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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Shahrukh Khan is a huge inspiration in life, says Shreyas Talpade

SRK was like textbook for me: Shreyas Talpade



Shahrukh Khan is a huge inspiration in life, says Shreyas Talpade
Shreyas Talpade, who played Shahrukh Khan's friend in his production Om Shanti Om, says the superstar left a lasting impression on him. 

"During 'Om Shanti Om' whatever I saw Shahrukh doing has left a very lasting impression on me. For me, that was a certain kind of a textbook, not just in terms of production, but also in terms of mounting a particular film, publicity and marketing," Shreyas told reporters Tuesday at the unveiling of the poster of his second Marathi production - "Poshter Boys".

"We went everywhere possible and we did everything possible and Shahrukh himself was involved in each and every activity. So yes, he has been a huge inspiration in my life, not only as an actor but also as a producer," added the 37-year-old, who played Shahrukh Khan's on screen friend in the 2007 super hit reincarnation drama, produced under SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment banner.

Shreyas, who had earlier produced the Marathi film "Sanai Chaughade", will star in another Marathi movie "Baji", in which he will be seen as a superhero.

He has also been part of hit Hindi movies such as IqbalWelcome To Sajjanpur,Golmaal 3 and Housefull 2.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Fresh pairing: Emraan Hashmi to romance newbie Amyra Dastur

Serial kisser Emraan Hashmi pairs up with Amyra Dastur for Vikram Bhatt’s next



Fresh pairing: Emraan Hashmi to romance newbie Amyra Dastur
He has shot steamy scenes with actresses like Mallika Sherawat, Sonal Chauhan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Soha Ali Khan. The serial kisser of Bollywood, Emraan Hashmi, will now romance a newbie in his next. The dainty Amyra Dastur has been chosen as his heroine. 

If her name sounds familiar, then let us tell you, the actress recently made a B-town debut with Issaq, which was a BO dud. Even though her first film was a big flop, Amyra Dastur’s performance didn’t go unnoticed.

Pretty Amyra Dastur on the ramp

Vikram Bhatt has roped in Amyra for his forthcoming production, inspired from Ashok Kumar’s 1957 hit Mr. X. Like the legendary Ashok Kumar, Emraan Hashmi, too, will play an invisible man in the movie.

Since Vikram Bhatt has a penchant for 3D, he will once again delve into the technology for this film. Talking about the special effects in the film, Mahesh Bhatt reveals that there will be “jaw-dropping scenes” which will be up to the international standards.

The new Mr. X will be made on a lavish scale and will be presented by the renowned Fox Studios. The movie will go on the floors next year, and is slated to release on February 13, 2015. byy apun ka choice..

'Jai Ho' shows Salman Khan as an army officer..

`Jai Ho` shows Salman Khan as an army officer

Actor Salman Khan, who is known for his versatility will be acting as an army officer in Jai Ho which is being at present shot in Romania. Clad in army uniform Sallu looked a perfect 'Fauji.'

After playing a spy, cop and bodyguard, Salman Khan will be taking his action packed roles a step further with this much talked about film.

Salman Khan was spotted posing with his fans in his army officer's avatar during the shoot in Romania.

Yet again filled with stunts and the trademark hard hitting dialogues, 'Jai Ho' is a remake of Chiranjeevi starrer 'Stalin'. 'Jai Ho' stars Tabu along with newcomer Daisy Shah is slated for for release on January 24, 2014.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Is Sona playing favourites?

Is Sona playing favourites?

Sonakshi Sinha is said to be promoting her Shahid Kapoor-starrer 'R � Rajkumar' more than her film with Saif Ali Khan

With back-to-back releases, Sonakshi Sinha finds herself in a fix as far as promotional events are concerned. The actress has been apparently promoting her film R...Rajkumar with Shahid Kapoor more than her film Bullett Raja which has Saif Ali Khan as her co-star and releases this week.

Saif has been spotted making solo appearances on reality shows for the film.























A source says, `As the release date of Prabhu Dheva's film was declared in advance, her dates were locked for promotions. Bullett Raja was supposed to release in September initially and later shifted to November. So her promotional schedule went for a toss. It became difficult for her to adjust her dates, therefore she could give limited days to Tigmanshu's film.

The actress has been trying hard to balance both. A few days back she was in New Delhi with Shahid and now again she is in the capital with Saif.`

Sonakshi's spokesperson, however, maintains, `She has been managing well between the two films.`
By arrangment with Mid-Day.com and santa banta news network.

Headaches unnerve Hrithik, changes shooting datesHeadaches unnerve Hrithik, changes shooting dates


Headaches and more headaches have put Hrithik Roshan off track for the moment. The desease has also caused some damage to his shooting schedule. Kareena Kapoor's date diary no more consolidates with that of Hrithik. The actress who had reserved 200 days for 'Shuddhi' was taken aback when she heard that the film's first schedule has been pushed back to mid-2014 owing to the actor's ill health.

While Shuddhi's director Karan Malhotra, has taken the hero's sick leave in his stride, Kareena is not ready to sit idle till Hrithik is available after completing Bang Bang. So the actress has now allotted the dates to Dev Benegal's as yet-untitled film which will see her paired with Farhan Akhtar.

Dev who was supposed to start the film in mid-March next year, is speeding up the pre-production. Kareena will now start shooting for the film in February, according to a source close to the development.

This will be Kareena's first film with Farhan and a friend of the actress told one of the news dailies, "She appreciates Farhan's work as an actor and director and saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag thrice. She is going to spend January preparing for the role. This is Dev's first commercial film and she wants to spend time with the director so that they are in sync with each other's vision."


The untitled film, produced by Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani's banner Excel Entertainment, will reportedly flag off in Mumbai, followed by a second schedule in Delhi.

Dev, the nephew of Shyam Benegal, is known for off-beat films like The English Patient andRoad, Movie.by.. santa banta news network.

Comedy Nights with Kapil get heavy security setup.

Comedy Nights with Kapil get heavy security setup

Post fire incident at the sets of 'Comedy Nights with Kapil' the entire security set up has been over-hauled. Colors TV channel has laid down strict conditions for those who want to be part of live comedy show. 

A viewer, who wishes to go and enjoy the live comedy on 'Comedy Nights with Kapil' has to first go through a lengthy procedure of filling the form along with submitting their Identity and residential proofs like Pan Card, Ration Card, which are then processed by a special team allotted by the channel. The whole procedure takes almost a month and then the final approval is given by the channel.

All our efforts to reach Kapil Sharma were in vain while Kapil's spokesperson shared, "There are two reasons why audiences have to go through such a long procedure to be on the show. One is the security post fire mishap which is obvious and the other is the shows' popularity which has grown to such an extent that each and everyone wants to be part of the show. Thus, we don't want to dishearten any one and had to maintain a process for the audience."byy santa banta news network..

Esha lauds Sunny bhaiyya the great

Esha lauds Sunny bhaiyya the great
Actress Esha Deol is "glad" to see her elder step-brother Sunny Deol back in action with "Singh Saab The Great". 

"Saw 'Singh Saab The Great'! Glad to see Sunny bhaiyya back in action," tweeted the actress.

While Sunny, 57, is veteran actor Dharmendra's son from first wife Prakash Kaur, Esha is Dharmendra and his second wife and actress Hema Malini's daughter.byy santa banta news network..

Monday, November 25, 2013

Arjun misses Priyanka in 'Gunday' teaser..

Arjun misses Priyanka in `Gunday` teaser



















The first teaser of "Gunday" features Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in their rugged avatar but the film's leading lady Priyanka Chopra is surprisingly missing. Arjun admits he misses her in the teaser but says it's a part of the promotional strategy.

The film is produced under Yash Raj Films (YRF) banner.

"I am also missing Priyanka Chopra. This is a promotional strategy that YRF has designed. It will be unfair on my part to comment. We are still two and a half months away from the release," the 28-year-old actor said here Sunday on the sidelines of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour where he walked the ramp for designer JJ Valaya.

Meanwhile, the actor hopes that the audience loves the film as much as they have loved the first look of it.

"The response to the teaser is very good. So I pray and hope that people will love our work in songs and other trailers which will be released soon, and finally the film," said Arjun.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the action film is set to release Feb 14.byyy santa banta news network..

Are Preetika and Amrita Rao twins?

Are Preetika and Amrita Rao twins?


Is Amrita Rao's sister Preetika aka Preeta, who will be seen in a TV show 'Beintehaa', actually her twin as speculated earlier?

Amrita Rao's sister Preetika features in the upcoming TV show, Beintehaa. The on-going promos show her as a bride saying a firm no to marriage. The actress has featured in some South films and has done modelling earlier.

Strangely, she was in the past referred to as Preeta and not Preetika. Six years ago, the buzz that did the rounds was that Amrita and Preeta are twins. There was also gossip about her aspirations in Bollywood along with Amrita's.

When asked about her name, Preetika says, `I was also a film writer and contributed to several publications and websites in the South. Preeta is my pen name. My real name is Preetika.` About the buzz about her being Amrita's twin she says presumably in jest, `We are triplets.`


When the news had broken out, though Amrita had laughed it off, some of their school classmates had claimed that they were twins. The controversy died a natural death, but seeing Preetika back in the scheme of things has again brought the question to the fore.

Preetika featured in the Tamil film, Chikku Bukku, with Arya after the makers saw her picture in a gossip column. She has also apparently studied in the US to further hone her writing talent.
By arrangment with Mid-Day.com

Ranveer Singh spends a whopping 2 crores on a dinner date?

The entire team of Ram Leela seems to be reaping the rewards of their hardwork with the runaway success of ‘Ram Leela’. Actor Ranveer Singhwas spotted with his alleged girlfriend Deepika Padukone, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and choreographer turned film producer Shabina Khan.
According to a leading daily, the team was celebrating Ram Leela’s success by haveing a dinner bash at a restaurant in a south Mumbai five star hotel. As the food and drinks flowed, Ranveer apparently decided to be generous and foot the bill which summed up to an alleged amount of Rs 2 lakhs.
Further to the report in Mid-Day, a source informs that Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted to take Deepika and Ranveer out for dinner before Ranveer headed out of the country for the shoot of his next film Gunday. But as the team enjoyed a five course meal with drinks, Ranveer is said to have insisted on paying the bill as Ram Leela was a special film for him.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Movie Review: 'Singh Saab The Great' is strictly for Sunny's fans

Movie Review: `Singh Saab The Great` is strictly for Sunny`s fans

Cast : Suny Deol,Urvashi Rautela, Prakash Raj, Johny Lever, Anjali Abrol,Sanjay Mishra, Yashpal Sharma, Manoj Pahwa, Raj Premi and Amit Behl

Direction: Anil Sharma

Rating: **1/2

After remaining dormant on the action front finally the "real man" of Bollywood, Sunny Deol returns with a roar of "badla nahi badlav", the intent on which lies the whole premise of "Singh Saab The Great", a narration which apprises you with the story of a righteous man who after getting ruined by a corrupt system decides to become a parallel messiah to get things on track.

And for the aforementioned purpose, with "Singh Saab The Great", Sunny has once again teamed up with his "Gadar- Ek Prem Katha" and "Apne" companion, Anil Sharma.

Starring Sunny Deol, Urvashi Rautela, Prakash Raj, Johny Lever, Anjali Abrol the movie opened with an average occupancy and fetched a foot-fall of around 25 percent, with majority of viewers belonging to Sunny's die hard fan fraternity who love to see this super-machismo roaring on the big screen and giving a good taste of his "Dhaai Kilo Ka Haath" oops... I mean "Saade Tin Kilo Ka Haath" to his opponents.


Over the years, whenever Anil and Sunny have teamed up together, it's often seen that the results have been beyond the realm of excellence and with "Singh Saab The Great" the duo once again seems to aiming for the same.

As far as premise of "Singh Saab The Great" is concerned, then then it narrates the story of an honest collector, Sharinder Singh Talwar (Sunny Deol) who has got an adherence to righteousness and firmly believes in performing his duties meticulously. But as it is an unsaid mandate in Bollywood, that such virtuous and honest officer needs to have a tryst with a corrupt goon, so even our very Singh Saab doesn't emerges as an exception to the thumb rule and subsequently have an unholy rendezvous with a corrupt power hungry goon Bhoodev( Prakash Raj), whose words are no less than law of the land in the sub urban milieu.

What follows next is the false implication of, Sharinder Singh in a bribery case and imprisonment. Post which Shrainder comes out as Singh Saab, who instead of taking his revenge (badla) is more inclined towards bringing in the change (badlav) in the existing epidemic ridden socio-political system. So in order to know how Singh Saab gets his wish executed watch "Singh Saab The Great".


With a clinched script which has already been over used in the past, on the story front "Singh Saab The Great" has nothing novel in the offering, so with an excessively high predictability there is nothing much to praise about scriptwriter Shaktiman who have failed in coming out with some attention grabbing premise. And with an overdone or rather hackneyed script, the entire responsibility of creating a captivating cine-saga entirely falls in the responsibility realm of screenplay and other technical aspects. But even on that front up-till an extent "Singh Sahab The Great" falls short of expectation.

But yeah as far as dialogues are concerned then they are certainly full of impact, than other components configured in this cine delight so for that, Shaktiman scores some brownie points.

Whereas if we talk about editing then even that's seems to be a bit loose, because although it's the human factor or rather the emotional values which usually play a major in Sunny Deol, starrers, but in the absence of a neatly written screenplay and slack editing even this USP of the movie is quite frequently seen visiting the demesne of melodrama and shallow emotional expressiveness in some of the sequences.

Although the flow of the narration in both the halves of movie seems to be quite ill-paced, but with a frequent dose of action and roaring dialogues that too in Sunny's trademark style "Singh Saab The Great" somehow manages too keep viewers interest alive.


Decorated with music of Sonu Nigam and Anand Raj Anand dabbled in treacle of Ounjabi style, except a few, all the songs composed by Sameer and Kumaar are worth hearing, but certainly the title track "Singh Saab The Great" and "Heer" are the pick of the deck.

In performances arena, right from it's onset till its culmination "Singh Saab The Great" is entirely Sunny's show. Be it dialogue delivery of flexing those muscles, everything Sunny performs with utmost conviction. Although with some his somewhat suave avatar in the first half wouldn't have gone down well, but certainly his turbaned avatar surely would have brushed aside all the qualms of the fans.


As far as performance of Singh Sahab's lady love Minni ( Urvashi Rautela) is concerned then through the onscreen appearance Urvashi has looked confident and owns a total control over her performance. In his somewhat "zany baddie" avatar Prakash doesn't get much chance to do something different, but in-spite of that whatever part he plays he does it with utmost perfection. Amrita Rao is strictly OK.

Accompanied by Sanjay Mishra, after very long Johny Lever has looked at his hilarious best. As far as rest of the star-cast comprising Yashpal Sharma, Manoj Pahwa et al is concerned then within a very limited performance sphere they have been just fine.

Well, with nothing new or out the box in the offering, "Singh Saab The Great" has got a quite confined scope of making it big on the BO as far as that earning front is concerned. But the only game changer for the movie could be the die hard fan fraternity of Sunny, especially the one belonging to Northern India, who simply love to see this Macho-man of Indian cinema roar on the celluloid.


To sum up, "Singh Saab The Great", is a potpourri of some of the overused tangs which completely fails in evoking any kind of fascination or interest among the fans about the movie. But yeah the only unique selling proposition of "Singh Saab The Great" is Sunny and his trademark style of dialogue delivery and action. So prefer to have a rendezvous with "Singh Saab The Great" only if you don't want to miss the opportunity of seeing Sunny while exhibiting his trademark style of action and dialogue delivery.byy santa banta news network..

Time flies: Shilpa-Raj celebrate fourth anniversary

Time flies: Shilpa-Raj celebrate fourth anniversary

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra completed four years of marital bliss Friday. The couple looks back at their togetherness with a smile.

"Happy Anniversary Raj Kundra. Four years today. The good thing is...don't even know how they've gone by. You are my soulmate. Thank you for being YOU," Shilpa posted on her Twitter page.

Raj, a London-based businessman, thanked their friends and fans for the anniversary wishes, and tweeted: "Blessed with a gorgeous wife and it's been four blissful years. Amazing how time flies so fast."


Raj and Shilpa married in 2009 and have a son named Viaan. He was born May 21, 2012.

Shilpa, who started her career as a model at the age of 16, ventured into acting in 1993 with "Baazigar" and was appreciated for her performances in films like "Dhadkan", "Rishtey" and "Phir Milenge".

She later garnered attention all over the world by winning Britain-based celebrity reality TV show "Big Brother" in 2007.byy santa banta news network..

Ranveer and Deepika's Rs 2 lakh dinner?

Ranveer and Deepika`s Rs 2 lakh dinner?

Ranveer Singh apparently paid a whopper for an evening out with Deepika Padukone, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and others at a south Mumbai hotel

Just before Ranveer Singh left for Oman for the shoot of his next -- Ali Abbas Zafar's Gunday -- the actor, along with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, ladylove Deepika Padukone, choreographer-turned-producer Shabina Khan and a bunch of unit folk of Ram-Leela, went out for dinner at a five-star hotel in South Mumbai.

They were in a mood to make merry post the film's success. Food and drinks flowed and the bill apparently was a staggering Rs 2 lakh which was footed by Ranveer.

A source says, `Bhansali was keen to take Deepika and Ranveer out for dinner. It was late in the night before Ranveer flew out of India for a shoot. They went to a hotel in south Mumbai and had a five-course meal including drinks.`

Adds the source, `Ranveer was in his elements throughout the evening and entertained everyone. As Deepika and he are known to be foodies they were in a mood to gorge. Their dinner went on for a long time. When the bill arrived, Ranveer insisted he pay it as Ram-Leela was special for him. So Bhansali allowed him to pay the Rs 2 lakh bill.`

Ranveer's and Bhansali's spokesperson remained unavailable for comment.
By arrangment with Mid-Day.com

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Now Sana Saeed puts on her dancing shoes for Akki

Now Sana Saeed puts on her dancing shoes for Akki

Actress Sana Saeed has done her first item number for Akshay Kumar's home production 'Fugly'.

Sana is best remembered as the cute bubbly Anjali, daughter of Shah Rukh Khan in 1998 blockbuster 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'. She then featured as a glamorous diva in Karan Johar's 'Student Of The Year'.

While studying in college, Sana also did TV shows like 'Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na' and 'Lo Ho Gayi Pooja Iss Ghar Ki'. She was last seen in dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa'. Now she will be seen in an item song in Akshay's social thriller 'Fugly', which be helmed by Kabir Sadanand and will also feature Olympic bronze-medalist Vijender Singh.


"I have done a peppy, fun song for 'Fugly'. It is Honey Singh's song. I am the only one in the song and I have already shot for it... Had great time doing it," Sana told PTI.

Jayesh Pradhan has choreographed the number. "We have shot for an item song with Sana in Delhi. There is a party thrown for MLA where Sana is seen dancing in a desi avatar. It is peppy number," he said.
By arrangment with Mid-Day.com

Less is more publicity for 'Dhoom 3'

Less is more publicity for `Dhoom 3`

In order to retain the surprise element, the makers of Aamir Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer will refrain from a publicity blitzkrieg

Producer Aditya Chopra has outlined a plan for the promotions of his upcoming film, 'Dhoom 3'. Or rather a lack of it. The filmmaker has issued a diktat to restrain from any in-your-face marketing of the film.

As the franchise is known to the audience, he feels there has to be some element of surprise and that needs to be kept intact in the Aamir Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer. He also wants the stars to limit their interactions with the media and not divulge details about the project.

Says a source close to the production house, `An event to release the title track was held recently, but there is no plan to have a proper music launch with the entire cast. The song videos will not be released online or on television. It will only be shown in the film.`


The source adds, `The makers feel extra promotions hamper a film, as the expectations of the audience gets heightened. They prefer to keep the public guessing by not revealing the storyline.`

Incidentally, during an event for the film recently Aamir Khan had stated, `We are following the policy of less is more. The less we promote the film, the more people will be curious about it. We are not going to feature on any of the reality shows on television or visit shopping malls. We will have limited promotion as we are confident of our product.`
By arrangment with Mid-Day.com

Shilpa's newfound fitness mantra?

Shilpa`s newfound fitness mantra?
Friday, November 22, 2013 11:32 IST
Shilpa Shetty has managed to knock off a lot of weight in the past few months

Apart from following a weight loss regime, the actress also does yoga regularly.

She says, `I am an avid believer in the benefits of yoga. My ultimate dream has been wellness of India. During one of my travels abroad, I chanced on this bio-energy stimulation machine technology that actually speeds up the recovery process strengthening the immune system accelerating the healing of wounds. It also helps in cell and bone rejuvenation to deliver over all well being."

Shilpa shared her idea with a known fitness chain and they, too, liked her concept. Now she has decided to unveil it in India.

Says the actress, `In the past six months, I have managed to lose all my baby fat. I am one kilo less than my actual size now. I had to reduce weight after my delivery. I have been working out every day and it is a complete makeover for me.`
By arrangment with Mid-Day.com

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Shocking Sunday! Minnows upset title contenders in Premier League

Newcastle playersNewcastle United players celebrate their 1-0 win against the Spurs.

With one of the most exciting and unpredictable Premier League season underway, the Super Sunday had three games on the offering for the football fanatics. Four of the title contenders with the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Arsenal were slated for action in a power-packed weekend.

The results for all the games - at least the first two - were expected as one would wonder what can possibly go wrong for the EPL giants Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City against the likes of Newcastle United and Sunderland.

But, the Spurs and Man City were in for a shock rather than a simple surprise as they crumbled against the minnows - placed in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

On one hand, where Andre Villas-Boas' Tottenham lost 0-1 to Alan Pardew's in-form Newcastle United, Manuel Pellegrini's brigade suffered a jolt to their title dream at the hands of Sunderland.

In the first game, Newcastle United - who were high on confidence post their 2-0 win over Chelsea - traveled to the White Hart Lane to lock horns with Tottenham Hotspur.

Pardew retained his match-winning team that stunned Jose Mourinho's Chelsea earlier while Andre Villas-Boas gave in to the pressure of mistreating goalkeeper concussed Hugo Lloris and started the game with Brad Friedel at the post.

Newcastle striker Loic Remy scored the only goal of the game in the first half as The Magpies clinched three points to storm at the ninth spot in the table. The 13th minute goal came after Paulinho was robbed of the ball by Yoan Gouffran, who then slid the ball through for Remy to breeze past Friedel and thump it into an open goal.

Spurs were constantly being bullied by Pardew's invincible wall of defence as the AVB team found themselves restricted to long-range efforts. Newcastle's goal-keeper Tim Krul was the star of the day with magnificent saves throughout the game including a teasing back header from Roberto Soldado.

Spurs lost three crucial points and now find themselves trailing at the seventh spot in the league table.

If the party was foiled at the White Hart Lane, the Stadium of Light was brought to life by Sunderland's emphatic win over the big-spending Manchester City.

Manchester City were in explosive form after running riot against Norwich City with seven goals, while Sunderland were looking for revival after their 1-0 defeat against Hull City earlier.
Samir NasriMan City's Samir Nasri in action against Sunderland on Sunday.


The Blues were expected to continue their fine form against the mediocre Sunderland. But, no one would have expected - especially Pellegrini - that the team placed 19th in the league would stun the 2012 Premier League champions.

Phil Bardsley scored the only goal of the game as Gus Poyet's Sunderland got the better of Pellegrini's star-studded team. Bardsley's goal came in the first half after he shrugged off James Milner and curled in a low shot to take the lead for Sunderland.

The goal appeared controversial with Bardsley nudging James Milner to win a long-ball but the referee thought otherwise. City dominated thereafter but were thwarted by a well-organised defence of the Black Cats.

Pellegrini's substitutions made impact but couldn't get the crucial goal for the team. It was a hard-earned win for Sunderland while City soaked in the pressure of their fourth league defeat of the season.

In the third and undoubtedly the biggest match of the weekend, David Moyes' struggling Manchester United were up against the table leaders Arsenal at the Old Trafford. The clash was crucial for both the teams with Moyes' men looking to get back in form and the Gunners trying to extend their lead at the top.

Similar to the first two games, the third tie also witnessed a surprising result. Arsene Wenger's team were clearly the favourites to win at the Old Trafford considering the kind of form they are in currently.

But, the Gunners were handed a shock defeat by their ex-employee Robin van Persie - who scored the only goal of the game and snatched a win for Manchester United. Van Persie rose to meet a Wayne Rooney corner in the first half to take the lead for the hosts.
Robin van PersieRobin van Persie reacts after scoring the goal against Arsenal.


The Gunners were held against the sparkling trio of Rooney, Kagawa and Jones in their first league defeat since the opening day of the season. The Red Devils have now stormed to the fifth spot while the Wenger's men continue to lead at the top with 25 points.

The three encounters on Sunday witnessed the minnows - or in Man Utd's case the unlikely winners - getting the better of their opponents to upset the dream run of Premier League title contenders.

With the unexpected results in the season, the race for the Premier League title is evenly poised as the minnows turn into giant-killers to spoil their party.byy india today.in


Aaron Ramsey steals winner as Arsenal stun Borussia Dortmund in Champions League

Ozil & Ramsey
Aaron ramsey scored the winner for Arsenal in the 62nd minute of the game.

Borussia Dortmund, last season's runner-up, is in danger of missing the knockout stage of the Champions League after losing 1-0 at home to Arsenal on Wednesday.

Aaron Ramsey's goal with Arsenal's first attempt on goal in the 62nd minute ended Dortmund's run of seven consecutive home wins and dropped Jurgen Klopp's team to third place in Group F with six points from four matches.

Arsenal and Napoli have nine points each, while Marseille is without points after losing 3-2 at Napoli. Dortmund, which lost at Napoli, must beat the Italian club at home to preserve its chances of advancing.

"We still have two matches and everything is possible," said Klopp, who returned to the sidelines after a two-match suspension.

"We created much more today up front and we started well in the second half. But they scored with their first chance of the match and we could not come back. This defeat could have been avoided."

Dortmund had the better chances until Ramsey's goal, but Arsenal was the more dangerous lineup once it had gone in the front. The Premier League leaders have stretched their run to 15 consecutive wins on the road in all competitions.

Arsenal broke the deadlock when Mesut Ozil crossed into the area, Olivier Giroud nodded the ball into the path of Ramsey and the midfielder got ahead of Neven Subotic to head past Roman Weidenfeller.

"Dortmund was the better side in the first half. But after our goal we should have scored another," Arsenal's coach Arsene Wenger said. "Once we were in the lead, we were not so much under pressure."

Dortmund appealed for a penalty in stoppage time were ignored after defender Per Mertesacker pulled down striker Robert Lewandowski.

Dortmund's best chance of the first half came in the 37th but Henrikh Mkhitaryan sent his shot wide when clean through with just Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny to beat. Earlier, Subotic had volleyed wide and Lewandowski also had an effort off the target.

Both teams closed the space and gave little room, although the match had pace.

Szczesny did well to turn away a header by Marco Reus early in the second half, but then Arsenal stunned the home side with Ramsey's goal.

Ramsey nearly doubled the lead two minutes later, but Weidenfeller blocked his point-blank shot. From the corner, Nuri Sahin cleared off the line from Giroud.byy india today.in


Alvaro Negredo's hat-trick fires Man City into UCL's last 16 after 3 seasons

Alvaro Negredo
Manchester City won 5-2 against CSKA Moscow.

It's taken three frustrating seasons but Manchester City has finally reached the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time - and the English team achieved it in style on Tuesday.

Alvaro Negredo scored a hat trick and strike partner Sergio Aguero grabbed the other two goals as City crushed CSKA Moscow 5-2 to guarantee a top-two finish in Group D.

After splashing out hundreds of millions of pounds on big-name players over the past five years, City was desperate to transfer its recent domestic success to the European stage and make a dent in the Champions League.

Roberto Mancini failed to get City out of its group in the past two seasons, though, and was fired. His successor, Manuel Pellegrini, has succeeded at the first time of asking.

"The minimum target was to qualify for the next round but it's not the only target," Pellegrini said. "I'm sure the team we play (in the last 16) will not be very happy to play against us."

Not with Negredo and Aguero in this kind of form.

A debate is raging in England about the Premier League's top strike partnership. Most plump for Luis Suarez-Daniel Sturridge at Liverpool or Robin van Persie-Wayne Rooney at Manchester United, but the Negredo-Aguero combination is giving them a run for their money.

In putting City 2-0 up after a third-minute penalty and a sumptuous turn and shot in the 20th, Aguero became City's leading European scorer with 13 goals and has now scored in six straight games. Negredo made it 3-0 in the 30th minute after tapping in Aguero's teasing cross, slotted home from Samir Nasri's deft lay-off in the 51st for 4-1 and then rounded off a satisfying night for the hosts with a headed goal off the last touch of the game.

"Aguero is in a great moment, not only because he's scoring but because the whole team is playing offensive football and that's important," said Pellegrini, whose side came into the game off a 7-0 thrashing of Norwich in the Premier League on Saturday.

Such was City's swashbuckling attacking play, admittedly up against a feeble CSKA defense, that it almost took the attention away from what was going on in the crowd.

Almost.

The behavior of CSKA fans was under heavy scrutiny in the wake of the first meeting between the sides, a 2-1 win for City two weeks ago that was overshadowed by racist chanting by home supporters that earned the Russian club a partial stadium ban.

A small contingent of CSKA fans traveled to Manchester for the return game and, flanked by a mass of stewards, were constantly barracked by City counterparts over what happened in Moscow. Things didn't boil over - local police said there were no arrests made and no reports of racism - although officers intervened at one stage and appeared to remove at least one fan, while a smoke bomb appeared to go off during the second half.

"We must say thank you to the fans today, they showed the fans of CSKA how to support a team," said City captain Yaya Toure, one of the targets of the racist abuse in Moscow.

As the teams emerged from the tunnel for kickoff, stewards also moved quickly to remove a banner put up by City fans that read "Free Pussy Riot" in reference to a Russian punk band, two members of which are serving prison sentences for an irreverent protest against the country's president, Vladimir Putin.

Back on the pitch, City took charge from the first whistle and Aguero was allowed to continue his free-scoring form after David Silva had his heels clipped.

Aguero slotted the penalty high into the right-hand corner and was then at his brilliant best for his second, spinning marker Aleksei Berezutski with his first touch after receiving a pass from Nasri before giving himself space to curl low into the bottom corner.

It got worse for CSKA, whose failure to press City's midfield was the source of most of the problems. In the 30th, Aguero was given far too much time and space to thread a cross into the box between goalkeeper and defenders, allowing Negredo an easy tap-in at the far post.

However, if there was a blot on the evening, it was the goals City's defense, which has been vulnerable all season, conceded.

Lax defending in first-half injury time saw Pontus Wernbloom feed Seydou Doumbia, who rounded Costel Pantilimon - again preferred to Joe Hart in goal - and tapped into an empty net.

After Negredo scored his second goal, Doumbia became the third player to grab a brace when he sent Pantilimon the wrong way from the spot in the 71st after being bundled over by Gael Clichy.

Negredo had the final say, though, heading in James Milner's cross with the game's last act.

"It's amazing, it's history for the club," Toure said.

All that remains now is the prize of winning Group D, in which Bayern Munich currently has a three-point lead over City. The pair meet on the final matchday.byy india today.in


Real Madrid vs Juventus: Bianconeri fight for survival against Blancos in Champions League

Cristiano Ronaldo
Juventus lost 2-1 against Real Madrid in the first-leg.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti can push his former club Juventus and disciple Antonio Conte closer to the Champions League exit door if they win in Turin on Tuesday.

The two teams, who have won the competition 11 times between them, were both expected to comfortably progress from Group B and Tuesday's match was seen initially seen as little more than some early sparring for the knockout rounds.

But, after drawing with Galatasaray and Copenhagen and then losing in 2-1 Madrid two weeks ago, Juventus suddenly find themselves fighting for survival.

Ancelotti is unlikely to admit it but he may gain some grim satisfaction if he can help eliminate his former club.

He had two difficult years at Juventus early in his coaching career, where despite twice leading them to second place in Series A he was sacked on the last day of the 2000-01 season.

Conte, who has led Juventus to two successive Serie A titles, was his swashbuckling captain at the time and has since gone on to become of Europe's top coaches although he has sometimes shown exasperation at his club's lack of financial clout.

A win for Real, whose only previous away win against Juventus was 51 years ago, would send them into the last sixteen with two matches to spare and leave third-placed Juve with only two points from four games.

Should Galatasaray win away to FC Copenhagen in Tuesday's other Group B game, Juventus would find themselves five points behind the Turkish champions with a trip to Istanbul still to come.

WINLESS RUN

Juventus have failed to win their last five Champions League ties, a run which started when they lost both legs of their quarter-final to Bayern Munich last season.

Worryingly, three of those matches have been at home at the Juventus stadium, which the club had hoped to turn into an impenetrable fortress when it was opened two years ago.

On the other hand, they have won their last three Serie A matches without conceding a goal and will be hoping that Real's defence will be caught off guard, having leaked five goals in its last two La Liga outings.

"Real have plenty of strong players up front who sometimes help out less in defensive areas, which puts their backline under pressure," Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio said on Sunday.

"We managed to defend well in Spain, enjoy possession and cause them problems."

Juventus will be without defender Giorgio Chiellini, who was sent off at the Bernabeu a fortnight ago, leaving Marchisio as the only survivor from the team which beat Real on their last visit to Turin five years ago.

"Even when down to ten we played an excellent game in terms of our attention and chances created," he said of their last meeting.

"We must do this again on Tuesday night, whilst being cautious of their threat on the counter through the likes of Angel Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale."

"Plus, in Turin, we'll be able to count on the support of our fans, who will provide a red-hot atmosphere at the stadium.

"We haven't had a great deal of time in which to prepare for the game, but encounters like these provide plenty of motivation by themselves."byy india today.in