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.
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.
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.
Even though the EFL Championship is not easy to find on American television spare ESPN+, soccer fans will have at least heard about Norwich City, Leeds United and Sheffield United’s push for the top two promotion spots. Usually, the teams and players at the top of the Championship get a lot of the rare press and rightly so, but there is one hidden gem not in the top six in England’s second division that could soon light up the Premier League: Jarrod Bowen.
Although Lionel Messi is consistently targeted by opposing defenses, it’s rare that he takes too much physical abuse from opponents. Quick on his feet and with a low center of gravity, the Barcelona No. 10 is usually able to avoid the brunt of challenges he faces.
But when he’s attacked from behind, as he was by Manchester United’s Chris Smalling, there’s little Messi can do to prevent harm.
Manchester United’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Barcelona did not start well.
The Blaugrana (or neon yellows, as it was), opened the scoring a dozen minutes into the match at Old Trafford on Tuesday thanks to some interplay from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez — and some help from the Video Assistant Referee.