Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid: Five-Star Barcelona Batter Mourinho's Men

Barcelona were worthy winners of the latest installment of el Clasico with a thumping 5-0 victory over Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

Xavi opened the scoring on 10 minutes after a defensive mistake by the away side. Pedro added a second eight minutes later with a close-range finish. Barcelona continued to control the game and made it three on 55 minutes with an expert David Villa finish who added another three minutes later.

The cherry was placed in the cake in the 91st minute when substitute Jeffren bundled in a fifth. To add to their misery, Real Madrid were reduced to ten-men in the 93rd minute when Sergio Ramos received his marching orders.

Pep Guardiola's men return to the top of Liga BBVA after inflicting the first defeat of the seaon for Real Madrid who will have to show plenty of mental strength to bounce back from this one.

The first chance fell to Barcelona on six minutes when Lionel Messi nearly produced a moment of magic worthy of gracing any game. The diminutive superstar nonchantly curled a left-footed effort towards the top corner from the tightest of angles but could only watch on as he ball rebounded off the post and to safety.

The home side continued to press Real and got their just rewards on 10 minutes through a slice of luck. Andres Iniesta's wonderful through-ball was nearly intercepted by Marcelo. However the Brazilian left-back could only knock the ball into the path of Xavi who after some unconventional control, poked the ball past Iker Casillas from six yards out.

Real Madrid came close to levelling the scoring two minutes later. Mesut Ozil played in Angel Di Maria on the edge of the Barcelona box who saw his powerful effort acrobatically tipped over the bar.

On 14 minutes the away team came close again when Cristiano Ronaldo's clever ball found it's way into the Barcelona box and Eric Abidal narrowly avoiding putting the ball past his own 'keeper under pressure from Karim Benzema.

However, the home side looked sharp and went two up after 18 minutes through some excellent work by David Villa. The Spanish striker received a precise pass from Xavi on the left before jinxing past Sergio Ramos and firing a low cross into the los Blancos six-yard box which Casillas failed to deal with leaving Pedro with a simple task of knocking the ball in.

L'equip blaugrana were threatening to run riot in the most anticipated game of the season and came close to making it three on 28 minutes. Xavi pinged a wonderful defence-splitting pass towards Pedro yet the goalscorer was beaten to the ball just inside the box by an alert Casillas.

Jose Mourinho's men were in desperate need of a goal and nearly scored on 35 minutes. Ronaldo's trademark free-kick looped over the wall and flew narrowly wide from 25 yards with Valdes at full-stretch.

Four minutes later Real Madrid had a decent claim for a penalty when Valdes appeared to make contact with Ronalldo who was running away from the goal. A case of the Portuguese schemer's reputation preceding him.

The game threatened to flare-up just before half-time when Messi and Ricardo Carvalho came together in a midfield tussle. The defender appeared to contact with the Argentinian's face yet Messi did make a meal of the challenge as Itturralde produced a yellow card for the winger, the fifth of a fiery first-half.

Barcelona continued where they had left off in the second-half when they nearly added another goal on 47 minutes. Messi's slaloming run past the Real Madrid defence before seeing his eventually shot take a deflection into the path of Villa who saw his 12 yard effort expertly blocked by Casillas.

A third appeared to be on the cards as the home side were agonisingly close to scoring on 51 minutes when Messi's clever through-ball found Xavi who atempted to round Casillas before seeing his tight-angled shot hit the wrong side of the side-netting.

Barcelona did make it three on 55 minutes when Messi played a fantastic pass between Pepe and Carvalho with the deadly Villa controlling the ball with one touch before slamming it low past the helpless Casillas.

Amazingly it was four on 58 minutes when Messi played the pass of the night to slice open los Blancos defence with Villa outpacing his opposition before calmy poking the ball through Casillas' legs for his 10th Barcelona goal.

The away side were dead and buried as Guardiola's men continued to control proceedings with Carvalho extremely lucky to stay on the pitch on 71 minutes for a deliberate hand-ball which denied Barcelona a clear goalscoring opportunity. However, the experienced defender escaped with a yellow card.

It was not to be a hat-trick for Villa as he was replaced by Bojan who almost made an immediate impact on 75 minutes when he saw his powerful 20 yard drive punched to safety by Casillas.

The home side continued to dictate play as Real Madrid attempted damage limitation. However there was to be a fifth in the 91st minute when substitute Jeffren chipped the ball into the net from a Bojan cross six yards out.

To add to the humiliation, Ramos received his marching orders in the 93rd minute for a crunching challenge on Messi.

Barcelona now head two points clear of Real who drop to second. Barcelona head to mid-table Osasuna on Saturday while Real Madrid entertain Valencia at the Bernabeu.

Top 10 UEFA Club Goalscorers Of All Time

As the Champions League resumes tonight after a two-month layoff, Goal.com looks at the top 10 goalscorers in UEFA club history…

 10) Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid) – 50 Goals

 Argentine genius who led the Real Madrid of the 1950s to five consecutive European crowns. The star man of a team that also included the great Ferenc Puskas and Francisco Gento. Regarded by some as the greatest player of all time, better than Diego Maradona and Pele.

 9) Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus) – 51 Goals

 Still going reasonably strong at 35, Del Piero has been a European star for 16 years now. The free-kick expert’s best moment in Europe came in 1997/98 when on his way to becoming Champions League top-scorer he scored a hat-trick as Juve crushed Monaco 4-1 at home in their semi final first leg. Champion in 1996.

 8) Eusebio (Benfica) – 54 Goals

 Rated by many, including this writer, as the most complete striker in history. Eusebio really did have it all – explosive power, pace, great feet, a bullet header, and an unstoppable shot. The Portuguese was the star of the superb Benfica side that won consecutive European Cups in 1961 and 62.

7) Henrik Larsson (Feyenoord, Celtic, Barcelona, Manchester United, Helsingborgs) – 59 Goals

 One of the most under-rated hitmen of his generation, Larsson proved that his prolific spell at Celtic was not because he was playing in a weak league when he went on to enjoy a productive two years at Barcelona in the twilight of his career. Larsson turned the game when coming on as a substitute in the 2006 final win over Arsenal.

 6) Thierry Henry (Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona) – 59 Goals 

 Burst onto the scene as a youngster with Monaco, leading them to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 1998 before starring in Europe with Arsenal and Barcelona. At the peak of his career, the Frenchman was uncatchable when in full flight. He was a runner-up in the UEFA Cup and CL while with the Gunners, but finally lifted the latter last season at Barca.

 5) Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV, Manchester United, Real Madrid) – 60 Goals

 Quite possibly the best finisher of the last decade, when van Nistelrooy is presented with a chance it is very rare to see him miss. Strangely, despite all his goals, van Nistelrooy’s teams have never done too well in Europe and he has often been eliminated in the early knockout stages. Which makes his goal ratio even more impressive.

Gerard Houllier Praises Impact Of Emile Heskey And Stewart Downing After Aston Villa Duo Come Off The Bench To Score In 2-1 Win Over Burnley

Former England striker Heskey put Villa into the lead late on in normal time but Burnley hit back through Clarke Carlisle to send the tie into extra-time.
Downing then produced a stunning strike in the first-half of extra-time to win the tie for Villa. But the Frencham refused to take credit for impact his substitutes made.
Houllier said: "I don't take credit for the subs. The manager makes the decision to bring them on - but it's down to them," reports Press Association Sport.
"They scored the goals, I didn't. I wanted to rest some players but I knew at some stage, with other players tiring, they would make a difference.
"Emile [Heskey] made a difference and Stewart [Downing] made a difference.
"The problem with the subs is they have got to be in the right frame of mind.
"If they have the right attitude, if the hunger is there, then they bring something.
"Their freshness can bring initiative which was the case. Emile came on and changed the game because he held the ball up."
The only negative on the night for Villa was winger Marc Albrighton’s red card, but Houllier has no complaints over the dismissal.
Houllier said: "To me, Albrighton's sending off was a fair decision.
"He didn't touch him [Elliott] a lot but he touched him and the player used it as if he had been shot dead - but he touched him.
"From Marc's point of view, he should have reacted quicker. This is one of the main progresses we have to do.
"You need sometimes to have game awareness and next time he will understand that."
Houllier, who won the League Cup with Liverpool in 2001, also praised Burnley but insisted his side showed good strength to overcome the Championship side.
Speaking to Sky Sports after game, he added: “Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s difficult but credit to Burnley, they played well, passed the ball well.
“We should have scored in the first half, made the game more comfortable.
“They equalised but we were strong enough to score the second goal and stay like that until the end of the game.”

Barcelona's Andres Iniesta: Jose Mourinho Hasn't Improved Real Madrid; Lionel Messi To Inter Unlikely

The 'Special One' has introduced a new system, and given Real Madrid a new image this season.

His side have looked forever powerful and forever young, but Iniesta believes it's Barcelona who are the models in La Liga.

"Mourinho? Real Madrid gave us a fight until the end last season despite the points record, but I don't know if Mourinho has improved them," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Lionel Messi continues to be linked with Inter, but the Spanish international has said Barcelona's might is unlikely to see him leave.

"Messi to Inter? It's difficult to leave Barcelona, especially when you have grown up here. He is something special."

The badge of shame was visible on the glory of Rome as Italy crashed at the World Cup. Iniesta feels there is a problem of developing youth around the peninsula.

"[Alessandro] Del Piero is a phenonmenon, [Antonio] Cassano has picked himself up, but where are the young players?".


Ronaldinho Recovers For Milan, But He Will Be Benched Against Napoli

The Brazilian enjoyed a full and problem-free training session on Friday as the Rossoneri prepare for their away trip at Napoli on Monday night.

It is said coach Massimiliano Allegri is preparing to make some binding changes to his side, and Ronaldinho, who has been playing as a trequartista recently, will make way for Robinho at San Paolo.

Allegri wants to change his tactics after the loss at Real Madrid, which underlined some flaws in what seemed like a good line-up.

Kevin Prince Boateng is also likely to play in place of Clarence Seedorf.

Thiago Silva and Massimo Ambrosini continue to recover from their problems, but there are no indications as to whether they will play.


Chelsea Hoping John Terry Could Be Fit For Aston Villa Clash Despite England Withdrawal

The Blues skipper withdrew from the England squad to face Montenegro in midweek after hurting his back in training. He returned to Chelsea for treatment on the injury and the club are hoping he will be fit enough for the weekend.

If the former England captain doesn't make it then Chelsea could have a defensive crisis at the heart of their back four for the match.

Alex is already out with a thigh injury that he suffered in the win over Arsenal, while young centre-back Jeffrey Bruma was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands' Under-21 squad because of a hamstring problem.

It means there could be first team recalls for Portuguese duo Jose Bosingwa and Paulo Ferreira.

Arsene Wenger Believes Manchester City Victory Was A Pivotal Moment In Arsenal's Season

The Gunners went into the match five points behind league leaders Chelsea and needed victory at Eastlands to stay in touch with their London rivals.

And Wenger's side succeeded, securing a 3-0 victory courtesy of goals from Samir Nasri, Alex Song and Nicklas Bendtner after City had Dedryck Boyata sent off in the fourth minute.

And now the Emirates chief believes his side have received a mental boost from a victory that keeps the Gunners within striking distance of the top of the table.

"It was certainly a pivotal moment of our season because we could not afford a defeat," Wenger told the club's official website.

"To keep in touch with the top teams and to go out and have a victory was mentally very important for the team. Overall I believe it is a consequence of intelligent attitude and good team and collective spirit - that’s why we got the result.

"Even though it was under special circumstances I still believe it was difficult to beat Manchester City, even though they played with ten men. Because we as well played many times with ten men and we still have not lost the game."

Arsenal were boosted during the match with Theo Walcott and Bendtner receiving game time after returning from injury, and Wenger believes this shows his squad is packed with quality.

"I always spent a lot of time to convince everybody [about that]," he said. "Now I think people realise when everybody is fit.

"Remember we still have Thomas Vermaelen, Robin van Persie and Aaron Ramsey out and all these players will come back. I am convinced we have a very strong squad." 

Barcelona Coach Pep Guardiola Wanted One More Goal Against Ceuta

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola is pleased with his side's 2-0 win over Ceuta in the Copa Del Rey, but wanted to score one more goal prior to full-time.

Guardiola says he saw his team full of run and eager to do well.

"We played an excellent first half, full of intensity," the coach told Marca post-match. "In the second half, we were more hesitant, and did not do so well.

"We lacked more goals, but I congratulate my players for their performance. We ran more than our opposition and I leave very satisfied. One more goal would have been nice.

"We have been in good form and controlled the game. We achieved a good result. On a day like today, a coach is proud to be in charge of a team like this.

"Barcelona has taken an important step, but we must be prudent as football provides many surprises," he concluded.

Wayne Rooney's New Manchester United Deal Worth £250,000 A Week

Rooney signed the five-year deal on Friday after a sensational week at Old Trafford. Only two days before Rooney had stated that he wanted to leave United, citing the club's lack of ambition as his reason.

But on Friday, Rooney said he was given the assurances he needed by the Glazers, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill and signed the deal, worth a reported £60 million over five years.

The contract makes Rooney the highest paid player in the Premier League, overtaking Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure who is reported to be on a mere £220,000 per week.

Rooney faces a battle to get Manchester United fans back on side though, with many incensed at his actions over the past week.

This reached a head on Thursday night when a mob of around 30 United fans gathered outside Rooney's house, with banners reading 'Sign for City and die'.

If he's to regain their support, it will be through his actions on the pitch, and he won't be able to do that for another three weeks due to an ankle injury.

Rooney could return, however, just in time for the Manchester derby at Eastlands on November 10.