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Tag: Epl

  • Mourinho’s Tottenham go top of Premier League

    Mourinho’s Tottenham go top of Premier League

    Tottenham moved to the top of the Premier League thanks to Harry Kane 88th-minute winner against a resilient West Brom at The Hawthorns.

    The England captain glanced his header past Sam Johnstone from Matt Doherty’s floated delivery.

    Spurs had struggled to create chances in the match against a stubborn Baggies backline.

    The home side went close to scoring when Karlan Grant’s header was brilliantly saved by Hugo Lloris.

    Before the game, West Brom announced that defender Branislav Ivanovic and midfielder Matheus Pereira had both tested positive for Covid-19.

    Manager Slaven Bilic said the club received the results last week and the pair are under going a period of 10 days in self-isolation.

  • Round 7 EPL Review, By Osayande Ero

    Round 7 EPL Review, By Osayande Ero

    By Osayande Ero

    The weekend’s fixtures started with Wolves hosting Crystal Palace at the Molineux. It started out a cagey affair until teenager Rayan Ait Nouri, opened the scoring for the Home side in the 18th minute with a lovely strike. Wolves continued to mount pressure on their opponents and in the 27th minute they doubled their lead with Daniel Podence slotting in after good work from Pedro Neto. The match continued with Wolves controlling the tempo of the game and coasting to a routine home win to kick off the weekend’s fixtures.

     

    Saturday’s early kick-off saw Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side see off the challenge of a struggling Sheffield United by a lone goal scored by former Sheffield academy graduate, Kyle Walker. In other fixtures, Chelsea won away at Burnley running out 3-0 winners with goals from Hakim Ziyech, Kurt Zouma, and Timo Werner respectively. Liverpool saw off a spirited West Ham team 2-1 at Ainfield. Pablo Fornals had given West Ham an early lead but goals from Mo Sallah and Diogo Jota made sure Klopp’s men went away with three points.

     

    Sunday’s fixtures kicked off with Aston Villa hosting Southampton at Villa park. The saints came out firing and were deservedly three up at halftime with goals from Jannik Vestergaard and a brace from James Ward-Prowse. The saints made it 4-0 in the 58th minute with Danny Ings on the score sheet. Villa tried mounting a comeback but being down four goals left them with too much work to do. They however made it a more respectable score line with goals from Tyrone Mings, Ollie Watkins and Jack Grealish with the saints coming away with a 4-3 victory. Newcastle United hosted Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton side at St James Park. Everton were missing several key players with Seamus Coleman and James Rodriguez sidelined through injury; also Lucas Digne and Richarlison missing due to suspensions from red card offences.

     

    The match didn’t come alive until the second-half when the home side were awarded a penalty in the 54th minute and it was expertly dispatched by Callum Wilson. Wilson would bag his brace in the 84th minute after fine work on the left flank by substitute, Ryan Fraser. Dominic Calvert-Lewin pulled a goal back for Everton in the 91st minute but the home side was able to hold out to secure all three points.

     

    In what was the standout fixture of the weekend, Manchester United played host to Arsenal at Old Trafford. The game was a milestone moment for United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, marking his 100th game in charge of the Red devils. But the gunners came determined to spoil Ole’s landmark moment and were the better team from the kick-off. It stayed goalless until the 69th minute when Paul Pogba brought down Arsenal right back, Hector Bellerin in the box giving away a penalty. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted the spot kick to give Arsenal a deserved lead. United was not able to mount a reasonable comeback as the gunners got their first win at Old trafford in the premier league since 2006. The late kick-off on Sunday saw Jose Mourinho’s Spurs team host Brighton. Spurs were awarded a 12th minute penalty after Adam Lallana fouled Harry Kane. Kane stepped up to dispatch the penalty to give his side an early lead.

     

    Brighton got their equalizer in the 56th minute with Tariq Lamptey finishing off a free -flowing attack. The goal was subject to a lengthy VAR check for a foul on Spurs midfielder, Pierre -Emile Hojbjerg in the build-up to the Brighton goal. It looked like an obvious foul but referee Graham Scott, after watching the replay on the pitch side monitor, decided against canceling the goal. But spurs would not be denied as substitute Gareth Bale put his team back in front in the 73rd minute with a lovely header. This is his first goal since his return to the club after spending seven years at Real Madrid. Spurs would see out the victory and claim three vital points.

     

    The first of the two Monday fixtures was between two of the promoted sides, Fulham hosting West Brom at Craven Cottage; both sides struggling for points after very poor starts to the season. It was Fulham which came out on top with goals from Bobby Reid and Ola Aina in the 26th and 30th minute with both goals assisted by Aleksandar Mitrovic. The last match of the game-week saw Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side host Leicester City at Elland Road; Brendan Rodgers side ran out the blocks and were 2-0 up at halftime with goals from Harvey Barnes and Youri Telemans in the 3rd and 21st minute. Leeds pulled one back early in the second-half through Stuart Dallas, but goals from Jamie Vardy in the 76th minute, and a second from Telemans in the 90th minute, saw Leicester run away 4-1 winners in what was a truly impressive outing.

     

    So we end round seven of the season with Liverpool sitting tops with 16pts after seven games. Leicester, Spurs, and Everton, round up the top four with 15, 14, and 13 points respectively after seven games. Manchester United is down in 15th position with seven points from six games with the reds having a game in hand. Burnley sit bottom of the table with one point from their opening six games. Sheffield United and West Brom occupy the last two relegation spots with one and three points from their opening seven games.

  • EPL: Lampard reveals full extent of Pulisic injury

    EPL: Lampard reveals full extent of Pulisic injury

    Frank Lampard has revealed the full extent of Christian Pulisic’s injury ahead of Chelsea’s midweek encounter with Rennes.

    Pulisic missed Chelsea’s first five games of the 2020-21 campaign with a hamstring issue, but has gradually worked his way back into the team since making his return from the bench in a 4-0 Premier League victory against Crystal Palace on October 3.

    The 22-year-old has made four more appearances since then, and was initially named in Lampard starting XI for a trip to Burnley on Saturday.

    Lampard has now confirmed that Pulisic will miss the Blues’ latest Champions League outing at home to Rennes on Wednesday after being struck down with another hamstring problem, but hasn’t ruled out the possibility of him being available again in time for a meeting with Sheffield United at the weekend.

    “Christian had a scan yesterday that showed a very, very minor injury to his hamstring, very minor. So he’s already back outside. He won’t be fit tomorrow, but we’ll see after that,” the 42-year-old told a press conference.

    “It is obviously a relief for the injury to be minor. He made the right decision in not attempting to play the game, because he could have made it worse. So it’s clearly a relief that he will be back very soon, because he’s an important player for us.

    “With the actual muscle injuries, it’s a hard one to call, it’s forever going to be a challenge, some players that play on the edge, have such speed and acceleration in their game, maybe they can be more susceptible.

    “I don’t think that’s a one-size-fits-all answer, because it’s different for everybody. From last season we were looking at ways of managing Christian and looking at ways of being proactive in not hopefully getting so many injuries, I know that’s something he’s experienced previously in his career at Dortmund as well.

    “So we’re all working in the same direction on that one, to try to get him to be as fit as regularly as possible, because we all know his talent.”

    Goal

     

  • Arsenal new star named EPL best signing of the summer

    Arsenal new star named EPL best signing of the summer

    Ex-Arsenal star, Paul Merson, has named Thomas Partey as the “number one” signing made by any Premier League club over the summer.

    Partey joined the Gunners from Atlético Madrid after they triggered his £45 million release clause.

    The Ghanaian impressed on his debut – a 2-1 Europa League win over Rapid Vienna and produced an excellent midfield display as they beat Manchester United in his second Premier League start.

    While Merson refused to get carried away by the victory at Old Trafford, he heaped praise on Partey for his “massive” display.

    “They beat a terribly, terribly poor Manchester United team on the day. They’ve done a job, we’ve seen them lose those games over the last five or six years.

    “But I think Partey’s a massive, massive difference. I mean, what a signing.

    “When you talk about signings in the summer, he’s got to be number one. I cannot believe, without being horrible here, that Arsenal got him,” Merson said on Sky Sports.

  • 4 positive in latest COVID-19 tests in EPL

    4 positive in latest COVID-19 tests in EPL

    The Premier League in England said on Monday that four people have returned positive results in its latest round of COVID-19 tests conducted on players and staff last week.

    The league said the individuals who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus would now self-isolate for 10 days.

    “The Premier League can today confirm that between Monday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, 1,446 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19,” the league said in a statement.

    “Of these, there were four new positive tests.”

    A total of 48 people have tested positive for the virus in nine rounds of testing since the new league campaign began in September.

    The UK government has allowed Premier League football and other elite sports to continue without spectators during the four-week lockdown from Thursday.

    There have been more than a million COVID-19 infections and over 46,000 deaths in the UK, according to a Reuters tally.

  • EPL: Solskjaer slams Man Utd players after Arsenal defeat

    EPL: Solskjaer slams Man Utd players after Arsenal defeat

    Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was highly critical of his players after Sunday’s loss to Arsenal.

    The Red Devils looked completely flat as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s second-half penalty was enough to seperate the two sides.

    The loss leaves United languishing in 15th after seven matches, and their manager was not a happy man after the game.

    “In the first half, we never turned up,” Solskjaer said. “The intensity, the tempo wasn’t there, the shape – they were better than us and created a couple of half-decent chances.

    “In the second half, they didn’t look like they were going to score, apart from the penalty. So we played better in the second half but still we have to turn up with more intensity.”

    On why his team didn’t perform, Solskjaer added: “There are many reasons. Of course, but it might be a reason when you play well and you think you take your foot off the pedal.

    “But that’s not how it works because this was a big game and they’re a very good team. You have to be absolutely spot-on with everything. When you’re late in the tackle, they get away from you and you give a foul away. We weren’t at the races.”

  • Man Utd twenty years away from winning EPL – Giggs

    Man Utd twenty years away from winning EPL – Giggs

    Wales coach Ryan Giggs believes Manchester United are still 20 years away from winning the Premier League title.

    United have not won the top-flight since legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out in 2013.

    Asked if United could mirror Liverpool’s title drought, Giggs replied: “Yes, 100 per cent. It could be 15, 20 years before you know it, especially if (Jurgen) Klopp and (Pep) Guardiola stick around.

    “They have got the resources and the players so we have Liverpool to look at where the last time when they won it in 1990 they thought we’ll win it again soon.

    “Even Klopp took four and a half years for him to win it – it takes a long time. You have to think about what Klopp did.

    “He improved the team every season or won a trophy like the Champions League and then you saw the improvement so the pressure was off a little bit.

    “Every manager and signing is seen as that he will win us the league and it’s not like that.”

    The United legend is adamant Liverpool remain their major rivals.

    Giggs, speaking on the Greatest Game Podcast, said: “The best feeling I always had was leaving Anfield after winning even if Liverpool weren’t the best side at the time.

    “I played for Salford boys and our toughest games were always against Bootle, Liverpool, Kirkby, Sefton.

    “As soon as you went down the East Lancs it was a mindset it’s going to be a tough game and a test of not just your footballing ability but also your mental strength.”

  • Wolves beat Crystal Palace to climb to third in EPL

    Wolves beat Crystal Palace to climb to third in EPL

    Wolverhampton Wanderers moved up to third in the English Premier League (EPL) after beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on Friday.

    It was all thanks to goals from on-loan teenage wingback Rayan Ait-Nouri and Daniel Podence.

    France under-21 international Ait-Nouri gave the hosts the lead in the 18th minute after latching on to a clearance and driving a bouncing shot into the far corner.

    It was his first goal in senior football on his Premier League debut.

    Wolves midfielder Leander Dendoncker then hit the post with a powerful shot before Portuguese winger Podence made it 2-0.

    He met Pedro Neto’s cross from the right with a superb cushioned volley in the 27th minute.

    Crystal Palace had several VAR decisions go against them, with a Michy Batshuayi goal disallowed and a penalty kick award overturned, both for offside.

    Wolves substitute Adama Traore had a great chance to put the game out of reach in the 83rd minute.

    But he fired a powerful shot straight at CrystalPalace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita who parried it away to safety.

    Crystal Palace suffered a further setback when Luka Milivojevic was given his marching orders in the 87th minute after a review showed a nasty foul on Joao Moutinho.

    The win puts Wolves on 13 points from seven games.

    They trail leaders Everton and second-placed Liverpool on goal difference.

    Crystal Palace are ninth on 10 points.

    Podence, whose only other league goal for Wolves also came at home to Crystal Palace, praised fellow goalscorer Ait-Nouri.

    The player joined on a season-long loan, with the Midlands club having an option to buy, from Ligue 1 Angers earlier this month.

    “He has a great left foot. He has a lot of quality.

    “He showed everyone what he can do (and) we are here to help him,” Podence said, adding that Wolves would not be getting carried away by their lofty league position.

    “We play game-by-game. We are improving since the first game. We had a difficult pre-season. We can do better, and we are trying to be perfect,” he added.

  • EPL: Southampton end Everton’s unbeaten record

    EPL: Southampton end Everton’s unbeaten record

    The last remaining unbeaten record of the Premier League season was ended as leaders Everton crashed to defeat against an impressive Southampton at St Mary’s.

    James Ward-Prowse beat Jordan Pickford with a ferocious finish before Che Adams doubled the lead with the help of a deflection, Danny Ings involved in both goals.

    Stand-in skipper Gylfi Sigurdsson struck the bar from 20 yards when the game was goalless, but the visitors struggled to seriously test keeper Alex McCarthy and finished the game with 10 men.

    Full-back Lucas Digne was shown a straight red card after a nasty challenge on Kyle Walker-Peters, the second successive game in which Everton have had a player sent off after Richarlison’s dismissal in last week’s Merseyside derby.

  • EPL: Southampton earn late point at Chelsea

    EPL: Southampton earn late point at Chelsea

    Jannik Vestergaard headed in a dramatic injury-time equaliser as Southampton pegged back Chelsea to claim a point in a Premier League thriller at Stamford Bridge.

    Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side looked to be heading for defeat but Danish defender Vestergaard was in the right place to flick home a Theo Walcott shot from the edge of the area.

    Chelsea were in control at 2-0 up through two superb Timo Werner goals – the first courtesy of a sublime dummy which bamboozled Jan Bednarek before drilling in, and the second as he lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and nodded home.

    When it looked like the hosts were cruising, Southampton hit back as Danny Ings went round keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to finish and Che Adams punished dire Chelsea defending to smash home an equaliser.

    The Blues responded just 121 seconds later with Werner sliding the ball across the box for compatriot Kai Havertz to convert an easy finish which seemed to be the winner, but Vestergaard’s late effort sealed a draw.

    BBC