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Showing posts from September 22, 2024

Championship: Wayne Rooney's Plymouth produce their best performance of the season

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Plymouth Argyle 3 - 1 Luton Town Plymouth Argyle are now on something of a roll after consecutive home victories. Following their recent victory over Sunderland, they've now had the better Luton. With six goals scored, things are starting to come together for Wayne Rooney's side. Rami Al Hajj got them off to a great start with an early goal, and substitute Ibrahim Cissoko made his mark with a brace. Luton had a glimmer of hope when Victor Moses briefly levelled things, but Plymouth proved too strong for a Luton side that looks like it is struggling to adapt to its return to English football's second tier. A closer look at what happened at Home Park Rami Al Hajj, making his first start for the home side, needed eight minutes to open his Argyle account, curling a lovely strike into the top corner after some slick build-up play. Despite creating further chances before half-time, Plymouth couldn’t extend their lead, while Elijah Adebayo missed a great opportunity to bring t

Italy: Scott McTominay scores first Napoli goal

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Napoli 5 - 0 Palermo Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay netted his first goal for Napoli as his new team cruised to a 5-0 victory over Palermo in the second round of the Coppa Italia. The 27-year-old joined Napoli for £25.7m from Manchester United in late August, having spent his entire career with the Red Devils, where he started at a football school aged just five. McTominay made his Napoli debut in a 4-0 win at Cagliari, coming off the bench, and earned his first start in a goalless draw against Juventus on Saturday. On Thursday, he was named among the substitutes for the match against second-tier Palermo, but made an immediate impact after coming on by scoring Napoli’s fifth goal. He struck a first-time shot from 12 yards out following a pullback from Romelu Lukaku. A closer look at what happened Cyril Ngonge had already put Napoli in control with two goals in the first 12 minutes, while Juan Jesus added a third just before the break. Palermo’s hopes were further dashed when A

UEL: Spurs start Europa League campaign with a win

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Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 0 Qarabag Tottenham kicked off their Europa League campaign with an impressive win against Qarabag, despite being reduced to 10 men just seven minutes into the match. This was great preparation as Spurs will face an important few weeks in different competitions. For this match, there was a 35-minute delay to the start due to various travel disruptions across London. A closer look at what happened Spurs suffered an early setback when defender Radu Dragusin was sent off for a last-man foul on Juninho, who was through on goal. Nevertheless, five minutes later Brennan Johnson found the net, capitalising on Qarabag's sloppy attempt to play out from the back. Dominic Solanke set up the 23-year-old, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, marking his third goal in as many games. Tottenham doubled their lead in the 52nd minute through Pape Sarr, who controlled a loose ball at the far post before firing it home. Qarabag were awarded a penalty just three

UEL: United held by Dutch side

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Manchester United 1 - 1 Twente Christian Eriksen experienced both triumph and disappointment for Manchester United as Erik ten Hag’s side faltered at the beginning of their Europa League journey, drawing with Twente, the Dutch manager’s boyhood club. Eriksen put United ahead in the first half with a brilliant finish from inside the box.However, a determined Twente side capitalised on Eriksen's mistake when he was dispossessed by Sam Lammers just outside United’s penalty area. The former Rangers player wasted no time, unleashing a powerful shot that flew past Andre Onana. Ten Hag's men had chances to secure a late win, but Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall was in fine form, denying Joshua Zirkzee’s left-footed attempt that seemed destined for the net. Earlier, Unnerstall had also made a spectacular reflex save to stop Mees Hilgers from scoring an own goal. Bruno Fernandes, United’s captain, came close as well, and substitute Kobbie Mainoo had a penalty shout waved away. Foll

EFL Cup: Leicester squeeze through on penalties

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Walsall 0 - 0 Leicester City (Leicester City won 3-0 on penalties) Leicester City narrowly advanced to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, overcoming a determined Walsall side on penalties. Despite being from League Two, Walsall created the better chances during the 90 minutes, but Charlie Lakin and experienced forward Albert Adomah couldn’t capitalise on the best of them. Leicester’s goalkeeper, Danny Ward, became the hero in the shootout, saving all three of Walsall’s penalties, helping Steve Cooper’s team scrape through after a major scare. A closer look at what happened at the Bescot Stadium Cooper made 10 changes for the trip across the Midlands, with Jamie Vardy, Stephy Mavididi, Harry Winks, and Wilfred Ndidi all left out of the squad. The reshuffled team struggled to find rhythm, and it wasn’t until Abdul Fatawu’s skilful runs in the second half that Leicester began to trouble the hosts. He created two good chances but missed both, and later delivered the cross that led to

EFL Cup Live: Chelsea v Barrow

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Chelsea v Barrow: Live social media posts and reaction from Stamford Bridge Barrow, who are joint top of League Two, started the night 64 places behind Chelsea in the football pyramid. Click here for more EFL Cup news and stories Live text commentary - How did the match unfold Full-time announcement Chelsea cruised into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a convincing win over League Two Barrow at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were too strong for the Bluebirds, despite manager Enzo Maresca making 11 changes to the team that defeated West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday. Chelsea 5 - 0 Barrow Nkunku completes his hat-trick . He tackled keeper Farman and passed the ball into an empty net. To be fair, after being 3-0 down, Barrow fans probably thought it should have been 7 or 8-0.  Chelsea 4 - 0 Barrow Two minutes after the restart, Pedro Neto scored his first Chelsea goal by tapping in after Mykhailo Mudryk's pass . Barrow fans are fearing a thrashing. Chelsea 3 - 0 Barrow T

League Two: Morecambe fight back against Fleetwood

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Fleetwood Town 2 - 2 Morecambe Bottom side Morecambe pulled off a remarkable late comeback to secure a hard-fought 2-2 draw in their Lancashire derby against Fleetwood in League Two. Fleetwood seemed to be cruising to victory at Highbury after first-half goals from Ryan Graydon and Ronan Coughlan. However, Yann Songo’o gave Morecambe hope with a goal 16 minutes from time ,  and substitute Hallam Hope completed the dramatic comeback with an 86th-minute equaliser. Morecambe manager Derek Adams, still seeking his side's first win of the season, was forced to watch from the stands as he served a touchline ban. His team’s goalkeeper, Stuart Moore, played a crucial role, making 11 saves to keep Morecambe in the contest. Fans could always sense that there was more drama to come though.  There was a fantastic atmosphere before the match A closer look at what happened Fleetwood's Ronan Coughlan had already signalled his threat early on when he hit the post, and Moore worked hard to

Premier League: City and Arsenal produce a chaotic classic

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Manchester City 2 - 2 Arsenal John Stones snatched a dramatic late equaliser in the dying seconds, amid chaos and controversy, denying Arsenal a memorable victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. A closer look at what happened in Manchester Arsenal had produced a superb defensive display after Leandro Trossard was sent off in the first half and were just moments away from what would have been a defining moment in Mikel Arteta's tenure. However, substitute Stones found the net after a well-executed short corner during the seventh minute of added time. Arsenal will feel both pride and heartache. They had initially fallen behind to Erling Haaland’s 100th goal for City but turned the game on its head, taking the lead before the break. In a series of crucial moments, City lost key player Rodri to a knee injury after 21 minutes, adding to Pep Guardiola’s frustrations as Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori fired a high, angled shot past Ederson just seconds later. Premier League:

Premier League: Brighton and Forest maintain unbeaten starts

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Brighton & Hove Albion 2 - 2 Nottingham Forest Both Brighton and Nottingham Forest maintained their unbeaten Premier League runs in an almost chaotic match which saw one player and both managers sent off.  The match at Amex Stadium ended with four goals, but in controversial fashion as Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White received a second yellow card for a sliding challenge on Brighton's Joao Pedro.  Referee Rob Jones then showed red cards to Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler and Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo for their reactions to the incident. Premier League: 2024/2025 season (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) A closer look at what happened The visitors took the lead when former Brighton striker Chris Wood scored against his old club with a well-taken penalty kick after Carlos Baleba tripped Callum Hudson-Odoi in the penalty area. However, two goals in a three-minute span just before half-time seemed to change the course of the match. Nineteen-year-old midfielder Jack Hinshelw

Championship: Referee dominates Lancashire derby

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Preston North End 0 - 0 Blackburn Rovers This fixture between Preston and Blackburn ended goalless for the first time in 43 years. Both teams struggled to create clear opportunities until the match suddenly came alive just before half-time. Preston goalkeeper Freddie Woodman parried Ryan Hedges’ shot into the path of Tyrhys Dolan, whose half-volley rattled the post. Shortly after, Preston's Sam Greenwood was sent off for a poor challenge on Lewis Baker, yet his side finished the first half on the front foot. Brad Potts forced a near-post save from Rovers keeper Aynsley Pears, who then pulled off a brilliant stop to deny Andy Hughes' header from the resulting corner. At the break, Blackburn manager John Eustace made an attacking switch, bringing on forward Makhtar Gueye for midfielder Baker to exploit their numerical advantage. 6,000 Blackburn fans at Preston Gueye had a tame effort comfortably gathered by Pears, who looked assured as Blackburn's defence held firm.

Premier League: Missed opportunities for Man United

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Crystal Palace 0 - 0 Manchester United Manchester United missed several big chances in their goalless draw at Selhurst Park in the Premier League. Fresh from their 7-0 EFL Cup win over Barnsley on Tuesday , Ten Hag's side cut Palace open at will in a dominant first half. Alejandro Garnacho, who replaced Marcus Rashford in the starting XI, had an early shot saved by the goalkeeper before Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez were denied by the home goalkeeper Dean Henderson's feet. The visitors continued to pile on the pressure with Garnacho sweeping against the bar after being played in down the left. The rebound fell to Bruno Fernandes, who was often the orchestrator for the Reds. His effort bounced off the pitch before it clipped the top of the bar. The home side eventually grew into the half and came closest when Eberechi Eze slotted into the hands of Andre Onana when unmarked on the penalty spot. The second half was definitely more even. Fernandes curled wide before a

Premier League: Injury-time equaliser denies Southampton

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Southampton 1 - 1 Ipswich Town Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy delivered a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser, denying Southampton their first Premier League victory of the season. The home side had lost their opening four matches of the 2024-25 campaign, but capitalised on an Ipswich error to go ahead just five minutes in, with Tyler Dibling netting his first goal for the club. Click here for more Ipswich Town stories A closer look at what happened Ipswich's Axel Tuanzebe lost the ball inside his own penalty area, allowing Southampton to retain possession. Veteran Adam Lallana, 36, set up 18-year-old Dibling, who calmly slotted past Arijanet Muric. Cameron Archer, who missed a penalty in last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, came close to doubling Southampton’s lead, only to hit the post. Still searching for his first goal since a £15 million summer move from Aston Villa, Archer had another opportunity after being played in by former Ipswich midfielder Flynn Downes,