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Kariobangi Sharks continued with their perfect start to the 2020-21 FKF Premier League season after they beat Western Stima 2-1 on Wednesday.

Erick Kapaito was the toast of the ‘Slum Boys’ as he scored two goals in the space of six minutes to make sure they remained unbeaten in the league.

After beating AFC Leopards 2-0 in their last league outing, Stima came into the match seeking to make it two wins out of two and took the lead in the 55th minute when Bernard Onyango scored into his own net.

However, Kapaito rose to the occasion to turn the game around for Sharks as he scored in the 70th minute to level matters and then in the 76th minute to seal maximum points.

Meanwhile, Posta Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Bandari. As the first half tempo was being set into motion Bandari forward Yema Mwana managed to knock down the postmen’s defence and bag a goal before the sound of the buzzer.

After the break, Posta Rangers got back in the game after Jackson Dwang put in an equalizer, to close the scores at 1-1. Elsewhere, at the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru, Ulinzi Stars earned their first win of the season after trouncing Kakamega Homeboyz 2-0.

Nairobi City Stars were also held 1-1 by Vihiga United at the Utalii Grounds in a match which saw Vihiga United players threaten to walk off the pitch after City Stars head coach Sanjin Alagic was accused of calling Vihiga United players 'black monkeys'.

United coach Sammy Okoth has told Goal his Bosnian adversary used the racial slur towards his players after the hosts fell behind, and the visitors duly had to be talked out of boycotting the match after being alerted to Alagic's comments.

"It is not right for anyone to use a racist remark towards any player in modern football," Okoth told Goal. "He shouted to my players calling them black monkeys, and even the fourth official heard him.

"We wanted to boycott the game but he convinced us to play, stating he has captured the incident in his report."

The visitors took the lead unexpectedly through David Simiyu in the 43rd minute, and put up a strong resolve before Sven Yidah eventually equalised for City Stars after United players had been talked out of walking off the pitch in protest.

Up next is a game pitting KCB FC against Wazito FC on Thursday, December 24 at the Kasarani Stadium, which will close the round five action as the league heads for a Christmas break

Christian Eriksen's difficult spell at Inter could be brought to an early conclusion in the new year after club CEO Giuseppe Marotta confirmed the playmaker will be transfer listed in January.

The Denmark international arrived at San Siro just under 12 months ago on a four-and-a-half year deal from Tottenham. 

But fast-forward through a year blighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the 28-year-old has found himself cut adrift in manager Antonio Conte's plans, with just 275 minutes in Serie A this season.

Dissatisfaction at his marginalisation had led to widespread speculation that Eriksen would seek new pastures in 2021, regardless of whether Inter wished to retain him or not.

But now Marotta has made clear that the club's relationship with Eriksen is ready to come to an end, revealing that the ex-Ajax man will be able to depart if terms are met.

"Eriksen is on the transferable list," he told Sky Sport Italy. "He has struggled to settle into the squad, he is not functional to the squad. That’s just an objective fact.

“That is not any insult towards his professionalism, there is no punishment, it’s just a situation that has developed and it’s only fair to give him the chance to go where he can play more regularly.”

Marotta's comments effectively confirm his own expectations from November that Eriksen would look to force a move away from the Nerazzurri, and reaffirm earlier statements indicating that the player was free to leave in the new year.

Team-mate Romelu Lukaku previously hinted at the Dane's struggles as being linked to a language barrier, urging him to learn Italian to help smooth his transition.

Eriksen has been previously linked with a Premier League return, with both former club Tottenham and bitter rivals Arsenal among those reportedly linked with his services.

Since he arrived at Inter, he has made almost 40 appearances across all competitions, though he has started on only six occasions this term.

Under Conte, Inter - alongside local rivals AC Milan - have subsequently emerged as early pacesetters in Serie A, with the pair appearing to be locked in a battle to dethrone Juventus' long-term grasp on the Scudetto.

Eric Bailly has acknowledged Manchester United's improvement across all competitions and he thinks they have a chance to beat Everton in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final fixture.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, currently on an impressive seven-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, travel to Merseyside with the aim of advancing to the last-four stage.

Aside from their disappointing Champions League exit in the group stage, the Ivory Coast international thinks they have an advantage over Carlo Ancelotti's side who sit behind them in the league table with a lesser goal difference despite being level on points.

“It’s very important to see the team improve,” Bailly told the club website. “We have some young players who are learning from Ole and the staff and it’s very important that the team is improving and, game-by-game, we have the chances to get important points.

“I’m very happy when I watch the games, the team is ready and that is important for the future.

“You always need to be positive. As I said, the team has improved game-by-game and that is very important for the future.

“We are in a good position in the league, we have the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup and the Europa League as well, so we have a lot of trophies to fight for.”

Bailly has only played four games in all competitions this season and he recently recovered from a knock which he kept him out of action for over two months.

Wednesday’s outing at Goodison Park could be a chance for the 26-year-old to return to Solskjaer’s starting XI having featured in United’s previous League Cup games against Luton Town and Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this season.

“I’ve been going step by step and have been training well and I feel good. I’m very happy to be back with the team,” the former Villarreal defender added.

“In football, this [injuries] can happen sometimes. It’s time to forget now. I’m fit, I’m so happy with how the team is doing and I’m training well. I feel strong and I am ready for my chance to help my team-mates.

“For me, when you come back from injury and you’re in the squad, you know the manager has confidence in you.

“Now I keep training well to get my body ready to start. I know I am ready to start, but I will wait to take my chance and enjoy being back out on the pitch.”

Frank Lampard has insisted he has no concerns about Chelsea’s record against sides in the top half of the table.

Prior to beating West Ham on Monday, the Blues had not got the better of a side which started the day in the top half of the table.

Furthermore, the Blues have struggled for goals against teams in the top half - drawing blanks against Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton.

Lampard, though, feels it is nonsense to suggest his side have issues when playing against teams in the upper echelon of the division.

"I read about that stat a lot pre-West Ham and I think this year has shown that the balance of the Premier League has changed,” Lampard told Sky Sports. “Anybody can beat anybody, whether you're at the top or at the bottom.

"Leeds were in the bottom half when we played them, and that was a really tough match. They've given some big teams some really tough matches. 

“I think it's a bit of a red herring as a stat to look at games against the top half compared to the bottom half of the table."

The Blues head into their meeting with Arsenal, a team Lampard says are filled with class, on Boxing Day sat fifth in the table - six points behind leaders Liverpool.

Lampard feels his side are making progress, but says more needs to be done if they are to be seen as title challengers.

"I'm happy but we always want more as managers," Lampard said. “I'm pretty happy but we want more. 

“We want to be challenging for titles, but we have to accept sometimes that it's step by step. We've made some steps, but I feel we have the potential to make a lot more.

"It's about making continual improvement and that is important for focus.

"It's hard [to set a target]. It's clear I ask them every year to kick on - in my job, that's what you have to do all the time, no matter what your situation. Coming fourth for us was a positive last year considering the circumstances around it but every year looks different and every squad improves around us.”

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter disclosed they are planning to bring Percy Tau to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old is in his third loan spell in Belgium, and he is yet to play a competitive match for the Seagulls since he left Mamelodi Sundowns in 2018, initially because of work permit issues.

Tau had sent a 'message' to Potter from 13 Belgian First Division A appearances for Anderlecht this season so far.

He previously had stints at Union Saint-Gilloise and Club Brugge before joining Vincent Kompany's team on a season-long loan in the summer. Now, Brighton are exploiting ways to cut the loan deal short and boost their attacking options with the South Africa international next month.

"It's fair to say it's something we're looking to do, but there are a few things to go through first," Potter was quoted by Sky Sports.

"He brings some attributes that are interesting, he has had good experience in Belgium.

"He brings something a little bit different to what we have got and he wants to take the next step in his career - we want to help him do that.”

While they work on Tau's return, Brighton & Hove Albion have been dealt an injury blow with Ghanaian descent Tariq Lamptey ruled out of Sunday's Premier League trip to West Ham United.

The 20-year-old has played 11 league matches for the Seagulls this term and Potter has downplayed the severity of the hamstring injury.

"It's not serious, it's just a slight problem with his hamstring. The nature of how he plays, you have to be careful, you don't want him to be away for a number of weeks,” he said.

"So I am expecting him to be back pretty soon. He's healing and recovering well.

"There's not another Tariq with the qualities and attributes that he has and that's the challenge for us to find the solution collectively.

"We haven't got a like-for-like replacement, so you have to adjust as a team and adjust for another person coming into the team."

Frank Lampard has insisted he has no concerns over Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, with the Chelsea manager confident that the summer signings will prove to be great additions for the Blues.

Werner and Havertz arrived at Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen respectively, but both have had difficult transitions to life in the Premier League.

Werner began well and went on a run of five goals in four games through October and November, but he is now on a run of nine matches without finding the target in all competitions.

The Germany international came close to breaking the drought against West Ham on Monday, as he saw a thunderbolt of a shot crash against the bar, and Lampard feels some extra work in training will soon pay off.

"We always do extra finishing in training and I feel it's very important to do specific work for strikers," Lampard told Sky Sports. “I never felt you could score freely at the weekend if you didn't work on it throughout the week, so that's a big part of what we do.

"Timo has had a period where it hasn't gone for him and strikers get judged on goals. He's getting into positions very regularly and I feel that once he gets a goal or two, we'll see many more from him. We're working hard in training as we always do."

Havertz has shown flashes of quality, but his season was disrupted by a positive coronavirus test and Lampard says the Germany international was hit hard by Covid-19.

"He was just starting to play really well when he caught Covid and had quite heavy symptoms with it,” Lampard said of Havertz. “It has taken him some time to recover, but he's getting back to a better place now. He's a highly talented player, a great young lad with a great attitude.

"I certainly have huge confidence that he's going to be a really big player for the club. It's important that we remain patient in the short term, but Kai is a huge talent."

Havertz and Werner will hope to be involved when Chelsea take on Arsenal at the Emirates on Boxing Day.

Bloemfontein Celtic will have a mountain to climb for themselves to entertain any hopes of progressing to the Caf Confederation Cup group stages following a first-round, first leg 2-0 defeat to Rivers United at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium on Wednesday.

Late goals from Godwin Aguda and Fortune Omoniwari left Celtic facing a tall order when they visit Rivers United for the January 6 return leg.

It was Siwelele’s second straight home defeat in this competition after losing 2-0 to DR Congolese side Maniema Union in the preliminary round. Then they snuck into this stage of the tournament via a penalty shootout.

On Wednesday, despite Celtic coach John Maduka not on the bench, he opted to rest key players just like he did in the preliminary round home and away fixtures against Maniema Union.

Captain Ndumiso Mabena did not even make the bench together with Siphelele Luthuli, Menzi Masuku and forward Victor Letsoalo.

Sipho Chaine started in goal ahead of veteran goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane while Congolese forward Harris Tchilimbou was handed the captain’s armband.

While Celtic had played three matches since eliminating their Nigerian opponents, they have been inactive since eliminating Futuro Kings from Equatorial Guinea in the preliminary stage.

After a goalless first half, Celtic responded with a double change by introducing attackers Sera Motebang and Reagan van der Ross for Menzi Ndwandwe and Ishmael Njoti respectively, in the 69th minute.

Rivers then struck a minute later when Aguda thrust them ahead before Omoniwari scored with 10 minutes remaining on the clock.

Further changes were made by Celtic five minutes from time when midfielders Shadrack Kobedi and Sello Matjila came on for Given Mashikinya and Tumelo Mangweni but they did not make a difference to the scoreline.

Thomas Tuchel has admitted it can be difficult to keep superstars such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe happy at Paris-Saint Germain.

Tuchel arrived at PSG in May 2018, a year after departing Borussia Dortmund, and has worked with Mbappe and Neymar for the past two and a half years.

The pair have played a key part in the club's recent success but Tuchel admitted it can be difficult to keep players of their ilk happy.

"Sometimes it's very easy, sometimes it's a big challenge," he said. "At a club like PSG there are many influences. That's why it can be very challenging to keep all the guys happy.

"Honestly, in the first six months here it felt like I was more of a sports politician or sports minister than a coach."

Tuchel is "sad and angry" that his achievements as Paris Saint-Germain boss are often played down.

The German coach has won six trophies during his two full seasons at the Parc des Princes, including the Ligue 1 title in back-to-back campaigns.

PSG completed a clean sweep of domestic honours last season and reached their first Champions League final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich in a tight contest.

Tuchel has regularly had his job called into question, though, particularly this campaign following an underwhelming start to their latest Ligue 1 title defence.

But Tuchel has defended his record in the French capital and suggested too much is being asked of him.

"We were one game from winning the Champions League," he told SPORT1. "We never had the feeling we had convinced people and that they recognised our achievement. It sometimes makes you a little sad and angry.

"There are definitely extreme expectations here. You get the feeling the appreciation for what we do, particularly in the league, is not there as it is at, say, Bayern Munich.

"They always say, 'They have [Angel] Di Maria, [Kylian] Mbappe, Neymar. Of course they win against Bordeaux - that's not an achievement.'

"And with that there is no appreciation for our discipline, sustained play, the intensity of our play.

"It's a shame for the players because very serious team performances can be completely wiped out."

Tuchel's position as PSG head coach appears to be safe again after recovering to advance through a tricky Champions League group and into the knockout stages.

The French champions finished ahead of RB Leipzig, Manchester United and Istanbul Basaksehir to set up a last-16 tie with fellow heavyweights Barcelona.

"We know how difficult it was to win that group," Tuchel said. "You sometimes have to celebrate that with the team in order not to get bitter.

"We do our best every day with the best possible energy. Resistance makes you stronger during your career because you have to learn to deal with these things. If everything is always good, you won't get any better.

"You cannot make yourself dependent on what others think. You have to remain yourself, then you learn to go again."

Following spells with German and French giants Dortmund and PSG, Tuchel hinted he will consider coaching a smaller club in the future.

"I don't know whether it has to be higher, higher, higher," he said. "I just like football. In a club like this, it's not always just about the football.

"Sometimes I make a substitution and it's a topic for two weeks. I think to myself, 'I just want to coach.'

"I know why I became a coach. I can find what I'm after anywhere there is half a space for me to train and a DVD player for me to make videos.

"But when you hear the Champions League anthem, you see things in training that simply inspire you because there's so much quality, then you become addicted.

"At heart I love the game and can find that satisfaction in many ways as a coach."

A thunderous strike from Ben Davies and Harry Kane's 16th goal of the season sealed Tottenham's place in the EFL Cup semi-final as Stoke City were consigned to a 3-1 home defeat.

Spurs dominated the first half and Gareth Bale put them ahead with a glancing header on a miserable Wednesday evening.

Bale was withdrawn at the break, leading to concerns he may have sustained another injury, and Jordan Thompson equalised with Stoke's first shot of the tie eight minutes into the second half.

Spurs were not to be denied a place in the last four, though, as Davies thumped in from distance before Kane sealed a first win in four games as Tottenham moved to within two victories of lifting their first trophy since 2008.

Tottenham were well on top from the start and Andy Lonergan beat away Kane's venomous strike from a tight angle, though the visitors had their lead when Bale cleverly nodded in an inviting Harry Winks cross in the 22nd minute.

Lonergan spread himself well to deny Dele Alli, who was thwarted again by a fingertip save from the Stoke goalkeeper when his measured shot was heading for the bottom corner.

Son Heung-min replaced Bale at the break and Stoke were level from out of the blue after 53 minutes, Thompson tucking Jacob Brown's cross home with his left foot.

Fit-again Erik Lamela came on alongside Moussa Sissoko, replacing Alli and Lucas Moura, as Jose Mourinho tried to inject some impetus, though it was Davies who provided the quality Spurs had been lacking in the second half, collecting a loose ball and driving in off the post from long range. 

Son should have had Spurs' third but the flag was incorrectly raised, with no VAR in this competition, but Kane rifled home clinically to give Tottenham breathing space, with Steven Fletcher missing the chance to set up a tense final when he headed wide.

Milan Skriniar bailed out goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and maintained Inter's winning run in a 2-1 victory at Hellas Verona to keep the pressure on title rivals Milan.

The Nerazzurri were made to work for their seventh straight Serie A success - a result that took them two points above their city neighbours, at least until the Rossoneri hosted Lazio later on Wednesday.

Skriniar's 69th-minute header proved decisive after Handanovic had gifted an equaliser to Ivan Ilic, cancelling out Lautaro Martinez's second-half opener.

The defender's first Serie A goal since February 2018 brought to a close a promising first section of the season for Antonio Conte's side, able to take in the Milan match and enjoy Christmas regardless, firmly back in the Scudetto hunt.

A stale first half did not produce a chance of note until the 26th minute when Federico Dimarco got in on the left but found Handanovic to be his equal from a tight angle.

Giangiacomo Magnani enjoyed his physical battle with Romelu Lukaku, but a slack pass set Inter away and the striker squared for Martinez to stab goalwards and draw a sharp save from Marco Silvestri.

Verona could not keep the Argentina international at bay again six minutes after half-time as he ran across Matteo Lovato to meet Achraf Hakimi's cross and aim a volley beyond the goalkeeper and in off the post.

An inexplicable error let the home side back into the match, however, as Handanovic dropped a simple Marco Faraoni centre and Ilic was alert enough to beat Skriniar to the loose ball inside the six-yard box.

If Handanovic looked to his centre-back to share the blame, Skriniar responded in impressive fashion with a towering header that left Silvestri rooted and restored an Inter lead they this time would not relinquish.

Cristiano Ronaldo has issued a rallying call demanding "excellence" from Juventus in 2021 after their "special year" limped to a close on Tuesday night.

Juve's unbeaten start to the Serie A season came to an end in emphatic fashion as they suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at home to Fiorentina in their final fixture before the winter break.

Andrea Pirlo's side were second best throughout the 90 minutes at the Allianz Stadium, with a Dusan Vlahovic strike, an Alex Sandro own goal and a Martin Caceres effort rounding off a comfortable win for La Viola.

The Bianconeri's task was made harder after Juan Cuadrado was sent off for a two-footed tackle with the score at 1-0, but Ronaldo insists the Italian champions can have no excuses for a defeat which leaves them seven points adrift of leaders AC Milan in the Serie A table.

He took to social media to reflect on a turbulent 12 months which saw Juve win a ninth successive Scudetto amid the coronavirus outbreak, and promised that the team will come back stronger in the new year.

"Yesterday, with a poor performance and a result far from acceptable, we closed our scheduled games for 2020, a special year in many particular ways. Empty stadiums, COVID protocols, postponed games, long stoppages and a very tight calendar," Ronaldo said on Instagram.

"I hope this short stoppage may help us to come back stronger and more united than ever, because the season is still far from over and in the end we believe that we will, once again, celebrate with our tiffosi.

"Believe in us, trust our team as much as we trust you, and we will deliver!

"Fino Alla Fine!"

Juve will return to domestic action on January 3, with a home fixture against Udinese.

Pirlo's men will then turn their attention to a must-win clash against early pace-setters Milan at San Siro three days later, with the Rossoneri now the only side left in Europe's top five leagues yet to suffer a league defeat this term.

Nairobi City Stars head coach Sanjin Alagic has been accused of calling Vihiga United players 'black monkeys' during a Kenyan Premier League game on Wednesday.

United coach Sammy Okoth has told Goal that his Bosnian adversary used the racial slur towards his players after the hosts fell behind, and the visitors duly had to be talked out of boycotting the match after being alerted to Alagic's comments.

The incident comes a fortnight after Istanbul Basaksehir and Paris Saint-Germain players left the pitch in protest during a Champions League game after the Romanian fourth official was accused of racism towards the Turkish side's assistant coach and former Cameroon international Pierre Achille Webo.

"It is not right for anyone to use a racist remark towards any player in modern football," Okoth told Goal. "He shouted to my players calling them black monkeys, and even the fourth official heard him.

"We wanted to boycott the game but he convinced us to play, stating he has captured the incident in his report."

The visitors took the lead unexpectedly through David Simiyu in the 43rd minute, and put up a strong resolve before Sven Yidah eventually equalised for City Stars after United players had been talked out of walking off the pitch in protest.

Okoth has claimed that some of his backroom staff, in contrast to the players, were so shocked by Alagic's outburst that they did not confront the City Stars coach.

"It hurt me when the likes of Noah Abich [who is a member of the technical bench] looked unconcerned despite the abusive remarks by their coach," Okoch continued. "They even went to the extent of telling us to cool down.

"[City Stars] did not expect a tough game.They thought we were another easy team from whom they would easily collect maximum points.

"We played well in the first half and could have scored more goals, but we didn't, and they capitalized on our slow second start to hit the equalizer."

43-year-old Alagic was appointed City Stars coach last year, and oversaw their promotion back to the top flight after a four-year absence.

The Sarajevo-born coach, who holds a Uefa Pro License, held the reins for Bosnia's U-21 team until 2019, having also worked at club sides in his homeland, in Slovakian football, and in the Middle East.

Simba wa Nairobi are now fifth in the FKF Prermier League on eight points after five matches, having scored five and conceded two. 

Vihiga United are 12th, and await their second victory of the season, having lost three of their five matches to date.

Gabriel Martinelli has provided Arsenal fans with some much-needed good news after his injury scare against Manchester City on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola piled the misery on his former protege Mikel Arteta in the Carabao Cup, with the reigning champions sweeping past the hapless Gunners with a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal looked to have been dealt another setback when Martinelli went down just before half-time following a collision with City goalkeeper Zach Steffen.

The 19-year-old came back out for the second half but was clearly uncomfortable and was substituted within five minutes of the restart.

Arteta said after the game that Martinelli had suffered swelling in his shin after the collision, and defended the decision to allow him to continue for the second half.

Martinelli has only just returned from a serious knee injury which had kept him out of action since June, with the City game his first senior start of the season.

"It was just a really bad kick on his shin and it was swelling up. He was in pain and came off," Arteta said.

"He was pushing [at half-time], saying that he was completely fine, that he wanted to carry on and he wanted to try.

"He had a scar that wasn’t open and he wanted to try so we gave him the possibility to try. And when he was on the pitch, he wasn’t comfortable so it was an easy decision to take him out."

On Wednesday morning, Martinelli gave an update on Twitter – saying he is “feeling fine and ready to go again”.

That suggests he should be available for Arsenal’s upcoming games, though Arteta may exercise caution with him given his lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Arsenal are looking to save a disastrous season as they go into their Boxing Day fixture at home to Chelsea 15th in the Premier League – and only four points above the relegation zone.

Following that fixture are games against two of the sides below them in the table, in Brighton and West Brom.

Martinelli looked bright against Man City – the score was level at 1-1 when he was taken off – and Arteta has already spoken about the galvanising effect he has had in training.