What is an Immunoassay? | ImmunoChemistry Technologies, LLC. Protein Detection Solutions

What is an Immunoassay? | ImmunoChemistry Technologies, LLC. Protein Detection Solutions

Romelu Lukaku gave West Brom a 2-1 victory over Sunderland

A penalty and a fluke from the impressive Romelu Lukaku earned West Brom a 2-1 win over Sunderland at the Hawthorns.

A Craig Gardner handball and poor Titus Bramble clearance were responsible for the Belgian's two goals, and Sunderland could not find an undeserved equaliser after a deflected Stephane Sessegnon gave the away side hope.
The headline team news came on the West Brom bench, with the selection of Peter Odemwingie in the matchday squad causing something of a stir with the home crowd following the Nigerian's much-publicised deadline day escapades. For Sunderland, January signing Danny Graham was selected alongside Steven Fletcher for the first time in an attacking-looking line-up.
The game started quietly as both sides looked to settle on the ball without threatening to open the scoring. In fact, the first half-chance of the game did not arrive until the 20-minute mark when Lukaku drifted a header wide from ten yards out.It was a moment that kick-started the half into gear, and moments later Sunderland had three chances in succession to score. First Fletcher side-footed the ball against the left-hand post, and from the rebound Graham forced Ben Foster into a smart save. The ball then fell back to Fletcher, who fired over from the edge of the box.
Five minutes later Youssouf Mulumbu should have given the home side the lead, inexplicably missing from four yards out with a header when it looked easier to score, and two minutes later referee Roger East was involved in controversy when he failed to give West Brom the advantage when James Morrison had been fouled, and Lukaku tucked the ball passed Simon Mignolet.
However, three minutes later the Baggies were ahead. Chris Brunt crossed from the left and the ball hit Gardner on the hand, allowing Lukaku to nonchalantly finish from the penalty spot.
The goal gave the home side confidence, and they ended the half impressively as they looked to make the most of their dominance as the half-time whistle came as a relief to Sunderland, although the visitors did have their own penalty appeal for handball turned down.
West Brom continued to be dominant during the second half, and it became something of the Lukaku show. He scored his second on 70 minutes when a short backpass from Bramble allowed the forward to bear down on goal. Mignolet came rushing out, but his clearance rebounded off Lukaku and into the net.
The Belgian was comfortably the best player on show, and the contrast between the standing ovation Lukaku received when he came off for Odemwingie, who was roundly booed, was marked.
Two minutes later and Sunderland were back in the game, when Sessegnon curled home a shot from the edge of the area, beating Foster via an Olsson deflection.
Despite late chances, notably for James McLean who fired over in added time, West Brom were able to hold on for a home victory that took them to seventh in the Premier League.

Arsenal grind out narrow victory over Aston Villa.

deadly double from Santi Cazorla saw Arsenal return to winning ways as they edged out Aston Villa 2-1 at Emirates Stadium.
On the back of a tough week which had seen the Gunners crash out of the FA Cup and suffer a UEFA Champions League battering at the hands of Bayern Munich, one very early effort from Cazorla and one very late one, after Andreas Weimann had levelled for the visitors, offered welcome relief to Arsene Wenger and his troops - who are now just one point adrift of the top four

Rafael and Giggs goals give Manchester United 2-0 win at QPR.

Robin van Persie was forced off after being injured in the build-up to United's first goal

 

Manchester United opened up a 15-point gap at the top of the Premier League after a routine 2-0 victory over bottom club Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.

A thumping strike from Rafael gave United the lead midway through the first half before Ryan Giggs sealed the win 10 minutes from time against a QPR side who rarely tested opposing goalkeeper David de Gea.
Ashley Young crosses were the chief early threat for United, with Nani failing to connect cleanly from one and Javier Hernandez forcing Julio Cesar to tip over his header from another.
Sloppy play from Cesar almost gifted United a chance on 18 minutes when his roll-out was intercepted by Nani, but the winger's teasing cross just eluded the stretching Hernandez.
United then took the lead on 23 minutes in spectacular fashion when Rafael arrowed home a brilliant 25-yard volley into the top corner after Cesar had beaten out Robin van Persie's cross-shot from a narrow angle.
Rafael proved equally adept at the other end as he cleared Chris Samba's header off the line following a corner after Andros Townsend's shot had been deflected wide.
The visitors went straight up the pitch, with Rafael again involved as his wonderful cross-field pass was cushioned towards goal by Van Persie, but Cesar produced a superb save down low to his left.
That proved to be Van Persie's last contribution as he was soon replaced by Danny Welbeck due to injury before the unmarked Nemanja Vidic glanced Giggs' free-kick wide five minutes before half-time.
QPR's marking from crosses had been poor in the first half and it continued early in the second when another Young ball in found Nani, whose free header was spilled by Cesar.
Harry Redknapp introduced the returning Loic Remy on the hour mark and within five minutes the January signing was involved as his well-struck shot was pushed away by De Gea.
With 10 minutes to go, United put the game to bed after the QPR defence switched off again and Nani slipped in Giggs to drill his shot beyond the exposed Cesar.
Giggs almost scored his second of the game two minutes later when his impudent looping effort bounced back off the bar and Nani blazed the rebound wildly over, with QPR only offering a late Samba header in response.

LIVE MATCH MILAN 2-0 BACELONA

UEFA LIVE MATCH PORTO 1-0 MALLAGA

UEFA LIVE MATCH ARSENAL 1-3 BAYEN MUNICH.

Chelsea to blame for Fernando Torres' poor form.

Yossi Benayoun has accused Chelsea of damaging Fernando Torres' career through their mismanagement of the striker.

The Israeli played alongside Torres during his magnificent three-and-a-half-year spell at Liverpool, where he bagged 81 goals in 142 matches.
But the Spaniard has endured a difficult time since his £50m switch to Stamford Bridge and, while he has shown glimpses of his previous form under new boss Rafael Benitez, who signed him at Anfield, Benayoun is concerned he will never be the same player.

"He did not get the confidence when he came in. And with the £50m above his head, it is not easy for any player. The situation from the beginning was badly managed with him."
Yossi BenayounQuotes of the week

"You can understand it is not easy, from being the top striker at Liverpool - he was unbelievable, you gave him the ball and you knew he would score," Benayoun said.
"But he had a bad time in the beginning at Chelsea. When he came in, he was on the bench, then on the pitch.
"He did not get the confidence when he came in. And with the £50m above his head, it is not easy for any player. The situation from the beginning was badly managed with him."
Torres has scored just 25 times in 134 appearances for Chelsea but, with 15 of those goals coming this season, it appears that the 28-year-old is beginning to rediscover his confidence.
"For me, he is still one of the best strikers in the world," added Benayoun. "You do not change so quick from being one of the best in the world, to a player that some people say is not good enough for Chelsea.
"He has had good spells, bad spells, and has 15 or 16 goals already. That is not bad, but hopefully he will finish with 25.
"He just needs to believe in himself. It would be good to get his confidence back and be his old self. Hopefully he will get a few more soon and you will see the real Fernando Torres."

Javier Hernandez backs Manchester United team-mat David De Gea to conquer world

David De Gea will be the world's best goalkeeper in two years, according to Javier Hernandez.

Manchester United's £18.9m Spaniard - forced to share duties with Anders Lindegaard during his first season at the club - has been accused of weakness in dealing with high balls since he arrived in the summer of 2011.
But De Gea has made the No 1 shirt his own this term, and an eye-catching performance at Real Madrid in midweek brought praise from his critics and Sir Alex Fergusonalike.
Now Hernandez has given the boldest assessment yet of his 22-year-old team-mate's potential.
He said: "David is doing brilliant and in a couple of years he will be the No 1 in the world.
"A lot of people who know about football know that David is a top-class goalkeeper. That is why Manchester United bought him.
"They saw how good he can be. If he wasn't at the right level to play at this club he wouldn't be here and they are trying to look after him.
"To me, he is a complete goalkeeper. You see the great saves he made on Wednesday. He can also play with his feet, which is very useful to see in a goalkeeper.
"David is very focused and doesn't care about what people say about him. He has a lot of confidence. He doesn't need to listen to what people say about him."

Sir Alex Ferguson says current Manchester United squad stronger than 1999

Sir Alex Ferguson has said that his current Manchester United squad is stronger than the one that claimed the treble in 1999.

Ferguson's side is on course to repeat that historic feat this season.
They are 12 points clear in the Premier League title race, secured a draw at Real Madrid to put them in touching distance of the quarter-finals of the Champions League and can progress to the same stage of the FA Cup with a win over Reading on Monday.
And Ferguson highlighted the fact that he now has far more options at his disposal than he had 14 years ago.

"We have a stronger squad now. When we went to the (Champions League) final, Keane and Scholes were suspended but Henning Berg was the only injury."  

"We have a stronger squad now," Ferguson said. "When we went to the (Champions League) final, Keane and Scholes were suspended but Henning Berg was the only injury.
"I still had to pull in a player (Jonathan Greening) who had only played once or twice in the first-team.
"He got a medal for being on the bench. That gives you an idea of the strength of the squad."
However, Ferguson admits that if they are to secure another treble this season they cannot afford to lose their focus for a moment.
"It is nice to look back on these things and think how it was done at that particular time," said Ferguson.
"But the reality is that we should not get carried away, particularly in the FA Cup when anything can happen. You don't want to be a shock.
"In many people's eyes Monday would be, 'yes, it's Reading, we have just been to Madrid, it was a great night, Monday will take care of itself'.
"Monday can't take care of itself. We have to take care of that.
"We must get a performance off the players that respects our opponents and also the fact the FA Cup can produce shocks."

Roberto Mancini: Manchester City owners unhappy but I don't feel under pressure

Roberto Mancini insists he retains a good working relationship with Manchester City's owners despite their unease with the club's slump in form.

The champions' failure to win any of their last three games has left them with a 12-point gap to bridge if they are to catch Manchester United in the Premier League.
Despite that faltering title defence Mancini has rubbished suggestions his job is on the line and says his critics "don't understand football".
And, although both Mancini and his bosses are angry at recent results, the first manager since 1968 to deliver City a league title does not feel under pressure from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

"I speak with Khaldoon every week. He is like me. When we lose he has my mentality, he is upset and disappointed, but this is normal and it's correct in football."
Roberto Mancini.

"I speak with Khaldoon every week," said Mancini, who hosts Leeds in the FA Cup on Sunday. "He is like me. When we lose he has my mentality, he is upset and disappointed, but this is normal and it's correct in football.
"After you lose you can't be happy for 24 hours but after that you need to think about the future.
"We have a good relationship. At this moment they aren't happy because when you lose you can't be happy, but I think they are happy with our job over the three years."
City overturned an eight-point deficit late last season to pinch the title in the dying seconds, and Mancini knows the next six games - with Chelsea, Everton and United among the opposition - are key to pulling off a similar feat this time.
He said: "We play the derby in April and from now until then we have six games and we need to look at what happens in the next six games.
"If we reduce the gap before the derby... but it's not important to look at the table. It's important to win, win, win."

CHELSEA WIN 4-1 WIGAN.

Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 4-1 victory over Wigan Athletic at Stamford Bridge, but the scoreline was somewhat flattering.

The opener was a brilliant move as David Luiz and Fernando Torres teed up Ramires for his sixth goal of the season.
Eden Hazard added a second just before the hour but moments later Shaun Maloney sprung Chelsea's offside trap before rounding Petr Cech and finishing.
Chelsea put the game to bed with two goals in the final few minutes, Frank Lampard coolly slotting home from the edge of the box before German substitute Marko Marin headed his first goal for the club.
Cech was tested twice early on, Franco Di Santo forcing him to save with his feet before Maloney stretched the Czech international with a curling effort.
After fluffing a decent chance, Torres turned provider for the opening goal when he played a first-time pass to Ramires, who lifted the ball over Ali Al-Habsi.
Wigan's attempt to reply before half-time was aided when an Oscar pass hit referee Mike Dean and rolled into Maloney's path, but his cross was cleared by Cesar Azpilicueta with James McArthur lurking.
Chelsea doubled their advantage on 56 minutes when Cesar Azpilicueta played a low cross inside to Hazard and the Belgian struck a first-time shot into the net.
Wigan's response was almost immediate, Maloney producing a sweet finish after beating the offside trap, rounding Cech and netting from an acute angle.
Wigan had claims for a penalty turned down when Ronnie Stam's shot appeared to hit Ashley Cole's arm, but their hopes of snatching a point were dashed by Lampard on 86 minutes.
Hazard took the ball down the left and passed across the area, where Juan Mata's dummy allowed Lampard to pick his spot with a drilled shot into the bottom corner.
A fourth came when Al Habsi could only parry a swerving shot from Azpilicueta and substitute Marin headed in the rebound.

 

MANCHESTER CITY LOST 1-3 SOUTHAMPTOM,CHALSEA WIN 4-1 WIGAN

Manchester City were dealt what could be a massive blow to their Premier League title hopes as Southampton claimed a deserved 3-1 victory for their first win under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

A spirited Saints side were 2-1 up by the break and Gareth Barry completed a nightmare afternoon for the defending champions when he put through his own net after the restart, failing miserably in trying to shepherd the ball back to goalkeeper Joe Hart after Rickie Lambert had tried to pick out Jason Puncheon in the box.
Puncheon had earlier been on target with the seventh-minute opener, sliding home a rebounded Jay Rodriguez shot, then a costly error from Hart saw Steven Davis add another from point-blank range after the keeper had fumbled Lambert's initial shot.
City hinted at a comeback just before half-time when Edin Dzeko bundled home off Pablo Zabaleta's break but they failed to see it through and now face the prospect of slipping 12 points behind Manchester United in the title race, with their neighbours set to host Everton on Sunday.
Southampton dominated the proceedings early on and were rewarded when they netted the seventh-minute opener. After Barry was dispossessed, Puncheon burst down the right flank and played through the unmarked Rodriguez. Hart managed to deny the winger but the ball fell kindly for Puncheon, who slotted home calmly in front of the Northam End.
City were struggling to deal with Southampton's attacking intent in an opening 15 minutes in which a tame Sergio Aguero effort was all they had to show for their efforts. They eventually began to settle but were soon rocked by a second Southampton goal in the 22nd minute.
Lambert collected the ball on the right and played a neat one-two with Puncheon, before cutting back and firing a shot that Hart let slip through from his midriff, allowing Davis to poke home.
Rodriguez saw a right-foot effort go just inches wide of Hart's far post as the home side pressed for a third, with Nathaniel Clyne seeing a strike deflect behind.
Pablo Zabaleta's floated ball to the back post just evaded Aguero as City looked for a goal, which came six minutes before half-time. The Bosnian striker got himself in the way of terrible Saints corner, before bursting up the field and tucking home a Zabaleta cross.
It was harsh on the hosts, who felt hard done by in stoppage-time when Rodriguez was brought to ground in the area by Yaya Toure, captaining the side on his return from the African Cup of Nations. Atkinson awarded a corner instead of a spot-kick much to the home fans' frustrations - but they were celebrating soon after the restart.
After Puncheon hammered over moments into the second half, the winger could then not quite latch onto a Lambert pullback, which Barry inexplicably passed into his own goal.
The visitors were having to defend with all they had and hope for a chance on the counter, with Artur Boruc reacting well to palm away an Aguero strike wide when they did voyage forward. James Milner, on moments earlier for Samir Nasri, shot wide from the resulting corner but City were soon back on the defence.
City found more momentum late on and it was a nervy final 10 minutes for Southampton but they managed to keep the defending champions at bay for an impressive win.

 

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson fined for criticising officials.

The Red Devils boss was furious after his side conceded a late equaliser at Tottenham in January - insisting the visitors should have been awarded a penalty for Steven Caulker's trip on Wayne Rooney.
Referee's assistant Simon Beck was the subject of the ire of the Scot, who said in the wake of the 1-1 draw: "It was a clear decision. And he [Beck] was 10, maybe 12 yards away from the incident and he doesn't give it. And yet he gave everything else."
"There was no way we were going to get a decision from [Beck].
"We remember him well from his time at the Chelsea game when Didier Drogba was three yards offside and he gave onside. I think he had a shocking game today, and I'm disappointed in his performance, I really am.
"I think he has had a bad game, and we never got anything from that side of the pitch. We got a bad break."
The FA charged Ferguson with a breach of rule E3, and have subsequently found him guilty at a private hearing despite his pleas to the contrary.
The news of the fine came through after Ferguson criticised England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce for disclosing that Phil Jones was suffering from shingles.
Jones withdrew from the Under-21 friendly with Sweden on Tuesday which prompted Pearce to reveal the nature of the 20-year-old former Blackburn player's injury.
However, the problem is evidently not as bad as first feared as Ferguson has named Jones, who can play in defence or midfield, in his squad to face Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.
And Ferguson is not happy with the way the situation has been handled.
"What about doctor confidentiality?" said the United boss."Jones is fine despite what Stuart Pearce says and we're very disappointed with the FA for that."

MATOKEO YA KIDATU CHA NNE 2012.

Baraza la mitihani la taifa linatarajiwa kutoa matokeo ya kidatu cha nne kuanzia kesho au keshokutwa.

THE TREATMENT OF JIGGERS

I started out the day with really not wanting to get out of bed, and I think I took it out on Brad as we were chatting online. Time zones are tough--he stays up late and I get up early, because those are the only times neither of us is at work.

But I eventually did get out of bed, and even managed to make it to breakfast on time, which isn't hard, since they always start serving food ten minutes later. Breakfast is supposed to open at 8, but they usually open the doors around 8:10, which gives me just enough time to shovel food into my mouth before I have to get out of there by 8:20 to make it to the hospital in time for rounds. The fact that they arbitrarily assign room numbers to tables every morning doesn't help my situation much, since I have to spend a few minutes figuring out where I'm supposed to sit that day.

I digress. The day started out in the pediatrics ward for consultant rounds. 'Consultant' seems to be the word in British English for 'attending'. At Malindi District Hospital, the wards are managed on a daily basis by the clinical officer interns I talked about yesterday, and the consultants come through twice a week to make sure the plans make sense. Unfortunately, it turns into your typical rounding situation, with the senior guy pontificating about something while everyone else just wants to keep moving. I'm not a fan of rounds at baseline (I could never do internal medicine, where they round multiple times a day, for fun), and rounds when the docs are speaking to the parents in Swahili really aren't any more fun.

After ward rounds, I followed the consultant to the NBU (newborn unit), where I got to see where they take care of sick babies. This is an incubator, and I don't know if you can tell, but there are two babies in there--twins born at 32 weeks, their birth weights 1.8 and 1.4 kilos. So, small babies.

I had just finished NBU rounds when Metsanze, the clinical officer who's arranging my schedule, called to say that the public health office got word of a patient with jiggers in the men's ward. 'Jiggers' are what we call 'chiggers', and it's a huge public health problem in Kenya, and preventable (by wearing shoes and washing your feet every once in a while). Actually, Miss World (from the US), Miss Venezuela, Miss Kenya, and Miss Botswana were recently in Kenya to do some good-willing about it. It was even in the news

My jiggers patient was not cute little children, though, but an old man who apparently does nothing but lie in bed. Jiggers are small bugs that crawl into the skin, usually on the feet, and burrow pretty deep into the skin there. They have a hole to the surface where they lay eggs, and from those eggs come more little jiggers which do the same thing. Since this man never got out of bed and no one was washing his feet, the jiggers he had kept laying eggs and producing more jiggers that burrowed and laid eggs, etc, etc.

Not a great picture, but I think it gives the general idea, once you realize that each of those black dots is a jigger. It was actually worse on his heels, which makes sense (that's the part that would be on the mattress if he was laying on his back).

So we got to work. The first step is to soak the feet in 3% hydrogen peroxide. Unfortunately, they only had one bottle of 6%, which was cut in half with water, so there wasn't much liquid there.

This is Dr. Katana, the public health officer, explaining something to me as we worked on the soaking step. Just a side note here, 'Doctor' is a title, not a degree. Dr. Katana has a bachelor's in public health, so he's had the same amount of formal schooling as the clinical officers. He has a few years' experience in the field, though, and is working on his MPH.

Anyway, this is when we were really getting into it. After soaking the feet, each jigger has to be pulled out with forceps. We spent two hours and finished one foot, and I'm not sure we got them all out. And this is without an operating room or anesthesia. At this point, he doesn't have much skin left on his feet (and I was getting down to the Achilles' tendon on his heel). I don't know if he'll ever be able to walk again, not that he was doing any walking when we started with him.

So that was my workday, finishing around 2:30, when we took a break for lunch. We had biriani, which is a Kenyan dish of some sort of meat, stewed in a spicy sauce and served with rice (I asked Metsanze if I wanted to know what it was, and he just laughed... not really that reassured). I know it's something small and four-legged, because I had a section with vertebrae and ribs. Maybe something around the size of a rabbit? I'm not sure. Anyway, aside from the mystery-meat aspect of it, it was pretty good and gave me the fuel I needed to return to the office and get some work done on my presentation before calling it a day and heading back to the hotel for a swim.

Tomorrow: Dr. Katana and I tackle the man's other foot and his hands (which are also jigger infested). I might do something touristy as well, but I'm leaving for safari on Sunday and I still have five weeks in Kenya to see touristy things, so I'm not in a hurry.

 

Tottenham edge out 10-man West Brom at The Hawthorns

Gareth Bale netted another spectacular strike for Tottenham Hotspur as they overcame 10-man West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at The Hawthorns.

A close encounter swung in Spurs' favour three minutes into the second half when Baggies full-back Goran Popov was shown a straight red card for spitting at Kyle Walker.
Andre Villas-Boas' side were able to make their numerical advantage count on 67 minutes, with Bale shifting the ball onto his left foot and firing a 20-yard thunderbolt past a helpless Ben Foster.
The first half chance fell to Albion after Romelu Lukaku's flick-header found the recalled Shane Long in space and with only Hugo Lloris to beat. But his first touch was heavy and forced him out wide and he eventually overran the ball which went harmlessly out of play.
Lukaku was causing plenty of problems and the on-loan Chelsea striker forced a low save out of Lloris after good play by Baggies skipper Chris Brunt.
West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster came quickly off his line to hack the ball away from Jermain Defoe after he had anticipated a through pass from Bale.
Lloris pulled off a fine save to prevent the home side going ahead after 20 minutes. Graham Dorrans threaded a pass through the Tottenham rearguard to Long who took the ball in his stride and raced into the box. But Lloris was equal to the situation and blocked the resulting shot from the Republic of Ireland international.
Defoe, in front of England head coach Roy Hodgson, needed touchline treatment after landing awkwardly on his left ankle when avoiding a challenge from Long. He was unable to continue and was helped down the tunnel by two Spurs physios and replaced by transfer window signing Lewis Holtby - leaving Andre Villas-Boas desperately short on striking options.
Lukaku shot over from a narrow angle and in first-half injury time Foster tipped a dipping effort from Bale over the bar.
Albion were reduced to 10 men after only three minutes of the second half. Replays showed that Popov spat in the direction of Spurs defender Kyle Walker after the two had squared up to each other. Referee Marc Clattenburg instantly brandished a red card at the on-loan Dynamo Kiev left-back.
It was one-way traffic towards the Albion goal from that point on and Foster turned aside a low drive from Holtby. The former England international was also alert in blocking a close-range attempt from Bale.
But after 67 minutes a stunning strike from Bale put Tottenham in front. The winger, playing in a more central role, received a pass from Walker, brushed off the challenge of Brunt and his 20 yard shot flew past the despairing dive of Foster into the top corner of the net.
Foster did well to block Clint Dempsey's shot as Spurs searched for a second goal, but one was enough to consolidate their top-four standing and take them to within a point of third-placed Chelsea.

Wayne Rooney defends David de Gea after criticism.

Wayne Rooney has leapt to the defence of under-fire goalkeeper David de Gea, confirming his Manchester United side are firmly "behind" the Spaniard.

De Gea was widely criticised following Tottenham's stoppage-time equaliser a fortnight ago, and was under further scrutiny on Wednesday following Southampton's early goal at Old Trafford.
The former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper produced a number of impressive saves at Fulham on Saturday that led to a crucial 1-0 victory, and Rooney praised the Spaniard despite recent criticism
"David has made some great saves over the last few weeks," Rooney said.
"I know he got a little bit of criticism after the Tottenham game but it wasn't the biggest mistake I've ever seen.
"We're all behind him. He's a great player for the future as well."
United defender Jonny Evans added: "People underestimate the reflexes he's got.
"We are used to seeing him do that. His shot-stopping ability is very good and his save from (John Arne) Riise was excellent."

MANCHESTER CITY DRAWN WITH LIVERPOOL.

Brendan Rodgers' side looked on track for an away victory against the champions after goals from Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard had put them in charge at the Etihad Stadium, but they were ultimately denied by an outstanding equaliser from Sergio Aguero.

"Today they arrived. To come here to the Etihad against one of the top clubs in Europe and the best team in our league from last year, they were outstanding."
Craig BellamyQuotes of the week

However, former striker Bellamy says the team are no longer reliant on the influential Gerrard and Luis Suarez and now have strength throughout the team, highlighting the improvement of Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing.
But it was man of the match Daniel Sturridge that impressed him the most.
"I thought Liverpool were outstanding in the way they passed from start to finish," Bellamy told Super Sunday.
"For me, I've seen Liverpool play really well this season and not get the result and today they arrived. To come here to the Etihad against one of the top clubs in Europe and the best team in our league from last year, they were outstanding.
"Players like Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing have really impressed me in the last month or so. Sturridge has fitted in straight away and has been an incredible signing and then you've got Suarez and Stevie G. To me, Liverpool look a real team now and are really pushing forward.
"I thought Henderson was outstanding today. His forward runs and his energy are great, but his quality on the ball has really stepped up in the last few games. Stewart on the other side is more direct and can cut in.
"They've got a connection with Sturridge as well - it's not just all Suarez - and he'll make a big difference for them as well. He was outstanding today.
"As a forward he led the line outstandingly well, but it wasn't just that. It was his cleverness and from the word go he was outstanding and his overall performance as a forward was exceptional. He went long, he was spinning, he was coming short and I don't think he gave the ball away once. He was at the heart of everything Liverpool did.
"Liverpool needed him, but I also believe he needed Liverpool. He needed to get to a stage in his career where he plays week in, week out and he's' playing in front of probably the best fans in the world.
"At Anfield he's going to be loved. If he puts in performances like that, he's going to be adored like Luis is and like Gerrard is. To be loved by Liverpool fans is something special."
Sturridge's goal provoked the ire of City manager Roberto Mancini after the game because he felt his side should have been given a free-kick for a foul by Daniel Agger on opening goalscorer Edin Dzeko - and then Liverpool should have put the ball out when the striker was down injured.
Liverpool scored from that passage of play, but while Bellamy agreed the referee should have blown for a free-kick, he didn't think it was up to the away team to put the ball out.

Sturridge: Two points dropped

He said: "It's a definite foul, but should Liverpool kick the ball out? It's a difficult one.
"Look, they played on and Manchester City had the opportunity if Javi Garcia could have sorted his feet out to clear it himself.
"You leave it to the referee and you hope that he'll blow, but if he doesn't you carry on. Liverpool weren't really in the wrong by not kicking it out.
"Dzeko didn't need treatment, he didn't go off for treatment and he stayed on the pitch. It's a difficult one and I can understand why Liverpool played on."

FELLAIN RESECURE AVERTON FROM ASTON VILA.

Aston Villa blew a chance to boost their fight to avoid relegation as Everton came from two goals down to draw 3-3 thanks to Marouane Fellaini's double at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Paul Lambert's Villa were on course for just their fifth Premier League win of the season when they led 3-1 with 68 minutes gone.
Christian Benteke had given Villa the early lead and although Victor Anichebe equalised, it was the visitors who regained control through Gabriel Agbonlahor and Benteke.

But Belgium international Fellaini underlined his reputation as one of the division's most dangerous midfielders with a brace including the equaliser three minutes into stoppage-time.

It was a huge blow to second bottom Villa, who since their last league win at Liverpool seven weeks ago have now picked up just three points, and they lie six points from safety.

Villa made the perfect start in the second minute Benteke went past John Heitinga to slide a shot across Tim Howard from Charles N'Zogbia's pass.
Anichebe was again preferred up front to Nikica Jelavic and he repaid manager David Moyes' faith with a 21st minute equaliser.
Having held up Kevin Mirallas' pass by using his superior upper body strength, he then turned Ciaran Clark to fire a left-footed shot past Brad Guzan for his fifth goal in eight league starts.

Both sides looked weak defensively and Heitinga, who has not enjoyed the best of seasons, was again involved in Villa's second three minutes later.
A corner was only partially cleared and Ashley Westwood's right-wing cross saw Agbonlahor lose Heitinga and outjump Fellaini to head in at the far post.
Andreas Weimann exchanged passes with Matthew Lowton, allowing the right-back to curl in an inviting cross to which Benteke beat Heitinga to nod in at the near post in the 61st minute.
Yet Everton wouldn't surrender and Fellaini cut in from the left and again utilised Anichebe's strength to hold up the ball before taking the return pass to shoot past Guzan in the 69th minute.

David Moyes' side kept pressing for an equaliser and Fellaini got it with a header in the third of six added minutes.

SOUTH AFRICA LOST THE MATCH AGAINST MALI

South Africa are out the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after buckling under pressure and losing 3-1 to Mali in a penalty shootout, after the match ended 1-1 after extra time.

Siphiwe Tshabalala was the only player to score from the spot for South Africa in a match which saw the host nation take the lead through Tokelo Rantie. But his goal was cancelled out by Seydou Keita early in the second half.

Mali kept their nerve in the shootout, scoring all three of their attempts.

South Africa started the match like a house on fire, putting Mali under pressure and getting the home crowd excited right from the onset.

After just six minutes it was clear that Bafana Bafana were going to press Mali and force them back. A resultant move saw Bernard Parker find space only for right-footed attempt from outside the box to lack power and direction.

It took nine minutes for Mali to get a sight on goal when Seydou Keita powered in a shot from distance, but it was always going over the crossbar.

In the 13th minute, with Mali under more early pressure, May Mahlangu burst into the danger area and left two defenders in his wake. He then passed to Reneilwe Letsholonyane, but once ‘Yeye’ hesitated, the advantage that the home side had was lost.

Seonds later, the ball went wide to Sibonios Gaxa and he got in an excellent cross, but even though Mahlangu got his ehad to the ball, he was just too late with his jump to get the header on target.

In the 22nd minute Mahlangu turned the Mali defenders around with a great through ball to Tokelo Rantie, but the goalkeeper Diakite just beat Rantie to the ball.

It took until the 32nd minute for the host nation’s pressure to find a clear crack in Mali’s defence. Mahlangu broke free and slipped the ball to his left to Thuso Phala, who whipped a pass across goal for Tokelo Rantie to stab home from close range.

But in the 41st minute, goal scorer Rantie had to be replaced by Lehlohonolo Majoro after he limped off with an injury.

Letsholonyane released an inviting through ball in the 57th minute and Majoro was through on goal, but a combination of strong defending and brave goalkeeping saw the chance go amiss.

But just a minute later dangerman Seydou Keita got free inside the box, onto the end of a Mahamadou Samassa cross and put his header past Khune to bring Mali level.

Then a mistake by Gaxa in the 61st minute allowed Samassa a shot at goal, but Khune saved well. Then it was Mahlangu who went close in the 80th minute after a good combination with Majoro that resulted in a first time effort on goal, which was saved.

NEWCASTEL BEAT CHELSEA AT HOME.

Newcastle players celebrate against Chelsea,

Arsenal boosted their top four hopes with victory over Stoke, while Reading left it late again as they overcame Sunderland 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium thanks to two goals from Jimmy Kebe and Manchester United opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table.
Shaun Maloney's last-gasp goal rescued Wigan a 2-2 draw with Southampton at the DW Stadium.
Moussa Sissoko's late goal earned Newcastle a thrilling 3-2 win over Chelsea to climb further clear of trouble at the wrong end of the table and pile the misery on Rafa Benitez.
Demba Ba endured a painful return to St James' Park when he took a boot in the face from former team-mate Fabricio Coloccini and, after lengthy treatment, was forced off before half-time.
Newcastle broke the deadlock four minutes before the break when Davide Santon sent over a superb cross from the left and Jonas Gutierrez ghosted into the box unmarked to flash his header into the bottom corner past Petr Cech.
Chelsea equalised ten minutes into the second half when Ashley Cole picked out Frank Lampard 25 yards from goal and the midfielder smashed a swerving shot past Tim Krul to hit double figures in the Premier League for a tenth consecutive season.
The visitors turned the game on its head just past the hour mark when Fernando Torres teed up Juan Mata inside the box and he curled a superb shot into the far corner past a stranded Krul.
Newcastle refused to lie down and they drew level on 68 minutes with Sissoko scoring his first goal for the club. Papiss Cisse sent Yoan Gouffran through on goal and he saw his effort palmed out by Cech, but Sissoko was on hand to fire home the rebound.
Just when it seemed like it would end all-square Sissoko popped up with his second goal of the game in the closing seconds to give Newcastle back-to-back wins.
Wayne Rooney's second-half goal earned Manchester United a second win over Fulham in a week following a 1-0 success at Craven Cottage.
The Premier League leaders struck the woodwork three times in a first half which was temporarily halted when the floodlights went out.
An end-to-end game was decided by Rooney's composed finish 11 minutes from time, with Fulham twice seeing attempts cleared off the line.
Arsenal closed the gap on Tottenham and Chelsea with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Stoke at the Emirates.
After being denied on several occasions by Asmir Begovic, Arsenal finally made the breakthrough 12 minutes from time with a controversial goal from Lukas Podolski.
Podolski's low-free-kick took a wicked deflection off Geoff Cameron to wrongfoot Begovic, but it looked like referee Chris Foy was preparing to disallow the goal before awarding the strike after consulting his assistant.
Everton came from two goals down to earn a 3-3 draw with Aston Villa at Goodison Park to deny Paul Lambert's side a much-needed win.
Villa made the perfect start with Christian Benteke firing the visitors in front after just two minutes to stun the home fans.
Benteke easily beat Johnny Heitinga as he powered past the Everton defender before firing low past Tim Howard.
Everton drew level on 21 minutes when Victor Anichebe held off Ciaran Clark and rolled the defender before hitting his shot low past Brad Guzan.
Parity proved short-lived as three minutes later Villa restored their lead when Gabriel Agbonlahor rose above Heitinga to arrow his header from Matt Lowton's cross into the bottom corner.
Villa made it 3-1 just past the hour mark when Benteke got ahead of Heitinga to head home Lowton's inviting cross from close range.
Everton pulled a goal back on 69 minutes when Marouane Fellaini played a one-two with Anichebe before firing low past Guzan.
The home side threw everything at Villa and in injury-time Fellaini rose highest to head home Leighton Baines' corner to break the visitors' resistance and earn Everton an unlikely point.
Reading continued their recent improvement with a 2-1 win over Sunderland.
Reading got off to a flying start by going in front after just seven minutes when Jobi McAnuff picked out Jimmy Kebe inside the box and he controlled superbly before smashing his shot high into the net past Simon Mignolet.
Sunderland drew level just before the half-hour mark when Pavel Pogrebnyak fouled John O'Shea inside the box to concede a penalty and Craig Gardner drilled his spot-kick past Adam Federici.
Reading grabbed the winner five minutes from time when Kebe got on the end of Ian Harte's cross at the far post to head in off the underside of the crossbar.
Andy Carroll's second goal for West Ham earned Sam Allardyce's side a much-needed win over Swansea at Upton Park.
Carroll netted the only goal of the game 13 minutes from time when he headed home past Gerhard Tremmel.
Mark Bunn saved Adel Taarabt's second-half penalty as Norwich earned a goalless draw with basement boys Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.
Bunn conceded the penalty when he brought down Jamie Mackie inside the box, but the Norwich keeper made amends for his mistake with a superb save to keep out Taarabt's spot-kick and deny QPR all three points.
Wigan picked up a precious point after a late 2-2 draw with fellow strugglers Southampton to deny Mauricio Pochettino his first win as manager.
Wigan made the breakthrough on 25 minutes when Gary Caldwell headed Jean Beausejour's corner powerfully past Artur Boruc.
Southampton deservedly drew level on 64 minutes when Rickie Lambert bravely headed home past Ali Al Habsi.
Southampton hit the front five minutes from time with Morgan Schneiderlin finishing off a flowing move from the visitors with a close-range finish from Jay Rodriguez's cross.
Wigan hit back to level matters in the final minute when Maloney got on the end of Paul Scharner's header to score from close range.

MANCHESTER UNITED LEADING THE LEAGUE.

Wayne Rooney: Grabbed the only goal of the game 11 minutes from time

Bryan Ruiz hit the post for the hosts, while Rooney, Patrice Evra and a wayward header from Brede Hangeland cannoned back off the frame of the goal at the opposite end of the field.
It looked as though that would be the major talking point in the game, but Rooney stepped up for United on 79 minutes - stroking the ball into the bottom corner after leading a counter-attack.
Released from the Old Trafford cabbage patch, United stated their intent by selecting two orthodox wide-men and attacking from the first whistle.
With Fulham, even minus former Red Devils striker Dimitar Berbatov, far more of a threat than they were when the sides met in the FA Cup seven days ago, it made for a rip-roaring opening in which both keepers excelled and the woodwork at either end was rattled.
Robin van Persie's corner started it, bouncing off Hangeland and towards his own goal, forcing Mark Schwarzer into the first of a series of excellent saves. Evra reacted quickest but could only scoop the ball against the bar before Sascha Riether cleared Wayne Rooney's shot off the line.
De Gea then got fingertips to a Ruiz shot that thudded against a post before play switched down to the other end where Hangeland, after denying Nani with a superb last-ditch tackle, turned Van Persie's corner on to the bar.
Only then did a breathless contest slow in intensity, although a brilliant move involving Nani and Tom Cleverley created another opportunity for Rooney, which he stroked against a post.
Nani was certainly making an impression on only his fourth match back after two months out with a hamstring injury, only for his momentum to be halted as the stadium was plunged into darkness.
The players did return to complete the opening period, although Van Persie's shot, gathered at the second attempt by Schwarzer, was the only incident of note.
The floodlight incident seemed to take the zip out of the entire contest, with neither side coming close to matching the thrills they had produced before the impromptu break in proceedings.
For a while it appeared Fulham might claim a major scalp.
Rafael cleared off the line from Ruiz after Jonny Evans had been forced to head away from underneath his own bar.
Rooney had other ideas, though, and when Fulham failed to get a touch to De Gea's long kick downfield, the England man picked his spot and, in front of national coach Roy Hodgson, calmly found the bottom corner.
Fulham piled forward in search of a dramatic leveller, but they were unable to break United's stubborn resistance - with Van Persie clearing a Philippe Senderos header off the line in stoppage-time.

 

 

AFCON SOUTH AFRICA VS MALI