Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek inspire West Ham to victory over sorry Sheffield United
Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek were on target as West Ham strolled to a 2-0 victory over rock-bottom Sheffield United. The Blades, walloped 8-0 by Newcastle six days earlier, had the air of a team already resigned to relegation just seven matches into the season. Their visit to the London Stadium was a welcome one for West Ham, who had suffered back-to-back defeats by Manchester City and Liverpool. The only surprise was that the Hammers did not score more, although it could have been an entirely different story had the Blades opened the scoring after 10 minutes when Cameron Archer turned Kurt Zouma in the area, only for Nayef Aguerd to slide in and block his shot. That was pretty much their only glimpse of Alphonse Areola’s goal in the first half as West Ham went for the jugular. First Bowen out-muscled James McAtee on the byline and cut the ball back for Soucek, who blazed over the crossbar. Then, from a James Ward-Prowse corner, Bowen had a header saved at point-blank range by Wes Foderingham, with Aguerd’s follow-up headed off the line by Luke Thomas. The goal West Ham had been threatening arrived in the 24th minute when Vladimir Coufal crossed low into the penalty area. Bowen had timed his run into the box to perfection and arrowed a first-time finish past Foderingham for his sixth goal in the Premier League this season, and his first at home. West Ham, sensing they could fill their boots just like Newcastle did against the Blades a week earlier, poured forward with Michail Antonio curling a shot just wide and Soucek narrowly off target with a glancing header. Nine minutes before the interval they doubled their lead after the visitors lost possession as they tried to play out from the back. Emerson Palmieri’s pass along the edge of the box found Antonio, who unselfishly slipped in Soucek to slot the ball home. After the break Archer had a half chance in the area but his shot was deflected over the crossbar. And a miserable afternoon for the Blades got even worse when captain John Egan limped off. They should have been further behind when Bowen rounded Foderingham and pulled the ball back, but Antonio could not find the finish. Aguerd headed wide from another Ward-Prowse corner before Blades striker Oliver McBurnie could have set up a nervous finish for the hosts, only to see his header fly the wrong side of the near post. Read More Tomas Soucek helps West Ham avoid upset at Lincoln West Ham storm past minnows Backa Topola after early scare in Europa League Jarrod Bowen, Carlton Morris and 5 players to target for FPL Gameweek 7 Tottenham vs Liverpool LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Ten Hag loses signature strength as Man United’s revival proves a false dawn
2023-10-01 01:25
Gareth Southgate targeting top of the world as England drive for Euros glory
Gareth Southgate says there can be no let-up for already-qualified England if they are to win next summer’s Euros and become the top-ranked team in the world. The Euro 2020 runners-up last month sealed their place at the 2024 edition in Germany with two matches to spare and were below par in Friday’s qualifier against Malta. England disappointed in the 2-0 victory at a packed Wembley and will look to end 2023 on a high as they round off Euro 2024 qualification in North Macedonia. Southgate’s side arrived in Skopje all but assured of being among the top seeds in December’s draw in Hamburg, but every moment counts as they seek to be best on the planet. “Qualification’s done,” the England boss said ahead of the Group C finale. “With the games at the weekend, we might be ranked third in the world at the minute, but we’re two places off where we need to be so we can’t waste games. “Some of the players have got three games to get into a squad, some have got maybe three to get into a team, maybe a couple more if we’re talking about the team. “There’s some things we’d like to see. But if we’re going to be a top team, then the level of performance has got to be spot on every time.” Asked if being number one drives him on, Southgate said: “Yeah, because ultimately you achieve that through consistency and you’ve got to play well in the tournaments as well because the ranking points are higher in the tournaments. “Also, it sets behaviours every day on the training pitch, off the training pitch. “If you are going to be the top-ranked team, there’s no room for sloppiness or casualness. That’s got to be our drive.” England currently sit fourth in FIFA’s world rankings, making it five straight years of being in the top five. Their previous best since its launch was six months in the top five across 1997 and 1998, yet there remains plenty of criticism for Southgate and speculation about his future. Monday will be England’s final qualifier before the manager’s contract expires next year and he smiled when it was mentioned that former Football Association executive David Dein had said he should get a new deal. Asked if he anticipated this being his final qualifier in the hotseat, Southgate said: “I haven’t thought about it, really. “I’ve thought about the game tomorrow and the need for a better performance than Friday so that’s what I’ve been focusing on. “I feel almost as if we’ve almost talked too much about the Euros already and I didn’t see our focus in the right place at the weekend. “So, it’s tomorrow, then it’s March, then it’s the summer. And we go from there.” Southgate downplayed suggestions of his future being a distraction but suggested his comments about their Euros ambitions may have been. “Well, I think talk of the summer was a distraction on Friday in its own way,” he added. “Look, in football management, frankly I think you should look no further than three or four games ahead anyway. “But I think when you’ve got a tournament coming up, inevitably, as an international manager, you’re going to be judged on tournaments so everybody before that is pretty futile, really.” England’s final camp of the year has been disrupted by absentees. Five players withdrew from the original squad through injury and two more departed the squad before they flew out to the Balkans. The FA announced Kieran Trippier had gone home due to a personal issue, while injury meant Jarrod Bowen left the camp on Sunday. A soldout Tose Proeski Arena awaits England’s absentee-hit 21-man squad as the Macedonians look to make up for June’s 7-0 hiding at Old Trafford. “We play a team who, although they can’t qualify, have tremendous pride and they’ll be wounded by what happened in Manchester,” Southgate added. “We have to be ready for a really good atmosphere. Full crowd, full stadium. “We’ve had a calendar year where we’ve been very good, so we want to finish well.” Read More Rico Lewis hopes his versatility helps him make late push for Euro 2024 squad Declan Rice putting pressure of price tag behind him to pursue biggest prizes Trevor Lawrence leads Jacksonville Jaguars to victory against Tennessee Titans Scotland sign off on successful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with six-goal thriller Ludvig Aberg keen to ‘love golf for long time’ after clinching RSM Classic title Luke Humphries continues stunning rise with Grand Slam of Darts success
2023-11-20 07:18
Holmgren continues return from injury with strong game in Thunder's NBA Summer League opener
Chet Holmgren has taken another positive step on his surgically repaired right foot
2023-07-09 07:29
The money is helping families now – Penny Watson praises new dementia fund
The wife of former England captain Dave Watson has welcomed the creation of a new fund designed to support ex-professionals living with neurodegenerative disease. The Brain Health Fund, which has an initial £1million available immediately to support former players and their loved ones, has been set up by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and the Premier League. It has faced criticism from some quarters, including the family of former Manchester United and England midfielder Nobby Stiles, who had been living with dementia for many years prior to his death in 2020. However, Penny Watson, whose husband Dave won 65 caps for England between 1974 and 1982 and who is now living with dementia, believes the PFA and the Premier League deserve enormous credit. Watson, herself a critic of the PFA under its former chief executive Gordon Taylor, told the PA news agency things had “drastically changed” at the union under his successor Maheta Molango. She added: “I am so thankful to the PFA and the Premier League for finally formalising the fund and the determination and hard work of several people specifically – Adam White, Rachel Walden and Dawn Astle at the PFA and Nick Perchard at the Premier League, they have been working very, very hard to try and negotiate this. “They should be proud that the money now, as we speak, is actually helping families. I do get involved with families, I know the situation a lot of them are in.” Consultants believe Dave Watson is suffering from the progressive brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is associated with repeated head impacts but currently can only be accurately diagnosed post-mortem. The fund will assist in ensuring the quality of life of both the former player and their carer and making sure that it is the best that can be achieved in those last years and months. Penny Watson His wife Penny is in touch with many other families of ex-players going through similar circumstances, and believes the fund will make a major difference to them. “The fund will assist in ensuring the quality of life of both the former player and their carer and making sure that it is the best that can be achieved in those last years and months,” she said. “The application process will be as seamless and easy as possible, with no hoops to jump through or hidden pitfalls. There will be nothing like that. “The money is there, so I hope families will contact the Brain Health Department at the PFA and they will explain how to apply. I just want families not to be focusing on and hearing all the bad things, they need the help now. “(The fund) has been really well thought out, I think that’s one of the reasons it has taken a long time to get to this point.” The ultimate goal for PFA chief executive Molango is that the fund be replaced in the longer term by a charity backed by all the four key stakeholders in English football. Dawn Astle’s involvement has been pivotal to the creation of the fund. Her father Jeff Astle, a former West Brom and England forward, died in 2002 aged 59 with early-onset dementia. A coroner recorded the cause of death as industrial disease, owing to the repeated heading of a ball. The Football Association is involved in funding a number of research projects aimed at understanding why there is a heightened risk of neurodegenerative disease among footballers, something identified by the 2019 FIELD Study. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live David Brooks’ first Wales goal since beating cancer savoured by team-mates Ben White says Scotland will learn from South Africa loss and become better team Tony Harrington named fourth official for Newcastle-Brentford after VAR ‘error’
2023-09-12 19:57
Soaked Cambodian runner gets $10,000 bonus from PM
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2023-05-10 18:15
AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 live results and highlights
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2023-06-26 07:26
Daniel Ricciardo: I thought I’d never race in F1 again
Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he thought he’d never race in F1 again and has to remove “all ego and status” this year in order to secure a return to the grid. After 11-and-a-half consecutive seasons with a seat in F1, the likeable Aussie was dropped by McLaren at the end of the last campaign following a disappointing two-year spell and failed to find another team to take him on as one of their two race drivers. At the age of 33, he was forced to swallow his pride and accept a role as reserve driver at Red Bull, doing “everything the drivers are doing… other than the driving”, in pursuit of one of those 20 golden seats on the grid. And last week his chance came as he was chosen to replace the axed Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, officially on loan from Red Bull to their sister team for the remainder of the season, meaning he will be in the cockpit at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. It is a lifeline back into F1 and even though he ultimately only missed 10 races, the now-34-year-old admits he thought his career was over. “After Abu Dhabi last year, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever race again,” Ricciardo revealed to The Independent in an exclusive interview. “But coming back this year, I removed all ego and status. “I do think this year will be the best thing that’s ever happened to me and it will boost me now for the rest of my career. It honestly came at the right time… everything happens for a reason.” Ricciardo tried to make the most of his enforced time off, escaping the mental and physical rigours of F1 for a life of attending Super Bowls, PGA Tour golf events and Met Galas in New York. He enjoyed those moments, and loved being able to return to Australia for his birthday earlier this month for the first time in 17 years, but the competitive itch soon returned. “I’ve really enjoyed this time off, to have the time for myself,” he said. “Last week I went home to Australia for my birthday, I haven’t done that since I was 17. “It honestly came at the right time. Look, I wish those two years [at McLaren] were better. But it’s given me a mental break because the competition is intense, as much as we love it. It consumes a lot of you so I feel for me to bring my cortisol levels down a little bit, I just feel a lot more balanced this year. “I didn’t want to see a gym for a while. I just wanted to eat and drink with my mates. Out of principle, I wanted to give myself a break. Just to allow myself to put on a few kgs. It felt really good, I trained just once in December and January. “I got to February and remember thinking ‘yeah, I’m done.’ I’d had enough. I didn’t feel like drinking every weekend and partying all the time. I wasn’t going crazy but I thought ‘this life isn’t for me just yet’. “And then I became very self-motivated. I wanted it to come from me, I didn’t want someone telling me to run. I had this urge and desire to be back on the grid – and I’ve never enjoyed training so much. I’ve got more energy to train and the desire has increased, especially not being jet-lagged every fricking week!” After an impressive Silverstone tyre test at the British Grand Prix in F1’s fastest car, Red Bull chiefs Helmut Marko and Christian Horner swiftly made the call to get Ricciardo in the AlphaTauri. And the potential carrot is even greater than a permanent seat at one of the grid’s backmarkers. It’s an open secret that Horner is becoming increasingly frustrated with Sergio Perez, as the Mexican’s increasingly poor performances aren’t giving Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen the support he needs on his unstoppable march to the title. The second driver slot at Red Bull could well open up as soon as the end of this season and, with impressive performances at their sister team, Ricciardo could put himself in position to be sharing a garage with Verstappen. He admits that the ultimate ambition – race wins, maybe even a world championship – is still at the forefront of his mind. “That is the reason I would come back,” added Ricciardo. “I still believe I can do it. I feel like the Red Bull Daniel. He is still here.” Read More Daniel Ricciardo on his F1 comeback, the moment he decided to race again and how he wants his career to end Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat Daniel Ricciardo returns to F1 as he replaces Nyck de Vries
2023-07-18 23:54
Reggie Jackson leads Nuggets past Pistons for 107-103 win after Nikola Jokic ejected
Reggie Jackson scored 21 points and carried Denver in the fourth quarter after two-time MVP Nikola Jokic was ejected in the first half, and the Nuggets handed the Detroit Pistons their 12th straight loss, 107-103
2023-11-21 11:24
Saudi Hoard of US Treasuries at Six-Year Low in Embrace of Risk
Saudi Arabia’s stockpile of US Treasuries fell to the lowest level in more than six years, as the
2023-08-16 15:49
Vu surges to victory at LPGA's The Annika, back to No. 1 in world
Lilia Vu grabbed her fourth LPGA title of the year on Sunday, firing a four-under par 66 to win The Annika by three strokes to return to...
2023-11-13 06:25
Andrés Giménez hits 2-run HR, two doubles as Guardians beat White Sox 4-2
Andrés Giménez hit a two-run homer among his career-high three extra-base hits, Logan Allen earned his first home victory in more than three months, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2
2023-08-05 10:26
Titans' top draft picks Peter Skoronski, Will Levis bring family ties to Music City
Tennessee rookie quarterback Will Levis already is familiar with his new teammate and the Titans' top draft pick Peter Skoronski
2023-05-14 06:19
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