Louis van Gaal claims Manchester United will not be shackled at Old Trafford after they kept their patience to grind out a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

Van Gaal's side have found goals hard to come by of late and they initially found it difficult to break down an Albion team that defended in numbers.

AC Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic admitted they were lucky to escape with a point from a scoreless draw with Atalanta that prompted club owner and president Silvio Berlusconi to congratulate the visitors on Saturday.

Seven-time European champions Milan are one of several teams looking to clinch a coveted Champions League spot and have signaled their interest by winning their past three league games.

England manager Roy Hodgson has warned Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck they must prove their fitness if they are to be included in his squad for next year's European Championship.

Arsenal striker Welbeck has not played since April due to a knee injury, while a succession of thigh, calf, hip and knee problems has restricted Sturridge to 15 Liverpool starts since the beginning of last season.

Kenyan runner Jackson Limo won on Sunday the 13th edition of the Banque du Liban International Beirut Marathon.

He broke last year's record, clocking in at 2:11:05.

Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been placed under medical observation for stress, a spokesman told AFP on Friday.

Blatter, long the most powerful man in football, suffered a "medical incident" last weekend and had been placed under medical observation for 10 days, a Swiss radio station reported.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema received the backing of his club on Thursday, just hours after being charged in connection with a sex tape extortion case.

The 27-year-old was released by French prosecutors earlier in the day in a blackmail case involving a tape featuring fellow French international Mathieu Valbuena.

Jose Mourinho "will solve" Chelsea's current form slump, his agent has told the BBC.

The reigning English champions are a lowly 15th in the table after six defeats in 11 matches -- the worst start by defending title-holders in the Premier League era -- and have already been knocked out of the League Cup.

American women's star Carli Lloyd will take on Lionel Messi for the Puskas Award, the prize for the best goal of the year, world governing body FIFA said Friday.

National captain Lloyd scored a hat-trick as the United States defeated Japan 5-2 in July's World Cup final in Vancouver with one of the goals a spectacular lob from the center of the pitch.

France striker Karim Benzema has been charged with conspiracy to blackmail and participating in a criminal group as part of an investigation over a sex tape involving teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

The prosecutor's office says Benzema was charged after being brought before a judge on Thursday at the Versailles court. He faces a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Japan's three-time world champion Mao Asada will be the center of attention when she makes her long-awaited comeback to Grand Prix figure skating at this week's Cup of China in Beijing.

The 25-year-old known for her spectacular triple axels will skate her first Grand Prix event in two years after taking a sabbatical following her gold at the 2014 world championships.