Chelsea hadn’t lost in any competition this season before facing London rival Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday. Then Spurs ripped the Blues apart with two early goals and a stunning third for an impressive, deserved 3-1 victory.
Dele Alli scored in the eighth minute and Harry Kane doubled Spurs’ lead in the 16th minute before Son Hueng-Min scored a rip-roaring third in the 54th minute to put the game away.
Former Arsenal and Juventus forward Nicklas Bendtner started this fall with a bang, but not in the way a goalscorer might hope. In the wee hours of September 9, Bendtner kicked and punched a cab driver, and he was subsequently found guilty of the assault earlier this month.
It’s been almost 180 days since Sergio Ramos put Mohamed Salah into a judo hold, fun-cussed Loris Karius and gave Roberto Firmino the flu by sweating on him, but to Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren, it still smacks of yesterday.
The Croatian defender has gone full-on Dani Alves of late, telling anyone and everyone under the sun about his every whim and desire, and we’re here for it.
As much as the UEFA Nations League wants you to believe these matches matter and they’re not just meaningless friendlies, is still a bit hard to get exciting about some of the European international matches this weekend with no major tournament on the horizon.
Seven months ago, one of Liverpool’s most likable players went down injured in the Champions League semifinals against AS Roma. On Friday, we got an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injury update straight from the midfielder’s mouth.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first season with Liverpool after moving from Arsenal was cut short by a devastating injury suffered last April. It cost the England man a chance to play in the Champions League final and a place at the World Cup in Russia in the summer.
We could make references to Samson and his hair or joke about awful World Cup hairdos of the past, but really, what’s even the point anymore. Almost a year to the day since Kyle Beckerman lost his dreads, the iconic Marouane Fellaini hair is no more.
Former England, Chelsea and West Ham attacker Joe Cole has announced his retirement from football, bringing an end to a 20-year professional career that included three Premier League titles, two FA Cup triumphs and one banging goal against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup.
I can hear some of you claiming that you didn’t know the 37-year-old was still out here balling, but that’s a massive disservice to one of the cornerstones of Division II soccer in America, the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
There’s an old saying in sports that if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas is certainly trying, but is he cheating?
Fàbregas was a 64th-minute substitute against Everton on Sunday as the two teams battled to a scoreless draw. The point kept Chelsea unbeaten in its Premier League campaign but the fourth draw of the season (only Southampton has more) means the Blues are now four points off the pace of Manchester City and two behind Liverpool heading into the international break.
The final few years of Arsene Wenger's reign over Arsenal were like a slow, painful breakup with the fans. After 20 straight seasons of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, the club ended the last two campaigns fifth and sixth. To make matters worse, their road form had become dreadful. During the 2017-18 season, Arsenal had four wins, four draws and 11 losses, with a -11 goal differential.
Sunday wasn’t Raheem Sterling’s greatest individual display as an attacker, but the 23-year-old again demonstrated why he’s such a vital part of Pep Guardiola’s side — and completely unmatched in his skill set within the England national team — by retaining possession in difficult areas and constantly pulling Manchester United’s well-organized, pressing defensive unit this way and that with his array of clever flicks, dribbles and one-touch passing.