Manchester City host Arsenal as both aim to gain a huge advantage in the title race while Everton welcome Liverpool to Hill Dickinson Stadium
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Gtech Community Stadium
Continue reading...Pep Guardiola believes ‘mental aspect’ could be key in showdown with Arsenal
‘Twenty-two years without title … if they win it’s over’
City manager enjoys watching rivals despite criticism
Pep Guardiola believes if Manchester City replicate their second-half Carabao Cup final display against Arsenal “for 95 minutes” in Sunday’s pivotal title meeting with Mikel Arteta’s side they will win, though the manager expects his opposite number to make adjustments for this key clash.
Arsenal dominated initially when the teams met last month at Wembley before City gradually became ascendant, Guardiola’s side in control after the break as two goals from Nico O’Reilly claimed the trophy. Guardiola was asked if City would prevail again at the Etihad Stadium if they perform as they did at Wembley. “If we play like the second half during 95 minutes and they play like the second half during 95 minutes, we are going to win,” said the manager.
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
A seismic clash between City and Arsenal, Tottenham need leadership, and could Eddie Howe recall Yoane Wissa?
Josh King learned of the difficulties that come with being a Premier League player at Liverpool on Sunday. The 19-year-old was withdrawn at the break after a tough first half at Anfield as Marco Silva wanted to change things when two goals down. It will be interesting to see how King reacts to the half-time hook when he is next called upon, whether he uses it as inspirational fuel or sees it as an undeserved irritation because he was not solely to blame for Fulham being behind. Silva will have a quandary over whether to start the youngster again or leave him stewing on the bench, offering a further reminder of what is required at the top level. King has impressed over the season and, sometimes, at this stage of a player’s development, it is a good idea to see what lessons are learned from a challenging moment. Will Unwin
Brentford v Fulham, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)
Leeds v Wolves, Saturday 3pm
Newcastle v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm
Tottenham v Brighton, Saturday 5.30pm
Chelsea v Manchester United, Saturday 8pm
Continue reading...Declan Rice demands Arsenal improve for title showdown at Manchester City
‘Etihad is the ultimate test – bring it on,’ says midfielder
‘We have six games to go and we know how big it is’
Declan Rice has insisted Arsenal must be better at Manchester City on Sunday if they are to press their Premier League title claims.
The midfielder is conscious of his club’s curious situation: six points clear of City at the top of the table, albeit having played an extra game, and the only English team in the Champions League semi-finals. But the mood is edgy and Rice is aware that the fans have concerns over the style of play.
Continue reading...‘A shocking decision’: Michael Carrick fumes over Martínez’s red card for hair pulling – video
Michael Carrick branded Lisandro Martínez’s red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair as “shocking” and said Manchester United may appeal as the defender faces a three-match ban.
If the sending off in United’s 2-1 defeat by Leeds at Old Trafford on Monday night stands, Carrick could be without his two first-choice centre-backs for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea as Harry Maguire may be suspended for a second match. Martínez was sent off after 56 minutes when Paul Tierney, after reviewing the incident on the monitor, ruled it a red-card offence, with Leeds 2-0 ahead.
Carrick said: 'The arm [is] in the face of Lisandro and he is off balance and grappling. He goes to touch his shirt and gets a red card for it.
'It is not aggressive, there is no jolt, no tug. We have got to be careful where the game is going. It is a shocking decision, absolutely shocking. The red card, that is really concerning. I know he touched his hair. There is a difference to really aggressively touching it.'
Continue reading...Leeds stun Manchester United after Okafor double and Martínez red card for hair-pull
Chants of “Daniel Farke, Daniel Farke” rang out from the travelling faithful after this seismic Leeds win lifted them six points clear of Tottenham, whose plight darkens further after the visitors pulled off a first league win at Old Trafford since February 1981.
It means Michael Carrick has lost a home game for the first time as Manchester United’s interim manager. His team lacked control throughout, a state not aided by Lisandro Martínez’s silly 56th-minute red card for yanking Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s ponytail, and he is now suspended for three matches, though the club may appeal.
Continue reading...Cristian Romero feared to be out for remainder of season for Spurs
Defender thought to have medial knee ligament damage
Argentine may still recover in time for World Cup
Tottenham’s deepening relegation concerns appear to have been heightened by the loss of their captain, Cristian Romero, for the remainder of the season.
Romero was reduced to tears as he left the pitch after 70 minutes of Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Sunderland, following a coming together with the striker Brian Brobbey that led to the Argentinian clattering into his own goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky. Romero, it is believed, has sustained medial knee ligament damage that will take around eight weeks to heal.
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
De Zerbi looks past Simons, Arsenal fans are not helping their team and Ngumoha can give PSG something to think about
Football is such that, when you’re down, there’s a good chance the game boots you in the solar plexus, and that’s exactly what happened to Tottenham at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland’s winner coming by way of a deflection. But you can also take steps to help yourself and, though Roberto De Zerbi’s midfield setup made some sense – he picked three hard-runners in order to compete with Sunderland’s physicality – even pre-match, it wasn’t clear who would create their chances. It’s true that Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Mohammed Kudus are out injured, but in that context, it is surely even more important a place in the XI, whether in midfield or out wide, be found for Xavi Simons, left on the sidelines until the 85th minute. Simons is not perfect, but of the players De Zerbi has available he is the only one with the imagination and technique to make things happen. He may lack physicality, but what Spurs need more than anything is quality. Daniel Harris
Match report: Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham
Match report: Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth
Match report: Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City
City improve in good weather, says Guardiola
Continue reading...Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened
Rayan Cherki inspired a sparkling second-half performance from City that ramped up the pressure on Arsenal
Match report: Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Match report: Crystal Palace 2-1 Newcastle
Continue reading...Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham, Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa, Crystal Palace 2-1 Newcastle: Premier League – as it happened
Nordi Mukiele’s deflected shot sent Spurs even deeper into the relegation mire, while Forest earned a crucial point against Villa and Palace beat Newcastle
And there looks to be a more solid look about the side he’s sent out, with players in their natural positions. In particular, I like the legs in midfield, though I’m still concerned about where the goals might come from – none of the front three can reliably create for themselves, and there’s a lack of wingers and invention around and behind them.
All that said, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Spurs look, having had a couple of weeks to absorb new instructions. I very much doubt De Zerbi leaves things alone for fear of confusing them – I’d expect his instructions to be the pro forma, from now.
Continue reading...Liverpool 2-0 Fulham: Premier League – as it happened
Rio Ngumoha, 17, scored his first goal at Anfield and stole the show in a morale-boosting victory for Liverpool
3 min Both teams have started in a 4-2-3-1 formation as expected.
1 min Fulham kick off from left to right as we watch. The home fans launch straight into a song about Andy Robertson, who announced this week that he will leave the club this summer. £8m he cost.
Continue reading...Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth: Premier League – as it happened
The title race was blown wide open as Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott scored the crucial goals against league leaders who looked paralysed with fear
Managerial contract news: In short, there is no managerial contract news. Andoni Iraola and Mikel Arteta were both asked if either had been in talks with their respective employers during their pre-match press conferences and both men suggested they had not.
Iraola: “I’m sorry, I don’t have any news for you,” he said. “There has been no change on that side of things.”
Continue reading...West Ham 4-0 Wolves: Premier League – as it happened
Two goals each from Taty Castellanos and Dinos Mavropanos pulled the Hammers out of the relegation zone
Here’s the talk from the managers ahead of the Premier League weekend.
Just wondering how much Danny Dyer we will see this Friday night. Sunday versus Leeds bordered on the overkill.
Continue reading...Premier League team news: predicted lineups for the weekend action
Arsenal host Bournemouth at Saturday lunchtime and De Zerbi leads Tottenham out for the first time at Sunderland
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Emirates Stadium
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
There are protests planned at Anfield as Roberto De Zerbi starts his Tottenham tenure and Everton eye Europe
Nuno Espírito Santo has rolled back the years in an attempt to save West Ham. He has gone old-school, switching to a gung-ho 4-4-2 system to give his side more threat in the final third. Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, both January arrivals, have altered the face of the attack, but neither forward has been prolific. Castellanos has scored three goals in all competitions since joining from Lazio and Pablo, who is yet to open his account in English football, failed to convert during last week’s penalty shootout defeat by Leeds in the FA Cup. As a pair, though, Castellanos and Pablo have been oddly effective. Are they any good? Unclear. Do they run around a lot and give a previously ponderous West Ham more energy? Undoubtedly. Played together, Pablo and Castellanos do a worthy job for the team. Importantly, they create space for the wingers, Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, who hopes to return from a calf injury for Friday night’s vital home game against Wolves. Bowen and Summerville are the big threats; they are West Ham’s main source of goals, but both are more dangerous with Pablo and Castellanos in the team. Jacob Steinberg
West Ham v Wolves, Friday 8pm (all times BST)
Arsenal v Bournemouth, Saturday 12.30pm
Brentford v Everton, Saturday 3pm
Burnley v Brighton, Saturday 3pm
Liverpool v Fulham, Saturday 5.30pm
Continue reading...