English Premier League News
When Eddie Howe fell ill last week and it became clear Newcastle’s manager could be absent for some time, the team’s captain, Bruno Guimarães, convened an emergency meeting of senior players.
According to Guimarães, everyone resolved to “keep our standards as high as ever” and subsequent actions have shown they really meant it.
Continue reading...Antoine Semenyo’s classy first-minute goal gave Bournemouth a vital victory that moved them above Fulham into eighth
3 min Antonee Robinson has got a heap of assists this season so he’s still well in credit. Even so that was an untimely slip, especially given Bournemouth’s fragile morale going into the game.
Antoine Semenyo has put Bournemouth ahead inside 60 seconds. Bournemouth broke through Scott, who lost his balance as he tried to push a pass out to Semenyo on the right. It was intercepted by Robinson – but then he was robbed by Semenyo, who cut inside Andersen on the edge of the area and shaped an excellent left-foot shot into the far corner. That’s a really good finish, although Robinson will know that his mistake led to the goal.
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The Scottish Grand National, the Hell of the North that is the Paris-Roubaix bicycle race and the Masters at Augusta were among the sporting spectacles which Football Daily watched over the weekend while also keeping an eye on goings-on in the Premier League. And while we are happy to applaud the spirited efforts of also-rans such as – deep breath – Our Power, Grozni, Rock My Way, Mads Pederson, Wout van Aert, Florian Vermesch, Patrick Reed, Scottie Scheffler and Im Sung-jae, our interest in these not-football contests was certainly not piqued by the prospect of seeing who would finish third, fourth and fifth.
Continue reading...Pep Guardiola’s side appear to have corrected the worst of their problems but the days when they conquered all before them are probably over
There was something very familiar about Manchester City’s 5-2 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. In August 2022, Palace went 2-0 up at the Etihad, the second goal a header from a corner but City came back to win 4-2, Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick in a dominant second-half performance. Saturday’s game followed a similar path, with the exception that the City comeback began before half-time. This time the key figure wasn’t Haaland, but Kevin De Bruyne, who produced a display to remind everybody just how worthy he was of the tributes that have followed the announcement that he will leave the club in the summer.
Does this, then, mean that City are somehow suddenly back? They’re unbeaten in five games, three of them won. The January signings, Omar Marmoush in particular, have enabled them to stabilise. They are back in the top five and should qualify for the Champions League next season (with all the usual caveats about the Premier League charges they are facing, which they deny). That is a significant step as they look to rebuild, not only in terms of being to attract players but for future PSR calculations.
This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.
Continue reading...Wolves’ revival continues, Jadon Sancho needs to show more consistency and Fabian Hürzeler backs his captain
Among several excellent individual performances, it was Newcastle’s collective endeavour that was most impressive against Manchester United, the home side’s press rarely giving their opponents a chance to settle on the ball. As a result the visitors kept coughing it up in dangerous positions, and this was where the game was won. None of the home side’s goals involved them crossing the halfway line, and the amount of time they spent in possession in the buildup to each of them was, in order of them being scored, eight seconds (with four players touching the ball), nine seconds (also four players), five seconds (one player) and three seconds (two players). More than a fifth of their total ball recoveries, 12 of them in all, took place in their attacking third, four of which led to goals; the equivalent figures for the visitors were two, and 4.3%. Simon Burnton
Match report: Newcastle 4-1 Manchester United
Match report: Liverpool 2-1 West Ham
Match report: Wolves 4-2 Tottenham
Continue reading...Harvey Barnes’ double set up a convincing win and moved Newcastle up to fourth in the Premier League
Hey Jude rings out around St James’ Park. KEEGAN, says a tifo in the stands. “He saved us in 82,” adds a banner, “he entertained us in 92.”
In a dramatic development, I have received an email. “G’Day Tim,” says Chris Paraskevas. “Hope you’re well!” I am, thanks, hope you are too. “And seriously, sending best wishes to Toon Legend® Eddie Howe, who also seems like a top bloke!
Continue reading...Eddie Howe was missing, watching on television from a hospital bed and too ill to activate a telephone line to the home dugout, yet his absence proved irrelevant.
Newcastle’s players were so determined to send their manager a meaningful get-well message that they ultimately put on the sort of show that not merely proved Howe’s hard work on Tyneside is yielding rich rewards but blew Manchester United away.
Continue reading...A shocking second half did not quite derail Liverpool as Virgil van Dijk’s late headers secured three points against West Ham
4 mins: Good work from Todibo to hold up Luis Diaz on the Liverpool left, and then to toe-poke the ball away from Jota as it ran towards him in the area.
3 mins: The home fans sing Mo Salah’s name. He’s done little of interest so far, but he’s signed a new contract and everyone’s happy about it.
Continue reading...Yoane Wissa cancelled out Thomas Partey’s second-half opener to earn Brentford a share of the spoils at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta has praised Declan Rice for his initiative after the midfielder ignored the instructions of Arsenal’s set-piece coach before scoring the first of his two free-kicks against Real Madrid. Ed Aarons reports …
Manchester City 5-2 Crystal Palace
Brighton 2-2 Leicester City
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Everton
Southampton 0-3 Aston Villa
Continue reading...Ollie Watkins climbed off the bench to help fire Aston Villa back into the Champions League places after a 3-0 win over Southampton.
Villa were labouring against the already-relegated Saints until Watkins struck, just seven minutes after replacing Marcus Rashford and four minutes after Marco Asensio had missed a penalty which Watkins had won.
Continue reading...A goal and an assist and a captain’s display that wrenched the contest from Crystal Palace: here was an opportunity to revel in the sublime talent of Kevin De Bruyne.
On a sun-dappled east Manchester afternoon, De Bruyne illustrated, again, his peerlessness. The truism that the best have a crucial extra moment to work with runs through his decade in a Manchester City shirt and was displayed in the strike crafted for Mateo Kovacic.
Continue reading...Kevin De Bruyne was imperious as his side survived an early scare to come from two goals down, win easily and move back into the Champions League qualification places
Ahead of this game, the Crystal Palace manager could not lavish enough praise on Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush, who he previously worked with at Wolfsburg. “He has the skills and what I loved was he was two and a half years in Germany and he spoken German perfectly and this is quite unusual,” he said of the Egyptian.
“He is a great guy, has all the skills and in the football career you may not have to make a straight direction to come to the top but he had a loan at St Pauli, Stuttgart, then performing for Wolfsburg, then an outstanding season for Frankfurt. Immediately he shows Manchester [City] what kind of striker he is. I’m really pleased for him but not tomorrow.”
Continue reading...Arsenal take on Brentford at Saturday teatime while leaders Liverpool host West Ham on Sunday afternoon
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Etihad Stadium
Continue reading...With Liverpool and Arsenal in line for two of five guaranteed spots in the tournament we assess other contenders
The important thing for Forest is that they sit third and have an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City to look forward to. Everyone below would like to be in their position. Injuries will be a cause for concern for Nuno Espírito Santo, who has been without his top scorer, Chris Wood, since the international break and then lost Wood’s replacement, Taiwo Awoniyi, leaving Forest without a recognised striker for the loss to Aston Villa, a game also missed by Ola Aina. Their final seven matches include four at home, where they have lost only twice, but three tricky away clashes in London mean the path to a historic return to Europe’s top table is unlikely to be straightforward for a team who have not been in this situation before. Forest have more experienced squads snapping at their heels as they seek to accomplish the most significant Premier League achievement since Leicester won the title. Will Unwin
Continue reading...Lewis Dunk is running out of time, Jakub Kiwior rises to the challenge for Arsenal and Liam Delap has an audition
Manchester City’s tame outing at Manchester United on Sunday showed how they have flatlined this term, the goalless draw also damaging their prospects of Champions League qualification – after beating Leicester the following night, Newcastle vaulted them and went into fifth place. Without Erling Haaland, unavailable until mid-May at the earliest, City were toothless at Old Trafford, and with Crystal Palace arriving at the Etihad on a run of six wins in seven matches – the other was a draw – it is time for Pep Guardiola to earn his salary by ensuring his side are far better, or Europa League football may be on the cards next season. Jamie Jackson
Manchester City v Crystal Palace, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)
Southampton v Aston Villa, Saturday 3pm
Nottingham Forest v Everton, Saturday 3pm
Brighton v Leicester, Saturday 3pm
Arsenal v Brentford, Saturday 5.30pm
Chelsea v Ipswich, Sunday 2pm
Continue reading...