"Ngog and Benayoun respond to Benítez's call for character", say The Guardian about Liverpool's 2-0 win over Sunderland, who failed to repeat the 0-0 draw they played for and got at Arsenal. The same paper hails Drogba as "the difference" in Chelsea's narrow escape from Fratton Park.
Meanwhile, over at the Daily Telegraph, it seems Martin O'Neill is getting panicky about Arsenal winning the Champions League and denying his Villa team qualification as only four English teams are allowed at any one time. After all, Villa are not Liverpool...
Arsenal, celebrating a return to scoring form at beleagured West Brom, have found it tough of late. But not as tough as their new Russian on the wing; Andrei Arshavin who is feeling the pace of the English game if this pearl of a quote is to be believed. "Even before the end of the first half I felt as if I had spat my lungs out," he has said of his appearance against Fulham at the weekend in the Telegraph.
The loss of Craig Bellamy to Manchester City, a team lurching from mediocrity to crisis day on day, is reported in both The Guardian and Telegraph as being for a rather crucial six weeks. The Independent meanwhile, suggest that Mark Hughes is so worried that he is considering rushing Valeri Bojinov back to action after what is a total of 20 months out with two very serious injuries. The Bulgarian may find himself thrust in against Aston Villa tonight.
Tabloid time now: I've not forgotten The Times, it's just that their website seems to be struggling today....working, now. They're still punting their Top 50 Manchester City Players - neither Bellamy or Bojinov feature as yet.
Their sister tabloid The Sun has an interesting line drawn from Sir Alex Ferguson that he will axe any players who act like the Premier League is won. They have been warned.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo in the firing line? He usually is. This time it's Luka Modric having a go at the United star because he complained about Chris Foy's seemingly incorrect booking for diving in Sunday's Carling Cup Final. Modric whines: "He overdoes the theatre. In England whining stands out, it does no good."
United face Newcastle tonight and Keegan-permed defender Fabricio Coloccini wants to let Carlos Tevez - will he be playing - that he knows his secrets because his dad Osvaldo coached him at Boca Juniors', er' juniors team.
That's what The Sun's headline writer says he said. In fact he's highly complimentary about his compatriot and does mention secrets at all merely joking: "If he scores against us, maybe you will blame my dad!," say the Brian May-styled Magpie who also says of his luxuriant Barnet Fair: "The hair will not be cut. One time when I was at Milan, Costacurta, Maldini the whole dressing room were telling me to cut it so I did just to get them off my back. But I won’t do it again."
Time to look in the Mirror...and it's a bit of flagrant speculation. They say Spurs are in for Barcelona wonderkid Bojan Krkic on loan. From the club who bid for Rivaldo, Fernando Morientes and David Villa and brought you none of them, we give that story little credence at all.
Ooh ah Daily Star, said a ooh aah, Daily Star, bring little to the football fan's breakfast table today. Unless you're interested in Jade Goody. The Express is similarly obsessed with said fallen reality TV star though it does have a nice pic of Barack Obama on instead of her. Which makes a change.
Daily Mail corner. Yep, Jade again. On with the football...they have Rafa Benitez urging on Newcastle tonight, Hiddink hoping the same Geovanni apologising to Hull City boss Phil Brown for his Sunday strop and Martin Samuel having a go at Sepp Blatter for the "6+5" rule, saying that both the FIFA president and Michel Platini, his UEFA equivalent, are anti-English.
Just the type of thing to get the readers steamed up of a morning.
I'll end with a fine piece of reporting from the ever excellent David Conn. The forensic football finance expert does his best to unearth the ownership questions that surround Leeds United and Ken Bates. A Jersey court case may just get to the bottom of it all, according to Conn's feature in The Guardian. Recommended.
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