List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Manchester City had Rodri sent off as they extended their winning start in the Premier League with an unnecessarily complicated 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. The champions looked to be cruising to victory after early goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put them in complete control at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The mood changed dramatically early in the second half when Rodri was dismissed for violent conduct after raising his hands towards the neck of Morgan Gibbs-White. The game became fractious and City lost some of their discipline before manager Pep Guardiola switched to a defensive shape to secure the three points. It was City’s sixth win in succession at the start of their latest title defence but the price of Rodri’s indiscretion is yet to be seen. The influential Spaniard now faces a three-game ban which will include a trip to Arsenal next month. That City made such hard work of victory was extraordinary given their dominant and untroubled start. Julian Alvarez had already forced a good save from Matt Turner from a free-kick when they pieced together a remarkable 46-pass move that led to the opening goal inside seven minutes. The hosts built patiently before Rodri caught out the Forest defence with a superb crossfield ball to pick out Kyle Walker’s run into the box. The England full-back’s touch was equally brilliant as he laid off to Foden with a cushioned volley. Foden then did the rest with a clinical strike. City doubled their lead seven minutes later, this time after a Matheus Nunes run down the right. The Portuguese reached the byline and then centred perfectly for Haaland, scorer of a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season, to head home from close range. In spite of some rumblings about the high volume of chances the Norwegian had missed in his previous two games, it was his eighth goal in nine appearances. Forest’s first serious attack ended when Taiwo Awoniyi was tripped on the edge of the area by Manuel Akanji. Both the Swiss and Guardiola – for his protestations – were booked but Gibbs-White’s free-kick came to nothing. Alvarez twice went close to adding to City’s lead before the break as he forced another save from Turner before being denied by a good block from Willy Boly. City’s control temporarily evaporated within minutes of the restart when Rodri got involved in a tussle with Gibbs-White by the corner flag. The pair came face to face as the situation escalated and, amid the pushing and shoving, Rodri placed his hands close to Gibbs-White’s neck. The Forest midfielder ended up on the ground and referee Anthony Taylor showed the red card in Rodri’s direction. City were unsettled and moments later Ederson and Awoniyi were booked after clashing in the area. Guardiola settled his side by sacrificing Jeremy Doku and Alvarez for Kalvin Phillips and Nathan Ake. Forest battled on but did not look like scoring until Anthony Elanga and Boly tested Ederson in injury time. Haaland could have added a third for City but volleyed over after a good run by Ake. There were further scuffles in the closing minutes with Jack Grealish – returning from injury as a late substitute – involved but City saw it out. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Luton off the mark after come-from-behind draw against 10-man Wolves Harvey Elliott hails team spirit after Liverpool’s new look midfield impresses Will Jacks and Sam Hain shine as England post 334 against Ireland

Harvey Elliott believes the family feel which surrounds Jurgen Klopp’s squad is making the transition to Liverpool 2.0 as smooth as possible. Summer signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have slotted seamlessly into their roles as first-choice midfielders after an unexpectedly larger-than-expected overhaul of the engine room. It was evident new blood was required after last season’s disappointing performance but while the departures of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were anticipated those of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were not. The arrival of four replacements, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch the two others, could have led to a difficult settling in period but instead the team has displayed remarkable resilience so far this season as they have had to come from behind in four of their six fixtures. Elliott, himself trying to gain a foothold in midfield, believes the way the squad has gelled together has played a big part. “It is a team at the end of the day and the quicker we become a team and have those relationships with one another and become a family then the better and more successful we will be,” he said ahead of Sunday’s visit of West Ham, where Liverpool will look to make it five successive Premier League victories. “We just need to keep being a team, keep mixing among each other, keep learning off each other and have those relationships we want because it helps on the pitch and it works on the pitch. “The quicker and earlier we can do that the best possible outcome we will have. Everyone takes responsibility: if someone is feeling left out you go sit with them or call them over. “It’s part of our policy: no-one eats alone, no-one is alone in the changing room or when we go for walks. We do everything as a team and it reflects on the pitch. We just need to keep being a team, keep mixing among each other, keep learning off each other and have those relationships we want because it helps on the pitch and it works on the pitch Harvey Elliott “This season feels different, the hunger and desire, and we just need to keep putting in these performances and keep coming away with three points.” Incredibly, the 20-year-old was Liverpool’s senior midfielder in terms of club appearances in the Europa League victory over LASK as he lined up alongside Endo and Gravenberch. But he admits he is still learning his trade and knows he can only benefit from the atmosphere which has been generated and playing alongside the likes of World Cup-winner Mac Allister. “It’s a tough one to get my head around still being so young but we all need to play our part,” Elliott said. “We want to step up this season and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do each and every game. I’m trying to put in the performances and put the hard work in for the team and help others around me. “I am just happy to play anywhere and give it my best shot. (Against LASK) I was right mid, left mid and right centre mid as well so I definitely need to work on that versatility in my game. “Each and every game I play I need to accept the challenge and accept where I am going to be playing and just go out and enjoy my football. “Everyone in the team has achieved great things and you want to play a part and to have these world-class players around me and high-profile players that have won loads of trophies and competitions is a dream come true to be learning off them. “I try to allow them to learn off me if there is anything they need to learn but at the end of the day to be playing among them and be around them is unbelievable and I’m so happy to be here and to put on a shirt and go out and play.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Will Jacks and Sam Hain shine as England post 334 against Ireland Josh Adams wants Wales to wrap up quarter-final place with time to spare Sione Tuipulotu has ‘lot of love’ for Tonga but focus is on getting Scotland win

Katie McCabe inspired Republic of Ireland to a comfortable 3-0 win over Northern Ireland in their opening Nations League match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The Arsenal midfielder had a hand in all three goals as the Republic began life under interim manager Eileen Gleeson in style. Kyra Carusa had Ireland’s best chance when her low header from a McCabe corner was well saved by Shannon Turner in the Northern Ireland goal. But the hosts moved ahead on the half-hour when another McCabe set-piece was only partially cleared, falling to Lucy Quinn whose shot was deflected and flashed into the bottom corner. Northern Ireland were fortunate to reach half-time just one behind as Quinn came close again from a similar effort, Carusa was off target with a header, and another Quinn effort was cleared off the line by Sarah McFadden. Republic keeper Courtney Brosnan was called into action early in the second half to deny Marissa Callaghan as Northern Ireland threatened to wrestle their way back into the match. But their good work was undone after 70 minutes when Turner raced out of her goal to try to reach a McCabe through pass, only for a mix-up with defender Rebecca Holloway allowing Carusa to direct the ball into an empty net. The visitors wilted and the Republic wrapped up an impressive win five minutes from time when Lily Agg, recently on as a substitute, rose highest to direct home a McCabe set-piece off the underside of the bar. Read More What is the Women’s Nations League and how does Olympics qualification work? England find another blueprint for success to beat Scotland in inaugural Women’s Nations League clash

Harry Kane bagged a hat-trick as Bayern Munich maintained their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga after hammering Bochum 7-0. The hosts ran riot with the England captain scoring just minutes after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s opener and goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Leroy Sane gave them a 4-0 lead at half-time. Their dominance continued after the break as Kane scored from the spot and assisted Mathys Tel before earning his first hat-trick for Bayern with minutes to go. Kane’s excellent start with Bayern means he has now scored seven goals in five league matches as the defending Bundesliga champions sit top of the table. The hosts threatened early as Manuel Riemann saved from Choupo-Moting in the first minute, but the forward made no mistake the second time after Kingsley Coman squared the ball to him for an easy tap-in just four minutes into the match. Kane doubled their lead in the 13th minute with a neat finish into the bottom corner and soon had a chance to earn his second but blasted the ball over the bar. Sven Ulreich was called into action to make a diving save from Christopher Antwi-Adjei, but Bayern quickly had their third in the 29th minute after Joshua Kimmich’s corner found De Ligt, who thumped a header into the corner. Another great chance saw Kane thread the ball through to Choupo-Moting, who was denied by Riemann, but the England captain then hit a great pass for Sane, who burst down the centre of the pitch to tuck the ball into the far bottom corner seven minutes before half-time. Riemann made two crucial saves late in the first half to deny Kane and Coman in quick succession, but the goals kept flowing for Bayern after the break. Ivan Ordets conceded a penalty after handling the ball in the box and Kane earned his brace in the 54th minute with a low spot-kick beating Riemann. Coman kept the pressure on, going close a few minutes later with a curling effort clipping the post and Frans Kratzig smashed an effort towards goal forcing Riemann to tip the ball over the bar, but Bayern extended their lead in the 81st minute when Kane found Tel who fired the ball into the far corner. The former Tottenham man then earned his hat-trick with two minutes of normal time left, getting on the end of a ball from Sane to slot the ball in at the near post. PA Read More Harry Kane happy with Bayern Munich start in Europe – Thursday’s sporting social Classy Kane and brilliant Bellingham – England duo making waves in Europe Bruno Fernandes tells Andre Onana to stop blaming himself for Man Utd defeat Devastated Andre Onana takes responsibility for Man Utd’s defeat in Munich Football transfer news: Tottenham have first refusal when Harry Kane leaves Bayern How Harry Kane unshackled Bayern Munich with a classic move from his Tottenham days

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.

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.

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.

Deion Sanders has the Colorado Buffaloes off to a hot start at 3-0, but what time and channel are they playing today in their biggest test yet against Oregon?

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Ange Postecoglou has promised Tottenham supporters they will take the game to Arsenal in Sunday’s derby fixture. Spurs have won four of their five Premier League matches under the Australian, but the biggest test of this bold new era in N17 will occur this weekend at a ground where victories have been notoriously hard to achieve. Tottenham’s last league success at the Emirates was in 2010, although the most underwhelming aspect of recent displays at Arsenal has been the lack of attacking imagination with Postecoglou’s predecessors Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho all favouring pragmatism in this match. There appears no chance of the current Spurs head coach employing a defensive approach and the 58-year-old is excited to watch how his young group cope in a fiery atmosphere against one of the division’s best teams. “When I went into Champions League games with Celtic or went into World Cup games with Australia, people said I should have changed my approach and we got some pretty decent lessons along the way, but I just think that’s the only way you can measure yourself,” Postecoglou explained. “How do you know if you want to be that kind of team? That’s the question. If you want to be a team that challenges, you know you have to play that way irrespective of the opponent. “There’s no point not using a game like Sunday as a measure to see where we’re at. “If we shy away from it, don’t play our football, manage to get a draw and survive the experience, what have we really learned? Apart from surviving 90 minutes of football? Nothing. “The players already know that’s what will be my message to them. We’re going to go out and play our football. “If we’re short, we’re short and we need to make it up. If we match them it’s great isn’t it (because) we know we have a long way to go and we’ve already established ourselves and on the biggest occasions we’ve shown we’re prepared to play our football.” Spurs have had a full week to prepare for the trip across north London, while Arsenal warmed up for Sunday with a 4-0 thrashing of PSV on Wednesday night. PSV tried to aggressively press Mikel Arteta’s side and were picked off to devastating effect on the Gunners return to the Champions League. It was put to Postecoglou that Arsenal would prefer an open match, but the Tottenham boss responded: “I’m not really bothered about what Arsenal want as a game. I’m bothered about what we want as a game. “It’s about us challenging ourselves to be the football team we want to be and the kind of progress we want to make is playing the football we’ve started playing. It’s as simple as that. “What the opposition may want or may not want becomes a moot point for us if we don’t play our football. There’s always natural adjustments during a game because of what the opposition do. “But we’ve started playing this way because it’s how I believe we’re going to be successful, not because I’m trying to create something easy on the eye.” We’re going to go out and play our football. If we’re short, we’re short and we need to make it up Ange Postecoglou on facing Arsenal Postecoglou acknowledged the inexperienced nature of his squad for this derby date with Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and James Maddison set to be involved in the fixture for the first time. Even Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr have limited memories of playing for Tottenham against Arsenal but the ex-Celtic head coach says that all contributes towards Sunday being a crucial part of the group’s journey. He added: “This is the experiences I want the guys to have and for us to have as a group to help us grow. It is the only way you grow. “You don’t grow by literally being in the shade. You need to stick your head up and see the sun and allow yourself to grow even if it means at times that experience isn’t a great one because you can grow from that. “It is a challenge for all of the group and us, but irrespective it won’t stop our real intent to become this kind of football team whatever the outcome.”

Mikel Arteta relishes “special” north London derbies against Tottenham and has called for Arsenal to take advantage of the Emirates’ electric atmosphere on Sunday. Both Arsenal and Tottenham are unbeaten in the Premier League ahead of their derby-day clash. And Arteta talked up the fixture’s history and its importance to the club and supporters as Arsenal search for a third straight victory over their neighbours. “It’s a special rivalry. It’s a rivalry in the city and I really like the derby, there’s something between the two communities and it’s really intense,” Arteta said. “It builds something even bigger with your supporters. I think it’s a game always in fixtures where you look straight away to see when you play that game because it’s special and there’s something emotionally attached to it so it will be a big lift if we manage to win it. “No (better feeling than beating Tottenham) because you know what the game means to people and having the possibility in your job to make someone happy is a huge fulfilment and a responsibility we feel. “You walk down the street and there’s a feeling (among fans) because of the history, the rivalry and that’s the beautiful thing when it’s taken in the right way during sport and we are so privileged to be involved in this sort of game. “The atmosphere will be different. It will be more electric, there will be more energy in the ground and the pitch so we have to deal with that in the right way and take advantage of that.” Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Spurs find themselves in second having scored 13 goals in five matches. And Gunners boss Arteta highlighted their rivals’ dominant form and expects them to pose a new challenge to his side. “For sure they’ve had a really good start and they are in a good moment and we are too so it’s a big game and we’re going to have to battle the right way to win it,” he added. “They dominate the games, they win the games, they score a lot of goals and they’re an attacking flowing team and they go for it so they’ll bring a different approach to the game than what we’ve played in the league so far. “They have a new challenge, a new opportunity, they have a new manager who is doing really well and he’s managed to change the vibe around the club and with a different style too. They dominate the games, they win the games, they score a lot of goals and they're an attacking flowing team Arteta on Spurs “So we need to be ourselves and produce the performance to beat them.” Arsenal retuned to the Champions League after six years with a midweek 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in Group B. Arteta said: “For sure (the win) has to drive the energy and the belief and we have to keep doing what we’re doing and understand that Sunday will be a different game that will need that same performance or even better to beat them (Tottenham) and we need to keep going.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wales’ destiny in their own hands – 5 talking points ahead of Australia showdown Sarina Wiegman happy with ‘three very important points’ against Scotland Matt Peet savours ‘fantastic honour’ as Wigan win League Leaders Shield

Which college football powers in the Top 25 are making the most of each offensive and defensive drive?