Premier League: Allardyce: Give more fouls to honest players February 22, 2015 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 WEST HAM UNITED 2 FRUSTRATED West Ham boss Sam Allardyce accused Tottenham’s players of regularly accentuating challenges of minimal contact during his side’s two-goal surrender at White Hart Lane yesterday. The Hammers surged into a commanding lead thanks to a Cheikhou Kouyate header and Diafra Sakho strike before Spurs rescued a point [...]
Football Comment: No sympathy for reckless Matic February 22, 2015 FIRST and foremost, Nemanja Matic will have been one of the first names on the Chelsea team sheet this season along with Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas and will be sorely missed in next Sunday’s Capital One Cup final against Tottenham at Wembley. He is very much a launchpad for what Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea do [...]
Premier League: Rodgers revels in Liverpool’s surge towards top four February 22, 2015 SOUTHAMPTON 0 LIVERPOOL 2 LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers believes his side overcame a sizeable hurdle in their quest for Champions League qualification after beating fellow top-four challengers Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium yesterday. Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho curled home a stunning early opener while England forward Raheem Sterling ensured maximum points by firing past Saints [...]
Lack of attacking thrust dents Exiles bid for top-fight safety February 22, 2015 LONDON Irish interim head coach Glenn Delaney demanded greater attacking potency from his side after Leicester maintained their hopes of a top-four finish with a narrow 12-6 victory at the Madejski Stadium yesterday. Leicester have failed to score a try in over 300 minutes of top-flight rugby but led 9-3 at the break thanks to [...]
Premier League: Leicester’s Pearson unconcerned by job speculation as Foxes held February 22, 2015 EVERTON 2 LEICESTER CITY 2 LEICESTER boss Nigel Pearson brushed off further speculation over his job security after a late Matthew Upson own goal denied the Foxes a pivotal victory in their relegation scrap at Goodison Park yesterday. Upson turned Christian Atsu’s cross into his own net with two minutes remaining after bottom of the [...]
Horror tackle could have ruined midfielder’s career, insists Jose February 22, 2015 CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho insists the tackle by Burnley striker Ashley Barnes on Nemanja Matic during the drawn Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday could have ended the Serbia midfielder’s career. Matic was caught just below the knee and was sent-off for his subsequent reaction, and will now be suspended for the Capital [...]
Alonso escapes crash at testing February 22, 2015 TWO-TIME world champion Fernando Alonso escaped without injury after a heavy crash on the final day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona yesterday. An ambulance was dispatched after the McLaren driver hit the wall on the exit of the 150mph turn three, before being airlifted to hospital. McLaren confirmed scan results showed [...]
Europa League: Tottenham in battle to save Europa hopes February 19, 2015 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 FIORENTINA 1 TOTTENHAM manager Mauricio Pochettino last night admitted his disappointment after his side’s failure to beat Fiorentina left them needing to win the return leg in Italy to keep their European aspirations alive. Goal-shy striker Roberto Soldado’s superb early volley appeared to set Spurs up for victory but defender Jose Maria [...]
Figo bidding to increase World Cup to 48 teams February 19, 2015 FORMER world footballer of the year Luis Figo has pledged to expand the World Cup to as many as 48 teams if he ousts the controversial Sepp Blatter as president of governing body Fifa. Ex-Portugal midfielder Figo also vowed to loosen the purse-strings if elected in May, promising to hand national associations most of Fifa’s [...]
Jimenez disappointed by Ryder Cup snub February 19, 2015 SPANISH veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez has admitted his disappointment at being overlooked for the European Ryder Cup captaincy but backed Darren Clarke to succeed in the role. Open winner Clarke, 46, was this week named the man to mastermind Europe’s title defence at Hazeltine next year, beating rivals Jimenez and Dane Thomas Bjorn to the [...]