Messi inspires Blaugrana vs Mallorca and beats Pele's record

Lionel Messi scored his 55th goal of the season as 10-man Barcelona beat Mallorca 2-0 for their seventh consecutive league win. Messi, who broke Barcelona's all-time scoring record on Wednesday, netted from a poorly defended free-kick to become the first player in a top-level European league to score 55 goals in a season since Sporting Lisbon's Mário Jardel in 2002.

 Yahoo Eurosport

Xavi Hernández put the visitors ahead after 28 minutes and Messi doubled their advantage close to half-time, notching his 75th goal for club and country in 2012 – equalling the tally reached by Pelé in 1958. Cristian Tello grabbed Barça's third seconds later, and after Michael Pereira and Victor Casadesus reduced the deficit for Mallorca, Messi moved ahead of Pelé's haul with his second of the game. He now lies nine goals shy of Gerd Müller's record from 1972. Barcelona's Thiago Alcântara was sent off after receiving his second booking in the 56th minute, but Gerard Piqué volleyed in Messi's rebound off the post in the 79th to seal victory.

With Xavi Hernández on the bench, Barcelona's passing attack lacked its usual fluidity. But a horrible defensive lapse by the hosts let Messi score one of the easier goals of his record 235 for Barcelona. Various defenders failed to deal with Messi's lobbed free-kick and it bounced in the area before landing in the back of the net.

 Goal.com

Mallorca staged a mini-comeback at the start of the second half with the effervescent Pereira smashing in a half volley and Victor scoring from the spot after a handball by Sergio Busquets. However, Messi had the final say, as he has done on so many occasions for this brilliant Barcelona side, the Argentine blasting into the net on 70 minutes, following good play in the build up from substitute Alexis Sanchez. Mallorca are now on a six-match losing run in La Liga, their worst sequence of defeats since 1991-92, when they lost seven in a row. Meanwhile, Barça have extended their best ever start to a top-flight league campaign, with ten wins and a draw so far this term.

 Getty Images

Mallorca gained a numerical advantage after Thiago was shown a second yellow card for a questionable hand ball when it appeared he had used his shoulder to control the ball. But after Messi squirmed free and fired a shot off the goal frame, Piqué put the result beyond doubt when he converted the rebound. Messi has nine games left to score the ten goals to surpass Muller's 85 goals, and given his current run of form - 15 goals in 11 La Liga games - the 25-year-old is on course to usurp the German once more. The striker set another record last season when he scored 50 goals in a La Liga season, moving to the top of Barcelona's all-time top goalscorer list in the process after surpassing Cesar Rodriguez’s 57-year milestone of 232 goals in March. Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova expressed his delight at Messi's strike rate. He said: 'Leo’s records are spectacular. It’s spectacular when you think that he scores so many goals. 'Some few players reach these numbers in seven or eight seasons, he does it in one. And most of his goals are great goals.'

Fulham goalkeeper saves late penalty in dramatic draw at Arsenal

Arsenal's topsy-turvy season took another bad turn when they let slip a two-goal lead and missed a late penalty to draw 3-3 at home with Fulham. Schwarzer dived low to his left and tipped the penalty onto the post, leaving the desperate Arteta wishing the ground would swallow him up as two more points went missing for the Gunners.

Even before today's draw, Arsenal had made their worst start in the Premier League under Arsene Wenger, and now they have taken just 16 points from their opening 11 games. Arsenal should have killed off their opponents with that 2-0 lead but Fulham would not lie down and accept a beating as they fought their way back into the game with two goals in just over ten minutes before half time. 

Manager Arsene Wenger accepted Arsenal had only themselves to blame after throwing away a two-goal lead for the second time in a week as Fulham battled to a 3-3 draw at the Emirates Stadium. Early goals from Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski put the Gunners in control, just as they had been in their Champions League game at Schalke on Tuesday night, only for the Germans to fight back. 'It was frustrating because we had the opportunities to win. We were caught in a bit too comfortable of a position because we did the most difficult thing - we scored two goals to go 2-0 up. At that moment we lacked urgency defensively,' said Wenger. 

Mikel Arteta lay flabbergasted on the turf. Fulham's players huddled around their goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. Arsène Wenger looked bleak. Martin Jol thundered towards the referee, Phil Dowd, with a piquant word or two. That Arsenal had at one stage been 2-0 up, were pegged back to 3-2, then level at 3-3, and with the final twist awarded a stoppage-time penalty that was saved ... it was bedlam. Martin Jol, on the other hand, was remarkably sanguine. Expectations were low, since no Fulham manager has ever won at Arsenal. Defeat is their customary fate. 

So when Mark Schwarzer flung himself to the left to knock aside Mikel Arteta's shot, Jol accepted the outcome. 'Maybe we should be pleased after the penalty,' he remarked. 'Certainly the referee was pleased not to see it go in.' It was easy to agree with his analysis after the events of the final seconds. Bryan Ruiz, the most effective player on view, untypically surrendered possession with an indiscreet square pass. The Arsenal substitute Andrey Arshavin collected the offering, scampered into the area and smashed a drive against the arm of Fulham's Chris Baird.

Tony Watt incredibly gave Celtic one of the greatest European nights in their history

Neil Lennon’s Bhoys sent Glasgow’s East End delirious as they celebrated their 125th anniversary in style. Parkhead was in dreamland in the 21st minute when midfielder Wanyama headed in from a corner. The 67-year-old singer, whose hits include Hot Legs and Sailing, sobbed with joy at the final whistle in Glasgow last night. Underdogs Celtic beat Lionel Messi’s Spanish giants 2-1 in the Champions League thanks to stars such as Victor Wanyama and Georgios Samaras — despite a late comeback by the visitors.

Celtic have now played eight qualifying and group stage games in the Champions League and have won six, kept clean sheets in four, achieved victories on the road in Helsinki, Helsingborg and Moscow and – in this compelling spectacle – prevailed over a club that some believe to be the best the world has seen. If Lennon’s side should win their next outing, against Benfica in Lisbon in two weeks, they will be guaranteed a place in the knockout stage of the tournament.

Watt was one of four teenagers on the home bench. Barcelona, meanwhile, had David Villa, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas on theirs. All three are World Cup winners and all came on. But for all the possession and shots, Barcelona were not at their fluent best here. Fraser Forster, nevertheless, made two magnificent saves from Messi - one in each half - and several others of real quality throughout.

Barça suffered only their second defeat of the season in Glasgow, the other being a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup in August. However, they remain top of the group on nine points, two ahead of Celtic in second place. Benfica have four points and Spartak Moscow are bottom on three after the Portuguese side won 2-0 at home to the Russians on Wednesday.

"We are still in first place and we are relaxed," said Messi, who scored in added time after earlier striking the frame of the goal. "I think we did everything well, we got into goal-scoring positions but the ball just didn't go in. "They were comfortable closing ranks in defence, waiting for a chance to counterattack, a corner or a free-kick and that's how they managed to score the two goals."

The Spanish tabloid 'Marca' writed: "Barcelona revived their ghosts of last season in losing at Celtic Park in a match that recalled the two semi-finals against Chelsea. The Scots sat back and waited for a chance to counter. They gifted the ball to Barcelona, who were not able to break down their wall, and made the most of their only two chances … The second round will have to wait."

Celtic (4-4-1-1): Forster; Lustig (Watt 72), Ambrose, Wilson, Matthews; Commons, Wanyama, Ledley, Mulgrew; Samaras (Kayal 79); Miku. Subs: Zaluska (g), McCourt, Herron, Fraser, McGeouch. 
Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes; Dani Alves, Bartra (Pique 71), Mascherano, Jordi Alba; Xavi, Song (Fabregas 71), Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Alexis (Villa 65). Subs: Pinto, Jonathan, Montoya, Tello. 
Booked: Song, Jordi Alba, Miku
Goals: Wanyama 21, Watt 83, Messi 90
Referee: Kuipers (Holland)
Attendence: 55,283

Arsenal miss chance, Wenger frustrated and criticized Rizzoli italian referee

Schalke fought back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Tuesday and stay top of Group B in the Champions League.  Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud scored inside the first 30 minutes to put Arsenal ahead. But a goal from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in first-half injury time and another from Jefferson Farfan after the break completed the comeback by the German club. The Gunners overcame a slow start to go 2-0 up through Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud only for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to pull one back on the stroke of half-time. Jefferson Farfan fired in at the far post in the second half to level and Arsenal held on for the point.

“At 2-0 you have not won the game and with the physical quality of the German team it isn't over, they have a lot of quality and they never give up, so overall I never felt that the game was over even at 2-0,” Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger said. The draw left Schalke with eight points after four matches, one ahead of Arsenal. Olympiakos has six points after winning 3-1 against Montpellier, which has one. “To get a 2-2 after 0-2 speaks for our team,” Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby said. “We showed our morale. But we could have lost at the end.”

Arsene Wenger criticised referee Nicola Rizzoli after his side lost a two-goal lead to Schalke. The Arsenal manager felt Ibrahim Afellay had fouled Theo Walcott in the build-up to the Germans' first goal and were denied a clear chance when the Italian official blew instead of playing on, with Marco Hoger falling as Lukas Podolski was clear on goal. Walcott added: 'It was a good point in the end. It would have been a fantastic victory, but Schalke are a tough side. We are just trying to win our last couple of games and that is all you can do. I just want to play - hopefully now I can get a run in the team because I feel I fully deserve it.'

Arsenal had Mannone to thank in the 51st minute when he thwarted Huntelaar in a one-on-one after Neustadter's through-pass. Schalke were throwing everything at  Arsenal and had an appeal for a penalty turned down after Per Mertesacker looked to have handled in the box.  But the Germans deservedly dragged themselves level in the 66th minute when Farfan fired home from close range, via a Thomas Vermaelen deflection, as Arsenal failed to clear Afellay's cross.  Huntelaar, Farfan and Jermaine Jones missed decent chances to give the hosts the lead their dominance warranted. And the Germans' wastefulness in front of goal was nearly punished with the final kick of the game. But it was Walcott who fluffed his lines after capitalising on defensive uncertainty as, with only Unnerstall to beat, he shot straight at the goalkeeper.

Schalke: Unnerstall, Uchida (Hoger 25), Howedes, Matip, Fuchs, Jones, Neustadter, Farfan, Holtby (Barnetta 90), Afellay, Huntelaar, Hoger (Papadopoulos 66).
Subs Not Used: Hildebrand, Moritz, Draxler, Kolasinac.
Arsenal: Mannone, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Arteta, Wilshere, Walcott, Cazorla (Coquelin 90), Podolski (Andre Santos 90), Giroud.
Subs Not Used: Shea, Djourou, Arshavin, Jenkinson, Chamakh.
Goals: Walcott 18, Giroud 26, Huntelaar 45, Farfan 67.
Attendance: 50,000 
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).
Booked: Matip, Fuchs, Jones, Cazorla, Podolski.

Van Persie helps to destroy his old club: United over Gunners 2-1

Arsenal may have matched Manchester United for possession and scored a consolation goal with the last kick of the game through Santi Cazorla, but in every other area they were a distant second best, failing to resemble challengers for a top-four place let alone the title. Out of respect, manager Arsene Wenger is still exempt from heavy public barracking,  so those supporters turned on their chief executive, chanting 'Ivan Gazidis, what do you do?' with an expletive thrown in for good measure. Certainly, replacing £24million Van Persie with a mid-ranking Frenchman in Olivier Giroud does not look shrewd business from a football point of view. While Van Persie bagged his eighth Premier League goal of the season with a clinical early strike, Arsenal's current new striker is stuck on one - and clumsily missed a couple of Arsenal's best opportunities.

"A strange game," Ferguson reflected. "Nothing like Manchester United and Arsenal games of the past." The atmosphere was flat. Arsenal were rarely in it and, before the end, their supporters had grown bored of abusing Van Persie and turned on their chief executive Ivan Gazidis. "We want our Arsenal back" was the general tone. How premature it now feels that earlier in the season Arsenal were being commended for a new sense of order in defence and the appointment of Steve Bould was being hailed for re-establishing them as a genuine threat.

Instead, all the old failings have gradually returned. André Santos's apparent ambition to be regarded as the least distinguished Brazilian footballer ever to play in the Premier League is nothing new, but let's not make him the scapegoat alone. Thomas Vermaelen, say, has rarely looked so vulnerable. Wenger talked about "an hour of mistakes" and his captain was heavily implicated.

 Wilshere

While Mannone had to save from Rooney and Van Persie again before the interval the deadly duo did not make the most compelling case for United's return to a conventional 4-4-2. Rooney could not even convert a penalty right at the end of the first half, missing the target after Santi Cazorla blocked Ashley Young's cross with his hands. Cazorla's lovely goal with the last kick of the game will have cheered them up slightly, but only slightly. Had United been properly at the races this would have been another drubbing. "We were sloppy with our chances," Van Persie said. "I should have scored two goals but I'm happy with one."

MAN UTD: De Gea, Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Valencia (Nani 82), Carrick, Cleverley (Anderson 61), Young, Rooney, van Persie. Subs not used: Lindegaard, Hernandez, Scholes, Powell, Wootton.
ARSENAL: Mannone, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Andre Santos, Arteta, Ramsey (Walcott 52), Wilshere, Cazorla, Podolski (Arshavin 81), Giroud. Subs not used: Martinez, Koscielny, Coquelin, Jenkinson, Chamakh.
Booked: Arteta, Arshavin, Wilshere, Young, Cleverley, Anderson, Rooney, Van Persie
Goals: Van Persie (M) 3, Evra (M) 67, Cazorla (A) 90
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

credits to: Daily Mail

Messi celebrates becoming a dad but he isn't marked, Barca beat Celta

Barcelona's 3-1 home win over Celta Vigo on Saturday marked the Catalan club's best start to the Spanish league in its 113-year history. Goals from Adriano, Villa and Alba gave Barça the win over Celta and also confirmed their record breaking start to the season, with 9 wins and a draw in the first 10 games.

Celta's only victory at Barça came in the 1941-42 season but the Galicians surprised their illustrious hosts with some neat play and Mario Bermejo levelled at 1-1 three minutes after Adriano's 21st-minute opener. Lionel Messi could not produce a goal to mark the birth of his first son but Barcelona still took the points with a straightforward 3-1 Primera Division victory over Celta Vigo. Three goals in the space of five minutes.

Alves had come on for the injured Adriano on 40 minutes and Vilanova brought on Bartra for Cesc for the second half to give the team more defensive solidity. Celta’s well organised defence proved a tough nut to crack though and only a brilliant exchange between Villa and Alba brought about the definitive third goal on the hour mark. With the game looking pretty much done and dusted, Barça played out the final half hour comfortably, with the only hint of a problem coming when Messi received a knock late on.

World player of the year Messi became a father for the first time this week, and played the full match on Saturday. Barcelona moved three points clear at the top after Atletico Madrid's unbeaten start to the season was ended with a 2-0 defeat at Valencia. Tito Vilanova’s Barça march on, with their latest win coming against Celta at the Camp Nou. Despite missing Abidal, Puyol and Piqué, the defence stood strong again, with Alba and Adriano also chipping in with goals before the Brazilian was taken off injured, The win means the team have made a record breaking start to the league campaign, with nine wins and a draw in their first ten matches.

The win means that Vilanova, who stepped up from assistant coach to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of last season, has made a better start to the La Liga season than any of his predecessors at the Camp Nou. Louis van Gaal held the previous record after his side won eight of their opening 10 matches in the 1997-98 campaign, when Barça went on to win the title. "The points that we have are more important than the record," Vilanova said. "More than a record it's a sign of the desire this team has."