AFRICAN NEWS FLASH

Sarri's side closed the gap at the top of the table by virtue of a sole strike from N'Golo Kante, as Crystal Palace struggled to set off at Selhurst Park. Often renowned for his defensive prowess, the Frenchman stepped up once more for his side, to seal all three points away from home in this derby clash. Kante broke into the Palace box early in the second half, rounded two defenders, and slotted home on the half volley to give his side a much deserved lead. Chelsea had been the better side for the majority of the encounter. The first half statistics are a testament to that fact; 'The Blues' had 65% possession to Palace's 35%, and had nine times as many efforts on goal. Nevertheless, their dominance would not pay dividends before the interval. Olivier Giroud thought that he had opened the scoring mid-way through the first half, but he was to be denied by the linesman's flag. A great shame, as the Frenchman's wicked volley could have been a contender f...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes David de Gea and Anthony Martial re-sign with Manchester United and become part of history with the Premier League club. United have reportedly triggered extensions for Martial, 23, and De Gea, 28, to keep the pair at the club until 2020. Solskjaer, the interim manager at Old Trafford, wants to convince the duo to remain at United, saying it was the best place for them. "I know the club want them to sign, of course, because they are top-quality players," the Norwegian told UK newspapers. "It's down to the players, but when you're at Man United there isn't a lot of greener grass on the other side. You are at the best place. It's the biggest club in the world. "For me, I would hope I can help or guide these players to maybe tip them over to thinking they want to stay at this club. "If you are a regular at Manchester United, I think you should grasp the opportunity to stay here and become part of the histor...

Owen Former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Michael Owen is launching a cryptocurrency in his own name, joining other famous sportsmen including Manny Pacquiao in a new venture to connect with fans.  The retired England star announced Wednesday his investment in the Singapore-based Global Crypto Offering Exchange (GCOX) as he unveiled the “Owen Coin”. The celebrity tokens will allow fans to buy merchandise such as personal training videos, make donations to charities and even interact with the ex-sportsman via live-streaming. GCOX bills itself as the “world’s first celebrity cryptocurrency exchange” and said the listing of different celebrities’ tokens on its exchange would provide an objective indication of their popularity. “Fans can be connected to their favourite celebrities in a much, much intimate level,” said Owen, 38, in Hong Kong. The ex-Liverpool star has not been put off by investing in the market even as regulators across Asia take a more critical look at ...