Tuesday 31 October 2017

Premier League Picks Of The Week 10

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 10

The tenth week of the Premier League action saw:

23 goals - most by Liverpool & Man City = 3 each
114 shots - most by Crystal Palace = 19
68 on target - most by Crystal Palace = 9
92 corners - most by Crystal Palace = 11
195 fouls - most by Crystal Palace = 18
29 yellow cards - most by Watford & Stoke = 4 each
0 red cards
2 penalties - 1 scored (Mohamed Salah missed for Liverpool, Luka Milivojevic for Crystal Palace)

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What a game! West Brom against Manchester City started with a flood of goals, three in under 15 minutes! Leroy Sané opened the scoring for the visitors with a vicious strike from 15 yards. Jay Rodriguez levelled the score for the hosts three minutes later lifting the ball past Ederson off Gareth Barry's cross. But seconds later Fernandinho restored the Citizens' lead, seeing the ball deflect off a couple of players and in off the post. Former LFC winger Raheem Sterling made it 1-3 with just over an hour gone after the game calmed down a bit. The home side pulled one back late on, what a massive mistake it was by Nicolás Otamendi, Matt Phillips capitalizing well on it, but it was too little too late for the Baggies. The blue league leaders keep flying high five points clear at the top even after not exactly their best performance.

What a team! Just when Arsenal looked to be on top of their game after taking Everton apart 5-2 last week, they were humbled by Swansea, in the first half. The Swans took the lead when Sam Clucas slotted one in against the run of play halfway through the opening half. And it could have been worse if it weren't for Petr Čech's stops, denying Jordan Ayew, who came closest to double the Welsh side's lead. But the Gunners hit back and completed a great turnaround after the break, thanks to two goals in seven minutes by Sead Kolašinac (51') and Aaron Ramsey (58'). It's the third successive game the Londoners have fought back from behind, ending manager Arsène Wenger's 800th Premier League game on top, remaining fifth in the league table, level on points with Chelsea in fourth.
Newcastle definitely don't like Mondays after losing their 10th consecutive top-flight match on this miserable opening day of the week. Burnley deserved the win thanks to Jeff Hendrick's second league goal of the season, sealing a nice fifth anniversary present for manager Sean Dyche, who has been linked with the vacant Everton job. I don't think he'd be that stupid: Burnley are sitting high and happy in seventh, whilst the Toffees are stuck in the bottom three, more to their defeat below.

What a man! Super sub Anthony Martial won the early kick-off on Saturday for Manchester United, beating two Spurs defenders to slot the ball home off Romelu Lukaku's headed cross with 81 minutes on the clock, just over ten minutes after coming on. Too easy. With this victory, the hosts have won their last six league games at Old Trafford, conceding zero, keeping them second in the league table. The last time they recorded such a strong league run at home was March 2010 under Sir Alex Ferguson. The weather was just as dire as the entertainment value and quality of the match though. The first half saw the visitors on top, the home side were poor, but took more control after the interval, José Mourinho's substitution(s) proved to be crucial. Harry Kane and Victor Wanyama were ruled out due to injury and certainly missed, both scorers in Tottenham's win over the Red Devils the last time the two sides met in an emotional farewell at White Hart Lane. The result put an end to Mauricio Pochettino's men's unbeaten run on the road this season, recording their second defeat in the league, keeping them in third place, local rivals Chelsea and Arsenal closing the gap to just a point. The London side definitely don't like this ground, having lost 21 of their 26 Premier League trips to Old Trafford. (After this match, Manchester City will surely not be all too worried though, neither side looking half as threatening and lethal as the league leaders.)

What a goal! Both West Ham goals impressed, from nice team play to top quality individual effort! Javier Hernández broke the deadlock with a nice finish and André Ayew doubled the Hammers' lead with a stunner driven from 20 yards out. But a spot kick by Luka Milivojević and late late late late late Wilfried Zaha goal grabbed a point back for Crystal Palace (90'+7!!!), who had also hit the woodwork twice and pulled numerous saves from Joe Hart. It ended a point each for Roy Hodgson and Slaven Bilić, but very different feelings, the fourth point of the season for Palace, denying West Ham a first Premier League away win in six attempts.
Eden Hazard made it three in three for Chelsea, as many goals as in his previous 17 games, to beat Bournemouth 0-1 at the Vitality Stadium. Clinical. Asmir Begović was beaten from a tight angle on the side the Bosnian keeper should have had covered. The Cherries fought hard, but just could not find a breakthrough. Cruel.
And what a run and goal Leicester's opener was against Everton! Jamie Vardy banged the chance in from close range after the Foxes broke and ripped through the Toffees, Demarai Gray with the run past Tom Davies and two more Evertonians, followed by a Riyad Mahrez cross, top top top counter attack. Jonjoe Kenny's deflection added to the visitor's misery, awarded to Gray, who was on fire and involved again with a fine run and shot. The Claude Puel era is up and running, it was certainly a Super Sunday for he Frenchman. Not sure caretaker David Unsworth will get nor want the job at the Merseyside club permanently at this rate, watching his side nowhere near competing, moulding in 18th.

What the hell?! Only Jürgen Klopp knows why Mohamed Salah took the spot kick for Liverpool. James Milner and Roberto Firmino left watching as Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lössl denied the Egyptian from the spot. It just added to the frustrations, the last league win difficult to remember. It was over a month ago to be exact, 2-3 at Leicester, felt like years ago! A slice of luck saw Daniel Sturridge capitalize on Terriers captain Tommy Smith's misplaced header to give the Reds the lead and relieve them of a lot of pressure!!! Firmino doubled the lead with a strong header off a corner. Georginio Wijnaldum made it three with a rifle of a shot, past four defenders, the 150th PL goal under Klopp. What was I ranting about again? The Reds turned on the style at Anfield in the second half, finally!!! Something/someone finally clicked and turned the switch on, and keeping only their fourth clean sheet in ten league games will boost the confidence more, too. The win takes Klopp's men up to sixth, three points behind the top four. It was the first league meeting between the two sides since February 1972 and there was a lot covered in the buildup to the match about the close friendship between the two managers, Klopp and David Wagner. History. The last time the Terriers beat the Reds was 1959 under non-other than Bill Shankly before his LFC era! History-and-a-half.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Man United 2:1 Tottenham - 1:0
Arsenal 1:1 Swansea - 2:1
Crystal Palace 1:2 West Ham - 2:2
Liverpool 1:1 Huddersfield - 3:0
Watford 2:1 Stoke City - 0:1
West Brom 1:3 Man City - 2:3
Bournemouth 1:3 Chelsea - 0:1
Brighton 1:0 Southampton - 1:1
Leicester 1:1 Everton - 2:0
Burnley 0:1 Newcastle - 1:0

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and SFR live match coverage.

Tuesday 24 October 2017

Premier League Picks Of The Week 9

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 9

The ninth week of the Premier League action saw:

35 goals - most by Chelsea = 4
243 shots - most by Arsenal = 30!
92 on target - most by Arsenal = 14!
103 corners - most by West Ham = 10
209 fouls - most by Stoke = 17
31 yellow cards - most by Huddersfield & Newcastle = 4 each
1 red card - Idrissa Gueye for Everton (second yellow)
3 penalties - 3 scored (Glenn Murray for Brighton, Sergio Agüero for Man City, Junior Stanislas for Bournemouth)

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What a game! Chelsea and Watford shared six goals between each other and it could have been more. The Blues were lucky the result swung their way, 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in the end thanks to Michy Batshuayi's double and a César Azpilicueta header. Pedro's opener was a smacker, curled across into the top corner, unstoppable. Both goals by the visitors in reply to that, Abdoulaye Doucouré and Roberto Pereyra either side of the interval, were also top quality. Marco Silva will have felt the score as very harsh on his side, the Hornets showing what they are made of and that they can more than compete against top sides, they could have scored four or five themselves. They will have kicked themselves for all the misses and then giving the game away late on. Antonio Conte's reaction showed how much the win meant to them, especially after losing to Crystal Palace last week and not playing very convincingly again this time round.

What a team! The promoted sides marked their worth and place in the top league this weekend! Huddersfield downed Manchester United to their first defeat of the season thanks to the first-half goals from former City man Aaron Mooy and Lauren Depoitre. Their German boss David Wagner celebrated wilth the fans and correctly called it "nearly perfect" after the match. The Red Devils never looked in or near it despite almost 80% possession and even after Marcus Rashford's goal, serving the Terriers their first win against them in 65 years to end their unbeaten start to the season. Newcastle left it late against Palace, substitute Mikel Merino grabbing the winner in the 86th minute and helping the Magpies to their best Premier League start since 2011-12. Eagle Yohan Cabaye was a very lucky man not to receive a straight red for his scissor tackle! More to Brighton's great win below. Meanwhile, two goals in 133 seconds stunned Stoke City as they lost 1-2 against Bournemouth, sucking them too close to the relegation zone, just goal difference separating them, whilst the Cherries avoided the unwanted record of the worst start to a league campaign. And managerless Leicester impressed winning 1-2 at Swansea. All my predictions went out the window, but it was great to watch. The unpredictable Premier League never fails to surprise and entertain!

What a man! Sergio Agüero was lucky to get the spot kick but definitely deserves his name in Manchester City's history books equalling their all-time goalscoring record with his 177th for the club, levelling up with Eric Brook. The Citizens "only" won 3-0 this weekend, proving Burnley aren't an easy opposition to break. It's only the second time in the league this season they have conceded two or more, Nicolás Otamendi and Leroy Sané adding two more in two second-half minutes (73'/75') sealing City's 11th straight win, equalling another club record. Sean Dyche was right to criticise the soft penalty, I loved his dig at Bernardo Silva for making the most of keeper Nick Pope's approach. But the Clarets' boss also rightly pointed out Pep Guardiola's men are a top-class side. Can anyone stop them?!

What a goal! Brighton's second! Record-signing José Izquierdo's right-footed diagonal smacker from the edge of the box, West Ham keeper Joe Hart full stretch, could only glove it in. This beauty came between Glenn Murray's headed opener and penalty through the middle. The Seagulls rode the waves with great organisation and hit back with some top-class moves, being lethal sealing a fine 0-3 win. Top-quality football, watching them it's hard to believe they were the promoted side and the visitors at London Road, and it's their first top-flight away win since 1983! The Hammers were nowhere near, awful, Slaven Bilić looked baffled and clueless. The ground emptied very quickly. His clock is ticking very loud. Tick. Tock. No matter how loud they turn up the music, the boos and "bye bye Bilić" chants still echo around! Southampton's winner against West Brom was a great individual run and goal by substitute Sofiane Boufal and lit up an otherwise boring game.

What the hell?! I don't think I've ever seen or heard Mister José Mourinho be so honest, to the point and bang on! His side were poor and deserved to lose. The best team won. For all those who already crowned them champions, ha! That is all I will say to that.  There were 12 goals in the two Super Sunday clashes, the two London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham thrashing their Scouser opponents 9-3 on aggregate, Everton 2-5 and 4-1 Liverpool at Goodison Park and Wembley respectively. Can't keep up?! Neither could I! The Gunners banged in 30 shots, 14 on target after Wayne Rooney gave the Toffees the lead which proved to be a very false dawn! Bon anniversaire Monsieur WengerTot ziens Ronald Koeman! Can't say I was too surprised... The Reds were just overrun by Spurs, their lethal attack proving deadly from the start. Click here for my full LFC match report. The defeat dragged Everton down into the relegation zone, dangling in 18th on eight points but just goal difference separating them from safety, whilst Jürgen Klopp's side slumber in ninth on 13 points, trailing the top by 12 points.

My Predictions - Actual Results
West Ham 2:1 Brighton - 0:3
Chelsea 1:2 Watford - 4:2
Huddersfield 0:1 Man United - 2:1
Man City 4:2 Burnley - 3:0
Newcastle 2:1 Crystal Palace - 1:0
Stoke City 2:1 Bournemouth - 1:2
Swansea 2:2 Leicester - 1:2
Southampton 2:1 West Brom - 1:0
Everton 0:1 Arsenal - 2:5
Tottenham 1:1 Liverpool - 4:1 or click here for my LFC match report

Click here for my last Picks Of The Week.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and SFR live match coverages.

Monday 23 October 2017

Spurs Thrash LFC 4-1 At Wembley

Sports - Football - Premier League - THFC 4:1 LFC

Harry Kane scored two and set up one as Tottenham downed Liverpool 4-1 at Wembley in the Super Sunday afternoon kick-off.



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The super striker didn't even take four minutes to rip through the Red back line and round keeper Simon Mignolet to break the deadlock.

Eight minutes later, the 24-year-old set up Son Heung-min to double the score, the Red defence just lagging behind.

Mohamed Salah pulled one back for the visitors just over halfway through the first half, putting away Jordan Henderson's through ball.

But just before the interval Dele Alli's volley from the edge of the area made it 3-1.

Kane sealed the deal just over ten minutes after the break after Mignolet flapped and failed to clear a free-kick, the rebound of Jan Vertonghen's shot falling to the Ballon d'Or nominee to make it 4-1.

Liverpool's defence was just over-stretched. All goals were due to leaks, massive gaps, lack of physical presence, speed and any kind of cover.

Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren were nowhere near good enough, too slow, too sloppy, clueless, Joe Gomez and Alberto Moreno unable to cope.

It said it all when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was brought on for Lovren with just over half an hour gone.

But the visitors were unable to get back into the game, despite Salah's and Philippe Coutinho's best attempts and dominance in possession.

Spurs stopper Hugo Lloris showed the opposition how it's done with some great stops, quick reaction, strong and solid presence. Something the Reds are missing!!!

Their Belgian stopper has made 13 errors leading to goals in the league since making his Liverpool debut in 2013, three more than anyone else.

The London side's boss Mauricio Pochettino was very happy for his fans, in front of Diego Maradona and Kobe Bryant, "Wembley starts to feel home" with a Premier League record crowd of 80,827.

Tottenham are up to third on 20 points, level with United in second, four points ahead of Chelsea in fourth, after their second consecutive win at their new home.

LFC manager Jürgen Klopp took "100% responsibility" pointing out the "bad, bad, bad defence. Their desire was better than ours."

Sad but true. It was no contest. The Reds are left slumbering in ninth on 13 points, trailing the top by 12 points.

Liverpool have conceded 16 goals in the league this season, their worst defensive record after nine top-flight games since 1964-65.

They have struggled most on the road, conceding 15 goals, the most in the league this season.

Next on the fixture list: A little break as the Reds are out of the League Cup, until they host Huddersfield at Anfield on Saturday.

The Tigers are high-flying after beating Manchester United 2-1 in a very convincing, strong, organised and confident display.

Again, something the Reds are missing!!!

Tottenham Goals: Kane 4' & 56', Son Heung-min 12' & Alli 45'+3.

Liverpool Goal: Salah 24'.

Tottenham Team: 1 Lloris, 4 Alderweireld, 6 Sánchez, 5 Vertonghen, 2 Trippier, 23 Eriksen (15 Dier 81'), 29 Winks, 20 Alli, 24 Aurier, 10 Kane (18 Llorente 88'), 7 Son Heung-min (17 Sissoko 69').
Subs not used: 3 Rose, 13 Vorm, 14 Nkoudou, 33 Davies.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet, 12 Gomez, 32 Matip, 6 Lovren (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 31'), 18 Moreno, 7 Milner, 14 Henderson, 23 Can (booked) (16 Grujic 83'), 10 Coutinho, 9 Firmino (15 Sturridge 77'), 11 Salah.
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 17 Klavan, 29 Solanke, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

Match Stats: THFC 4-1 LFC
Possession: 36%-64%
Shots: 14-12
On target: 6-7
Corners: 3-5
Fouls: 2-8
Yellow cards: 0-1
Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Andre Marriner
Man of the match: Harry Kane
Ground: Wembley
Attendance: 80,827

Click here for my previous LFC match report. 

All pictures, quotes, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, MOTD2, Twitter and SFR match coverage.

Thursday 19 October 2017

Liverpool Record-Thrash Maribor 0-7

Sports - Football - Champions League - NKM 0:7 LFC

Liverpool record the biggest away win by an English team in the history of the European Cup after thrashing Slovenian side NK Maribor 0-7, the win taking them to the top of Group E after Sevilla lost 5-1 at Spartak Moscow on the same Tuesday night.



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This was the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides and finally the Reds made the flood of chances and stats count after their frustrating goalless draw against Manchester United on Saturday!

It didn't even take four minutes for Jürgen Klopp's men to find the breakthrough, man of the match Roberto Firmino tapping in from close range after a great breakthrough and pass by Mohamed Salah from the right.

Just under ten minutes later, Philippe Coutinho doubled the lead putting a lovely right-footed shot into the back of the net after a great counter, the home side unable to keep the ball.

Salah made it three sending a perfect left-footer past keeper Samir Handanovic's right seconds after being denied a penalty seeing the ball bounce off a Maribor defender's arm.

The great Egyptian was dancing through the opposition and was great to watch.

Firmino and Salah worked well together to make it four before the break, both thinking they scored, but it was the latter beating his team mate to have the final touch on Alberto Moreno's cross from the left to net the ball.

The referee whistled HT five seconds early, that said it all regarding the game. After the break, the Red dominance continued over the Violets, no matter what keeper Handanovic tried and kept.

Ten minutes after the break, Firmino headed in another LFC free kick seconds after Handanovic had made a great save jumping to his top-right corner to deny Coutinho.

Around an hour gone, both sides started to make their changes, and in the final minutes two of Liverpool's substitutes combined to make it six.

Daniel Sturridge picked out Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the Reds bullied their way all over NKM and the former Arsenal man made no mistake of converting the chance to score his first goal for the Merseyside club.

And that wasn't it. Red youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold added his name to the long score list unable to miss the chance, totally unmarked, right-foot shot, 0-7, thank you very much.

The French commentator called it a massacre, Klopp "nice to write a piece of history", I feel it is just what the Red doctor ordered after all the chances and points missed and dropped over the last month-and-a-bit!

After only one win in the previous eight games, two defeats, five draws, scoring eight and conceding 14 in all competitions, the second consecutive clean sheet will be very much appreciated by and for the much criticised defence too.

And seeing Sevilla thrashed 5-1 at Spartak Moscow makes the Reds' draw in Russia look less disappointing and more credible.

Hopefully Liverpool can take this confidence boost to Wembley where they face Tottenham on Sunday in the Premier League.

Click here for my full ByTheMin live match coverage.

Liverpool Goals: Firmino 4' & 45', Coutinho 13', Salah 19' & 39', Oxlade-Chamberlain 86' & Alexander-Arnold 90'.

NK Maribor Team: 33 Handanovic, 28 Viler, 4 Suler, 26 Rajcevic, 22 Milec (booked 45'), 5 Vrohec (booked 80'), 8 Kabha, 39 Bohar (27 Mesanovic 81'), 7 Ahmedi (6 Pihler 58'), 97 Kramaric (10 Hotic 58', booked 89'), 9 Tavares.
Subs not used: 3 Billong, 12 Vrsic, 29 Palcic, 69 Obradovic.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius, 66 Alexander-Arnold, 32 Matip, 6 Lovren, 18 Moreno, 5 Wijnaldum (29 Solanke 76'), 23 Can, 7 Milner, 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 57'), 9 Firmino (15 Sturridge 68'), 10 Coutinho.
Subs not used: 12 Gomez, 14 Henderson, 17 Klavan, 22 Mignolet.

HT stats: NKM 0-4 LFC
Possession: 35%-65%
Shots: 5-14
On target: 2-9
Corners: 0-3
Fouls: 3-6
Yellow cards: 1-0
Red cards: 0-0

FT stats: NKM 0-7 LFC
Possession: 30%-70%
Shots: 5-26
On target: 2-14
Corners: 0-9
Fouls: 10-11
Yellow cards: 3-0
Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Viktor Kassai
Man of the match: Roberto Firmino
Ground: Ljudski Stadium
Attendance: 12,506

Click here for my last LFC match report.

All pictures, quotes, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report and beIN sports live match coverage.

Tuesday 17 October 2017

Premier League Picks Of The Week 8

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 8

The eighth week of the Premier League action saw:
28 goals - most by Man City = 7!!!
236 shots - most by Burnley & Man City = 20 each
79 on target - most by Man City = 11!!!
92 corners - most by Tottenham = 9
197 fouls - most by West Ham = 14
33 yellow cards - most by Huddersfield = 5
1 red card - Andy Carroll for West Ham (2 yellows)
3 penalties - 3 scored (Troy Deeney for Watford, Wayne Rooney for Everton, Manolo Gabbiadini for Southampton)

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What a game! The much anticipated lunch-time kick-off on Saturday between arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United ended up goalless and not being the game of the century. But the way Jürgen Klopp's side dominated, possession and chance after chance, it was surprising to see United not even trying to compete. In the first half Romelu Lukaku at least pushed and pressed trying to create a threat. But after the break there was no sign of the Belgian, or anyone else from the visitors. It was obvious José Mourinho was happy with just the point and he could thank star keeper David de Gea that it stayed that way. The Reds will be happy they didn't concede, showed much more strength at the back and front, but still missed the breakthrough and will feel more like two points dropped than one gained. With this draw, the German manager has only lost once in eight competitive meetings against his Portuguese counterpart (W3, D4). The two sides have drawn three consecutive league meetings for the first time since 1921. Click here for my HT and FT match notes, and here for my LFC match report. Much in contrast to that, Southampton's Super Sunday 2-2 draw with Newcastle at St Mary's was much more of a thriller, it had everything. Manolo Gabbiadini's double including the leveller from the spot saw Mauricio Pellegrino grab a point against his former Red boss Rafa Benitez and deservedly so. The game had everything, both sides giving it all! That's full on football! That's entertainment! That's what you go to matches for!

What a team! League leaders Manchester City rolled over Stoke City from the start to the finish, just with a mini scare in-between when the visitors got a couple of goals back to make it 3-2 just after the break. Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was just out of this world, setting up three of the goals, taking his PL total to 32 assists, more than any other player since his debut in September 2015. I could reel down the Sky Blues' line-up, they all starred and outplayed their opponents scoring SEVEN! Yes, 7, sieben, sept, siete!!! That's 17 goals in their last 3 home league games! Mark Hughes' face and reactions on the sideline and post-match said it all... Watford frustrated the hell out of Arsenal! Troy Deeney levelled from the spot which some called a controversial penalty. Skipper Per Mertesacker had given the Gunners the lead in the first half, but the home side crumbled a bit after the break. The Hornets could smell the blood, hitting the woodwork late on and just bossing it. And then Tom Cleverley nicked it, 92nd minute, smashing in the rebound after some pinball in the box to make it 2-1 and Vicarage Road erupt. Oh, how they love late goals! Five of their 15 goals have come after the 90th minute. The win takes Watford up to 4th. Never ever write them off! They have been brill and are more than up for it!

What a man! Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham's double earned Swansea City their first home win of the Premier League season, beating Huddersfield 2-0 and easing some of the pressure on manager Paul Clement. The Blues could have done with him, see below... Harry Kane didn't score!!! But Christian Eriksen did, handing Tottenham their first Premier League win at Wembley, sparing Spurs the blushes and seeing off Bournemouth 1-0. It was not a game to write much about, the paper planes were very missed! Craig Shakespeare has been sacked, with Leicester going six league games without a win, can't say I was surprised. Title winner Claudio Ranieri was given the marching order after a similar run. Big difference: The Foxes are third from bottom after rescuing a point at West Brom on Monday night, clueless where, when and how the next win will come from. The game did not have much to be encouraged or entertained about, apart from Nacer Chadli's sublime free-kick that gave the hard-working Baggies the lead. But Riyad Mahrez levelled the score and snatched a point 10 minutes from time. It was obviously not enough to save his boss. Karma? Just a bit. Sorry, but not sorry. Who will dare to take over?

What a goal! CRYSTAL PALACE HAVE SCORED A GOAL! NO, TWO!!! OMG!!! Their first goals of the season. Their first win of the season. Their first points of the season. Against champions Chelsea!!! Just shocking. Roy Hodgson has certainly worked some wonders there! Wilfried Zaha scored the winner after Tiemoue Balayoko had cancelled out Cesar Azpilicueta's own goal, which ended Palace's 731 minute wait for a league goal. Anthony Knockaert's emotional reaction to his first ever Premier League goal said it all, Everton were just watching rather than defending, downed by Brighton and deservedly so. But experienced skipper Bruno was just daft handing the Toffees a penalty with a big fat elbow, Wayne Rooney netting the equaliser from the spot, pulling his side back from the gutter, in the 90th minute! Lucky bugger! Reckless from the Seagull. Mathew Ryan's late double-save for the home side kept the share at a point each, what a blast of a finish it was to a below-par game!

What the hell?! West Ham manager Slaven Bilić was very "disappointed and angry" with Andy Carroll and rightly so after the striker's daft sending off in just the 27th minute, seeing him booked twice within 99 seconds for using his elbow again and again. How stupid can you be?! Burnley got a draw out of the clash thanks to Chris Wood's late header in the 85th minute cancelling out Michail Antonio's opener to make it 1-1 and a point each. The draw keeps the Hammers dangling down in 15th, just two points from safety.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Liverpool 1:2 Man United - 0:0 or click here for my match report and notes
Burnley 2:2 West Ham - 1:1
Crystal Palace 0:5 Chelsea - 2:1
Man City 4:1 Stoke City - 7:2
Swansea 0:0 Huddersfield - 2:0
Tottenham 3:1 Bournemouth - 1:0
Watford 1:2 Arsenal - 2:1
Brighton 1:1 Everton - 1:1
Southampton 2:1 Newcastle - 2:2
Leicester 1:1 West Brom - 1:1

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

All pictures, stats and facts were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter, Sky Sports and SFR match coverages.

Sunday 15 October 2017

MUFC Parked Bus Gets Point At Anfield

Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 0:0 MUFC

Liverpool were once again unable to capitalize on their dominance, handing bitter rivals Manchester United a point at Anfield in the Saturday lunchtime kickoff.



Click here for my live match notes.

The goalless draw was not as boring as last season's, but José Mourinho will be just as satisfied with his bus parked at the back getting him another point, again.

The Reds were on top, from start to finish, chance after chance, the Red Devils just had star keeper David de Gea to thank for keeping a clean sheet.

On the other side, Simon Mignolet did not have much to do, but the couple of times the Belgian stopper was called upon, he kept solid.

Jürgen Klopp's side coped much better at the back in general, covering, marking, challenging, which was missing a lot in previous matches.

Romelu Lukaku, who scored in every league game before this meeting, created most and pulled one save out of Mignolet in the first half for the visitors.

But in the second half, there was no sign of him. The home side took over completely.

Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah worked most and hardest to push and produce something for the Reds, but the final edge, inch, push was missing.

So many misses, close calls, 10-0 shots in the second half, but none on target, just showed once again, stats don't count, goals do!

Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum missed sitters, even Joel Matip came close, keeping de Gea on his toes, literally (making a crucial save with the tip of his boot earlier in the first half).

All those misses and frustrations aside, Liverpool can take some encouragement out of this point though too.

Klopp has just lost once against Mourinho in seven meetings (W3 D3).

The Reds have kept their first clean sheet in the league since the 27th August, when they thrashed Arsenal 4-0.

The fact that Mourinho is happy with the point shows how times and forces have changed.

The draw keeps United unbeaten in second place on 20 points, two points and six goals behind high hitters City, whilst the Merseysiders are down to eighth, but level on 13 points with Burnley, Arsenal and Chelsea above them.

Next weekend LFC will be heading to Wembley to face 3rd placed Tottenham, who scraped and scratched out a 1-0 win against Bournemouth who are 19th.

Fingers crossed, the Reds can jump on Spurs' weaknesses at home and it will finally work and click for them. At some point, eventually, it just has to. It's their best chance to close the gap to the teams above, gain confidence and start a run.

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LFC team: 22 Mignolet; 12 Gomez, 32 Matip, 6 Lovren, 18 Moreno; 5 Wijnaldum, 14 Henderson (c), 23 Can; 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 78'), 9 Firmino (29 Solanke 87'), 10 Coutinho (15 Sturridge 78'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 7 Milner, 17 Klavan, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

MUFC team: 1 De Gea; 25 Valencia (c), 12 Smalling (booked 74'), 4 Jones, 36 Darmian; 21 Herrera, 31 Matic; 18 Young (booked 87') (2 Lindelof 92'), 22 Mkhitaryan (14 Lingard 63'), 11 Martial (19 Rashford 66'); 9 Lukaku. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 8 Mata, 17 Blind, 20 Romero, 38 Tuanzebe.

HT Stats: LFC 0-0 MUFC
Possession: 63.4%-36.6%
Shots: 9-6
On target: 5-1
Corners: 1-3
Offsides: 2-1
Fouls: 2-6
Yellow cards: 0-0
Red cards: 0-0

FT Stats: LFC 0-0 MUFC
Possession: 62.2%-37.8%
Shots: 19-6
On target: 5-1
Corners: 7-3
Offsides: 3-1
Fouls: 7-13
Yellow cards: 0-2
Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Man of the match: David de Gea
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 52,912

Click here for me previous LFC match report.

All images, facts and stats were taken from the Sky Sports and BBC match reports and coverage.

Saturday 14 October 2017

FT Notes: LFC 0-0 MUFC

Sports - Football - Premier League - FT LFC 0:0 MUFC

LFC have made 24 starting XI changes in the opening 7 PL games, more than any other side.

The Reds have conceded 12 goals in the last 7 games, their joint worst.

Klopp just lost once against Mourinho in 7 meetings (W3 D3).

2' Conceded two early corners... Gulp...

5' First free kick goes to LFC, 21 Herrera v 10 Coutinho.

13' Another free kick for LFC, in their own half, Young fouled Moreno.

15' Wijnaldum first shot on target, soft, slow, curl, into de Gea's gloves. 70%-30% possession!

17' Foul by Young, another free kick for the home side, Mourinho fuming to the fourth official. Salah goes down too easily, looking for contact, nothing given.

20' Liverpool on top, pushing, pressing, Salah omnipresent in around the box, but missing that final touch/inch/boom.

22' First free kick for the Red Devils, Martial fouled. A couple of yards outside the left corner of the box. Cleared, LFC counter, offside?!

24' Lukaku cross from the right finds no one, out wide for a throw-in.

26' Young fuming, free kick not given, Liverpool offside again.

27' Emre Can wins a free kick in his own half.

30' Matic shot high, but not far. Closest United have come so far. 5-3 shots, 3-0 on target.

34' Coutinho shot deflects out for a corner. De Gea kicks one chance away with his left boot stretched out, Matip's shot, Salah puts rebound just wide.

36' Ref has a word with Henderson & Lukaku, prior not happy with latter's felling down of his team mate. Tempers rising.

38' Free kick given against Salah, looked like a nice dive to me... Cleared.

40' Young wins a corner on the right. Cleared. Free kick to LFC. Offside? Foul.

41' Salah shot inside the box straight to de Gea.

42' Firmino wins a free kick just inside his own half. Coutinho with some lovely footwork through into the box, shoots to de Gea, who collects comfortably.

43' MIGNOLET SAVE punches away Lukaku's left-footed attempt. Closest United have come.

44' Lovren down, LFC kick ball out... Replays show Lukaku is just bigger, stronger... But did his foot kick/lash out afterwards?!

1 minute added on. HT 0-0, Possession: 63.4%-36.6%, Shots: 9-6, On target: 5-1, Corners: 1-3, Offsides: 2-1, Fouls: 2-6, Yellow cards: 0-0, Red cards: 0-0.

Liverpool on top, chance after chance, but as always, stats don't count, goalless at the break, 0-0.

46' United kick off the second half, conceding a free kick.

47' Liverpool creating again, Can from the left, Firmino in the middle but de Gea collects again. Flag was up anyway for offside.

49' One half of Anfield cheered but the ball came off the outside of the net for a Liverpool corner. Coutinho with the chance.

50' Liverpool free kick on the left, conceded by Young.

53' Coutinho again with a great break and cross, but flag goes up again, way offside.

55' Wijnaldum right-footed shot high. Goal kick.

57' Can misses a sitter! How did he head that wide so close to the goal line?!

60' Strong run by Salah on the right, wins a corner.

61' Coutinho takes the corner, poor, clear. The Brazilian goes down too easily on the edge of the box, nothing given.

63' First change for United: 22 Mkhtaryan off, 14 Lingard on.

65' Another Liverpool corner cleared.

66' Second substitution for the visitors, Rashford replaces Martial.

67' 16-6 shots, 5-1 on target after Salah missed another chance, shooting off target from the edge of the box. Will the stats count for nothing once again come the FT whistle?! The Reds' dominance is just unreal!!! But it's the goal(s) that count(s)!!!

69' Herrera's gone down, Wijnaldum late on him, United free kick in their own half.

71' Coutinho cross from the left, great run by Salah, but can't quite get there to head it in. Inches away. So close. But yet so far.

73' United free kick, Firmino foul on Smalling, wasted wide and away, not much threat there.

74' YELLOW for Smalling, free kick to Liverpool near the halfway line.

76' Another chance wasted for the Reds, 8-0 attempts this half!!!

77' Free kick to United in the centre of the pitch. Sturridge is getting ready to come on.

78' Double LFC change, Salah replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sturridge on for Coutinho. Like-for-like the commentator says, I don't quite agree.

81' Liverpool pushing, subs making first impact. United clear the threat, win a throw-in in the opposition's half.

82' Emre Can wins a free kick against Darmian, replays show a dangerous high boot. Whistle goes a again, another free kick closer to the box...

83' Headed out for a goal kick. Disappointing.

84' Emre Can with an urgent, aggressive run from the left, shot doesn't quite create the threat he was looking for, de Gea collects.

87' YELLOW Young sees yellow for a dangerous challenge. Last change for Liverpool, Firmino is replaced by Solanke.

88' Jones down, United free kick, Liverpool threat stopped, Klopp not happy. De Gea takes it.

89' Mignolet catches, Liverpool with the ball again, get a throw-in.

90' The Ox gets a cross in, blocked out, Gomez takes the throw, ball defended out for a corner.

3 minutes added on, the Ox takes the corner, blocked by Lukaku, another corner comes from it eventually. The Ox again, headed high & away for a goal kick by Lovren. Another chance. Another miss. 2 minutes to go...

92' Last United substitution, Lindelof comes on for Young. Mourinho killing more time.

94' Corner for the Reds. Headed high once again. How many chances! How many misses! The FT whistle blows, 0-0! Possession: 62.2%-37.8%, Shots: 19-6, On target: 5-1, Corners: 7-3, Offsides: 3-1, Fouls: 7-13, Yellow cards: 0-2, Red cards: 0-0.

LFC team: 22 Mignolet; 12 Gomez, 32 Matip, 6 Lovren, 18 Moreno; 5 Wijnaldum, 14 Henderson (c), 23 Can; 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 78'), 9 Firmino (29 Solanke 87'), 10 Coutinho (15 Sturridge 78'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 7 Milner, 17 Klavan, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

MUFC team: 1 De Gea; 25 Valencia (c), 12 Smalling (booked 74'), 4 Jones, 36 Darmian; 21 Herrera, 31 Matic; 18 Young (booked 87') (2 Lindelof 92'), 22 Mkhitaryan (14 Lingard 63'), 11 Martial (19 Rashford 66'); 9 Lukaku. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 8 Mata, 17 Blind, 20 Romero, 38 Tuanzebe.

All facts and stats were taken from the Sky Sports website and match coverage.

HT Notes: LFC 0-0 MUFC

Sports - Football - Premier League - HT LFC 0-0

LFC have made 24 starting XI changes in the opening 7 PL games, more than any other side. 

The Reds have conceded 12 goals in the last 7 games, their joint worst.

Klopp just lost once against Mourinho in 7 meetings (W3 D3).

2' Conceded two early corners... Gulp...

5' First free kick goes to LFC, 21 Herrera v 10 Coutinho.

13' Another free kick for LFC, in their own half, Young fouled Moreno.

15' Wijnaldum first shot on target, soft, slow, curl, into de Gea's gloves. 70%-30% possession!

17' Foul by Young, another free kick for the home side, Mourinho fuming to the fourth official. Salah goes down too easily, looking for contact, nothing given.

20' Liverpool on top, pushing, pressing, Salah omnipresent in & around the box, but missing that final touch/inch/boom.

22' First free kick for the Red Devils, Martial fouled. A couple of yards outside the left corner of the box. Cleared, LFC counter offside?!

24' Lukaku cross from the right finds no one, out wide for a throw-in.

26' Young fuming, free kick not given, Liverpool offside again.

27' Emre Can wins a free kick in his own half.

30' Matic shot high, but not far. Closest United have come so far. 5-3 shots, 3-0 on target.

34' Coutinho shot deflects out for a corner. De Gea kicks one chance away with his left boot stretched out, Matip's shot, Salah puts rebound just wide.

36' Ref has a word with Henderson & Lukaku, prior not happy with latter's felling down of his team mate. Tempers rising.

38' Free kick given against Salah, looked like a nice dive to me... Cleared.

40' Young wins a corner on the right. Cleared. Free kick to LFC. Offside? Foul.

41' Salah shot inside the box straight to de Gea.

42' Firmino wins a free kick just inside his own half. Coutinho with some lovely footwork through into the box, shoots to de Gea, who collects comfortably. 

43' MIGNOLET SAVE punches away Lukaku's left-footed attempt. Closest United have come.

44' Lovren down, LFC kick ball out... Replays show Lukaku is just bigger, stronger... But did his foot kick/lash out afterwards?!

1 minute added on. HT 0-0, Possession: 63.4%-36.6%, Shots: 9-6, On target: 5-1, Corners: 1-3, Offsides: 2-1, Fouls: 2-6, Yellow cards: 0-0, Red cards: 0-0.

LFC team: 22 Mignolet; 12 Gomez, 32 Matip, 6 Lovren, 18 Moreno; 5 Wijnaldum, 14 Henderson (c), 23 Can; 11 Salah, 9 Firmino, 10 Coutinho. 4-3-3
Subs: 1 Karius, 7 Milner, 15 Sturridge, 17 Klavan, 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain, 29 Solanke, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

MUFC team: 1 De Gea; 25 Valencia (c), 12 Smalling, 4 Jones, 36 Darmian; 21 Herrera, 31 Matic; 18 Young, 22 Mkhitaryan, 11 Martial; 9 Lukaku. 4-2-3-1
Subs: 2 Lindelof, 8 Mata, 14 Lingard, 17 Blind, 19 Rashford, 20 Romero, 38 Tuanzebe.

All facts and stats were taken from the Sky Sports website and live match coverage.

Tuesday 3 October 2017

Premier League Picks Of The Week 7

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 7

The 7th week of the Premier League action saw:

22 goals - most by Tottenham & Man United = 4
256 shots - most by Arsenal & Everton = 23
75 on target - most by Arsenal = 11
92 corners - most by Everton = 9
188 fouls - most by West Ham = 15
24 yellow cards - most by West Brom & West Ham = 3 each
0 red cards
1 penalty - 0 scored (Berahino denied by Forster for Stoke)

I'm going sober for October - please click here to help and sponsor me and Macmillan Cancer Support!

What a match! It was a routine win for Arsenal beating Brighton 2-0 on Sunday at the Emirates, a nice 21st anniversary present for their boss Arsène Wenger. The second goal was sweet, Alexis Sánchez's back-heel pass finding Alex Iwobi nicely to make it 2-0 and three points for the Gunners, taking them up to fifth in the table, just three goals behind the champions. The French manager has now won Premier League matches against 45 different clubs - a record! Man City totally outplayed Chelsea, beating the Blues 0-1 at Stamford Bridge, which keeps them in fourth place on goal difference. It was disappointing to watch, no competition at all, the result not quite reflecting the Citizens dominance, staying top of the league on goal difference.

What a team! Crystal Palace lost again, surprise surprise. Just like their local rivals, it was too easy for United as well, winning comfortably 4-0 and it could have been more. The thrash took the Red Devils just one goal behind the top. Watford showed strength and stubbornness once again, grinding out a result, a late late late equaliser, 2-2 at West Brom. In contrast to that, Bournemouth and Leicester shared their miserable form, no goals, a point each. And why Everton don't like Sundays: They lost their last five Premier League matches on this day by an aggregate score of 1-13! Burnley meanwhile remain unbeaten away from home after beating the Toffees convincingly 0-1 at Goodison Park, the win taking them up to sixth on 12 points from seven games with more away points than in the whole of last season. Ronald Koeman's side meanwhile are down in 16th on seven points. Contrast.

What a man! Harry Kane can't stop scoring! The star striker made it 0-3 to Tottenham within 23 minutes at Huddersfield, in style! Floating and bossing it! The 24-year-old Spurs forward has 13 goals in September, equalling the record in a single month by Lionel Messi (March 2012) and Cristiano Ronaldo (October 2010). Romelu Lukaku continued his top run too, adding a late goal to make it 4-0 to United and keeping his scoring streak going. Daniel Sturridge got a rare start for Liverpool and had scored five goals in the four previous league starts at St James Park, seven in total against Newcastle, making them his favourite opponent. But the out-of-form striker did not impress on Sunday, wasting chance after chance. Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring with a smacker from outside the box, the Reds seemingly in total control. Until the defence mucked it all up again, Joel Matip desperately running back after leaving a big gap between him and Dejan Lovren, kicking the ball against Joselu, for it to roll over the line oh so slowly to make it 1-1. So so so agonising for Jürgen Klopp's men once again, here is my full match report. The only positive stat: The Reds haven't lost a Premier League game in October for the last seven years according to Martin Tyler. Yay?

What a goal! Richarlison's last-breath equaliser for Watford, completing the comeback from two goals down to save a point at West Brom, in the 95th minute, was his second consecutive 90+th minute goal. Peter Crouch scored a late winner as well for Stoke City, three goals in seven appearances for the 36-year-old striker, two of those as a sub, prove he has still got it. Diafra Sakho's last-minute winner for West Ham against Swansea relieved the London Stadium and manager Slaven Bilić of all tension and despair. For now. Marcus Rashford's top-quality free kick, made it too easy for Marouane Fellaini to net, putting United on top, temporary at least. Kevin De Bruyne's finish for City against a less-impressive Chelsea, the build-up and conversion, was just top-quality! Boom!

What the hell?! Dele Alli was rightly booked for his diving antiques in Tottenham's comfortable win at Huddersfield. After his England middle-finger ban, you would think he would try to stay out of trouble. Manager Mauricio Pocchetino rightly came out strong saying the 21-year-old has to learn and work on his attitude. Do these players forget they are being watched?!?!?! It made a change to the officials act and react correctly. Bournemouth were denied an obvious handball by Leicester's Danny Simpson! And Lovren had his shirt pulled to bits, again, nothing given. The refs are just blind, ignorant and/or oblivious. When will the FA introduce something called VI-DE-O that will show the officials within seconds whether their decision can stand or not. And how many times do I rant about it!!! FFS!!!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Huddersfield 2:4 Tottenham - 0:4
Bournemouth 1:1 Leicester - 0:0
Man United 3:0 Crystal Palace - 4:0
Stoke City 1:1 Southampton - 2:1
West Brom 1:1 Watford - 2:2
West Ham 2:0 Swansea - 1:0
Chelsea 2:2 Man City - 0:1
Arsenal 2:0 Brighton - 2:0
Everton 2:1 Burnley - 0:1
Newcastle 2:1 Liverpool - 1:1 or click here for my match report

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

Pictures, stats and facts taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter, Sky Sports and SFR match coverage.

Monday 2 October 2017

Déjà Vu Draw For LFC At St James' Park

Sports - Football - Premier League - NUFC 1:1 LFC

Liverpool were held to yet another frustrating draw, 1-1 against Newcastle at St James' Park, dropping two points against former Red boss Rafael Benitez in the Super Sunday clash.



Philippe Coutinho gave the visitors the lead with just under half an hour gone, a smacker from 25 yards out, giving keeper Rob Elliot no chance.

It was the Brazilian's 17th goal from outside the box in the Premier League - three more than any other player since his debut in February 2013, giving LFC a deserved lead as Jürgen Klopp's men were dominating possession, play and chances, as always.

But that didn't last long, just seven minutes later, former Red Jonjo Shelvey's fine cross found Joselu, who was able to break too easily between Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip, the latter desperately running back, kicking the ball against the Magpie and in, rolling over the line oh so slowly to make it 1-1.

The Merseysiders have conceded nine goals in the last four Premier League games, as many as in their previous 12 matches!

It was so so so agonising for the Reds, chance after chance going to waste for themselves and then the lead given away so easily, ringing very familiar bells after the frustrating draw in Moscow.

Daniel Sturridge got a rare start, wasting chance after chance. The striker has only scored 10 Premier League goals in the two years under Klopp.

Mohamed Salah created plenty, wasted chances too though, Georginio Wijnaldum coming close as well and Sadio Mané back after suspension with not much to shout about.

After the break, Liverpool continued dominating, but Newcastle kept them at bay.

Substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had the best chance late on, heading over, whilst Mohamed Diamé came close for the homeside off a corner in the dying seconds.

The Reds have had 126 shots on goal in six games in September, with only 34 on target and just one win in all competitions.

October started just as frustrating, dropping another two points, although Liverpool haven't lost a Premier League game in October for the last seven years.

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The international break will give everyone a breather - remember how rosy everything was before the last internationals after thrashing Arsenal?

Fingers crossed, there will be no injuries and the Reds can reshuffle, reform and rekindle their fire and form.

They better do so, because the next opponents are: Manchester United!

Newcastle goal: Joselu 36'.

Liverpool goal: Coutinho 29'.

Newcastle team: 1 Elliot, 22 Yedlin, 6 Lascelles, 2 Clark, 19 Manquillo, 23 Merino (14 Hayden 74'), 8 Shelvey, 11 Ritchie, 30 Atsu, 17 Pérez (booked 55') (10 Diamé 90'+1'), 21 Joselu (9 Gayle 79').
Subs not used: 26 Darlow, 27 Gámez, 20 Lejeune, 7 Murphy.

LFC team: 22 Mignolet, 12 Gomez (booked 58'), 32 Matip, 6 Lovren, 18 Moreno, 14 Henderson, 5 Wijnaldum, 10 Coutinho, 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 84'), 19 Mané (29 Solanke 74'), 15 Sturridge (9 Firmino 74').
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 7 Milner, 17 Klavan, 23 Can.

Match Stats: NUFC 1-1 LFC
Possession: 32%-68%
Shots: 8-17
On target: 5-2
Corners: 1-5
Fouls: 11-6
Yellow cards: 1-1

Referee: Craig Pawson
Man of the match: Philippe Coutinho
Ground: St James' Park
Attendance: 52,303

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats taken from the BBC match report, Twitter and Sky Sports match coverage.