Pressure increases on Mourinho
The pressure on Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho increased even further last night as his side were dumped out of the League Cup on penalties by Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.
Trailing to a Jon Walters goal at the start of the second half the League Cup holders were handed a lifeline thanks to Loic Remy’s injury time equaliser, however the Potters went through after Eden Hazard saw his decisive spot kick saved by Jack Butland.
Defeat caps off a miserable few days for the Portugese following defeat to West Ham last Saturday, with the reigning Premier League champions now having lost seven of their 15 competitive fixtures this season.
Wednesday thrash Arsenal
Meanwhile Sheffield Wednesday showed the biggest sign yet they are heading back to the big time under Carlos Carvalhal as they produced an excellent performance to thrash Arsenal 3-0 at a packed Hillsborough.
There was penalty drama elsewhere as Everton needed spot kicks to see off Norwich at Goodison Park, with Wes Hoolahan’s miss proving terminal, while David Meyler slotted the winning kick as Hull City edged past Leicester City at the KC Stadium.
D’Arcy: Wallabies must attack All Blacks
In his column this week Gordon D'Arcy looks ahead to Saturday's Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia - a game he believes the All Blacks would win by 20 points if it was any other game.
But instead he points to the suffocating pressure the defending champions will be under to win at Twickenham with their entire four-year cycle since the last World Cup - in which they have been pretty much untouchable - being deemed a failure if they don’t.
And while they are clearly huge underdogs D’Arcy believes there is a way for Michael Cheika’s Wallabies to stage an upset: “Cheika can tell his players to drag New Zealand into the realm of doubt and they’ll have a real chance.
“This is a one-off game and anything can happen. They must attack the All Blacks. A World Cup final is pretty good place to play the game of your life too.”
Pocock on Attenborough
Crucial to Australian hopes on Staurday is the inspirational and devastatingly brilliant David Pocock, who recovered from their semi-final victory over Argentina by watching David Atttenborough documentaries.
Meanwhile All Blacks veteranKevin Mealamu is confident his side can deal with the immense pressure they wil face atthe weekend, he said: "The more you accept it and understand it, the better you cope with it."
McDowell needs strong showing in Turkey
It has been a disappointing season for Graeme McDowell, who currently sits in 64th position in the European Tour order of merit, but he is looking for a top-two finish in the Turkish Airlines Open in order to gatecrash his way into contention for the Race to Dubai.
Brogan happy to play away from HQ
Elsewhere Bernard Brogan, who is to captain Ireland in their one International Rules Test against Australia next month, has said it would be great for the game if Dublin were to travel to play games away from Croke Park.
What to watch out for:
Football
Martin O’Neill announces his squad for next month’s Euro 2016 play-off against Bosnia at midday today.
There’s more League Cup action tonight with Manchester United welcoming Middlesbrough to Old Trafford, Crystal Palace travelling to play Manchester City, managerless Aston Villa travelling to Southampton and Bournemouth playing Liverpool (SS1, 7.45pm ko)
