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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: Chelsea progress on penalties to beat Newcastle

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 Chelsea 1 - 1 Newcastle United (Chelsea win 4-2 on penalties) Kieran Trippier had a nightmarish experience at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea secured a spot in the Carabao Cup semi-finals through a penalty shootout. Despite Callum Wilson's 16th-minute goal appearing to propel Newcastle into the last four, substitute Mykhailo Mudryk seized on the veteran defender's mistake deep into stoppage time, leading to the match heading to penalties. Trippier, who has recently struggled with a dip in form, widened Newcastle's second penalty, and with keeper Djordje Petrovic saving Matt Ritchie's spot-kick, Chelsea transitioned from the brink of defeat to the joy of reaching the semi-finals. It was a harsh outcome for Trippier, a key figure under manager Eddie Howe, whose moment of indecision on a header provided Chelsea with the lifeline Mudryk capitalized on. Chelsea's Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Christopher Nkunku, and Mudryk all scored in the shootout, while only Callum Wils

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

Premier League: Chelsea earn narrow win over Fulham

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 Chelsea 1 - 0 Fulham Chelsea secured a narrow victory over West London rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, with Cole Palmer's first-half penalty proving to be vital. The win was Chelsea's third consecutive victory, moving them to eighth in the table. Palmer's penalty, following a foul on Raheem Sterling by Issa Diop, marked his ninth goal since joining Chelsea in August. Conor Gallagher came close to adding a late second for Chelsea, hitting the far post with a well-struck effort. Despite Chelsea's wastefulness in front of goal earlier in the week, they did enough to secure the three points.  Chelsea won their fourth consecutive home league match for the first time since July 2020. The victory marked a positive start to Chelsea's 2024 league campaign after a challenging 2023, where they won only 12 of their 43 league games.  They are set to face Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg on 23 January. Another W at the Bridge. 🏡 #

World Cup preview: Could Jude Bellingham shine for England?

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Could Jude Bellingham shine for England at the World Cup? Let's explore He represented England at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-21 levels. He made his first appearance for the senior team in November 2020. He represented the senior team at UEFA Euro 2020 but it's the upcoming World Cup where he could shine. A quick summary of his career so far Bellingham began a two-year scholarship with Birmingham City in July 2019. The following month, he started the EFL Cup first-round trip to Portsmouth and became Birmingham City's youngest-ever first-team player.  He made his first Football League appearance 19 days later, as a second-half substitute in a 3–0 defeat away to Swansea City and his home debut on 31 August against Stoke City. Replacing the injured Jefferson Montero after half an hour, Bellingham scored the winner – albeit via a generous deflection – as Birmingham came back from 1–0 down to beat Stoke 2–1, and thus became their youngest-ever goalscorer, aged 16 ye

News: Is Jurgen Klopp retiring?

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A successful managerial career is reportedly coming to an end Former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has ruled out the possibility of becoming the England manager and hinted at potentially retiring from management altogether. Klopp during his time as Dortmund manager before he left in the summer of 2015.Photo from  Tim Reckmann | Flickr The German coach departed from Liverpool at the end of last season after nine successful years, during which he won all major trophies and ended the club’s 30-year wait for a Premier League title. Klopp has been linked to the England manager’s position following Gareth Southgate’s decision to step down after Euro 2024. However, the 57-year-old stated he has not received any offers and reiterated his intention to take a break from football. Further reports suggest that Klopp wishes to return to work after his break, though it may not be in a managerial role. The video below displays the announcement that followed Klopp's announc

Burnley: 2023/2024 Season Review

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 We are going to explore Burnley's 2023/2024 season. This was the 142nd season in the history of Burnley Football Club and their first season back in the Premier League since the 2021–22 campaign, following promotion from the EFL Championship in the previous season.  They also participated in the FA Cup and EFL Cup. After losing 2–1 at home to West Ham United on 25 November 2023, Burnley became the second team in English league history (after Newport County in 1970–71) to lose their first seven home matches of the season. The streak was then ended the following game when they beat Sheffield United 5–0. On 11 May 2024, they were officially relegated from the Premier League following a 2–1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur. They finished the season in 19th position.  Their form in the cup competitions wasn't much better. They only made it to the 4th round of the EFL Cup and couldn't make it past their first hurdle in the FA Cup.  A look at some of the key moments from their seaso

EFL Cup: Middlesbrough ease to win against Leeds

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Leeds United 0 - 3 Middlesbrough  Middlesbrough secured a spot in the second round of the Carabao Cup after scoring three goals in just 16 minutes to defeat Championship rivals Leeds United at Elland Road. The first half was closely contested but the away side broke the deadlock when Anfernee Dijksteel drifted in from the right touchline and calmly slotted the ball into the corner of the net. As Leeds pushed forward, Josh Coburn played in Delano Burgzorg, who kept his composure and found the net with a deflected strike off Joe Rodon. Leeds manager Daniel Farke made five substitutions in the 65th minute, but shortly after, Coburn tapped into an empty net, securing Boro’s first win at Elland Road since 2011. A closer look at what happened Last season’s meetings between the sides saw 12 goals, and the frantic start to this match hinted at more of the same. EFL 23/24 : Middlesbrough and Leeds play out a thriller  Boro goalkeeper Sol Brynn denied Junior Firpo with a leg save in the thir

EFL Cup: Blackburn triumph in all Championship clash

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 Blackburn Rovers 5 - 2 Cardiff City Blackburn Rovers beat Cardiff City 5-2 to reach the Carabao Cup round four as teenager Andrew Moran scored twice. Jake Garrett was delighted with result and perfornance 🗣️ "𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄'𝙢 𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡." Jake Garrett on his new role this season. #Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/2igr9HPjOY — Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) September 28, 2023 Blackburn led twice in the first half, through Jake Garrett and Arnor Sigurdsson, before Callum Robinson and Kion Etete helped the Welsh side rally.  Callum Robinson, the former Tottenham striker, showcased his prowess by skillfully finding the back of the net, tallying his fourth goal this season, surpassing his previous season's total. As the game progressed, Blackburn's third goal was handed to them on a silver platter. Jonathan Panzo, making hi

EFL Cup: Stoke thrash Middlesbrough

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Middlesbrough 0 - 5 Stoke City Stoke City shocked Championship rivals Middlesbrough with a stunning 5-0 victory, securing their place in the Carabao Cup third round. The Potters' 18-year-old striker, Emre Tezgel, took advantage of sloppy defending by the hosts to calmly slot in an early opener. Middlesbrough fell apart in the second half, conceding four goals in a chaotic 12-minute spell, marking the sixth time they've been beaten by a five-goal margin at home. Ryan Mmaee scored from close range before Lewis Koumas arrived unmarked at the far post, and substitute Million Manhoef added two goals in just seven minutes after coming on. Middlesbrough, who made nine changes from their weekend draw against Portsmouth, had a chance to take the lead early on. Josh Coburn found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper but dragged his shot narrowly wide. Stoke broke the deadlock when Koumas and Andrew Moran combined to set up Tezgel, who had plenty of time and space to control the ball

Premier League transfer rumour: Lingard on the move?

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Jesse Lingard's future career at Manchester United is in doubt after talks over a new contract collapsed. Lingard's present deal expires next summer and United hoped to extend the England midfielder's time at the club following an exciting loan spell at West Ham in the second half of last season. Despite being linked with moves to several clubs, the English midfielder opted to stay at Manchester United this season. He reportedly believed manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would provide him with more game time. Instead, he has just started just one game throughout the current campaign. This was the EFL Cup defeat by West Ham in September. He has also made seven substitute appearances, totalling just 76 minutes.  Manchester United news from European Super Football He's had more game time for England during the current campaign than United, even though he also lost his place in Gareth Southgate's squad for the recent World Cup qualifying victories. Reportedly, Lingard is

EFL Cup: Chelsea qualify for Wembley final

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 Chelsea 6 - 1 Middlesborough (Chelsea won 6-2 on aggregate) Chelsea secured their spot in the Carabao Cup final with a 6-2 aggregate victory over Middlesbrough.  After a 1-0 defeat from the first leg, Chelsea turned the tide in this match with four first-half goals . The scoring spree included an own goal from Jonny Howson, along with goals from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, and Cole Palmer. Palmer netted his second.  Noni Madueke added another in the 81st minute, delighting the Chelsea supporters. The Wembley songs started and many of their fans will now be excited about a February afternoon in North London.  Morgan Rogers managed a consolation goal for Middlesbrough but Chelsea's victory was already well secured.  Watch first leg highlights Watch second leg highlights How did everything happen? Mauricio Pochettino's team equalised the aggregate score in just 15 minutes, with Ben Chilwell's precise through ball setting up Raheem Sterling, whose pass was inadvertently tur

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

Fa Cup: Southampton hold on

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 Southampton 2 - 1 Blackpool The Saints have done well in the EFL Cup, can they do similar in the FA Cup Southampton's Romain Perraud scored either side of half-time as his side survived a fightback by Championship strugglers Blackpool to reach the next round of the cup. Perraud broke the deadlock with a thumping effort into the far corner midway through the first half. He doubled his and Saints' tally just after the hour mark, collecting Sekou Mara's return pass before finishing confidently past visiting goalkeeper Chris Maxwell. Blackpool twice went close to cancelling out Perraud's opener but Gerry Yates and Ian Poveda both failed to make the most of good opportunities. Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino converted Yates' pass to reduce the arrears with just under 25 minutes left, but Nathan Jones' team held on. Reaction Ryan, a Blackpool fan, said: "It was a decent performance from us, but we just didn't have the quality in the final third. Promising si

Transfer News: Jude Bellingham signs for Real Madrid

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It has been announced that Real Madrid have completed the signing of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal. The Spanish giants will pay 103m euros for the 19-year-old, in addition to various potential add-ons. If those add-ons are achieved, the deal could reach 133.9m euros.  Bellingham was one of England's top performers at last year's World Cup and was named the Bundesliga's player of the season as Dortmund missed out on a first league title in 11 years on the final day. Bellingham playing for England at the World Cup.  FIFA World Cup 2022 - Group B, Matchday 3 - Wales 0:3 Engl… | Flickr This initial fee means he becomes the second-most expensive English footballer after Jack Grealish when Manchester City paid Aston Villa £100m in 2021. Bellingham told the German club’s official website: “Thank you, everyone, associated with BVB and the fans for everything over the last three years. It was an honour to wear your jersey so many times whether it was

Crystal Palace: 23/24 Season Review

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It's time to explore Crystal Palace's 2023/2024 season. It marked Crystal Palace's 118th season and their eleventh consecutive campaign in the Premier League. They also competed in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. It was the first season since 2013–14 without Wilfried Zaha, who departed for Turkish club Galatasaray in the summer, and Scottish midfielder James McArthur, who retired. As a result, Joel Ward was appointed club captain at the beginning of the season, replacing the departed Luka Milivojević. Despite being 15th and just 5 points above the relegation zone in mid-February, the appointment of Oliver Glasner revived the team's fortunes, and a strong finish saw the Eagles equal their highest league finish in the Premier League era. Let's examine some of the moments from another interesting year at Selhurst Park. In September, they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Manchester United. They were beaten 3-0, and many fans criticised the weakened squad put out.  Un

PL News: United trigger extension to Ten Hag contract

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United are expected to make many personnel changes this summer. The manager won't be one of them.   Manchester United have activated a one-year extension in Erik ten Hag's contract, ensuring he remains with the club until 2026. The Dutch manager's original contract, signed upon his appointment in 2022, was set to expire in 2025. Since joining from Ajax, Ten Hag has secured two trophies in his two years at Old Trafford. In Ten Hag's first season at the club, United finished third in the Premier League and ended a six-year trophy drought by defeating Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final. However, his second season was more challenging, with United finishing eighth in the Premier League and exiting the Champions League at the group stage. A crucial 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May was key to Ten Hag retaining his position. Following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment last December, the club, led by the co-owner, conducted a review of the season

EFL Cup: Newcastle progress after close game

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Club football is well and truly back Newcastle United 1 - 0 Bournemouth Newcastle reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup with a hard-fought win over Bournemouth at St James' Park. Adam Smith's own goal proved decisive for the hosts. The defender inadvertently headed past Cherries goalkeeper Mark Travers from Kieran Trippier's superb delivery. This bit of fortune was no more than Eddie Howe's side deserved with the home team creating the bulk of the goalscoring chances. ⚫⚪ Newcastle 1x0 Bournemouth 🍒🔴 Analise do jogo 📉 pic.twitter.com/tjtaLsvio1 — 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 🇧🇷 (@InsiderCASTLE) December 21, 2022 Eddie Howe included goalkeeper Nick Pope, full-back Trippier and forward Callum Wilson, who were all part of England's World Cup squad in Qatar in the starting eleven. In front of a crowd of 50,000, Newcastle repeatedly pressed forward with Trippier, Schar, Miguel Almiron and Wilson all going close to breaking the deadlock in the first hal

EFL Cup: Everton nerves eased

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Everton 3 - 0 Doncaster Rovers Everton gave their fans a much-needed lift after a disappointing start to the season, as Iliman Ndiaye marked his full debut with a superb solo goal in a convincing 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Doncaster. Following a 3-0 loss at home to Brighton in their Premier League opener and a dismal 4-0 defeat at Tottenham, the Toffees couldn’t afford another slip-up against their League Two opponents. Here’s how the action unfolded at Goodison Park Grant McCann’s Doncaster side looked like they might pull off an upset, but Everton took the lead early in the second half with Tim Iroegbunam’s first-time strike, which Dwight McNeil claimed to have got a touch on. Everton’s long-awaited first goal of the season was quickly followed by Ndiaye’s moment of magic, as he turned, ran, and finished brilliantly, before Beto sealed a morale-boosting win ahead of their upcoming fixture against Bournemouth. Doncaster, making their first trip to Goodison Park since 1985, started

Icons: Bryan Robson

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It's time to explore another football icon. This time it's Bryan Robson.  A former player and manager that is held in high regard by so many in English and world football. The start of a fantastic career Bryan Robson started his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, making over 200 appearances and serving as club captain. During his time at West Brom, he scored 46 goals in 245 appearances. In 1981, he moved to Manchester United. This is where he made a name for himself.  Becoming a Manchester United legend He very quickly became the club's longest-serving captain. During his time there, he won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one Football League Cup, two FA Charity Shields, and a European Cup Winners' Cup . Known as "Captain Marvel," Robson was voted the greatest-ever Manchester United player in a 2011 poll of former players, conducted for a book celebrating the club's 19th league title. One of his finest performances for the club came in 1