List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Jurgen Klopp vowed Liverpool will maintain the pressure in the race for the Champions League after a routine 3-0 win at Leicester. Curtis Jones’ quickfire double and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fabulous goal kept their push for the top four alive while plunging the Foxes closer to the drop. Second-bottom Leicester are two points from Premier League safety with two games left and go to Newcastle next Monday. Victory means Liverpool have booked European football next season and they sit fifth, a point behind Newcastle and Manchester United, who have both played a game less. Klopp said: “Our job is to keep the pressure (on Newcastle and Manchester United), but if not this is already better than we could have expected six or seven weeks ago. “I have no clue what it means to us. Four or five years ago we had Chelsea on our neck and they were winning all the time. I think it was the year we finished fourth and had to go in the qualification. “We had to win the last game and until the last we had to win, win, win, because behind us they were always winning. We have to keep them on their toes and then we will see what happens Jurgen Klopp “We made it anyway and that’s what I expect them to do as well, if I am honest. “But it keeps you on your toes and that’s our job – we have to keep them on their toes and then we will see what happens. “Six or seven weeks ago I didn’t believe it could happen. What we lacked at the time was consistency. “The game never became the game it could have been, a real fight, challenges everywhere, because we controlled it in a really convincing way.” Alisson Becker snuffed out an early chance for Jamie Vardy and Liverpool swiftly took control, with Jones’ double ending the game as a contest before the break. The midfielder opened the scoring after 33 minutes when he arrived unmarked at the far post to steer in Mohamed Salah’s cross. Three minutes later he collected another Salah pass to swivel and blast past Daniel Iversen from just inside the box. Leicester had capitulated and only Iversen’s smart save stopped Cody Gakpo making it 3-0 soon after. Harvey Barnes tested Alisson early in the second half, but there was little fight from the Foxes and Liverpool ultimately eased to victory. Alexander-Arnold rubber stamped the points with a stunning 25-yard strike following Salah’s short free-kick with 19 minutes left. Salah should have made it 4-0 rather than shoot wide after going clean through and Leicester were booed off. They are teetering on the brink of relegation two years to the day since lifting the FA Cup for the first time. Boss Dean Smith said: “We are all supporters in here, we all support clubs, and you want to see your club winning. We got beaten by a team who physically overran us when they got a 2-0 lead. “I wouldn’t question our fight, our attitude, but I understand and we all should hear the supporters. If you are losing 2-0 or 3-0 at home and fighting a relegation battle I understand fans react in certain ways. “Of course I do (believe they can survive). I don’t like playing Monday nights, I don’t think it’s right. We will certainly know what we will have to do at St James’ Park next week. If you are losing 2-0 or 3-0 at home and fighting a relegation battle I understand fans react in certain ways Dean Smith “Goals change games. I could throw their goalkeeper 50 balls and they wouldn’t score from one of his big kicks. “It was a really disappointing goal to give away. For the second, Wilf (Ndidi) has tried to read a pass and they play it to Jones who scores a good goal. “Our minds get a little frazzled then and we needed to get into half-time without any further pain.”

Bob Stoops can flat-out coach, as illustrated by his Arlington Renegades XFL excellence.Just in case you were wondering, Bob Stoops is still out there coaching ball at a high level, man.The legendary former head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners just won the XFL championship as the face of the A...

Referees chief Howard Webb says airing conversations between match officials and VARs concerning key Premier League incidents is likely to become a regular event. Webb talked through some of the two-way audio discussions from this season on Monday evening during a pilot feature alongside Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher. Incidents dissected by the trio included disallowed goals for Chelsea’s Kai Havertz and Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard against Liverpool and Leicester, respectively, plus the overturning of a penalty for an adjudged handball by Gunners defender Jakub Kiwior in last weekend’s 2-0 win at Newcastle. “We’re looking to do this as much as we possibly can and obviously tonight is something new,” said Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited. “We’re making a small step forward. Going forward into next season, we will be looking to do more of the same. “We can’t play it live, that’s not allowed in the laws of the game, FIFA don’t allow us to play this out during the game. Who knows where that might go in the future? “But there’s nothing to stop us doing what we’re doing tonight and showing it later. “I hope tonight has been a good insight as we’ve drawn that curtain back to reveal the way the officials work together as a team and some of the rationale for some of the decisions that have been taken. “We’ve tried to show you a range of situations and going forward we’re looking to do more of the same.” Incidents selected for the programme almost unanimously reflected favourably on the use of VAR. Viewers could hear ongoing dialogue between on-field officials and those at Stockley Park as decisions were debated and reviewed. Other incidents analysed were the overturning of an offside against Joelinton in Newcastle’s 5-1 win at West Ham last month and a penalty given to Brentford in their 2-0 success over Bournemouth in January. The spot-kick – awarded by referee Jarred Gillett for Marcos Senesi’s adjudged tug on Ivan Toney – was the only contentious incident analysed. Webb admitted the decision was incorrect as Bees striker Toney had initially fouled Cherries defender Senesi. He blamed process rather than judgement due to the footage reviewed by VAR not beginning early enough. “In this situation, we see a foul by Ivan Toney on Senesi just before Senesi puts his arm across Ivan Toney,” said Webb. “It was checked by the VAR but actually this was an issue around process really where the sequence the VAR looked at didn’t start early enough, it didn’t quite show how that contact came to happen, it was already happening when he started to look at it. “It’s a matter of process, as opposed to judgement, on this one. This should have been penalised with a free-kick to Bournemouth. “We’ve got to get it right as VAR. We’ve got this tool to see this and it’s clear and therefore we should step in.”

Curtis Jones’ double pushed Leicester to the brink of relegation as Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 win – two years to the day since the Foxes’ FA Cup triumph. The midfielder’s first-half brace and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunner eased the visitors to victory as the hosts capitulated to leave them staring at the drop. That it came on the anniversary of their first ever FA Cup win underlined the 2016 Premier League champions’ fall from grace. Harvey Barnes called it one of the biggest games in the club’s history, but Leicester folded to remain two points from safety with two games left. The Foxes have sleepwalked into this position. Stricter finances dictated last summer’s quiet transfer window, but the club stood still and have paid the price. An air of acceptance had begun to descend on the King Power Stadium and, even before the Reds marched in to claim three easy points, the writing appeared on the wall. For Liverpool, they moved to within a point of Manchester United as their late charge for the top four continued. A seventh straight win – the most painless by far – kept them on United’s coattails, although they will need to maintain their form and hope their rivals slip up. There was never any suggestion of a surprise on Monday, though, as Leicester surrendered. Even prior to kick-off the Foxes had lost Danny Ward, Caglar Soyuncu and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to injury. That forced Dean Smith to give Jonny Evans a first Premier League start since October, showing the desperation in a dire situation. Leicester needed a strong start and were bright enough. James Maddison’s arrowed pass and Youri Tielemans’ dummy sent Barnes away, only for Alisson Becker to smother the danger when Jamie Vardy broke through. Yet their early gusto waned as Liverpool bossed possession before turning on the afterburners as the hosts fell apart. Alisson’s long clearance found Luis Diaz to nod down for Jordan Henderson. He teed up Mohamed Salah to cross for Jones to steal in ahead of the dawdling Boubakary Soumare and find the far corner for a 33rd-minute opener. Just three minutes later the England Under-21 international doubled the lead, following a lengthy VAR check, when he collected Salah’s pass and was given the freedom to turn and rifle past Daniel Iversen. It was the midfielder’s third goals in four games, having ended an 18-month drought against Tottenham last month. It was mayhem and Leicester, with just one win in their previous 13 games, collapsed as Iversen needed to deny Cody Gakpo a quickfire third. Desperate for a response, the Foxes at least came out for the second half swinging and Alisson tipped Barnes’ effort wide. That was as good as it got, though, as Liverpool slipped back into their controlled rhythm, with Iversen beating Salah’s shot away. It was then curtains with 19 minutes left when, after Evans fouled Henderson, Salah tapped a free-kick to Alexander-Arnold to blast into the top corner from 25 yards. Salah shot wide when clean through but, by then, the King Power had begun to empty as quickly as the hope drained from Leicester, who look doomed. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Howard Webb keen to air more conversations between match officials and VARs Justin Thomas seeing ‘light at end of tunnel’ ahead of US PGA title defence London Irish threatened with suspension as RFU imposes takeover deadline

Georgia football landed the commitment of Dylan Raiola with an underlying family connection to Matthew Stafford playing a role.Georgia has their next quarterback of the future with five-star 2023 recruit Dylan Raiola announcing his commitment to the Bulldogs on Monday.And Matthew Stafford ma...

Follow live coverage as Leicester City face Liverpool in the Premier League today. A six-match win streak has lifted the Reds back into contention for a top-four finish despite a largely dismal season, but Jurgen Klopp’s team must continue to win and hope Newcastle or Man United drop more points in their final fixtures. Dean Smith has not yet had the big impact hoped for since he replaced Brendan Rodgers and Leicester are two points from safety with three games to play including this one - though they have a better goal difference than Leeds, Everton and Nottingham Forest, which could yet prove important. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

2024 Five-star quarterback prospect Dylan Raiola committed to Georgia on Monday afternoon.With Dylan Raiola committing to Georgia on Monday afternoon, the Dawgs are shaping up to have an elite recruiting class for 2024.Raiola is the No. 1 player in the country for the 2024 cycle. The Phoenix...

Dylan Raiola was the big great hope for Nebraska but the No. 1 recruit in 2024 is taking his college football career to Athens with the Georgia Bulldogs.Once Dylan Raiola decommitted from Ohio State in December, the No. 1 overall recruit in college football for the 2024 cycle appeared to have th...

Marcel Sabitzer has been ruled out of Manchester United’s final three matches of the Premier League season as well as next month’s FA Cup final because of a knee injury. The 29-year-old Austrian, who joined United on loan from Bayern Munich in January, missed Saturday’s 2-0 win over Wolves and tests have revealed a meniscal problem, bringing his campaign to an early end. “Everyone at the club is disappointed to lose Marcel’s services, as the Reds chase a strong finish to the season in the Premier League and FA Cup, and we are grateful for his contribution to our progress so far,” said a statement on United’s official website. Sabitzer was brought in on deadline day because of injuries to fellow midfielders Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay and impressed with three goals in 18 appearances at the Old Trafford club. He bolstered United’s hopes of a top-four finish and scored from the spot in the FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout win over Brighton that set up a showdown against rivals Manchester City on June 3. Sabitzer came on as a substitute in United’s win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final in February.

Further improvement was the mantra as Celtic dominated the PFA Scotland awards, with success for manager Ange Postecoglou and striker Kyogo Furuhashi. Postecoglou was named manager of the year by his peers on Sunday evening after guiding the Hoops to back-to-back titles, while Furuhashi won the Premiership player of the year title after scoring 30 goals in all competitions, 24 of them in the league to sit at the top of the charts. Postecoglou saw off competition from fellow Premiership boss Stephen Robinson of St Mirren, Dunfermline’s James McPake and Stirling Albion’s Darren Young. The former Australia head coach told Sky Sports News: “On the evidence of our season we have been a better side. “We have been more dominating than we were last year in all competitions and the players have improved in all areas. “That’s always the challenge. Sometimes when you have success, complacency can sort of creep in, but I have never seen that with this group.” Furuhashi backed up that assessment after beating team-mates Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate plus Motherwell striker Kevin van Veen to the main prize of the night. The Japan international said: “I’m really grateful to get this award. It’s thanks to all the support from the people around me “There were a lot of great nominees and great players out there, so I am really pleased to get this award, but I would still like to be a better player so I will work hard.” Celtic winger Jota claimed the goal of the season prize – voted for by the public – for his sublime chip in the 4-0 home victory over Rangers in September. The Hoops also provided the women’s player of the year in Caitlin Hayes, but there was double success for Rangers in the young player categories, with on-loan Bayern Munich midfielder Malik Tillman getting the men’s award ahead of Celtic duo Liel Abada and Matt O’Riley plus Albion Rovers winger Charlie Reilly. Rangers’ Emma Watson was named women’s young player of the year. A special merit award went to former St Mirren, Aberdeen, Scotland and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Read More Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou named manager of the year at PFA Scotland Awards ‘We never stop’: How Ange Postecoglou restored Celtic’s dominance The sporting weekend in pictures

Manchester City are on the brink of securing a third successive Premier League crown. Arsenal’s defeat to Brighton, coupled with Manchester City’s comfortable victory against Everton, leaves Pep Guardiola’s side four points clear with the end of the season drawing near. The London club had led the way for a long time this year as a young side flourished under the management of Mikel Arteta, a former assistant to Guardiola. But three consecutive draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton weakened Arsenal’s hold on top spot, before a heavy 4-1 defeat to their title rivals allowed Manchester City to seize the initiative. The league leaders have played one fewer game than Arsenal, who have only two games left to play and are on 81 points. That means that the highest tally that Arteta’s side can achieve is 87 points. Manchester City currently have 85 points - one more win will be enough to make certain of a fifth title under Guardiola. They next host Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 21 May, which will be their first chance to make sure of another crown. That fixture is their only remaining game on home turf, with trips to Brighton and Brentford closing Manchester City’s season. Of course, they could yet be crowned in absentia - if Arsenal lose to Nottingham Forest on Saturday 20 May, they will not be able to overhaul the table-toppers. Indeed, even a draw at the City Ground would leave Arsenal needing Manchester City to both lose their three remaining games and suffer an improbable goal difference drop to keep faint title hopes alive. Read More Arteta apologises to fans as Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge fades away Man City brush aside Everton to close in on title as Brighton stun Arsenal Man City being driven to title by man of the moment – and it’s not Erling Haaland

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray admitted his side are in “good spirits” ahead of the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final at Luton. The Black Cats take a slender advantage into the game after securing a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light in the first leg on Saturday. Luton had gone ahead in the 11th minute through Elijah Adebayo’s close-range strike, but Amad Diallo curled in a stunning equaliser before Trai Hume headed them in front after the break. “I think the team are in good spirits. I’ve said all season, we believe we can compete against anybody in the league,” Mowbray told a pre-match press conference. “This game is against a team who finished 11 points in front of us, finished third in the league, a fantastic season Luton have had, they’ve been growing their club for the last three or four years. “They’ve got an experienced group of players, very together, and you can feel that. I said at the last press conference, you feel their comradeship. “I think we did amazing to come out on top in the first game and I’m not anticipating too much difference second game. It’s a tighter environment of course, if anything they might double down on what they do and how they play and we have to try and do the same.” Sunderland will be aiming to build on their lead at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night and Mowbray urged his side to “enjoy the challenge” of playing against the Hatters. He added: “Obviously (we’ve) been there this season, it’s a tight ground, tight dressing room, tight tunnel, it feels a tighter pitch than the Stadium of Light. “It’s a totally different challenge for us but one that we should look forward to and go with some confidence and enjoy the challenge of trying to play against a team that are very athletic, very physical. “If they get their game plan right, they could give us lots of problems, of course, but we have to concentrate on what we do well and see if we can give them problems.” There are more injury concerns for an already stretched Sunderland side, with Mowbray admitting he is unsure whether Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts will be involved. Both players were withdrawn in the final 10 minutes of the first leg, but Mowbray confirmed that Aji Alese could be involved following his return to training. “Pritchard and Roberts are touch and go, I’d suggest,” the Sunderland boss said. “They might both make it, they both might not make it, one might make it. I sit here today not really knowing. “Alese trained today, which is good. I discussed with him maybe (being) on the bench. “A 6ft 3ins kid who can run all day up and down, whether we get him on the pitch if they’re chasing a goal or putting it in our box, it will be good to have someone over the height of six foot in there to try and head it out. “We’re not too far away from what we were the other day.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michael Carrick not losing sleep in Middlesbrough’s bid to overcome Coventry Carlos Alcaraz stunned by world number 135 Fabian Marozsan at Italian Open Alex Iwobi targets maximum haul from Everton’s crucial last two games