Melbourne City have a task to overcome the shock loss of coach John van 't Schip when they play Western Sydney on Friday night, but their new boss says they're up to it.

• Dominic Bossi

Western Sydney Wanderers' new signing Terry Antonis will not be rushed into the starting lineup for Friday night's clash against Melbourne City despite the absence of captain Dimas Delgado in the midfield.

Tottenham Hotspur denied Chelsea a record 14th consecutive Premier League win and opened up the title race as two Dele Alli headers earned them a 2-0 victory at a rocking White Hart Lane on Thursday morning.

• Matt Law

Alexis Sanchez's latest tantrum that continued in the Arsenal dressing room after the 3-3 draw with Bournemouth has left a number of his team-mates fearing the forward will leave.

All the action you might have missed overnight.

• Jason Dasey

He will miss his monthly trips to eat Hot Pot with his Chinese friends at Hai Di Lao, but Danish import Ken Ilso says that he is excited about joining reigning Malaysia Cup champions, Kedah.

• Dominic Bossi

The marks are out: how did your A-League team fare at the halfway stage of this season?

The new year is just days old but the weight of expectation is already heavier on some coaches than others.

​Relegation strugglers Hull City sacked Mike Phelan as manager, less than three months after appointing him on a permanent basis.

Socceroos forward Robbie Kruse is set to join the growing list of international players moving to China after telling Bayer Leverkusen he wants out.

• COMMENT
• Paul Hayward

Guardiola's rapid ice hockey-style often looks alien to a team who are accustomed to crushing opponents in a slower, more traditional manner.

• Matt Law

Antonio Conte has taken a swipe at the complaints of Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger over Chelsea's Christmas and new-year fixture list by insisting the pair are angry only because his team are top of the Premier League.

Olivier Giroud's stoppage-time header earned Arsenal an unlikely 3-3 draw at Bournemouth on Wednesday morning after they had trailed 3-0 with 70 minutes on the clock.

Melbourne Victory assistant coach Jean-Paul de Marigny has been handed a three-week touchline ban after his expletive-ridden tirade directed towards the Newcastle Jets bench during Monday night's A-League clash.

• David Polkinghorne

Coach Rae Dower thinks short turnaround to next game could be a "blessing" with redemption on her players' minds.

Sydney FC have agreed a deal with a top Asian club for the transfer of centre half Matt Jurman.

• ANALYSIS
• Jason Burt

The top six are away and so much better than the rest. There is no sense that they can be caught or even competed against and the likelihood is that the mini-league will only pull further and further out on its own, out of sight, as the season progresses.

• Michael Lynch

Melbourne Victory's star striker Besart Berisha will now set his mind to winning a second title in navy blue and not worry too much about setting an unreachable benchmark for individual goals scored in the A League.

• Michael Lynch

John van 't Schip has stepped down as coach of Melbourne City, effective immediately, to return to The Netherlands to contribute to the palliative care of his father.

Ins and outs of A-League transfer window

Olivier Giroud's astonishing scorpion kick to give Arsenal the lead against Crystal Palace on New Year's day had pundits reaching for the superlatives - but what makes a brilliant goal really special?

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Liverpool dropped two points in the Premier League title race as Jermain Defoe converted two penalties to earn struggling Sunderland a 2-2 draw.

• Michael Lynch

Six goals, three points to the home team and the chance to witness a piece of A-League history being made.

• David Polkinghorne

Canberra United to utilise her vast experience in absence of both their injured co-captains.

Goalkeeper-turned-pundit Mark Bosnich's Boxing Day attack on A-League club Wellington is without substance or merit, general manager David Dome says.

It doesn't take much digging to understand what motivates Western Sydney A-League midfielder Kearyn Baccus.

• James Buckley

Sydney FC have completed the signing of goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne from Western Sydney.

Arsene Wenger praised Olivier Giroud's finish as "art" after the striker scored what could prove the goal of the season in Arsenal's 2-0 defeat of Crystal Palace.