[ad_1] Nearly a quarter of the way into the season – there were two glaring questions to be answered about Leeds United and Arsenal going into their clash at Elland Road on Sunday. Are Arsenal title contenders? Are Leeds candidates to be relegated? To put it simply, yes to both. Looking at Arsenal first – Mikel Arteta will take as much from this game as any. Yes, it is true, Arsenal were far from their best – but when it mattered they showed real quality and that was not embodied more by their winning goal. Bukayo Saka capitalised on Rodrigo’s horror cross – but theRead More →

[ad_1] Real Madrid moved three points clear at the top of La Liga with a richly deserved 3-1 win over arch rivals Barcelona in Sunday’s Clasico at the Bernabeu. With their Champions League campaign dangling by a thread, Barcelona went into the match keen to assert domestic prowess. They dominated possession throughout the match, but were largely toothless in attack and allowed Los Blancos to pick them off with two first half counter-attacks. The first goal came after great work from Toni Kroos, who sent Vinicius Junior through on goal with a delicious pass. Though Marc-Andre ter Stegen was on hand to parry the Brazilian’sRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester United were held to a goalless stalemate at home by Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. The ambitious approach of both teams threatened to concoct an intriguing affair. From the opening whistle, Newcastle pressed aggressively. The hosts tried – with mixed success – to weave their way around the hassling white shirts. However, an ultimately scrappy and staccato affair was riddled with controversial refereeing decisions – or, more accurately, non-decisions. Callum Wilson gave the officials something to think about ten minutes into proceedings when he tumbled over Raphael Varane’s outstretched, errant leg. Wilson’s mild protests were waved away. Erik ten Hag’sRead More →

[ad_1] Antoine Griezmann has apologised to Atletico Madrid fans for leaving to join Barcelona in 2019. After five years playing for Diego Simeone’s side, during which he became one of the side’s most important players, the Frenchman joined Barcelona in a big-money move. Things didn’t go so well for him at Camp Nou though and last season he returned to his previous club on a two-year loan deal, which included an option to buy. That option has now been activated with the forward signing a contract that lasts until 2026 with Atleti paying Barca around €20m. In his first league match since that deal wasRead More →

[ad_1] Legendary Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has criticised the club’s new ownership, claiming the west London outfit have ‘lacked class’ since their change in management. American businessman Todd Boehly purchased the Blues this summer after previous owner Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Boehly has made a major splash since arriving at Stamford Bridge, spending over £250m on transfers in the summer and making headlines when he sacked popular manager Thomas Tuchel in September. Despite some turbulence and controversy, Chelsea have shown an improvement in form since the appointment of new manager Graham Potter andRead More →

[ad_1] Jurgen Klopp has joked he hopes rival Pep Guardiola ‘takes a sabbatical’ upon the expiry of his Manchester City contract. Guardiola’s current deal at the Etihad Stadium expires next summer, with the Catalan coach giving little indication thus far of whether he intends to extend his stay. Speaking ahead of Liverpool and City’s clash at Anfield on Sunday, Klopp praised his opposite number but admitted he would prefer for their legendary rivalry to be over sooner rather than later. Asked about Guardiola’s future at City, Klopp said: “I didn’t know that. I would prefer Pep to do a sabbatical for four years. “Actually, myRead More →

[ad_1] Antonio Conte has confirmed that Richarlison will miss Tottenham’s upcoming clash with Manchester United due to injury. The Brazilian forward, signed by Spurs in the summer transfer window, hobbled off with an injury in the club’s 2-0 win over Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening. Speaking after the game, Conte confirmed that the injury is bad enough to mean that he will miss the upcoming midweek game at Old Trafford: “Yeah for sure he’s out against Manchester United. He felt something in his calf and he won’t be available for that game. “I think he needs a bit of time to recover.Read More →

[ad_1] Second-half goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg earned Tottenham a 2-0 win at home Everton on Saturday evening. Frank Lampard’s side arrived in north London with the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League. The visitors firmly bolted the backdoor to desperately preserve that status against an early storm from the hosts in the opening ten minutes. The Toffees crept forward as the game progressed, ensuring that Antonio Conte’s prediction of a match that ‘won’t be easy’ for Spurs was fulfilled. In a bid to overwhelm the visiting rearguard action, Spurs pressed aggressively, committing plenty of white shirts forward when they wrestled backRead More →

[ad_1] Celtic responded to their early elimination from the Champions League by hammering Hibernian 6-1 at Parkhead. Ange Postecoglou was defiant in the face of the Hoops’ European struggles, and his charges came out with a point to prove on their return to domestic action. The hosts took a ninth-minute lead when a deep cross from Sead Haksabanovic – on a rare start following his summer arrival – was converted by James Forrest at Hibs’ far post. Celtic doubled their advantage another nine minutes later through Georgios Giakoumakis, who was able to guide the ball in following a searching cross by Alexandro Bernabei. Postecoglou’s menRead More →