Mauricio Pochettino confident of rapid Chelsea improvement after West Ham defeat
Mauricio Pochettino is confident Chelsea will improve quickly despite an alarming 3-1 defeat at 10-man West Ham. The Blues were the better side but James Ward-Prowse, making his Hammers debut, created goals for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio, either side of Carney Chukwuemeka’s equaliser. Enzo Fernandez had a penalty saved by Alphonse Areola and West Ham had to play the final 25 minutes a player down after Aguerd saw red. Yet not only did David Moyes’ side cling on for a first win of the season, they wrapped it up in stoppage time. While Chelsea’s £105million player missed a spot-kick, their £115million signing gave one away with Moises Caicedo, on as a substitute, sending Emerson Palmieri tumbling and Lucas Paqueta converting the spot-kick. “I think today the result doesn’t reflect the performance but in football these situations happen,” said Pochettino. “I am disappointed in the way we conceded the first goal. We know West Ham are good at set-pieces. That is a little bit disappointing and we need to work hard on that. If we score the penalty we miss you are talking about a different game. We are going to perform better in the next games. Mauricio Pochettino “Then I think also did really well in the first half and we should have been winning at half-time. “But that is the process. We need to accept the defeat and keep on working. “If we score the penalty we miss you are talking about a different game. We are going to perform better in the next games.” Ward-Prowse was brought in to replace Declan Rice in West Ham’s midfield but he offers plenty more in attack. His seventh-minute corner found Aguerd at the far post, and his clever ball over the top sent Antonio through on goal. “His character is, in lots of ways, similar to Declan Rice,” said manager Moyes. “He’s a really good boy. His delivery, his assists, that’s what he’s capable of and I thought he did a great job today. His corner gave us a great start.” Paqueta was in the West Ham line-up despite being reportedly investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches. The Brazil midfielder is said to be shocked by the probe, which is believed to centre around bets placed in his homeland on yellow cards awarded against him. A move to Manchester City may have fallen through so the 25-year-old celebrated his goal with the ‘crossed Hammers’ sign. “I thought 65,000 people stood to their feet and applauded him,” added Moyes. “He played as well as anybody, he showed character and his performance was very good, especially in the second half. “There was never any doubt (he would play). He’s a solid and tough character so no problems. He’s a very good player.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Zharnel Hughes inspired to historic Budapest bronze by Olympic heartbreak Katarina Johnson-Thompson describes heptathlon victory as ‘best day of my life’ Unai Emery hails ‘amazing’ Aston Villa captain John McGinn after Everton rout
2023-08-21 03:22
Gary Smith believes Nashville deserved more from Leagues Cup final defeat to Inter Miami
Gary Smith was proud of his team's efforts in the Leagues Cup final.
2023-08-21 02:56
James Ward-Prowse and Lucas Paqueta make mark as 10-man West Ham stun Chelsea
James Ward-Prowse set up two goals on his West Ham debut and Lucas Paqueta scored a late penalty as the 10-man Hammers somehow secured a 3-1 win over Chelsea. Ward-Prowse, the £30million signing from Southampton, created goals for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio, either side Carney Chukwuemeka’s equaliser. But Mauricio Pochettino’s expensively-assembled side will wonder how on earth they came away from the London Stadium empty-handed. Enzo Fernandez missed a penalty and West Ham had to play the final 25 minutes a player down after Aguerd saw red. Yet not only did David Moyes’ side cling on for a first win of the season, they wrapped it up in stoppage time with Paqueta’s spot-kick. Ward-Prowse is renowned for his ability from set-pieces but surely not even Moyes could have expected such an immediate impact. Seven minutes in and from his second corner in a claret and blue shirt, Ward-Prowse swung in a cross which Aguerd nodded in unmarked at the far post. Chelsea have now conceded a goal in each of their last 13 matches, their worst run since 1996. But they were making inroads at the other end with Nicolas Jackson eager to get in behind West Ham’s back line. One such run and cut-back was hacked away but when Ben Chilwell drove back in to the area, his cross was cleared by Kurt Zouma only as far as Chukwuemeka. The 19-year-old steadied himself before lashing the loose ball past Alphonse Areola for his first Chelsea goal. Paqueta was in the West Ham line-up despite being reportedly investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches. The Brazil midfielder is said to be shocked by the probe, which is believed to centre around bets placed in his homeland on yellow cards awarded against him. Paqueta did pick up a first-half booking for dissent after complaining about the award of a corner, but moments later he was inches away from scoring, dragging the ball down in a crowded penalty area only to clip a post. Chelsea were gifted the chance to go ahead before half-time after Tomas Soucek tripped Raheem Sterling in the area, but Fernandez’s penalty was saved by Areola. Instead Antonio fired West Ham back into the lead eight minutes into the second half when he raced on to Ward-Prowse’s cute ball over the top. Pochettino turned to Chelsea’s latest record signing, Moises Caicedo, for his debut on the hour mark, the Ecuadorian immediately sending a long-range shot wide. West Ham were then reduced to 10 in the 68th minute after Aguerd was shown a second yellow card for needlessly fouling Jackson. But Chelsea, it seemed, had run out of ideas and could only muster a deflected Noni Madueke shot which was tipped wide by Areola. And the away fans left en masse even before Paqueta rubber-stamped the victory from the spot after Caicedo fouled Emerson Palmieri. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Zharnel Hughes takes superb bronze in thrilling 100m World Championships final Unai Emery hails ‘amazing’ Aston Villa captain John McGinn after Everton rout Zharnel Hughes joins British 100m medallists after taking bronze in Budapest
2023-08-21 01:58
Spain star Jenni Hermoso reacts after FA president kisses her on lips
Spain star Jenni Hermoso insists she “did not enjoy it” after being kissed on the lips by Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales. The incident occurred when Hermoso made her way to the podium after Spain defeated England in the Women’s World Cup final thanks to Olga Carmona’s strike. After being given her medal by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Hermoso was given a hug by Rubiales, who lifted her off her feet. A brief conversation between the pair followed before Rubiales grabbed Hermoso on her back and kissed her on the lips. Outrage quickly spread on social media, with supporters accusing Rubiales of inappropriate behaviour. Asked about the moment, Hermoso told Spanish TV network La 1: “Eh...yeah, I did not enjoy that.” The World Cup further adds to a glittering career for the 33-year-old Hermoso, with successful spells at Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, while currently featuring for Mexican outfit Pachuca. Carmona’s first-half strike epitomised Spain’s slick style of football and was ultimately enough for Spain to edge out the Lionesses in Sydney, gaining revenge for their defeat in the quarter-finals of last year’s European Championships. Hermoso saw a penalty saved in the second half by England shot-stopper Mary Earps, but the Lionesses could not find an equaliser, with Jorge Vilda’s side holding on for victory. Read More The vital lesson England must take to ‘continue breaking barriers’ despite World Cup final defeat England v Spain LIVE: Reaction to Women’s World Cup final result as Lionesses suffer heartbreak England suffer World Cup heartache as brilliant Spain show Lionesses what’s missing
2023-08-21 01:50
West Ham 3-1 Chelsea: Player ratings as Hammers inflict first Blues loss of Pochettino era
Player ratings from West Ham's 3-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
2023-08-21 01:47
Gerardo Martino urges Inter Miami re-focus following Leagues Cup title
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2023-08-21 01:22
Greg Olsen: All eyes are on Dak Prescott to get Cowboys over the top
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2023-08-21 01:19
Carney Chukwuemeka substituted with injury after scoring against West Ham
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2023-08-21 01:15
Drake Callender: Inter Miami were 'prepared' for penalty shootout in Leagues Cup final
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2023-08-21 00:19
We won’t stop – Georgia Stanway vows England will ‘continue to break barriers’
England midfielder Georgia Stanway vowed the Lionesses would carry on fighting for top spot on the planet after finishing runners-up to Spain in the World Cup final in Sydney. The Lionesses were among the pre-tournament favourites in Australia and New Zealand, with punters pointing to their dominant run to last summer’s European title, but injuries to Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby and the retirement of Ellen White left Sarina Wiegman without four players who started every match of that triumph before she even named her World Cup squad. Wiegman barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief after learning key midfielder Keira Walsh’s knee injury, sustained in England’s second group-stage encounter, was not as serious as initially suspected before the influential Lauren James was sent off in the last 16 and issued a two-match ban. Stanway said after the 1-0 loss to Spain: “I think we can be proud. The last nine weeks, seven games, to wear a silver, it’s special. “It’s hard to watch another team celebrate when it’s your goal and your dream. When the dust settled, we’ll be really proud of this. “We hope everyone is really proud of us back at home. We hope we’ve inspired many many people. We’re the Lionesses, so we won’t stop what we’re doing, we’ll continue to break barriers, we’ll continue to push on.” Stanway was one of seven players named to Wiegman’s 23-woman squad who had also featured four years ago in France, where the Lionesses finished fourth. We’re the Lionesses, so we won’t stop what we’re doing, we’ll continue to break barriers, we’ll continue to push on. Georgia Stanway They guaranteed themselves an upgrade on their previous best finish, third at the 2015 tournament in Canada, when they knocked out co-hosts Australia with a 3-1 victory in the semi-final. But on Sunday in front of a capacity 75,784 crowd at Stadium Australia they could not quite get the job done, coming agonisingly close to a momentum-shifting goal when Lauren Hemp pinged an effort off the crossbar early in the first half. And after 29 minutes, Spain captain Olga Carmona struck the ultimately decisive strike past Mary Earps, who would go on to add a World Cup Golden Glove trophy to her 2022 FIFA Best award and save Jennifer Hermoso’s second-half penalty to give England a chance of staging a comeback that never came. Stanway, who successfully converted a penalty to secure England a 1-0 victory against Haiti in their tournament opener, admitted she was “a little too upset to listen” to Wiegman’s post-match chat, adding, “in those moments, it’s regrouping, realising how far we’ve come in this group. We’ve faced a lot in this tournament, before the tournament, people probably didn’t have us written to be in this situation, so to reach a World Cup final is achievement alone.” Defender Lucy Bronze, alongside Alex Greenwood, was one of just two Lionesses to have lived through the heartbreaks of 2015 and 2019 and after the loss admitted she was “just deflated”. The defender, who plays with nine of the Spain squad at Barcelona, added: “Obviously we went into the World Cup wanting to win it and we were so close, but in the end we couldn’t quite get it over the line. “I think we showed that, against adversity, we showed up. We were determined and resilient throughout the tournament – even before the tournament with missing a lot of players through injury and having a couple of different things happen throughout the tournament. We showed resilience to carry on and keep going and fighting. “I think I am proud of what the girls have achieved, what we have achieved, but I think everybody that knows me knows that I only like gold medals.” Kirby, Williamson and Mead could all return to tournament football should a Team GB qualify for next summer’s Paris Olympics through UEFA’s new Nations League, which begins in September. At 31, Bronze is one of the older members of Wiegman’s squad, but when asked if she would need to take some time to think about going for another trophy immediately, retorted: “I am not retiring from England if that is what you mean. “Olympics is always the goal, even if we would have won this tournament. The Nations League was the goal, the Olympics is the goal. “That’s a different team to this England team. The goal is always to win tournaments with this team. We have shown that we can do that. We have made a final today as well. There is no reason why the team can’t go and create more legacies and more winning legacies.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aston Villa bounce back from opening league defeat to demolish dismal Everton We gave everything – Sarina Wiegman so proud despite ‘hard to take’ final defeat World Cup final in pictures: England fall to agonising defeat against Spain
2023-08-21 00:17
Why Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with Vinicius Junior during win at Almeria
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2023-08-20 23:59
Isaiah Bolden lets Patriots fans know he's okay with post-injury tweet
Isaiah Bolden tweeted out a message to New England Patriots fans to let them know he is fine.New England Patriots rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden shared a message with us over social media on Sunday morning that everything is going to be okay after his scary injury.The Patriots' preseas...
2023-08-20 23:53
