Fulham 1-5 Arsenal: Gunners’ rampant attack helps optimism return under Unai Emery October 7, 2018 “We’ve got our Arsenal back.” That was the chant coming from the away end at Craven Cottage after Aaron Ramsey flicked in his side’s third goal in a 5-1 rout of Fulham. Ramsey’s improvised finish at the end of a flowing team move was the apex of a heady second half in which the Gunners [...]
England squad: Gareth Southgate’s selection of Jadon Sancho, James Maddison and Mason Mount shows refreshing change of attitude October 4, 2018 When Jadon Sancho turned down a £30,000 per week contract at Manchester City last season he was taking a big gamble. But armed with supreme confidence in his own ability, the then 17-year-old winger upped sticks amid plenty of acrimony to join Borussia Dortmund for £10m and challenge himself. Fast-forward 14 months and Sancho could [...]
Manchester United v Newcastle: Old foes Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez have chance to twist the knife October 4, 2018 Perhaps, after the final whistle has blown at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez will gather in the Manchester United manager’s office and share a bottle of vintage claret, as Sir Alex Ferguson was fond of doing, and reminisce about the good old days. Or perhaps not, given their long-running and [...]
Former footballer Scott Ward launches new scheme with EY to support retiring athletes October 4, 2018 One of the lowest points of Scott Ward’s career came when he was without a contract and training with Millwall, hoping to rebuild his fitness after leaving boyhood club Luton Town. Ward bumped into a group of his former Luton team-mates while walking down the high street, but when they asked what he was doing [...]
Qarabag v Arsenal: The rise of Azerbaijan’s five time champions October 3, 2018 When Arsenal take the field tonight, they will be hoping that it is just the first of two visits this season to the Baku Olympic Stadium. The Gunners are making a 5,000-mile round trip for their second Europa League group stage fixture against FK Qarabag, a record distance for the club in major competitions. Should [...]
Trevor Steven: Barcelona test offers Tottenham chance to kick-start season October 2, 2018 Were it not for the way they wilted in their defeat to Inter Milan last month, I’d be far more confident of Tottenham getting something out of their Champions League clash with Barcelona on Wednesday night. Yet the fixture remains a great opportunity for Spurs to kick-start their season, having spent much of the new [...]
Valencia another hurdle as Jose Mourinho attempts to bail out the rising tides at Manchester United October 1, 2018 What a difference two weeks make. Thirteen days ago Jose Mourinho was reflecting on his side’s 3-0 victory over Young Boys – Manchester United’s biggest away win in the Champions League for five years. The performance, in his own words, was “not phenomenal, but good enough”. How Mourinho longs to make such an assessment of [...]
Four things we learned from the Premier League this weekend: Cech’s injury could be a blessing, Sarri triggers Luiz comeback and Kane sharp again September 30, 2018 When Petr Cech’s hamstring twinged in the closing stages of the first half of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Watford on Saturday the overriding emotion of most fans inside the Emirates was one of curiosity. Injury to the veteran goalkeeper meant a Premier League debut for £19m summer signing Bernd Leno. Having only seen the German [...]
Chelsea named bottom of the league for prompt payments as big clubs let the side down September 27, 2018 Elite Premier League clubs are less likely to pay their suppliers promptly than smaller teams, according to industry data provided to City A.M. Chelsea are the slowest team to settle invoices, says business information company Dun & Bradstreet, while Tottenham and Manchester City are also in the bottom four. Brighton and Bournemouth are the [...]
Big-spending Everton still seeking lift-off in mission to challenge Big Six September 27, 2018 When Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri purchased a 49.9 per cent share in Everton two and a half years ago, his intention was to ensure the club challenge for Champions League football. Yet as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stroked home Arsenal's second goal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday and condemned the Blues to their second Premier League [...]