Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has urged all his team-mates to step up to compensate for the loss of Yaya Toure.

Three days of mourning have been declared in the Ivory Coast following the death of more than 60 people at a New Years' Eve party.

Arsenal 2 Montpellier 0

Manager Arsene Wenger has not ruled out bringing Arsenal legend Thierry Henry back for a third spell with the club.

Thai customs officials have seized around half a tonne of ivory at Bangkok’s international airport.

ROBERTO MANCINI can enjoy the festive period safe in the knowledge his Manchester City side are perched at the summit of the Premier League table on Christmas Day for the first time since 1929 and if they continue to brush past opponents as easily as they did Stoke, it will be hard to see them removed.

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS’S war of words with Gary Neville has escalated as the Chelsea boss let rip at the former Manchester United captain’s criticism of his side.

Teenage Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku declared it was a dream come true after completing his transfer to Chelsea from Anderlecht.

NEIL LENNON has joined Terry Butcher in criticising the early start to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League season.

UN workers in Ivory Coast have found the bodies of more than 100 victims of brutal killings, a discovery that threatened to undermine presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara as he seeks to take control of the country.

Ivory Coast’s strongman leader Laurent Gbagbo holed up in a bunker defiantly maintaining he won the election four months ago even as troops backing the internationally recognised winner encircled the presidential residence.

Residents barricaded themselves inside their homes, blanketing windows and pushing furniture against doors as Abidjan awaited the final battle between the two men who claim Ivory Coast’s presidency.

CARLO ANCELOTTI insisted Didier Drogba was “close to his best” despite another goal-shy performance by his star striker in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Blackburn.

Ivory Coast’s incumbent leader who refuses to cede power is describing international efforts to oust him a “coup d’etat”.

Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has been sworn in for a new term even though the UN and others say his opponent won the recent election.

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba is determined to end Liverpool’s mini-revival after grabbing his first European goal of the season for Chelsea in their 4-1 Champions League success against Spartak Moscow.

Chelsea 2 Wolves 0

Chelsea 4 Blackpool 0

Randy Lerner’s right-hand man General Charles Krulak has hit out at Martin O’Neill’s decision to quit Aston Villa and insisted: “No one person is bigger than the club.”

Fulham's hopes of luring Sven Goran Eriksson to Craven Cottage could be in jeopardy after the Swede revealed he is considering an offer to extend his contract as Ivory Coast manager.

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba has come out in support of his Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka after he was kicked out of France’s World Cup squad.

BRAZIL began their quest for a sixth world crown with victory over North Korea at Ellis Park last night but it was far from a vintage display from Dunga’s men against hard-working opposition.

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba was tonight waiting to hear from FIFA whether or not he will be allowed to play against Portugal tomorrow afternoon wearing a protective cast.

DIDIER DROGBA has been banned for two matches by UEFA for his red card against Inter Milan.

Blackburn 1 Chelsea 1

Chelsea captain John Terry has dismissed suggestions his form has taken a battering since his alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel hit the headlines.

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and Ghana midfielder Michael Essien have been included in the final three-man shortlist for the 2009 Africa Player of the Year award.

FT: Chelsea 2 Arsenal 0

Wigan have signed Ivory Coast international Steven Gohouri until the end of the season.

TOURNAMENT favourites Ivory Coast were held to a goalless draw by a stubborn Burkina Faso in their opening African Nations Cup Group B match at the Estadio do Cabinda last night.

Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor has told French radio his team will head home from the African Nations Cup this afternoon on the advice of the Togolese government.

Uncertainty still surrounds Togo's plans for the African Nations Cup following Friday's armed attack on the team bus, but opening opponents Ghana have confirmed they plan to remain at the competition.

The giant company whose pioneering sponsorship of TV gave the world the phrase “soap opera” will soon be out of daytime shows, it emerged today.

The World Cup ’Group of Death’ reared its ugly head this afternoon – and left Brazil facing a tough task to progress to the knockout stage in South Africa next year.

Chelsea 1 Porto 0

CHELSEA have appealed against the punishments handed out by UEFA following the club’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Barcelona, the governing body confirmed yesterday.

Sunderland 2 Chelsea 3

Theo Walcott insists Arsenal must quickly put today’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea behind them and focus on finishing the campaign in style.

Arsene Wenger hopes Arsenal’s failure to make the most of their chances does not come back to haunt them in the return leg of the Champions League clash with Roma.

Arsenal 1 Roma 0

Chelsea match-winner Salomon Kalou has denied celebrating his goals with a political ’handcuff’ gesture in support of an Ivory Coast activist.

TRENDY blue bottles of fizzy water are reserved for the manager’s table at post-match press conferences at West Bromwich Albion and Luiz Felipe Scolari could not resist a joke, pointing an enquiring index finger and asking: “Aladdin?”

AVRAM GRANT last night hit back at Rafael Benitez’s criticisms of Didier Drogba and suggested the Liverpool manager was attempting to influence the officials in this evening’s Champions League decider at Stamford Bridge.

Kolo Toure admits the manner of Arsenal’s dramatic Champions League exit at Anfield was “hard to accept” after the Gunners came within touching distance of the semi-finals last night.