Tottenham Hotspur secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over lowly London rivals West Ham United thanks to a deft first-half finish from Erik Lamela in their Premier League derby on Saturday. Spurs took the lead just before the break with a glancing header from Argentine Lamela into the far corner of the net after a dribble and cross by Moussa Sissoko from the right. Tottenham had another chance before the break at a packed London Stadium but central defender Davinson Sanchez’s low shot was well blocked by West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. The home side almost equalised three minutes into the…
Author: David Folami
Pep Guardiola said he had no concerns about starting Riyad Mahrez in Manchester City’s 5-0 victory over Burnley despite his penalty miss in the goalless draw at Liverpool. Mahrez retained his place in the starting XI and scored a delightful 20-yard goal as City maintained their lead at the top of the Premier League. “He played so good at Anfield, that’s why I decided to play him again,” Guardiola told a news conference. “It was not easy playing there with a lot of personality, football can happen but only takers can miss penalties. “He scored an incredible goal [against Burnley],…
Champions Manchester City took over sole control at the top of the Premier League with an easy 5-0 win over Burnley, a seventh win from their opening nine games. Unbeaten City took the lead in the 17th minute when Sergio Aguero slotted home from close range after clever play from Leroy Sane and David Silva for his seventh goal in seven games against Burnley. City should have doubled their lead just before the break but Burnley keeper Joe Hart, facing his former club for the first time, produced a superb one-handed save to keep out a David Silva header and…
After the embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Levante at the Bernabeu, the final whistle was followed immediately by prolonged whistles from those angry supporters still left inside the half-empty stadium and traditional white handkerchief protest calling for the sacking of coach Julen Lopetegui. Lopetegui has lost five games in all competitions since taking over this summer — including the past three in a row — and has presided over the club’s second-worst goal drought of 481 minutes, broken only by Marcelo’s consolation vs. Levante following Jose Luis Morales’ opener and a penalty from Roger Marti. At the postmatch news conference, the…
Unai Emery has revealed he wanted to sign Alexandre Lacazette at Paris Saint-Germain, and has urged the striker to take his game to another level this season. Emery isn’t surprised by the French striker’s productivity, though, and said he felt Lacazette was good enough to be part of PSG’s high-powered attack when he took over the club in 2016 — but the complicated relationship between rivals PSG and Lyon made a deal impossible. “The first year when I arrived in Paris, we were thinking about signing Lacazette. We liked his quality and his characteristics also at PSG. And all the…
Chelsea came within seconds of losing to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge because they stopped playing their football after 60 minutes, according to head coach Maurizio Sarri. The result preserves Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season, but Sarri admitted his team were fortunate to escape defeat after resorting to a more direct style of play following Martial’s equaliser. “I want to play every game for three points,” Sarri told a news conference. “Today I was happy with the performance for 60 minutes because for 60 minutes we played our football. Then after it was 1-1 we didn’t play…
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 400 goals in Europe’s top five leagues as Juventus dropped points for the first time this season following a 1-1 Serie A draw with Genoa on Saturday. The Portuguese striker’s fifth league goal for Juve carried him to the milestone, adding to his 84 strikes for Manchester United in the Premier League and 311 for Real Madrid in La Liga. Ronaldo put Juventus ahead in the 18th minute during a dominant first half, but sloppy defending from the hosts allowed Daniel Bessa to draw Genoa level after the break and end Juve’s…
Thierry Henry saw his AS Monaco side slump to a sixth Ligue 1 defeat in 10 games as they lost 2-1 away to Strasbourg in his first game in charge on Saturday, with Samuel Grandsir sent off in the second half. Appointed a week ago following the sacking of Leonardo Jardim, Henry took over a side rooted in the relegation zone with six points from their opening 10 league games, as well as two Champions League defeats. As a player Henry spent five years at Monaco, winning the league in 1997, and though the 41-year-old took an assistant coaching role…
Mohamed Salah said he has not been “worried” by his recent lack of goals after he scored the winner in Liverpool’s tense 1-0 victory at Huddersfield Town on Saturday. Salah ended a four-game run without finding the back of the net as he clinically finished in the 24th minute against David Wagner’s relegation-threatened side. And the Egyptian’s 50th goal in English football handed Liverpool a vital three points as they keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. “I’m not worried, I’m not worried,” he told BT Sport when asked about his barren spell. “For me,…
Mauricio Pochettino admits he hoped to freshen up his squad in the summer, but says Tottenham’s top targets were unaffordable and that it was senseless to sign players they didn’t want. Chairman Daniel Levy said Spurs’ lack of transfer activity was unrelated to the rising cost of the new stadium, and Pochettino maintains there was money to spend — but not enough to bring in the players who could make a genuine impact. “You know the market and you know you’re going to compete with different clubs,” said the manager. “Maybe you have money. But how much? “Let’s say I…
The international break has not been kind to Liverpool as several key players reported back with injuries varying in severity. The biggest concern surrounds Naby Keita, who will undergo a scan on his hamstring after limping out of Guinea’s midweek international with Rwanda. Keita had also been forced off early in Liverpool’s recent defeat at Napoli after suffering a back spasm. The Merseysiders can only hope the two issues are not linked as they can ill afford to lose him right now given the lack of goals and creativity provided by their midfield so far this season. For the first…
Usain Bolt has a “good chance” of being signed on a permanent deal by the Central Coast Mariners and the Jamaican’s lack of experience could be his key to earning a professional contract, former Australia international Mark Schwarzer has said. Bolt’s much-publicised efforts to earn a professional football contract are in a state of limbo as the opening weekend of A-League action gets under way, with the Mariners yet to make a decision on his future following his trial. But a deal in Australia very much remains a possibility. “I think he’s got a good chance, purely because he’s been…
Luis Suarez and Sergi Roberto are fit for Barcelona’s triple-header against Sevilla, Inter Milan and Real Madrid this week but they still have problems in the middle of defence. Samuel Umtiti remains sidelined for the foreseeable future with a knee problem, while Thomas Vermaelen will miss the next six weeks with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty with Belgium. That leaves coach Ernesto Valverde with Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet as his only fit centre-backs as Barca prepare for the biggest week of their season so far. Following four winless games in La Liga, which has seen them…
After the turmoil that dominated the days leading up to the international break, attempts have been made to clear the air at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground. There has been serious discussion among chief figures, in hopes of resetting the season and removing the cloud that has enveloped the club. From club officials to the manager, players and beyond, reputations have been battered due to the team’s poor form, which has seen them lose three of their opening eight Premier League games and suffer elimination at the hands of Championship side Derby in the Carabao Cup. If things do not…
Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri admits that Jose Mourinho’s trophies won mark him out as the better coach, but warned that he is every bit as driven by winning as the Manchester United manager. Mourinho has won 20 major trophies over the course of a remarkable career in management, including Champions League triumphs with Porto and Inter Milan and seven league titles across four different countries, though a torrid start to the Premier League season has put his future at Old Trafford in serious doubt. In contrast, Sarri — a relatively late bloomer in elite management after working his way…
Diego Maradona’s orthopedic surgeon says the Argentina football great has no cartilage left in his knees due to severe osteoarthritis and will need prostheses. German Ochoa also said Friday that the 57-year-old Maradona must decide if he wants to have surgery. Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title. He became the new coach of Mexican second-tier club Dorados de Sinaloa last month. He has been recently seen walking with difficulty due to the osteoarthritis which has affected him for several years. “The bones are rubbing against each other,” Ochoa told Argentina’s TyC Sports channel. “[The osteoarthritis] is very…
Pep Guardiola has said it was tough to replace Joe Hart as Manchester City’s first choice because he was an “incredible goalkeeper,” but expects the 31-year-old to receive a warm welcome from fans on his return to the Etihad. Hart, 31, left for season-long loans at Torino and West Ham during Guardiola’s first two years, which the City boss described as his “toughest decision as a manager.” “I know how tough it was for the fans, for the people [when he left]. He was an incredible keeper and had incredible results here in the club. That’s why it’s not easy…
Jose Mourinho would “love” to sign Eden Hazard for Manchester United, but admits it is unlikely Chelsea would ever allow the Belgian to move to Old Trafford. Hazard was part of Mourinho’s title-winning Chelsea team in 2015 and last week listed the Portuguese coach as the manager he would most like to play for again. The forward, who has scored eight goals in 10 games this season, is yet to sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid. “I would love to have him in Manchester United but I don’t think…
Mauricio Pochettino has said Eric Dier’s tackle on Sergio Ramos during this week’s UEFA Nations League clash exemplified the aggression and attitude he wants to see from his players as Tottenham prepare for Saturday’s London derby at West Ham. England travelled to Seville to face Spain on Monday, and Dier raced into his opponents’ box in the 11th minute to make a crunching sliding challenge on the hosts’ captain. The 24-year-old was shown a yellow card but his pugnacity set the tone for a 3-2 victory, and Pochettino said: “The tackle was nice, it was good. He touched the ball.…
Nasir El-Rufai has vowed to deal with those involved in the Kasuwan Magani crisis. The Kaduna state Governor said this after an assessment visit to the area. El-Rufai said “the prosecution of conflict entrepreneurs” involved in the crisis and other crises in the “is inevitable” while calling on all parties to “value the sanctity of life and cooperate with the security agencies” to fish out perpetrators. “We must live in peace and never use violence to solve a problem. We are not happy with this and government will pursue and punish those responsible for this devilish act.” Also speaking on…