Danny Simpson is confident Riyad Mahrez will not drop off like PFA Player of the Year predecessor Eden Hazard, warning the best is yet to come from his Leicester team-mate.

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino has warned Leicester his players are as fresh as they were at the start of the season and ready for a sprint finish to win the title.

Christian Eriksen is desperate to have the last laugh in his friendly feud with Kasper Schmeichel as Tottenham’s title rivalry with Leicester gets serious.

Shay Given’s hopes of proving his fitness to Martin O’Neill ahead of Euro 2016 are in the balance after Stoke boss Mark Hughes again came out in support of goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard.

Graziano Pelle ended a four-month wait for a goal with a first-half brace as Southampton defeated Stoke to go up to seventh in the Barclays Premier League table.

Stoke manager Mark Hughes is pleased Marko Arnautovic is concentrating on his football, rather than becoming sidetracked by contract talks.

Whatever Arsene Wenger thought about the playing style on view at the Britannia on Sunday, surely this stat proves Stoke have changed.

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott feels the title race the Gunners are currently leading is shaping up as the most exciting yet in the Premier League era.

Louis van Gaal insists he still has the backing of the Manchester United squad as he prepares for what could turn out to be his final game in charge.

Stoke 2 Man United 0: LOUIS VAN GAAL had better brace himself — and his family — for a torrent of further speculation about his Manchester United future after a fourth successive defeat in all competitions pushed him to the edge of the precipice.

Jose Mourinho’s agent has denied a deal has been struck for his client to replace Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager.

Jamie Vardy missed two good chances to extend his goalscoring streak to 12 straight games but a Riyad Mahrez hat-trick sent Leicester back to the top of the Barclays Premier League.

Stoke 2 Sheffield Wednesday 0: Stoke eased into the Capital One Cup semi-finals last night as goals from Ibrahim Afellay and substitute Phil Bardsley secured a comfortable 2-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Could Leo Messi do it on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke?

On Thursday afternoon, a day after Dynamo Kiev had been beaten 2-1 for Chelsea’s first win in five games and all the players had gone home, Jose Mourinho was finally able to corral his coaching staff for an intense session of their own.

Jose Mourinho’s fractious relationship with the Football Association deteriorated further yesterday as the Chelsea manager failed in his appeal against a suspended one-match stadium ban and £50,000 (€70,000) fine.

Loic Remy wants Jose Mourinho to stay at Stamford Bridge and has backed the Chelsea boss to lead the Blues to a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Jon Walters is the latest injury worry for Ireland after Martin O’Neill, in attendance at the Britannia Stadium, saw him limp off the pitch as Stoke City dumped Chelsea out of the League Cup on Tuesday night.

Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were on top-form as Manchester City cruised to a 4-1 Capital One Cup victory at Sunderland to end a two-game losing run in explosive fashion.

The woes continued for Newcastle, Sunderland and Stoke in the Premier League today.

Kevin Grealish, father of Jack Grealish, has denied reports his son has opted to declare for England instead of Ireland.

Stoke 0 West Brom 1

Stoke boss Mark Hughes remains optimistic the club can reach agreement with forward Jon Walters over a new contract.

Stoke have announced the completion of a club-record £12m (€17m) deal for midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri.

James Milner was grateful to “a moment of brilliance” from Philippe Coutinho after Liverpool got their Premier League campaign off to a winning start with a 1-0 win at Stoke on Sunday.

Stoke have announced the signing of former Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay.

Asmir Begovic believes he will develop as a goalkeeper after swapping Stoke for Chelsea.

Stoke City are confident Shay Given has plenty left to offer at Premier League level after the veteran Ireland keeper secured a two-year deal at the club yesterday.

If Steven Gerrard was wondering beforehand how to describe his final game for Liverpool then woeful, shocking and embarrassing would not have been the words he would have had in mind.

Burnley are relegated after just one season in the Barclays Premier League - and they may just drag Hull down with them after a 1-0 win at the KC Stadium.

Leicester climbed off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League as a 2-0 home win over Swansea gave them a third successive victory.