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English Premier League News and Updates

Leicester City 0 – 3 Newcastle United

Newcastle United cruised past Leicester City with three first-half goals to claim a sixth consecutive Premier League win and move up to second in the table.

Chris Wood kickstarted a dominant performance by smashing the opener from the penalty spot before Miguel Almiron glided past the Leicester defence to tuck away the second.

Joelinton headed the third from a Kieran Trippier corner for his second goal of the season as the Magpies demonstrated the clinical edge that the hosts were missing.

With England midfielder James Maddison out of the Leicester squad, as he continues to recover from a knee issue sustained before the World Cup, Brendan Rodgers’ side was toothless in attack.

Jamie Vardy was introduced off the bench to add pace to the Foxes’ attack in the second half, and he managed to get in down the side on a couple of occasions but there was no blue shirt to meet his crosses.

The Magpies are four points behind leaders Arsenal, who have played two fewer games. Leicester – who registered just two tame efforts on target in the final 10 minutes – remain 13th.

Newcastle was the form team in the Premier League before the World Cup break, having recorded successive wins over Everton, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Southampton and Chelsea.

England forward Callum Wilson was missing from the matchday squad because of illness, but the match could not have started better for the visitors as Joelinton was brought down inside the area by a swipe of Daniel Amartey’s leg with only a minute on the clock.

Wood drilled the ball down the middle to beat goalkeeper Danny Ward and open the scoring.

Leicester’s defence lacked intensity in the absence of the experienced Jonny Evans, and Almiron was the beneficiary for the second as he glided past the blue shirts to open up his body and find the far corner with a finish he practised so diligently in the warm-up.

The game was over as a contest before the interval when Joelinton was rewarded for his endeavour with a powerful headed goal as he completely lost marker Youri Tielemans.

Leicester failed to produce their first shot on target until the 82nd minute, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s tame effort failing to trouble goalkeeper Nick Pope.

The hosts will be hoping for playmaker Maddison to return from his knee injury quickly as they seek to move up the table in the weeks ahead.

But if Newcastle can keep up this run of form, they might just have cause to dream of a new year title push.

source – BBC

26/12/2022
Crystal Palace 0 – 3 Fulham

Goals from Bobby de Cordova-Reid, Tim Ream and Aleksandar Mitrovic inspired Fulham to victory over nine-man Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Dominant throughout, Marco Silva’s side were helped by Palace’s indiscipline in either half, which put a stop to their hopes of a fourth straight home win.

Tyrick Mitchell was shown a red card for a foul on Kenny Tete just three minutes after his side went behind, and James Tomkins followed him before the hour.

The result strengthens the visitors’ unlikely European push, as they sit in eighth, just two points off the top six.

Heading towards the half-hour mark, Palace, having struggled to impose themselves early on, almost took the lead.

Clever play by Michael Olise freed Jordan Ayew inside the area, but he saw his effort crash off the bar.

Fulham made them pay moments later when De Cordova-Reid headed the visitors into a deserved lead as Mitrovic pounced on slack play from Joachim Andersen before finding his team-mate with a pinpoint cross.

The hosts’ misery was compounded further when Mitchell was dismissed after Tete reached a loose ball first and was caught by the Palace man.

Any chance of a quick Palace resurgence were quashed 12 minutes after the break. Tomkins, on a booking, appeared to elbow Mitrovic off the ball, resulting in a second red card of the game.

Ream then reacted quickly to Mitrovic’s knock-down from a corner to double Fulham’s lead on 71 minutes.

Referee Andy Madley checked the VAR monitor for a potential handball against the Serb, only to stick with his original decision, before Mitrovic made it three 10 minutes from time.

source – BBC

26/12/2022
Southampton 1 – 3 Brighton

Adam Lallana scored against his former club as Brighton dealt Southampton boss Nathan Jones a 3-1 defeat on his first Premier League home game in charge at St Mary’s Stadium.

Southampton were booed off by their own supporters at half-time after a header by former captain Lallana and an own goal by left-back Romain Perraud heaped more misery on Jones’ relegation-threatened side.

Solly March then added a third for the Seagulls in the second half, thumping a shot into the top corner from 20 yards out that Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu had no chance of saving.

A penalty was awarded to Southampton in the 73rd minute after Samuel Edozie ran into Pascal Gross inside the area, and while Sanchez saved James Ward-Prowse’s initial effort, he could not keep out the headed rebound by the home skipper.

Southampton had come into the game on the back of Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup fourth round and they caused Brighton early problems when Moussa Djenepo’s cross was diverted out before a Ward-Prowse corner was punched to safety by Seagulls goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

The optimism faded, however, after Lallana found March out wide on the right and continued his run into the box, meeting the winger’s cross and guiding his header past Bazunu in the 14th minute.

Southampton fell further behind when Pervis Estupinan sent a low ball across goal which sent panic through the Saints defence. Perraud got there before March but the French defender could not adjust his feet and put the ball into his own net.

Saints stay 19th in the table, while Brighton move up to sixth before seventh-placed Liverpool take on Aston Villa at 17:30 GMT.

source – BBC

26/12/2022
Kane scores as Spurs fight back to draw with Brentford

England captain Harry Kane scored in the first Premier League match since the World Cup as Tottenham fought back from 2-0 down to draw with Brentford.

The Bees were on course for their first win over Spurs since 1948 after goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney, before Spurs netted twice in the last 25 minutes.

Kane, who scored one penalty and missed another in England’s 2-1 quarter-final loss to France, pulled one back in the 65th minute with an excellent header from Clement Lenglet’s cross.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg made it 2-2 with a curling finish six minutes later – and neither side was able to find a winner, with Kane heading a chance against the crossbar.

The hosts had taken a 15th-minute lead through Janelt’s close-range effort after goalkeeper Fraser Forster, in his first league start for Spurs, could only block the ball into his path following Mathias Jensen’s volley.

Brentford doubled their advantage as Toney grabbed his 11th league goal of the season, reacting quickest to tap in after Christian Norgaard had headed on a corner, but it was not enough.

Toney, 26, was appearing in his first game since being charged by the Football Association with 262 alleged betting breaches. He has until 4 January to respond to the charges.

The result leaves Spurs fourth in the table while Brentford are ninth before the 15:00 GMT kick-offs.

source – BBC

26/12/2022
Man Utd trigger contract extensions for Dalot, Shaw, Rashford and Fred

Manchester United have triggered one-year contract extensions for a quartet of first-team stars, including England’s Marcus Rashford.

Negotiations continue with goalkeeper David de Gea, whose deal is due to expire at the end of the season.

Last week, manager Erik ten Hag said United would be triggering options for Rashford, England’s Luke Shaw, Portugal defender Diogo Dalot and Brazil’s Fred.

All four players would have been free to leave Old Trafford in June.

However, De Gea’s case is different.

If United triggered an extension, it would be on the £375,000-a-week salary the club committed to when they last extended De Gea’s contract in 2019, when he became the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world.

The option for a shorter contract on reduced terms for the 32-year-old Spaniard has been raised.

Without an agreement by 1 January, De Gea, who earlier this season became the 11th player to make 500 appearances for United, will be able to agree on pre-contract terms with an overseas club.

source – BBC

20/12/2022
Roman Abramovich says he plans to sell Chelsea

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich says he is planning to sell the club.

In a statement on the Premier League club’s website, businessman Abramovich said it was an “incredibly difficult decision to make”, which “pains” him.

The Russian will not ask “for any loans to be repaid” and proceeds of the sale will be donated to war victims.

On Saturday, Abramovich said he would give “stewardship and care” of Chelsea to its foundation trustees following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

That led to speculation he would put the club up for sale and earlier on Wednesday, billionaire Hansjorg Wyss told Swiss newspaper, Blick, he had been offered the chance to buy the west London club.

Wyss said Abramovich wanted “to get rid of Chelsea quickly” after the threat of sanctions was raised in Parliament.

Abramovich, 55, is alleged to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he has denied.

He says “all net proceeds from the sale” will be donated to the “victims of the war in Ukraine”.

In his statement, Abramovich added: “I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart.

“In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club’s sponsors and partners.

“The sale of the club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid.

“I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated. The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine.”

BBC Sport understands that the trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation, who had not yet agreed to take control of the club, will no longer be asked to. Chelsea’s players were not told ahead of time about their owner’s statement, which was released less than an hour before the side’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Luton Town.

Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140m, and he says it has “never been about business nor money, but about pure passion for the game and club”.

Since his purchase of the club, Chelsea has been transformed, setting the template for how much finance was needed to compete at the top end of the Premier League.

In total, Abramovich has loaned the club more than £1.5bn, which has helped to bring great success.

Under his ownership, the club has won the Champions League twice, both the Premier League and FA Cup five times, the Europa League twice and the League Cup three times.

In August 2021, they won the Uefa Super Cup and in February won their first Club World Cup, meaning the Blues have won every major trophy possible since Abramovich took over at the club.

Other Russian billionaires have already been the subject of European Union sanctions where their assets have been frozen.

That has included Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who has commercial links to Everton.

The United Kingdom government is yet to sanction Abramovich or Usmanov, but Labour MP Chris Bryant said in Parliament on Tuesday that Abramovich was “terrified of being sanctioned which is why he is going to sell his home tomorrow [Wednesday], and another flat as well”.

On Wednesday, during Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour leader Keir Starmer asked why Abramovich was not facing sanctions, with Boris Johnson replying it was “not appropriate to comment on any individual cases at this stage”.

Wyss also said: “Abramovich is trying to sell all of his villas in England, he also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly.

“I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.”

A spokesperson for Abramovich declined to comment on those claims.

source – BBCSport

02/03/2022
Leeds United have names Jesse Marsch

Leeds United have named former RB Leipzig boss Jesse Marsch as their new head coach.

The 48-year-old has signed a deal at the Elland Road club until June 2025.

Marsch, who has also coached New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg, left the German club in December last year after a five-month spell.

The American will succeed Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, who was sacked on Sunday, once a work permit is finalised.

Leeds sit 16th in the Premier League table, two points above the relegation zone, after a run of heavy defeats.

“It’s something I’m really excited about,” Marsch said. “I know what a big club Leeds is, I know ex-players who have played here and I’ve watched this club from afar for many years and I’m really honoured and excited to be here.”

He added: “How [Bielsa] has helped transform Leeds United into a Premier League team is pretty amazing.

“For me, I just want to help take the torch to the next phase. Everything that has been done has laid an incredible foundation and, coming in at this moment, I want to do everything I can to take the club into the next stage of our history.”

Leeds United director of football Victor Orta said: “We are delighted to welcome Jesse to the club and excited for him to lead us into this new chapter.

“Jesse is someone we identified a number of years ago during his time at Red Bull Salzburg and we believe his philosophy and style of football aligns with that of the club and will suit the players very well.

“We have a long-term plan and firmly believe he can take Leeds United to the next level and are excited for what the future holds.”

After leaving Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls in 2018, Marsch first joined RB Leipzig as Ralf Rangnick’s assistant before being appointed at RB Salzburg in June 2019.

He enjoyed a successful spell in Salzburg winning a league and cup double in his first season.

He was also part of the development of striker Erling Braut Haaland before the Norway striker joined Borussia Dortmund in 2019.

He then returned to Leipzig in April last year, this time as head coach when he took over from Julian Nagelsmann who left to manage Bayern Munich.

Marsch, who had been linked with the managerial vacancy at Celtic in the past, completed his Uefa Pro Licence in Scotland.

Former Swansea Under-23s coach Cameron Toshack, son of ex-Wales and Real Madrid manager John, is expected to be appointed as Marsch’s assistant.

Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear added: “We are really pleased to have quickly secured the services of our first-choice head coach.

“Whilst the short-term objective for Jesse is obvious, we believe he has the courage and ambition to build on the strong foundations we have created over the last four years and elevate the performance of the club over the long-term.

“He had a great deal of success with New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg and has demonstrated during our many meetings that he is a great fit with the footballing culture of Leeds United.”

Source – BBCSport

01/03/2022
Liverpool beat Chelsea 11-10 on penalties to win the Carabao Cup

Liverpool has won the first domestic silverware of 2022, triumphing in the Carabao Cup final on penalties after a pulsating match at Wembley.

In a game of four disallowed goals for offside, it was remarkable that neither Liverpool nor Chelsea could score a winner after 120 minutes of football, but several missed chances and some fantastic goalkeeping from both sides kept the match goalless.

All 11 Liverpool players scored their penalties, including goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, before Kepa Arrizabalaga skied his spot-kick over the bar to hand Liverpool the trophy. Arrizabalaga was a surprise omission from Chelsea’s starting XI but was brought on in the final minute of extra time for Édouard Mendy. It was a move that backfired for Thomas Tuchel.

Chelsea had started the stronger of the two sides and had a golden chance to take the lead when Christian Pulisic beat the offside trap but the American could only put his shot straight at Kelleher.

Arguably the best chance of the first half, though, fell to Sadio Mané, who was denied by his Senegalese teammate Édouard Mendy – surprisingly picked over Chelsea’s usual cup goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. Mendy got down to his right to repel a Naby Keïta shot and got to his feet to deny Mané on the rebound. It was a sensational stop, deflecting the ball over the bar.

Mount had a great chance to punish Liverpool just before half-time but volleyed horribly wide after a quick Chelsea counterattack.

Chelsea started the second half in a similar fashion, and Mount was again wasteful, sidefooting a shot onto Kelleher’s left post when he was put clean through on goal by a lofted Pulisic pass. Chelsea manager Tuchel beat the ground in frustration on the sidelines.

Liverpool continued to dominate possession but lacked a cutting edge and a further chance fell to Mount just before the hour mark, with the Englishman shot straight at Kelleher, who was able to gather at the second attempt.

The Reds grew into the second half though and thought they had broken the deadlock when Joël Matip finished a clever training ground set-piece, nodding into the roof of the net after Mané had sent his own header across the six-yard box. However, the goal was ruled out for offside, with Virgil van Dijk in an offside position when he blocked Reece James as the free-kick came into the box.

Chelsea was struggling to cope with Liverpool, with Mendy again doing well to deny new Liverpool signing Luis Díaz at his near post, but brought on Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner on 73 minutes and had a goal of their own chalked off. Werner was released by Mateo Kovacic down the left and the German crossed for compatriot Kai Havertz, whose header just crept over the goal-line. Werner, though, was ruled offside in the build-up.

With five minutes remaining of the 90 minutes, Chelsea survived an almighty goalmouth scramble, as several Blues players threw themselves in front of the ball. Going into injury-time, Mendy was again Chelsea’s hero to palm a goalbound Van Dijk header away from danger.

Chelsea could have nicked it in the final minute of normal time, but Kelleher took the game to extra time after a smart save with his feet from Lukuku’s close-range effort.

Lukaku thought he had scored the winner in extra time, latching onto Trevoh Chalobah through ball, and finishing past Kelleher, but Chelsea’s No 9 was again judged to be a few inches offside as he mistimed his run.

The pattern was repeated in the second half of extra time, with Kai Havertz finding space inside Liverpool box and shooting neatly past Kelleher, only to see the flag raised again for offside. Tuchel sprinted down the touchline in celebration, only to realise another goal had been disallowed.

Neither team were able to find a winner before the shootout. Chelsea brought on Arrizabalaga as a substitute just before the end of extra time, but the Spaniard failed to save any of the 11 penalties he faced and launched his spot-kick over the bar to gift Liverpool the victory.

The Guardian

27/02/2022
West Ham United 1 – 0 Wolves

West Ham claimed a valuable Premier League victory over Wolves to reignite their pursuit of a top-four finish.

Tomas Soucek celebrated his 27th birthday by scoring the only goal of the game for the Hammers, with the Czech Republic international poking home from Michail Antonio’s pass.

The result moves West Ham up to fifth in the table, above Arsenal on goal difference and two points behind Manchester United in fourth – however, the Gunners have three games in hand on both.

Consecutive draws had seen David Moyes’ side lose ground near the top of the table but they created several excellent chances to score and deserved their win over opponents who also have European aspirations.

Aaron Cresswell and Declan Rice both went close to opening the scoring for the hosts, with England midfielder Rice curling a superb 20-yard effort against the right-hand post.

Jarrod Bowen, Soucek and Pablo Fornals all had opportunities to double their advantage and ensure a more comfortable conclusion for the hosts who were forced to withstand some late pressure from Wolves, who stay eighth.

Bruno Lage’s team struggled for fluency after he made five changes to the side that started Thursday’s defeat at Arsenal.

And while they improved after the break, the second-half introductions of Raul Jimenez, Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto were unable to make a difference to the outcome.

Before kick-off, West Ham captain Rice held up a shirt with team-mate Andriy Yarmolenko’s name and number on the back as the sides lined up to express their support for the Ukrainian and his homeland which is still under attack by Russia.

Prior to kick-off, Lage said his changes were designed to provide Wolves with greater energy.

However, after the opening 15 minutes, there was no noticeable evidence his decision was influencing proceedings as West Ham grew into the game.

Rice and Soucek took control of the midfield and the likes of Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma enjoyed a relatively comfortable afternoon against Fabio Silva and Hwang Hee-chan.

The South Korea international was also guilty of missing the Wolves’ best opportunity, placing the ball wide from 12 yards just before the break.

Had he found the bottom corner it may have altered the complexion of the match, and ensured Wolves came away with at least a point despite having only one shot on target.

After a slight stutter of late, this was more like it for West Ham and their manager Moyes, who punched the air with delight at the final whistle.

While Antonio’s goalless run extended to eight games, Jamaica’s forward was a handful throughout.

He made a vital contribution in teeing up Soucek and may have had a goal of his own had he elected to shoot instead of picking out a teammate after escaping down the left.

Meanwhile, Rice and Soucek, working in tandem at the base of the Hammers’ midfield, epitomised everything that was good about their performance.

The duo covered more ground than any other players on the pitch, never shirked their defensive duties and on another day both might have been rewarded with goals from several excellent forays upfield.

Source – BBC Sport

27/02/2022
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 – 2 Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins scored his first goal since December as Aston Villa kept themselves in contention for a top-10 finish in the Premier League by winning at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Matty Cash opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half, driving in from the edge of the box after Lucas Digne’s cross had been half-cleared.

Brighton had been the better side until then but was unable to capitalise on some poor Aston Villa defending.

The away side had a great chance to increase their lead soon after the restart but Philippe Coutinho’s free-kick was superbly kept out by a diving Robert Sanchez.

But a second arrived towards the end of the second half when Watkins ran clear after Tyrone Mings sent a superb ball over the top and the striker finished confidently for his sixth Premier League goal of the season.

Substitute Danny Welbeck headed wide when unmarked late on but the hosts never really looked like staging a dramatic fightback.

The win means Aston Villa move up to 12th, three points behind 10th-place Brighton.

Steven Gerrard could hardly have wished for a better start to life as a Premier League manager after overseeing four wins in his first six games following his appointment as Aston Villa boss on 13 November.

That had Villa fans dreaming of the possibility of securing European football for next season but a run of four defeats in their next seven games saw their challenge for the top seven fades away.

This was not quite a perfect performance, with a nervous Villa fortunate not to be punished in the early stages for a lack of concentration in defence but they improved after Cash’s opener and Watkins’ first goal of 2022 will no doubt do wonders to the striker’s confidence.

After back-to-back defeats, it was a win that Villa will hope gets their season back on track but for Brighton, it was another disappointing outcome on home soil.

The Seagulls have impressed many with their brand of football, but too often good performances have not been backed up with results.

It is now just one victory in their last 10 games at home and finding ways to win more often in front of their own fans is something they need to resolve if they are to establish themselves in the top half of the table.

Source – BBC Sport

26/02/2022