Football Extras: Leicester City sack manager Puel

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field

Premier League side Leicester City said on Sunday they have parted company with manager Claude Puel, with the club sitting 12th in the league standings.

Puel, 57, had been unable to get Leicester out of a recent slump with the club losing five of their last six league matches, and a 4-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday compounded their misery.

"The club would like to thank Claude for his efforts in leading the team during his 16 months in the role and wish him well in his future career," Leicester said in a statement.

"Assistant manager Jacky Bonnevay also departs with the club's best wishes.

"First team coaches Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler, supported by the club's established backroom staff, will assume responsibility for the senior squad while the club begins the process of appointing a new manager."

Puel had been appointed Leicester manager in October 2017 when they were 14th in the standings and the Frenchman led the club to a ninth-placed finish in his first season.

Although the club were in seventh place at the turn of the year, they had a dismal start to 2019, suffering four consecutive home defeats.

Earlier this month, Peter Schmeichel, father of Leicester keeper Kasper, said the club did not have a manager capable of getting the best out of the players and indicated that his son might be looking to move.

Leicester's Jamie Vardy had also been critical of Puel's style of play this season although Puel said there was no rift with the striker.

Leicester's next game is a league trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday.

Mbappe youngest to 50 league goals as PSG win

Kylian Mbappe became the youngest player in 45 years to reach 50 Ligue 1 goals as Paris St Germain beat visiting Nimes 3-0 on Saturday to stretch their lead at the top to 17 points.

Christopher Nkunku’s opener and Mbappe’s second half-double maintained PSG’s 100 per cent home record in the league this season and lifted them further clear of second-placed Lille who drew with Strasbourg on Friday.

Nkunku put the capital club in front five minutes before the break when he expertly controlled Marco Verratti’s ball over the top before producing a composed finish.

Mbappe had two goals ruled out in the first half, one for offside and one for handball, but made amends after the interval as he finished from close range on 69 minutes to mark his half century in the French top flight before finishing off a sweeping counter-attack.

At the age of 20 years, two months and three days, the France striker became the youngest player since Yannick Stopyra in 1982 to reach the 50-goal landmark.

PSG lead the standings on 68 points with 22 wins from 25games. Nimes are in 11th place with 36 points.

Dzeko strikes late in Roma’s win over Frosinone

Edin Dzeko scored twice, including a stoppage-time winner, to give Roma a precious 3-2 win at Frosinone on Saturday and keep the pressure on AC Milan in the Serie A battle for Champions League places.

Roma went into the game four points behind fourth-placed Milan and were on the brink of dropping points against their relegation-threatened regional rivals at the Stadio Benito Stirpe before Dzeko bundled home the last kick of the game.

Camillo Ciano opened the scoring for Frosinone after just five minutes thanks to an error from Roma goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who parried the striker's long-range effort into his own net.

Yet Roma took the lead after 30 minutes with two goals in the space of 72 seconds.

First, Dzeko capitalised on hesitant defending to fire in a finish and Frosinone had barely recovered before Lorenzo Pellegrini tapped in a rebound at the back post after Stephan El Shaarawy's shot was only parried by Marco Sportiello.

The hosts drew level with 10 minutes left through substitute Andrea Pinamonti, but in the fifth minute of added time Roma found the winner when Dzeko met El Shaarawy's cross from close range and finished with his thigh.

The result leaves Roma in fifth place on 44 points, one point behind Milan, while Frosinone remain in deep trouble in 19th place on 16 points, five points adrift of 17th-placed Empoli.

Earlier on Saturday, Torino beat Atalanta 2-0 at home to draw level with Gian Piero Gasperini's side and sixth-placed Lazio on 38 points thanks to goals from Armando Izzo and Iago Falque either side of the break.

Bayern edge past Hertha to join Dortmund at top

Champions Bayern Munich needed a second-half goal from defender Javi Martinez to edge past visitors Hertha Berlin 1-0 on Saturday and join leaders Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga.

The Bavarians, seven points behind Dortmund a few weeks ago, have now won 10 of their last 11 league games to draw level on 51 points but Bayern stay second on goal difference and Dortmund could reclaim the outright lead on Sunday if they avoid defeat when they host an in-form Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern, who drew 0-0 at Liverpool earlier this week in their Champions League round-of-16 first leg, were in complete control but lacked clinical finishing as Hertha waited to counter-attack.

"Today we won a difficult game and it was all about the victory," said Bayern coach Niko Kovac.

"We had problems in the first half and at the end of the day it was a set piece that decided this game. We had also worked very hard in Liverpool in midweek and the lads now deserve two days' rest. Overall I am satisfied with the performance."

Bayern's Joshua Kimmich almost scored an own goal when he attempted to clear a Davie Selke effort on the line only to mis-hit the ball, which luckily rolled wide, in the 57th.

Five minutes after Hertha's biggest chance, however, Spaniard Martinez headed the hosts in front from a James Rodriguez corner to settle their nerves.

Hertha were left with 10 men when Karim Rekik lost his temper and hit striker Robert Lewandowski in the 84th minute following a challenge outside the Hertha box.

There was also bad news for Bayern, with winger Kingsley Coman, recently recovered from an ankle injury, being taken off with a suspected thigh injury nine minutes after coming on in the 58th.

"We will have to wait for further checks to see about Kingsley Coman," said Kovac. "I hope it is not too bad."

Third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach lost further ground in the title race with a 3-0 home loss to VfL Wolfsburg, their third straight game without a win that left them stuck on 43 points.

Schalke 04 slumped to a 3-0 defeat against Mainz 05, days after their spirited performance in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League, to remain in 14th and trigger the early departure of sports director Christian Heidel.

He informed the club after the loss that he would leave by the summer at the latest, a year ahead of his contract's end.