Friday 22 December 2017

50 Up for City While Reds Ease Past Cherries

Game-week 18 saw the final action before the festive period with the season set to hit the halfway mark this coming weekend.

Crystal Palace exited the danger zone after claiming a 3-0 win over Leicester City. 

The Eagles led 2-0 at the interval after an 18th minute opener from Christian Benteke was followed by Wilfred Zaha's 40th minute effort.  The Foxes' afternoon only got worse as Wilfred Ndidi received his marching orders just after the hour mark on his birthday and Bakary Sako rounded off a comfortable away win in added time.

Arsenal closed up on the top four with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United.

The crucial strike for the Gunners came with 24 minutes on the clock as Mesut Ozil struck to secure the three points. 



Brighton & Hove Albion's winless streak continued as they claimed a 0-0 draw against high-flying Burnley.

The Seagulls remain just three points above the drop zone while the Clarets dropped to sixth.

Chelsea closed the gap to the top two with a narrow 1-0 win over Southampton. 

The Blues handed a consecutive loss to the Saints with a Marcos Alonso strike just before half-time proving to be enough to secure the three points.





West Ham United made it three games unbeaten after a comfortable 3-0 win over struggling Stoke City.

The Hammers opened the scoring in the 18th minute with Mark Noble dispatching a penalty before Marko Arnautovic struck against his former club to double the lead on 75 minutes. A well-earned victory for the visitors was rounded off on 87 minutes by Diafra Sakho's strike.

Watford's losing streak continued as they were humbled 4-1 by Huddersfield Town. 

An opener inside six minutes from Elias Kachunga got the Terriers going before Aaron Mooy doubled the lead on 24 minutes. The Hornets were dealt a further blow with the sending off of Troy Deeney on 33 minutes before Laurent Depoitre made it 3-0 five minutes after the interval. The visitors were reduced to ten men themselves just after the hour with Johnathan Hogg receiving his marching orders, Watford claimed some consolation on the scoreboard with Abdoulaye Doucouré striking on 69 minutes. 


Manchester City breezed past the 50 point mark after a 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

City opened the scoring with 14 minutes on the clock as Ilkay Gundogan struck, the game became a tight one until after the hour mark before City ran riot with a Kevin De Bruyne effort followed by a late brace from Raheem Sterling. Spurs did have the last say though with Christian Eriksen scoring in added time. 

Sunday's action began with Manchester United defeating struggling West Bromwich Albion 2-1. 

The visitors held a 2-0 advantage in the first half after a Romelu Lukaku opener was followed by Jesse Lingard doubling the lead. The Baggies looked to mount a comeback as Gareth Barry cut the deficit on 76 minutes but it proved to be only a consolation as United maintained second spot. 


Liverpool continue their stay in fourth after they eased to a 4-0 win at Bournemouth. 

The Reds struck their opener through Philippe Coutinho with 20 minutes gone before Dejan Lovren doubled the lead six minutes later. Mo Salah extended his reign as the division's top scorer with a strike just before half -time and Roberto Firmino completed the rout in the 66th minute. 

Everton's unbeaten start under Big Sam saw an addition as they secured a 3-1 win over bottom side Swansea City. 

The Swans who have dismissed manager Paul Clement since the defeat took the lead with Leroy Fer striking in the 35th minute. The Toffees looked to have blown a great chance to level with half-time nearing as Wayne Rooney saw his penalty saved but to their joy, Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired in the rebound for 1-1. Gylfi Sigurdsson doubled the lead against his former club before Rooney converted from the penalty spot to wrapup the win. 

Friday 15 December 2017

City Ensure Xmas Top Spot While Toffees and Baggies Hold Reds


A double-header ahead of the festive period saw the traditional December midweek follow the second weekend of the month.



Saturday's early game saw West Ham United claim a shock 1-0 London derby win over Chelsea.

The crucial strike for the Hammers came with just six minutes on the clock as Marko Arnautovic opened his account for the season.

Burnley moved closer to the top four with a 1-0 win over fellow high-fliers Watford.

The Hornets suffered a blow six minutes before half-time as Marvin Zeegelaar was sent off and the winning goal for the Clarets came six minutes later from Scott Arfield. 

 


Crystal Palace and Bournemouth shared the points in a 2-2 draw that could have ended very differently. 

The Cherries went ahead after Jermain Defoe's 11th minute strike before being stung by two goals in three minutes before half-time as Luka Milivojevic slotted in a penalty before Scott Dann put the Eagles ahead. Defoe struck an equaliser in added time for 2-2 but in added time at the end of the second half, Christian Benteke save his last-gasp penalty saved which was bizarre given Milivojevic had been due to take the set-piece. 

A battle between two promoted sides saw Huddersfield Town claim a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. The Terriers secured the three points with a brace from Steve Mounie as he struck in the 12th and 42nd minutes. 


Swansea City remained bottom but cut the gap to safety with a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. 

The winning goal came with eight minutes left as Wilfried Bony struck just the ninth goal of the season for the Swans.

Tottenham Hotspur piled pressure on Stoke City with a crushing 5-1 hammering.  

Spurs were gifted the lead by a Ryan Shawcross own goal with two goals in as many minutes from Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane made it 3-0 before the hour mark. Kane struck his second ahead of an effort from Christian Eriksen but the Potters did get some consolation with Shawcross striking at the right end 11 minutes from the end. 


Newcastle United remained just above the drop zone after losing out 3-2 to Leicester City. 

A great start for the Magpies saw Joselu open the scoring inside four minutes with Riyad Mahrez drawing the Foxes level on 20 minutes. Demarai Gray put the visitors ahead on the hour but the sides were level again 13 minutes later after Dwight Gayle levelled. The winning goal came with five minutes remaining as Ayoze Perez hit into his own net. 

Arsenal dropped out of the top five after salvaging a 1-1 draw at Southampton.The Saints took an very early lead as Charlie Austin struck in the third minute but a strike with 88 minutes on the clock from Olivier Giroud saw the Gunners claim a point. 


The Merseyside derby saw Liverpool and Everton share the points in a 1-1 draw. 

The Reds went ahead with three minutes left of the first half as Mohamed Salah continued his stunning scoring streak but they were to be denied the win as Wayne Rooney claimed his first derby goal with a penalty in the 77th minute. 

Sunday's second derby saw Manchester United lose out 2-1 to fierce rivals Manchester City. The sides both struck just before half-time with David Silva putting City ahead only to see Marcus Rashford draw United level just over a minute later. The win was sealed for City nine minutes after the interval as Nicolas Otamendi extended his scoring run. 



Tuesday's action began with Burnley moving fourth after a 1-0 win over Stoke City.
The Clarets sealed the points with a minute left of the 90 with Ashley Barnes' effort.

Crystal Palace continued their move towards safety with a late show to claim a 2-1 win over Watford. The Hornets raced into the lead with Daryl Janmaat scoring inside three minutes, a lead that looked to be enough to claim the points as the game entered the final stages.

However, the dismissal of Tom Cleverley on 87 minutes for the visitors proved to be pivotal as James McCarthur levelled for the Eagles two minutes later with Bakary Sako sealing the win in added time.


Chelsea bounced back from their shock weekend loss with a 3-1 win over Huddersfield Town. 

Tiemoue Bakayoko put the Blues ahead on 23 minutes before strikes either side of half-time from Willian and Pedro made it 3-0. Town claimed some consolation late on with a strike in added time from Laurent Depoitre.

Everton's turnaround under Big Sam continued with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United. The Toffees claimed the points with a strike in the 27th minute from Wayne Rooney and the night was only to get worse for the Magpies as Jonjo Shelvey was sent off late on.



Leicester City sealed a fourth consecutive win with a 4-1 humbling of Southampton.

Riyad Mahrez put the Foxes ahead in the 11th minute before Shinji Okazaki doubled the lead on 32 minutes. Andy King opened his account for the season for a 3-0 advantage into half-time before Maya Yoshida pulled one back for the Saints on the hour. Okazaki struck his second on 69 minutes to complete the rout. 

Manchester City claimed a record 15th consecutive league win with a 4-0 demolition of Swansea City.

David Silva struck the opener on 27 minutes with Kevin De Bruyne doubling the lead eight minutes later. A second strike from Silva seven minutes into the second half was followed late on by an effort from Sergio Aguero.


Liverpool extended their unbeaten run but lost ground on the top sides as they were held by West Bromwich Albion in a 0-0 draw. 

The goalless draw leaves the Reds in fifth while the Baggies remain just above the drop zone. 

Manchester United bounced back from their derby defeat with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth. 

The crucial strike came in the 24th minute as Romelu Lukaku ended his barren scoring run to seal the three points. 



Tottenham Hotspur regained fourth spot after a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Spurs opened the scoring six minutes before half-time through Serge Aurier before Son Heung-Min wrapped up the points three minutes from the end. 

West Ham United made it two London derbies unbeaten in the same week as they held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw. 

The goalless draw left the Hammers still in the bottom three but also leaves the Gunners in seventh. 



Wednesday 13 December 2017

Champions League Matchday Six

The final round of the Champions League group saw the final spots in the last 16 claimed in matchday six. The results of the games are as follows...



    















The draw for the stage of the last 16 was drawn on Monday with the some cracking ties created -

Juventus v Tottenham
Basel v Manchester City 
Porto v Liverpool 
Sevilla v Manchester United 
Real Madrid v PSG
Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
Chelsea v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Besiktas

Europa League Matchday Six

The Europa League group stage came to its conclusion last week with matchday six as the final spots in the last 32 were claimed. The results from the final round of games are as follows....





The draw for the stage featuring the last 32 sides was made on Monday as is as follows...

Borussia Dortmund v Atalanta, Nice v Lokomotiv Moscow, FC Copenhagen v Atletico Madrid, Spartak Moscow v Athletic Bilbao, AEK Athens v Dynamo Kiev, Celtic v Zenit St Petersburg, Napoli v RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade v CSKA Moscow, Lyon v Villarreal, Real Sociedad v Red Bull Salzburg, Partizan Belgrade v Viktoria Plzen, Steaua Bucharest v Lazio, Ludogorets v AC Milan, Astana v Sporting Lisbon, FK Ostersunds v Arsenal, Marseille v Braga.

Tuesday 5 December 2017

City Remain Clear While Reds Thrash Seagulls

Ahead of the upcoming festive period, the Premier League action reached game-week 15.

Saturday's action began with Chelsea claiming a 3-1 win over Newcastle United.

The Magpies opened the scoring through Dwight Gayle in the 13th minute before Eden Hazard levelled with a 21st minute effort. Alvaro Morata put the Blues ahead 12 minutes ahead of the interval with Hazard wrapping up the points with a 75th minute penalty. 

Liverpool sit fourth after a comfortable 5-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. 

Emre Can fired the Reds ahead on the half hour mark with Roberto Firmino doubling the lead a minute later.  The Reds looked to be out of sight within two minutes of the second half as Firmino struck his second and Liverpool's third. Brighton got off the mark three minutes later with a penalty from Glenn Murray. The points were wrapped up for the visitors with two late goals, Philippe Coutinho scoring ahead of an own goal from Lewis Dunk.


Everton moved into the top half with a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town. 

An even first half between the sides led to a break in the deadlock two minutes after the restart with Gylfi Sigurdsson firing the Toffees ahead. The win was confirmed with 17 minutes left via a strike from Dominic Calvert-Lewin. 

Leicester City sit ninth after securing a narrow 1-0 win at home to Burnley. 

The crucial strike came after just six minutes as Demarai Gray struck. 


Swansea City dropped to the foot of the table after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Stoke City.

The Swans took the lead inside three minutes through Wilfried Bony, Xherdan Shaqiri levelled for the Potters on 37 minutes before the comeback as completed four minutes later by Mame Diouf's effort.

Watford sit eighth after claiming a 1-1 draw against city rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Hornets edged ahead on 13 minutes with an strike from Christian Kabasele before Son Heung-Min drew Spurs level on 24 minutes. Spurs suffered a blow on 52 minutes with the dismissal of Davinson Sanchez but the Hornets were unable to use the numerical advantage to claim all three points.


Crystal Palace moved off the bottom with a 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

The share of the points moved the Eagles to within three points of safety while the Baggies sit just above the danger zone. 

Manchester United maintained their gap in second spot with a 3-1 win over Arsenal.

Antonio Valencia gave the visitors a fourth minute lead before Jesse Lingard doubled the advantage seven minutes later. Arsenal cut the deficit five minutes after the interval with Alexandre Lacazette's effort but a second strike from Lingard after the hour sealed the win. United were to end with ten men though as Paul Pogba was dismissed on 75 minutes.


Super Sunday began with Bournemouth and Southampton drawing 1-1 in the South Coast derby.

Ryan Fraser put the Cherries ahead four minutes before half-time but the points were to be shared as Charlie Austin equalised on 62 minutes. 

Manchester City remain clear at the top after claiming a 2-1 win over West Ham United.

Angelo Ogbonna gave the Hammers the lead with a minute left of the first half but City drew level with Nicolas Otamendi tapping in on 57 minutes. The hosts sealed the win with eight minutes remaining as David Silva struck.

Thursday 30 November 2017

City Remain Clear While Reds Ease Past Potters

The packed festive period is on the horizon as the Premier League action reached gameweek 14 with a midweek programme. 

Tuesday's action opened with a 0-0 stalemate between Brighton & Hove Albion and bottom side Crystal Palace.

Leicester City returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.  

Jamie Vardy fired the Foxes ahead after 13 minutes before a stunning strike from Riyad Mahrez doubled the lead into half-time. Harry Kane cut the deficit on 79 minutes but the Foxes held on for a win that moved them into the top half.


Manchester United remain in second spot after a 4-2 win over Watford at Vicarage Road.

An early brace from Ashley Young was followed eight minutes later by an Anthony Martial effort for 3-0 into the interval. A great fightback from the Hornets saw Troy Deeney slot in a penalty ahead of Abdoulaye Doucouré adding a second for 3-2. United wrapped up the win a minute later as Jesse Lingard claimed their fourth. 

West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United shared the points in a tight 2-2 draw at The Hawthorns.

Hal Robson-Kanu gave the Baggies a 1-0 advantage into the interval before Sam Field opened his account for his boyhood club on 56 minutes. The Magpies replied through Ciaran Clark three minutes later before the hosts gifted their visitors a point with eight minutes left as Jonny Evans deflected into his own net. 
 

Wednesday's action saw Arsenal romp to a 5-0 rout over Huddersfield Town at the Emirates Stadium. 

The Gunners raced out of the blocks with an Alexandre Lacazette strike inside three minutes giving them a 1-0 advantage. Hudds hopes of staging a comeback were heavily dented by three goals in as many minutes for Arsenal with Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil all finding the back of the net. A miserable evening for the Terriers was completed with three minutes to go by Olivier Giroud's second goal. 

Burnley moved up to sixth after claiming a 2-1 win away at Bournemouth. Chris Wood gave the Clarets the lead on 37 minutes before Robbie Brady doubled the lead in the 66th minute. The Cherries mounted a fightback with a goal from Joshua King with 11 minutes remaining but were unable to avoid a defeat.


Chelsea remain in third spot after a narrow 1-0 win over struggling Swansea City. The winning goal came ten minutes into the second half as Antonio Rudiger struck for the Blues.

Under the watch of incoming boss Sam Allardyce, Everton strolled to a 4-0 win over West Ham United at Goodison Park.

Wayne Rooney put the Toffees ahead on 18 minutes slotting in the rebound to his saved penalty before tapping in a second on the half hour. tThe Hammers missed a penalty at 2-0 before Rooney completed his hat-trick in style with an effort from his own half on 66 minutes before Ashley Williams completed the rout in the 77th minute.  


Manchester City left it late to extend their winning run as they secured a 2-1 win over Southampton.

City opened the scoring two minutes after half-time through Kevin De Bruyne with the Saints levelling through Oriol Romeu on 76 minutes. City had the last say though as Raheem Sterling continued his scoring streak with the winner in added time.

Liverpool ended the month on a high with a 3-0 win over Stoke City. The Reds went ahead courtesy of Sadio Mané's 19th minute effort with Mohamed Salah coming off the bench to wrap up the points with a five minute brace in the 77th and 82nd minutes.

Europa League Matchday Five Review

The penultimate round of the Europa League group stage saw a number of sides advance while others saw their exit from the competition confirmed. 


A- Villarreal sealed a spot in the knockout stages with a 3-2 win over FC Astana. The hosts took the lead through Kabananga on 22 minutes but went into half-time level after an equaliser from Rabaseda. A brace from Bakambu gave the La Liga side a 3-2 advantage which was cut late on by Tuimasi's 88th minute effort. 

Slavia Plague remain in the hunt to reach the next stage after a 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv. The Czechs claimed the points with a nine-minute brace either side of the interval from Husbauer. 

B- Partizan Belgrade wrapped up a spot in the next stage with a 2-1 win over Young Boys. An early opener from Kana gave the hosts a 1-0 lead which was cancelled out by an equaliser from Ngamaleu. The win was sealed for Partizan by a 53rd minute effort from Ozegovic.

Dynamo Kyiv also reached the next stage despite falling to a 3-2 loss to Skenderbeu. Kyiv struck an opener on 16 minutes from Tsygankov but an instant reply from Lilaj levelled at 1-1. A four-minute double from the hosts saw Adeniyi and Sowe extend the lead to 3-1 with Kyiv's Rusyn striking late on. 


C- Istanbul Basaksehir remain in the hunt to advance after claiming a 2-1 victory over fellow challengers Ludogorets Razgrad. The Turks struck first with a 20th minute effort from Visca with Frei doubling the lead eight minutes later. The hosts cut the deficit on 65 minutes via Marcelinho but were unable to avoid defeat.

Sporting Braga confirmed a spot in the knockout stages with a 3-1 win over 1899 Hoffenheim. A rapid start from the hosts saw Teixeira strike the opening goal inside the first minute with the advantage lasting until midway through the second half as Uth levelled. Barbosa regained the lead for Braga before a miserable end for the Germans saw Barbosa wrap up the win and Szalai dismissed in added time. 

D- AEK Athens can still reach the next stage despite drawing a fourth game in a row after a 2-2 stalemate with HNK Rijeka. An early brace from Gorgon put the visitors two goals ahead before two goals either side of half-time from Araujo and Christodoulopoulos salvaged a point. 

AC Milan wrapped up top spot in the group with a comfortable 5-1 win over Austria Vienna. The Austrians struck first with a 21st minute effort from Monschein before Rodriguez levelled six minutes later. Valente Silva and Cutrone struck braces either side of the interval to complete the rout. 


E- Atalanta sit atop the group and safely in the next stage after a 5-1 humbling of Everton. Cristante's brace either side of the interval gave the Italians a two goal advantage before Sandro Ramirez cut the deficit for the Toffees. The rout was completed in style as Gosens added a third before a late brace from Cornelius. 

Olympique Lyonnais also eased to victory as they claimed a 4-0 win over Apollon Limassol. The opener for the hosts came from Diakhaby on 22 minutes before Fekir doubled the lead ten minutes later. A Mariano strike after the hour extended the lead with Maolida completing the rout late on. 

F-Lokomotiv Moskva claimed a 2-1 win over FC Kobenhavn with both sides still with a chance of reaching the next stage. The Russians struck an opener on 17 minutes through Farfan but the visitors did well to reply and levelled through Verbic on 31 minutes. The winning goal came just six minutes after half-time as Farfan completed his brace. 

Sheriff Tiraspol top the group after a 1-0 win over Zlin but are yet to seal a spot in the next stage. The crucial goal game after just 11 minutes courtesy of Jairo. 


 

G-Lugano claimed a 1-0 win over fellow eliminated side Hapoel Beer Sheva. The winning goal came five minutes after half-time from Souza Junior.

Viktoria Plzen sealed a place in the next stage after a 2-0 win over fellow qualifiers Steaua Bucharest. Petrzela got the hosts off the mark just four minutes after half-time with Kopic confirming the win in the 76th minute. 

H- FC Koln remain in the battle to qualify after claiming a 1-0 win over group winners Arsenal. The winning goal came in the 62nd minute as Guirassy slotted in a penalty.

Bate Borisov and Red Star Belgrade both remain in the hunt to reach the next stage after sharing the points in a 0-0 draw. 



I- Red Bull Salzburg wrapped up the group with a 3-0 win over Vitoria Guimaraes. The Austrians took the lead on 22 minutes with a goal from Dabbur, Ulmer doubled the lead just before half-time with Kwang rounding off the win in the 67th minute. 

Konyaspor and Marseille are both still in contention to reach the next stage after sharing the points in a 1-1 draw. A close run game burst into action late on as Amavi was dismissed for the visitors with Skubic opening the scoring with the resulting penalty on 82 minutes. The share of the points was ensured in added time after an own goal from Moke.

J- Athletic Bilbao stay in contention to advance after a 3-2 win over Hertha Berlin. The Germans opened the scoring through Leckie on 22 minutes before Aduriz levelled with a penalty which was rapidly joined by a second lead for the Germans as Selke made it 2-1. Aduriz converted a second penalty on 66 minutes to level at 2-2 before Williams sealed the points eight minutes from the end. 

Ostersunds FK sealed a place in the next stage with a 2-0 success over Zorya Luhansk. The hosts were gifted the opening goal five minutes before half-time as Grechyshkin struck an own goal. The win was confirmed with 12 minutes to go by Ghoddos's effort. 
 

K- Lazio wrapped up top spot in the group as they secured a 1-1 draw against Vitesse. The visitors opened the scoring after just 13 minutes through Linssen but an equaliser three minutes before the interval from Luis Alberto meant a share of the spoils.

OGC Nice sealed a place in the next stage with a 3-1 win over Zulte Waregem. Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for the hosts inside five minutes before doubling the lead with a penalty on 31 minutes. Hamalainen pulled a goal back for the Belgians with nine minutes to go but the hosts were to have the last say as Tameze made it 3-1.

L- Real Sociedad secured a spot in the knockout stages with a 1-0 win over Rosenborg. The crucial goal came late on as Oyarzabal struck in added time.

Zenit Saint Petersburg wrapped up top spot in the group with a 2-1 win over Vardar. The Russians went ahead on 16 minutes with Rugani's strike before Poloz doubled the lead two minutes before half-time. The visitors claimed a consolation late on from Blazevski.