List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

How Thomas Tuchel could line up his Bayern Munich team now that Harry Kane has joined from Tottenham.

Arsenal began their quest to wrestle the Premier League title away from Manchester City as Bukayo Saka’s fine strike earned them a narrow victory over Nottingham Forest. After a half-hour delay to kick-off at the Emirates Stadium, Eddie Nketiah and Saka struck in the first-half but the hosts could not build on their lead and were pegged back by Taiwo Awoniyi as they hung on to win 2-1. An issue with the turnstiles meant kick-off was put back by 30 minutes but it did not threaten to dampen the expectant atmosphere as Arsenal aim to go one better than their runners-up spot last season. Defeat at Forest in May ended that title challenge but a repeat never looked likely here from the moment Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner – making his debut after joining from Arsenal earlier in the week – saw a clearance charged down by Nketiah as the ball flashed wide. The visitors had already spurned a great opening, Brennan Johnson unable to hit the target after being slipped in behind. A moment of magic from Gabriel Martinelli freed Nketiah inside the Forest box and his low shot found a way past Turner courtesy of a deflection off Joe Worrall as Arsenal hit the front just after the midway point of the first half. Saka then took centre-stage, collecting a pass from William Saliba and curling home a fine effort to double the lead before half-time. It was not all smiles for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, though, as summer signing Jurrien Timber limped off with what appeared to be a knee injury with just 50 minutes gone. The Dutch defender had gone down in pain having committed a foul on the stroke of half-time but emerged for the second-half, only to be forced off soon after. The second half looked like being played out largely with Arsenal controlling possession, Declan Rice forcing a low stop out of Turner with a deflected drive before the £105million man had another shot turned behind. But, from the resulting corner from the second of Rice’s efforts, Forest broke at pace and substitute Anthony Elanga burst down the left before squaring for Awoniyi to finish. Arsenal ultimately held on for the win, Gabriel Magalhaes replacing Martinelli to sure up the defence as Forest threw on the likes of Chris Wood in a late attempt to salvage a point. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Fred called his time at Manchester United “a true dream” as the Brazil international prepares to complete his move to Fenerbahce. The 30-year-old midfielder moved to Old Trafford from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 and has made 213 appearances for the club. Fred is now heading to Turkey to join Fenerbahce, who have agreed a deal worth an initial 10million euros (£8.6m) rising to a possible 15m euros (£12.9m). “Thanks for everything, Manchester United Football Club,” Fred said on social media. “Today ends one of the most beautiful stages of my career. I lived the dream of wearing the shirt of one of the biggest clubs in the world. “Going through ups and downs, I leave with the conviction that I always gave my best during all training sessions and games. “It was five years of a true dream for me and my family. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity. Forever a Red!” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Georgia Stanway stood on her own, isolated in a pocket of space. With her hands in the air, she saw the move before it unfolded. England had been searching for the gaps against Colombia, but going behind only sharpened their focus. After the explosion of Colombia’s goal, England could have lost their heads, but Stanway found hers and then the space. One thumping finish from Alessia Russo later and England were heading towards the semi-finals of the World Cup. Arguably, no one deserves this semi-final more than the Bayern Munich midfielder. Stanway had to be disciplined when Keira Walsh was injured, constrained when Lauren James was given the keys to England’s creative output. With James suspended, Stanway was released. With the bite in midfield to combat Colombia’s physicality, then the cool to pick holes in their defensive shape. Having to play through four games on a yellow card has meanwhile forced Stanway to do it all on a knife-edge, controlling the aggression when one wrong moment would have taken her semi-final away. The Lionesses also had to earn it, in a difficult contest that passed by in waves of England control and frantic Colombia pressure. The atmosphere fed into it: Colombia turned up in their numbers, dominating the 75,000 capacity stadium and its soundtrack; hostile when England had possession, electric when Colombia flew forward, the noise rising further when Linda Caicedo drove them on. England faced the battle they had been expecting. Then Colombia scored and a tournament that has been defined by obstacles was presented with a new one, as England trailed for the first time in the World Cup. But Stanway epitomised how England responded and took to their task. It was a different type of resilience to what England showed at the end, continuing to show, on the ball and off it. She showed her intelligence, baiting Colombia players in and waiting a moment, before releasing it. As a whole, there wasn’t a panic. Lauren Hemp’s equaliser was scrappy, arriving in a mess in the penalty box, but it had been coming. If anything, going behind sharpened England. England’s plan was clear enough: they had their control and build-up, neat passages of play as they found the gaps in Colombia’s shape, threading passes through for Stanway and Ella Toone to turn. England were sharper than against Nigeria, even if the final ball was missing. With James’ two-match ban forcing another rethink for Wiegman, the England manager combined something new with something old. The midfield three returned, with Stanway and Toone deployed as twin-eights in front of England’s back five. But Colombia reached the quarter-finals by ensuring those spells do not last for long. Between England’s passing moves, Colombia rattled them and threatened with their quality, thriving off the match being in a scrappy and disrupted state. The South Americans broke England’s passing up and tore whatever momentum they were building down, a series of fouls to pause England’s flow. Then there were the challenges: Ana Guzman barging into Hemp, then leaving an arm on Rachel Daly, Santos pulling Stanway back by the arm. And in those spells England were sloppy, five-yard passes hit straight out of play, allowing themselves to take the safe or easy option, turning down the chance to turn. When Santos’ cross drifted over the head of Mary Earps, England were faced with the worst. The response was crucial. In the six minutes of added time at the end of the first half, England stuck to how they had set up to play. The way Colombia were positioned allowed England to have those gaps in midfield and there was always a player to find. England had to be patient, to move it quickly enough and have the confidence to do more when they could turn. Hemp everywhere across the frontline, taking pressure off England with bursts downfield, Russo struggling to hold the ball up, but producing the devastating finish when it counted. England dropped deep, perhaps too early, but they did so safe in the knowledge that they had Millie Bright in this form. Bright was faultless as England defended their box, alongside the exceptional Alex Greenwood. This wasn’t perfect but this tournament has been about finding a way through. England are enjoying it, while Stanway just offers them that bit more. Read More England set up old rivalry on new stage thanks to Alessia Russo magic How many games will Lauren James miss at Women’s World Cup after red card? Who and when do England play next? Lionesses’ route to the World Cup final ahead of semi-final

Inter Miami and Lionel Messi's next challenge after defeating Charlotte FC.

Alek Manoah's Blue Jay career has been a short roller coaster ride and after seeing another low point, some wonder if the ride may be close to over.For most, roller coaster rides are an exhilarating experience filled with fun and laughter. But for Toronto Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah'...

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot won the cross country mountain bike world title on Saturday making the Frenchwoman favourite to take gold at the...

NBA star Frank Ntilikina has been ruled out of France's bid to win the World Cup because of a thigh injury, the French...

Arsenal summer signing Jurrien Timber had to be substituted on his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest after sustaining a knee injury.

France coach Herve Renard promised his side would "come back stronger" after their elimination from the Women's World Cup on...

Australia's coach hailed Sam Kerr for giving the team momentum at a crucial time in their Women's World Cup quarter-final win over France on Saturday, with the star Chelsea striker...

Jurgen Klopp accepts change at Liverpool was inevitable as he urged his “reloaded” side to find their own way ahead of the start of their Premier League campaign. Liverpool saw captain Jordan Henderson and fellow midfielder Fabinho leave for the Saudi Pro League for a combined £52million, while Roberto Firmino and James Milner also departed Anfield this summer. Virgil van Dijk will skipper the side this season as Liverpool try to rebound from last season’s fifth-place finish, which left them outside the Champions League places for the first time since 2015-16. The Reds have signed World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai, while Klopp expects a number of youngsters to bloom following the departures of a few big personalities. Klopp said: “We don’t have to always say ‘Milner would have said that and Henderson would have said that and Firmino would have smiled here.’ We should not do it like that. That makes no sense. “We have this kind of new start with this Liverpool FC reloaded, it’s an exciting thing. Everybody was asking for changes, rightly so, because we were together for a long time. “It’s a new chance for everybody, everybody has to step up. We all share responsibility and it’s not that we should give ourselves too much time to grow into it, let’s do it. “Let’s take the responsibility and go from there and don’t try to be like somebody. Be the best version of yourself and then you have a good chance to help the team in the best possible way.” Liverpool have had a British transfer record fee in the region of £110m accepted by Brighton for Moises Caicedo but the Ecuador international’s preference for a move to Chelsea muddies the waters. Chelsea have had a longstanding interest in the 21-year-old midfielder and are reportedly ready to step up with a similar bid, adding an intriguing subplot to Liverpool’s trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The Blues’ 12th-place finish last term – their lowest in almost 30 years – has led to a complete overhaul, with former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino appointed to transform their fortunes. Ahead of both sides’ Premier League opener, Klopp said: “They will want to show up, definitely. Poch is a top manager, so they will show up. We have to be ready. We have to be absolutely ready. “The football they played (in pre-season) you can see it – Poch is there. We played against Mauricio very often when he was at Tottenham, you can see a lot of similarities from that time. “It’s the first really competitive football game for us this season. We don’t want to waste time, we really want to go for it, but we have to see how it goes.” Klopp insisted he has not felt the need to remind his charges of last season’s disappointing outcome and is satisfied by what they have done in pre-season. He added: “The desire, the concentration, the readiness, the openness. I saw a lot of things where my thought was in that moment, ‘OK, they mean business, so let’s give it a go.’ You could see it. “We are not happy. It’s not that I want to remind the boys every day and say ‘by the way, last year was like this and that.’ That makes no sense. We have a lot of targets and we are highly motivated.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Manchester City aiming for quadruple this season, says Rico Lewis Harry Kane hints at future Tottenham return after completing Bayern Munich move Ange Postecoglou backs Richarlison as Tottenham deal with Harry Kane exit