Tottenham 0-1 Ajax: Depleted Spurs playing catch up after classy visitors claim vital away goal April 30, 2019 It was Tottenham’s first European Cup semi-final since their debut season in the competition back in 1962, but despite the rarity of the occasion, they produced a lacklustre performance that will leave them wondering what could have been. Spurs came into the game on the back of their first defeat at the new Tottenham Hotspur [...]
Trevor Steven: Klopp’s decision on how to deal with Messi will prove decisive for Liverpool in Barcelona Champions League clash April 30, 2019 Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona tomorrow night comes at the perfect time. The Reds in form, have momentum after a 5-0 thrashing of Huddersfield on Friday and, following Roberto Firmino’s return to training, have all their major players fit. If this game had come around one year ago I definitely would have preferred Barca [...]
Tottenham and Ajax’s Champions League success serves as a reminder that there is more to football than money April 29, 2019 It is the semi-final that no one saw coming. Two teams with limited financial resources who were supposed to struggle to make it out of their Champions League group. Instead, Tottenham and Ajax have claimed some of Europe's biggest scalps on their path to a final-four clash that will see two of the competition's surprise [...]
Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea: The race nobody wants to win, De Gea’s errors mounting and Blues’ over-reliance on Hazard April 28, 2019 It’s the race nobody seems to want to win. With Manchester City and Liverpool streaking away at top speed in the Premier League, the efforts of those below them to finish in the Champions League spots is one being defined by the bad, rather than the good. While Chelsea looked more than happy to take [...]
Relentless excellence of Manchester City and Liverpool makes this the best ever Premier League title race April 25, 2019 This is by no means the first close title race of the Premier League era. Blackburn set an early benchmark when they pipped Manchester United by a solitary point in 1995, and Arsenal, United – twice – and Chelsea have all done the same since, while nothing has yet matched the drama of Sergio Aguero’s [...]
Raheem Sterling may miss out on Player of the Year, but he deserves recognition for his contribution to the game this season April 25, 2019 Raheem Sterling may seemingly have missed out on the PFA Player of the Year award to Virgil van Dijk, but no one can take away what the England and Manchester City forward has achieved on and off the pitch this season. The 24-year-old has encapsulated everything that a footballer should be: a competitor on the [...]
Premier League given profit warning as rising wage bills eat into margins despite record revenue April 25, 2019 The Premier League may be experiencing a vintage season on the pitch, with a title race for the ages, most key positions in the table still undecided and English clubs dominating in Europe once more. But off the field the picture appears to be taking a turn for the worse, with top-flight teams’ most recent [...]
Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City: Pep Guardiola’s side show they can win ugly as they clear significant hurdle in Premier League title race April 24, 2019 Manchester City have won the battle. Now, with the derby behind them, they have given themselves the best chance of winning the war. On a night when they reached 157 goals for the season and passed their own record, from the 2013-14 title-winning campaign, for goals in an English season, City showed they don’t just [...]
Trevor Steven: Don’t blame Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United’s slump is down to their average squad April 23, 2019 When the two teams met in the Premier League 12 months ago, Manchester United succeeded in disrupting Manchester City’s title charge with a 3-2 win over their neighbours. It’s hard to see that being repeated at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. In fact, it’s hard to see anything but an emphatic win for the men [...]
Manchester City 4-3 Tottenham: Fernando Llorente and VAR the unlikely heroes on historic night for Spurs April 17, 2019 Manchester City’s dream of a quadruple is dead. And how. Amid an electric Etihad Stadium atmosphere, in a drama-packed, see-sawing Champions League classic it was one familiar hero – Son Heung-min – and two not so familiar ones – Fernando Llorente and the video assistant referee – who combined to give Mauricio Pochettino a night [...]