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Showing posts from October 27, 2024

FA Cup: Notts come from behind to avoid upset

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Notts County 5 - 1 Alfreton Town Notts County staged a comeback to avoid an FA Cup upset, ultimately securing a 5-1 win over Alfreton. Author - Sean M Despite an early setback when Liam Waldock put the visitors ahead at Meadow Lane, Alassana Jatta and Jevani Brown both scored twice in the second half to push County through to the second round. Jake Day had a chance to put National League North side Alfreton in front, but his volley was comfortably held by Alex Bass. However, the breakthrough came in the 14th minute when Day’s shot deflected into Waldock’s path, allowing him to slot it home. County responded almost immediately, levelling the score just two minutes later with Matty Platt’s long-range strike nestling in the bottom corner. The League Two side took control early in the second half when Brown crossed for Jatta, who found the back of the net. The pair linked up again in the 62nd minute, with Jatta sliding the ball under George Willis to claim his second goal. Brown added

Championship: Luton earn deserved point against West Brom

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Luton Town 1 - 1 West Bromwich Albion Luton Town fought back to secure a well-earned point, extending West Bromwich Albion's winless streak in the Championship to seven games. Author - Mark Lee Josh Maja opened the scoring for Albion with a clever flick in first-half injury time, marking their only shot on target before the break. Luton equalised on the hour through former Birmingham City player Tahith Chong, who fired in a composed low left-footed strike on the counter-attack. Carlos Corberan's Baggies have now recorded five consecutive draws, while Luton have managed just five points from their last seven games. Luton's brief escape from the relegation zone depends on Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle failing to win on Saturday. A closer look at what happened Corberan was forced to reshuffle his line-up due to injuries following the 0-0 draw with Cardiff City. Semi Ajayi and Paddy McNair were sidelined, prompting Callum Styles’ second start at left-back and allowing T

FA Cup: Tamworth shock Huddersfield

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Tamworth 1 - 0 Huddersfield The greatest cup competition in football is here with the first-round proper, and there's already been a huge shock. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Former winners in Huddersfield Town have been dumped out by part-timers Tamworth, 57 places below them in the football pyramid. Tom Tonks' long throw caused chaos all night, and it sailed onto the line before being helped over it by the flailing fist of keeper Chris Maxwell, sending The Lamb wild. A closer look at what happened Huddersfield struggled to cope with the direct balls into their box, while the Lambs varied their approach, showing real quality and more than matching their opponents in both effort and determination. Tamworth’s keeper, Jas Singh, pulled off a couple of excellent saves, including a stunning close-range block with his legs to deny Tom Iorpenda. But Huddersfield’s attacks were few and far between – especially in the second half – and the home side, who sit 16th in th

PL News: Amorim appointed as Man United head coach

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Manchester United have appointed Ruben Amorim as their new head coach. The 39-year-old Portuguese manager, currently with Sporting Lisbon, will make the move to Old Trafford on 11 November and has signed a contract lasting until June 2027. Author - Liam C The post Ten Hag era started with a 5-2 win in the EFL Cup Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United striker who stepped in as interim manager after Erik ten Hag’s departure on Monday, will remain with the team for the next three matches. Amorim becomes the sixth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26-year tenure ended with his retirement in 2013. Sporting confirmed in a statement that United agreed to pay €11 million (£9.25 million) to activate the release clause in Amorim’s contract. Amorim’s debut match leading the Red Devils is set for 24 November in the Premier League against newly promoted Ipswich, following the international break. His first game at Old Trafford will be on 28 November against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in

Scotland: Aberdeen keep up impressive form

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Aberdeen 2 - 1 Rangers Jimmy Thelin's unbeaten Aberdeen made their biggest statement yet, ramping up the pressure on Rangers manager Philippe Clement with a thrilling Scottish Premiership victory. Author - Mark Lee The pre-match show at Pittodrie set an electric tone, and the away side struggled to keep up in a sobering first half. Nicky Devlin, having a dream season, fired the intense hosts into an early lead, leaving Rangers overwhelmed. Aberdeen could easily have led by three at the break, as Graeme Shinnie hit the woodwork and Jamie McGrath saw his weak penalty saved by Jack Butland. Yet, it felt as though Aberdeen might rue those missed chances, especially when Rangers had a Ross McCausland goal ruled out for a marginal offside, before clawing their way back to level through Nedim Bajrami’s impressive solo effort. What's going on with Rangers? But Aberdeen, spurred on by a passionate home crowd, retook the lead when substitute Shayden Morris smashed home on the rebound

EFL Cup: United progress after difficult few days

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Manchester United 5 - 2 Leicester City  Ruud van Nistelrooy began his tenure as Manchester United’s interim manager on a high, with his team cruising past Leicester to secure a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Author - Olivia T Just two days after stepping in following Erik ten Hag's dismissal , Van Nistelrooy’s call for an exciting performance was more than delivered by his players. Casemiro got the party started with a stunning long-range strike and went on to score again before half-time. After an initial header rattled off both posts, the Brazilian reacted quickly to slot the ball in from eight yards out. Alejandro Garnacho contributed his fifth goal of the season , and captain Bruno Fernandes had a bit of luck with his free-kick, which deflected off Leicester’s James Justin and into the net. Defensively, United weren’t flawless. Some familiar issues allowed Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady to pull goals back for Leicester before the break. Coady’s finish, a firs

Spain: Barcelona stun Real Madrid

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Real Madrid 0 - 4 Barcelona Robert Lewandowski netted twice in just three minutes as La Liga leaders Barcelona swept aside Real Madrid in El Clasico, extending their lead over their fierce rivals to six points. Author - Mark Lee Real Madrid had been aiming to equal Barcelona’s league record of 43 consecutive unbeaten games, a milestone set between April 2017 and May 2018. However, those ambitions were shattered by a ruthless second-half performance from the visitors at the Bernabeu. After a goalless first half, Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, coolly slotting home from a precise through ball by Marc Casado. The Polish striker doubled Barcelona’s advantage moments later, heading Alejandro Balde’s pinpoint cross into the right corner. Lewandowski came close to securing a hat-trick, hitting the woodwork on one occasion and firing over from a promising position on another. Spanish teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, at just 17, added Barcelona’s third with a brilliant st

Premier League: Salah equaliser earns point for Liverpool

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Arsenal 2 - 2 Liverpool Mohamed Salah’s late equaliser salvaged a point for Liverpool in a lively clash against Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Arsenal took the lead twice but were hampered by injuries to key defenders Gabriel and Jurrien Timber in the second half, already missing the suspended William Saliba. These setbacks opened the door for Liverpool to push back and claim a point, allowing Manchester City to remain at the top of the table, with Arsenal now trailing the relentless champions by five points. A closer look at what happened Arsenal’s strong start to this enthralling encounter paid off on the 9th minute when Bukayo Saka left Andy Robertson floundering, netting his 50th Premier League goal in the process. However, the lead was short-lived. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk drew them level in the 18th minute, heading in from close range after Luis Díaz flicked on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s near-pos

PL News: Ten Hag sacked by Man United

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There has been a managerial change at Old Trafford. Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag due to the club's disappointing start to the season. Author - Olivia T Ten Hag's last match ended in a 2-1 defeat against West Ham , leaving the club in 14th place in the Premier League with only three wins from their first nine matches. The Red Devils are also 21st of 36 teams in the Europa League league stage, having drawn their three opening matches. Club sources from the club have reportedly suggested that this was a difficult decision but a unanimous one among all the key decision makers.  The club exercised a one-year extension in Ten Hag's contract after their FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May . However, just over three months later, he has been dismissed. United currently sit on 11 points after nine games, marking their second-lowest tally in the Premier League at this stage (only slightly better than the 10 points they had in the 2019-20 season)

Premier League: Controversial penalty wins it for West Ham

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West Ham United 2 - 1 Manchester United Manchester United will be wondering how they have lost this game. Jarrod Bowen scored a penalty in injury time to condemn The Red Devils to a 2-1 defeat. Author - Olivia T A closer look at what happened at the London Stadium That late penalty from Jarrod Bowen handed Manchester United a 2-1 defeat in the Premier League, easing the pressure on West Ham’s manager, Julen Lopetegui. Casemiro had briefly revived United’s hopes of taking a point, heading in with less than ten minutes to go to cancel out Crysencio Summerville’s 74th-minute goal.  Controversy struck with just three minutes remaining when referee David Coote was called to the pitchside monitor by the Video Assistant Referee to review Matthijs de Ligt’s challenge on Danny Ings in the box. Despite protests from United’s players, who claimed a handball by Ings, Coote awarded the penalty, and Bowen kept his cool to slot the ball past André Onana. Click here for more Premier League news

Premier League: Bournemouth salvage late point

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Aston Villa 1 - 1 Bournemouth Bournemouth striker Evanilson salvaged a crucial point with the final touch of the game against Aston Villa in the Premier League. Author - Craig H from GMCR Football  Deep into stoppage time, Bournemouth were awarded a free-kick. With everyone, including their goalkeeper, pushed forward, Marcus Tavernier delivered a cross to an unmarked Evanilson at the near post. The club’s record signing deftly nodded the ball into the far corner. Aston Villa had largely dominated and took the lead in the 76th minute when Ross Barkley capitalised on Leon Bailey’s header back across the box, volleying it in. Earlier, John McGinn thought he had put Villa ahead in the 28th minute, only to see his goal chalked off following a lengthy VAR check. McGinn had converted Ollie Watkins’ cutback, but VAR ruled that the ball had narrowly crossed the line for a Bournemouth goal-kick just before Watkins gained control. Despite Villa’s superior play, it was Bournemouth substitute

Premier League: Southampton remain winless

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Manchester City 1 - 0 Southampton Manchester City reclaimed their spot at the top of the Premier League table after an early goal from Erling Haaland secured a narrow victory over struggling Southampton. Author - Sean M Haaland muscled past Jan Bednarek to connect with Matheus Nunes' cross just five minutes in, slipping the ball past Saints’ goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale for his 11th league goal of the season. At that moment, it seemed as though the visitors were in for a tough afternoon. However, a combination of resilient defending from Southampton and some wasteful finishing by City—Haaland being a notable offender—left the home fans feeling a bit uneasy until the final whistle. This win extended City’s unbeaten run in the Premier League to 32 matches. They are now only six weeks away from going a full year without a league defeat, their last loss coming against Aston Villa on 6 December. While Southampton deserve credit for their determined display , the result did little to ea