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English Premier League News and Updates

Liverpool 3 – 1 Norwich City

Liverpool staged a second-half comeback against a resilient Norwich side to keep their Premier League title hopes alive with an eighth successive win in all competitions.

The Reds had threatened the Norwich goal countless times but they were stunned into emergency action moments after the interval when Milot Rashica’s deflected strike gave the Canaries hope of a first win at Anfield in 28 years.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who made seven changes to the side that won at Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, intervened to make attacking changes on 62 minutes and within four minutes his side had turned the game around.

Sadio Mane acrobatically turned home Konstantinos Tsimikas’ header and Mohamed Salah raced on to a clearance from goalkeeper Alisson Becker to round Angus Gunn and score.

Salah’s 17th league goal of the campaign was his 150th in all competitions for Liverpool – making him one of only 10 men to reach that figure for the club – and Luis Diaz added his first since joining from Porto with a neat, chipped finish to seal the win.

Klopp’s side moves to within six points of league leaders Manchester City before the champions’ late game, while Norwich drop to bottom place and are five points from safety.

While the stats will show a Liverpool win built from 29 shots and 70% of possession, Norwich can feel slightly hard done after showing great character for over an hour.

Their 4-3-3 system slickly dropped into a 4-5-1 out of possession and Dean Smith’s side looked to play out from the back, despite the threat of a Liverpool press that managed to win the ball back six times in the final third in the first 45 minutes.

An entertaining opening saw Teemu Pukki miss when one-on-one with Alisson, while Virgil van Dijk went close for the home side, Tsimikas missed from four yards, Salah saw a header cleared off the line and Diaz fizzed an effort narrowly over.

Klopp’s side had racked up 15 shots by the interval but their inaccuracy and saves from Gunn – whose father Bryan kept a clean sheet in Norwich’s last win at Anfield – gave them a platform from which they could threaten a shock.

Rashica’s deflected effort from 25 yards left Alisson helpless and briefly gave Norwich hope of back-to-back away wins in the Premier League for the first time in 10 years.

But Klopp moved to bring on midfielder Thiago and striker Divock Origi in place of two midfielders in Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

“It’s a coaching team effort in that we bring the boys on but change the system as well,” Klopp said. “It’s absolutely necessary in a moment like this you throw all the knowledge you have together.

“The 4-4-2 gave them a proper challenge to deal with. All of a sudden we had better positions and were a proper threat. Our reaction was just brilliant.”

The extra attacking body seemed to briefly throw Norwich out of their stride and a fine switch of play from the impressive Jordan Henderson allowed Tsimikas to tee up the unmarked Mane, who swept home.

Henderson completed 97% of his 123 passes – including a sublime through ball for Diaz’s late strike – but again Salah made a crucial contribution, pulling down Alisson’s kick, beating Gunn and finishing past two Norwich players on the goalline.

The Egyptian had eight shots and created six chances – both game highs. Only Roger Hunt – in 226 matches – has reached 150 Liverpool goals in fewer games than the 233 Salah has needed.

Diaz’s late finish will only add to the feel-good factor as the Reds continue to chase four trophies, while their ability to hold their nerve with so little margin for error in their pursuit of leaders City underlines the qualities Klopp’s side possess.

Source – BBCSport

19/02/2022
Arsenal 2 – 1 Brentford

Second-half strikes from Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka lifted Arsenal to victory over Brentford as the Gunners moved to within a point of the top four.

England international Smith Rowe ran at the Brentford defence and curled a measured right-footed shot past David Raya to send his side on their way to a second successive win.

His goal came following a first half in which Arsenal had two penalty appeals turned down.

Bukayo Saka capped a satisfying afternoon for Mikel Arteta’s side when he slotted home, although Brentford felt they should have had a free-kick for a foul on Pontus Jansson in the build-up.

Brentford was superb when they beat Arsenal on the opening night of the season and, while Christian Norgaard struck an injury-time consolation, the Bees’ winless run extended to seven games.

The victory moves Arsenal level on points with fifth-placed West Ham, who drew at Newcastle earlier on Saturday, and within a point of Manchester United in fourth with two games in hand on the Red Devils.

Having not played since beating the Wolves on 10 February, Arsenal started brightly as Alexandre Lacazette had a goal disallowed for offside with Martin Odegaard and Saka both firing wide.

The main talking point from the first half, however, centred on Jon Moss after the referee waved away the home side’s appeals following Kristoffer Ajer’s challenge on the French striker in the box.

The Gunners had another shout for a spot-kick when Cedric Soares’ shot struck Yoane Wissa’s arm, but again it was turned down following a VAR check.

But increasing frustration turned to elation three minutes after the restart when Smith Rowe collected Lacazette’s pass and drove at the visiting defence before finishing confidently.

After scoring twice the last term, it was a ninth goal of the season – and first of 2022 – for Smith Rowe, who was recalled to Arteta’s line-up to replace the suspended Gabriel Martinelli.

Only Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Raheem Sterling have scored more league goals than Smith Rowe.

Needing to chase the game, Brentford improved slightly, but with top scorer Ivan Toney still injured they were unable to sufficiently trouble the home side’s defence.

And Arsenal punished them again when Thomas Partey found Saka, whose shot flew past Raya and went in off the post.

With seconds remaining, the visitors found the target when Norgaard’s strike stood after a VAR review for offside. But there was not enough time for Thomas Frank’s side to push for the leveller.

Brentford is now without a win since 2 January and sit 14th – six points clear of relegation and having played more games than each of the six teams below them.

19/02/2022
West Ham United 1 – 1 Newcastle

Newcastle continued their impressive resurgence under Eddie Howe with a valuable draw at West Ham that edged them five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

Howe’s side are unbeaten in the league since Christmas, despite this result bringing their recent three-game winning run to an end.

Craig Dawson headed the opener for West Ham from Aaron Cresswell’s enticing free-kick after goalkeeper Martin Dubravka had earlier tipped a Jarrod Bowen effort onto the crossbar.

But the visitors capitalised on a defensive lapse on the brink of half-time when Joe Willock guided a deft finish onto the far post and watched it creep narrowly over the line.

Newcastle remains 17th but are now five points clear of Norwich, while West Ham missed the chance to return to a Champions League place and stay fifth.

Howe only picked up one win in his first eight games as Newcastle boss but has collected three from five league games since the turn of the year to move the club clear of the drop zone.

This draw came despite the loss of Kieran Trippier, who has had an immediate impact at St James’ Park since his arrival, and electric winger Allan Saint-Maximin – arguably Howe’s two most important players.

But the Magpies boss found Willock and Joelinton in impressive form, with the latter almost sneaking in at the back post early on during a spell of nervy West Ham defending.

Despite their bright start, Newcastle looked set to enter the break a goal down, only for the usually assured Declan Rice to miscue a header into Willock’s path. The 22-year-old midfielder was alert and scored his first goal of the season from a tight angle as Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski failed to scramble his shot off the line.

The former Arsenal midfielder also zipped an effort wide from distance in the pouring rain in a second half that saw both sides struggle to assert themselves, and Newcastle will no doubt be the more satisfied with a point.

David Moyes opted to bring Kurt Zouma back in after the defender dropped out during the warm-up at Leicester last week with illness, and with his inclusion still a talking point following the furore over the video of him kicking a cat.

His early touches were booed by the visiting fans, but that was countered by a song in support from the home faithful at London Stadium, and the centre-back did not seem fazed during a physical battle with Newcastle forward Chris Wood.

Another worry for Moyes is the Hammers’ stuttering form, and he must have hoped their late equaliser at Leicester would give his side renewed belief and momentum.

It was the man who rescued them at a point in stoppage time at the King Power Stadium who put them ahead here after 32 minutes.

Newcastle started confidently, but when Emil Krafth fouled Michail Antonio in a dangerous position, Moyes’ eyes must have lit up. His side is renowned for their threat from set-pieces, with only Liverpool and Manchester City scoring more than their 11 goals from such situations this season.

Cresswell duly delivered a superb free-kick and the diving Dawson got ahead of the Newcastle defensive line to head into the corner beyond Dubravka.

Willock’s leveller sparked a reaction from the home side after the interval, but they were unable to create any meaningful chances and are one point behind fourth-placed Manchester United, having played a game more and with several sides below them having a number of games in hand.

Source – BBC Sport

19/02/2022
West Ham boss David Moyes says defender Kurt Zouma available for Leicester City game

West Ham boss David Moyes says Kurt Zouma is available for Sunday’s game at Leicester amid the controversy of the defender being filmed kicking his cat.

Animal charity the RSPCA has removed the 27-year-old’s two cats as they investigate the incident.

Moyes was criticised for picking Zouma against Watford on Tuesday after the video of the defender emerged.

“There are different views whether he should be available. We decided he should. I stand by that,” said Moyes.

Zouma has been fined the maximum amount possible by the Hammers, with the fee being donated to animal welfare charities.

“I don’t think a club could have taken action any quicker than they’ve done at the moment. West Ham have done a really good job,” added Moyes.

“I’m not condoning him, his actions were terrible. They were diabolical but we’ve chosen to play him and we stand by that.

“We will get him some help. We are trying to do as much as we can as a club, as a team, to help him.

“Like people who maybe have drink-driving offences, most of them have to go to classes to learn the reasons and the damage that can be done.

“I think RSPCA is going to provide us with some courses for Kurt to understand about animals and how to treat them.

“He’s incredibly remorseful. Like everybody else, in life sometimes you need a bit of forgiveness. He’s hoping he is forgiven for a bad action.”

The video also showed Zouma slapping his cat and was reportedly filmed by his brother Yoan.

Yoan is at Dagenham & Redbridge, who has said he will not play for the National League club until the conclusion of an RSPCA investigation.

The fall-out from the incident has resulted in German sportswear firm Adidas ending its deal with the Hammers player.

West Ham sponsor Experience Kissimmee has also ended its deal with the club, while another one of the London outfit’s sponsors, Vitality, has suspended its contract with the Premier League side.

West Ham signed Zouma for £29.8m from Chelsea in August 2021 and he has helped them to fourth place going into the game against the Foxes.

“I’ve never had [an incident] like this. As a football manager it shows you never know what you’re going to get,” said Moyes.

“That’s part of being in this job. We’d rather we weren’t making news. West Ham has made really, really good news in the last two years.

“We’ve a really good side. I’m sad the focus has been taken away from what is, at the moment, a really good season.”

Source – BBCSport

11/02/2022
Liverpool 2 – 0 Leicester City

Diogo Jota scored twice as Liverpool cut their deficit to Premier League leaders Manchester City to nine points with a dominant performance against Leicester at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s side had a host of chances and reliable Portuguese forward Jota netted in each half, pouncing on Kasper Schmeichel’s parry from Virgil van Dijk’s header for the first, before stroking a second late on.

The Reds still have a game in hand on champions City and another commanding display suggests the title race may not yet be a foregone conclusion.

Foxes goalkeeper Schmeichel was in inspired form and made crucial saves to twice deny Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz on his full debut.

Mohamed Salah came off the bench in the second half after returning from Africa Cup of Nations duty and he too was unable to find a way past Schmeichel. When he did, a sublime curling strike rattled the crossbar.

Leicester will rue the missed opportunity from James Maddison at 0-0 as the Englishman found space down the left edge of the area but his rising shot was pushed over the bar by Alisson.

Leicester’s poor season sees them stay in 12th place in the table, 10 points adrift of a Europa Conference League spot.

Liverpool’s season was going to be derailed once Salah and Sadio Mane went off to the Africa Cup of Nations – well that was the theory anyway. But it has not materialised that way.

Klopp’s side is growing in confidence and swatted aside Leicester with ease to stretch their run to just one defeat in their last 19 games in all competitions – ironically a loss at the Foxes on 28 December.

In reaching the Carabao Cup final, still in both the Champions League and FA Cup, and sitting second in the top flight, Liverpool remain in contention for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies.

And the options available to Klopp now mean an already fearsome attacking line is further bolstered by the arrival of Diaz, who was making his first start for the club.

The former Porto man showed good touches in the final third and was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet in front of the Kop, seeing a swerving shot and close-range drive batted out by Schmeichel.

If the Colombian needs any inspiration from a new signing at Liverpool, he needs to look no further than Jota, who has now scored 17 goals in all competitions this season.

Arriving from Wolves for a hefty £45m at the start of last season, Jota’s goalscoring performances are not only highlighting the depth of the team but giving Klopp a good headache of who to select in the front three.

Salah was on the bench this time after his run to the Afcon final with Egypt, beaten by team-mate Mane’s Senegal on penalties, and introduced in the second half.

On another day he might have had a hat-trick, but a shot at the near post and a one-on-one effort was kept out by the impressive Schmeichel, as well as hitting the woodwork with another classy attempt.

Leicester is enduring a difficult season and was humiliated by Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest on Sunday, as the holders were knocked out of the FA Cup with a 4-1 loss.

After that game, a furious Brendan Rodgers described the performance as “awful” and one that left him “embarrassed”, and suggested “time could be up” for some players in the squad.

Source – BBCSport

11/02/2022
Wayne Rooney reveals darkest moments

Wayne Rooney says he feared he could have died or killed someone at the lowest point of his drinking problems.

The Derby County manager and record goalscorer for both Manchester United and England was speaking to BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent before the release of a new documentary about his life.

He revealed the darkest places that alcohol and mental health issues have taken him to, and when asked what his biggest fear was in those moments, he replied: “Probably death.”

Speaking about the “mistakes” he had made, the 36-year-old added: “That could have been girls, it could have been drink-driving, which I’ve done, it could have been killing someone – you could kill yourself – and that’s a bad place to be.

“I knew I needed help, to save myself but also to save my family.”

Rooney also revealed that he felt he had to keep many of his problems secret as a player.

“Ten, 15 years ago, I couldn’t go into a dressing room and say ‘I’m struggling with alcohol, I’m struggling mental health-wise. I couldn’t do that.”

Rooney admits in one scene that he “wasn’t the nicest kid” as a teenager. He openly talks about getting involved in a lot of violence.

“We used to go up to Southport and fight a lot,” he says at one point, adding: “I’ve come back with my eye all stitched up. I was about 12.”

Rooney also describes going to concerts as a young teen and getting involved in trouble afterwards.

“I remember I got my jaw snapped in Manchester. I was about 13.”

In one scene, Rooney describes an embarrassing incident while he was with Everton’s academy.

“There was one day I was crossing the road with a bottle of cider. My coach Colin Harvey, he stopped to let me cross over. The next day, he pulled me in in training and said, ‘Listen, you’ve got the biggest talent I’ve ever seen for anyone your age – don’t waste it.”
At 16, Rooney was already a ferocious talent with the body of a man. He talks in the film about knowing he was the best player in training, even then.

On 19 October 2002, he announced himself to the rest of the world.

It was five days before Rooney’s 17th birthday and Everton were playing Arsenal – who were on a 30-game unbeaten run at the time. Their team included names like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, David Seaman and Sol Campbell.

Rooney remembers the impression of how massive they all were. Nevertheless, the teen wanted to make a mark on the game.

“That was my last game as a 16-year-old. I was beating myself up, thinking, ‘I want to score as a 16-year-old’,” Rooney reveals.

After coming off the bench, he says he had one thought: “If I get a chance, I’m shooting from anywhere.”

In the final minute, Campbell started backing off, Rooney saw that chance open up in front of him. He let rip with a screamer that sent Goodison Park wild.

League leaders Arsenal lost their unbeaten record and commentator Clive Tyldesley encouraged us all to “remember the name” of Wayne Rooney.

Rooney was England’s golden boy at the 2004 European Championship in Portugal, before a broken foot ended his – and arguably England’s – tournament against the hosts in the quarter-finals.

At just 18 years old, in the opening game, he absolutely terrified a France team boasting the likes of Henry, Zinedine Zidane and Lilian Thuram.

“Their centre-backs were scared to go near me,” he says. “They could see physically I could handle myself against them.”

At one point he floored Thuram, one of the best defenders in the world at the time, with a challenge that could well have earned a red card.

“I just banged right into him, to his jaw, and looked back at him as if to say, ‘now you know who I am’.”

France won the match 2-1, but Henry admits England “battered” his side and should have won. He says of Rooney that “you looked at him and you knew he wanted to succeed”.

“I remember thinking, ‘I’m the best player in the world’,” Rooney reflects, adding: “I believe, at that time, I was.”

Both Rooney and his wife Colleen speak openly about his well-documented infidelities.

“I put myself in a bad place,” says Rooney, “and when there’s alcohol involved, you’re going to make bad decisions and you’re going to have to suffer the consequences. It doesn’t take away any of my love for Colleen.”

Colleen agrees that alcohol has played a negative role at times. She says at one point that it is not good for Rooney to be “unsupervised”.

She also explains, however, how the two of them have sat down and dealt with all of their issues together.

“I know people say, ‘are they just staying together to keep the family unit together?’ That was part of it, but also we still love each other. Hopefully, he’s learned and he doesn’t get himself into those horrible situations again.”

Speaking to BBC Breakfast about the importance of their relationship, Rooney added: “We have a good relationship. We’re friends obviously, as well. There’s a good balance to the relationship – especially how we are now as parents with four children.

“There could have been times when Colleen could have walked away. But we love each other.”

Asked about his drinking now, Rooney replied: “It’s fine, I’m really in control of it. I had to be.

“As I said, I was never an alcoholic, I was more of a binge drinker, where, if I got two days off, I’d literally drink for two days and then dust myself down – eye drops, chewing gum, mouth wash – to go into work and then have to run around a pitch and train. I wasn’t giving the best version of me to my club at times.

“I’ve spoken to people. It helped. You let your feelings out. I didn’t do that – I held them in and then it builds up.”

Source – BBCSport

10/02/2022
Tottenham Hotspur ask fans to ‘move on’ from using Y-word following review

Tottenham say it is time for supporters to “move on” from using the Y-word after conducting a review of the term among the club’s fanbase.

The review, which began in 2019, received more than 23,000 responses.

It found that there was a “growing desire” among fans to stop the use of the word, with 94% acknowledging it could be racist towards Jewish people.

“Now more than ever is the time to reassess and reconsider its ongoing use,” a club statement said.

“We recognise how these members of our fanbase feel and we also believe it is time to move on from associating this term with our club.”

Spurs said the club prided itself on being “inclusive and progressive”, striving to create a “welcoming environment for everyone”, but the use of the word “does not always make this possible”.

The term was initially adopted by Tottenham fans in the 1970s as a “defence mechanism to own the term” and deflect anti-Semitic abuse, with the club having a historical association with Jewish supporters.

In 2019 the World Jewish Congress and Board of Deputies of British Jews asked Spurs to act over the continued use of the word by their supporters, asking them to “take a stand”.

The subsequent consultation showed that an increased number of supporters were uncomfortable with its use at matches and would like to stop using the word altogether.

The club added: “We are living in times of heightened awareness of cultural appropriation and sensitivities.

“It is therefore crucial to the values of our club and our fans that we are even more mindful of the controversial nature of this term.”

However, it also stressed: “We have always maintained that our fans have never used it with any deliberate attempt to offend.”

Spurs have launched a ‘WhY Word online hub’ providing supporters with information on why the word causes offence.

The club also said its conversations with fans showed there was also a strong desire to address anti-Semitism in football.

“More needs to be done to combat it,” it said.

Responses ‘fairly evenly spread’
As part of the review, Tottenham held a series of consultations with a range of supporters.

The club said the sentiment among those who responded was “fairly evenly spread”, demonstrating “how split they are on this subject”.

One fan in the 25-34 age bracket wrote: “Until my very late teens I had no idea it had historic roots to the Jewish community or that it had been considered a racist slur. It simply meant Spurs to me.”

One supporter aged 45-54 said: “I know exactly why we chant it and back in the 80’s it seemed justified. It doesn’t today. It draws attention to something that should be consigned to history.”

Another supporter aged 45-54 said: “I always thought the chant was positive and supportive towards the Jewish community but if this offends then I would not use it in future.”

One supporter from the 35-44 age band wrote the following when filling in the consultation: “I’m Jewish and I understand how offensive the word is yet I do accept that it is used in a very positive frame of reference by fellow Spurs fans. We need an alternative but I don’t know what that is. I know this doesn’t give you answers, just my very confused view on how we solve an almost impossible situation. I do also think it’s the responsibility of other clubs to stop the racist chants being directed at us as well.”

Spurs reaffirmed their commitment to a “zero tolerance” approach towards anti-Semitic abuse generally, adding the club would be “urging” that stronger action be taken.

Source – BBC Sport

10/02/2022