List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

VIDEO: Woman gets destroyed at high school football game.

Christian Eriksen says kneejerk reactions come with the territory of playing for Manchester United as he laughed off the focus on their sluggish start to the season. Having finished third in the Premier League, won the Carabao Cup and reached the FA Cup final last term, there is intrigue and increased expectations around Erik ten Hag’s second season. United were fortunate to kick off their campaign with a 1-0 win against Wolves – a poor performance compounded by last weekend’s alarming drop-off after a fine start in the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham. Saturday was shaping up to be an even more chastening day after Taiwo Awoniyi and Willy Boly put Forest two up within four minutes of kick-off at a stunned Old Trafford. But United roared back through Eriksen, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes to secure a 3-2 comeback victory against 10-man Forest, avoiding an intense week of scrutiny ahead of the trip to Arsenal. Asked how important it was to win given a lot of people have had things to say about United’s start, goalscorer Eriksen said with a smile: “Yeah, this week. Maybe next week they’ll say something else and then the week after they’ll change their mind again. “It’s how football goes and definitely here. “I think everybody knows that if you lose one game everything is changed, everything is the worst thing that can happen. “And if you win, it’s ‘oh, it’s normal’, so, yeah, it’s just how it is at this club and we expect that as players. “Obviously we try to do our best to win every game, none of us like losing and we try to do it in the best possible way.” He doesn’t back down from anything Christian Eriksen on Rasmus Hojlund Eriksen, unsurprisingly given his career and experiences, cares little for the background noise surrounding United, but the expectation at the club can weigh heavily on some. Denmark team-mate Rasmus Hojlund is among those that will be under the spotlight this season having been brought in to solve their number nine issue. Signed for a £64million fee that could rise to £72million, the talented 20-year-old striker has yet to make his debut due to a back complaint but could feature for the first time at Arsenal. “He’s a guy who holds his ground,” Eriksen told club media. “He doesn’t back down from anything. “He’s really a front-foot guy, who is aggressive and really attack-minded. “But, at the same time, a nice guy outside of football. “I will definitely (pass on my experience of English football) but he will definitely see it for himself, that the Premier League is different compared to any other league he’s been at before. “So, he’s going to have to adapt, but I’m sure he will adapt quickly.” Hojlund is highly unlikely to be United’s final arrival before Friday’s transfer deadline, just as Forest are expected to be active before the window closes. There will also be talk about departures, with homegrown Wales international Brennan Johnson subject of interest from Chelsea, Tottenham and Brentford. “Brennan’s, for me, a top young player,” manager Steve Cooper said. “He had some great moments in the first half, showed his real quality on a big stage and there’s naturally going to be talk and interest, speculation, whatever it may be. “My focus is just on him day to day and helping him get ready for the next game, try to get the best out of him in training and the analysis side. “Until I get told something will be different with any of the players, that is what we will do, so it’s not something I’ve really thought about, to be honest.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live We’re ready to go – Jamie Ritchie says Scotland are excited for World Cup Iain Henderson: World Cup selection not a factor in unconvincing Ireland display Daniel Dubois’ camp to lobby for No Contest after Oleksandr Usyk drama

Newcastle host Liverpool in a potentially crucial early-season Premier League fixture. For two sides who will hope to finish the season in the Champions League places, this is an opportunity to lay down a marker. Both have made mixed starts to the new league season, with Newcastle impressive winners against Aston Villa on the opening day but beaten by Manchester City last weekend. Jurgen Klopp’s side, meanwhile, followed a draw with Chelsea with a win over Bournemouth. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the fixture, and you can get all the latest football betting sites offers here. When is Newcastle vs Liverpool? Newcastle vs Liverpool is due to kick off at 4.30pm BST on Sunday 27 August at St James’ Park. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 4pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via Sky Go. Team news Joe Willock, Emil Krafth and Javier Manquillo are unavailable to Eddie Howe, but Joelinton is set to be fit despite appearing to suffer an injury against Manchester City last weekend. Lewis Hall could feature in the squad for the first time since his move from Chelsea was confirmed. Liverpool have received a boost with the rescinding of Alexis Mac Allister’s red card, and the Argentina international could start again in midfield. Jurgen Klopp expects Trent Alexander-Arnold to be fit, but Ibrahima Konate is a doubt with a muscular issue and the Liverpool manager remains without Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcantara. Predicted line-ups Newcastle XI: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Tonali, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Almiron, Barnes; Isak. Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Jota, Diaz. Odds Newcastle win 6/5 Draw 3/1 Liverpool win 21/10 Prediction A tight encounter ends in a draw. Newcastle 1-1 Liverpool. Read More Eddie Howe urges Bruno Guimaraes to learn from social media criticism Jurgen Klopp makes definitive statement on Mohamed Salah transfer saga Meet Manchester City’s new roadrunner who took Kylian Mbappe’s breath away Burnley vs Aston Villa LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Sheffield United vs Manchester City LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta: Conceding early is not playing on our minds

DraftKings is giving new users a guaranteed $200 bonus on any $5 college football parlay bet! Find out how to claim this exclusive offer here.

Erik ten Hag was delighted by his players’ response to their “horror start” as Manchester United overcame a two-goal deficit to beat 10-man Nottingham Forest. After stumbling to victory against Wolves in their Premier League opener and seeing a fine start fade in last weekend’s defeat at Tottenham, things unravelled in the opening four minutes at Old Trafford. Taiwo Awoniyi scored a decent opener on the break just 86 seconds after kick-off and Willy Boly added another in the fourth minute – the earliest United have ever trailed by two in a Premier League game. But they dug deep and pulled one back through Christian Eriksen, with Casemiro equalising after the break and Bruno Fernandes scoring a spot-kick to decide the contest shortly after Forest’s Joe Worrall was dismissed. Ten Hag said with a wink: “We want to give the fans something, eh? Of course it is a horror start, giving them two goals and making mistakes. “But I am very pleased with the comeback, with the leadership, how we stayed calm and composed. “We stick to the plans, stick to the belief and turn it around and I think we played in the meantime very good football out of our plan and out of our principles and rules. We scored good goals.” Asked if he views the comeback win more positively than negatively, the Dutchman said: “I think every team in the start (of the season) have areas where they have to improve. “Definitely we have also some and we have to progress there if you want to be successful. “But also you see this team has big character, big personality, there is a very good spirit in this team, there is energy and they found a way to win so, for today, big compliment for the team.” Fernandes, appointed captain in the summer, was at the heart of United’s comeback. The skipper provided the assist for Casemiro’s leveller, drew the foul that saw Worrall sent off and fired home the match-winning penalty a week on from being criticised for his role in the Spurs loss. “I think in almost all the aspects, moments of football, he played a very good game at the highest level,” Ten Hag said. “Keeping calm, for instance, emotions under control but in the right moment using his emotions. “He was brilliant in attacking, making the difference, so (I’m) very pleased with his performance.” Ten Hag is unsure whether Raphael Varane has suffered a noteworthy injury having come off at half-time due to “complaints” and was coy about Dean Henderson’s future. The PA news agency understand the goalkeeper is travelling to Crystal Palace for a medical despite the terms of the deal yet to be ironed out, with Fenerbahce’s Altay Bayindir lined up as replacement. Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman was in the Old Trafford directors’ box and Henderson waited outside the away dressing room to see former Forest team-mates after Saturday’s match. The goalkeeper spent last season on loan under Steve Cooper, who was left aggrieved by some of the decision-making on Saturday but said he was “biting my tongue”. “I just think in games like these, you need a bit of… I don’t even want to say good luck to go your way, you just want things to be as they should,” the Forest manager said. “I think on the decisions, I am not going to talk too much because I don’t want to get into trouble. “But the only thing I was surprised about is how quickly the decisions were made at that moment in time. “I think you sort of see now on decisions that can define a game, you tend to see referees take a bit more time, particularly at the top, top level. I was just really surprised looking at it, how quick it all happened. “Of course there was a decision to be made, I understand that, and it’s plain to see on the cameras and I’m hearing what everyone is saying. “But I was just surprised how quickly the officials sort of (decided). It was split-second stuff, wasn’t it?” Read More Bruno Fernandes gives Manchester United’s season lift-off with stirring comeback against Forest Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta: Conceding early is not playing on our minds James Maddison says ‘collective’ approach needed to replace Harry Kane’s goals

James Maddison is more than happy to shoulder responsibility at Tottenham but has insisted it will take a “collective” effort to replace Harry Kane. Maddison continues to impress in the Spurs number 10 shirt previously worn by Kane, who completed a £100million move to Bayern Munich on the eve of the new season. Kane’s departure has not derailed the early progress of Ange Postecoglou’s team with Maddison relishing his role as creator in chief with two assists at Brentford earlier this month followed up with a maiden Tottenham goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth. While Richarlison and captain Son Heung-min are yet to open their accounts for the season, Dejan Kulusevski ended his drought with the second at the Vitality Stadium to extend the feelgood factor currently around the club. “It’s tough if you’re asking me to try and get 30 goals,” Maddison joked. “It’s a collective. You can’t even look to replace what Harry Kane gives you. You’ve got to all chip in and look to try and score the same amount of goals from different areas. “Harry is probably the best number nine in the world. You will never find a direct replacement in terms of goals and what he can give you. We should all be chipping in.” Spurs have had five different goalscorers and benefited from an own goal during their three Premier League fixtures and there appears a new lease of life for several members of a squad rundown by the end of a tough 2022-23 campaign. Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr, having rarely featured under Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte, have quickly formed an encouraging midfield partnership with Maddison, and Pedro Porro has made the most of his early opportunities at right-back. When Maddison joined from Leicester in June for an initial £40million fee, he was not viewed as a replacement for Kane but continues to provide creativity and a goal threat. It's tough if you're asking me to try and get 30 goals! It's a collective. James Maddison on replacing Harry Kane The 26-year-old insists the philosophy of ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou has been key to Tottenham’s flying start despite losing the England captain. Maddison told BBC’s Match of the Day: “The type of person I am, I’m at my best when I have responsibility on my shoulders and that’s when I thrive. “I am a player who loves to be on the ball and that fits with how the manager wants his players to play. This was a good day for all that. “We’ve got the bit between our teeth. We have some momentum so long may that continue and hopefully we can still implement the final steps the gaffer wants to see, which is attacking football.” Postecoglou has enjoyed an unbeaten start to life at Tottenham but it is a different story for Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola. Iraola watched his team open the season with a 1-1 home draw against West Ham before defeats have followed against Liverpool and Tottenham. The fixture list does not get any kinder with Brentford, Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal to come in September but Iraola blamed himself for a drop-off during the latter stages of this Spurs loss, with Ryan Christie’s withdrawal on the hour mark viewed in hindsight as a mistake. “We knew from the beginning that we had a very tough schedule to start and now we have some important players out with injuries but we have to keep competing,” Iraola insisted. “I think probably after the game you think and I shouldn’t have taken Ryan out of from the game because especially without the ball, he was pressing really well. “I wanted to go a little bit more offensive, but we were worse from that point. I don’t know if it was after the subs or 2-0 because it was one minute later. “Probably until the 62nd minute we were playing well and – against a very good team – having our chances. “So, I was quite happy with the performance, but from there we couldn’t keep the intensity and they were controlling the game much easier.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Iain Henderson: World Cup selection not a factor in unconvincing Ireland display Daniel Dubois’ camp to lobby for No Contest after Oleksandr Usyk drama On this day in 2016: Hull beat Warrington to win Challenge Cup

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has insisted he cannot yet be talked of in the same breath as celebrated predecessors Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson. Howe has hugely enhanced his reputation since being appointed to the hotseat at St James’ Park by the cub’s new Saudi-backed owners in November 2021 and overseeing a dramatic change in fortunes. Within 18 months, the 45-year-old had guided the Magpies to a first domestic cup final in 24 years and secured a top-four Premier League finish playing a thrilling brand of football, an achievement comparable to those of Keegan and Robson during their respective tenures. As a result, he has won a similar place in the affections of fans, although asked if he recognised the comparison, Howe said: “No. For me personally, I don’t see that. I’ve got so, so much to do to even be talked of in the same breath as those people. “When I watched Sir Bobby’s documentary, which I thought was an amazing thing to watch, it hits you, his career and what he did and how he acted, just everything about his character and the legacy that he’s left here. “It was a really powerful thing to watch, I thought, and I really, really enjoyed it, so no, I’ve got a lot to do. “The drive is to try to do as well as you can. I don’t judge it by what they achieved – they are different times. “They did their best for the football club when they were here and they achieved some unbelievable things, and I will try to do my best for the football club both short-term and long-term while I’m here. That’s all I can do. “The outcome will be the outcome. Obviously I hope it’s positive, I hope people will look back on it fondly. That’s all I wish.” Newcastle face Liverpool on Sunday in a fixture which always rekindles memories of the epic 4-3 defeat at Anfield in April 1996 which dented their title charge under Keegan. His so-called Entertainers set the benchmark for subsequent generations and just as Robson did, Howe is keen to reproduce a style of play which excites supporters. I want my players to be remembered forever, to become legends of the football club. Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe He said: “I said very early in my tenure here that to be compared to The Entertainers is a huge compliment because we want to entertain, not necessarily instead of winning because we are here to win, but to entertain as well. “We are desperate for our supporters to come to the stadium and then leave with that feeling that they cannot wait for next week, with that feeling of, ‘What is the team going to show today?’. “Those kind of emotions are really positive and we want to leave lasting memories. I want my players to be remembered forever, to become legends of the football club. That is something I want for them.”

Juanma Lillo has offered insight into Pep Guardiola’s insatiable appetite to keep improving himself and those around him. Lillo rejoined his fellow Spaniard’s backroom staff at treble winners Manchester City this summer after a year away. This weekend he will be filling in for the inspirational City manager as the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss takes time out to recuperate from back surgery. Guardiola is due to return to Manchester after the September international break and Lillo expects him to be as hungry as ever. “Pep is always very open, moment to moment, and he decides he always wants to improve and implement new things,” said Lillo, who will oversee the team at Sheffield United on Sunday and at home to Fulham next week. “That sense is very sharp. He’s very intelligent. He grasps not only what he’s going to do, but with whom he’s going to do it. “That helps to improve everyone that is around him. We all improve. “We all try and to pitch in for Pep to always be there, but he doesn’t need a lot of input because he’s constantly building and debating and generating ideas.” Lillo, 57, has had a long and varied coaching career with jobs in countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Japan and China as well as at home in Spain. He was actually Guardiola’s manager at Mexican side Dorados de Sinaloa almost two decades ago and knew even then his former charge would make a good coach. “We’ve been working hand in hand for many years,” said Lillo, who first joined Guardiola at City in 2020 before leaving for a job in Qatar two years later. “He was my player back in the day. We have a relationship that goes all the way back and we understand things in the same direction. “When he was a player it was the same. He already had a true vision. It’s very difficult to find someone such as him with such capacity and such willingness. “He was already a bit of a coach when he was a player.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ben Pattison reveals life-saving heart surgery after stunning 800m performance Gregor Townsend expecting wing Darcy Graham to be fit for World Cup opener David Moyes delighted to end Brighton hoodoo as West Ham top table with win

David Moyes was delighted to see West Ham end their Brighton hoodoo with a convincing 3-1 win at the Amex Stadium which took them top of the table. Summer signing James Ward-Prowse scored his first Hammers goal in only his second start to set the visitors on course for a first ever Premier League win over the south coast side. Manager Moyes said: “I’m thrilled with the three points because usually we come here and struggle to get any points. “We haven’t won here for years. It’s been the same coming here and not getting the results. Today was a well-deserved three points. Brighton did a good job, but we also did a good job in other parts of the game. “Brighton have got an extremely good manager and his side are causing problems to plenty of teams, not just us. They are going to be hard for any manager to play against. They are very offensive, which is great, but that also means it can open up and give you chances on the counter. “We worked hard on not getting picked off easily and we defended really well. Our counter-attacks were really good. Two or three years ago we were really good on the counter and we showed that. All the forward players made a really good contribution today.” Moyes led West Ham to their first trophy in more than 40 years by winning last season’s Europa Conference League. On their surprise early-season surge to the Premier League summit, the Scot said: “I didn’t realise we had gone top. It has been a long time since any West Ham manager did that also.” Ward-Prowse got West Ham off to the perfect start when he opened the scoring after 19 minutes, following on from his two assists in last weekend’s debut win over Chelsea. Michail Antonio was too strong for Brighton defender Adam Webster and picked out England international Ward-Prowse to tap in from two yards. Jarrod Bowen added a second 13 minutes into the second half – expertly controlling Said Benrahma’s cross before firing into the bottom corner. Bowen then teed up Antonio to seal the points in the 63rd minute with a drilled shot into the corner. Brighton, who had 79 per cent of the possession, got a goal back with nine minutes to play when German midfielder Pascal Gross chopped back onto his right foot to rifle home through a crowded penalty area. West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola made two crucial saves in the dying stages to keep out Joel Veltman’s volley and Ferguson’s fierce drive. Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi said: “I’m disappointed with the result. It wasn’t the best performance in my time at the club, but we didn’t play badly. “We shot 27 times and created 11 chances to score. In the second half I’m disappointed because we lost the balance of the game. “I’m very proud of the performance, the attitude, the passion and the mentality to play well and get points. I can analyse how we conceded the goals and how we made a lot of mistakes in the last 20 metres and how we conceded so many counter-attacks, but it is not a problem. We will start on Monday working on the last week.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andy Murray confident he has recovered from abdominal injury ahead of US Open Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta: Conceding early is not playing on our minds Duhan van der Merwe helps Scotland overcome half-time deficit to beat Georgia

West Ham moved to the top of the Premier League with an impressive 3-1 win at Brighton. James Ward-Prowse scored his first goal for the club to open the scoring, with Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio wrapping up the points after the break. Pascal Gross grabbed a late consolation for the Seagulls, who slipped to a first defeat of the season.

So the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are taking on the rival Navy Midshipmen at Aviva Stadium in Ireland in Week 0. Why is this allowed to happen? Let me explain...