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Showing posts from October 9, 2022

PL: Toney secures win for Brentford

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Brentford 2 - 0 Brighton & Hove Albion Ivan Toney celebrated his 100th game for Brentford with a brace to secure three points for his side. He netted either side of the breabyk, his first an impudent flick and his second a trademark penalty, to secure a third home win in five for Thomas Frank’s side. It was a milestone night for the head coach, too. The Dane became only the fifth man in Club history to take charge of 200 games, reaching that mark with more wins than any of those to get there before him. The full-time whistle was greeted with a loud roar from all sides of the ground as the Bees secured a hard-fought third win of the campaign. Reaction All of the Brentford players were clearly delighted with the result and performance. David Raya told the media that he feels like the Gtech Community Stadium is a ‘fortress’ after the 2-0 win. Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi told a number of media outlets like BBC Sport: "To win a game you have to score. We shot 21 times. We don

La Liga history: Barcelona v Real Madrid

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Barcelona and Real Madrid. Enough said. El Clásico has been around for over a hundred years. It is one of the most exciting and talked about football matches. This not only because of the passion that each games brings, but because of its history as well. Do you remember the first time? The first time the two teams ever met to play each other was in 1902. But the first League El Clásico was in 1929. It was played in Barcelona at their Les Colts stadium, but the Barcelona fans had to endure their first El Clásico loss when Real Madrid beat them 2-1. They got the last word though, winning the reverse fixture 1-0 and thus the first LaLiga title. There have been a combined total of 281 El Clásicos and Barca currently leads in wins There have been 248 competitive matches and 33 exhibition matches between Madrid and Barcelona. Of the 248 competitive matches, Real Madrid has won the most, with 100 wins to Barca’s 96 (and 52 draws). Barcelona has more wins in exhibition matches with 19 to Madr

UEL: Arsenal close to securing qualification

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Bodo/Glimt 0-1 Arsenal The Gunners  overcame testing conditions in the Arctic to claim a dogged 1-0 win and maintain their perfect record in this season's Europa League. Bukayo Saka’s first half goal proved enough to take the points, and although it was by no means a classic performance, Mikel Arteta will be happy with the points after making seven changes to the starting line-up. And to put the result into perspective, the Norwegian champions had won each of their last 14 home games in European competition prior to this, including a 6-1 win over Roma this time last year. It edges The Gunners closer to qualification from the group stage, with three matches left. Arsenal fans praised for making trip Despite the long and difficult trip, a number of Arsenal fans from the UK went to the match. One of them told us: "It was an expensive trip bit nothing beats following your team in Europe." Another added: "We have a great chance of winning this competition now. I really h

UECL: West Ham keep on improving

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West Ham 2 - 1 RSC Anderlecht West Ham United secured qualification from UEFA Europa Conference League Group B thanks to a 2-1 win over RSC Anderlecht at London Stadium. A fourth straight win in their Conference League group was set up by a dominant first-half performance in which the Irons struck twice in the first 30 minutes. A Saïd Benrahma free-kick brought the opener, before Jarrod Bowen thrashed in the Hammers’ second from the edge of the area. While Anderlecht struck a late penalty through Sebastiano Esposito, the home side battled to a deserved victory.   Reaction It was clear from speaking to West Ham fans outside the ground and on social media that they are delighted with how this season is starting to develop. After a difficult season, Moyes and his side are showing great from. Success in Europe's third tier competition is a genuine possibility this season.

UEL: Late goal saves Man United

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Manchester United 1 - 0 Omonia Nicosia  Scott McTominay scored a very late winner over Omonia Nicosia to keep alive their hopes of qualifying as winners from their Europa League group. Check out this video from the away fans. It lookd like had an amazing time in Manchester. Credit:  Sisu Gabriel McTominay, introduced with less than 10 minutes remaining, fired in the winner after fellow substitute Jadon Sancho teed him up in the box. The result means United remain three points behind Group E leaders Real Sociedad, who beat Sheriff Tiraspol 3-0 for their fourth win in as many matches in the competition. United dominated and had several huge chances to score but were left frustrated until McTominay's winner.  All the best reaction  Erik ten Hag praised the spirit and belief of his Manchester United side. He said: "The performance before the box was good but the finishing was not that good. Let's hope we save the goals for another week.'' Opposition boss Neil Lenn

Premier League: Bournemouth carry on impressive form

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 AFC Bournemouth 2 - 1 Leicester City Gary O'Neil enhanced his credentials to become the next permanent Bournemouth manager after leading his side to victory over Leicester City.  Since succeeding Scott Parker, O'Neil has overseen a five-game unbeaten run. This fine win comes after another outstanding comeback against Nottingham Forest last month. Highlights from  AFC Bournemouth - YouTube Although he plays it down when asked, it is increasingly hard to ignore the body of work he is creating at Bournemouth. In terms of the match, Patson Daka's opener gave Leicester some early control, but they failed to capitalise and had no answer to a rousing reply from Bournemouth in the second half. Philip Billing thrashed home a superb volley to level the scores before Ryan Christie touched in Dominic Solanke's knock-down five minutes later to complete the revival. Jamie Vardy came on from the bench to inject urgency into Leicester's play. He went close with a couple of cro

UECL reaction: West Ham move closer to qualification

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Anderlecht 0-1 West Ham United West Ham move closer to qualification from their UEFA Europa Conference League group They away side left it moderately late to get the only goal, a well-worked one finished off by Scamacca. The Hammers were indebted to a wonderful stop from Areola shortly afterwards. It was an entertaining game between two sides. Let's have a look at some of the best reaction One reporter said: "Anderlecht looked to spark something when Raman came on – but it was the visitors' substitutes that sealed the match. Rice, Lucas Paqueta and Scamacca all involved in the goal that won it for the visitors, well finished by the latter. A deserved win for West Ham." West Ham manager David Moyes told the UEFA website: "I am incredibly proud of the team's performance. We both created chances but we definitely created the better ones. So I feel we deserved to win tonight. We can go to the next game at home with full confidence." West Ham midfielder Fl

UEL: United and Arsenal both win in action packed night

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Omonia Nicosia 2 - 3 Manchester United Manchester United came from behind to beat Onomia Nicosia 3-2 in their latest Group E Europa League clash. The Reds dominated the game, but it was the hosts who took the lead in the first half. Bruno Felipe led the counterattack before Karim Ansarifard finished off the move to open the scoring.  Erik ten Hag called on his bench in the second half, with the introduction of both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial changing the game. The attacking duo both found the net in the second 45, with Rashford levelling the scores before Martial put the Reds ahead. Rashford completed his brace minutes before the end, despite a late goal from Panayiotou to keep Omonia in it. United's game is a Premier League match against Arsenal Read more from the Manchester United website This video contains some of the best goals from a great night of Europa League football. Footage from  UEFA - YouTube Arsenal 3-0 Bodo/Glimt It was a comfortable night of Thursday foo

UCL: Chelsea cruise to win over AC Milan

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 Chelsea 3 - 0 AC Milan This was an even more comfortable win for the Blues than the scoreline suggests. Graham Potter made two changes to his side, with Jorginho and Kai Havertz missing out due to slight injury problems, but both were okay for a place on the bench. Edouard Mendy returned among the substitutes, as Kepa Arrizabalaga continued in goal. Kalidou Koulibaly came into the defence to join Wesley Fofana and Thiago Silva in a back three. After a couple of close calls, it was midway through the first half that the breakthrough arrived. Thiago Silva quickly forced a save and a block when getting his head to a series of set-pieces, but on the third occasion Milan couldn't clear and Fofana was in the right place to put the ball in the net after a scramble around the penalty spot. Mason Mount thought he had made it two soon afterwards with a lovely chip over the keeper, but it was disallowed for offside. The home side pulled away to safety in the second half, though, as Pierr