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Tag: Epl

  • EPL: Kluivert’s hat-trick end Newcastle’s winning run

    EPL: Kluivert’s hat-trick end Newcastle’s winning run

    Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick as Bournemouth claimed a thoroughly deserved victory at St James’ Park to stretch their unbeaten Premier League run to 10 matches and wreck Newcastle’s own nine-match winning streak.

    The Magpies were hoping to set a new club record of 10 straight victories in all competitions, but struggled to replicate the form that had them tipped as title challengers.

    Bournemouth made the much brighter start and took a deserved sixth-minute lead when Kluivert coolly steered Antoine Semenyo’s cutback into the far corner.

    Newcastle equalised with their first real opportunity as Bruno Guimaraes rose highest to nod Lewis Hall’s 25th-minute corner past Kepa Arrizabalaga, who failed to keep the header out despite getting a hand to the ball.

    But the Cherries remained on top and led again a minute before the break, courtesy of another composed Kluivert finish, which came after Guimaraes had lost possession just outside his own box.

    The visitors thought they had made it 3-1 when Dango Ouattara prodded home from close range shortly after the hour mark, but the video assistant referee (VAR) spotted that Guimaraes’ clearance had gone out of play moments earlier and a corner was awarded instead.

    David Brooks was also denied by a sprawling Martin Dubravka save, but Kluivert completed his treble – his second of the season after a hat-trick of penalties against Wolves in November – with a spectacular drive into the far corner following a poor Anthony Gordon pass.

    Milos Kerkez rubbed more salt into Newcastle’s wounds in added time, sending a fierce left-footed drive into the far corner to the delight of the Cherries’ 1,700 travelling fans.

    Bournemouth are now just one point behind the fourth-placed Magpies in the table and will end the day in sixth if Aston Villa fail to beat Arsenal in Saturday’s late game.

    BBC

  • Amorim calls out four Man Utd players after victory

    Amorim calls out four Man Utd players after victory

    Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim was not afraid to lay into his players this week.

    The Portuguese has called out four of his stars, despite their 3-1 win over Southampton.

    United had to come from behind and leave it to the last 15 minutes of the game to seal the three points, thanks to three Amad Diallo goals.

    Post-game, Amorim name-checked Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes and Leny Yoro, stating to TNT: “It’s not just tiredness but playing in this stadium we lost the last three games here.

    “The pressure is different because we try to press the opponent in build up and you can feel the difficulties. Then Matheus (Fernandes) between the lines and (Tyler) Dibling between the lines created a lot of problems and we had difficulty to press high in the moment.

    “This team is not used to doing that. Then it seems like lack of enthusiasm. So Ugarte is late, Kobbie Mainoo is late, Bruno going outside, the ball is inside. Then one transition and Leny Yoro cannot catch the guy. These small things push the team behind and then we get nervous without the ball.

    “Then when you have one click, one goal, one opportunity – you feel the team can control the game. I want to be fair with my team. Today was not a lack of enthusiasm, it was a lack of speed and sometimes lack of control of the game.”

    Tribalfootball

  • Nottingham Forest open surprise EPL title challenge

    Nottingham Forest open surprise EPL title challenge

    Nottingham Forest opened the door to a surprise Premier League title challenge after a sixth win in a row with a 3-0 victory at Wolverhampton.

    A brilliant season under Nuno Espirito Santo continued at Molineux thanks to first-half goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi’s strike at the death.

    It meant they racked up six top-flight wins for the first time since 1979 when Brian Clough was in charge.

    Nuno could be about to rekindle the magic Clough produced as Forest moved six points behind leaders Liverpool, who visit the City Ground next week in a titanic clash.

    It was an especially good night for former Wolves player Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who gave watching England manager Thomas Tuchel food for thought with a goal and an assist respectively.

    Wolves, missing talisman Matheus Cunha, remain in trouble at the other end of the table, losing under new boss Vitor Pereira for the first time, with three missed chances in the first half proving costly.

  • Arteta reacts as Arsenal win first match of 2025 to close gap on Liverpool

    Arteta reacts as Arsenal win first match of 2025 to close gap on Liverpool

    Arsenal showed they can cope without the injured Bukayo Saka as they began the year in style by recovering from an early sucker-punch to beat Brentford 3-1 away from home.

    The result ensured that they moved back into second place in the English Premier League on Wednesday.

    Forward Saka, arguably Arsenal’s most influential player this season, has been ruled out for at least two months after hamstring surgery, dealing a blow to the club’s title hopes.

    A visit to a Brentford side who have been impressive at home this season felt like a must-win game for Arsenal.

    However, things began badly as Bryan Mbeumo gave his side a 13th minute lead with the home side’s first attack.

    Arsenal did not panic, though, and Gabriel Jesus continued his recent resurgence to equalise before halftime.

    Mikel Arteta’s side came out firing in the second half and Mikel Merino put them ahead five minutes after the restart after Brentford failed to deal with a corner.

    Three minutes later Gabriel Martinelli produced a clinical volleyed finish to put Arsenal in complete control.

    The victory lifted Arsenal above Chelsea and Nottingham Forest with 39 points from 19 games with leaders Liverpool on 45 from 18.

    Injury-hit Brentford’s second home defeat of the season left them in 12th spot with 24 points from 19 games.

    Defeat would have left Arsenal nine points behind Liverpool, who also have a game in hand, but the way they reacted to going behind suggests they can still be a factor in the title race.

    Arteta will also have been impressed with 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri after handing him a first Premier League start.

    “I think the team showed a lot of composure. To keep insisting, keep attacking them,” Arteta, whose side are unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions, said.

    “We can only win our next match and see what happens. It’s not in our hands, but what is in our hands we need to make sure we do it.”

    Arsenal did not lose a London derby in 2024 and have started off in similar fashion.

    They were caught cold, though, when Brentford burst forward in the 13th minute and Mbeumo was given too much space to cut in from the right and fire a shot past David Raya.

    Raya was almost left red-faced soon after when he allowed a Mbeumo shot to burst through his gloves but he managed to race back and claw the ball off the line.

    It proved a pivotal moment as less than a minute later Brentford were guilty of failing to clear the ball and it eventually arrived for Thomas Partey to fire a shot that was parried by Mark Flekken and Jesus dived to head in the rebound.

    It was the Brazilian’s sixth goal in his last four games for Arsenal in all competitions, as many as in his previous 48 games for the club.

    “I keep working and everyone at the club can tell how I work every day, not just me but everyone. I don’t give up and it is not easy to play for a big club like Arsenal,” Jesus said.

    Arsenal’s efficiency from set-pieces was evident again early in the second half when a corner caused chaos in the area and Merino was able to fire home a loose ball.

    Martinelli gave the visitors breathing space with a superb finish when the ball came out to him on the edge of the box.

  • Guardiola’s Man City celebrates landmark win over Leicester

    Guardiola’s Man City celebrates landmark win over Leicester

    Manchester City ended their five-game winless run as Pep Guardiola celebrated victory in his 500th game in charge with a 2-0 win at Leicester City on Sunday.

    Savinho’s first-half goal and an Erling Haaland header after the break earned a much-needed three points for the faltering champions at the King Power Stadium.

    It was just their second Premier League victory since the end of October, but the frailties of the last two months – where they lost nine of their previous 13 matches – were still on show.

    Leicester provided a stern test and might feel they could have got something out of the match as Facundo Buonanotte hit the post and Jamie Vardy missed a key chance at 1-0 down.

    While their title challenge is probably over, sitting 11 points behind leaders Liverpool who play later on Sunday.

    City moved back in touch with the top four and will hope this can be a stepping stone to a full revival.

    The Foxes have now lost four in a row and their bounce under new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy was restricted to two games as they remain in the relegation zone.

  • Liverpool hammer West Ham to go eight points clear

    Liverpool hammer West Ham to go eight points clear

    Liverpool thrashed West Ham United 5-0 at the London Stadium to stretch their Premier League lead to eight points on Sunday with Mohamed Salah once again in irrepressible form.

    The Egyptian has been enjoying a vintage season despite uncertainty over a new contract and scored once and provided two assists as Liverpool dismantled the hammers at their London home.

    He now has 20 goals in all competitions this season and appears to be firing Liverpool towards a 20th league title in Dutchman Arne Slot’s first season in charge.

    Liverpool have 45 points from 18 games with surprise package Nottingham Forest their closest pursuers with 37 points having played a game more.

    Fourth-placed Chelsea could cut the gap to seven on Sunday when they take on struggling Ipswich Town.

    Surprisingly, Liverpool were unable to make their superiority count over in the opening stage.

    But once Luis Diaz swept a shot past home keeper Alphonse Areola after the ball rebounded kindly into his path after 30 minutes there was no stopping Slot’s men.

    West Ham might point to a Mohammed Kudus shot that rattled the post when it was 1-0 but they were never really in it.

    Salah showed great footwork to tee up Cody Gakpo to make it 2-0 in the 40th minute and was then played in by Curtis Jones to effectively end the contest just before the interval.

    Liverpool throttled back after the break but still carved out several chances and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shot deflected off the head of Max Kilman to make it 4-0 in the 54th minute.

    Slot made a raft of substitutions in the second half but Salah stayed on to torment West Ham and produced a mazy dribble before releasing Jota to curl in the fifth in the 84th minute.

    Some of the few West Ham fans who remained at the end booed at the final whistle but Liverpool, as they have been since the start of the season, were simply too good.

  • Manchester United slump to heavy Bournemouth loss

    Manchester United slump to heavy Bournemouth loss

    Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United staggered into Christmas on the back of a chastening 3-0 Premier League loss at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.

    A year on from securing their first victory at Old Trafford, Andoni Iraola’s impressive Cherries triumphed by the same scoreline as they inflicted the biggest blow of the Portuguese head coach’s short reign.

    Dean Huijsen became the latest player to capitalise on United’s lax set-piece defending to score the opener.

    Justin Kluivert penalty and Antoine Semenyo strike sealed a stunning win that brought boos from the home fans at full-time.

    The result leaves the Red Devils marooned in 13th and marked an alarming drop in performance and spirit from last Sunday’s 2-1 derby win at Manchester City. Meanwhile, Bournemouth soared to fifth.

  • Rampant Liverpool devour Tottenham in 9-goal thriller

    Rampant Liverpool devour Tottenham in 9-goal thriller

    Rampant Liverpool hit Tottenham Hotspur for six to ensure they hold a four-point advantage at the Premier League summit come Christmas.

    The Reds produced a masterful attacking display in north London with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah on target twice in a 6-3 victory.

    It was a thoroughly-deserved success for Arne Slot’s men and made it 21 wins in 25 matches since the Dutch coach replaced Jürgen Klopp this summer.

    Spurs – who had eight players missing – could not reach the energy levels of a midweek League Cup quarter-final triumph over Manchester United.

    The London side were 5-1 down at one point before they rallied, but Ange Postecoglou’s side remain 11th after an eight league loss of the season.

    This was a dress rehearsal ahead of the League Cup semi-finals, but Liverpool were already assured of top spot at Christmas after Chelsea’s goalless draw at Everton earlier in the day.

  • EPL: Man City crisis deepens in Villa defeat

    EPL: Man City crisis deepens in Villa defeat

    Manchester City’s crisis intensified as they slipped to another damaging defeat at Aston Villa.

    Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers goals meant Phil Foden’s late reply for the visitors was little consolation.

    Defending champions City have dropped to sixth in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Liverpool having played two games more, while Villa have moved above them into fifth.

    It is now nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions for City, who are winless in their last eight away matches, as their season continues to spiral downwards.

    Guardiola made six changes from the Manchester derby defeat last week but it made little difference during another laboured performance.

    Villa, who had won just three of their previous 11 top-flight games, earned a much-needed victory, one which keeps their top-four hopes firmly alive.

    They were rarely troubled, although Emi Martinez saved well from Foden in the first half, and Villa continually found ways past City’s frail backline.

    The tone was set inside the first minute as City needed Stefan Ortega, in for the injured Ederson, to twice bail them out.

    He brilliantly turned Pau Torres’ header on to the bar, the goalkeeper clawing the ball out from almost over the line, having already saved from Duran following Josko Gvardiol’s mistake after just 15 seconds.

    Worse was to come after 16 minutes when City were sliced open by Youri Tielemans’ brilliant through-ball. He found Rogers to advance and unselfishly square for Duran to beat Ortega.

    City were unable to respond until it was too late and Rogers, who spent two years at Etihad Stadium without making a senior City appearance, sealed victory for Villa with a fine low finish after 65 minutes, making Foden’s injury-time strike meaningless.

    BBC

  • EPL: Brentford a difficult test – Chelsea boss, Maresca

    EPL: Brentford a difficult test – Chelsea boss, Maresca

    Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expects a massive test today against Brentford.

    Maresca admits he’s an admirer of Thomas Frank’s work with the Bees.

    “I don’t know (Thomas Frank) personally but I’ve known about him and his team for many years,” Maresca said ahead of tonight’s clash.

    “He is doing a fantastic job, the way they achieve points, the way they play, the style they have, it is top, fantastic.

    “So it’s difficult and, as I said after Tottenham, we will need our fans behind us because it will be a very tough game, one that can be decided by tiny details. We will need to pay attention.

    “The good thing about Brentford is they can play in many different styles, they don’t have one way to play. They can play with a back four, a back five, or a back four making a back five with one of the wingers. So it’s quite complicated and we will have to try to do our best (to win).”