Chelsea 2-1 Lille: Blues avoid banana skin to qualify for the Champions League last 16 December 10, 2019 Frank Lampard was clear in his view on Chelsea’s crunch match with Lille tonight. The Blues needed a result from their final Champions League group game to reach the last 16 and their manager was ready to embrace the occasion. “I like the pressure of this game being a knockout,” he said in his pre-match [...]
Manuel Pellegrini must wake up and take West Ham back to basics to avoid the sack December 10, 2019 Manuel Pellegrini says he not worried about West Ham being relegated from the Premier League, but he needs to wake up because right now that is a possibility. Monday’s 3-1 home defeat by Arsenal means the Hammers have taken just four points from their last eight games – a run that leaves them one point [...]
SailGP is aiming to make a splash in its second year after the arrival of Sir Ben Ainslie December 10, 2019 If the first season of SailGP was about making a splash and proving that there is an audience for the sport, then the second is about expansion. The worldwide sailing series, the brainchild of American software billionaire Larry Ellison and former world champion yachtsman Sir Russell Coutts, enjoyed a successful first season this year. Teams [...]
Amazon nets Champions League rights with German streaming deal December 10, 2019 Amazon has made its first move into European football streaming after snapping up the rights to show a package of Champions League games in Germany. The US retail giant today said it has secured exclusive rights to broadcast Tuesday night fixtures in the country for the 2021-2022 season. Read more: Amazon steps into Premier League [...]
West Ham 1-3 Arsenal: Gunners’ nine-minute burst enough to give Ljungberg a first victory and end nine-game winless run December 9, 2019 In the end all it took was one morsel of confidence to build on. For successful teams winning becomes a habit; over the last nine games Arsenal had forgotten how to do it. Booed off after 45 minutes in the London Stadium tonight it looked like the Gunners were set for another dispiriting night on [...]
Patrick Reed controversy and Tiger Woods’ dual role could help the international team win the Presidents Cup December 9, 2019 One of golf’s simplest rules is that you cannot do anything to improve the lie of your ball, so I was astonished to see what Patrick Reed did on the weekend. The American was handed a two-shot penalty at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas after twice flattening the sand behind his ball with [...]
Champions League permutations: What results Liverpool and Chelsea need to reach the last 16 December 9, 2019 Manchester City and Tottenham may have already sealed their place in the Champions League knockout round, but for many clubs a place in February’s round of 16 is still to play for. City are guaranteed top spot regardless of Wednesday night’s result against Dinamo Zagreb, while Jose Mourinho’s Spurs face a trip to Bayern Munich [...]
Six months after their treble, where has it all gone wrong for Manchester City? December 8, 2019 If Manchester City’s relentless brilliance created an impenetrable sky blue wall around the Premier League trophy last season, this term they are rolling out the red carpet. Saturday’s surprise 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United means they now trail runaway leaders Liverpool by 14 points, a chasm that manager Pep Guardiola called “not realistic” as [...]
Liverpool 5-2 Everton: Jurgen Klopp’s gamble pays off as Reds rest, rotate and roll on undeterred in Merseyside derby December 4, 2019 Some might have questioned Jurgen Klopp’s wisdom when they saw the Liverpool teamsheet he turned in to face Everton in the Merseyside derby. With a daunting and draining festive fixture list lying ahead, Klopp has decided rotation is his only option. The clash with their rivals from across Stanley Park represented the fourth of 12 [...]
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua has changed his mindset for Ruiz rematch and defends decision to hold fight in Saudi Arabia December 4, 2019 Boxing has a tendency to over-promote the significance of its fights but for Anthony Joshua the magnitude of Saturday’s bout in Saudi Arabia can truly be described as career-defining. The Briton will step into the ring to face Andy Ruiz Jr knowing that defeat will likely end his hopes of unifying the heavyweight division and [...]