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2 min The first foul is committed by Morgan Rogers, needlessly, on Sander Berge – they were in the centre circle.
1 min Fulham kick off and play the ball around at the back. They’re in all white, so they bear a very slight resemblance to Real Madrid. Villa are in a lot of claret and a little blue.
Continue reading...Millwall moved back into the Championship’s automatic promotion position places but could only snatch a late 1-1 draw at already relegated Leicester.
Substitute Macaulay Langstaff’s first goal since February cancelled out a Foxes opener from Harry Souttar, who was playing his first game since rupturing an achilles 16 months ago. It moved Alex Neil’s visitors up to second, a point ahead of Ipswich who have two games in hand.
Continue reading...Fans of both sides are feeling similar levels of stress at different ends of the Premier League table
Zadie Smith once wrote that “the square mile around Arsenal’s stadium could be a suitable surrogate for the whole wide world”. Perhaps you only really glimpse this on a match day, when the jerk chicken grills and paella pans fire up and belch delicious smoke across the rows of terraced houses, when the locals in weathered replica shirts brush shoulders with tourists bearing selfie sticks, when a small group of dedicated volunteers at a kiosk by the Ken Friar Bridge accepts non-perishable donations for the Islington food bank.
And you shall scoff, and you shall sneer, because there is a north London of the popular imagination, and Islington in particular, which has become a surrogate for something else entirely. A slur, an insult, a byword for privilege and entitlement and metropolitan effeteness, the place of Blair and Corbyn and Starmer and a shrink on every street corner. North London is elite, north London is out of touch, north London looks down on the rest of you while eating plates of £16 pasta.
Continue reading...Elliot Anderson completed a stunning victory for Forest, who moves eight points clear of relegation after thrashing Sunderland
3 min A regrettable square pass from Sadiki, deep in his own half, is nicked by Hutchinson. Alderete makes an immportant challenge on the edge of the area and Anderson’s long-range shot deflects over the bar for a corner.
The corner is half cleared to Williams, who mishits a difficult volley well wide.
Continue reading...Chelsea, Leeds, Southampton and Man City are in FA Cup semi-final action, while Spurs visit Wolves in the league
Continue reading...Fiftieth anniversary of an FA Cup win still central to their city’s identity forms an evocative backdrop to Saints’ semi-final against Manchester City
Two years ago, when sixth-tier Maidstone won at Ipswich to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time, their manager, George Elokobi, distilled the unique, enduring impact of an FA Cup giantkilling into five syllables: “This binds us for life.”
The same bond, only even more powerful, will be in evidence on the south coast in the next week. All connected with Southampton hope to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their only FA Cup final triumph having reached another final.
Continue reading...After scoring the goal that knocked out Arsenal, the midfielder is relishing Saturday’s semi-final against his old club Manchester City
In the seconds after Southampton disposed of Arsenal to tee up an FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City, a camera operator scooted on to the St Mary’s pitch and got to work on locating the match-winner. As the crowd swayed to the sound of Doris Day’s Que Sera, Sera, another lasting image was born.
In between high-fiving and embracing teammates, Shea Charles tilted his head and turned towards the camera, raising his eyebrows a little with a playful ‘how-about-that-then?’ expression. It was a snapshot that snowballed into a viral meme, viewed by millions on social media, and a couple of days later Southampton asked their players to recreate the moment. “I just looked at the camera as if I was looking at my mates down the lens,” Charles says. “I’ve seen it’s gone all over.”
Continue reading...Spurs face must-win game at Wolves, Arsenal fight to keep title hopes alive and Chelsea step into a post-Rosenior world
Maybe it is a case of fourth time lucky for Nottingham Forest. Certainly Vítor Pereira – manager No 4 in the most chaotic of seasons – is doing something right. The Europa League semi-finalists are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and will arrive at the Stadium of Light knowing victory would move them within touching distance of safety. Their visit should provide an interesting tactical challenge for Sunderland. Régis Le Bris’ side often excel on the counterattack but Forest are likely to sit deep and invite their hosts to unpick their packed defence while hoping to hurt them on the break. Le Bris will surely need Nordi Mukiele to advance with typical verve from right-back, while, in midfield, Noah Sadiki and Enzo Le Fée will be required to demonstrate precisely why they are being watched by several leading clubs. This Sunderland team often plays with real and refreshing personality. Can Forest subdue it? Louise Taylor
Sunderland v Nottingham Forest, Premier League, Friday 8pm (all times BST)
Fulham v Aston Villa, Premier League, Saturday 12.30pm
West Ham v Everton, Premier League, Saturday 3pm
Wolves v Tottenham, Premier League, Saturday 3pm
Continue reading...The electric Manchester City forward on his dribbling skills, who is City’s quickest player and the potential for a domestic treble
Pace, aggression and quicksilver trickery: Jérémy Doku is the nightmare for opposition defences who breaks games open for Manchester City. In Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, Southampton’s task will be to try to contain the Belgium winger who has raised his game this season.
The Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot, believes that Doku can be “unstoppable” and Arsenal’s Cristhian Mosquera discovered precisely this in City’s seismic 2-1 win in the Premier League on Sunday, the right-back booked for persistently fouling him at the Etihad Stadium. Yet the 23-year-old is not content. The ambition is to add goals to the sparkling skill set he believes will elevate him above Vinícius Júnior as the world’s best wide forward.
Continue reading...Stalwart served Lancashire club from 1970 until 2004
As caretaker, helped saved Rovers from relegation in 1997
Tributes have been paid to “Mr Blackburn Rovers” Tony Parkes after his death at the age of 76. The former player and coach was one of the longest-serving employees in the club’s history, with his association beginning with his £5,000 move from Buxton in 1970 and concluding in 2004.
“Blackburn Rovers are devastated to learn of the passing of Tony Parkes. A true club legend, often referred to as ‘Mr Blackburn Rovers’,” said a club statement. “Everyone at Blackburn Rovers sends their deepest heartfelt condolences to Tony’s daughter Natalie and all his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”
Continue reading...Erling Haaland scored early and Manchester City controlled most of the game as Burnley’s relegation was confirmed
1 min: Scott Parker has put on a grey top over his grey sweater. I think this calls his coaching credentials into question: can you be inspired by a man who seems obsessed with the colour grey?
1 min: Peeeep! City get the ball rolling.
Continue reading...The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions. Today, Graham Ruthven endeavors to answer three of them
With his Copa del Rey winners medal around his neck, Pellegrino Matarazzo struggled to find the words to sum up his remarkable journey from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, via Italy and Germany to a historic triumph as Real Sociedad manager.
Continue reading...Canaries coach compares 22-year-old to young Erling Haaland
Australian’s red-hot form is boost for Tony Popovic before World Cup
Australian striker Mo Touré has earned comparisons to a young Erling Haaland, after he bounced back from a missed penalty to continue his sizzling goalscoring run with a ninth goal in just 10 games since joining English Championship side Norwich.
Touré’s fourth goal of the week, following a second hat-trick of his short Norwich career on the weekend, was a rocket that went in off the underside of the bar and set up a 2-1 win over Derby County.
Continue reading...All Times EDT
Wednesday, April 22
St. Louis at Miami, 12:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay, 1:10 p.m.
Houston at Cleveland, 1:10 p.m.
Baltimore at Kansas City, 2:10 p.m.
Toronto at L.A. Angels, 3:07 p.m.
Athletics at Seattle, 4:10 p.m.
Milwaukee at Detroit, 6:40 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Boston, 6:45 p.m.
Atlanta at Washington, 6:45 p.m.
Minnesota at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Chicago Cubs, 7:40 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Texas, 8:05 p.m.
San Diego at Colorado, 8:40 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at San Francisco, 9:45 p.m.
Eastern Conference First Round - Game 2
Orlando at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Western Conference First Round - Game 2
Phoenix at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m.
Eastern Conference First Round - Game 3
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Western Conference First Round - Game 3
Dallas at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m.
Western Conference First Round - Game 2
Anaheim at Edmonton, 10 p.m.
LA Galaxy at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
Cincinnati at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
D.C. United at New York, 7:30 p.m.
Charlotte FC at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
New England at Atlanta, 7:45 p.m.
Minnesota at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
San Diego FC at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
Miami at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.
Colorado at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m.
Austin FC at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Ottawa at Boston, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle, 10 p.m.
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Brighton rose to sixth place after punishing a Chelsea performance their manager, Liam Rosenior, described as ‘unacceptable’
2 min: Chelsea still have the ball. They’ve had one attack, in which Hinshelwood was brought down a few yards outside the penalty area but it looked like the referee was looking the other way, as presumably were his assistants, so no free kick.
1 min: Peeeeeep! It’s Brighton who get the game under way.
Continue reading...