Blog – The Match – Page 3

Spurs are lost without Eriksen’s creativity; will they have to get used to his absence?

Shaka Hislop weighs in on Jamaal Lascelles’ challenge on Harry Kane that wasn’t given as a penalty, in Tottenham’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle.

LONDON — This was supposed to be the match that would kickstart Tottenham Hotspurs’ season.

After needing a Harry Kane rescue act to overcome promoted Aston Villa on the opening weekend and then somehow coming away from Manchester City with a statistically miraculous 2-2 draw, this game, against a Newcastle United team who were without a point and had just lost 3-1 at Premier League new boys Norwich City, would be the one where the shackles came off. Or at least, that was the theory.

Instead…

David Luiz’s shocker proves it’s the same old calamitous Arsenal

Craig Burley feels Liverpool strengthened in all the right areas this summer after being critical of Arsenal’s David Luiz and Dani Ceballos.

Mohamed Salah put on a show for the fans at Anfield scoring twice, in a 3-1 thrashing of Arsenal.

LIVERPOOL, England  — It was as if David Luiz felt so embarrassed by the damaging recklessness of what he had just done that he felt some kind of knee-jerk moral compulsion to acknowledge his mistake.

The second half was two minutes old at a warm, summery Anfield and Arsenal, though 1-0 down, were just about holding their own. That’s when Mohamed Salah made a move to latch onto a prodded pass by Roberto Firmino and Luiz instinctively yanked at the Liverpool No. 11’s shirt. The Brazilian…

Liverpool class summed up by Salah as Arsenal are swept aside

While Steve Nicol always felt Liverpool would defeat Arsenal, he feels one of the Gunners’ biggest downfalls was David Luiz.

Mohamed Salah put on a show for the fans at Anfield scoring twice, in a 3-1 thrashing of Arsenal.

Craig Burley feels Liverpool strengthened in all the right areas this summer after being critical of Arsenal’s David Luiz and Dani Ceballos.
LIVERPOOL, England — The clock struck 57 minutes and for Arsenal, already 2-0 down against Liverpool, the nadir was still to come.
Mohamed Salah received possession on the right flank and beat David Luiz with such ruthlessness that social media was awash with obituaries for the defender’s career. The Egyptian forward sped goalward, with Nacho Monreal’s presence proving to be no impediment either, before planting the surest of finishes into the bottom left corner of Bernd Leno’s goal.
The home side…

Manchester United show familiar failings in defeat to Crystal Palace

Steve Nicol says that Manchester United need to move the ball with “purpose and pace” in the future to score more goals.

Marcus Rashford missed another penalty for Manchester United, as Crystal Palace left Old Trafford with a 2-1 victory.

ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol addresses his top five takeaways from all of Saturday’s action in the Premier League.
MANCHESTER, England — Soft goals conceded, David De Gea mistakes and losing games they should not; for Manchester United, Saturday’s defeat to Crystal Palace had a feeling of last season about it, rather than pertaining to a new era under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
There was enough in the first two games of the season, which brought victory against Chelsea and a draw at Wolves, to suggest things were moving in the right direction. However, this 2-1 reverse — Palace’s first win at Old Trafford since…

UEFA Super Cup can serve as next step in Liverpool’s untraditional route to Premier League glory

The Exploding Heads simulate the UEFA Super Cup of Liverpool vs. Chelsea in FIFA 19 style.
ISTANBUL — Liverpool can win their sixth European trophy this century when they face Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup in Turkey on Wednesday, but another c…

Solskjaer and Man United enjoy another good start, but Lampard’s Chelsea are chastened

Craig Burley likes what he saw from Marcus Rashford and Manchester United’s attack in their 4-0 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford.

Craig Burley’s superlatives for the opening round of the Premier League season include high praise for Man United and scorn for Chelsea and Watford.

Manchester United hit four unanswered goals to spoil Frank Lampard’s first Premier League game as Chelsea boss.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was renowned for finishing well during his playing days, but the Manchester United manager is beginning to develop a reputation for impressive starts.
Solskjaer won his first eight games as caretaker boss last season, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, and despite supporters’ concerns that United had not done enough in the transfer window to challenge for a top-four finish, saw his team make a rampant start to the new Premier League campaign by inflicting a 4-0 hammering upon…

Man City look like champions again, and it’ll take more than VAR to stop them

The Luck Index shows Manchester City were unlucky not to pass 100 points again, and beat Liverpool to the Premier League by a bigger margin.

The Luck Index shows Manchester City were unlucky not to pass 100 points again and beat Liverpool to the Premier League by a bigger margin.

Ilkay Gundogan explains it’s always been a huge achievement to play under Pep Guardiola after he extended his Man City contract to 2023.

Defender Joao Cancelo outlines what he expects from the Premier League after securing his move to Manchester City.
LONDON — The 59,870 people present at the London Stadium on Saturday for Manchester City’s latest demolition of West Ham United will no doubt one day wistfully tell their grandchildren that they were present for a moment of history: yes, they were lucky enough to be there on the day the first Premier League goal was disallowed by the video assistant referee.
VAR has arrived, ruling out a Gabriel Jesus goal in City’s 5-0 victory, and while it may well increase the number of correct decisions in…

Tottenham must answer tough questions to emulate Liverpool’s success

Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol slams Spurs’ performance in the UCL Final, and Craig Burley accuses Mauricio Pochettino of ‘weak management’.

Mauricio Pochettino feels Tottenham were the aggressors in the final vs. Liverpool, but conceding an early penalty impacted their plans.

Steve Nicol hails the impact of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and defender Virgil van Dijk in keeping Tottenham at bay in the Reds’ Champions League Final triumph.

Jurgen Klopp doesn’t want to sit in a press conference breaking down how Liverpool won the Champions League; he just wants to enjoy that they won.

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol was in Madrid to watch his beloved Reds win the Champions League, but relief rather than joy was his overriding emotion.
MADRID — Defeat on the biggest stage can trigger two responses: The losers either allow the disappointment to drag them down to the realms of the also-rans, or use it as inspiration to go again and come back stronger.
Liverpool, having suffered a painful and comprehensive 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League final, took the latter option. The Anfield club invested wisely in the likes of Alisson and Fabinho and, having almost won the Premier League with 97 points, ended…

Inside Man City’s stunning season: How Pep Guardiola & Co. won the treble

LONDON — It is never easy to put history into context just as it’s being made, so it may be many more years before the real magnitude of Manchester City’s domestic Treble can be properly judged. But by inflicting a 6-0 defeat on Watford in the FA Cup final on Saturday, Pep Guardiola’s City achieved what no men’s club has done before by winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup in the same season. However you feel about it, their place in history is certainly assured.

Saturday’s Cup…

Man City’s character, ‘guts’ shine through in Premier League triumph

Manchester City are the first team in a decade to win back to back Premier League titles, beating Brighton 4-1.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany reflects on his side’s path to a second consecutive Premier League title, and the competition they faced from Liverpool. (edited)

Manchester City celebrated winning the 2018-19 Premier League title after a thrilling back and forth battle with Liverpool throughout the season.

Had Manchester City blown it? Glenn Murray had just headed Brighton into the lead in the 27th minute and anyone seeking final-day drama had their hook. City had cracked at the worst possible moment; they had lost their nerve just as the hard work seemed to have been done; they had made a season’s excellence count for nothing and Pep Guardiola would face familiar accusations of overcomplicating at a moment that demanded clarity.
Those would have been the headlines, the thinkpieces, the pub discussions…

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