Bukix (Page 27)

Manchester City inflicted a heavy 4-1 defeat on Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday night, with Erling Haaland returning to the starting XI with two goals after sitting out with an injury. The Citizens reduced the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points before the Gunners visit Liverpool on Sunday, with Haaland heading in before the break. Jack Grealish made it 2-0 before Haaland struck again with a wonderfully acrobatic effort. Sekou Mara gave the despondent Saints something to take from the defeat with a 72nd-minute strike, but Julian Alvarez’s penalty just moments later made it a thrashing. City are bang in formRead More →

Two strikes from Samuel Chukwueze – including a memorable winner from distance – helped Villarreal beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Saturday night. Pau Torres’ own goal gave Los Blancos the lead before Chukwueze netted his first with a twisting jink and finish. Vinicius Junior put Real ahead shortly after the break but Jose Luis Morales came off the bench to equalise before Chukwueze ran infield and beat Thibaut Courtois from distance. Carlo Ancelotti rested both Luka Modric and Toni Kroos from his starting XI, with Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos not quite offering the same security as the iconic Blancos duo. Vinicius gaveRead More →

Barcelona return to La Liga action on Monday night when they host Girona at Camp Nou. Xavi’s Barça couldn’t hold onto their first leg lead in the Copa del Rey semi-finals in midweek, being thrashed 4-0 by Clasico rivals Real Madrid. Things are rosy in the league, however, with the Catalan giants coasting towards a first title since 2019. Their upcoming opponents Girona have entertained neutrals with consistently frantic games this term but have never beaten Barça in their history. Here’s what you need to know about the game on Monday night. Barcelona vs Girona H2H Results (Last Five Meetings) Current La Liga Form (LastRead More →

Kevin De Bruyne became the quickest player to rack up 100 Premier League assists against Southampton on Saturday but endured a rocky start to life in the division. Thirteen minutes into his Premier League debut, De Bruyne showed the swiftness of feet and thought which has defined his silk-lined tenure in the English top flight. Taming Eden Hazard’s pass with a deft first touch on his right foot, De Bruyne rapidly stabbed the ball between James Chester’s legs with his left. Oscar toed the ball beyond the outrushing Allan McGregor to give Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea an early lead against Hull City in August 2013. FrankRead More →

Newcastle’s Champions League pursuit received another boost on Saturday as Eddie Howe’s side ran out 2-1 winners at Brentford. Nick Pope saved Ivan Toney’s first penalty but the striker wasn’t to be denied again from the spot, converting just after half time. However, an own goal from David Raya and Alexander Isak’s strike helped Newcastle turn the score around and remain ahead of both Manchester United and Tottenham in the top four race. While it’s a tough looking fixture list, Newcastle haven’t lost to a side they will face in their next six matches. Here’s who Newcastle have got coming up over the next fewRead More →

FROM GTECH COMMUNITY STADIUM – Newcastle returned to third place in the Premier League standings after coming from behind to beat Brentford. Eddie Howe’s men were far inferior to Thomas Frank’s in a testing first-half but displayed great resilience to earn a huge win in the race for a top-four place. The Bees are now without a win in four games and their hopes of qualifying for Europe are fading quickly. Brentford went close to taking the lead after just two minutes. Ivan Toney’s neat give-and-go with Pontus Jansson fooled the Newcastle defence, who had to retreat to clear the England striker’s cross-cum-shot off theRead More →

From Old Trafford – Manchester United’s push for a top-four finish continued on Saturday with a comfortable 2-0 win over relegation strugglers Everton. A goal in each half from Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial helped United maintain their unbeaten home record in 2023, though the match could have been over as a contest if not for the brilliance of Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal. United started well and should have gone ahead early on when Marcus Rashford broke clear thanks to a mistake from Michael Keane. He shrugged off James Tarkowski and burst into the box but Pickford was equal to his effort. AaronRead More →

England’s victory in the first-ever Finalissima will undoubtedly provide valuable experience for their upcoming World Cup campaign. The Lionesses clinched the trophy in front of a crowd of 83,132 at Wembley, defeating Brazil on penalties after Ella Toone’s first-half strike had given them the lead. However, an equaliser from Andressa Alves in the dying moments of the game took the match to a shootout, which England ultimately won 4-2. Sarina Wiegman’s team dominated the first half, but half-time changes from Brazil’s coach, Pia Sundhage, saw the visitors come out much more assertively in the second half. The decision to abandon their back-three formation put EnglandRead More →

Jurgen Klopp has admitted Arsenal are an example to follow when it comes to rebuilding a squad. Liverpool have massively underperformed expectations this season and have had various weaknesses in their team exposed, emphasising the need to bring in fresh blood this summer. Ahead of their crunch clash with Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, Klopp praised the work done by Mikel Arteta and the Gunners in transforming the team into genuine title contenders. READ MORE FROM THE 90MIN TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM “Arsenal deserves [to be] where they are. I know people are asking for time for managers but I really think Mikel deservedRead More →

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed Kyle Walker needs more ‘educated movements’ to play in his new system. Though Man City have largely played a 4-3-3 formation under Guardiola, he has at times deployed a three-at-the-back this season, with the right-back tucking into midfield. However, Walker has been overlooked in recent weeks, with John Stones or Rico Lewis often preferred to play that role. Speaking ahead of Man City’s trip to Southampton on Saturday, Guardiola was asked about Walker’s suitability for that position. “He cannot do it. He will always have pace; Kyle at 60 years old will be the fastest player in thisRead More →