TOUCHLINES

REAL MADRID have made Manchester City Striker Carloz Tevez their top summer transfer target and have sounded out his adviser about a potential £35m(RM175m) move.

LIVERPOOL’S pursuit of a new left-back has taken them toward a possible signing of Arsenal’s Gael Clichy, with the north London club reluctant to meet the player’s salary demands.

CESC FABREGAS is back on Barcelona’s radar after the Catalan side’s coach Pep Guardiola met the Arsenal midfielder’s family, according to report in Spain

ARSENAL’S summer transfer plans have suffered a setback after they were warned off trying to lure teenage midfield sensation Mario Goetze from Borussia Dortmund.

ARSENAL is considering making a £20m bid for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema as a replacement for Nicklas Bendtner

REAL MADRID coach Jose Mourinho has advised Manchester United to sign 25-year-old Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder from his former club Inter Milan.

ITALIAN side Roma are lining up a move for Tottenhma’s 26-year-old midfielder Niko Kranjcar.

TOTTENHAM manager Harry Radknapp has voice his sadness that Saturday’s FA Cup final would be overshadowed if Manchester United win the Premier League moments before Manchester City and Stoke walk out at Wembley.

ARSENAL defender Bacary Sagna has conceded the Gunners are crippled by psyhological barriers when it comes to grinding out result and winning titles but believes the club can turn things round next season.

BRAZIL legend Pele has sung the praise of Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez after a sensational debut season in the Premier League and believes the Mexican forward can, in time, become one of the word’s greatest players.

MANAGER Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Manchester United’s rival his side can dominate the Premier League for years with their next generation of superstars.

ATLETICO MADRID manager Quique Sanchez Flores could replace Gerard Houllier at Aston Villa – if the Frenchman steps down following his recent health scare.

FORMER West Ham hero Paolo di Canio is lining up a shock return to England – as manager of Swindon, who have been relegated to League Two.

MANCHESTER CITY want Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas to bolster their midfield after securing their Champions League place for next season. Boss Roberto Mancini says he also wants AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Eastlands.

CITY are tracking Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen, who was watched by Mancini last Sunday. The Belgium international has also been linked with a move to Arsenal.

LIVERPOOL are in pole position to sign Aston Villa’s Ashley Young for a £15m fee. The England forward rejected a new deal at Villa Park earlier this season and has also been linked with a move to Manchester United.

REAL MADRID and Brazil midfielder Kaka’s mother Simone Leite as fuelled speculation linking her son with a move to Chelsea by revealing the family’s plans to move to London this summer on her Twitter feed.

MEANWHILE, Chelsea are ready to make a fresh move to sign Valencia winger Juan Mata.

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to conduct a major clear-out at the Emirates Stadium this summer after seeing his side go without silverware for a sixth consecutive season.

TOTENHAM are ready to move for Birmingham’s England international Ben Foster to replace under-fire goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. Strikers Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavluchenko could also be sold in a summer shake-up at Spurs.

MANCHESTER UNITED  are set to open contract talks with winger Antonio Valencia, who has two years remaining on his current deal at Old Trafford. The Ecuador international has been attracting attention from big club abroad.

FORMER England caretaker boss Peter Taylor says current coach Fabio Capello’s successor must be English -  believes the likes of recent internationals David Beckham, Alan Shearer and Gary Neville should be considered for the job.

DUTCHMAN Frank Rijkaard is reported to be first choice to take over as Aston Villa manager if Gerard Houllier cannot return next season after his latest health scare.

FORMER Sunderland and Ipswish boss Roy Keane says he will return to football management – but only when the time and club are right for him.

FULHAM have less then three weeks to secure a deal for manager Mark Hughes or risk losing him for nothing because of a “ get out” clause in his current contract.

MANCHESTER UNITED manger Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed how he was offered the Arsenal job just a month before taking over at Old Trafford in 1986.

MANCHESTER CITY’S temperamental striker Mario Balotelli confronted a school bully who had been taunting a young boy who had asked for the Italian star’s autograph after a training session.

LIVERPOOL’S principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner will fly into Merseyside before Sunday’s Premier League game against Spurs to finalise Kenny Dalglish’s appointment as the permanent boss of the club.

PORTO coach Abdre Villas Boas has denied reports he is to move to Chelsea or Juventus.

MANCHESTER CITY are to offer Barcelona star Xavi a massive final payday to end his career at Eastlands in a move which could result in Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas heading to the Nou Camp.

BUT the FA Cup finalist have been told not to bother Inter Milan with bids of less than £45m (RM225m) for  star striker Samuel Oto’o.

MANCHESTER UNITED look to have beaten off competition from Arsenal and Bayern Munich for Lens teenage defender Raphael Varane.

MANCHESTER CITY are also set to gazump Manchester United with a £20m(RM100m) bid for Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell.

ROBERT GREEN will lead the West Ham exodus with summer move to Aston Villa – even if the Hammers avoid relegation.

JUVENTUS have joined the chase for Wigan winger Charles N’Zogbia and are belived to be ready to bid up to £10 (RM50m) for the former Newcastle player.

LIVERPOOL are lining up a shock summer move for Reading’s Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long.

EVERTON are eyeing up to move for Valencia winger Juan Mata as Kenny Dalglish look to shape a title charge for next season.

LAZIO are lining up a £9m(RM45m) offer for Arsenal striker Maroune Chamakh.

FORMER Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri is being lined up to replace Neil Warnock as manager of Championship winner QPR.

Mancini seeks to turn the clock back and launch new era for City

Club desperate to end wait for a major honour but Stoke have own trophy quest

A new line of T-shirts has been prepared for this evening. They carry an image of the huge Old Trafford banner, which has ticked up their 35 years without a trophy, set to a big, fat zero.

That is just a minor insight into the emotional capital the club carry into this afternoon's FA Cup final against Stoke City, stalked to what might be the end of their barren era by a swaggering Manchester United, who fancy they will be celebrating a record 19th championship on the Ewood Park pitch even as Roberto Mancini walks his team out.

History is not the only burden City bear against a club who have not lost in four Wembley appearances. Carlos Tevez – the one commodity they have managed to wrestle from Old Trafford – remains a haunting presence and it is starting to weigh the club down. Tevez was in Mancini's provisional starting XI last night, subject to a final decision this morning, but the manager prepared for the final with an icy declaration that he does not want players whose hearts lie elsewhere. "When you start your job you should be happy, because the season is long and there could be a thousand problems," the Italian said. "I always say that, in my opinion, a player should stay here because he believes in the project and he's happy to stay at the club. If I'm not happy to stay at Manchester City I will leave this club. It's the same for the players."

By ominous coincidence, the Stoke manager Tony Pulis was discussing the way that his own recalcitrant playmaker had been coaxed into the fold: "Initially he couldn't buy into it here. He found it difficult. But the last three months he's recognised and realised what we're all about." Pulis was talking about Jermaine Pennant, whose footballing renaissance in the Potteries reached its zenith in a semi-final performance against Bolton Wanderers which revealed that Stoke really can play the ball on the ground.

But though the parallels between the sides seem so minimal as Potters prepare to face petrodollar men – the £50m City will demand for Tevez's services is roughly the entire sum Peter Coates has invested since he reassumed control of Stoke in 2006 – a yearning for a trophy binds together two sides whose histories have been curiously interdependent over the years.

Stoke and City were relegated to the third tier together on the last day of 1997-98, when City won 5-2 at the Britannia Stadium, and though City's top-four place assures Pulis's team of Europa League football next season, an indignation burns that they are the only surviving founder member of the Football League not to have won the FA Cup. You also sense that claiming it with the spine of the side which took Stoke back up into the top flight three years ago would enable Pulis – who is likely to favour Dean Whitehead on the left, despite Matthew Etherington facing a late fitness test – to demonstrate beyond all doubt that the supporters who so vehemently opposed Coates's decision to bring him back to the club, were wrong. "I think you will always have that small percentage that will be on my back and always be niggling away," he said. "They'll be quiet at the moment 'till you lose a couple of games and then they'll come out again, have a moan and a groan."

Mancini has exuded mildly less hunger this week, with his assertions that a top-four place in the Premier League was the most important goal. But City will take generations of their former players to Wembley. Mike Summerbee, a member of their last great side (although not the 1976 League Cup winners) and Tony Book, of course, but also Nora Mercer, the legendary former manager Joe's widow and Carmen Young, the widow of Neil, who scored the winner in the 1969 FA Cup final. All members of the 1956 Cup winning side have been invited too, through the club's former players' association. Full-back Bill Leivers has accepted, though not goalkeeper Bert Trautman, who to the club's bemusement expected a more formal invitation and declined.

The road ahead, fighting campaigns on domestic and European fronts, will be tough for Mancini, which is why a trophy would also buy him professional credit, though he feels the occasion is bigger for his opponents. "For Stoke it's a massive game, one of the biggest for the last 10 or 20 years and I'm sure they will play at 200 per cent," said the City manager, who has alluded more than once to Arsenal's Carling Cup final defeat against Birmingham City. "It's impossible to go into a final saying 'It's okay, because we're Manchester City,' because Arsenal against Birmingham is a perfect example of what can happen," he added. "And we've had a problem in every game against them. Every game. They're not easy to play against."

Mancini's record against the side who put City out of the competition last season is one win in five. Stoke, he agreed, are the last team he would want to face. "Because they're different from any other team. In my opinion football should be played with the foot. I think we can win, but I know it will be difficult."

Yesterday's preparations at Carrington included lengthy discussions with the full-backs, with Aleksandar Kolarov and Micah Richards favourites to start, but Pablo Zabaleta pressing for the right-back berth. Whoever plays will be asked not to concede throw-ins and Mancini promised he would remind his players, not least Mario Balotelli, to resist any Stoke attempts to rattle them. That is the theory. Mancini received a four-game ban after his protestations to the referee in his last Wembley appearance – Sampdoria's 1992 European Cup final defeat to Barcelona – and struggled with the pressure. "Plainly speaking and in all honesty, he was of no use to Sampdoria," La Repubblica reported the next day. That was in a Genoese side rich from winning four cups in the three preceding years. City are a side rich but with no cups in the lifetime of many fans. The petrodollars will fade to inconsequence come 3pm. Mancini will just have a set of players more desperate to wear shirts which read "zero" than any who have gone before them.

Road to Wembley: How rivals reached the Cup Final

Manchester City

Third round: Leicester City (a) drew 2-2; won replay 4-2

City are held by former manager Sven Goran Eriksson at the Walkers Stadium before winning a six-goal replay.

Fourth round: Notts County (a) drew 1-1; won replay 5-0

Edin Dzeko's first for the club ensured another replay, where two from Patrick Vieria set up an unconvincing victory.

Fifth round: Aston Villa (h) won 3-1

Goals from Yaya Touré, Mario Balotelli and David Silva helped City ease past a controversially weakened Villa side.

Sixth round: Reading (h) won 1-0

Frustrated by visiting goalkeeper Alex McCarthy before a late Micah Richards header sent City through to the semis.

Semi-final: Manchester United (n) won 1-0

Touré's goal ensured victory over neighbours United and put City through to their first final since 1981. Balotelli clashed with Rio Ferdinand as tempers flared after the final whistle.

Stoke City

Third round: Cardiff City (h) drew 1-1; won replay 2-0 (after extra-time)

Tuncay's strike saved Stoke after Michael Chopra put Cardiff ahead. Jon Walters' two late goals won the replay.

Fourth round: Wolves (a) won 1-0

Thomas Sorensen saved an injury-time penalty after Robert Huth had scored the only goal of the game on 81 minutes.

Fifth round: Brighton & Hove Albion (h) won 3-0

First-half goals from John Carew, Walters and Ryan Shawcross helped City ease past the League One side.

Sixth round: West Ham (h) won 2-1

Danny Higginbotham's free-kick was decisive in a controversial encounter after Frédéric Piquionne had equalised Huth's opener.

Semi-final: Bolton (n) won 5-0

Another flying start saw Bolton blown away. Matt Etherington, Huth and Kenwyne Jones had Stoke three up at the break before Walters added two near the end to complete the rout.

Barren Years

Manchester City's trophy drought has been well documented on Old Trafford banners in recent years – the League Cup of1976 remaining their last significant trophy – but today's opponents, Stoke, have also endured a long wait for success. Today's Wembley visit is their first appearance in an FA Cup final, while they have won a single major trophy – the 1972 League Cup.

Each side have struggled for consistency since, with both falling into the third tier of English football in 1997-98. Manchester City came straight back up, whereas Stoke had to wait until 2002 to return to the second tier.

City's Crowd Record

84,569: The attendance at Maine Road when Manchester City played Stoke City in the 1934 FA Cup sixth round. It remains the biggest crowd for an English football match outside London, and the highest on a club ground. City won 1-0.

England crisis as Green set to quit

Capello faces keeper problem with West Ham No 1 poised to follow Foster into retirement

The England manager, Fabio Capello, and his staff fear a goalkeeper crisis as it emerged yesterday that there are major concerns Robert Green will also retire from international football following hard on the heels of Ben Foster's decision this week to take an indefinite sabbatical.

Green, 31, who has 11 caps, told England staff after the friendly against Ghana in March – a game in which he had expected to play but was an unused substitute – that he no longer wanted to be selected for his country. In response, England staff told him to take his time over his decision and that he would be contacted ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland on 4 June.

Capello and his staff are hopeful that Foster's withdrawal will convince Green that he has a future with the England squad as the No 2 to Joe Hart. They will not contact him until after West Ham's crucial game away to Wigan on Sunday which could decide their Premier League fate.

Having initially been left out by Capello after the World Cup finals, the West Ham goalkeeper was called up for the squads to face Montenegro in October and France in November. He was a late replacement to the Denmark squad in February and was named in the most recent squad in March. Capello had hinted that Green was likely to feature as a substitute against Ghana, three days after the qualifier in Cardiff, but instead he opted to keep him on the bench.

Green has not played for England since his mistake against the United States in the first group game of last summer's ill-fated World Cup finals and is understood to be fed up with being so far down the pecking order. Up until Foster's sabbatical, the West Ham goalkeeper was Capello's third choice.

With West Ham almost certain to be relegated, it is anticipated that Green will leave this summer. He now has a young family and, like Foster, is more concerned about making a success of his club career.

It leaves Capello with a worrying dearth of back-up options in the event of an injury to Hart. Next in line would be the West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Scott Carson, who played a major part in England's 3-2 defeat to Croatia at Wembley in November 2007 which meant they missed out on qualification for Euro 2008. Carson, who has three caps, is not thought to be hugely enthusiastic about an international career.

After that there is the uncapped David Stockdale, who is not even first choice at Fulham; Scott Loach at Watford; Derby County's Frankie Fielding and the 40-year-old David James who, now playing for Bristol City in the Championship, has not retired from international football. Having been installed as No 1 in South Africa last summer after Green's gaffe against the US, James has been ignored by Capello.

The dilemma shows the difficulty of keeping modern-day international footballers interested in the England team when they are required to spend days and weeks away from family and very often not figure as part of the action.

Green made his debut for England almost six years ago against Colombia but has had an up and down career, even at one point wearing a pair of gloves embossed with the line "England's No 6". He played five of the seven games in the run-up to the World Cup finals but was left to wait until the last minute to find out he was selected ahead of James for the US game.

Should Green not make himself available for selection for the game against Switzerland he will be the third English goalkeeper in nine months who has withdrawn his services from international football, starting with Paul Robinson, the former first choice, in August.

There are a number of English players still playing club football who have retired from the international game including Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher, Wayne Bridge, Wes Brown and Luke Young, as well as Foster and Robinson.

Capello has no plans to speak to Rio Ferdinand about the transferral of the captaincy to John Terry before the pair encounter each for the first time ahead of the Switzerland game. Ferdinand is expected to be named in Capello's squad announced on 23 May, the day after the last Premier League fixtures.

Who is next in line to be Hart's back-up for England?

David Stockdale Fulham

Called up to squad against Denmark in February. Back-up to Mark Schwarzer at Craven Cottage, but has kept five clean sheets in 10 games this season.

Scott Loach Watford

First-choice with Under-21s, with 14 caps. Called up to full England squad twice. Has been No 1 at Vicarage Road for the last three seasons.

Frankie Fielding Derby County

Former Under-21 keeper called up to full squad against Hungary in August. Joined Derby from Blackburn this week after a period on loan.

David James Bristol City

Could he be set for another comeback, three months shy of 41st birthday. However, has endured a poor season at Ashton Gate.

Joe Lewis Peterborough

Has made over 100 appearances for Posh and five games for Under-21s, as well as a call-up to the senior squad in 2008. Expected to leave London Road after the League One play-offs.

Capello shocked as Foster takes England 'break'

Birmingham goalkeeper criticised for decision which could cause problems due to lack of back-up for Hart

Ben Foster's announcement yesterday that he is taking a break from international football came as a complete shock to the England manager, Fabio Capello, who only last week had asked the Birmingham City goalkeeper to delay an operation to ensure he would be fit to face Switzerland next month.

The first Capello knew of Foster's decision was when the news was announced on the Birmingham website yesterday morning. Up to that moment the Italian had fully expected to name the 28-year-old goalkeeper in his squad to face the Swiss in a Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley on 4 June, as understudy to his first-choice goalkeeper, Joe Hart of Manchester City.

Capello's assistant Franco Baldini spoke to Foster last week to check on his fitness. The goalkeeper is in line to to repair ligament damage to a thumb at the end of the season which is likely to keep him out for six weeks and Baldini wanted to ensure the operation would be delayed until after the Switzerland game. It is understood that at no time during the conversation did Foster intimate he was considering taking an indefinite break from international football.

However, since that phone call Foster, who has five caps, has chosen to exclude himself from England selection, claiming that playing 41 games for Birmingham this season "really takes it out of your body". He is concerned at the number of injuries he is picking up and has pulled out of several England squads with various injuries in the past, most recently in March when he withdrew ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifier with Wales complaining of a throat infection.

In a statement Foster said: "Performing at the highest level game in, game out and particularly when there's been as many matches as there have been this season really takes it out of your body. It's no secret that I've had a few niggling injuries and that I've had to pull out of the past few England squads because of that. I've spoken to the management team and coaches here at Blues and told them what I want to do but it's also very important that I say just how much I have loved playing for England and being part of the set-up.

"I've enjoyed my time with England and am certainly not closing a door on the international side of things forever but this is the right thing for me to do right now in terms of club football. Inevitably every time I've had the opportunity to give my body a rest there has been an international fixture and the demands that come with that."

It is also understood Foster, who joined Birmingham last summer from Manchester United for £6m, does not relish being put under the spotlight with England and was upset over criticism of his last appearance, November's 2-1 defeat to France. He prefers playing for Birmingham more than he did at United and questions have been raised about the level of his ambition.

He might reassess things in the future but his announcement leaves the national side worringly thin on goalkeepers. Hart has cemented his place as Capello's No 1 this season, but he has just 10 caps to his name and behind him there are few options.

West Ham United's Robert Green has not appeared for England since he allowed Clint Dempsey's shot to slip under his body against the United States at the World Cup last June in his 11th game for his country. There have been reports that Green was also considering his England future, but that situation might now change with Foster's announcement.

The other alternatives are Scott Carson of West Bromwich Albion, who has three caps, plus the trio of David Stockdale, who is Fulham's reserve goalkeeper, Scott Loach of Watford and veteran David James, who is still playing for Bristol City at the age of 40.

Blackburn's Paul Robinson retired from England duty when he missed out on the preliminary World Cup squad last year.

James, who won the last of his 53 England caps in the 4-1 defeat to Germany in the World Cup last year, yesterday described Foster's decision as "foolish". The former Liverpool, Portsmouth and Manchester City goalkeeper said: "I haven't retired yet – 65 goals later in the Championship and I'm still waiting for a call-up," he said. "I wouldn't retire. You work hard enough to be in a position to be called up so it would be foolish in my eyes to give away that opportunity."

England's record appearance maker, Peter Shilton, said: "Sometimes if you are No 2 and you think you're not going to play a lot of games, it's not always the easiest to keep going on, but I don't think that's the case with Ben Foster because he hasn't been No 2 for a long time. If he has made the decision for that reason, it's the wrong one as far as I'm concerned."

Ben Foster takes break from international football

Birmingham and England goalkeeper Ben Foster today revealed he is taking an indefinite break from international football.

The 28-year-old has been the number two to Manchester City's Joe Hart since last year's World Cup but has had a series of injury problems and has made the decision to benefit his club career.

Foster told www.bcfc.com: "Performing at the highest level game in, game out, and particularly when there's been as many matches as there have been this season, really takes it out of your body."

Foster's decision, which he insists is reversible, comes exactly a year after he was left out of the England squad for the World Cup by coach Fabio Capello.

He said: "It's no secret that I've had a few niggling injuries and that I've had to pull out of the past few England squads because of that.

"I've spoken to the management team and coaches here at Blues and told them what I want to do but it's also very important that I say just how much I have loved playing for England and being part of the set-up.

"I've enjoyed my time with England and am certainly not closing a door on the international side of things forever but this is the right thing for me to do right now in terms of club football.

"Inevitably every time I've had the opportunity to give my body a rest there has been an international fixture and the demands that come with that.

"In Joe (Hart) England have a goalkeeper who is extremely talented and a top guy and he is an excellent custodian for the national side to have. I have no doubt he is going to go on to be one of the greatest.

"But this is the right decision for me as I want to prolong my club career for as long as possible."

Foster rose to prominence with Manchester United after joining the Red Devils from Stoke in 2005.

The goalkeeper made only a handful of first-team appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson's side but impressed during two seasons on loan at Watford and in United's 2009 Carling Cup victory.

He moved to Birmingham last May in a deal thought to be worth £6million, and has been arguably Blues' most impressive player this season, helping them win the Carling Cup final against Arsenal in February.

Foster made his England debut in a 1-0 defeat by Spain in February 2007 while his last appearance came in a 1-0 loss to Brazil in November 2009.

Emmanuel Adebayor will consider transfer to Tottenham

Emmanuel Adebayor would still consider a move to Tottenham this summer despite claiming to have been targeted by "racist" chanting from Spurs fans during last month's Champions League quarter-final.

Adebayor scored twice to put his temporary club on their way to a 4-0 victory over Spurs in the first leg at the Bernabeu, but the former Arsenal striker's night was tinged with disappointment after suffering abuse from the travelling fans.

Supporters of the north London club sang a chant which includes the line: "Your dad washes elephants, your mother's a whore" - something which Adebayor claims is racist.

Tottenham condemned the song, but deny it is racist in nature and UEFA confirmed after the match that no action would be taken against the club.

Adebayor, who spent three years at Arsenal, was on the verge of moving to their north London rivals in January before he joined Real Madrid on loan for the rest of the season.

The Togo striker could return to City or another Barclays Premier League side this summer, and he would not let the chanting put him off a move to White Hart Lane.

"I heard about the chants and I felt so bad because before joining Real Madrid, my first choice was Tottenham," Adebayor told Football Focus.

"When I heard the songs I didn't take it seriously. I didn't take it in a bad way at all but it was bad because people today have to realise that we are footballers. Today we play for this club and the next day we might end up playing for them.

"I would go there and sign for them. Maybe those fans were furious because I was scoring against them. Maybe they were thinking like that because Adebayor was taking them out of the Champions League and ending their dream of getting to the final."

Spurs operate a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to racism, and recently embarked upon a campaign alongside the Kick it Out group to stamp out anti-Semitic chanting at their games.

Adebayor, whose loan spell comes to an end next month, still wants Tottenham to do more to deter their supporters from racist chanting though.

"Fans have to try to control their emotions, as we do as footballers," he added. "They have to tell the fans: 'please, try to control your emotions. We are all human beings'.

"What is the point in going into a stand and singing a song that you know is racist and then going out into the street and saying to me: 'I'm not racist, come to Tottenham'.

"Football is a game. Don't get me wrong, there is money and other things in it too, but it's still only a game."

Kenny Dalglish appointed permanent Liverpool manager

Kenny Dalglish has pledged to do his best to keep smiles on the faces of Liverpool fans for as long as he can after signing a three-year contract to become the club's manager on a permanent basis.

Weeks of speculation were ended today when it was announced that the 60-year-old Scot had signed a deal to stay on, along with coach Steve Clarke, which had become a formality very soon after he took temporary charge in January.

That it took until the penultimate week of the season to finalise terms was of no concern to Dalglish, whose unveiling was deliberately kept low-key and formed part of his routine pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's visit of Tottenham.

As far as the man voted the club's greatest player is concerned, a second spell as permanent boss is a duty and an obligation he has been waiting for almost since the moment he resigned just over 20 years ago.

There was no triumphalism or rash promises made, only a pledge to continue working to improve the club in the manner he has done since replacing Roy Hodgson four months ago.

"We are delighted it has gone as well as it has done. Steve is as important as I am to the club - we came in as a partnership and he has made a great contribution," said Dalglish.

"For it to go so well has really been enjoyable for us.

"There might have been some people who were saying three or four weeks ago why is (the contract signing) not happening but we were still going about our job.

"There has never been any problem with discussions or the timing. There was no need for anyone to dive in and make rash decisions.

"The fact it has only happened now does not take away from our devotion or dedication to get results.

"The place is much more stable now than it was before, the supporters have smiles on their faces and it is up to us to keep them there as long as we can.

"But we are not going to sit here and shout our mouth off about what we are going to do."

Director of football Damien Comolli, who back in January had been charged with finding the next permanent manager, admitted he did not even start looking.

The Frenchman said such was the turnaround in results - only Chelsea have accrued more points than Liverpool since the turn of the year - which lifted the club from 12th to fifth it was pointless even considering finding anyone else.

"We didn't look around. Very early on we knew Kenny was the right person and, along with Steve, we had the right coaching staff behind him," he said.

"We were talking about man-management, playing style and attacking football and that is exactly what we have seen.

"We have seen exactly what we thought we would see and that is why we did not speak to anyone (else).

"I have been impressed by the way they (Dalglish and Clarke) turned it around: the quality of the football, the enthusiasm, the confidence of the players, the way Kenny managed to integrate very young players into the first team.

"I don't think there is anyone better than Kenny who could say what the identity of the club is about.

"And the reason no one was linked with the job was because it was a 'no-brainer'.

Managing director Ian Ayre echoed Comolli, saying the atmosphere around the club had been transformed by Dalglish, who enjoys an exalted reputation at Anfield.

"We have seen a turnaround in fortunes on the pitch but we have also seen something else which came back as well as Kenny and that was belief," he said.

"Once you saw that belief it was, as Damien said, a 'no brainer'.

"We had several meetings, pulled the agreements together, and there was never a case of any consideration, it was just an evolution over the period."

The club's principal owner John Henry admitted just working with Dalglish had been enough to convince him they had made the right choice.

"Kenny is a legendary Liverpool figure, both as a supremely gifted footballer and successful manager," he said.

"Since returning in January he has shown extraordinary leadership and the ability to bring the best out of so many people associated with the club.

"It was obvious to us very early on that the atmosphere had been transformed by his presence - no one else could have produced such a response.

"We didn't need, nor want, to look elsewhere for the right man to manage the team.

"Working closely with him, we've seen first-hand his love for the club and his determination to do whatever is necessary to produce a winning side again.

"Having Kenny in the dug-out will help us in our efforts to bring the best available talent to the club as we continue to move forward."

Jamie Carragher determined to prolong Liverpool career

Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher's determination not to allow his career to "fizzle out" is what continues to drive him on at the age of 33.

The centre-back, who went second in the club's all-time appearance list with his 666th match for the Reds in Monday's 5-2 win at Fulham, has been written off a few times but has always bounced back stronger.

Critics questioned the wisdom of giving him a new two-year contract last October but he has more than justified that in the second half of the season after recovering from a shoulder injury which required surgery.

Carragher is now determined to carry on playing as long as possible.

"People always ask me and other players about the future but it's up to the manager, isn't it? The manager decides whether you get picked or not," he told LFC Weekly.

"If it got to a stage where I was hardly ever playing and I still felt I could do something, I'm not sure what I'd do.

"But I'd hate to leave here. I'd hate for my career to just fizzle out because I love playing football so much.

"I think I'm well worth my place at the moment and if I keep the levels that I've been reaching, I don't see why that should change.

"I think age is in people's heads really. If an older player has a bad game, sometimes he may look for an excuse. I don't feel that much different [to a few years ago]."

The former England international has put his body on the line on numerous occasions for the club he has been with since he was at primary school.

He recovered from his dislocated shoulder ahead of schedule and admits he often plays when not fully fit.

"You're desperate to play, you don't want to let the team down, you fear losing your place," he added.

"I think I'd have to be 100% injured to miss a game."

Crouch's role reversal hands City spot among Europe's elite

Manchester City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0

They were playing that classic Oasis B-side "The Masterplan" over the speakers at Eastlands before kick-off last night, one of those trademark maudlin Noel Gallagher numbers about learning to accept the hand life deals you. At Manchester City, adopting that philosophy has become a necessity over the years but not last night. Because last night, at long last, the world turned according to City's master plan.

Roberto Mancini has fulfilled his first obligation to his Abu Dhabi masters by delivering Champions League football next season and in their ambitious plans to take on the world, fuelled by the riches of Sheikh Mansour, this is indeed a milestone.

He did not get over the line without the help of an own goal from Peter Crouch or without a temper tantrum from the substitute Carlos Tevez – which was picked up by the Sky television cameras – but given the pressure on Mancini to claim a place in English football's elite he will be prepared to overlook all that.

Should they win the FA Cup final on Saturday this would be City's perfect week, although a club that knows disaster usually follows hard on the heels of triumph will not be taking anything for granted against Stoke City at Wembley. Best case scenario: City win the cup and claim third place ahead of Arsenal. But even if they accomplish neither they already have the biggest prize in the bank.

At a club that has not won a trophy for 35 years there will be some who argue that Saturday's game is more significant than last night. But for the hard-headed pragmatists of modern football, the Champions League is the only place to be. Certainly City will be taken a lot more seriously than they would have been with another season outside the elite of European football.

Even so, three years on from Sheikh Mansour's acquisition of the club, expectations will not be modest when City prepare to tackle the Champions League next season. This season Tottenham have set high standards for rookies in that competition.

Last night, Harry Redknapp's team were not, as their manager later argued, significantly worse than their opponents but stuck in a rut of just one win in 13 games in all competitions they are in danger of not qualifying for Europe at all next season. If they lose to Liverpool on Sunday then fifth place and a place in the Europa League will look like an impossibility.

Despite the end of season slump, Redknapp has long refused to buy into the theory that this is a disappointing season for Spurs and he does have a point. But without the injured Gareth Bale and with Rafael Van der Vaart a shadow of his early-season self his team lack the cutting edge that once made them stand out in Europe as well as the Premier League.

They lost to an own goal from Crouch, the man who, one year and five days earlier, has scored the goal that denied City Champions League football at the end of last season. Crouch comes from a family of City fans on his mother's side of the family but that will be no consolation for the bitter irony of last night.

It was not an exceptional display from City, for whom Edin Dzeko contributed a painfully bad performance in attack. Mancini said later that Tevez's short substitute's cameo does not mean he is fit enough to start on Saturday. The City manager claimed not to have heard the angry outburst in his direction from the Argentine while he warmed up on the touchline in the second half.

Already without Bale, Benoît Assou-Ekotto and Tom Huddlestone among others, Redknapp's first choice goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes suffered a shoulder injury in training on Monday and was eventually sent home from the airport before Spurs' flight north yesterday. Given Gomes' mistakes of late that may not have been such a blow.

For the second consecutive game, Redknapp was forced to deploy the midfielder Danny Rose at left-back but his team were far from outplayed. In fact they had much the better of it in the first half but were undone by Crouch's own goal, turned in from Adam Johnson's cross after the City winger exchanged passes with James Milner from a short corner.

Modric missed the best chance for Spurs in the first half when Aaron Lennon cut the ball back on 28 minutes and the Croatian was so close with his shot that some of the Spurs staff were off the bench in celebration. In the first minute of the second half Joe Hart saved brilliantly low to his left when Steven Pienaar headed down Lennon's cross from the right.

If Crouch was having a bad night then, at the other end, Dzeko was certainly no better and arguably a lot worse. He was given a great chance to score by David Silva in the 11th minute when the midfielder cut the ball back to him but the £27m man hit his shot straight at Carlo Cudicini.

The Bosnian is an impressive size but against a partnership as accomplished as that of William Gallas and Michael Dawson it takes more than just a physical presence to have an effect. It would be pushing it to say that Dzeko showed last night he is any closer to adapting to the demands the English game makes on players.

A stray elbow from Crouch cracked the nose of Pablo Zabaleta who had to be replaced and with 25 minutes to play, Mancini sent on Patrick Vieira to shore up his midfield. Gallas cleared off the line from Yaya Touré with three minutes left and Tevez even had a run at goal late on.

If Redknapp has a blind spot then it is surely his continued faith in Van der Vaart, and his refusal to go with Crouch and Jermain Defoe as a pair in attack. In injury time, Micah Richards had to get a good block in on Vedran Corluka's near-post cross before Defoe, by then on as a substitute, reached it.

It has not gone according to plan for Spurs, who have taken three points from the five games they have played since their Champions League quarter-final second-leg defeat to Real Madrid on 13 April. City, on the other hand, are on track. They have reached the promised land of Champions League football but, as Spurs can attest, staying there is just as hard.

Man of the match: Silva.

Match rating: 6/10.

Referee: M Dean (Wirrall).

Attendance: 47,029.

Manchester City and Tottenham are evenly matches says Harry Redknapp

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp does not believe Manchester City are a better side than his own despite seeing the Blues pip Spurs in the race for Champions League football by beating them 1-0 at Eastlands last night.

City's top-four finish in the Barclays Premier League and a place in Europe's elite club competition was secured thanks to Peter Crouch's 30th-minute own goal.

It came almost exactly a year after the striker had scored the winner in the same fixture last season to clinch Tottenham's Champions League qualification at City's expense.

It is a different story this time, with Spurs lying sixth in the table with two games to go and nine points behind fourth-placed City, who Redknapp expects will continue spending heavily on new signings over the summer.

But as far as the 64-year-old is concerned, Roberto Mancini's current group of players are in no way superior to what he is working with at White Hart Lane.

"It seems to me they can go as far as they want to go," Redknapp said. "The sky is the limit.

"They have an owner who can spend anything he wants and they could go out and buy another four or five world-class players in the summer and try to win the Champions League. It won't be beyond them.

"They have good players already but I wouldn't say they are any better than us to be truthful."

Tottenham were without Gareth Bale, whose disrupted season was ended on Saturday when he sustained ankle ligament damage in the 1-1 draw with Blackpool.

"If Bale hadn't got injured, I think we would have been very close," Redknapp added. "There is very little in it."

Luka Modric wasted a glorious chance before Crouch put the ball into his own net and City goalkeeper Joe Hart produced a superb save to deny Steven Pienaar immediately after the interval.

Spurs have now won only one of their last 10 league matches in a disappointing end to a season which has included so many highs but drifted away alarmingly in the last few weeks.

Redknapp has been left to rue the injuries and loss of form of key personnel, but feels the team have still been performing well and remains optimistic for the future.

"The biggest problems in this run where we have fallen out of the top four are that we lost Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart has suddenly become a bit jaded due to the World Cup and not having a pre-season," Redknapp said.

"When they were in top form we were killing teams off as well as playing good football.

"Not too many teams play better than we do. That means a lot to me. I enjoy watching us play. I would rather that than us play awful football and keep lumping the ball.

"I want to enjoy the last few years I have got in football."

Tevez future in doubt as outburst mars Mancini's moment of glory

Argentine's frustration boils over on night that Crouch blunder delivered Man City ticket to Champions League

One fan thought it was all over 30 seconds too soon and was arrested for his premature embrace of James Milner and Nigel de Jong. He could be forgiven: Manchester City have, after all, been pursuing Champions League football for the 983 days that the Abu Dhabi ownership has so far lasted.

But the target which signals the end of the first phase of City's plans to become a world force was attained last night, after over £350m outlay on players, so securing Roberto Mancini's job for next season, even as it raised new doubts about Carlos Tevez's future at the club.

Tevez was clearly screaming abuse at his manager after he had been sent off down the touchline as his wait to run on from the bench ticked towards 80 minutes. Mancini said late last night that he had not seen Tevez's actions. "I don't know. I was concentrating on the game. I really don't know. I didn't hear anything. I said go to warm up because you go on in two minutes," said the manager, who offered no sense that Tevez would start in Saturday's FA Cup final against Stoke City, despite creating a clear goalscoring opportunity after only six minutes on the pitch. When first asked if Tevez would start, Mancini replied: "No. I don't think [so]," later modifying his reply to: "He has four days and I want to take all the time to decide this."

Tevez's frustration built when Mancini appeared to have decided to send him on after 64 minutes but opted for Patrick Vieira instead as Spurs entered their most forceful spell of the game. The Argentine had returned from the touchline to the bench on 79 minutes, only for Mancini to express surprise and signal him back into his warm-up. It was then that he delivered the abuse.

But not even the renewed rancour between the two could take away from City's qualification for the Champions League, courtesy of an own goal scored by Peter Crouch in the same penalty area where he had sent Spurs through to the elite competition at City's expense 370 days ago. "I'm happy because this was our [prime] target," declared Mancini, who said he believed Saturday's defeat at Everton had made the task of supplanting Arsenal in third place "difficult." He added: "When I arrived here, I said that City will become one of the top two or three teams in Europe. We got this because the players wanted to play in the Champions League."



Carlos Tevez was anxious to get on the field as a late substitute and shouted in frustration at the City manager Roberto Mancini



 Joe Hart said he believed City could make up the two-point gap on Arsenal, whose goal difference is eight better. "This means the absolute world," said the goalkeeper, whose left-handed save from Steve Pienaar in the first minute of the second half was the finest of three he made. "With two games left we're going to hunt down that third spot now. With all the pressure on us, we've got big you-know-whats and we really proved it. We couldn't care less what the club has spent, we're the players. We need to get performances and get results and that's what we've done tonight."

Mancini also warned his side not to underestimate Stoke, who are in the Europa League thanks to last night's result. "If we think it will be easy, we make a big mistake," he said.

Harry Redknapp said his side were as good as City, despite collecting nine points in ten matches. "It's sad isn't it, nine points ... I'm suicidal," he joked. "It's been a great season, the best Tottenham have had in God knows how many years. People who know football know that we've played well but haven't had the luck.

"We have been in good form, but things have gone against us. If you look last year we finished three points above Manchester City and they went out and spent £130m to get above us, and yet there is not much between the teams."

Real Madrid delay coronation of Barcelona as La Liga champions

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a 4-0 home win over Getafe last night, denying leaders Barcelona the chance to win the La Liga title without kicking a ball.

Real cut the lead on their arch-rivals back to five points with two games left to play, which means Pep Guardiola's Barca side can wrap up their third consecutive league crown with a draw in their game in hand at Levante tonight.

Champions League finalists Barca have 91 points to Real's 86 and hold the head-to-head advantage over Jose Mourinho's team should they finish level on points next week.

Getafe slipped closer to the relegation places in 17th with 40 points, one ahead of 18th-placed Real Zaragoza, who visit fellow strugglers Real Sociedad (41) on Wednesday.

Deportivo Coruna's 2-1 comeback win over Athletic Bilbao pulled them out of the bottom three up to 14th with 42 points.

Ronaldo now has 36 La Liga goals this term

Racing Santander also recovered to win 2-1 at home to Atletico Madrid to go ninth on 46 with Malaga were one point behind them in 10th after a 2-0 win at Sporting Gijon.

Ronaldo closed to within two goals of Real Madrid's club record of 38 for a season, held by Hugo Sanchez, with his seventh goal in four days having bagged four in Saturday's 6-2 demolition of Sevilla.

The Portugal forward outjumped two defenders to head the opener in the 24th minute from Mesut Ozil's superb curling cross with the outside of his left boot.

The German playmaker also laid on Ronaldo's second after a swift counter-attack in the 57th.

Substitute Karim Benzema then guided in Xabi Alonso's long pass before Ronaldo sealed his hat-trick with a penalty in added time, taking his league tally for the season to an unrivalled 36 goals, ahead of Barcelona's Lionel Messi with 31.

"I'm in good form. I am fighting to win the top scorers' award but I am not obsessed with it," Ronaldo told Spanish television.

Racing were all but assured of La Liga football next season with their win over Europa League-chasing Atletico after an emotional pre-match tribute to former fan and local resident Seve Ballesteros.

The Spanish golfer, a five-times major winner, died aged 54 on Saturday after a struggling to overcome a brain tumour diagnosed in 2008.



Barcelona's Lionel Messi with 31goals.



Both teams walked out at the Sardinero stadium with shirts dedicated to Ballesteros, while a group of children carried a giant photo of him into the centre circle, for a minute's silence before kickoff.

Although Mario Suarez scored first for Atletico, goals from Kennedy Bakircioglu and Markus Rosenberg ensured the match finished with huge celebrations from the home fans.

Malaga were fired to their fifth consecutive win by in-form Brazilian forward Julio Baptista, who scored his seventh goal in five matches with a spectacular mid-air scissors volley.

Deportivo, champions in 2000 and European regulars in the early part of the last decade, pulled away from trouble courtesy of Adrian Lopez's effort, which was diverted into his own net by Bilbao's Carlos Gurpegui, and a Xabi Castillo own goal.

Jay Spearing relishing mayhem caused by Luis Suarez

Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing is delighted by the mayhem forward Luis Suarez is generating on the pitch.

The Uruguay international has made an immediate impact following his £22.8million January move from Ajax and in the last few matches has been the side's outstanding player.

He scored his fourth goal in 11 appearances in the 5-2 rout of Fulham on Monday and has proved to be a handful for all the defenders he has come up against so far.

Spearing recently signed a new deal with Liverpool

"Not only is he scoring goals but he is creating them as well," Spearing, who has just signed a new long-term contract at Anfield, told the Liverpool Echo.

"We see what he can do every day in training and he's a pain to come up against.

"He takes that on to the pitch and causes mayhem for defenders and he's done that from the moment he came in.

"Luis has shown what he's all about with the work ethic he puts in for the team and it's great to see.

"It's not about himself, he loves to set up other players. If he keeps doing that for the rest of this season and into next season we'll be looking good.

"His partnership with Andy Carroll (signed at the same time as Suarez for £35million) is going to be very dangerous."

Rodriguez continues hot streak to crush Fulham

Fulham 2 Liverpool 5

Finishing fifth in the Premier League is small fry when considered against Liverpool's glorious history, particularly with Manchester United on the verge of breaking their long-standing record with their 19th title. However, it would represent a major achievement should they manage to hold off Tottenham Hotspur, who they face on Sunday, after the first half of the season, when they were 12th in the Premier League, just four points above the relegation zone before Kenny Dalglish stepped in.

Not just that, but Liverpool are ending the season in spectacular style, with 13 goals in their last three games, having also beaten Newcastle 3-0 and Birmingham 5-0. First Dalglish made Liverpool hard to beat; now he is making them wonderful to watch. This was the Liverpool of old, playing the kind of precise, destructive football that was once the trademark of teams from Anfield.

Maxi Rodriguez took his personal tally to seven goals in the last three games, with his second hat-trick in two weeks. Liverpool's goal threat however was not confined to the Argentina international, as across the team they have a hungry look about them. Luis Suarez produced another performance of the highest class up front, while in midfield Lucas Leiva continued his impressive season to orchestrate the waves of Liverpool attacks.

No Steven Gerrard, no £35m striker Andy Carroll; but nonetheless a performance of true Liverpool vintage. The question that remains unanswered is why Dalglish has not yet been appointed the club's permanent manager.

The Scot knocked back the questions on that subject after the game, preferring to credit the players for their cultured and destructive display. "To come here and score five goals was beyond our wildest expectations," Dalglish said. "If we finish fifth we will be delighted. Nobody would have anticipated the run we have had since January."

Gerrard, who spent the evening as a pundit on Sky Sports, said of the prospect of United surpassing Liverpool's 18 league titles: "It's hurtful from because we held the record for so long. But you have to give credit where it's due – they've overtaken us for the time being but the good thing from our point of view is we are on our way back up and we won't give up the fight to overtake them again – don't worry about that."

Fulham's decent home form of 2011 was ripped to shreds inside 16 minutes. The visitors opened the scoring after just 31 seconds, when Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer made a mess of kicking a back pass away, and Rodriguez fired in from eight yards for the fastest Premier League goal of the season.

The Argentine scored again after seven minutes, this time from the opposite flank, as he finished with a left-foot volley at the far post from Glen Johnson's cross. The £1.5m it cost former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez to take Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid in January 2010 now looks to be one of the steals of recent years.

In the 16th minute, the shell-shocked Londoners conceded a third goal, when Dirk Kuyt received a simple pass from Johnson and drilled a low shot from 20 yards that Schwarzer meekly let slip through his fingers. Poor Fulham were stunned by Liverpool's blitzkrieg assault, and understandably took some time to recover their composure.

The home side posed few problems for Dalglish's team, and when they did get close to scoring, Liverpool's dogged determination, personified by Jamie Carragher in his 666th appearance for the club, kept them out.

Fulham manager Mark Hughes brought on Bobby Zamora after the break, and the England striker teed up Mousa Dembélé, who struck the ball into the bottom corner past Pepe Reina.

However Liverpool were too strong, and snuffed out the brief Fulham revival with a fourth goal, a 25-yard strike from Rodriguez to guarantee another match ball was his. The excellent Suarez added a fifth when he took a pass from substitute Jonjo Shelvey in his stride before rounding Schwarzer and sliding the ball into the empty net. Steve Sidwell struck Fulham's second goal with four minutes left, but did not bother to celebrate so complete was Liverpool's domination.

It was embarrassing for Hughes, who was booed by a section of Fulham fans despite the club's resurgence before last night's defeat. Hughes said: "It was all over after 15 minutes. That was a real body blow. We made consecutive errors for the goals, unforced errors and wrong decisions. Liverpool are a very good team, but we made them look better than they are."

Fulham (4-4-2) Schwarzer; Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido; Davies (Zamora, h-t), Sidwell, Murphy, Dempsey; Gudjohnsen (A Johnson, 67), Dembélé (Kakuta, 76).

Substitutes not used Stockdale (gk), Senderos, Etuhu, Greening.

Booked Murphy, Dempsey, Salcido, Sidwell.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1) Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Flanagan; Lucas, Spearing; Kuyt, Meireles (Shelvey, 48), Rodriguez (Cole, 86); Suarez.

Substitutes not used Gulacsi (gk), Kyrgiakos, Wilson, Poulsen, Robinson.

Booked Skrtel, Reina.

Referee L Mason (Lancashire). Match rating 8/10.

Attendance 25,693.

Man of the match Suarez.