List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Substitute Elijah Adebayo struck a stoppage-time equaliser as Luton fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Chris Wood’s second-half double appeared to have set Forest on their way to a third league win of the season but Chiedozie Ogbene fired Luton a late lifeline and Adebayo rescued them a point in the second minute of added time. New Zealand striker Wood could have easily ended up with a hat-trick as he went close with two other headers while Luton’s Jacob Brown spurned a golden chance to equalise for the visitors when they trailed 1-0. Forest forced the early pressure as Wood’s early volley was held by Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski and Ibrahim Sangare headed narrowly over. Luton responded through Ogbene’s low cross, which narrowly evaded team-mates Carlton Morris and Brown. Morris fired a low shot wide as Luton made their intentions clear by committing men forward on the counter before another first-time effort from Wood deflected off Luton defender Teden Mengi for a corner. Luton’s former Manchester United forward Tahith Chong’s shot from outside the box was comfortably saved by Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner and Wood failed to get his header on target from Serge Aurier’s cross. Forest went close again on the stroke of half-time when Sangare somehow missed the target from Morgan Gibbs-White’s low ball across the six-yard box. But the home side broke the deadlock three minutes into the second period. Anthony Elanga threaded a neat through-ball into Wood’s path and the striker provided an emphatic left-footed finish. Wood should have made it 2-0 moments later when he headed Aurier’s excellent cross inches over before Luton spurned a golden chance to equalise, with Brown heading tamely at Turner from six yards. Wood appeared to have sealed the points for Steve Cooper’s side with a fine header from Elanga’s pin-point, in-swinging cross with 14 minutes remaining. But the Hatters refused to lie down. Their appeals for a penalty as Morris went down inside the box were dashed by VAR before Ogbene lashed home a volley from eight yards, which stood after another VAR check. Still the visitors were not finished. Tom Lockyer launched a long ball into Forest’s penalty area and Adebayo took it superbly on his chest before firing home to haul his side level in the second minute of added time. Read More Erling Haaland back among the goals as Manchester City return to winning ways Thomas Frank celebrates five years at Brentford with victory over 10-man Burnley Sasa Kalajdzic gives Wolves late win on Gary O’Neil’s return to Bournemouth Manchester City back to winning ways as Erling Haaland helps sink Brighton Daniel Kanu scores four in five-star Southend display against Solihull Newcastle romp to victory over Crystal Palace

Erling Haaland got back on the scoresheet as Manchester City returned to winning ways with narrow 2-1 win over Brighton. After suffering successive defeats prior to the recent international break, the champions were in danger of falling to three consecutive Premier League losses for the first time under Pep Guardiola. That did not seem likely once play began at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday as early goals from Julian Alvarez and Haaland – his first City strike in four matches – put them on course for three points. A reply from Brighton substitute Ansu Fati 17 minutes from time made for a nervous finish – and tension increased when Manuel Akanji picked up a second yellow card in stoppage time – but City held on. For most of the game, City had looked more like their assertive selves with Rodri back after his costly recent suspension. The return of John Stones also brought more assurance, even though first-choice goalkeeper Ederson was on the bench after his recent international exertions for Brazil. Brighton have impressed under Roberto De Zerbi – of whom Guardiola continually speaks highly – but, for all their enterprising play, their defence is proving leaky and their openness was quickly exploited. Phil Foden troubled the visitors early on as he seized possession and broke forward to release the lively Jeremy Doku, who cut inside and curled over. The opener was not long in coming and again Doku glided through the defence to reach the byline and pull back for Alvarez. The Argentinian World Cup winner’s strike was not the cleanest but such is his confidence that his first-time shot had too much power as he beat Jason Steele for his seventh goal of the season. City maintained the pressure with another break from deep ending when Josko Gvardiol shot straight at Steele. Kaoru Mitoma had Brighton’s first opportunity but his tame effort was easily dealt with by Stefan Ortega and the Seagulls suffered a blow when Mancunian Danny Welbeck was forced off injured after 15 minutes. Haaland took further advantage of Brighton’s defensive weakness as he ended his recent – by his extraordinary standards – goal ‘drought’ by doubling City’s lead on 19 minutes. The Norwegian was given too much space as he powered towards the box before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner from distance. Alvarez attracted the attention of the VAR after a push on Pascal Gross but nothing was given and Doku threatened again when he beat veteran former City player James Milner but missed the target. Brighton started to show life early in the second half as Gross skewed a shot wide under pressure. Haaland latched onto a Foden pass just after the hour but his strike was beaten away by Steele. Mitoma had another good chance after getting behind the City back line but Ortega rushed out to block on the edge of the area. That was a warning City failed to heed and moments after Alvarez’s attempt to lob a stranded Steele dropped short, they were caught on a rapid counter-attack. Brighton quickly shifted the ball upfield and, although Mitoma’s attempt to pass into the danger area was cut out by Akanji, Fati was on hand to turn in the rebound. Brighton pressed to the end but struggled to create meaningful chances. Akanji’s late dismissal brought more jitters for the home fans, but City completed the job. Read More Luton fight back to stun Nottingham Forest and earn a point Thomas Frank celebrates five years at Brentford with victory over 10-man Burnley Sasa Kalajdzic gives Wolves late win on Gary O’Neil’s return to Bournemouth Manchester City back to winning ways as Erling Haaland helps sink Brighton Daniel Kanu scores four in five-star Southend display against Solihull Newcastle romp to victory over Crystal Palace

From thrilling comebacks to disappointing losses, Week 7 of college football showcased the top quarterback prospects. Find out how they performed in our latest update.

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.

Liverpool take on Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday in a bid to bounce back following two successive matches without a win. Jurgen Klopp’s Reds suffered a last-gasp defeat at Tottenham following a VAR-fueled controversy and also drew 2-2 with Brighton in the last game before the international break. Liverpool have had problems in midfield and at the back this season and have conceded nine goals in the opening eight matches. However, they have had no problems at the other end of the field, having netted 18 times. Everton have been floundering towards the foot of the table so far this season, having only just escaped relegation last time, but have won twice in their last three league fixtures. Follow along for all the updates from Anfield plus get the latest odds and tips for this match right here: Read More Jurgen Klopp knows Liverpool must shoulder the burden of Andy Robertson’s injury How Sean Dyche turned Everton into a better attacking team than Liverpool Liverpool star Mohamed Salah says ‘humanity must prevail’ as he calls for Gaza aid ‘immediately’

Get ready for the Ohio State-Penn State game on Saturday! Find out when it starts and where to watch it.

Ange Postecoglou has hinted opportunities for his fringe players could be on the horizon ahead of a busy week for Tottenham. Spurs return to action after the international break with a Monday night clash at home to Fulham and face a quick turnaround with a trip to Crystal Palace four days later. Yves Bissouma is suspended for the visit of Fulham, which should see Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg earn a first Premier League start this season, and Postecoglou has also urged fit-again Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil and Brennan Johnson to be ready if called upon. “We’ve got a Monday night game and then we back it up with a Friday night game, so we’ll probably need a good deal of the squad to do those two games,” the Spurs boss explained. “As good as we’ve been, there are still a few players like Brennan, (Rodrigo) Bentancur, Gil and Lo Celso who haven’t really played at all for us yet. “Having them back, even in terms of training and raising the level, they are the things that will give us the focus to maintain and keep improving the performances. “When there is competitiveness around the squad in training and playing, that guards against any complacency or anyone feeling comfortable about things.” Bentancur is still “weeks” away from returning to first-team action after his anterior cruciate ligament injury in February, but Lo Celso will aim to make an impact over the next week. Lo Celso was linked with a move away from Tottenham at the start of the summer before Postecoglou made clear his desire to keep the Argentinian, who then sustained a muscle issue in his only start of the campaign at Fulham in the Carabao Cup in August. The midfielder is fit again now and made substitute appearances for Argentina against Paraguay and Peru during the international break. Postecoglou said: “He is obviously very highly regarded within the Argentinian set-up because they always call him up and he played in both games. “He didn’t play significant minutes but he played in both and played 15 to 20 in the second game. It is great for him and his confidence. “Unfortunately he had a disrupted early part of the season but again another player we haven’t had a contribution from and that’s a pleasing thing for us.” Postecoglou will hope to see Gil begin to contribute too following his return to full fitness after surgery on his groin in August. The Australian admitted Gil’s influence is even more critical with Ivan Perisic (ACL) and Manor Solomon (knee) out until 2024. “Bryan can be really important for us,” Postecoglou insisted. “It has been great to have him just working really hard at training. He’s missed all of this season so far and it’s well chronicled that we lost Ivan and Manor, who play in that left-wing position. “Having Bryan fit and available again is great for us. He’s, I guess, in the same boat as everyone else because at some point he’ll be afforded an opportunity and then it’s up to him. “He certainly has all the criteria and credentials to play in that position for us and, like I said, his training is getting stronger now, he’s part of the group and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity.” Read More Richard Wigglesworth insists England are ready for South Africa ‘dark arts’ Ian Foster insists he does not care who New Zealand face in World Cup final Mauricio Pochettino hails Reece James’ leadership and defends captain after ban I don’t remember – Pep Guardiola denies tipping Roberto De Zerbi as successor Luke Shaw not expected to be fit until after November’s international break FIFA hands two-year doping ban to World Cup winner Papu Gomez

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is not expecting Luke Shaw to make a return to action before the next international break. Left-back Shaw has not played since the 2-0 loss at Tottenham on August 19, United’s second fixture of the season, due to a muscle injury – sitting out nine club games as well as four England matches. Ten Hag’s men are set to play seven times between now and England’s next game, against Malta on November 17. United have been blighted by injuries in defence, with right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka another who has been sidelined since sustaining an injury against Brighton on September 18. Ten Hag said: “Of course they are closer. (But) for Luke Shaw, I don’t expect him back in this block of games. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, I don’t think he’s too far away from returning to team training and so back in the team.” United travel to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United on Saturday night without Casemiro, who emerged from Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela last Friday and Uruguay five days later with an injury. “In the first game he came off but then he played the second game, it was an important one,” Ten Hag said of the midfielder, who is suspended for next Tuesday’s Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen. “I’m sure that game didn’t help him, but it’s a small injury, he’ll return (from Brazil) next week, it will be healed and then he’s ready for our next (league) game (against Manchester City), I’m sure.” United do have defensive pair Raphael Varane and Sergio Reguilon available again after injury lay-offs, while Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez are other defenders still sidelined alongside Shaw and Wan-Bissaka. Ten Hag – whose side have lost six times in all competitions this term and are 10th in the Premier League – has stressed of injuries that he will “never use it as an excuse” but believes it has not helped new goalkeeper Andre Onana settle after a number of mistakes since his summer arrival from Inter Milan. “Of course when every time you have a different defending line in front of you it is not helpful… but you have to deal with it,” Ten Hag added. “But it didn’t help for the results and it didn’t help his integration, absolutely.” Ten Hag has said defender Victor Lindelof is “ready” to play against Sheffield United after his distressing experience earlier in the week. Lindelof captained the Sweden side whose Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium in Brussels on Monday was abandoned after two Swedish fans were shot dead and another injured three miles from the stadium. Ten Hag also indicated there has been no change in terms of Jadon Sancho, who has been training away from the first team, with the club having said that is “pending resolution of a squad discipline issue”. England’s 3-1 win over Italy on Tuesday saw Marcus Rashford score a fine goal – having netted only once previously this season – and Harry Maguire play the full duration in defence. Ten Hag said: “I enjoyed the (performances from the) players involved from us – you saw the qualities. The form the last games was maybe not that good, but I’m sure I will back them, I trust them, I believe in them and I’m sure they’ll be back in very good shape.” United head into Saturday’s match amid considerable talk about their ownership situation, with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim last weekend understood to have ended his attempt to buy the club, while INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly looking to purchase a 25 per cent stake that could see him take over football operations. Ten Hag said he had not spoken to co-chairman Joel Glazer. “In this moment I’m not involved so I don’t know. What I know are the agreements I made once I signed this contract,” he said. “Until I hear anything I just keep focusing on my job, in this structure, and that is winning games and get the best out of the season.” Read More Mauricio Pochettino hails Reece James’ leadership and defends captain after ban I don’t remember – Pep Guardiola denies tipping Roberto De Zerbi as successor FIFA hands two-year doping ban to World Cup winner Papu Gomez Rotherham’s game with Ipswich off and Scottish matches postponed due to storm It is bad news – Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi expects Man City to bounce back Kevin Sinfield calls on England to empty tanks against South Africa

Pep Guardiola says he cannot recall telling anybody he believes Roberto De Zerbi will succeed him as Manchester City manager. A story has emerged claiming the Catalan privately tipped the Brighton boss to succeed him after City drew at the Amex Stadium in May. Yet, while Guardiola may have cast doubt over whether that occurred, he has repeatedly been effusive in his praise of the Italian and remains so ahead of Saturday’s meeting between their two clubs. Guardiola, whose future beyond the expiry of his contract in 2025 is unclear, said: “I don’t remember that. “Maybe I have bad memory but I’m sure Roberto can train in any team around the world. I don’t have any doubt. “I don’t remember saying that to the players. I remember saying before he arrived, one or two games in, about sustaining the manager, but I don’t remember saying that honestly. “It’s none of my business. If the chairman asks my opinion I will give my opinion but it’s none of my business. “I’m not the sporting director. It’s not my responsibility to say what’s going right or wrong.” Former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk boss De Zerbi has made a big impression since taking over at Brighton just over a year ago. He guided the club into European competition for the first time with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last season and they have started the current campaign strongly. Guardiola feels this proves a manager need not have had experience at the highest level to land the biggest jobs. He said: “It doesn’t mean you have to be at the top clubs to be manager of the top clubs. I was appointed Barcelona first-team (manager) coming from the fourth division with no experience at the top level. “You have the idea of the club, the sporting director follows the idea, they hire the manager for this idea, they hire players to follow the idea. When that happens it’s going well. “Man City have done this, Liverpool with Jurgen (Klopp) for many years – winning titles with the same process and same ideas.” Guardiola, 52, is widely considered the greatest coach of his generation having last year added a third Champions League title to a glittering CV that also includes five Premier League wins. His players are always in the perfect body-shape position. Pep Guardiola on Roberto De Zerbi Yet even he feels like he can learn from a relative youngster like 44-year-old De Zerbi. He said: “His players are always in the perfect body-shape position to get the ball. “It’s a stupid thing to say but one of the key points. Everyone moves in the right moment, tempo. “Football is not ‘you have to move’, it’s when. It’s body shape in the perfect shape. It’s really good. “Everything he does makes sense and I learn.” Read More Mauricio Pochettino hails Reece James’ leadership and defends captain after ban Luke Shaw not expected to be fit until after November’s international break FIFA hands two-year doping ban to World Cup winner Papu Gomez Rotherham’s game with Ipswich off and Scottish matches postponed due to storm It is bad news – Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi expects Man City to bounce back Kevin Sinfield calls on England to empty tanks against South Africa

Mauricio Pochettino says Reece James’ “leadership” is why he handed him the Chelsea captaincy and defended the full-back after he picked up a suspension during his side’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa last month. James, who did not play the match through injury, was suspended for Chelsea’s win over Burnley for aiming “abusive words” at a match official in the tunnel during the clash at Stamford Bridge and was ordered to pay a £90,000 fine. But Pochettino has seen James’ leadership attributes and believes his actions were a mistake fuelled by frustration after he sustained a hamstring injury in August. “Why did I choose him as captain? Because of his personality, his leadership, the respect he has from the club and his team-mates and he has my full respect also,” Pochettino said. “Chelsea is in his DNA and when you see the squad he is not only for the present, he is for the future and in this moment Chelsea need someone like that. “I think he was upset with the situation. He was so committed with this project from the beginning, he felt really bad because he could not help the team. “He made a mistake but he’s young and he can make mistakes. He was really sorry about that situation and I don’t think it will be repeated. “Even myself at Burnley I got a yellow card at half-time and I’m 51 years old; sometimes a young guy can make a mistake, he was frustrated because he could not help the team.” Pochettino said that James’ fitness “will be assessed” ahead of Saturday’s clash against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, quashing reports the full-back suffered a setback in his recovery. James has only started 22 times in the Premier League since January 2022 after a raft of injury issues. Pochettino added: “He is much better, he’s doing well and he’s progressing. He’s not at his best and is not 100 per cent, but he is in a position to help the team at some point and he is close. “What we are going to do is to avoid that (surgery) and we are building a strategy for him, to put him at his best and keep him at his best. “We are confident (of this). Always confident.” Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first competitive goal for Chelsea during their 2-0 victory over Fulham and he opened his account for Ukraine when he netted against Malta in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Tuesday. Pochettino is happy with the winger’s progress after the 22-year-old struggled to adapt to life in west London following his big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January. He said: “We are so happy with him. He’s changed a lot in the last three months since we first met him and he’s a completely different person and we can see how lovely, sensitive, smart and clever he is. “It is so important to give confidence and when people trust they can be open and express their talent and Misha (Mudryk) is doing really well with his relationships with the team and club.” Read More I don’t remember – Pep Guardiola denies tipping Roberto De Zerbi as successor Luke Shaw not expected to be fit until after November’s international break FIFA hands two-year doping ban to World Cup winner Papu Gomez Rotherham’s game with Ipswich off and Scottish matches postponed due to storm It is bad news – Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi expects Man City to bounce back Kevin Sinfield calls on England to empty tanks against South Africa