Category: Round ups

Chelsea won the title on Friday after beating West Brom 1-0. The London side were frustrated by the resilient and organised Baggies, who have nothing much to play for this season. It was looking like Chelsea would have to wait for Monday’s clash against Watford to get their hands on the trophy, but luckily for them Batshuayi rescued them. Azpilicueta fired a cross which the Belgian got on the end of to slide it past Foster and win Chelsea the league, a thing that they thoroughly deserve after being excellent all season.

Moving on, Manchester City beat Leicester 2-1 amid controversial circumstances. Silva opened the scoring with a shot into the bottom corner after receiving Leroy Sane’s cutback. Gabriel Jesus added another with a tentative penalty, a goal which makes his City record five goals in nine games. A big moment of controversy late in the second half followed. Mahrez was awarded a penalty after he was brought down by Clichy and after Okazaki’s goal Leicester would have drawn if he had scored. Unfortunately for the Foxes, he slipped when taking and the ball flew in. However when he fell he hit the ball twice and the goal was correctly ruled out.

Also, Crystal Palace sent Hull down to the Championship with a 4-0 win and guaranteed their status in the Premier League for another year. Zaha scored early on after some poor Hull defending and Benteke scored again in the 34th minute, his fifteenth goal of the Premier League 2016/2017 season. Milivojevic sealed victory with a strike late on and van Aanholt just made the score even more embarrassing for Hull

Lastly, Tottenham ended their 118-year stay at White Hart Lane in style as they beat Manchester United 2-1. Wanyama got the crowd and Spurs’ confidence levels going with a goal early in the much hyped fixture. Kane doubled the scoreline with a goal which showed his quality and keeps the pressure on Lukaku in the battle for the golden boot. Rooney gave United hope in the 71th minute, but the last game at the Lane ended in joy and happiness all around.

Manchester City kicked the weekend off in some style with a 5-0 thrashing over Crystal Palace. Silva scored first with a low shot before Kompany scored again for City after De Bruyne cut it back for him to continue his scoring flurry. More goals followed in the second half and Otamendi’s late header really added some gloss and purpose to the scoreline for City and made Palace’s day even more miserable.

Later on Saturday Leicester played Watford. Ndidi opened the scoring with his third goal since making his successful move from Genk in January and Mahrez and Albrighton added later on. The win made sure Leicester had no chance of getting relegated, an early season fear which was eradicated due to some form following Craig Shakespeare’s arrival, and they are now pushing for a top ten finish along with their opposition Watford.

Moving on, Swansea took on Everton in the Liberty stadium. Swansea were spurred on by fact that Hull had lost earlier to already relegated Sunderland 2-0 and a win would take them out of the drop zone. The first genuine chance, which ended up being successful, was when Jordan Ayew stood up a cross for Llorente who outmuscled the Everton defence and got his head on the ball to put the Swans in front. Although Everton had more chances and possesion they couldn’t find a breakthrough and when full-time sounded both teams had very different emotions.

Lastly, on Sunday Manchester United faced Arsenal at the Emirates. A three minute period in the second half where Xhaka and Welbeck scored determined the outcome of the match and also ended Manchester United’s twenty-five game unbeaten run. The result finished Mourinho’s record of not losing a game against Wenger, a record he would’ve loved to have kept against his great rival. The win has also given Arsenal a big chance of finishing above United and they could even finish in the top four if they win their last few remaining games.

On Saturday, Sunderland lost 1-0 after Josh King-someone who has scored fifteen times this season- scored late on. The loss for Sunderland means that they have no mathematical chance of staying up and are therefore relegated. The Black Cats have spent ten years running in the Premier League and have miraculously pulled off survival bids in previous years, when it was looking like all hope was lost. Questions now loom over the future of David Moyes and star players such as Defoe and Pickford, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing them in the Premier League again soon.

Moving on, Manchester United drew with Swansea 1-1 on the weekend. United’s penalty was very controversial after Rashford appeared to dive to Fabianski’s minimal amount of contact – which led to the referee giving a penalty and Rooney slotted it away to score in two successive games. A brilliant free kick from Sigurdsson brought Swansea the deserved equaliser. The free kick was interrupted by a strange moment when Herrera ran to the goal line only to be waved away by de Gea and the next moment Sigurdsson curled one in to the area where Herrera had just been standing. However, with all the fixtures United have played they might be getting tired and with other clubs slipping up around them they won’t consider this draw a disaster.

Another result is Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Everton. Pedro’s long range curler opened the scoreline and put Chelsea with a dominant foothold in the game. Chelsea added another on the 79th minute after Cahill scored from a scrappy corner and a goal where Willian and Fabregas, both substitutes, combined to finish Everton off. Chelsea are still first, four points off Spurs and have to keep winning if Conte is going to win the league in his first season at the club.

Lastly, Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-0. It was a frustrating first half for Spurs where Alli couldn’t get contact on the ball to divert it into an open goal and Eriksen wasn’t able to hit the target from just outside the six yard box unmarked. However, thanks to a three minute period those missed chances didn’t matter as Alli converted Cech’s save into the net. Then, Kane perfectly placed a penalty that he won into the far corner to get Spurs a second. It was the last derby at White Hart Lane and it meant a lot to Tottenham who with the win will now finish above Arsenal for the first time since 1995.

Watford played Hull in the first Premier League round of fixtures. Oumar Niasse got sent off in the 25th minute for a high foot which Hull are now appealing against. However, in the grand scheme of the game, it didn’t matter. Markovic opened the scoreline by poking the ball in after his header struck the crossbar before Clucas scored a wonderful volley from the edge of the box – which he controlled beautifully; Gomes had no chance of saving it. The win has brought Hull a big chance of staying up and they just have to hope that they can carry on their winning form.

In the FA Cup, Chelsea beat Tottenham 4-2 at Wembley. Costa and Hazard didn’t start the game which was a surprise for Chelsea fans, but after five minutes, Conte’s change proved to be the correct decision as Hazard’s replacement, Willian, hit a free kick out of Lloris’ reach to score the first goal of the game. Tottenham reacted with Kane’s expert header; his 4th FA Cup goal of the season. Chelsea hit back with Willian’s penalty; his second goal of the day before Spurs equalised through Alli’s top corner shot which he scored from Eriksen’s exceptional through ball. You could feel the nerves around Wembley as the score was level, but Hazard’s moment of magic brought life back into the stadium. The ball was headed out of the back and fell to Hazard, who had come on as a substitute. He smashed the ball into the low corner and Spurs’ hearts fell. Matic added to scoreline with a long range top corner shot which was one of the best FA Cup goals this season and gave Spurs no hope of coming back. It was a great game and I hope for a fixture as exciting as this one in the final.

Also in the FA Cup, Arsenal played Manchester City. City started the game brightly and Cech had to tip Silva’s header over the bar. The Blues also had a legitimate goal ruled out after the linesman deemed Sane’s cross to have breached the field of play. The cross resulted in Sterling’s goal, but replays have shown that the ball stayed in play and it was the wrong decision to disallow the goal. Aguero got the first goal of the match after taking a heavy touch and then slotting it past Cech and City were on their way to victory. However, Arsenal’s Oxlade-Chamberlain fired a dangerous cross which Monreal met with a low driven shot. No goals followed in normal time, so extra-time was played. Cech’s finger-tip save kept Toure’s shot out, Fernandinho hit the crossbar and Welbeck went just wide and the atmosphere was hotting up. Arsenal had a free-kick which ended up at Sanchez’s feet, who controlled and then scored winner. Arsenal fans went mad as they secured a place in the FA Cup final.

Lastly, Crystal Palace took on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Liverpool went ahead through Coutinho’s low free kick, which went over the wall and dipped into the low bottom corner leaving Hennessey with no chance. It was a true moment of magic from the talented Brazilian. Then, Cabaye’s cross fell into the path of Benteke who smashed the ball into the roof of the net and left Liverpool wondering how they let the in-form striker unguarded in the box, his favourite position to be in to gobble up chances. Then, in the 74th minute, Benteke found himself with another chance. Palace’s corner made its way untouched to the Belgium striker who once again haunted his former club, and, like the first goal, didn’t celebrate. Palace have gone up into 12th and are definitely clear of relegation now.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

After a 2-0 loss to Bulgaria, Netherlands head coach, Danny Blind, was sacked from his position. Netherlands are fourth in group A and are looking like they’re going to miss out on a second successive major tournament. Also in the group, France produced a dominant victory over Luxembourg where Giroud scored twice.

Moving on, Switzerland pulled off a far from convincing 1-0 win over Latvia, having had many chances they finally broke the deadlock with a header from substitute Josip Drmic. But despite Switzerland having a perfect record in their group, Portugal are still chasing them down and are three points behind them.

Furthermore, Republic of Ireland’s match with Wales in group D really heated up and their were tackles flying in all over the pitch, but just one red card was given- to Neil Taylor – for his leg breaking tackle on Seamus Coleman, who is estimated to be out of action for a few months. Ireland are now level on points with Serbia at the top of the table, while Wales sit behind them in 3rd place.

In group F, England maintained their unbeaten record in the group with a 2-0 win over Lithuania. Jermain Defoe scored after twenty one minutes and the goal was one of his just four touches in the first half. Vardy was England’s other scorer in the game, and he bagged his goal after replacing Defoe. Vardy was playing with a black eye throughout the game, which he has said was from the contact of a ball – but many people including me don’t believe him.

To kick the weekend off, we had a big shock as West Brom managed to beat Arsenal 3-1, with yet more ‘Wenger Out!’ chants and banners. The first half ended 1-1, but in the second half, West Brom were the better team and Robson-Kanu scored after coming on and later Craig Dawson completed his brace to end Arsenal’s hopes of getting a much-needed victory.

Also, Leicester got a win over West Ham which continued Craig Shakespeare’s perfect record as Leicester boss. Leicester scored twice in quick succession in the first ten minutes and Vardy increased the scoreline with his 4th goal in his past five games. Having scored in the first half, West Ham had some hope that they could go on to get a point from the game after Ayew’s goal, but Leicester defended well and clung on to the three points.

Moving on, Manchester United ended the possibility of a fairytale start for Middlesbrough’s caretaker boss, Steve Agnew with a 3-1 win. Fellaini scored the game’s first goal and his first Premier League goal this season and Lingard then scored an absolute cracker of a goal in the second half and did a celebration worthy of the quality of the goal. And after Antonio Valencia capitalised on Valdes’s slip to cancel out Gestede’s goal earlier. United now move above Arsenal into 5th place and will battle it out with them and teams around them to finish in the top four spot which gives you automatic qualification to the Champions League.

Lastly, Manchester City drew with Liverpool on Sunday 1-1. James Milner scored his 7th goal of the season, which is impressive for a defender although most of the goals have been penalties. Aguero leveled the scoreline with a first time finish to score his 13th Premier League goal of the season later on. So after that weekend, the battle to finish in the top four is really hotting up and I think it could go on right to the final matches of the season.

The reigning Premier League champions, Leicester, got a win in their round of 16 clash which puts them through to a quarter final fixture with Atletico Madrid. Leicester keeper Schmeichel was the hero in both legs, saving two penalties and making saves in open play too. Morgan and Albrighton were also starred scoring Leicester’s goals.

Moving on, Manchester City were knocked out of the Champions League through away goals as Monaco beat them 3-1. City were the favourites going into the second leg after leading 5-3, but playing in Monaco is a hard thing to do and the Monaco team is a strong one even without Falcao, who was missing on Wednesday.

Lastly, United won their tie with Rostov to march through to the quarter finals, where they play Anderlecht. United had a few chances, but finally broke the deadlock with Mata’s finish, his second goal in the Europa League. An extremely odd moment in the game, which I’ve never seen before, was Rojo’s banana-eating on the pitch, having been offered the fruit by warming-up substitute Ashley Young.