Tag: English Premier League

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EPL: EL GHAZI EARLY GOAL FIRES ASTON VILLA TO VICTORY AT LEEDS

Anwar El Ghazi’s early goal clinched Aston Villa a 1-0 win at Leeds and lifted his side to within a point of the Premier League’s top six.

El Ghazi was left unmarked to turn home the only goal from close range in the fifth minute and dogged defending saw Villa avenge their 3-0 home defeat to Leeds in October.

Villa secured just their second win in seven league games on the road, while Leeds’ see-saw first season back in the top flight continued.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were denied back-to-back home wins after Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat of Southampton and were rarely allowed to hit the same heights.

When Raphinha went close to scoring inside the opening 30 seconds – he just failed to connect with Patrick Bamford’s cross – it appeared this would be another game at Elland Road this season that you could not take your eyes off.

But while it ebbed and flowed in the first half, Villa shut down their opponents after the interval and for Leeds the game ended in a whimper.

Villa had a penalty appeal turned down when a corner struck Luke Ayling on his arm and then capitalised on sloppy Leeds defending to take a fifth-minute lead.

Ollie Watkins slipped as he fired at goal, but the ball found its way to the unmarked El Ghazi on the six-yard box and although he too lost his footing, he steered home his sixth league goal of the season.

Leeds responded through Tyler Roberts, but his thumping effort was well saved by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and then El Ghazi twice went close to extending Villa’s lead.

The Dutchman’s first shot was tipped over the crossbar by Illan Meslier and he pulled his second, a low effort, just wide.

Stuart Dallas fired in a low shot and home skipper Liam Cooper headed straight at Martinez as Leeds chased an equaliser.

El Ghazi maintained his shoot-on-sight policy, but was wayward with another effort and at the other end Helder Costa’s low shot was blocked and Roberts fired over, with Leeds restricted to half-chances as half-time beckoned.

Leeds continued to force the issue at the start of the second period, but the killer pass eluded them.

Cooper did just enough to divert Villa captain Tyrone Mings’ header wide from a corner, but the free-flowing action before the break made way for a more scrappy affair.

Villa doggedly defended their slender lead and both sides were guilty of halting play with niggling fouls.

Leeds struggled to break down a resilient defence and when substitute Jack Harrison’s late cross offered them their best chance of rescuing a point, Raphinha fluffed his header.

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JOHN STONES WINNER SEES OFF STUBBORN WESTHAM TO HAND CITY 14TH STRAIGHT LEAGUE WIN

Manchester City centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones each scored as Pep Guardiola’s team beat West Ham United 2-1 to extend their run of league wins to 14.

The hosts enjoyed the early possession at the Etihad Stadium and took the lead on the half-hour with their first shot on target, Dias heading in Kevin De Bruyne’s pinpoint cross for his first City goal.

Having hit a post three minutes earlier, Michail Antonio drew West Ham level with two first-half minutes remaining. The forward turned in Jesse Lingard’s shot from close range to end 587 minutes of City not conceding a home league goal.

Stones restored City’s lead midway through the second half, finishing well after skilful work from Riyad Mahrez on the right.

Issa Diop headed a chance for West Ham wide in stoppage time as City’s 20th straight win in all competitions sent the leaders 13 points clear of Manchester United, who visit Chelsea tomorrow.

West Ham’s four-match unbeaten run ends as they stay fourth, two points ahead of Chelsea.

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EPL: LEEDS MOVE TO TOP HALF AFTER THRASHING SOUTHAMPTON

Leeds climbed back into the top half of the table as three second-half goals secured them a 3-0 home win against Southampton.

Patrick Bamford’s 13th Premier League goal of the season, Stuart Dallas and the impressive Raphinha’s free-kick lifted Marcelo Bielsa’s side above Arsenal and up to 10th, one point behind Tottenham.

Southampton were not without their chances and despite being overrun after the interval were still in the game until Dallas made it 2-0 in the 77th minute.

But the Saints’ winless league run was extended to eight matches and had Leeds not been so wasteful in front of goal, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side would have lost by a bigger margin.

The visitors twice threatened to take an early lead as Leeds’ players struggled to keep their feet on Elland Road’s soft playing surface.

Jannik Vestergaard headed James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick wide and Nathan Tella almost marked his first Premier League start with a fine solo effort.

The 23-year-old midfielder skipped around Leeds skipper Liam Cooper, but his curling shot was comfortably saved by Illan Meslier.

Raphinha laid a golden chance on a plate for Tyler Roberts, pulling the ball back after gliding past two defenders, but the Welsh forward blazed over.

Leeds went close again when Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy denied Cooper following a neat set-piece routine and then VAR intervention correctly denied the visitors a penalty.

Tella had gone down too easily under a challenge from Diego Llorente, who was making his home debut for Leeds, and referee Andre Marriner corrected his initial decision after checking the replays.

Oriol Romeu then kept the scores level by producing a goal-saving tackle on Raphinha, who had raced clear from halfway into the penalty area.

Southampton thought they had broken the deadlock just before half-time when Che Adams latched on to Ward-Prowse’s smart free-kick, but Marriner ruled it out after claiming he was not ready.

Leeds made a flying start to the second half and took the lead in the 47th minute.

Bamford raced on to Roberts’ excellent through-ball and clipped a cool left-footed finish into the bottom corner.

Southampton responded through Stuart Armstrong, who forced Meslier into a low flying save, before Leeds spurned chances to extend their advantage.

Roberts fired wide following a sweeping Leeds counter and as the action flowed from end to end, Bamford’s close-range effort was blocked by McCarthy after Dallas’s weaving run.

McCarthy rescued Saints again when keeping out Llorente’s shot from another Raphinha pull-back.

Leeds should have been out of sight, but Southampton threatened when Vestergaard’s close-range effort was blocked by Bamford and Mohammed Salisu fired over.

Dallas then settled any home nerves when he crashed in Leeds’ second from the edge of the area in the 77th minute.

The home side chased a third and Raphinha curled home an excellent free-kick around the wall and into the bottom corner seven minutes later.

Substitute Pablo Hernandez lashed a volley just over in the closing stages as Leeds continued to swarm forward.

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“NOBODY IS HAPPY, BUT NOBODY IS DEPRESSED” MOURINHO ON SPURS’ SLUMP

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is determined to turn around the club’s slump.

Spurs have lost five of their last six Premier League games to fall out of Champions League contention and Mourinho finds himself in an unprecedented situation in his long managerial career.

The Portuguese says that the current run shows how good his career has been and that he is committed to making a success of his time in north London.

“I want to know which coach has always had blue sky and never cloudy or a bit dark,” he said ahead of his side’s Europa League last-32 second-leg tie with Wolfsberger.

“Perhaps only a coach who is always at a dominant club in a league. It shows how beautiful my career has been. Does it make me depressed? No. It’s a challenge. I work for the club, the players and the supporters.

“I always feel I have to give them so much. It hurts me and it’s a great challenge for me and I believe I can give it. I give it everywhere I’ve been and I’m more motivated than ever.

“I never felt what normally coaches felt when the results are bad, they are lonely men. That’s what we normally are. I never felt that in this building. I feel not only respected but supported. Everybody in the same boat.

“Nobody is happy but nobody is depressed. I feel positive. Maybe a bit weird for you after losing so many matches but I’m positive. I’m not happy but I wake up wanting to come here. Everybody is loving training and working hard with so many matches.”

Mourinho says he is in constant contact with chairman Daniel Levy and there is no friction between the pair.

“My relationship is the same since day one which is one of respect and open communication,” he said. “We respect each other. There is no contradiction between us because we both feel the same.

“I believe we all feel the same feelings. Nobody is happy, nobody is depressed and everybody feels we are going to do better.

“What I feel to Mr Levy is what I feel in every club I’ve worked in. I want to give happiness to everyone, the chairman, the players, the fans, everybody connected to the club.

“I feel one of them and I want to give happiness to them. I don’t change.”

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EVERTON GRANTED PLANNING PERMIT FOR NEW STADIUM AT BRAMLEY-MOORE DECK

Everton have been granted planning permission by Liverpool City Council for a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

Due to the scale of the development, the detailed application for the 52,888-capacity ground now passes to Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick’s office for consideration.

If there is no objection at that level, and the proposals do not get “called in” for scrutiny higher up in Government, then the club would look to start work this spring or early summer.

There is a 150-week build plan in place which will potentially see the Toffees start the 2024-25 season in their new riverside stadium.

After a number of false starts over several years, Everton considered 52 locations to move to from Goodison Park and Bramley-Moore Dock was deemed the only viable option.

The project has gained widespread public support although objections were raised by heritage body ICOMOS, acting on behalf of UNESCO, as well as the Victorian Society and Historic England – with the latter having had input on the design.

But the council’s report concluded the plans – which integrate a number of historic features – could actually deliver “heritage benefits” by “enhancing degraded on-site heritage assets, improving access to the World Heritage Site and unlocking access to the history”.

Everton believe the new stadium can play a key role in Liverpool’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, with the stadium and a multi-purpose redevelopment of Goodison Park generating a £1.3billion boost to the local economy.

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Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea taking shape after whirlwind start to his reign

Now it’s time for the toughest test by far of Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea tenure — a last-16 matchup in the UEFA Champions League against La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.

It has been a whirlwind first month for Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.

Seven games. Five wins. Two goals conceded. Zero losses. One public dressing-down of a player.

Oh, and thousands upon thousands of passes.

The net result is a widespread acceptance that Chelsea achieved an upgrade by firing club great Frank Lampard and replacing him with more of an experienced tactician in Tuchel, who has already put his own stamp on the team as he transitions to life in English soccer.

The schedule has been kind to the German coach so far, though, with Premier League matches against out-of-form teams (Wolves, Tottenham and Southampton) or relegation contenders (Newcastle, Burnley and Sheffield United) flanking an FA Cup game at second-division club Barnsley.

Now it’s time for the toughest test by far of Tuchel’s Chelsea tenure — a last-16 matchup in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, the Spanish league leader, and its coach of nearly 10 years, Diego Simeone.

“This is exactly what we want, the biggest test,” Tuchel said Monday. “Because hopefully it brings out the best in us. It’s clear when play against Atletico what you get — you get hard fighting, an experienced team, a lot of mentality.

“We will do it in our way, and they will do it in their way.”

So what has been Chelsea’s “way” since the arrival of Tuchel on Jan. 26, a day after Lampard’s firing and a day before Tuchel took charge of his first match?

In a clear change of game plan, Tuchel immediately switched formation from Lampard’s 4-2-3-1 to a three-man defense with high wing backs and two sitting midfielders to protect the back line.

Further forward, Tuchel has looked to get more out of offseason signing Timo Werner by deploying him as an inside forward, positioned on the left and just off the main striker, which has alternated between Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham.

The slate has been wiped clean in the squad, with a number of players brought back in, including left wing back Marcos Alonso — who hadn’t played since September under Lampard — center back Antonio Rudiger and Callum Hudson-Odoi, a winger who is occasionally operating as a right wing back under Tuchel.

Cesar Azpilicueta, the dependable club captain, has been a regular in the team as a right-sided center half. His days had appeared numbered under Lampard.

Then there’s been the clear change in playing style, with Chelsea dominating the ball and having at least 70% possession in four of the seven matches. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea had 79% possession and completed 820 passes — more than any other team in a Premier League game this season.

Still, some old habits die hard. Chelsea continues to struggle to convert its dominance of matches and territorial pressure into goals, like in the 1-1 draw at Southampton on Saturday when Tuchel bemoaned his team’s “lack of precision.”

“I didn’t feel in the last 20 meters that we would kill the game,” he said.

Expect chances to be few and far between against Atletico’s experienced and famously rugged defense as Tuchel takes charge of a second different team in this season’s Champions League, having led 2019-20 runner-up Paris Saint-Germain in the group stage before getting fired in December.

Tuchel said Chelsea would have to “over-perform” to get past Atletico.

“This is only possible if you feel a bond between the players as a coach, and I feel these things,” he said.

Tuchel said Hudson-Odoi was in contention to start the first leg on Tuesday, having withdrawn the 20-year-old England international barely 30 minutes after bringing him on as a halftime substitute against Southampton — saying his “attitude” wasn’t right.

It was Tuchel’s first open spat with a player since arriving, underlining his reputation as a single-minded coach who is not afraid to speak his mind.

Tuchel said Monday he had spoken to Hudson-Odoi in front of the squad in training and that the matter was over.

“Sometimes you reflect, ‘Should I have done that?’” Tuchel said, “because the media, the outside, the family makes it bigger than it is meant. Still, I did it and I had the reaction I wanted.

“I said after the game this is the decision for today, this is the lesson to learn for him. For me, also.”

Indeed, Tuchel still has plenty to learn about his squad, underscoring the size of his task against Atletico as he looks to outwit a coach in Simeone who has been in his post since 2011.

“You know that you arrive at the highest level when you play Atletico in the first round of the knockouts,” Tuchel said. “We feel confident. We feel excited.”

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England plans return of fans in time for Premier League finale in May

The Football Association hope two showpiece games at Wembley Stadium — the League Cup final on April 25 and the FA Cup final on May 15 — could be test events for the return of spectators.

Plans to ease England’s lockdown restrictions will see up to 10,000 supporters being allowed back into Premier League stadiums for the final day of the season in May ahead of Wembley hosting European Championship games.

Some sports in England could see fans return even earlier in April, the government said on Monday, as part of pilots involving coronavirus testing to assess how events can take place without any social distancing from later in the year.

English football authorities hope two showpiece games at Wembley — the League Cup final on April 25 and the FA Cup final on May 15 — could be test events for the return of spectators.

The government’s roadmap out of England’s third lockdown has earmarked May 17 as the earliest day for the implementation of stage three that would see the widescale reopening of sports venues to spectators. The Premier League ends on May 23.

Stadiums with more than 40,000 seats, including the home of Premier League leader Manchester City, will be allowed up to 10,000 fans spaced out. Smaller major venues will be permitted a quarter capacity.

The release of plans for the reopening of sports to fans is a boost to England’s role in staging seven games at the rescheduled Euro 2020 across June and July, including the semifinals and final.

“The turnstiles of our sports stadia will once again rotate, subject in all cases to capacity limits depending on the size of the venue,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. “And we will pilot larger events using enhanced testing, with the ambition of further easing of restrictions in the next step.”

The final stage of the government plan, in which all legal limits on social conduct are removed after 15 months of closure, is set for June 21. That is a week before the scheduled start of Wimbledon, which was canceled last year due to the pandemic.

Other leading European countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, are yet to announce plans for the return of spectators to sports stadiums.

Britain has had Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, with more than 120,000 deaths, and the government said the dates for the easing of lockdown could be postponed if infections rise.

But Britain has had Europe’s fastest inoculation campaign with more than 17.5 million people, a third of the country’s adult population, already given the first of two doses of vaccine. The government aim is to give every adult a shot of vaccine by July 31.

All venues were closed to spectators as sports shut down at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. While it took three months for events to resume, it took longer for stands to be even partly filled.

Up to 2,000 fans were allowed back into some Premier League stadiums in England in December but all venues were shut again as coronavirus restrictions were tightened later in the month due to the spread of new variants of COVID-19.

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RAHEEM STERLING EARLY STRIKE KEEPS CITY WINNING RUN

Raheem Sterling struck in the second minute to give leaders Manchester City a 1-0 win at Arsenal, their 13th consecutive Premier League victory.

Sterling leapt high to nod in Riyad Mahrez’s right-wing cross and it proved to be decisive as Man City opened up a 10-point lead over Leicester City at the top of the table.

Sterling could have scored twice more in the first five minutes while Ilkay Gundogan was denied by Bernd Leno, who tipped away his 56th-minute shot.

At the other end, Mohamed Elneny drove wide after some hesitancy in the City defence with 17 minutes left.

City are now unbeaten in 17 Premier League matches and move on to 59 points. Arsenal stay 10th on 34 points.

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MADDISON, BARNES ON TARGET AS LEICESTER BEAT ASTON VILLA TO CLIMB UP TO SECOND

First-half goals from James Maddison and Harvey Barnes helped Leicester City move to within seven points of leaders Manchester City with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

Leicester took the lead on 19 minutes when Barnes teed up Maddison on the edge of the penalty area and his sweeping low finish was beyond the reach of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Barnes added a second only four minutes later, lashing the ball into the roof of the net after Martinez spilled Jamie Vardy’s shot into his path.

Bertrand Traore gave Villa hope of a second-half comeback with a close-range finish from Matt Targett’s cross on 48 minutes.

Morgan Sanson went close to conjuring an equaliser for Villa with seven minutes remaining but he fired narrowly wide from distance.

Leicester’s third victory in four matches takes them up to second, one place and three points clear of Manchester United, who face Newcastle United on Sunday.

Villa stay in eighth place, level with Tottenham Hotspur on 36 points but ahead of them on goal difference.

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ANTONIO, LINGARD STAR AS WESTHAM BEAT SPURS 2-1

Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard scored a goal in each half as West Ham United survived a late fightback to rise to fourth with a 2-1 derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Antonio fired West Ham ahead on five minutes, tapping in after Hugo Lloris had parried his initial flick-on from Jarrod Bowen’s cross.

Lingard doubled the lead just after half-time. His rifled effort was confirmed as a goal after a VAR review overturned an offside in the build-up.

Lucas Moura halved the deficit with a near-post header from substitute Gareth Bale’s 64th-minute corner.

Kane then dragged inches wide before Bale and Son Heung-min both struck the woodwork as a Spurs side who had 68 per cent possession and 16 more shots in total were unable to salvage a point.

David Moyes’s first win over Jose Mourinho lifts West Ham above Chelsea on 45 points, two ahead of the Blues.

Spurs remain ninth, nine points behind but with a match in hand.