Tag: English Premier League

Categories
football Sports News

POLICE ARREST 12 YEAR OLD FOR SENDING RACIAL MESSAGES TO PALACE’S ZAHA

West Midlands Police have arrested a 12-year-old boy after Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha received racist messages on social media ahead of the club’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Sunday.

Zaha, 27, shared the obscene messages on Twitter before the match and Villa said they would investigate the incident with police.

After Villa’s 2-0 win over Palace, a police statement read: “We were alerted to a series of racist messages sent to a footballer today and after looking into them and conducting checks, we have arrested a boy.

“The 12-year-old from Solihull has been taken to custody. Thanks to everyone who raised it. Racism won’t be tolerated.”

Earlier, Villa responded with a social media post: “We deplore the disgusting racist messages sent to Wilfried Zaha.

“We condemn all forms of racial discrimination and stand with Crystal Palace. We are working with the police in investigating this extremely serious matter and when the culprit is identified AVFC will issue a lifetime ban.”

Palace also supported Zaha with a statement: “This is an absolute disgrace and should not be happening. We stand with you, Wilf, and anyone else who has to suffer such horrific abuse.”

Before the match, Palace manager Roy Hodgson was asked about the incident and told Sky Sports: “It is very saddening on the day of a game that a player wakes up to this cowardly and despicable abuse.

“I think it is right that Wilf made people aware of it; I don’t think it is something he should keep quiet about.

“I think it is very good that our club, Aston Villa and the Premier League are doing everything they can to find out who this despicable individual is and one can only hope that they will get identified and they will get called to account and they will pay for these actions.

“There is literally no excuse; there is no excuse at all.”

Before kickoff, both sets of players took a knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

Since the Premier League returned from the suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic, playing and coaching staff have taken a knee to show their support for the campaign.

A Premier League statement read: “This behaviour is completely unacceptable and the Premier League stands alongside Wilfried Zaha in opposing this, and discrimination in any form. There is #NoRoomForRacism, anywhere.

“We will continue to support players, managers, coaches and their family members who receive serious discriminatory online abuse.

“Through our dedicated reporting system we can take immediate action on cases like this.”

Categories
football Sports News

EVERTON’S SEAMUS COLEMAN BLAMES TEAM MATES FOR WOLVES HEAVY DEFEAT

Everton ace defender, Seamus Coleman has torn into Everton’s players after their defeat to Wolves.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side slipped to a humiliating 3-0 reversal at Molineux on Sunday in a performance devoid of any genuine positives for the visitors.

It marked the Blues’ third winless result in the space of six days, following a loss to Tottenham and a 1-1 home draw with Southampton earlier this week.

And Everton captain Coleman admits that standards clearly slipped in his team’s latest setback, which leaves them 11th in the Premier League table.

He said: “We need to ask serious questions of ourselves.

“We can all play badly, misplace passes and crosses, but the attitude and desire weren’t there and we got beat by the better team.

“We need to have a good, hard look at ourselves. Maybe we’re not where we think we are. As individuals and as a club, we need to be expecting better.

“That won’t be good enough for this manager and it’s certainly not good enough for this football club.”

Ancelotti backed up the Republic of Ireland defender’s scatching criticism of his teammates by insisting that they fell far below the standards he expects.

“It was a really frustrating day and performance,” said the Everton manager.

“There are some excuses but I don’t want to have excuses; the performance was not acceptable. The spirit of the team was unacceptable.

“I spoke to the players and we have to prepare and work differently and have a different attitude.”

Categories
football Sports News

SERGE AURIER’S BROTHER KILLED IN FRANCE SHOOTING

Tottenham star Serge Aurier’s brother has been shot dead on the streets of France at 5am this morning.

The Ivory Coast full-back featured in Spurs’ 2-1 win over north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday evening.

But his brother Christopher, 26, has been fatally shot in the early hours of the morning in Toulouse.

Aurier’s brother was pronounced dead in hospital, while the perpetrator is still said to be on the run and is yet to be caught by authorities.

Local residents called the police after discovering a man lying on the ground with a gun wound to the stomach.

Local media outlet La Dépêche are indicating that the incident occurred near a late night establishment.

Tottenham confirmed the news on social media this morning with a touching statement.

The Club is deeply saddened to confirm media reports that Serge Aurier’s brother passed away in the early hours of this morning,” it read.

“Everybody at the Club sends their sincerest condolences to Serge and his family. Our thoughts are with them all.”

Christopher Aurier also played football, albeit at an amateur level, currently at Toulouse Rodéo in the fifth-tier of the French football pyramid.

Christopher also trained at RC Lens like his older brother, but failed to break through to the highest level.

The sibling also had trials at English club Brentford in 2011.

Back in 2017, Christopher was arrested for allegedly stealing from a sex worker in Lille.

According to reports the two men involved arranged the meeting via the internet, before threatening the woman in her flat with a fake handgun and tear-gassed her when she refused to hand over money.

Christopher is said to have left DNA at the scene.

Categories
football Sports News

EVERTON 1-1 SOUTHAMPTON: DANNY INGS SCORES AGAIN TO KEEP THE GOLDEN BOOT CHASE ALIVE.

With less than three weeks to go the race for the Premier League Golden Boot is gathering steam after Danny Ings was on target again on Thursday.

Ings’ 19th league goal of the season put Southampton ahead in their eventual 1-1 draw at Everton, with the striker now just three behind Leicester’s Jamie Vardy in the overall standings.

It now appears to be a four-way battle for the Golden Boot, with Ings one behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and level with Mohamed Salah – the duo who shared the award last season with Sadio Mane when scoring 22 goals apiece.

Vardy’s two-goal lead over Aubameyang makes him the favourite to pick up the Golden Boot, with matches at Bournemouth and home to Sheffield United to come.

The 33-year-old recently received a silver fox from Leicester after reaching 100 Premier League goals, while he is two goals away from matching his tally of 24 in the 2015-16 title-winning campaign.

However, his rate has somewhat slowed in the second half of the season, having initially reached 17 goals in the first 18 matches.

Ings meanwhile is comfortably enjoying his most prolific season in the top-tier – his previous best of 11 coming at Burnley in 2014-15, while a year prior he scored 21 league goals for the Clarets in the Championship.

Both Vardy and Ings will be aiming to become just the third English striker to win the Golden Boot since the turn of the century.

Kevin Phillips won the award for his impressive tally of 30 goals in 1999-2000 for Sunderland, while Tottenham’s Harry Kane was the top scorer in 2015-16 (25 goals) and 2016-17 (29).

Categories
Slides Sports News Tennis

ANOTHER VAR CONTROVERSY AT VILLA PARK AS MANCHESTER UNITED MAKE SPOT KICK RECORD

VAR took centre stage once more on Thursday night when a controversial first-half penalty was awarded to Manchester United during their encounter at Aston Villa.

Bruno Fernandes was involved in the major talking point at Villa Park, with the Portuguese winning a soft spot-kick which he then converted after treading on Ezri Konsa’s foot on the edge of the area before hitting the deck.

In winning the penalty United made it 13 spot-kicks for the 2019/20 Premier League season, equaling the record held by Leicester in 2015-16 and Crystal Palace in 2004-05.

It was a decision which left many bewildered, especially as it looked as though Fernandes had committed a foul on Konsa, as opposed to the other way round.

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel expressed his disbelief at the decision on Twitter writing: “I am sorry, but that was not a penalty. VAR continues to be a joke..

“What is the point of VAR when it doesn’t correct a clear and obvious refereeing mistake like that?”

Categories
football Sports News

LAMPARD NOT WORRIED OVER TAMMY ABRAHAM’S CONTRACT SITUATION

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard believes Tammy Abraham’s prolonged contract negotiations are not affecting his performances.

The 22-year-old reportedly came close to agreeing new terms earlier in the season following a fine start under Lampard.

Abraham has hit 13 Premier League goals but has failed to find the back of the net since a 3-0 win over Burnley on January 11.

His only start since the campaign resumed was in the defeat at West Ham last week – otherwise he has played second fiddle to the more experienced Olivier Giroud.

Lampard has put a lot of faith in his talented batch of youngsters and they have been largely successful, with Chelsea sitting fourth in the table.

The likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori have all signed new contracts over the past year.

Abraham has yet to follow suit and he has just under two years remaining on his deal at Stamford Bridge.

“I think Tammy’s contract, we are not at a critical level with it,” Lampard said on the eve of the Premier League trip to Crystal Palace.

“I will leave it with him and the club to discuss that side of it. I don’t think it is something that is clearly in his mind now, at least it shouldn’t be.

“What needs to be in his mind now is these games we have coming up and how much he can give us on the pitch, whether coming on as a sub or starting the game.”

Lampard has also told Abraham to keep working hard in training to force his way back into the Blues side.

“He has had a really good season, he hasn’t scored as much in the second half of the season,” added Lampard.

“But as a young player it is always clear when you have these periods there is only one way out of it and that is work and repetition in training.

“I think that is where Tammy is at. I think the contract will hopefully look after itself between him and the club and he just needs to focus on giving us that Tammy that we had earlier in the season.

”He was giving defenders so much of a problem in games and scoring regularly and it all came from how he was training and working in the week.

“That is just what he has to sustain all the time.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Liverpool maintain 100 percent home record with win over Aston Villa

Following their 4-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City on Thursday, Juergen Klopp’s side struggled to break down a determined Villa.

Liverpool made it 17 wins out of 17 at Anfield after goals by Sadio Mane and Curtis Jones handed the champions a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday which pushed Dean Smith’s side deeper into trouble.

Following their 4-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City on Thursday, Juergen Klopp’s side struggled to break down a determined Villa.

Klopp fielded another strong side but with the ground empty and the title already in the bag, there was a lack of edge to Liverpool’s play.

The visitors’ were solid and organised and could even have gone ahead in the 52nd minute when Anwar El Ghazi forced a fine save out of Alisson.

But Mane broke the deadlock in the 71st minute, meeting a low ball from Naby Keita with a firm shot that rattled in off the underside of the cross-bar.

Following their 4-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City on Thursday, Juergen Klopp’s side struggled to break down a determined Villa.

Klopp fielded another strong side but with the ground empty and the title already in the bag, there was a lack of edge to Liverpool’s play.

The visitors’ were solid and organised and could even have gone ahead in the 52nd minute when Anwar El Ghazi forced a fine save out of Alisson.

But Mane broke the deadlock in the 71st minute, meeting a low ball from Naby Keita with a firm shot that rattled in off the underside of the cross-bar.

Substitute Jones scored the second, a minute from the end, with the 19 year old hooking home after Mohamed Salah headed an Andy Robertson cross into his path.

The goal was Jones’ first in the Premier League and came a day after he signed a new five-year contract with the club.

“That’s Curtis in a nutshell. He signed a new contract yesterday which is good for him and good for us. We’ll have a lot of fun with him,” said Klopp.

Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last 57 Premier League home games with 47 wins and 10 draws and they have won 24 home games in a row.

Klopp said the blustery conditions at Anfield had impacted the game.

Liverpool not focused on records, says Juergen Klopp

Liverpool are on course to beat Manchester City’s mark of 100 points in a Premier League campaign but the champions are not focused on breaking records, manager Juergen Klopp has said.

Liverpool, who won 2-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday thanks to goals by Sadio Mane and Curtis Jones, need 12 points from their final five games to beat City’s tally from the 2017-18 season.

“We didn’t come here and have the numbers we have because we thought about breaking records. We were always focused 100% on the game and that will not change,” said Klopp, whose side made it 17 wins out of 17 games at Anfield this season.

“If we want to have record points pretty much we have to win all the games, it’s not complicated. The boys know it and it’s not necessary to mention it to this group.”

Liverpool next visit 15th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.

Categories
football Sports News

WE ARE NOT AFTER THE RECORD – KLOPP

Liverpool are on course to beat Manchester City’s mark of 100 points in a Premier League campaign but the champions are not focused on breaking records, manager Juergen Klopp has said.

Liverpool, who won 2-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday thanks to goals by Sadio Mane and Curtis Jones, need 12 points from their final five games to beat City’s tally from the 2017-18 season.

“We didn’t come here and have the numbers we have because we thought about breaking records. We were always focused 100% on the game and that will not change,” said Klopp, whose side made it 17 wins out of 17 games at Anfield this season.

“If we want to have record points pretty much we have to win all the games, it’s not complicated. The boys know it and it’s not necessary to mention it to this group.”

Liverpool next visit 15th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Chelsea waiting on N’Golo Kante injury after Watford win

N’Golo Kante has picked up a hamstring problem and could miss Chelsea‘s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace.

The France midfielder trudged out of Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Watford, and could now sit out Tuesday’s trip to Selhurst Park.

Olivier Giroud, Willian and Ross Barkley all found the net as the Blues eased past the Hornets, to jump back into the league’s top four and shake off Wednesday’s frustrating 3-2 loss at West Ham.

Kante’s injury proved perhaps the sole blow in Chelsea’s comfortable Saturday night victory at Stamford Bridge, leaving Lampard sweating on the 29-year-old’s fitness.

“N’Golo Kante he has a small hamstring injury, we hope it is small, that’s what I’ve been told so far,” said Lampard.

“But I’m guessing it will be a problem for Palace on Tuesday.”

Italy midfielder Jorginho has yet to feature for Chelsea since the league’s restart, but Lampard insisted the former Napoli man remains in his thoughts.

Jorginho could step in should Kante miss the trip to Palace, though Billy Gilmour would be another option with the Scot having stepped off the bench against Watford.

When asked for the latest on Jorginho, Lampard said only “Jorginho is in my plans”, before offering his assessment of Kante’s injury.

Chelsea temporarily – for a little less than five hours – dropped out of the league’s top four for the first time since October on Saturday.

Manchester United’s 5-2 thrashing of Bournemouth saw the Blues slip to fifth.

Lampard’s men hit back in style to leapfrog back above United however, with the race for Champions League qualification continuing to offer regular drama.

The Chelsea boss admitted the run to the end of the season will only be increasingly littered with pressure, admitting his players must steel themselves for the fight.

“I think every game is going to be pressure now,” said Lampard.

“West Ham was pressure because we knew we could go third. It’s a different kind of pressure but it’s still the same in how you focus on the game and job at hand.

“You cannot get too caught up in what everyone does at the moment. We did that tonight, there was no nonsense, the mentality was right.

“We started brightly and we carried on and got the small details of the game right at both ends of the pitch, which I was happy with.”

Watford remain just above the relegation zone, leaving manager Nigel Pearson well aware of the Vicarage Road men’s precarious position.

“Of course, we are concerned with the situation we are in, we’re not naive,” said Pearson.

“But the most important thing is to recognise what we are and make sure our performances reflect that type of collective spirit. If we do that, we will find ways of winning games.

“It’s a situation we’ve got now to stay in control of our destiny, and to do that we’ve got to work as hard as tonight, if not harder.”

Categories
football Sports News

Bukayo Saka celebrates new deal with first league goal as Arsenal see off Wolves

Bukayo Saka celebrated his new Arsenal deal by inspiring a crucial 2-0 win at Wolves.

The 18-year-old, who penned a new long-term contract at the Emirates this week, struck his first Premier League goal to give the Gunners’ European hopes a huge boost.

Alexandre Lacazette scored a late second as impressive Arsenal closed the gap on sixth-placed Wolves to three points.

Boss Mikel Arteta continued to justify his hard-line stance on any player yet to buy into his beliefs, with Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi again missing.

Adama Traore chipped Wolves’ best chance over as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side’s Champions League hopes took a hit.

They are three points behind Manchester United after losing their 100 per cent record since returning from lockdown.

They remain in the hunt for a shock top four spot and, while a return to Europe’s top table remains fanciful for Arsenal, they bagged a deserved fourth straight win in all competitions despite a slow start.

Emiliano Martinez, who had a 15-game loan spell at Molineux five years ago, was immediately called into action to block Traore’s poked effort in the first few seconds.

The forward, partnering Raul Jimenez instead of Diogo Jota, also fired wildly over but there was no real sign of an early breakthrough.

Saka initially struggled on the right as the Gunners took time to find a rhythm but Rui Patricio grabbed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s prodded half-volley in the 26th minute as they flickered into life.

Wolves lacked the tempo needed to stretch the visitors, with Leander Dendoncker glancing well wide and Jonny dragging across goal.

Arsenal, without Nicolas Pepe after his wife went into labour, grew in confidence and Eddie Nketiah went close when he pounced on a kind ricochet and Patricio turned his low drive onto the base of the post.

It was a warning Wolves failed to heed and the Gunners struck the opener two minutes before the break.

A sweeping move saw Aubameyang find Kieran Tierney on the left and his cross deflected off Matt Doherty for Saka to swivel and beat Patricio from 12 yards.

It was the first goal Wolves had conceded in 448 minutes and they started the second half with added urgency, Nuno introducing Jota 10 minutes in.

Jota had a shot blocked and Raul Jimenez saw a dubious penalty claim rejected before the pair combined for Traore to waste a glorious chance.

The forward’s end product had drastically improved this season but in the 64th minute he fluffed his lines when, having been put clear by Jota, he chipped over with just Martinez to beat.

Arsenal maintained their concentration, although posed a limited threat for much of the second half and Nketiah headed a rare chance over with 13 minutes left.

But, as Wolves began to chase the game, space opened up and Lacazette pounced with five minutes left, collecting Joe Willock’s cross to ghost past Conor Coady and find the corner.

Willock almost added a third a minute later but Ruben Neves hacked his scuffed effort off the line.