Hi. Do you like goals? Do you love watching defenses get picked apart by strikers at the top of their game or defenders just deciding to neglect their duties? Well, we’ve got the game for you. The Man City-Tottenham first half of their second-leg Champions League quarterfinal was absolutely bonkers.
A sports aficionado, especially in the world of soccer, knows the beautiful game tracks back at least 150 years. English fans argue that the game started in their home country, and at least the establishment of the modern game did arise there, but how was soccer invented and does the sport we call soccer (or football, chill out) really belong to England?
Watford and Ben Foster didn’t have their best day at home versus Arsenal on Monday. The Gunners had not kept a clean sheet away from home this season, and the Hornets likely felt that a good result was possible in the match. Unfortunately for Watford, that was not the case.
Watford started the match well, putting Arsenal under pressure and having a few chances on goal. Arsenal didn’t provide very much going forward and needed a stroke of luck to get on the scoresheet early. Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster did Arsenal a huge favor.
The Premier League title race doesn’t seem like it will be decided until the final matchday. Liverpool and Manchester City both picked up a vital three points this past weekend, with City winning 3-1 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and Liverpool with an emphatic 2-0 win against Chelsea at Anfield.
October 14, 2017: Watford are fresh off defeating Arsenal 2-1 thanks in part to a Troy Deeney penalty, dropping the Gunners to eighth in the table. Deeney was scathing in his assessment of Arsenal after the match.
If you’re an American who’s somewhat befuddled by the simultaneous competitions that seemingly rage endlessly in European soccer — particularly the difference in Champions League vs Premier League — here’s a quick primer to set you straight so that you can enjoy both struggles to the fullest.
The Premier League
Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table on Sunday morning with a convincing 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, heaping the pressure on Liverpool ahead of its colossal clash against Chelsea at Anfield later in the day.
That pressure built after Chelsea kept Liverpool off the scoresheet in the first half despite decent opportunities for the misfiring Mohamed Salah and the in-form Sadio Mané, and the Blues posed their own menace on the counter through Eden Hazard and Willian.
The English commentator summed up the Ashley Barnes yellow card perfectly:
“The game has gone completely when you’re booked for kissing,” he said.
Barnes, a Burnley forward with double-digit Premier League goals this season, went into referee Mike Dean’s book just before halftime in a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Cardiff City on Saturday.
The incident followed Cardiff’s Joe Bennett tugging Barnes down from behind, a clear yellow card.
But in addition to booking Bennett, Dean showed Ashley Barnes yellow after the two momentarily clashed head to head.
At the 1970 World Cup, Gordon Banks made what is often considered to be the greatest save of all time, denying a header from Pelé that seemed destined for the goal. Nearly 50 years later, this David de Gea save vs West Ham looks remarkably similar — and was, perhaps, more important.
Gordon Banks was a legendary goalkeeper for England and Stoke City, winning the World Cup in 1966. Four years later, he made what British-centric football fans view as the greatest save ever:
Harry Kane went down with what appears to be a season-ending ankle injury in Tottenham’s win over Manchester City on Tuesday. Losing such a vital figure for the end of a season that still has so much to play for is a massive loss for Spurs — but based on the evidence of Saturday’s Lucas Moura hat trick, they might actually be better off.