“When I left you I was but the learner, now I am the master,” is what Frank Lampard presumably said to José Mourinho following Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham on Sunday. After suffering four defeats in their last five Premier League games, Lampard elected to switch to a back three and relied on excellent performances from Willian, Mason Mount and Marcos Alonso to drive Mourinho’s side inside its shell at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It's been nearly a year since Miguel Almirón made his big-money move to Newcastle United from Major League Soccer's Atlanta United.
In Atlanta, the Paraguayan scored 22 goals in 68 appearances over the course of two seasons. He was one of the attacking powerhouses of the league and one of the main reasons Atlanta's expansion season in 2017 and title-winning 2018 campaign were both large successes.
There are many ways to define a club’s ambition. Perhaps the easiest is a straightforward look at which club spends the most money.
As the 2010s come to a close, we at The18 looked at which 18 clubs spent the most money over the last decade. No surprise, Manchester City is at the top having spent $1.71 billion. (Note: All numbers used in this article are from TransferMarkt.com.)
Kevin De Bruyne is not the fastest player. He’s not the strongest nor is he even particularly physically imposing. But De Bruyne vs Arsenal was an absolute joy to watch on Sunday.
De Bruyne had two goals and an assist in the first half alone as Manchester City ripped Arsenal to shreds 3-0 at the Emirates on Sunday. The redheaded Belgian was at his glorious best, dictating the match and providing fantastic finishes. If not for Gunners keeper Bernd Leno, KDB would’ve had at least three or four goals.
The fifth goal of Son Heung-min’s 2019-20 Premier League season was perhaps the finest he’s ever scored for Tottenham. Beginning at the edge of his own area, the 27-year-old attacker took off at a brisk pace before roaring through the gears and leaving eight Burnley defenders in his torrential wake.
Magnus Carlsen — a 29-year-old Norwegian chess grandmaster who’s now spent six years as the undisputed world champion — is a modern day Renaissance man. As detailed by The Guardian, Carlsen has climbed to sixth place in the worldwide Fantasy Premier League table. It’s a truly astounding feat given the fact that there are more than seven million players worldwide.
Arsenal Women went top of the FA WSL on Sunday following a 3-0 victory over Reading at Adams Park. 23-year-old Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema scored a brace for the Gunners, but it was Kim Little’s strike in the 37th minute that conjured memories of some of Arsenal’s greatest-ever team goals.
The men’s team is synonymous with breathtaking team goals…
Leicester City and Jamie Vardy’s remarkable run continued on Sunday with a 4-1 away victory over Aston Villa. Vardy scored a brace to take his total to 16 goals in 16 games and to extend his goalscoring streak to eight matches.
As it turns out, Son Heung-min did not bring about world peace with his brilliant solo goal on Saturday. He couldn’t even bring harmony Man City fans during a Manchester Derby that had no real title implications later in the day.
Manchester United frustrated City for a 2-1 win on Saturday at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola’s side was furious over not being given a penalty kick on two different hand-ball situations while Marcus Rashford converted a penalty thanks to a rare VAR reversal.
Sports are often divisive in nature. It’s your team vs. my team, us vs. them, Messi vs. Ronaldo.
But sports can also bring people together like nothing else in the world.
Son Heung-min can bring people together.
Son, Tottenham’s 27-year-old dynamo, plays on a team that many in London would rather discount, Arsenal fans in particular. But it’s impossible to ignore this player’s charisma and, more importantly, endlessly impressive footballing ability.