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‘Incredible’, ‘Fantastic performance’: Some Man City fans praise midfielder’s display vs Liverpool
A section of Manchester City fans on Twitter have hailed the performance of Ilkay Gundogan during the club’s stunning 4-1 Premier League win at Liverpool. The Cityzens went into the game in superb form with 13 straight wins across all competitions which included nine in the top-flight. The club had the chance to take the lead at the midway stage of the first-half at Anfield after being handed a penalty for a foul on Raheem Sterling. However, Gundogan squandered the opportunity as he fired his effort over the top of Alisson Becker’s goal. The teams went goalless at the interval, but Gundogan made amends shortly after the break after scoring from a rebound off Phil Foden’s shot. The Reds levelled the scores through Mohamed Salah’s penalty after the hour mark, but just 10 minutes later Gundog...
Report: Thomas Tuchel provides update on Thiago Silva’s injury, explains Pulisic absence
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has provided an update on Christian Pulisic and Thiago Silva after the duo missed the Premier League clash against Sheffield United last night. Silva picked up a thigh injury against Tottenham Hotspur earlier last week and he was always a big doubt to face the Blades on the road. As such, there were no surprises over his absence for Sunday’s game where Andreas Christensen took his place in the back three. Speaking after the Blues’ 2-1 win, Tuchel revealed that Silva is working hard to make his comeback and may return for the Southampton trip on February 20. “We are doing everything and I know Thiago will do everything to be ready as soon as possible,” he was quoted as saying on the club’s official website. “Thiago, we are fighting every day. He will be for sure o...
‘So good’, ‘Special player’: Some Man City fans hail attacker’s display vs Liverpool
Some Manchester City fans on Twitter have hailed the performance of Phil Foden during the club’s comfortable 4-1 Premier League win over Liverpool on Sunday. The Cityzens headed into the Reds clash on the back of a nine-match winning league streak, but they had an average first-half where Ilkay Gundogan missed a penalty. Gundogan made amends within four minutes of the restart as he scored from the rebound of Foden’s shot which was saved by Alisson. Mohamed Salah brought the Reds back into the game by scoring from the penalty spot after the hour mark, but the Cityzens soon fought back to take the lead. A poor pass from Alisson gifted Bernardo Silva with possession and he squared the ball to Gundogan for an easy tap-in. Moments later, Alisson made another blunder by passing the ball straight...
Former Arsenal defender hits out at Arteta over defensive failures
Former Arsenal defender Armand Traore has criticised Mikel Arteta over his failure to address the club’s defensive issues. Kieran Tierney’s absence through injury has left the Gunners’ boss short of options at left-back over the past few games. Cedric Soares has been deployed as Tierney’s replacement despite being more comfortable playing at right-back. Speaking to Stadium Astro after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday, Traore hit out at Arteta’s failure to resolve the problem. “I would have liked to see a left-back coming in for cover for Kieran because I believe that he has got a lot of injuries issues at the moment,” he said. “The fact that they didn’t was a bit disappointing. I don’t like seeing Cedric at left-back. He’s a right-footed player and it creates an imbalance wi...
PL legend urges Arsenal boss to resist temptation to sell ‘quality’ player
Former Celtic and Aston Villa midfielder Stylian Petrov has urged Mikel Arteta not to sell Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman had a lofty reputation when he signed for the Premier League club in 2017, but he has failed to live up to expectations. The 29-year-old has scored 58 goals in 154 appearances for Arsenal, but Petrov believes he still has plenty to offer the north London club. “I think Lacazette has the quality and ability to make the difference,” he told Stadium Astro. “If they add the right players around Lacazette they can still see the best of him. “You can still use him as long as you add more players and better quality around him.” SL View It is fair to say that Lacazette hasn’t quite delivered what was expected of him at Arsenal. His impressive goalscoring rec...
West Ham United linked with unrealistic bid for prolific forward – opinion
“David Moyes wants West Ham scouts to track Blackburn hotshot Adam Armstrong ahead of a summer bid.” Alan Nixon. The Sun. That’s probably all you need to know about this nonsense. Apparently, ‘(David) Moyes likes the 18-goal striker and considered an £8 million offer in the January window’. Maybe he was also considering ditching his wife and trading her in for a younger model. Who knows? Nixon goes on to say that the West Ham boss held off in favour of continuing his checks to see if Armstrong is worth the £10m-plus that Rovers want. SL View Where to begin with this one? Nixon – also known as the Twitter blocking machine – likes to portray himself as something of a transfer expert on Lancashire clubs. He isn’t. Let’s break this down. Moyes considered an £8 million offer for Armstrong? Good...
‘Had a shocker’, ‘Terrible’ – Some Man Utd fans are unhappy with 30-yr-old’s display last night
Manchester United dropped two valuable points against Everton in the Premier League last night. Despite having a comfortable lead in the first half, the Old Trafford outfit managed to end up drawing the game and it could have a big impact on their title aspirations. United had a great chance of going level on points with league leaders Manchester City with a win last night. City face Liverpool in the Premier League later today and it could be a vital game in this season’s title race. Meanwhile, United will feel that they could have easily won the game if not for a mediocre performance from goalkeeper David de Gea. The 30-year-old Spaniard has not been at his best for a while now and he was responsible for a couple of goals the conceded by the home side. The Spaniard should have done better...
‘Looked amazing’, ‘Just brilliant’ – Some Newcastle fans are in awe of 26-yr-old’s display
Paraguayan international Miguel Almiron put in an incredible shift as Newcastle United secured a thrilling 3-2 win over Southampton in the Premier League yesterday. The 26-year-old was outstanding for the home side and he managed to score a match-winning brace. Apart from his goals, the attacking midfielder worked his socks off and helped out the side defensively. His work rate and creativity seem to have impressed the fans immensely. Almiron has shown his quality every time he has been played in his natural position this season and the fans will be hoping for more of the same in the coming weeks. Steve Bruce must look to use his key players in their natural roles if Newcastle are to succeed this season. He has often been criticised for his tendency to use the likes of Isaac Hayden in the ...
‘Great performance’, ‘Very impressed’ – Some Celtic fans lavish praise on 21-yr-old after yesterday’s win
Celtic picked up a 2-1 win over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership last night and Neil Lennon will be impressed with some of the performances from his players. The home side managed to close the gap with Rangers to 20 points with the win. Young centre back Stephen Welsh certainly made an impression for the home side. He managed to score his first goal for Celtic and he put in an assured defensive display. The reigning champions were in desperate need of a reliable centre back after Shane Duffy’s abysmal performances this season and it will be interesting to see if Welsh can establish himself as a regular starter in the coming weeks. The young defender seems calm and composed in pressure situations and he showed yesterday that he can chip in with vital goals as well. His display yesterd...
‘Legend in the making’, ‘The real deal’ – Some Villa fans drool over 25-yr-old’s display v Arsenal
Aston Villa picked up a narrow 1-0 win over Arsenal in the Premier League yesterday. Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game after just 74 seconds to hand Dean Smith’s side a vital win at home. The win takes Aston Villa up to 8th in the Premier League table with 35 points from 21 matches. Smith will be thoroughly impressed with the 25-year-old striker’s performance against the Gunners. Villa needed a quality striker after their goal scoring problems last season and Watkins has been outstanding since his move from Brentford. Apart from his goal, the striker worked hard by pressing and closing down the opposition throughout the game. His movement was excellent and he managed to link up with the likes of Jack Grealish seamlessly. Watkins has now scored 10 goals in the Premier League an...
Don Hutchison sends transfer advice to Carlo Ancelotti after 31-yr-old’s display for Everton
Everton battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw against Manchester United away from home in the Premier League last night. The Toffees were 2-0 down in the first half but they managed to mount a sensational come back against the Red Devils. Carlo Ancelotti will be left wondering what could have been if Robin Olsen had not put in an error-prone display for the away side. The Everton keeper was at fault for Scott McTominay’s goal in the second half. He should have kept out the midfielder’s header that gave United a lead on the 70th minute. Ancelotti has had to shuffle between Jordan Pickford and Olsen for the starting berth this season and former player Don Hutchison reckons that the Italian needs to sign a top-class goalkeeper at the end of this season. Couple of things from this. Carlo needs to bu...
Statistical analysis: Finding a better shot-stopper for Everton
Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton have been absolutely resurgent this season. At the time of writing, they are placed in the Europa League spots with a game or two in hand relative to the teams above them in the table. Their summer signings including the likes of James Rodríguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucouré have been firing on all cylinders, while old faces such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Lucas Digne have been exceptional as well. Protecting their own net, though, has been a bit of a challenge for the Toffees. No other Premier League side has played fewer games than Everton at the time of writing, yet they only have the eighth-best record in the league when it comes to goals conceded. While their defence has not been particularly solid (they are at the very centre of the ...
