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{ Cesc Fábregas will not face action over claims he abused match officials. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Cesc Fábregas will not face disciplinary action over claims that he abused match officials during half-time of Arsenal's 2-1 win over Everton.

The Everton manager, David Moyes, claimed after the match that Fábregas should have been shown a red card for the comments, but the referee, Lee Mason, made no mention of the alleged incident in his post-match report.

Arsène Wenger later denied that Fábregas had even spoken to the officials, and the Football Association has now confirmed that it received no extraordinary incident report from Mason regarding any confrontation with Fábregas.

Fábregas, meanwhile, said the battling 2-1 victory proves Arsenal have the character needed to push Manchester United all the way in the race for the Premier League title.

Arsenal rallied after going behind to what looked an offside goal from Louis Saha, scoring twice in the space of five minutes during the second half.

The victory kept them five points behind Manchester United, who extended their unbeaten run this season to 24 league matches after a 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

Fábregas said: "We were not up for it at the start against Everton and we were very sloppy. We know that we could have paid for it, but fortunately the team stepped up.

"We realised that if we kept playing like that, we would be going nowhere. It is a very inspiring comeback and maybe we needed something like that to lift us and see that even with injuries and suspensions, we can still have a really strong squad.

"Now we have three days to recover for what will be a big game on Saturday [at Newcastle]."

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Labels: abused, claims, clear, Fbregas, Guardian, match, officials

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By Colin Young
Last updated at 11:07 PM on 1st February 2011

The fall-out after Andy Carroll’s departure from Newcastle has descended into a war of words between the ?35million Liverpool forward and Toon boss Alan Pardew.

Carroll maintains he was forced out of St James’ Park by owner Mike Ashley, managing director Derek Llambias and Pardew following Liverpool’s incredible bid for the England striker on Monday.

Pardew claimed the 21-year-old wanted to quit Tyneside after his pleas for a new contract were rejected.

War of words: Carroll claims he was forced to leave Newcastle for Anfield

The Newcastle boss said: ‘Some of the things he said, he’s slightly misguided. We certainly didn’t twist his arm to put in the request or get on the helicopter. He had a five-year contract, we said we would renew it in the summer.

‘He wanted to renew it straight away. He indicated to me in my room that he wanted a new deal, and if he couldn’t get that new deal he wanted the option of talking to Liverpool.

‘I said, “You need to put that in writing”, and he did and that’s it. We have not tried to sell Andy Carroll.

‘When I was asked, he was not for sale. But when you get a player who is the commodity that he is, you are going to get the big, big clubs involved with him and his representatives. Unfortunately for us, that has happened.

‘We knocked back so many bids for him and I was adamant he wasn’t going to go until extraordinary circumstances came along.

'When I first heard the bid from Liverpool at 8am, a substantial bid, my advice was to turn it down. But the figure is a record for a British player, a 21-year-old who has done six months in the Premier League.’

Denial: Alan Pardew claims Carroll could have stayed on Tyneside

Carroll, who Pardew revealed is out for at least a month with a thigh problem, insists he was forced to put in a transfer request and ‘pushed out’.

He said: ‘I was in talks about a new contract with the gaffer. He told me they were now not going to give me a contract. That was as soon as the offer of ?30million came in.

‘I asked why and he said his hands were tied. He said it wasn’t up to him and then I was allowed to talk to Liverpool. The owner made it clear to me that I was not wanted, saying that his own helicopter was waiting for me to go down to talk to them.

‘Derek asked me to hand in a transfer request. I had no choice.

‘I’m gutted that I wasn’t wanted at my home team. I didn’t want to leave at all.’

Pardew reassured Newcastle fans that the ?35m would be re-invested in players.

‘That is Andy’s legacy to the team,’ he said.

‘I told Mike, “Look, if that boy is going, this money has to be reinvested in the team. All of it”. And he assured me of that.

‘It could not be used on Monday night. It would have been paying an inflated price for a lesser product than Andy Carroll.’

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Labels: blasts, Carroll, claims, Daily, leave, Pardew, quitter, striker, wanted

{ Llorente: Claims Liverpool interest

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Fernando Llorente claims Liverpool approached Athletic Bilbao regarding a potential deal for the striker before the transfer deadline.

Liverpool enjoyed a frenzied close to the January transfer window by bringing in Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez for big fees after selling Fernando Torres to Chelsea for £50million.

Attacking reinforcements had been a priority for Reds boss Kenny Dalglish last month and Llorente was another player to be linked with a move to Anfield.

The Spain international claims Liverpool did make contact about a potential deal, but revealed Bilbao were in no mood to sell.

"Liverpool came to Bilbao and spoke with the club, but it was obvious that they weren't going to sell me," Llorente said on Radio Marca.

"I understand that the fans don't like it when I say I am going to leave, but it is a sign that I am doing well.

"For the moment, my future is here at Bilbao and I am going to give my all."

The Reds' Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur were also reported to have made a bid for Llorente, who has a 36million euros (£30.4m) buy-out clause in his contract.

Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are also tracking the 26-year-old following his impressive form in recent seasons.

Llorente added: "There are people willing to pay 36m euros for my clause. Football is like that. It is crazy."

Though the forward has not openly declared where he would prefer to go, he admits he was a Barcelona fan as a child and was a huge admirer of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team' of the early 1990s.

He continued: "I am not going to lie. I grew up watching the Dream Team of Cruyff and I liked Laudrup, Romario, Stoichkov and Ronaldo.

"When you are young, you usually follow the team that wins and that was Barcelona."

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Labels: approach, claims, Llorente, SkySports