Category: Football (Soccer)

Nuno Espírito Santo got his first win as West Ham manager after an inspired performance against an under-par Newcastle

Eddie Howe has been speaking about Callum Wilson, a useful player for him at Bournemouth and Newcastle: “He is still the same person today as he was at the beginning of his career, so for all those reasons and seeing how hard he has worked at his game, he is absolutely right up there.”

Chris Paraskevas is in: “G’day J.B. Hope you’re well! Just ticked over midnight and I’m living the dream: approximately 0 pages written out of a 10-page assignment - due date: this afternoon. I’m hoping for a clinical, professional, uncomplicated win here to give me an academic / life boost, but we all know when Calum Wilson woke up this morning, there was a big red circle around this fixture on his wall calendar (...that’s right, I’m suggesting he still rocks a physical calendar in 2025). A real shame (for Newcastle fans) that West Ham’s central defensive rock ‘Dino’ Mavropanos is missing, by the way.”

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Mo Salah’s 250th goal for Liverpool calmed the nerves at Anfield and set up a deserved victory in an excellent game

“I’m on the train with a bunch of Pompey lads who wont get home ‘til about midnight after a 4-0 shellacking at St Andrew’s,” writes Gary Naylor. “That they’re in good spirits and planning another away day to Hull, speaks to the irrational nature of the football fan, the game a largely safe space for an otherwise dangerous indulgence.

“That irrationality wants Liverpool to be in crisis, loves the prospect of the inquests in the morning, the phone-ins that will demand his Slot’s head on a stick and Salah and Van Dijk to be sold in January. It’s childish and all but indefensible - but millions of us feel like this!”

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More than 40 goals in the Premier League have come from corners already this season – is this the new orthodoxy?

A ball played in behind Conor Bradley for Kevin Schade to chase. Giorgi Mamardashvili leaves his goal and sidefoots into touch. The sense of expectation is palpable. Michael Kayode trots over from right-back to the opposite flank to take the throw-in. He dries the ball, measures his run, steps back and then in one languid fluid movement hurls the ball in to the near post. Liverpool clear. Two minutes later, it happens again. This time, Mamardashvili tries to play the ball to Bradley, who miscontrols to concede the throw-in. And this time, Kayode’s throw is flicked on by Kristoffer Ajer and volleyed home by Dango Ouattara. There are still only five minutes of Brentford’s game against Liverpool played. Welcome to the modern Premier League.

Only nine of the 241 goals scored in the Premier League going into this weekend have come from throw-ins, but it feels like far more. Forty-five have come from corners – 18.7%. Were that proportion to be maintained over the season it would present a remarkable leap on the high of 14.2% from 2010-11. The reality is there’s likely to be a regression to the mean: if a glance at the proportion of goals scored from corners shows anything, it’s that there really isn’t much of a pattern at all. The proportion hovered at 11 or 12% most years to 2009, since when it has been at 13-14% – a trend which, if anything, goes against the assumption that everybody stopped taking corners seriously in the peak years of guardiolismo only to rediscover their love of a booming inswinger last season (when, in fact, the proportion of goals from corners fell to its lowest level since 2013-14).

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João Pedro’s first-half goal was enough for Chelsea to beat sorry Spurs, who were lucky not to concede more and were booed off by their own fans after another limp home display

3 min: Both teams are wearing black armbands this evening in memory of former Spurs defender Willie Young, who passed away this week.

2 min: Kudus has a probe down the right but there’s nobody else in lilywhite on his wavelength, and the chance to attack passes.

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Jean-Philippe Mateta’s eighth goal of the season set Crystal Palace on course for a return to winning ways in the Premier League. Mateta’s opener on the half-hour was added to by an own goal from the Brentford captain, Nathan Collins, early in the second half as the Eagles backed up their win at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with their first victory in four league games.

Palace’s Ismaïla Sarr looked to have forged an opportunity for himself when he got away from Kristoffer Ajer down the right but chose to square the ball rather than shoot and Sepp van den Berg intercepted for Brentford. It was a rare opening in what was a cagey beginning, with Mateta’s deflected header from a Yéremy Pino cross gently falling into the arms of Caoimhín Kelleher.

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• League says issues rooted in more European matches

• It promises increased Boxing Day games next year

The Premier League has confirmed there will be only one Premier League game on Boxing Day, with Manchester United to host Newcastle United at 8pm. The late kick-off may cause travel issues for Newcastle fans, with public transport limited on the holiday.

The league cited the expansion of European competition in explaining its schedule. The last time Boxing Day was a Friday, in 2014, there was a full top-flight programme.

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Tottenham do battle with Chelsea on Saturday while Manchester City host high-flying Bournemouth on Sunday

Saturday 3pm Venue Amex Stadium

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Pragmatism meets dogmatism when Spurs host Chelsea, with both head coaches still trying to win fans over

A few managers were in the running when Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024. It was an extensive process and involved the club talking to Thomas Frank before they settled on Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him most suited to Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they fired Erik ten Hag, it arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

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Arne Slot has no excuses, Fulham and Palace are stretched and should Arsenal be wary of Burnley’s full-backs?

• Premier League top scorers: Golden Boot standings

Burnley’s Kyle Walker and Quilindschy Hartman, Q to his friends, have been one of the finest full-back pairings in the Premier League this season. They are defensively disciplined but also have the ability to push forward and cause problems. Everyone expected as much from Walker, who has been one of the best right-backs in world football over the past decade, but it could have been difficult for Hartman, coming from the Eredivisie, to settle into a newly promoted team and face some of the best wingers in the world. The Dutchman has stuck to his defensive tasks supremely well but the task of marshalling Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze will be a true test. Regular assists are also making Hartman a real asset to Burnley. Two crosses produced Zian Flemming’s goals against Wolves, making it four assists in nine Premier League appearances. Arsenal should be wary. Will Unwin

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