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Leicester’s Champions League campaign ends

Atletico Madrid 1-1 Leicester

Niguez 26 Vardy 61

Leicester City’s incredible run in the Champions League came to an end with a 1-1 draw which meant Atletico were 2-1 up on aggregate and sent them through.

Leicester were in full control when Saul Niguez scored a 26th minute bullet header. The cross came about when Luis picked the ball up after an interception from Leicester and crossed it into Niguez, who smashed the ball across goal to sink Leicester’s hearts.

Leicester needed three goals and Shakespeare realised that changes were going to be required. At half time Ulloa and Chilwell came on for Okazaki and Benalouane and both players were important in the remaining part of the match. Chilwell fired a volley over the bar after being set up by his fellow substitute, and Ulloa’s goal-bound shot was blocked.

Leicester had to score a goal to have any hope in the tie and they got one at the perfect time. A blocked shot fell to Vardy who hit the ball at the perfect height and with no uncertainty that Oblak would get a touch on it. Leicester’s dream was suddenly alive again.

Image result for vardy goal vs atletico — Vardy’s goal gave Leicester hope.

Chance after chance followed and Leicester were getting frustrated, the clock was ticking and it probably felt like the game was going on and on for Atletico who desperately threw men in front of the ball and flew into tackles trying to maintain their lead. Atletico defended well and the final whistle blew without Leicester getting a goal.

It has been an incredible journey for Leicester in the Champions League, but it was always going to be difficult to beat one of Europe’s best teams.

Brighton are promoted after beating Wigan

It was a day of dreams for Brighton & Hove Albion, who secured promotion to the Premier League with a 2-1 over Wigan Athletic.

The Seagulls striker Glenn Murray opened the scoring before Solly March added to the scoreline, and they managed to hang onto their lead after Wigan’s 85th minute goal to gain promotion.

Brighton fans had a nervous wait before they could get the party going because if Huddersfield won their game against Derby then Brighton would not be promoted yet. But luckily Huddersfield drew and Brighton fans went crazy, running onto the pitch to join in with the players’ celebrations.

Brighton only missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League last season because of a draw with Middlesbrough and then failed in the play-offs, so it must have been brilliant for the fans after having been so close last season.

It has been a long journey for the club. Twenty years ago they were thirty minutes away to playing non-league football, and since their last season in the Premier League (2002/2003) they spent five seasons in League One and five in the Championship.

The Seagulls’ next task is to beat Norwich to win the title.

The Premier League round up

Tottenham opened the weekend with a 4-0 win over Bournemouth. Goals came from the returning Kane, the in-form Son, Dembele and even Janssen got in on the action scoring his first goal from open play in the Premier League. Tottenham completely dominated the game and Bournemouth showed no attacking threat, Dembele owned the midfield with his pace and power, while the trio of Alli, Kane and Son were brilliant in attack. This was an all round strong performance from Spurs.

Moving on, Sunderland drew with West Ham 2-2. Khazri’s unusual corner goal cancelled out Ayew’s strike inside the first five minutes, but Collins’ header after the break put West Ham ahead again. It was looking like The Hammers were going to win their second successive game, but Sunderland had other ideas. A hopeful ball was punched out by Grant straight to Borini and with Sunderland hopes resting on his shoulders, he smashed the ball into the net low and hard to put a tiny glimmer of hope into Sunderland’s survival quest.

Furthermore, Liverpool drew with West Brom on Sunday. Firmino’s 11th Premier League strike just before half-time brought Liverpool the win, but they definitely could’ve got more. Milner’s volley flew over the bar and Moreno missed an open goal from 40 yards. This win has proved to doubters that Liverpool can cope without Mane, which is useful because the Senegalese forward is out for the rest of the season. Overall, Liverpool were just too much for West Brom.

Image result for firmino — Firmino’s header gave Liverpool victory and got them into 3rd place in the league.

Lastly, Manchester United beat Chelsea 2-0 at Old Trafford. Rashford opened the scoring from a through ball having come into the team for the apparently tired Ibrahimovic. The young Englishman played brilliantly throughout the game and was excellent upfront playing in a pairing with Jesse Lingard. The other goal came from Herrera’s deflected shot which essentially won the game for United. This was a fixture where both teams had players missing; Chelsea’s Courtois and Alonso were both out while Ibrahimovic was rested for United, but United had the better strength in depth and went on to win the game. Chelsea’s loss here makes their gap at the top just four points wide and leaves the title race a two-horse battle between themselves and Spurs.

A few Premier League previews

The first game of this Bank Holiday weekend is Tottenham vs Bournemouth. Harry Kane is expected to start having only been fit enough to come off the bench last weekend because of an ankle injury and although he may not admit it, Janssen is probably disappointed about Kane’s return because when the Englishman was out he didn’t prove that he should start ahead of Kane. This will be an interesting match because Spurs will not take anything less than a win in good spirits.

Image result for harry kane 2017 — The return of Kane will make Spurs a much better team than in past weeks.

Furthermore, Southampton play Manchester City later in the day. The last time these two teams met it was 1-1 and that point for City brought them to the top of the table. However, City have not kept the pace up with their rivals and are now 4th, fourteen points off leaders Chelsea. This game will be much of a preparation for both teams as City’s next two games are the Manchester derby and the FA Cup semi-final and Southampton’s next game is a tough fixture with Chelsea.

Moving on, Liverpool take on West Brom. Although West Brom are struggling for goals, they’ve been the surprise team this season and pulled off a shock win over Arsenal a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Liverpool will hope to win in a more calm and controlled fashion than last week’s game against Stoke when they had to come back from one goal down with only twenty minutes to go. But an injury to Mane will decrease their chances of getting victory here.

Later on it’s Manchester United vs Chelsea. United will be hoping to get revenge on Chelsea after losing to them twice this season with a combined scoreline of 5-0 and Mourinho would love to beat his former club. Old Trafford is not a place to be feared anymore, although when United turn up they can play some exceptional football. This match should be a match of excitement between two Premier League giants, and I’m looking forward to it.

Poor decision costs Leicester in Spain

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Leicester

Griezmann 28, pen

A bad decision from referee Jonas Erikkson cost Leicester a defeat against ten-time La Liga winners, Atletico Madrid, in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Atletico started well and were trying from distance on numerous occasions. The best effort was Koke’s shot from outside the box which thundered off the bar.

Leicester were looking vulnerable, so when Simpson went up for a corner and challenged for the ball outside the penalty box, and lost out to Griezmann, you knew something special was going to happen. Griezmann carried the ball up the pitch and was speeding through the Leicester defence.

Then, in his best attempts to stop him, Albrighton unintentionally nudged the French forward to the floor. The ref’s eyesight was slightly obscured because Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater was in front of him, but he gave the penalty anyway.

However, replays showed that Albrighton’s foul on Griezmann took place outside the box and that Leicester were hard done by with the decision.

Image result for Albrighton challenge vs griezmann — Here is the evidence that Albrighton’s contact with Griezmann was outside the box.

After all the protests, Griezmann coolly slotted his penalty away to put Atletico Madrid in front – and scored what turned out to be the winner in the first leg.

Vardy was an isolated figure upfront and it was hard for him, playing against one of the best defences in the world. His only real chance came at the start of the game when Leicester played a hopeful ball upfield which Vardy got on the end of, but he couldn’t find the onrushing Mahrez in the box. The Englishman got replaced in the 77th minute on a frustrating night.

Leicester defended well and kept Atletico quiet in the second half, and the Spanish side’s only big chance was when Torres found space for himself inside the box – but he slipped at the vital moment, and the ball went flying out for a throw-in.

Overall, I think Leicester did well against such a good team, but it would’ve been easier for the next leg if they had got an away goal here.

Why Wenger needs to go

After taking a fairly neutral approach in the last few months, I think it’s finally time for Wenger to go. Here are some reasons why:

Firstly, at Arsenal right now there seems to be a similar situation to Leicester City when they sacked Ranieri. Wenger has clearly lost the dressing room which means Arsenal can’t build as a club unless they sack the Frenchman, and when I see players not tracking back and unpassionate performances, like their loss against Palace on Monday, I wonder the outburst there would be if Wenger’s awarded a new contract at the end of the season.

Reinforcing my argument, Arsenal will almost certainly not finish in the top four this season. They lie in 6th place, level on points with Everton and seven points adrift of Champions League qualification places – and only if their rivals slip up will they finish in those creditable positions. And for Wenger to have lead his team to a top four finish for every year he’s been at the club (20 years) and not do it this year would signal that he’s had his best days as a manager and Arsenal should sack him.

Image result for arsene wenger — Wenger’s long stay at Arsenal looks to be coming to an end.

Lastly, there is a big split in Arsenal’s executive board and fans and this split is bad for security reasons at games and unity throughout the club. And when you see Arsenal Fan TV all that’s on is Arsenal fans ranting about Wenger. However, if Arsenal sacked Wenger, replaced him with a young new manager then they could really build as a club rather than have disagreements inside the club.

A thriller at Goodison, relief for West Ham; It’s the Premier League round up

Tottenham opened a weekend of Premier League football with a 4-0 win over Watford. Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son ran the show and were involved in every single goal, whether it was scoring themselves, assisting the goals or being part of the successful attacks. Some more good news for Spurs was the return of Harry Kane as a substitute after being out for nearly a month. Kane had a shot cleared off the line and and a free-kick which rattled off the bar, but with the talent he has I’m sure he’ll get back to scoring ways soon. Despite early promises, it was a rare off day for Watford, but Spurs were absolutely brilliant and their young players shone in a good team.

Also, West Ham beat Swansea in a vital victory for the club. Cheikhou Kouyate scored an absolutely wonderful 25-yard strike just before half-time and the Hammers could have got more if it wasn’t for Lukasz Fabianski’s saves. Captain Mark Noble said it was the biggest West Ham win in years and his words were echoed by manager Slaven Bilic. Swansea are now in more trouble at the bottom of the table, but West Ham look like they’re on the up from now.

Image result for kouyate 2017 vs swansea — Kouyate’s excellent finish got West Ham an important win.

Moving on, Liverpool beat Stoke 2-1. Stoke went ahead first through a Jon Walters header, and they were on track to pull off a shock victory. However, Klopp brought on Coutinho and Firmino at half-time and they both scored to win the game for Liverpool. The victory was a relief for The Reds and brings them closer to a top four finish.

Lastly, Everton won against Leicester in a six goal thriller. In the first ten minutes it was 2-1 to Leicester after they came back from Davies’ 30 second strike. Goals followed from Lukaku (2) and Jagielka. Leicester’s weakened line up helped Everton, but it was an understandable change from Shakespeare because they don’t want their players to get injured before their big clash with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

Some Premier League previews

The weekend will be kicked off at White Hart Lane as Tottenham play Watford. Both teams are needing wins here; Spurs, because they need to keep up with Chelsea at the top of the table and Watford because Mazzarri is facing the sack even though they’re tenth. But, as we know, Watford are rather harsh when sacking managers. On paper Spurs are the better team, however, Watford have pulled off some shock results recently and Spurs are missing Kane, Rose, Lloris, and Wanyama to injuries.

Secondly, West Ham take on Swansea later in the day. West Ham haven’t won in the league for their past five games and the pressure is mounting on Slaven Bilic and the players to perform. And Swansea, in a similiar situation, must win this game after they’ve slipped into the relegation zone.

Image result for bilic — Bilic needs to lead his West Ham team to a win.

Moving on to Sunday, Manchester United play Sunderland. Sunderland have managed to pull off some unbelievable escapes from relegation, but this year it finally looks like they’re going down. The Black Cats are bottom and ten points behind Hull, the nearest team not in the relegation zone, and Moyes’s controversial comments after his interview a few weeks ago don’t help. Meanwhile, United are 6th and are bidding for a top four finish.

Lastly, Everton play Leicester at Goodison Park. Leicester are flying high right now and have won six consecutive games in a row in all competitions. Also, Jamie Vardy is looking like the Vardy we saw last season, sprinting in behind opposition’s defences and full of confidence, so Everton will struggle to stop him. However, Everton could stop Leicester’s run because they’re a solid team and have got a great striker in Lukaku.

The Premier League round up of the fixtures this week

The first game of the weekend was Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby. The score was 2-1 to the Reds at half time after goals from Mane and Coutinho, and in the second half Origi also scored after coming on as a substitute. Everton’s top four dreams now look to be an extremely distant possibility with that loss, but they’re an improving side under Ronald Koeman and could have a chance next year to finish in the Champions League qualification places.

Moving on, City drew 2-2 with Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday. Arsenal had to come back from one goal down on two occasions which shows good fighting spirit in the team. City started the game well and Sane scored for them after just five minutes, but they dropped off in the second half and Arsenal were more dominant.

Also, Manchester United drew with Everton 1-1. Everton went ahead in the 22th minute through a corner after Jagielka nutmegged de Gea. United had many chances after that and the biggest was Rashford’s one on one with Robles which was saved and it continued Rashford’s run of not scoring in the league since September. United looked like they would be receiving no points from the game with a minute to go, but Williams’ handball gave United a penalty, which Ibrahimovic coolly slotted away. The draw left Everton disappointed because they threw their lead away in the final minute and United also feeling disappointed because they are considered a better team than Everton by many people.

Image result for Ibrahimovic — Ibrahimovic saved United from a loss.

Lastly, after a loss against Crystal Palace, Chelsea replied with a big 2-1 win over Manchester City. Hazard was without question the man of the match after scoring two goals and being excellent in Chelsea’s attacking play. City’s only goal was from the on-form Aguero who is benefitting from the playing time that he is getting. After the win, Chelsea need to keep going on this form to be crowned Premier League champions this year.

Why Moyes’ ‘Slap’ comments are disgraceful

After two weeks, the FA has finally realised the importance of Moyes’s words to BBC reporter Vicki Sparks after their 0-0 draw with Burnley. After the interview, which included some hard questions, Moyes said to Sparks: “Just getting a wee bit naughty at the end there so just watch yourself or you might get a slap even though you’re a woman.”

Image result for vicki sparks bbc — Sparks is an established BBC reporter.

When asked why he made these comments in a press conference he said “It was in the heat of the moment…sometimes you only have seconds to think and answer.” Also in the conference the Scotsman described Sparks as the girl, not referring to the reporter by her name.

The Woman in Football organisation issued a statement about Moyes’s behaviour saying “We are deeply disappointed and concerned by the threatening language used by Sunderland manager Moyes”.

Moyes only came in at the start of the season and could continue the merry-go round of Sunderland managers being sacked if the Sunderland board deem the comments a sackable offence

Sunderland’s next game is a fixture with a Leicester tonight, where with a loss they could fall further into the relegation zone.