Sports

Blackburn Rovers have confirmed the appointment of Appleton as their new manager in succession to Henning Berg.

"The boss is going to stay, we still have a lot we can win this year. He is in charge and he takes the decisions, the fans and the players should help him," the Real forward said.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the decisive figure as he scored a hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a 4-0 victory over Celta Vigo.

Villa can still turn things around at home, but is facing a much tougher task than expected.

Lampard's agent Kutner has said that Chelsea have no intention of offering the midfielder a new contract.

Suarez made it 2-0 for Liverpool but the goal triggered accusations of cheating after replays suggested he had used his hand.

Deportivo La Coruna beat visiting Malaga 1-0 thanks to Luis Afonso's second-half goal.

Hernandez scored a blinder from the free-kick to hand United their first victory in three matches.

The 23-year-old England international has joined Liverpool for around 12 million pounds ($19.6 million).

Henriquez, who scored on his international debut in a friendly against Serbia last month, joined United from Universidad de Chile in the close season.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho dropped Casillas in last month's La Liga loss to Malaga, raising many eyebrows.

Nabi had sustained two fractures in his cheekbone after being hit by a stone during the violence-marred match against East Bengal.

Gareth McAuley's own goal put the Red Devils ahead before Robin van Persie scored in injury time. The Red Devils retained their seven-point lead over City.

Vilanova underwent surgery on December 20, a day after the club announced that the 44-year-old's condition had returned.

Alex Ferguson has hit back at criticism of his on-field confrontation with a Premier League referee.

Sunderland have taped up seats and stripped several fans of their season tickets for standing during matches.