Category: Football (Soccer)

Manchester United are dipping towards the drop zone under Ruben Amorim, a head coach who took over on 11 November and forgot to pack the “bounce” often gifted to an employer after sacking the last guy.

This was United’s fourth straight defeat in all competitions and the first time three consecutive home league matches have been lost since 1978-79. After 11 games, the Portuguese coach’s record reads six defeats, four wins and one draw. Peer at the table and United are 14th on 22 points. No ­wonder, afterwards, Amorim admitted rele­gation is a threat and “our club needs a shock”.

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If Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton go down this season, that will be 10 of the last 15 promoted sides who have gone straight back down

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And so the year ends, as always seemed likely, with the bottom three places in the Premier League occupied by the three promoted sides. With Wolves and Crystal Palace resurgent and Everton under new ownership and having found the solidity that is always the key strength of Sean Dyche teams, the situation is bleak for the three currently in the relegation zone. Each will have their own reflections on the first half of the season but, more generally, the picture is worrying: the three promoted sides were relegated last season and the gulf between Premier League and Championship is coming to feel almost impossibly wide.

The bottom side Southampton are 10 points from safety. Realistically they probably need to average a point and a half a game from here to stay up – which is to say that they are as good as down. The two games since Russell Martin was sacked have shown an improvement, but even then battling performances at Fulham and Crystal Palace have yielded a single point. Perhaps they would have had a better chance of survival had they not been wedded to a high-risk passing style that kept on surrendering possession in dangerous areas but, in truth, this never looked anything like a Premier League squad. The priority now must be to acquire the six points they need to avoid breaking Derby’s record low of 11 points for the season.

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• Spurs face further absences after 2-2 draw with Wolves
• Manager gives squad two days off before Newcastle clash

Ange Postecoglou is not ready to write off Tottenham’s Premier League campaign just yet despite more dropped points on Sunday.

Spurs were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Wolves after they conceded with three minutes left on another difficult afternoon that saw Destiny Udogie become the latest player to limp off.

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Mo Salah scored one and made two as Liverpool dismantled West Ham to move eight points clear at the top

1 min Yep, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has started at left-back in a 4-1-4-1 formation.

1 min West Ham kick off from left to right as we watch. Liverpool are wearing their black and turquoise change strip.

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Dango Ouattara scored an 89th-minute equaliser as Bournemouth snatched a point in a 2-2 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Raúl Jiménez scored his sixth Premier League goal of the season before Evanilson struck early in the second half to level. After Harry Wilson scored his second in as many matches, Ouattara came off the bench to force the stalemate in the final minutes.

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Nottingham Forest continue their remarkable ascent under Nuno Espírito Santo. A club that was one place above the relegation zone when Nuno took over 12 months ago now sit second in the Premier League table after a comfortable victory over Everton. The Champions League may not be a fanciful dream after all.

The outstanding duo of Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White scored the goals that secured Forest’s fifth win in a row, equalling the club’s Premier League record set in April 1995. A commanding team performance also ensured that, for the first time since 1898/99, Forest have won in the league at both Everton and Liverpool. Sean Dyche’s team had gone six Premier League games unbeaten at Goodison Park prior to Forest’s visit but were a distant second-best throughout.

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When Aaron Ramsdale swapped warming the bench at Arsenal for a relegation battle with Southampton, even the England goalkeeper could not have imagined it would be this bad. Another defeat – a 15th in 19 Premier League games – was especially hard to take after Tyler Dibling had given them a surprise lead to end a four-match wait to score a league goal and their first under the new manager, Ivan Juric.

But while Ramsdale was angered by the decision not to disallow Trevoh Chalobah’s equaliser for a push on the Southampton goalkeeper, it was only down to a string of fine saves that the scoreline was respectable as Palace secured a second home victory of the campaign thanks to Eberechi Eze’s brilliant finish. That leaves Oliver Glasner’s side looking much more comfortable after their slow start to the season – while surpassing Derby’s Premier League record low points tally of 11 may be the limit to Juric’s ambitions.

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Leicester had more of the ball, but couldn’t take their chances; the champions took theirs

2 min: The visitors patiently stroke it around awhile. Then suddenly Savinho explodes into life, dribbling down the inside-left channel and entering the box. It’s a fine run, but then he takes a heavy touch and it’s a goal kick.

Manchester City kick off. A clapper-fuelled atmosphere at the King Power.

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Arsenal moved into second spot despite an underwhelming display at the Emirates

22 sec: Ipswich are on the front foot immediately. Phillips wins the ball on the edge of the Arsenal box and feeds Davis down the left. Davis whistles a cross through the six-yard box. Any touch from Szmodics would have resulted in a stunning early goal, but he can’t connect. Arsenal breathe again.

Ipswich get the ball rolling. A good few-evening-pints-in atmosphere at the Emirates!

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