Coleman in the 29th minute.

Burnley's task became even harder when, on the stroke of halftime, Ashley Barnes was sent off for a second bookable offence after sliding in on Coleman.

Mirallas was fortunate to stay on the pitch after a reckless challenge on George Boyd early in the second period saw him receive a yellow card instead.

West Brom went eight points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-0 victory at home to Crystal Palace.

James Morrison scored in just the second minute at the Hawthorns when, completely unmarked, he headed in a corner from eight yards out.

The Baggies doubled their lead in the 53rd minute through Craig Gardner's brilliant 25-yard strike.

Premier League leaders Chelsea will go 10 points clear at the top of the table if they beat injury-hit Manchester United in Saturday's late kick-off at Stamford Bridge.

FA Cup holders Arsenal, who started the weekend in second place, face Championship club Reading in a Wembley semifinal on Saturday.

Meanwhile Tottenham Hotspur will continue their quest for a European place away to Newcastle on Sunday.

Watford top as Bournemouth held

Watford beat Birmingham City 1-0 to top the Championship table on Saturday after another gripping round of matches in the battle for promotion to the Premier League.

Bournemouth looked to be heading back to the top after coming from 1-0 down to lead Sheffield Wednesday but Chris Maguire's stoppage-time penalty earned the visitors a 2-2 draw.

Bournemouth are a point behind Watford in second place, level with Middlesbrough who beat fourth-placed Norwich City 1-0 on Friday.

Derby are six points adrift of Norwich in fifth after an extraordinary 4-4 draw at Huddersfield Town with Ipswich Town in sixth, a point further back, after they drew 1-1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The top two teams go up to the Premier League and the next four enter playoffs to decide the final promotion place.

Pulis enjoys winning return to Selhurst Park

Tony Pulis made his mark on his return to Selhurst Park on Saturday as his current side West Bromwich Albion claimed a precious 2-0 win over his old club Crystal Palace.

A goal in each half from James Morrison and Craig Gardner gave the Baggies a first away win since early November as they ended a run of three consecutive defeats and took a huge step towards clinching top-flight survival.

West Brom are now eight points clear of the relegation zone, albeit having played a game more than Leicester City in 18th.

Palace, meanwhile, saw their superb recent run of form come to an end as they missed out on equalling the club record of five successive wins in the top flight.

The south London club have excelled since Alan Pardew took over as manager at the start of the year and have firmly put behind them the departure of Pulis right at the beginning of the campaign.

Pulis kept Palace up against all the odds last season but departed on the eve of this season amid worries that the squad had not been suitably strengthened over the summer.

After the brief but unsuccessful return of Neil Warnock, Pardew has got the best out of a side who romped to a 4-1 win at Sunderland in their last outing.

West Brom, in contrast, had leaked 10 goals in losing their last three matches but the form book was ripped up as they got off to a dream start.

The game was just two minutes old when a corner came to the unmarked Morrison, who headed in from eight yards.

That goal separated the sides at the interval, although Palace fans saw their appeals for a penalty dismissed by the referee after Wilfried Zaha went down in the box under a Gardner challenge.

The visitors then increased their lead eight minutes into the second period, Gardner latching on to a loose ball following a corner and beating goalkeeper Julian Speroni with a fine strike from 25 yards.

The closest Palace came to getting a goal back was when substitute Dwight Gayle was contrived to hit the bar from six yards, as it proved to be a great day for Pulis and the visitors.

Burnley bottom after Everton defeat

Burnley's hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League suffered a severe blow as Kevin Mirallas's goal gave Everton a 1-0 win at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The Clarets defeat, allied to a win for Leicester over Swansea, saw Sean Dyche's men drop to the bottom of the table on goal difference with just five league games left to play this season.

Burnley were forced to play the second half with 10 men following a red card for Ashley Barnes while Everton’s match-winner Mirallas could consider himself fortunate not to have been dismissed following an incident early in the second half.

Everton, well on top throughout the first half, also squandered a glorious opportunity to take control of the game when they failed with a ninth minute penalty, a miss that once more opened the debate about the Merseyside club's spot-kick policy.

The award came after David Jones tripped Aaron Lennon a full yard outside the area, although the Everton winger's momentum took him into the box and duped referee Mike Jones into mistakenly giving the penalty.

Ross Barkley strode up but his shot failed to find the left-hand corner of the net and Tom Heaton’s dive was sufficient to block.

Leighton Baines, who missed the first penalty of his career in October, has scored 14 of his 15 career Premier League penalties but spot-kick duties have been a major headache for Everton manager Roberto Martinez since Belgium winger Mirallas snatched the ball and insisted on taking one in a goalless draw with West Brom in January and duly missed.

Fortunately for Everton, it was Mirallas who ensured the latest miss would not prove too costly when he subsequently opened the scoring in the 29th minute.

James McCarthy crossed from the right with Arouna Kone running over the ball in the centre of the area, allowing it to run onto Mirallas who mis-controlled but recovered his composure sufficiently to stab the loose ball past Heaton.

That was no more than the hosts deserved for a half of complete dominance.

Not until going a goal down did Burnley seriously threaten but Jones wasted the chance of an instant response to the opening goal when he hurried his shot over after neat approach play by Danny Ings.

MIRALLAS ESCAPE

However, any hope of a much-needed point for the visitors looked ever more distant in first-half injury time when they were reduced to 10 men following a second yellow card being shown to midfielder Barnes, who had tripped Seamus Coleman.

An opportunistic near-post effort by Kone almost caught Heaton by surprise, with the Burnley keeper bundling the ball away from the foot of his post but Everton were fortunate that they were not a man down themselves after 51 minutes when Mirallas escaped with a caution for stamping on George Boyd’s leg.

Kieran Trippier's corner had flashed through the six-yard area in between those incidents but that was a rare moment's relief for the visitors who enjoyed a 56th minute reprieve when McCarthy shot high and wide, unmarked from 12 yards, following an accurate Lennon centre.

Baines's 20-yard shot was well held by the diving Heaton who saved in similar fashion after Lennon appeared on the end of a flowing, four-man move to gather Kone’s lay-off and shoot too close to the Burnley keeper.

Coleman, Gareth Barry and McCarthy all failed from promising positions before Burnley were granted a glorious chance to equalise, five minutes frim time, only for the unmarked Ings to head over Trippier's cross from seven yards.

Diawara gets support from home

Senegal Football Association has sent a solidarity message to former international defender Souleymane Diawara who was arrested in France for alleged extortion on April 9.

“President Augustin Senghor hereby expresses the support of Senegal FA, the national team and the entire football family of the country to Souleymane Diawara at this painful time he is passing through,” the body said in a communiqué on Thursday.

“We hope this issue will come to an end soon in favour of Diawara so he can return to the pitch where his immense talent has been recognised by all.”

The 36-year-old former Marseille player, who joined Nice last year, was arrested at his home in Cagnes-sur-Mer together with his younger brother and some friends.

In France, extortion can lead to seven years in prison and a €100,000 fine.

Diawara’s lawyer told reporters that his client did nothing wrong and should be granted bail so he can return to his club. The appeal was however rejected.

According to reports and court documents, Diawara bought a Porsche Cayenne for €50,000 from a mechanic near Marseille last year, but the luxury car was later impounded by the police who said it had been stolen.

The footballer had sought for reimbursement in vain from the seller, who recently filed a lawsuit against Diawara and his brother accusing them of using threats to claim funds from him.

The former Sochaux and Bordeaux fullback has been receiving support across France from fellow footballers, fans and charity homes, most of them describing him as a quiet and selfless gentleman.

A fresh appeal for bail will be filed in the coming days, according to his lawyer.