Ipswich welcome Wolves in a must-win relegation tussle while City travel to United in the Manchester derby
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Goodison Park
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Curtis Jones is not a long-term fix at right-back for Liverpool, Tyler Dibling is a wanted man and Arsenal are depleted
When Arsenal next visit Merseyside on 11 May their first act may be to form a guard of honour for Liverpool, who could by then be newly crowned Premier League champions. The title appears destined for Anfield – Arsenal have been unable to sustain a consistent challenge for it all season – but Mikel Arteta will feel duty-bound to delay the seemingly inevitable for as long as possible on his return to Everton. Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid may be the priority for Arsenal but rotating is hardly an option for Arteta at Goodison Park given he has four defenders available. A makeshift unit would benefit from a demanding afternoon together before welcoming Real to the Emirates. Arne Slot claimed it is unfair on Everton to have an early Saturday kick-off after Wednesday’s Merseyside derby. Depleted or not, Arteta’s team should take advantage. Andy Hunter
Everton v Arsenal, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)
Crystal Palace v Brighton, Saturday 3pm
Ipswich v Wolves, Saturday 3pm
West Ham v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm
Continue reading...‘I just wanted to hear them cheer’: Postecoglou claims ear-cup was misinterpreted
- Manager targeted by angry Spurs fans at Chelsea
- Postecoglou rails at VAR after Sarr strike disallowed
Ange Postecoglou insisted his ear-cup gesture at Tottenham fans had been misinterpreted as he raged at a VAR intervention that denied his team a goal in their 1-0 defeat by Chelsea.
Spurs were poor but they looked to have fashioned a lifeline when Pape Sarr, on as a substitute, beat Robert Sánchez from long range in the 70th minute. Postecoglou’s decision to introduce Sarr for Lucas Bergvall had been met with chants from the travelling support that he did not know what he was doing.
Continue reading...Fernández lifts Chelsea into top four as Tottenham fans turn on Postecoglou
It was a typically incident-filled meeting between these sworn enemies but, really, there was only one place to start. Ange Postecoglou, the remorselessly under-fire Tottenham manager, had been barracked by his own supporters when he replaced Lucas Bergvall with Pape Sarr in the 64th minute. Like every other Spurs player, Bergvall had struggled to impose himself but the fans do like him.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” they informed Postecoglou. So just imagine how the fiercely proud Australian must have felt shortly afterwards when Sarr won the ball off Moisés Caicedo and unloaded a low shot from distance, which the Chelsea goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, inexplicably allowed to beat him.
Continue reading...James Tarkowski should have been sent off against Liverpool, admits PGMOL
- Everton defender booked for challenge on Mac Allister
- VAR should have recommended review of tackle
The referees’ body, Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), has acknowledged that Everton’s James Tarkowski should have been sent off in defeat at Liverpool on Wednesday. The defender was only cautioned for an early reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister, described as a “Merseyside derby tackle of old”.
The referee, Sam Barrott, gave Tarkowski a yellow card and David Moyes conceded the defender was fortunate to stay on the pitch. PGMOL believes the video assistant referee, Paul Tierney, should have recommended a review.
Continue reading...Manchester City 2-0 Leicester, Brighton 0-3 Aston Villa and more: Premier League – as it happened
A superb goal from Sandro Tonali lit up the night, while Manchester City’s fans turned up late and their opponents didn’t turn up at all
Danny Mills, watching the Manchester City game, says he is “confused” by a Leicester side that is “almost waving a white flag”.
Ten minutes into the Manchester City game, and a load of fans are just coming in. The protest seems to have had decent numbers, even if the majority of supporters – certainly in the stand that runs along the side of the pitch opposite the TV cameras – were in their seats before kick-off.
Continue reading...Tonali’s goal from touchline hands Newcastle win over battling Brentford
If Newcastle’s rivals for a Champions League place had hoped Eddie Howe’s players might be partied out after ending that 70-year domestic trophy drought, they were destined for disappointment.
Howe’s team were not at their very best but, thanks to the most eye-catching of winning goals from Sandro Tonali they found a way to defuse Brentford’s ever-present threat.
Continue reading...Grealish pays tribute to brother as Manchester City ease past Leicester
Jack Grealish scored a first Premier League goal in 16 months then dedicated it to his brother Keelan on the 25th anniversary of his passing in an emotional post-victory tribute.
The forward’s strike came only 70 seconds in as Leicester were shredded by a Savinho dart down the right; the Brazilian found Grealish who beat Mads Hermansen to the goalkeeper’s right. Afterwards on Instagram, Grealish said: “With me always, especially this day – that was for you Keelan.”
Continue reading...Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened
Forest completed their first league double over United since 1992 thanks to Anthony Elanga’s glorious nine-second 93-yard dash
2 min: Gibbs-White chases a long pass down the left. He can’t get past De Ligt, who initially looked out of position and did well to get back to stop the Forest man nipping away.
Manchester United get the ball rolling. Nuno looks relaxed in the dugout, Amorim smiling as he prowls the touchline. Here we go, then.
Continue reading...Premier League is back: what remains at stake from top to bottom of table
When could the title and relegation be decided? How are European spots shaping up? We set out the top-flight latest
Liverpool’s 12-point lead means they need a maximum of 16 points from their nine games to put themselves out of Arsenal’s reach and secure the title. If Arsenal go on a winning run this could take Liverpool into May even without dropping any points, but if Mikel Arteta’s side lose their next three it could all be over as soon as 13 April, when Liverpool play West Ham at home. In the immediate future a couple of teams in particular could go a long way towards deciding things: Arsenal host Fulham and visit Everton in their fixtures this week, while Liverpool host Everton and visit Fulham. Even beyond those games the sides have comparable fixtures this month – neither will play a current top-half team – but Arsenal also have two Champions League fixtures against Real Madrid to deal with and must close the gap before the start of May.
Continue reading...Premier League confirms extra June transfer window for Club World Cup
- Summer window will open early from 1-10 June
- It will then reopen on 16 June and close on 1 September
The Premier League has confirmed it will have two transfer windows this summer due to “exceptional” circumstances surrounding the Club World Cup.
The first transfer window will open early, and run between Sunday 1 June and Tuesday 10 June. It will then close briefly before reopening on Monday 16 June. The second transfer window will run as normal before closing on Monday 1 September.
Continue reading...Chelsea fans call for investigation into Todd Boehly’s links with ticket resale website
- Chelsea Supporters’ Trust urges Premier League to act
- Club co-owner is director and investor in Vivid Seats
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has written to the Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, calling for an investigation into the connections of the club’s co-owner Todd Boehly with the ticket exchange and resale company Vivid Seats.
Boehly is a director and investor in Vivid Seats, an American site that allows users outside the United Kingdom to buy and sell tickets to concerts and sporting events, often at huge mark-ups. British fans cannot use the site or others like it because it is illegal to resell football tickets in this way in the UK. The Premier League lists Vivid Seats as an “unauthorised ticket website”.
Continue reading...Why the double standards on ‘leadership’ when it comes to Black players? | Jonathan Liew
Jordan Henderson is a great English leader. But he has been encouraged and applauded for the very same acts for which minority ethnic players are castigated and stigmatised
How shall I lead thee? Let me count the ways. I lead thee by stepping up and being vocal, around the dressing room, setting standards in training. I lead thee quietly by example, you know, the not-much-of-a-shouter‑and-a-screamer-but-when-he-speaks-people-listen kind. I lead thee by having been there, done that, won everything in the game. I lead thee by never backing down from a challenge. I lead thee by sheer gravitas.
By any of these measures, Jordan Henderson is a leader. He was a leader for Liverpool, raising standards and setting the tone for 12 golden years. He was a leader for the NHS and the LGBTQ+ community off the field. He was still a leader when he left Liverpool and moved to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to create – in his words – “positive change” in the country for his beloved LGBTQ+ constituents.
Continue reading...Football clubs chase sweet dreams as the latest key to high performance | Will Unwin
From Brentford to the NBA, experts highlight tackling ‘unhealthy habits’ around sleep for athletes to reach their peak
When it comes to optimal performance, football clubs analyse diet, physiology and a plethora of minute details to ensure players have the best chance of peaking at the right time. One area that may merit greater focus is sleep.
Insomnia and other sleep issues are prevalent across British society. It is estimated that 30% of the population do not enjoy good quality rest but in elite athletes that figure rises to more than 50%.
Continue reading...Alienated fans fear money-driven ticket exploitation is pricing out regulars
Dash for cash runs risks of damage to atmosphere and core local support the Premier League prides itself on
It is the time of year when season-ticket holders receive an email from their club spelling out how much it will cost to follow them through thick and thin once again. The email often lands without warning of an increase, that bit saved for lower down after explaining the financial challenges and how the owner wants to invest to bring success. Generally it will say it was a “tough but necessary decision” to charge for loyalty. For many fans this is becoming harder and harder to swallow.
In the Premier League, with increased TV and prize money, chiselling extra out of those who almost feel obliged to attend seems unnecessary. The owners and directors who do this are well aware that fans, on the whole, will keep coming back. Football is such an integral part of many people’s lives that they cannot imagine not making every possible trip to a place they regard as a second home and are willing to cut back elsewhere to prove their commitment.
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