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Showing posts from January 5, 2025

West Ham announce manager departure

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It has been an interesting few days at the London Stadium West Ham have parted ways with manager Julen Lopetegui after just six months at the helm, with reports suggesting Graham Potter is in discussions to replace him. Author - William G   The former West Ham boss after a defeat to Villa earlier in the season The 58-year-old former Wolves boss was appointed in May after David Moyes’ departure but only officially began his tenure on 1 July. During Lopetegui’s time in charge, the Hammers managed just six Premier League wins. Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City marked their ninth loss in 20 league games this season, leaving the club 14th in the table, just seven points above the relegation zone. Talks have reportedly taken place with Graham Potter, the ex-Chelsea and Brighton manager, over taking the job on a short-term basis. How did we reach this point? West Ham's next match is an FA Cup third-round clash against Aston Villa on Friday. The pressure on Lopetegui began to mou...

Newcastle one step closer to Wembley

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Arsenal 0 - 2 Newcastle United Alexander Isak’s impressive goalscoring streak continued as Newcastle United claimed a commanding first-leg victory over Arsenal in their Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium. Author - DJ The Magpies, who have never lifted the trophy, are now well-placed to reach their second final in three seasons. They’ll secure their spot at Wembley if they avoid defeat or lose by just one goal in the return leg at St James’ Park on 5 February. Arsenal, currently second in the Premier League, went into the tie as favourites but face an uphill battle in the second leg after a disappointing performance. Isak, in sensational form, scored his 14th goal in 15 games to set Newcastle on course for a seventh consecutive win. Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka launched a long free-kick forward, which Sven Botman flicked on. Jacob Murphy then teed up Isak, who showed great composure to lift his finish past David Raya. Anthony Gordon extended Newcastle’s advantage early i...

Could Nottingham Forest win the Premier League?

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Wolves 0 - 3 Nottingham Forest Morgan Gibbs-White played a starring role as Nottingham Forest secured a clinical victory over Wolves, with new England manager Thomas Tuchel watching from the stands. Author -  Kieran M   The midfielder silenced the boos from the home crowd early on, scoring the opener just seven minutes in. Gibbs-White, who left Wolves for Forest in 2022, had the perfect response to his former club's jeers. Chris Wood doubled the lead just before half-time, notching his 12th goal of the season, while Taiwo Awoniyi sealed the win in stoppage time, finishing off a swift counter-attack. Wolves, however, had their opportunities. Joao Gomes and Jorgen Strand Larsen forced saves from Forest keeper Matz Sels, and Larsen was denied by a remarkable goal-line clearance from Murillo. This marked Forest’s 12th league victory of the season—three more than their total for the entire previous campaign. The win showcased the team’s key strengths, with opposition sides cont...

Amad secures deserved point for United at Anfield

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Liverpool 2 - 2 Manchester United  Manchester United showcased a newfound fighting spirit under manager Ruben Amorim, earning a hard-fought point against Premier League leaders Liverpool. Author - Olivia T Desperate to avoid a fourth consecutive league defeat for the first time since 1979, United stunned Anfield by taking the lead on 52 minutes. Lisandro Martinez smashed the ball past Alisson with a thunderous finish, silencing the home crowd. Liverpool responded swiftly, levelling seven minutes later through Cody Gakpo’s brilliantly executed angled strike. The game then appeared to turn against United when Mohamed Salah converted a penalty with 20 minutes remaining, equalling Thierry Henry's Premier League tally of 175 goals. The spot-kick was awarded after a VAR review deemed Matthijs de Ligt guilty of handball. After all that, United refused to surrender. Amad Diallo, fresh from his heroics against Manchester City, popped up with another crucial goal, calmly slotting in Ale...

Nicolas Kuhn stars as Celtic extend lead at the top

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Celtic 3 - 0 St Mirren Nicolas Kuhn added two more to his impressive tally goal this season, inspiring Celtic to a comfortable win over St Mirren and extending their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 13 points. Author - Sean M Kuhn struck on either side of half-time to bring his season total to 16 goals, with Auston Trusty heading home in between to secure a dominant victory for Brendan Rodgers’ side. After suffering their first league defeat of the season against Rangers on Thursday, Celtic bounced back strongly, capitalising on their rivals’ latest slip-up at Easter Road to tighten their grip on the title race. Celtic break St Mirren’s resilience St Mirren made life difficult in the early stages, pressing well and limiting Celtic’s chances. However, the deadlock was broken in style. Luke McCowan’s superb pass set Daizen Maeda free down the left wing, and the Japanese winger’s pinpoint cross found Kuhn, who delivered a typically clinical finish. That goal deflated t...

Hibs hold Rangers in six-goal epic

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 Hibernian 3 - 3 Rangers Rangers' inconsistency was on full display once again as they squandered the lead twice against an in-form Hibernian, despite Hamza Igamane's stunning hat-trick in a thrilling six-goal Scottish Premiership showdown. Author - Mark Lee Ibrox boss Philippe Clement remained upbeat, insisting his team were on the right track after their superb Old Firm derby triumph. However, this marked their third consecutive away game without a win, raising further questions about their ability to sustain the high standards they displayed just days earlier. David Gray's Hibs, on the other hand, showed incredible resilience, battling back from two goals down. Rocky Bushiri’s late equaliser in the 83rd minute extended their unbeaten run to six matches, underscoring their impressive form. Under pressure for frequent squad rotations, Clement opted for a rare unchanged line-up in an attempt to steady the ship. The attacking quartet of Igamane, Vaclav Cerny, Nedim Bajra...

Brighton dent Arsenal's title hopes

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Brighton & Hove Albion 1 - 1 Arsenal João Pedro’s second-half penalty dealt a blow to Arsenal’s title ambitions as Brighton held them to a frustrating draw. Author - Ajay  Arsenal started brightly, taking the lead in the 16th minute through Ethan Nwaneri, making just his second Premier League start. The 17-year-old combined cleverly with Mikel Merino and Declan Rice before unleashing a shot that slipped past Bart Verbruggen and nestled in the far corner. The Gunners dominated the first half and looked poised to extend their advantage. However, missed opportunities came back to haunt them when Pedro equalised from the spot just after the hour mark. Click here for more Premier League news and stories The penalty stemmed from an unusual incident as Pedro flicked the ball up, and William Saliba, attempting to clear with his head, made contact with Pedro, who went down. After a VAR review, the referee confirmed the decision, and Pedro confidently sent David Raya the wrong way to...

Crystal Palace hold Chelsea at freezing Selhurst Park

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Crystal Palace 1 - 1 Chelsea Crystal Palace snatched a late point with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Selhurst Park, extending the Blues’ winless run into 2025. Author - Lauren W Jean-Philippe Mateta struck in the 82nd minute to cancel out Cole Palmer’s early opener, just as Chelsea seemed on course for a much-needed victory. The result deepened Chelsea’s festive woes, stretching their winless streak to four games and further derailing their fading title ambitions. A closer look at what happemed Palmer’s goal, slotted past Dean Henderson in the 14th minute, was a moment of class. The finish was clinical, but it was Jadon Sancho’s assist that truly stole the spotlight. Sancho skilfully outmanoeuvred Chris Richards before delivering a precise cross into the box for Palmer to convert. Chelsea dominated the early stages, with their wingers enjoying plenty of joy against Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Muñoz. The visitors almost struck within three minutes when Pedro Neto’s inviting cross fou...

Bradford City carry on impressive form

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Bradford City 3 - 1 Grimsby Town Bradford City secured their third win in four matches with an impressive performance against fellow play-off contenders Grimsby Town. Author - William G Goals from Lewis Richards and Richie Smallwood gave the Bantams a strong lead, with Alex Pattison adding a third after Cameron McJannet had briefly brought the visitors back into the game. Grimsby goalkeeper Jordan Wright was in fine form during the first half, frustrating Bradford with a string of excellent saves. He denied Ciaran Kelly's close-range header and then produced a stunning double save to keep out Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon.  Wright then parried Calum Kavanagh's long-range effort as Bradford, missing injured top scorer Andy Cook, pushed for an opener. The breakthrough finally came just before the interval, as Richards latched onto Aden Baldwin's cross to score in back-to-back games. Watch the highlights of the match. Footage uploaded onto the Bradford City YouTu...

Notts County back to winning ways

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Notts County 2 - 0 Swindon Town David McGoldrick's first-half brace helped promotion-chasing Notts County get back to winning ways in League Two with a comfortable victory over struggling Swindon Town. Author - Craig H  The highlights of the match. Footage uploaded onto YouTube via Swindon Town Fc. The Magpies came out firing and almost grabbed an early lead when Sam Austin floated a cross to the back post. McGoldrick rose to meet it, but his header rattled the crossbar, and Alassana Jatta was unable to capitalise on the rebound. McGoldrick wasn’t to be denied for long, though, as he opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a well-taken header. Click here for more news from the English Football League. More Notts County stories from across European Super Football Swindon responded positively, with Aaron Drinan attempting a long-range effort. While County goalkeeper Alex Bass appeared beaten, the ball whistled just wide of the post. County doubled their lead on 35 minutes, wit...