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Showing posts from January 26, 2025

Arsenal fight back to beat Girona

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Girona 1 - 2 Arsenal  Arsenal staged a comeback, scoring twice in four minutes to overturn a deficit and secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages with a 2-1 victory over Girona. Author - Jack L Heading into the match, the Gunners were already on the verge of qualification, but much of the pre-game discussion centred around their reported interest in Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins. Girona threatened an upset when they took the lead in the 28th minute. Neto, making his Arsenal debut in goal due to David Raya’s injury, rushed out of his box, allowing Arnaut Danjuma to curl the ball into an empty net. Champions League: 2024/2025 Click here to find and discover more Arsenal news and stories from European Super Football Arsenal responded swiftly, levelling 10 minutes later through a Jorginho penalty after Thomas Partey was brought down in the area by Arnau Martinez. Just before half-time, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri produced a moment of brilliance, cutting in from ...

Villa secure Champions League last-16 spot

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Aston Villa 4 - 2 Celtic Ollie Watkins played a key role in Aston Villa’s victory over Celtic, securing their place in the last 16 of the Champions League – just hours after Arsenal’s interest in the England striker became public. Author - Sean M Stadium - Villa Park Check out this iconic banner from the Villa fans . Watkins restored Villa’s lead after they had squandered an early 2-0 advantage, while Morgan Rogers, who set the tone early on, went on to complete a hat-trick in the emphatic win over the Scottish champions. Celtic now face a daunting play-off clash against Bayern Munich. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Watkins, who won a second-half penalty but slipped at the crucial moment, sending his effort high and wide. Villa have no plans to part ways with the 29-year-old forward, especially now that Unai Emery’s side have secured qualification for the knockout stages, finishing eighth in the table. See some of the highlights in the video above. Footage from the Celtic YouT...

Burnley and Leeds show defensive strength

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Burnley 0 - 0 Leeds United Burnley secured their 20th clean sheet of the season with a lacklustre goalless draw against Championship leaders Leeds in tough conditions in east Lancashire. Author - Oliver W Stadium - Turf Moor View from the crowd. Thanks to our friends at GMCR Football for the picture. Both sides struggled to carve out clear chances, and it wasn’t until the 89th minute that either goalkeeper was tested, with Burnley’s James Trafford tipping Dan James’ effort over the bar. Scott Parker’s Clarets, sitting third in the table, have now gone over 10 hours without conceding a league goal – a defensive run stretching back to 21 December. Yet, in this rain-soaked contest, their attack lacked the same resilience, with Zian Flemming’s misjudged header from Jaidon Anthony’s first-half cross their only real opportunity. The draw keeps Leeds two points clear at the top of the table, extending their unbeaten run to 11 matches, while second-placed Sheffield United remain in pursuit...

Pressure builds on Ange Postecoglou

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Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 2 Leicester City Leicester City halted their seven-match losing streak and climbed out of the relegation zone with a spirited 2-1 comeback victory over Tottenham Hotspur, intensifying the scrutiny on Spurs' head coach, Ange Postecoglou. Author - Greg S Stadium - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium The Foxes, under the management of Ruud van Nistelrooy, were acutely aware that a defeat in north London would have equalled their worst-ever league run. Their concerns deepened when Richarlison, returning to Tottenham's starting lineup, headed the hosts into the lead during the first half. However, the game took a dramatic turn in the opening moments of the second half. Just 57 seconds after the restart, Jamie Vardy brought Leicester level, showcasing his enduring prowess. Shortly thereafter, Bilal El Khannouss curled a sublime shot from just outside the penalty area, putting the visitors ahead. Leicester then displayed resilience, holding firm to leapfrog Wolverhampt...

Jota returns to Glasgow and Celtic

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This could be huge in Celtic's bid to progress in the Champions League Author - Sean M Celtic fans loved the player in his first spell with the club. Celtic have successfully re-signed Jota from Rennes, while Kyogo Furuhashi has completed a transfer in the opposite direction. Jota initially left Celtic in July 2023 for a reported fee of £25 million. However, he struggled to secure a regular starting position at Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League and also faced challenges with a Rennes team that is currently on a five-match losing streak. The 25-year-old player has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with the Scottish champions, who hold a 10-point lead at the top of the Premiership. Jota first joined Celtic on loan from Benfica in September 2021. After a successful season, Celtic triggered an option to buy him for a reported fee of £6.5 million the following summer. He played a vital role in helping Celtic secure the treble in the 2022-23 season, scoring 28 goals in 83 appea...

Martinez secures scrappy win for Manchester United

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Fulham 0 - 1 Manchester United Lisandro Martínez’s deflected strike secured a scrappy win for Manchester United in a lacklustre encounter at Craven Cottage, with the visitors edging Fulham 1-0. Author - Olivia T Stadium - Craven Cottage The match had been devoid of quality for over 75 minutes, as both sides laboured to create meaningful opportunities. But just as the game seemed destined to drift into a goalless stalemate, Martínez ventured to the edge of the box and unleashed a shot that ricocheted off Sasa Lukić, looping beyond a helpless Bernd Leno. Remarkably, it was United’s first effort on target – a cruel twist for Fulham, who were the better side in the opening half but failed to make their dominance count. Raúl Jiménez squandered a golden chance when Antonee Robinson’s delivery found him unmarked, only for the Mexican striker to mis control before firing over the bar. United, who had edged Fulham with a late goal at Old Trafford in August, once again left Marco Silva’s si...

Arsenal recover after controversial red card

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Wolves 0 - 1 Arsenal Riccardo Calafiori’s strike secured a crucial Premier League win for 10-man Arsenal against Wolves, despite the drama surrounding Myles Lewis-Skelly's controversial red card. Author - DJ Stadium - Molineux Stadium Referee Michael Oliver stunned the Gunners in the first half by sending off 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly for a foul on Matt Doherty. The incident occurred 30 yards from Wolves’ goal as Doherty looked to break from an Arsenal corner. At just 18 years and 121 days old, Lewis-Skelly became the third-youngest player to be shown a red card in Premier League history, behind Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. Wolves midfielder João Gomes also saw red in the second half for a second bookable offence after fouling Jurrien Timber. However, his dismissal will likely be little more than a footnote in the story of the match. Lewis-Skelly’s sending-off could have dealt a significant blow to Arsenal's title hopes. A slip-up here would have allowed Liverpool to exten...

Everton battle for win away at Brighton

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Brighton & Hove Albion 1 - 0 Everton Iliman Ndiaye’s first-half penalty proved decisive as Everton edged closer to safety with a hard-fought victory at Brighton, marking David Moyes' 700th Premier League match in charge. Author - Sarah W  Stadium - Amex Stadium The breakthrough came seven minutes before the interval when Brighton defender Joel Veltman appeared to shepherd the ball out of play with his hand under pressure from Beto in the penalty area. After being advised by VAR to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Tim Robinson awarded the penalty. Ndiaye coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, notching his fifth Premier League goal of the campaign. Brighton offered little in the first half but emerged for the second with more intent. Kaoru Mitoma curled an effort narrowly wide of the far post, while Joao Pedro saw his close-range strike scrambled behind by a combination of Orel Mangala and Jordan Pickford. Substitute Georginio Rutter also came cl...

Bournemouth thrash Nottingham Forest

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AFC Bournemouth 5 - 0 Nottingham Forest Bournemouth delivered a scintillating performance to extend their club-record unbeaten Premier League run to 11 games, dismantling high-flying Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Vitality Stadium. Author - Katrine Jonnson  Stadium - Vitality Stadium Fresh from a stunning 4-1 victory over Newcastle United, the Cherries showed no signs of slowing down under Andoni Iraola, with Dango Ouattara stealing the show with a brilliant hat-trick. Forest, enjoying an impressive season in third place, were left shell-shocked as Bournemouth tore through their usually solid defence. Justin Kluivert set the tone early, scoring his 11th league goal in the ninth minute with a 25-yard strike after Forest’s defenders backed off. Any hopes of a Forest comeback were dashed in the second half when Bournemouth hit top gear. Ouattara headed in Kluivert’s pinpoint cross in the 55th minute and doubled his tally with a clinical finish six minutes later. The Cherries sh...