Mourinho's team get win

Inter Milan claimed the 2-1 win in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first knock-out phase. Inter, now managed by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, surprised Chelsea in the 3rd minute as Argentine striker Gabriel Milito beat Petr Cech at his near post. Milito's strike embarrassed both John Terry and Petr Cech, who should have done better to prevent the goal. Chelsea stepped up soon after and dominated possession, and saw a Drogba free-kick strike the bar. Chelsea eventually got the equaliser in the 51st minute through Saloman Kalou, who up until this point had an absolute shocker and constantly gave the ball away. Kalou was, however, the victim of a terrible refereeing decision when he was brought down just before half time by Inter's Walter Samuel. Esteban Cambiasso scored a fantastic long range effort in the 55th minute to give Inter the lead. Chelsea faced an even bigger problem when Petr Cech fell awkwardly and had to go off. It is now confirmed that he will be out for a month, which could effect the rest of Chelsea's season. Chelsea had the better of the game but Inter were resolute and held on. All eyes will be on the Mourinho's return to Stanford Bridge in three weeks.

Fulham shock Europe

Fulham did the impossible to claim a 1-1 draw in Donetsk against the mighty Shakhtar. if last weeks win was the start of a possible giant killing, this is where it finished. It was a huge scalp as the stylish football Shakhtar played proved lacking in substance, and Fulham's stubborn resistance paid off. This will raise eyebrows throughout Europe as the winners of last years tournament couldn't break the West London side down. Fulham had a shock 2-1 lead from the first leg and Shakhtar were expected to easily beat Roy Hodgson's team. Brede Hangeland sent Fulham into the lead in Donetsk in the 33rd minute and although the magnificent Jadson equalised, the Ukrainian giants couldn't get the winner. Fulham went down to 10 men in the last minute with Danny Murphy being sent off, ensuring a few nervous moments but Fulham held on. The story here is the same as last week, being an excellent side is not enough, you have to go out and play and over the two legs Shakhtar were arrogant, expecting to score at will. This ultimately proved to be their undoing.

Credit where credit is due

As we prepare to see the weekend's action, it is important to take note of what happened in the Europa League clash between Fulham and Shakhtar Donetsk. This contest was not just a great advert for the newly-branded Europa League, but a great advert for cup football in general.

Shakhtar are the current holders of the trophy and beat teams such as Tottenham, CSKA Moscow, Marseille and bitter rivals Dynamo Kiev in their run up to last seasons final in Istanbul. They then beat a very good Werder Bremen team in the final. Shakhtar's team consists of 8 Brazilians in the first team, making them similar in their approach to Arsenal in generally relying on foreign talent. Luiz Adriano is among the most notable, he is one of Europe's top emerging talents with 8 goals in 23 games in the Ukrainian Premier League. The Ukrainians boast an excellent squad overall with Jadson, Darijo Srna, Razvan Rat and Wilian.

They arrived at Craven Cottage as hot favourites to beat a decent, if lesser, side in Fulham. Fulham showed they were no pushovers and took the lead early on. When Shakhtar equalised, it look as though an upset would not occur. The Ukrainians moved the ball about beautifully and it was no surprise when Adriano, who will no doubt go on to be an even bigger star, scored. Zamora's stunner which won Fulham the match was an amazing individual effort, but crucially it reflected the grit and determination of a unit. It showed to us that no European Competition is always going to be dominated totally 100% by richer clubs. It showed what cup football is all about, the drama and the shocks and showed that the Europa League is not necessarily much worse in quality than the converted Champions' League.

All in all, Shakhtar should beat Fulham well on home turf but the West London club have certainly given the rich boys something to think about with their win.

The January Sales!

The Main Moves

The transfer market threw up some surprising transfers over January. Perhaps the most surprising was that of Sol Campbell to Arsenal. It seems strange that Arsene Wenger would sign a 35 year-old ex-England international. This is a man who has in the past seemingly refused to sign an experienced centre-back and instead putting his faith in younger, inexperienced defenders. However, now he has brought back old favourite Sol Campbell, an experienced defender who, of course, recently had a strange spell with minnows Notts County in League Two. Now, signing an experienced centre back would normally imply that the defender is still able to play at the very top and has international and experience of playing in Europe. Sol Campbell is not experienced in a positive way. He is too old and washed-up, incapable of competing at the very top now due partly to a lack of pace. Wenger may have got Campbell on a free but there is a reason why he hasn't had to fend of competition from the other "big four" clubs. He is simply not the same player from 4 or 5 years ago and it would be unfair to expect him to be. Sorry Mr Wenger, you got it wrong again.

All eyes were on one club in this transfer window: Manchester City. Robinho was finally allowed to sulk all the way back to Brazil, where he could see the sun again and play for former club Santos on loan. City also attempted to sign Fernando Gago from Real Madrid. Unfortunately for City, Gago stayed in Madrid. They also moved for Kenyan international Macdonald Mariga. A fee and personal terms were agreed but Mariga could not get a work permit, but was sold anyway, to Inter Milan. City signed a quality young player when Adam Johnson arrived from Middlesbrough for around £10 million. With tremendous talent, Johnson will be an excellent signing should he break into the first team.

Before the Johnson move, City managed to tempt former Arsenal hardman Patrick Vieira back to the Premier League from Inter Milan. Vieira was apparently frustrated at the lack of first-team oppotunities at Inter this season. He joined initially for six months with the option of a further year. Rumours suggested the 33 year-old is earning a staggering £150,000 a week! a huge amount for a midfielder in the autumn years of his career.

One of the most active clubs were Celtic, who tempted Robbie Keane to Parkhead on loan. The signing of Keane may have been galvanised by the bust up with Harry Redknapp following the Tottenham squad going to Dublin for a forbidden Christmas party. Celtic also managed to sign Dutch International left-back Edson Braafheid on loan from Bayern Munich and Diomansy Kamara from Fulham, also on loan. Braafheid is a first-class full-back with both attacking and defensive qualities, and can also play as a centre-back. He could well be the first-choice left-back for Holland at the World Cup.

Younes Kaboul and former Chelsea and Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen were the major signings at Tottenham during the transfer window. Kaboul returns to his former club from Portsmouth. He will be a good signing as Tottenham need cover for injury-prone defenders Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.

Gudjohnsen also made an excellent decision in moving to Tottenham. At Monaco he had a falling out with manager Guy Lacombe and ran the risk of being a forgotten man. This move will provide him with a chance to finish where he left off, scoring goals in the Premier League. It has also worked out nicely for the Icelandic star as there is even more chance of playing regularly with Robbie Keane being loaned to Celtic. Gudjohnsen was criticised by former team mate Gianfranco Zola for not signing for his West Ham side. Zola said he was "disappointed with Spurs and disappointed with Gudjohnsen" after Gudjohnsen had a medical with West Ham then promptly signed for London rivals Tottenham. Ok, so Gudjohnsen's ethics can be criticised but it was a good move for his career and therefore the correct decision.

Top Transfer

The swoop of the month was Wigan Athletic's move for Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses. The young starlet made his switch to Premier League Wigan for just £2.5 million, with Crystal Palace badly needing to offload their star player as the financial crisis continues at Selhurst Park. Although other clubs like Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and West Brom were serious contenders for his signature, there was also apparent interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid. The England Under 19 international is a terrific talent and should really shine at Wigan, who previously lacked a player who could provide the perfect foil for current star striker Hugo Rodallega. Wigan also signed striker Marcelo Moreno from Shaktar Donetsk on loan and with Moreno, Rodellega and Moses up front, should score many more goals in the second half of the season.