Diego Costa strike hands Chelsea win at Liverpool, Juan Mata bails out Man United

Chelsea maintained their unbeaten run in the Premier League on Saturday after Diego Costa scored in the 67th-minute to hand them a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.
Liverpool had taken the lead through Emre Can's deflected shot only for the Blues to level through Gary Cahill, who scrambled the ball over the line shortly after. Simon Mignolet's efforts to keep the ball out were in vain after goal-line technology was used to confirm the goal.

Costa completed the comeback after some fine work by Cesar Azpilicueta and though the Reds showed no signs of giving up - with a penalty claim turned down when Gary Cahill leaned his arm towards a Steven Gerrard strike from the edge of the box - Chelsea hung on find through five minutes of stoppage time to claim a vital victory.

The defeat was Liverpool's third in seven days, while Chelsea preserved their four-point lead over Southampton.
Manchester City lost further ground as they required a double salvo from Sergio Aguero to spare their blushes against QPR.
Manuel Pellegrini admitted the champions were in the midst of a crisis of confidence following their midweek Champions League defeat to CSKA Moscow, and QPR seemed determined to increase City's misery at Loftus Road.

Charlie Austin scored the opening goal after finding the City net for the third time after 21 minutes. He had two strikes ruled out in the space of 30 seconds just eight minutes in, but each time the visitors' shambolic defence was reprieved.

QPR's lead lasted just 11 minutes, however, as Sergio Aguero pounced for the visitors - pulling the ball down before twisting and turning Steven Caulker and tucking it in.
City pressed but 14 minutes from time Austin's effort was turned into his own net by Martin Demichelis. Aguero was not done, though - City's talisman striking an 83rd-minute equaliser to rescue his side.

Juan Mata stepped off the bench to score the winner as Manchester United returned to winning ways despite a lacklustre display against Crystal Palace.
Just four minutes after coming on for Adnan Januzaj, the United midfielder curled a deflected shot past Julian Speroni to hand Louis van Gaal's men a 1-0 win.

The result was a welcome one for United fans and their manager, who had not won any of his previous three matches.

But in truth, he will still feel a bit of the lousiness he spoke about at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Southampton retained second spot in the table thanks to Shane Long's brace securing a 2-0 victory over Leicester City, while West Ham and Aston Villa shared a stalemate and Burnley finally snatched their first win of the season at the 11th attempt - seeing off Hull City 1-0.

Manchester City Eye Signing Of Top Arsenal Target As Yaya Toure Poised For January Exit

City set for changes in midfield this winter.
Manchester City are prepared to lose star midfielder Yaya Toure to Paris Saint-Germain this January, and could sign Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira as a replacement, according to the Daily Mail.

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The Premier League champions are seemingly ready to let Toure go after the Ivory Coast international’s severe dip in form this season, with Manuel Pellegrini already thinking about players he can bring him to bolster his midfield options.

City look in need of changes after a poor start to the season, and there’s no doubt Khedira could make an excellent signing if the club can beat off competition for his signature.
The German international is also wanted by Arsenal after refusing to sign a new contract at the Bernabeu, and it looks likely that he will either move for a cut-price fee this January or on a free transfer at the end of this season.

City’s search for a new midfielder could also see them make a move for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard in the summer, with Pellegrini recently hinting that he could be interested in the veteran Reds star.
Th 34-year-old is another player who could be a free agent as he stalls on committing his future at Anfield.

Manchester United to bid for Gerard Pique

 
Manchester United are plotting a surprise £20 million bid for Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique, who has emerged as Louis van Gaal’s number one transfer target.

This is according to the Daily Star, who understand that United officials are confident of luring the Spanish World Cup winner back to Old Trafford. The 27-year-old spent four of his formative years with the Red Devils before returning to the Camp Nou in 2008 for £5 million.

United source confirms Van Gaal's interest
A United source confirmed to Starsport: "The manager knows he still needs to strengthen his defence and he would love to sign Pique.
"He is a former United player so he knows the club and Pique is a player he can build his defence around. Signing him from Barcelona won't be easy though."

Question marks over Pique's status at Barcelona
While Pique has started in Barcelona’s previous two matches - against Rayo Vallecano and Eibar - he was left out in the two matches prior to that, against Granada and the crucial Champions League group stage clash against Paris Saint-Germain, leading to questions being asked about the defender’s future.

Pique, though, insists that his heart belongs in Barcelona - and he wants to stay with his boyhood club for as long as possible. He recently told reporters: "You never know what the future holds, but right now, I love this city, I love the people in the club, and most importantly, I love the institution. I don't see myself leaving."

United must offer Pique a pay-rise
The Spain international currently earns around £110,000-a-week at the Camp Nou, so United would need to offer him a considerable pay rise to convince him to return to Old Trafford, where he endured frustration as a youngster.

Pique made a total of 23 appearances for the Red Devils, but struggled for first-team opportunities because of the rock-solid defensive partnership comprised of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
Pique would eventually head back to Barcelona before landing his hands of every major trophy - including four La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues - while cementing his status as one of European football’s best centre-backs in the process.

Van Gaal's other options & Shakira
With Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels seemingly off limits - and Ron Vlaar and Ryan Shawcross, of Aston Villa and Stoke City, not at the same world-class level - Van Gaal has turned his attention to Pique as he looks to recruit a top-level centre-back to partner Phil Jones.
But United officials may also need to convince the player’s superstar partner, Shakira, that Pique should come back to Manchester. The Colombian singer is reportedly unconvinced that a return to England is in the family’s best interests.