Daniel Sturridge 'ready to leave Liverpool'; Stoke, West Ham interested

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TOP STORY: Sturridge 'ready to leave Liverpool'

Increasing uncertainty has surrounded the future of Daniel Sturridge in recent weeks and the striker's Liverpool days might soon be at an end, according to the Mirror.

It reports that Sturridge is ready to "spark a £28 million battle for his signature" after becoming frustrated at his recent lack of first-team opportunities on Merseyside.

West Ham and Stoke City are among the interested parties, although the Mirror adds that "a number of clubs" have been made aware that the England international is ready to move on.

Sturridge had previously indicated he would be prepared to stay and fight for a first-team place, but he is behind both Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi in manager Jurgen Klopp's thinking, the report says.

Meanwhile, could Liverpool's hopes of signing Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud hang in the balance?

The Liverpool Echo reports that they could, adding that a one-time Anfield player has something to do with it.

That's because Klopp's former club Borussia Dortmund are lining up a deal for 20-year-old Dahoud that would involve Nuri Sahin heading for Gladbach, scuppering a Liverpool switch.

Schweini 'can talk to interested parties'

It's definitely the end of the road for Bastian Schweinsteiger at Manchester United despite his hopes of a route back, with the Daily Mail reporting that he has been given "free rein to find new employers in January."

The former Germany captain recently returned to training with the first-team squad after being frozen out by manager Jose Mourinho.

But the Mail says that makes no difference to the overall picture and adds that "the 32-year-old's representative has the green light to discuss moves with a number of interested parties."

Sources have told ESPN FC that Schweinsteiger is already talking to MLS club Chicago Fire.

Meanwhile, Inter Milan are keen to sign four United players, according to reports.

New Inter coach Stefano Pioli wants to bring in Chris Smalling, Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind as he rebuilds his team.

And the Sun says Inter hope their warm relationship with Mourinho will help smooth the path to those moves.

But the Serie A club face competition for at least two of the quartet, with Everton manager Ronald Koeman having expressed an interest in Depay and Smalling being linked with a switch to Arsenal.

Tigers eye Morrison magic

Hull City will turn to former Manchester United midfielder Ravel Morrisonas they seek to add creative spark to what has been a tough Premier League campaign so far.

The Sun reports that Tigers boss Mike Phelan intends to move for a player with whom he worked at Old Trafford.

Morrison, 23, joined Lazio on a free transfer last year but has been told he is free to look for a new club after making only eight appearances for them.

According to the Sun, he would cost Hull around £600,000, with Phelan having previously voiced belief that the player's talent "needs harnessing the right way."

Tap-ins

- Both Swansea and Sunderland have been linked with Leicester striker Leonardo Ulloa -- but they won't get him for anything less than £10 million, the Telegraph reports.

It says Sunderland manager David Moyes, who secured his first Premier League win with the Black Cats at Bournemouth, is ready to table a bid for the former Brighton striker.

But Premier League champions Leicester "are determined to recoup a significant fee if they agree to sell Ulloa."

- A clutch of English clubs are keeping an eye on Rennes winger Paul-Georges Ntep, according to the Mirror, which says Arsenal and Liverpool are among them.

Ntep is out of contract in the summer, enabling him to begin talks with overseas clubs about a potential move in January -- and reports in France suggest Rennes could opt to sell him in the winter window to ensure they get a transfer fee.

More games: friv

José Mourinho: ‘I help so many people so why not also feed the Einsteins?’

José Mourinho says he has no problem “feeding the Einsteins” who criticise him but admits frustration at not being able to protect his Manchester United players from them.

The manager and the team have drawn negativity for United’s run of three consecutive defeats prior to Wednesday’s 3-1 victory at Northampton Town in the EFL Cup. Following the victory, Mourinho spoke of the “football Einsteins who tried to delete 16 years of my career”.

Asked precisely what had upset him the Portuguese said during his pre-match press conference on Friday: “I am [not] upset with anything. I am such a lucky guy that I cannot be upset with anything. I am upset with nothing. The only thing that upsets me a little bit is the kind of criticism to my players because my players are my players.

“I should protect them, I would love to protect them, and from you media I can’t. It is something that is completely out of my control. That doesn’t upset me, just gives me a feeling that it’s hard. It’s like when you want to protect people and you can’t. I think it’s a feeling of frustration, but with me it’s fine and with the Einsteins it’s fine.

“The Einsteins need money to live, they can’t coach, they can’t sit on the bench, they can’t win matches. They can speak, they can write, they can criticise the work of other people, but I am a good man. I am good man of goodwill. I do lots of charity, I help so many people, so why not also feed the Einsteins? That’s fine.”

Mourinho has recently criticised in public the performances of Jesse Lingard, Luke Shaw, Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Daley Blind. Of this he said: “It’s a learning process, you make a mistake, especially the kind of individual mistake, you have to learn with what that means for the team, a team that works during the week on a game plan.

“Sometimes not during the whole week for the same match because now we are having a game every three days - but to try to have a game plan, try to identify some defensive and attacking agreements between all of us, then in the game the individual mistake you can be punished by that.

“It happened to us. We can obviously try to control our own mistakes, that’s what we try all the time. The critique is part of the evolution, the critique is part of the process, the critique helps people to learn how to cope with critics. It’s their life. From you, they cannot expect other thing than be ready to smash them when they have periods of not so much success.”

Mourinho aimed another dig at his critics when speaking of Saturday’s midday meeting with Leicester City at Old Trafford by mockingly describing himself as the poorest manager ever. Claudio Ranieri’s side are the champions and the 53-year-old pointed to his own record in making Chelsea only the second club – along with United – to retain the Premier League title.

“It is obviously very difficult to retain the title – not for Leicester, for everyone – history says that. Not many teams during the Premier League history they could do that. One of the teams was, of course, Man United, another one was some team managed from the worst manager in the history of football, but it’s really difficult

“But the reality is I look at them and they are very good, they are very good. They won the Premier League because some of the big teams were not good enough last season, but they won because they were very good and they are still very good.

“I think they are a very easy team to analyse, a very easy team to understand. Their defensive process is clear, their attacking organisation is very easy to understand, too, but it is very difficult to cope with it. It is very difficult to keep a clean sheet against a team like Leicester and it is difficult to score goals against a team like Leicester. I keep repeating, easy to understand but difficult to play against.”

Man Utd defender Daley Blind: Nothing changed with Dad as Holland coach

Manchester United defender Daley Blind insists there's no problems with his father being Holland coach.

Blind says their relationship hasn't changed since Danny Blind's appointment as Oranje boss.

Daley told Life After Football. "We have a very strong bond and little has changed in the time since he was coach.

"Perhaps the outside world has other ideas and thoughts, but nothing has changed between us."

He added: "Everyone who is close to us, will confirm that. There is nothing, absolutely nothing that has changed."

Bookies make Arsenal favourites to sign Daley Blind from Manchester United

Daley Blind would be the perfect summer signing for Arsenal.

Daley Blind's future is the subject of mounting speculation

It was reported by the Daily Mail last month that Daley Blind is one of the players that new Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is prepared to sacrifice in order to make way for an array of incoming stars. 

Bookmakers SkyBet have now made Arsenal 3/1 favourites to sign the Dutch international, and he would be the perfect addition to the Gunners' squad.

With Arsenal's first-choice centre-back pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny now both in their thirties, and Gabriel Paulista and Calum Chambers seemingly not fit to cut it at Premier League level, Blind would be a terrific signing who would improve the quality of Arenal's first-team. The fact that Blind is left-footed would also provide the perfect balance for whoever he played alongside. His versatility will increase the Gunners' strength-in-depth across the pitch, which in itself is reason enough for Arsene Wenger to make a move for his signature.

 Daley Blind helped his Man United team win the FA Cup last term

ESPN reported in April that Kieran Gibbs could leave Arsenal in search of regular first-team football, and with the Englishman's attitude and quality highly questionable, Blind would represent a marked upgrade in an area where he would also provide proper competition for Nacho Monreal.

Although Blind has featured in a central defensive position for the majority of his time at Old Trafford, he is also equally apt at playing in the holding midfield role. At 26-years-old, he would bring the perfect mixture of energy and experience to an Arsenal side that have lacked the latter in recent history.

Would Blind be a good addition to the Arsenal squad?

The Dutch international was impressive throughout the whole of what was a disappointing season for club and country last term, and one of his major assets is his impeccable delivery from set-pieces. Blind would turn Arsenal into an entirely different proposition, with his expert technique that enables him to produce the perfect whip and trajectory on his delivery into the box.

Should a move come to fruition, Blind is the type of signing who could instantly elevate Arsenal to a new level in providing quality, experience and most importantly a winning mental attitude. At 26, he has already won four league titles in his homeland with Ajax, and would go a long way to helping the Gunners secure their first domestic title since 2004.

Would Arsene Wenger consider a move for Daley Blind?

Do you think Daley Blind would be a good signing for Arsenal?

Louis van Gaal: Daley Blind sympathises with sacked Man Utd boss

Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's achievements "deserved more respect", says the club's Netherlands defender Daley Blind.

Van Gaal, 64, won the FA Cup for United before Blind's compatriot was told two days later that he would not be kept on for the final year of his contract.

The 26-year-old said: "I always worked well with him and would have been keen that the co-operation lasted longer.

"A manager who has achieved so much already deserved more respect."

Blind added: "Even though there was so much being written about him losing his job over the last months, he always looked to protect and shelter us.

"It is not easy for a coach if you are repeatedly being fired in the newspapers.

"Still, we as a squad kept believing in the manager and showed that with our FA Cup win.

"That we did together for the supporters, the manager and for ourselves. It was in the end a good finish to the season."

Van Gaal, who was sacked after a season in which United finished fifth in the Premier League and were often criticised for their style of play, is set to be replaced by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

"If it is true that Jose Mourinho is coming, then it is also a manager who has achieved much. I will have to show what I can do," said Blind, who was one of Van Gaal's most trusted players during his time at United.

Blind's Netherlands team-mate Memphis Depay did not figure so prominently under Van Gaal after signing from PSV Eindhoven for £31m last summer.

The winger, 22, was left out of United's cup final-winning squad but insists he is happy to remain at Old Trafford.

Depay, training with the Netherlands ahead of friendly games against Euro 2016 finalists Republic of Ireland, Poland and Austria, said: "I don't know why it wouldn't be. I am happy to be there and the management know I'm happy to be there.

"A love-hate relationship? I'm not sure about that. But him leaving is part of life in football and you learn from that and it makes you stronger."

Marcos Rojo Impressed With Chris Smalling-Daley Blind Pairing

Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has heaped praise on fellow defenders Chris Smalling and Daley Blind and has saluted the partnership the two form at the back. 

The Red Devils have managed to keep 16 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, and while the defence at Old Trafford has been riddled with injuries, with Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Rojo being in and out of the side throughout the term, Smalling and Blind have kept the team afloat.

Rojo, who himself just came back from a shoulder injury in February, and has been a regular in the team since his return, was all praise for the strong central partnership the Dutchman and the Englishman have formed under Louis van Gaal this season.

"What’s really worked is that their respective styles have complemented one another”, the Argentine international told Manchester United’s official website. 
 

“You might say that Daley is not the most physical of central defenders, but he makes up for that with his ability to play the ball out of defence.

"Chris is a skilful player too, but he’s known for his strength and power.

"Those two things really strike a great balance. It is a good feeling [to have the clean sheets record] because we know that we are doing our main job well.

"Yes, in some cases we need to get forward and make chances, but we need to ensure that the opposition don’t score against us.

"So we’re happy that aspect is going well”, the 26-year-old added.

Daley Blind 'feels good' as Man Utd centre-half

Daley Blind says he feels comfortable at centre-half for Manchester United.

The midfielder has grown into the role over the course of the season.

"This position suits me because Louis van Gaal wants to play building from the back. In addition, I have become physically stronger.

"This combination feels good," says Blind.

Asked if his father, Danny Blind, should play him at the back for Holland, Daley adds: "You should ask him.

"I usually play there with my club, so probably I'll be eligible for the position of left central defender. The coach will determine it."

Daley Blind discusses his favourite position at Manchester United

The Man Utd utility player has settled into a centre-back role this season, but would be open to other positions.

Daley Blind is keen to carry on at centre-back for Manchester United.

The Dutchman arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 as a utility player that could feature at left-back and a defensive midfielder.

After failed summer pursuits of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane and regular problems for Phil Jones, Louis van Gaal opted to put Blind in the centre of his defence alongside Chris Smalling for this season.

As one of the few players to have steered largely clear of injuries, Blind has made 45 appearances for the Reds.

It is a position he feels he has done well in and would like to stay in, though is open to moving around the team.

“I’m developing well, and in the big games I’ve played, I’ve been consistent, which I think is important,” Blind told NOS .

“I think I can still play at left-back and in midfield, but right now I feel good at centre-back. It’s wonderful to have the game in front of me, and be a part of building from the back with my forward passes to start attacks.”

Where Blind ends up in the United team may depend on who is in charge at United. Van Gaal has shown absolute faith in the 26-year-old, but if the coach is replaced the situation could change.

Jose Mourinho, the favourite to take over at Old Trafford, has been linked with a move for Real Madrid defender Varane, a player he enjoyed success with during their time at the Bernabeu.

BLIND EXPECTS CHELSEA RESURGENCE IN 2016

Chelsea might be languishing in the bottom half of the Barclays Premier League table but Daley Blind insists Manchester United would be “foolish” to underestimate the champions ahead of today’s tea-time kick-off at Old Trafford.

The Blues parted ways with the club’s most successful manager of all time, Jose Mourinho, earlier this month following a tumultuous and disappointing start to the season. Blind's former national-team coach Guus Hiddink is now in temporary charge at Chelsea and while retaining the title is seemingly out of reach, their mission is to rediscover the imperious form that helped them to win the league by eight points last term.

“It would be foolish to underestimate them," Blind told MUTV. "I think they have a lot of quality players and they are still the team that won the title last season so you cannot underestimate them. We have to be sharp because they have a lot of players who can make the difference.

“It’s still a big game, no matter where they are in the league. Of course there is more attention when both teams are at the top of the table but it’s still a big game. It is going to be a great occasion.”

As a four-time Eredivisie winner with former club Ajax, Blind understands how to successfully defend a league title and the versatile defender acknowledges Chelsea have struggled with that objective this season. However, he does expect a difficult match against the west London club this evening.

“At Ajax, in almost every year we were champions, we were second, third or fourth before Christmas and then we started to come back, winning every game and became champions,” he says. 

“I was champion of Holland four times in a row and teams really wanted to win against us. You can see it in the Premier League with Chelsea and a club like United is the same, everyone wants to beat us."

Wayne Rooney Is Not the Problem at Manchester United

Manchester United's winless run was stretched to 8 games on the bounce​, following a 0-0 stalemate against Chelsea. The United supporters have become restless in recent weeks, watching their club play in a laborious and uninspiring fashion. And in turn, blame has been dished out, perhaps unfairly, to a certain player in the squad. That player is Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney. 

Rooney's displays this season do warrant criticism. The Englishman tallied just a pair of goals in the Premier League with half of the season over. Apart from the recent Chelsea fixture, Rooney has looked sluggish, having no influence on proceedings. 

That said, the fans' singling out of the skipper as the primary reason for United's struggles is simply ill advised. In fact, there are multiple United players, in attack, midfield, and defense that have been in poor form this season. 

Daley Blind is yet to consistently convince in the heart of defense, Memphis Depay managed to perform just once in a Champions League match, and Bastian Schweinsteiger's play has been nothing short of pedestrian. In reality, the entire team collectively has been poor, not just one player. 

Many people called for Rooney to be excluded from the starting eleven, believing he was holding United back. But in the absence of the forward, the Red Devils' slumped to defeats against relegation threatened sides Bournemouth and Norwich. The unimaginative attack continued to falter as Anthony Martial and co. were reduced to half chances to score.

The evidence suggests Rooney's presence in the team makes little to no difference on United's overall play. Instead, the tactics placed on all of the players are having a negative effect on the entirety of the squad. 

In recent times, Old Trafford witnessed lethargic, ponderous build up play. By the time the ball reaches attacking areas, defenders are already well adjusted and able to deal with the danger easily. Louis van Gaal did finally alter his tactics against Chelsea. In turn, it was no coincidence that Rooney's performance drastically improved. 

The 30-year-old was full of energy, driving at defenders and spraying inch perfect passes. The improvement did not extend to just Rooney though. For once Manchester United were threatening on the ball, creating multiple chances in the first half. 

From all of this, it's important to realize that one player does not determine the success of any club. Criticism of Rooney is certainly justified, but pinning United's poor season on the number ten is not.

Line-ups announced: Daley Blind and Memphis dropped for Manchester United vs Everton

Wayne Rooney has escaped the axe for Manchester United's game against Everton despite playing terribly for the best part of three years. Rooney starts in the three behind Anthony Martial, playing as a left winger in place of Memphis.

Memphis was one of the worst performers against Arsenal in United's last match, a 3-0 defeat. The Dutch winger has suffered in recent weeks with poor decision making, and struggled with the pace and physicality of the new league. Rooney will offer nothing better, but he is captain and therefore has to be even worse than he is now to be dropped.

Daley Blind has also been dropped after a poor showing against Arsenal, but he also featured for the Netherlands on international duty, so may simply be rested. He has been tolerable in defence for much of the season, so could feature in the Champions League match against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday. Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones form the left hand side of United's defence.

Daley Blind issues Man Utd warning ahead of Crystal Palace trip

Daley Blind has warned his Manchester United team-mates that they will have to be at their best to beat Crystal Palace.

Daley Blind has warned Manchester United that they will have to be at their best if they want to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Devils head to London looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their League Cup exit at the hands of Middlesbrough in midweek.

Louis van Gaal’s men are aiming to return to winning ways in the top flight after their goalless draw with Manchester City last weekend.

And the Netherlands international has warned his team-mates that they cannot afford to underestimate Alan Pardew’s side ahead of Saturday’s game.

“Teams always want to bounce back after a defeat,” Blind told MUTV. “Cup games can be different but this a Premier League match and I’ve said many times that Premier League games are always tough. There are no easy games. This won’t be easy either so we have to be focused and concentrate.

“Crystal Palace are a very stable team with a lot of quality in their side. They have bought some good players so it’ll be a tough game again. We remember last season’s match which was a hard one as well.

“We try to prepare ourselves in the best way we can. Despite their last few results, you can still see they have some quality players who can change games. We have to make sure they don’t do that against us.”

United are currently fourth in the Premier League table and two points behind leaders Manchester City after 10 games.

Blind, who joined United from Ajax in 2014, has been a regular fixture in Van Gaal’s first team this season and has scored one goal in eight Premier League appearances for the Old Trafford outfit.

Daley Blind Must Leave Manchester United

Daley Blind is a really good football player. He certainly has the quality to play at any club in the world including Manchester United. Unfortunately for Blind, he is not going to thrive at United no matter how he plays. If he’s smart, he will get out-of-town the first chance he gets.

Many of you are no doubt wondering why Blind should leave Manchester United since he’s getting consistent games at the moment. It’s true, that he is getting to play almost every week, but he’s being played out of position. He has ten starts on the young season and shockingly, each of them has been at centre back. It’s understandable that manager Louis Van Gaal has chosen to deploy Blind in this manner given his lack of other options, but it’s not a long-term solution. It’s almost comical that it’s gone on this long.

Blind’s preferred and most effective position is, of course, as a defensive midfielder. He thrived in this role at Ajax and frequently features for the Netherlands in this spot. Playing in the double pivot suits Blind’s strengths perfectly. He is happy to put in a tackle and can hold up play beautifully. It’s not a stretch to say that he has world-class ability at that spot on the pitch.

At centre back, however, he is average at best. He lacks supreme size or athleticism which makes him rather non-descript playing in front of the keeper. His intellect allows him to position himself well enough to get by, but he easily gets lost when competing against top class centre forwards. He doesn’t have the size or pace to combat them. He’s performed admirably in this role for United, but it’s just not sustainable.

It’s impossible to think that United won’t be in the market for a centre back in January. They pursued Nicolas Otamendi before he ended up with Manchester City and I’d be shocked if they aren’t after two new centre backs when the January window opens. The powers that be at Manchester United realize that Blind isn’t worthy of every week starting status at centre back.

So the obvious solution would be to slide Blind up the pitch and play him in his natural defensive midfield spot. The fact is he’s crowded out there by superior talent. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin all have a chance to be picked ahead of Blind right now. Even if Blind manages to move ahead of Carrick in the pecking order, as he should, he’d still be third choice behind the German and French midfielders.

I might argue that he should start ahead of Schweinsteiger at this point in his career too, but I don’t see Van Gaal making that choice very often. Blind would at best be a rotation player for United under their current leadership. That simply isn’t good enough for a player of his talent.

This doesn’t even begin to address possible inclusions of Ander Hererra as a defensive midfielder or the inevitable move of Marouane Fellaini back to his more accustomed role. United’s midfield is just too crowded for Blind to flourish.

While Daley Blind might be satisfied being a squad player at Manchester United, he should strive for more. He’d be wise to agitate for a move to a club where he can be guaranteed a place in the midfield every week come January. Otherwise, he may find himself spending his prime years out of the spotlight his play deserves.

United speelt weer doelpuntloos gelijk, Chelsea verliest

Manchester United heeft zaterdag op bezoek bij Crystal Palace puntenverlies geleden. De ploeg van Louis van Gaal speelde met 0-0 gelijk tegen de middenmoter. Chelsea ging opnieuw onderuit.

United blijft door het gelijkspel vierde in de Premier League. De achterstand op koploper Manchester City bedraagt vier punten.

Daley Blind had weer een basisplaats gekregen van Van Gaal en Memphis ontbrak vanwege een blessure.

United wist voor de derde wedstrijd op rij niet te scoren. Eerder bleven doelpunten tegen Manchester City en Middlesbrough (League Cup) uit.

City blijft de koploper in de Premier League dankzij een late zege op Norwich City (2-1). Yaya Touré hielp de 'Citizens' in de slotfase aan drie zwaarbevochten punten met een benutte penalty. Aleksandar Kolarov miste in de slotseconden nog een strafschop voor City.

Arsenal is op doelsaldo nog steeds tweede in Engeland. De ploeg van Arsène Wenger won eenvoudig met 3-0 bij Swansea City. Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny en Joel Campbell waren trefzeker voor de Londenaren.

Newcastle United

Newcastle United speelde voor eigen publiek met 0-0 gelijk tegen Stoke City. De ploeg van de Nederlandse basisspelers Daryl Janmaat, Vurnon Anita en Georginio Wijnaldum schiet weinig op met het punt.

Newcastle staat achttiende met zeven punten na elf wedstrijden. Siem de Jong viel twintig voor tijd in bij de ploeg van Steve McClaren. Janmaat werd in de 83e minuut gewisseld.

Bij Stoke City speelde Erik Pieters de hele wedstrijd mee. Ibrahim Afellay viel een halfuur voor tijd in en Marco van Ginkel deed alleen in de slotfase mee.

Record Vardy

Jamie Vardy scoorde namens Leicester City voor de achtste wedstrijd op rij en bezorgde zijn ploeg de winst op West Bromwich Albion. De Engelse spits is pas de derde speler die acht duels achter elkaar weet te scoren in de Premier League. Ruud van Nistelrooij en Daniel Sturrdigde gingen Vardy voor.

Leicester City staat verrassend derde in Engeland.

Watford won met Nathan Aké als basisspeler met 2-0 van West Ham United. De Nederlander deed de hele wedstrijd mee en kreeg een gele kaart. Odion Ighalo was tweemaal trefzeker voor Watford.

Chelsea-Liverpool

Jürgen Klopp boekte zaterdag zijn eerste competitiezege als manager van Liverpool. Chelsea werd in Londen met 3-1 verslagen.

Klopp zat voor de derde keer als trainer van Liverpool op de bank tijdens een competitiewedstrijd, maar de twee eerdere duels eindigden in een gelijkspel.

Ook tegen Chelsea zag het er in het begin niet naar uit dat de 'Reds' zouden winnen. De ploeg van de geplaagde José Mourinho kwam al snel op voorsprong via Ramires. In de slotseconden van de eerste helft schoot Philippe Coutinho na een mooie actie Liverpool op gelijke hoogte.

De Braziliaanse spelmaker was na rust ook verantwoordelijk voor de 2-1 namens de bezoekers. In de slotfase gooide invaller Christian Benteke het duel definitief in het slot.

Slechtste competitiestart ooit

Chelsea leed alweer de zesde nederlaag van het seizoen en bezet na elf wedstrijden de vijftiende plek op de ranglijst. Met elf punten kennen de Londenaren de slechtste competitiestart ooit voor een regerend landskampioen in de Premier League.

DALEY BLIND READY FOR UNITED'S NEXT BATTLE

Daley Blind says three defeats on the trot for Saturday’s opponents Crystal Palace won’t mean anything when Manchester United travel to Selhurst Park on Saturday, with the Reds ready for another difficult encounter.

Last season’s trip to South East London all but sealed a Champions League spot for Louis van Gaal’s men, but the victory came about after an extremely hard-fought contest.

Alan Pardew’s side have had a mixed run of results lately – three league and cup wins on the bounce were followed by three straight defeats, including Wednesday’s 5-1 Capital One Cup loss to Manchester City.

The Reds meanwhile, head to Palace aiming to recover quickly from the penalty shoot-out defeat to Middlesbrough in the same competition.

“Teams always want to bounce back after a defeat,” Blind told MUTV. “Cup games can be different but this a Premier League match and I’ve said many times that Premier League games are always tough. There are no easy games. This won’t be easy either so we have to be focused and concentrate.

“Crystal Palace are a very stable team with a lot of quality in their side. They have bought some good players so it’ll be a tough game again. We remember last season’s match which was a hard one as well.

“We try to prepare ourselves in the best way we can. Despite their last few results, you can still see they have some quality players who can change games. We have to make sure they don't do that against us.”