Posts

Showing posts from April 13, 2025

Alli strike draws Luton level with Derby in relegation scrap

Image
Derby County 0 - 1 Luton Town Luton Town drew level on points with fellow relegation battlers Derby County after Millenic Alli’s scrappy first-half strike secured a gritty, nerve-jangling win for the Hatters at Pride Park. Author - Chris C Stadium - Pride Park Although the result wasn’t enough to lift Luton out of the drop zone, they are now only separated from 21st-placed Derby on goal difference, with just three games left to play. Alli gave the visitors the perfect start, smashing home from close range after Derby failed to deal with an inswinging corner from Jordan Clark. The 24-year-old reacted quickest when a flick-on from Carlton Morris was poked across goal by Mark McGuinness, and Alli made no mistake at the far post. It was his second goal since joining from Exeter City in January. The game became increasingly tense as Derby pushed for an equaliser, only to be repeatedly denied by a defiant Luton back line. McGuinness was central to that resistance, making a string of key ...

Sheffield United keep automatic promotion hopes alive

Image
Sheffield United 2 - 0 Cardiff City Sheffield United kept their slim hopes of automatic promotion alive with a hard-earned win that deepened Cardiff City's relegation fears. Author - Tom Parker Stadium - Bramall Lane Gustavo Hamer, one of the Championship’s standout players this season, gave the Blades the lead with a sharp first-half finish, reacting quickest after Tyrese Campbell’s shot took a couple of deflections and landed kindly at his feet. The Brazilian midfielder also struck the woodwork with a well-hit free-kick as United created the better chances in what was a tight, nervy affair. Cardiff worked tirelessly but lacked the cutting edge to force a way back into the match. Their chances of a late rally were dashed when Ben Brereton DĆ­az turned home from close range with three minutes remaining, sealing the points for Chris Wilder’s side. The win ends a three-game losing run for United, a spell that had left them trailing Leeds United and Burnley in the race for promotio...

Rangers Europa League adventure ends in Bilbao

Image
Athletic Club 2 - 0 Rangers (Athletic Club won 2-0 on aggregate) Nico Williams' late header ended Rangers’ Europa League hopes, as Athletic Bilbao secured a place in the semi-finals and kept alive their ambition of lifting the trophy on home soil. Author - Craig H Stadium  - San MamĆ©s  Following a hard-fought goalless draw at Ibrox, where the Spanish side played much of the first leg with ten men, Rangers knew they would need something close to flawless to progress past La Liga’s fourth-placed team. For a while, they remained in contention, still level with just over ten minutes remaining. But Williams’ decisive goal, nodding in a superb cross from Oscar De Marcos, extinguished any hope of Rangers reaching a second final in four years. The breakthrough had come earlier in first-half stoppage time, when Oihan Sancet converted a penalty to give Bilbao the lead. The timing of the opener was a bitter blow for Barry Ferguson’s side, though in truth Athletic had been the do...

Spurs keep their season alive

Image
Eintracht Frankfurt 0 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur (Tottenham Hotspur won 2-1 on aggregate) Spurs kept their European hopes alive with a narrow win over Eintracht Frankfurt, edging through to the Europa League semi-finals thanks to a first-half penalty from Dominic Solanke. Author - Greg S Stadium - Deutsche Bank Park After squandering several chances in a frustrating 1-1 draw at home in the first leg, Spurs arrived in Frankfurt knowing they faced a stern test. For much of the match, they were second best in possession and under sustained pressure. The decisive moment came shortly before half-time, when Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos misjudged a high ball and collided clumsily with James Maddison in the box. Initially, Italian referee Davide Massa waved away the protests, but a VAR review prompted a change of heart. Santos was shown a yellow card, and a penalty was awarded. Solanke, seemingly chosen by Ange Postecoglou from the touchline, stepped up calmly and dispatched the spot-kick...

Nine goal thriller at Old Trafford

Image
Manchester United 5 - 4 Lyon (Manchester won 7-6 on aggregate) Where do we even start with this one? A memorable night in Manchester. Author - Olivia T Stadium - Old Trafford Manchester United staged one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent memory, scoring twice in the final minute of extra time to pull off an astonishing 5-4 comeback against 10-man Lyon at Old Trafford. Having thrown away a two-goal lead in just seven chaotic minutes during normal time, and then conceding twice more in extra time, United looked destined for a humbling European exit. Bruno Fernandes then offered a glimmer of hope when he slotted home a penalty with six minutes left on the clock, following a VAR review that overturned the initial decision to wave away a foul on Casemiro. READ MORE:  UEFA Europa League and Conference League: 24/25 READ MORE: Manchester United news and stories With the atmosphere inside Old Trafford transformed into a wall of noise, teenage midfielder Kobbie Mainoo showed ...

Villa out despite dramatic win against PSG

Image
Aston Villa 3 - 2 PSG (PSG won 5-4 on aggregate) Aston Villa came agonisingly close to pulling off a famous comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, only to fall short on a night of high drama and raw emotion in the Champions League. Author - Thomas J Stadium - Villa Park   Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Villa’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals were dealt a huge blow early on, as two goals in the opening 30 minutes appeared to settle the tie. Emiliano MartĆ­nez’s uncharacteristic error gifted Achraf Hakimi the opener, before Nuno Mendes added a second to leave the hosts needing four unanswered goals. But Villa, roared on by a ferocious home crowd, refused to lie down. Youri Tielemans gave them a lifeline with a deflected effort just after the half-hour mark, and from there, the match descended into glorious chaos. READ MORE:  Champions League: 2024/2025 READ MORE:  Barca qualify despite scare against Dortmund The second half was pure theatre. John McGinn ignited the co...

Barca qualify despite scare against Dortmund

Image
Borussia Dortmund 3 - 1 Barcelona (Barcelona won 5-3 on aggregate) Borussia Dortmund came agonisingly close to pulling off a remarkable Champions League comeback, but their spirited second-leg display against Barcelona was not enough to overturn the heavy damage inflicted in the first leg. Author - Josh T Stadium - Signal Iduna Park The Bundesliga side had been left with a mountain to climb following a chastening 4–0 defeat at the Camp Nou, a result that had all but booked Barcelona’s place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2019. Yet Dortmund refused to roll over. Led by a stunning hat-trick from Serhou Guirassy, they produced a breathless display in front of their home crowd, injecting genuine jeopardy into what had seemed a foregone conclusion. What does all of this mean for Barca? Despite their valiant efforts and a stirring performance, it is Barcelona who advance to the last four. It marks their first appearance at this stage since their infamous capitulation to Live...

Hibs maintain unbeaten run

Image
Hibernian 4 - 0 Dundee Hibernian claimed a thumping win over Dundee to equal a club-record unbeaten league streak of 17 matches that was set in 1948. Author - Liam Smith Stadium - Easter Road Stadium The victory consolidates third place, moving Hibs three points clear of Dundee United and Aberdeen. They took control through Rocky Bushiri’s first-half opener before substitute Kieron Bowie made a decisive impact off the bench, scoring twice.  Veteran forward Dwight Gayle then also found the net in a lively second-half display. This sealed a wonderful for Hibs.  Second-bottom Dundee remain a point behind Ross County and Kilmarnock but five clear of St Johnstone. Survival in the Scottish top-flight is just about in their hands. A closer look at what happened Dundee arrived in Edinburgh hoping to build on last week’s win and made a measured start, gradually finding their rhythm. A well-drilled free-kick routine gave Simon Murray a clear chance, but the striker was denied by an ...

Injuries and mistakes cost Manchester United again

Image
Newcastle United 4 - 1 Manchester United  It was another dreadful Sunday afternoon for Ruben Amorim's side as mistakes and another injury cost them against Newcastle. Author - Olivia T Stadium - St James' Park The Manchester United boss dropped first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana after his two mistakes against Lyon in Thursday's 2-2 Europa League quarter-final first-leg draw. His replacement Altay Bayındır was guilty of a serious error to seal an easy home win. The Turkey international clipped a ball straight to Joelinton who headed into the path of Bruno Guimaraes to make it 4-1 in the 77th minute. The game was, ultimately, probably over before that Bayindir mistake as Newcastle looked comfortable once Harvey Barnes had made it 3-1.  The visitors also lost Joshua Zirkzee to a suspected hamstring injury, dropped below Everton on goal difference to 14th in the table. They are now three points off fourth-bottom West Ham United. This was their 10th defeat in 21 Premier Le...

Celtic are now just one point from the title

Image
Celtic 5 - 1 Kilmarnock Celtic moved to the brink of yet another Scottish Premiership title after a blistering first-half performance against Kilmarnock.  Author - Sean M Stadium - Celtic Park The Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers demanded a response following the loss to the division's bottom side. Within 24 minutes of this match against Kilmarnock kicking off, Celtic were four ahead thanks to a stunning array of goals, with Daizen Maeda, Cameron Carter-Vickers and two Reo Hatate.  Danny Armstrong's cross sailed home for some brief respite for Derek McInnes' men. However, the champions-elect utterly dominated the first half of this match. They would have been happy to be only trailing 4-1 at half-time. Not a good place to be in. They then eased up slightly but the icing on the cake arrived in injury time as substitute Anthony Ralston danced into the box and found the far corner. A closer look at what happened and why it happened It had been reported in some outlets that the ...

Plymouth Argyle stun Sheffield United

Image
Plymouth Argyle 2 - 1 Sheffield United Muhamed Tijani's volley in the 88th minute secured a late victory, bringing Plymouth Argyle within two points of safety and leaving the stuttering Sheffield United five points behind the Championship's top two teams.  Author - Tom Parker Stadium - Home Park The Blades seemed set to get their promotion bid back on track after consecutive defeats, with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi's superb first-half strike giving them a 1-0 lead going into the final 10 minutes. Ryan Hardie then pounced from close range to level for the hosts following a half-cleared corner. The substitute Tijani then hit a brilliantly controlled volley that earned all three points and provoked scenes of wild joy.  The Argyle celebrations were understandable, given the desperate need for a win that still sees them remain bottom of the table with just four games remaining. Have they now given themselves a chance of staying up?  READ MORE:  EFL: 2024/2025 Sheffield Unite...

Villa eventually seal win over Southampton

Image
Southampton 0 - 3 Aston Villa Aston Villa took a significant step towards securing back-to-back seasons in the Champions League with a 3-0 victory over already-relegated Southampton, despite Marco Asensio missing two second-half penalties. Author - Peter Grainger Stadium - St. Mary's Stadium Unai Emery’s side were made to work for their win at St Mary’s, with all three goals coming after the break and all three scored by substitutes. It marked a piece of Premier League history, as Villa became the first team to have three different substitutes score in a single match. Ollie Watkins, introduced midway through the second half for Marcus Rashford, broke the deadlock when he latched onto a sublime pass from Youri Tielemans and fired in a first-time finish that struck the underside of the crossbar on its way in. Just minutes earlier, Watkins had won Villa’s first penalty after being brought down by Jan Bednarek’s clumsy challenge, only for Aaron Ramsdale to deny Asensio from the spo...

Stunning late win for Everton at Forest

Image
Nottingham Forest 0 - 1 Everton Abdoulaye Doucoure became Everton’s hero by scoring a last-minute goal, securing a 1-0 victory against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground and damaging their Champions League aspirations. Author - Sarah W Stadium - The City Ground The home side were on course for a potentially valuable point, Everton struck late to seal a dramatic win. With the match seemingly drifting towards a goalless draw, substitute Dwight McNeil produced a moment of quality, threading a precise pass through to Abdoulaye DoucourĆ©. The midfielder made no mistake, calmly slotting past Matz Sels to give the visitors a vital victory. A closer look at what happened at the City Ground Forest have been one of the Premier League's surprise packages this season under Nuno EspĆ­rito Santo, making this home defeat all the more frustrating. The first half unfolded at a steady pace, with both sides struggling to find fluency in the intense heat. Forest goalkeeper Sels was called into act...

Leicester dent Brighton's European hopes

Image
Brighton & Hove Albion 2 - 2 Leicester City Caleb Okoli was the hero for relegation-threatened Leicester City as his second-half header helped end the Foxes’ eight-match losing run and dented Brighton’s ambitions of European football next season. Author - Jamie P Stadium - Amex Stadium Starting in place of the injured Wout Faes, Okoli powered in a diving header from Bilal El Khannouss’ pinpoint free-kick, earning a valuable draw for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side. Earlier, Stephy Mavididi had brought Leicester level in the first half, ending the team’s long goal drought, after Joao Pedro had given Brighton a deserved lead from the penalty spot. Despite the battling draw, Leicester remain second from bottom in the Premier League, still 14 points adrift of safety with just six games to play. Brighton had taken the lead just after the half-hour mark when Simon Adingra’s effort struck the arm of Conor Coady, prompting a VAR review and a penalty, which Pedro calmly dispatched. Ading...