When Andy Carroll resigned for Newcastle United on a free transfer last August, the local hero was handed a heavily incentivized contract that largely depended on the 31-year-old’s notoriously fickle bill of health.
LONDON — Adama Traore came off the bench to inspire Wolverhampton Wanderers to a 2-0 win at West Ham United on Saturday — a significant result at both ends of the Premier League table.
The quicksilver Spanish winger was perhaps surprisingly left on the bench for 64 minutes but his introduction enlivened an otherwise humdrum encounter at an empty London Stadium.
Traore's surging run and sublime cross was perfect for Raul Jimenez to head powerfully home in the 73rd minute.
Wolves break through!
Arsenal is in a world of shit right now.
The Gunners looked to be turning things around with three straight Premier League wins before the novel coronavirus pandemic forced the league to shut down. Upon return, Arsenal has looked worse than ever in the Mikel Arteta era. Adding to the shitstorm, Arteta is losing players to injury faster than my partner left the room after I started playing The Last of Us Part II.
BERLIN — Robert Lewandowski struck twice as champions Bayern Munich eased past Freiburg 3-1 on Saturday to secure a record 15th win in a row and the Pole became the first foreign player to score 33 goals in a Bundesliga season.
Additionally, 20-year-old American defender Chris Richards made his Bayern Munich debut, becoming the first American to play for the German giant since Landon Donovan.
Lucien Favre picked Gio Reyna for his first career Bundesliga start in a big second-vs.-third matchup against RB Leipzig on Saturday. The 17-year-old American repaid his manager’s faith, setting up the first goal as Borussia Dortmund clinched second place with a 2-0 victory at Red Bull Arena.
WATFORD, England — Watford's Craig Dawson grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser with an overhead kick to earn his side a 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Saturday and a vital point in their battle for Premier League survival.
England full back Ben Chilwell had put third-placed Leicester ahead in the 90th minute with a thunderous shot, before Dawson's acrobatic finish lifted Watford provisionally a point clear of the relegation zone.
CHILWELL!
Is there a weirder new normal than what Real Madrid is experiencing? As well as playing behind closed doors, the 13-time European champion's temporary home for the rest of the season is the 6,000-seat Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium, the reserve side's ground.
Located on the sprawling training center in Valdebebas, players don’t arrive to the stadium by bus, they just sort of appear on the horizon at Ciudad Real Madrid and meander over like a high school team.
Atlético Madrid hammered Osasuna 5-0 away from home in LaLiga on Wednesday to secure their biggest win of the season and give a huge boost to their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Atleti's record signing João Félix put the visiting side ahead by arriving in the box and drilling the loose ball into the top corner in the 27th minute, scoring again soon after the re-start by nudging home a fine pass from Diego Costa.
João Félix First Goal Vs. Osasuna
The Premier League returned Wednesday after a 100-day hiatus like it had just left its keys, wallet and cell phone. Nothing has changed: Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United featured a heinously controversial abuse of technology, and Manchester City vs. Arsenal continued the ballad of David Luiz.
Real Madrid showed no rust as Los Blancos dusted off their pristine white kits to sweep aside Eibar 3-1 in both clubs’ return from a three-month hiatus on Sunday at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium. If anything, the necessary COVID-19 interruption helped reinvigorate the Merengues, who looked sharp from the opening kick.