Football commentary is regularly chastised for leaning upon cliches but some events are so perfectly captured by a well-worn phrase it would be criminal to pass up the opportunity. The startling, rip-snorting strikes delivered by Michael Keane and Vincent Kompany, for the azure-clad Everton and Manchester City respectively, are unerring embodiments of bolts from the blue. Like a thunderclap from a cloudless sky, both goals were violent works of art that seemed scarcely capable of originating from the boot of two no-nonsense centre-backs. Michael Vincent Keane. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/lFvyqUTHzu — Everton (@Everton) April 3, 2023 The Goodison Park crowd was still gasping at the replay onRead More →

Real Madrid’s bid to overturn a 1-0 aggregate deficit against Barcelona in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg has been complicated by another absence in training. Eder Militao’s own goal gave Barca a slender first leg advantage heading back to Camp Nou, in a game that saw Real Madrid fail to have a single shot on target despite having 65% possession. Militao’s central defensive partner that night was Antonio Rudiger, but the German was absent from group training on Tuesday morning after missing the 6-0 thrashing of Real Valladolid in La Liga at the weekend because of a knee complaint. It was reported atRead More →

Well, where do we even start with gameweek 29? The Premier League saw some major moves this weekend, with two managers losing their jobs as results at the top, bottom and middle of the table all took their toll. If that’s not enough for you, there was also a worldie or two scored along the way. Here’s a look at the best strikes from gameweek 29. A late leveller from @daniel_podence 💥 pic.twitter.com/IOYlkj3qTz — Wolves (@Wolves) April 1, 2023 Daniel Podence has always been one of those players capable of the spectacular, and he made the rare dip into his locker at the weekend toRead More →

Chelsea interim manager Bruno Saltor has admitted ‘frustration’ over the way Graham Potter was sacked only six months into a six-year contract, hinting the former boss should have been granted more time for the long-term project that is only just beginning. The weekend’s 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa, which pushed Chelsea into the bottom half of the Premier League table, proved to be the final straw as far as Potter’s tenure was concerned. Chelsea had been held at home by relegation-threatened Everton in the last game prior to the March international break and, despite progress in the Champions League, had won only sevenRead More →

Manchester United have confirmed that left-back Luke Shaw has signed a new contract at Old Trafford. Shaw has enjoyed an excellent resurgence under Erik ten Hag and, having entered the final 18 months of his previous deal, was quickly pushed forwards for talks over an extension. The agreement has now been finalised, with Shaw inking a new contract which will tie him to United until 2027. “Nine years ago, I signed for this amazing club, and I’m thrilled to be extending my stay,” Shaw said. I’ve grown immensely since coming to Manchester all those years ago, both as a person and as a player; IRead More →

90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world… Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is growing increasingly frustrated with Jadon Sancho as he prepares to offload a. number of fringe players. Harry Maguire, Brandon Williams, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly and Anthony Martial will all be made available for sale. (Manchester Evening News) Coming in at Man Utd could be Bayern Munich right-back Benjamin Pavard, with talks held over a summer deal. (The Athletic) Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong is also on Man Utd‘s radar as a right-back target. (Florian Plettenberg) Barcelona will start formal negotiations with Lionel Messi in the coming daysRead More →

The Premier League action continues to roll around in the wake of the March international break with four games taking place on Tuesday evening. The apparent absence of a mid-table means there’s something on the line in every encounter right now. On Tuesday, the fight for survival and the race for Europe will be put in the spotlight. A dramatic evening of midweek Premier League action awaits, and here’s our guide to each of the four games. Forest edged out Leeds in Jesse Marsch’s last game at the helm / Clive Mason/GettyImages Two sides that barely have their heads afloat in the relegation dogfight meetRead More →

According to their interim manager, who replaced a coach that was sacked after publicly calling out his players, who was hired by a sporting director that is now banned from worldwide football, Tottenham are “not a club in crisis”. Whether you side with Cristian Stellini or not, there is, without a doubt, a great deal of flux surrounding Tottenham Hotspur Football Club at the moment. They couldn’t get the job done on Monday night despite Everton giving them plenty of chances. Harry Kane’s goal from the penalty spot was cancelled out when Michael Keane banged one in from distance at Goodison Park. Somehow, despite allRead More →

Michael Keane’s late screamer from distance helped Everton claim a point against Tottenham on Monday night as Abdoulaye Doucoure and Lucas Moura were sent off in a frantic Premier League clash. The Toffees spurned good chances through Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye before the former was sent off for shoving his hand into Kane’s face. The England captain, who had a shot cleared off the line and a header skim wide in the first half, netted his 22nd league goal of the season from the penalty spot after Keane brought down Cristian Romero. However, Spurs couldn’t extend their advantage and were left in the lurch whenRead More →

English football’s obsession with stuffing the calendar full of matches is firmly ingrained in the identity of the sport on these shores. In Germany, the practice of playing an extra game before the weekend is considered to be so quintessentially English that a team which has a midweek match is said to endure an Englisch Woche, an English week. This particular set of fixtures on Tuesday and Wednesday is slightly different as only 12 Premier League clubs have been subjected to an English week. But why? Here’s everything you need to know about the latest instalment of midweek Premier League action. The passing of QueenRead More →