Sports Updates

[Edoman]

Osaze Odemwingie accuses Kanu Nwankwo's wife, Amara Kanu of sliding into his DM and "chasing" him for a chat; she responds







Retired Nigerian professional footballer, Osaze Odemwingie took to Instagram to accuse Kanu Nwankwo's wife, Amara Kanu of sliding into his DM and "chasing" him "relentlessly" for a chat.
 
He shared a photo of Amara Kanu with her son lying on a hospital bed then went on to warn Amara Kanu that "destruction is upon her" for sliding into his DM.
 
He added that "it is not our culture to message another man without your husband" and accused her son of "fake Christianity" because of the hand sign he was making.
 
Osaze wrote: 
 

The reason why Nigeria is in this state. Too many want to be like America. God turned his back at america as things stand.
Destruction is upon her. How can a wife of a legend like @kingkanu4 be chasing me for a chat relentlessly ( check ur DM check your DM ) na by force ? @amarakanu.
Your husband has my number and it’s not in our culture to msg another man without asking your husband. Moreover u r wearing arsenal kit and he can ask them for advice about knee surgery because he also suffered from similar issues.
Your son can’t have a cross on his neck and make those hand signs. That’s fake Christianity if you didn’t know ok. Our people selling their own to conform to African American.
Those there have been modified by Hollywood and are no more Africans. They don’t even want to associate with Africa with their billions in accounts. How many of them visited Africa in the last 50 years ? Shouldn’t NBA all star match take place in Nigeria at least once? Shouldn’t they be interested to know where their ancestors came from ? Set your own trend Naija u r more special than
America. #prayfornigeria #naija #nigeria @amarakanu why why why Amara ( Delailah). We love our strong man Papilo. Wash your hands well oh. And most importantly your hearts as I am preaching to many now. Nigeria ?? is more precious to God than America ??

 
In another post, Osaze Peter Odemwingie wrote: "@amarakanu If your hello can’t be public it’s probably not just a hello. Mine is #nigeria #naija LUKE 10:19."
 

 
Nigerians reacted, calling Osaze out and telling him that he could easily have called Kanu Nwankwo to talk things through, rather than posting it on Instagram.
 


 
Amara Kanu reacted by leaving a comment under Osaze's post.
 
She wrote: "@odemwingie_81 oh no no no. Kindly take this post down. @kingkanu4 is fully aware of this. We want to talk to you as a family."
 
 

 
 

[Edoman]

[b]Cristiano Ronaldo Wins Golden Foot Award 2020 [/b]

Cristiano Ronaldo won 2020 Golden Foot award. the champion of Juventus of Turin and the Portugal team receives the most votes from football fans around the world.

The Golden Foot award is an international football award, given to players who stand out for their athletic achievements (both as individuals and team players) and for their personality. The award is only given to active players of at least 28 years of age, and can only be won once.

Source: https://www.90min.com/in/posts/cristiano-ronaldo-beats-lionel-messi-and-co-to-win-2020-golden-foot-award-01ergn8bxara

[Edoman]

Barcelona defender, Sergi Roberto tests positive for coronavirus








Barcelona defender, Sergi Roberto has tested positive for coronavirus, the club confirmed on Wednesday.
 
The 28-year-old Spaniard is currently out injured after picking up a knock on November 21 during the match against Atlético Madrid, which leaves him on the sidelines for up to two months.
 
He has now been dealt a setback in his recovery after contracting Covid-19.
 
The club said in a statement;

 
'After the PCR tests carried out on Tuesday, first-team player Sergi Roberto has tested positive for Covid-19. 
 
The player is in good health and is isolating at home following his recovery from the injury that occurred on November 21.
 
The club has informed the relevant sports and health authorities, and all those who had contact with the player were tracked via further PCR tests.
 
 Roberto suffered a rupture in the femoral rectus of his right thigh at the end of Atlético Madrid v Barça game (1-0), an injury that means he will be out of action for about two months.
 

[Edoman]

Lampard considering Giroud for Leeds clash after Sevilla masterclass
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3 December 2020, 


Olivier Giroud staked his claim for a regular place in Chelsea's starting line-up after scoring four goals against Sevilla, according to the last player to net four in a game for the Blues, head coach Frank Lampard.


Giroud scored with his left foot, right foot, his head, and netted a penalty at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as the 34-year-old became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the modern Champions League and the first Chelsea player to hit four since Lampard did so against Aston Villa in 2010.


His performance, which followed another match-winning appearance in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Rennes a week earlier, left Lampard unable to deny that the World Cup winner is in contention for a place in the first XI to face Leeds United on Saturday.


Giroud has yet to start a Premier League game for Chelsea this season, but when asked whether he had a good claim for a place, Lampard told BT Sport: "Yeah, he does. I'll have to see because it is a tight turnaround but it's four goals in a game.


"It's not just his own performance but when you play Ollie and you utilise his strengths and still maintain threats from the side with speed and quality play from the middle of the park, then you see a real nice balance about our attacking play.


"It's not easy scoring four but again he's done it on this level against a really top opponent. His input into the goals was really top class."


Having seen his men draw 0-0 with Tottenham three days earlier, Lampard rotated his team and brought in Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz along with Giroud, while resting Tammy Abraham, Timo Werner and Mason Mount.


He was rewarded with a performance full of confidence as Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and substitute N'Golo Kante all assisted goals for Giroud before the France international scored a late penalty.



Chelsea are now unbeaten in 12 matches in all competitions and Lampard said: "I'm delighted with the team. To come here against a very strong Sevilla team – they made changes, so did we – it's a difficult place to come and the team performance from start to finish was great because it had everything.


"There were moments in the first half when it was tough for us, and we dealt with those moments, and our play was just brilliant."


Returning his attention to Giroud, who has suggested he could leave in January if he is not afforded more game time, Lampard added: "What I am bothered about is what he gives us on the pitch, what he gives us off the pitch and around it. Everyone's delighted for him because of how he is, how he trains and how he plays.

[Edoman]

Sevilla 0-4 Chelsea: Giroud hits four as Lampard's men top group



2 December 2020, 



Olivier Giroud was Chelsea's match-winner for the second time in as many Champions League games as he scored all four goals in a 4-0 victory over Sevilla that clinched first place in Group E for the Blues.


Giroud, who was making his 50th start for Chelsea, was at his clinical best as he took his tally to 10 goals in his last seven away starts in the competition and ensured Chelsea go into the round of 16 as one of eight seeded teams.


He was the beneficiary of some fine build-up play as Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi staked their claim for more regular first-team football in an impressive performance from a changed Chelsea team.


Sevilla went into this game unbeaten in 14 home matches in all European competitions but were scuppered by Frank Lampard's hardworking side, who blocked low for long periods but attacked fluently.


After scoring with either foot, Giroud capped a fine performance with a towering header and then a penalty as he became the oldest player to score a Champions League hat-trick, at 34 years and 63 days.


Havertz tested Sevilla's debutant goalkeeper Alfonso Pastor - a late addition after Tomas Vaclik pulled up in the warm-up - with a swerving cross-cum-shot in the opening minute, and the Germany international assisted the opener moments later.


He was allowed to glide through the Sevilla defence and roll the ball to Giroud, who took a touch to control it before opening up his body and finding the far corner of the net with his shot from 12 yards.


Franco Vazquez then cleared a powerful Antonio Rudiger header off the line but Chelsea found themselves pressed back in the latter stages of the first half as Sevilla tried to turn superior possession into goals.


The hosts emerged with renewed intent after the interval and Jesus Navas' audacious flick with the outside of his boot picked out Nemanja Gudelj, who half-volleyed narrowly over the crossbar from 20 yards.


But Giroud struck again on 54 minutes, latching onto Mateo Kovacic's pass before shrugging off Sergi Gomez and clipping a shot over Pastor and into the far corner of the net.


N'Golo Kante, on as a substitute, strode down the Chelsea right with 16 minutes left on the clock and landed a deft cross onto the head of Giroud, who powered the ball high into the net.


The France World Cup winner then won a late penalty from Gomez that he confidently converted into the corner of the net to complete an historic

[Edoman]

Bale backed to find best form as Mourinho concedes he is lacking confidence



2 December 2020, 


Gareth Bale has been backed to rediscover his best form at Tottenham by team-mate Ben Davies after Spurs boss Jose Mourinho conceded the forward is lacking in confidence.


The Wales international has one goal and no assists in seven appearances - five of those being starts - since returning to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid in September.


He has played less than two hours of Premier League football this term and has been an unused substitute in Spurs' last two top-flight outings.
Mourinho is expected to hand Bale his fifth Europa League start in Thursday's trip to LASK and is hopeful the one-time world's most expensive player can continue his "physical evolution".


"The only problem with Gareth is to get into the dynamic and the confidence of playing consecutive matches without any bad feeling or negative feeling," he said at Wednesday's pre-match news conference.


"He must do that without any remembrance of the recent past when the condition was not the best and the fears were there.


"But now he has the chance of a physical evolution. He doesn't need a tactical or a technical evolution.


"He just needs to get his confidence back about playing three matches in a week. It's more about that [than anything else]."


Bale has had six shots in his three league outings this term at an average of 4.66 per 90 minutes - the most of any Tottenham player to have featured at least twice, with Harry Kane (3.93) next on the list.
He also ranks highly for dribbles completed, his figure of 1.55 per 90 minutes bettered only by Erik Lamela (2.87) and Tanguy Ndombele (2.94).


But the Southampton academy product has lost possession 17.84 times on average across those games, which is behind only Sergio Reguilon (19) and Giovani Lo Celso (21.45).


However, with Bale having assisted a couple of goals for Wales in last month's Nations League wins over Republic of Ireland and Finland, Davies insisted his international colleague's quality cannot be questioned.


"I think Gareth's an amazing player," Davies told reporters. "He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone - he's shown what he can do over the years. He's got the quality there and I'm sure it will shine through at Spurs this year.


"I feel like I always saw him at his best when he was with Wales so I haven't seen too much difference in him personally. But if you listen to the way people speak and how happy he is here, it is evident to see every day.


"He is buzzing around the place and playing, not playing, he is supportive of the guys and having someone of his presence and the history of winning stuff like he has got, lifts everyone here."

[Edoman]

Ronaldo hits 750 career goals milestone against Dynamo Kiev



2 December 2020, 


Cristiano Ronaldo has reached yet another goals milestone as his second-half strike against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday saw him hit 750.


The Portugal star was left with a simple finish 57 minutes in to put his side 2-0 up in the Champions League clash in Turin.


It was his 75th across all competitions for Juve, who Ronaldo joined from Real Madrid a little over two years ago.

It was in Madrid where he made his greatest impact on football, having amassed a remarkable 450 goals during his time with Los Blancos.


That figure made him comfortably their all-time leading scorer with 127 more than club great Raul.
Even more remarkably, Ronaldo reached 450 in just 438 matches after arriving for what was in 2009 a world-record fee – Raul's haul came from 741 games.


The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had already left an indelible mark on the sport way before joining Juve, though his legend continues to grow – the Portugal great shows no sign of slowing down despite approaching his 36th birthday.


He has been in fine form this season, having netted eight times from just four Serie A starts, though his strike against Dynamo was only his second in the Champions League.


Ronaldo also recently surpassed the 100-goal mark for Portugal, becoming only the second male footballer to reach a century at international level after Iran's Ali Daei. His most recent, against Andorra last month, took him to 102.

[Edoman]

Koeman hoping Griezmann form continues as forward's confidence grows



3 December 2020, 


Ronald Koeman believes Antoine Griezmann is growing in confidence and the Barcelona head coach hopes the forward's run of form can continue.


Griezmann scored for the third straight game for the first time in his Barca career with the opener in Wednesday's 3-0 Champions League win at Ferencvaros.


Martin Braithwaite doubled the lead before Ousmane Dembele's penalty as Barca, without the rested Lionel Messi, won their first five group stage games in a Champions League campaign for the first time since 2002-03.


But Griezmann's form is a particular boost amid the club's inconsistencies in LaLiga and Koeman praised the forward.


"It is always a matter of trust of a player. As I said many times, Antoine has always worked hard to improve his game and effectiveness for the team," he said.


"Now the goals come in and he is convinced because he has quality. I think this is important for any player.


"I hope he can continue with this effectiveness he's having lately."


After Griezmann's brilliant flicked finish for the opener, Dembele set up Braithwaite before getting on the scoresheet himself.


No player had more shots than Dembele's five and Koeman said the forward's performance would give him selection headaches.


"Dembele is a great player. He has a lot of quality, one on one, he is very fast, he is effective and manages both legs," he said.


"The most important thing is he is physically very well. He is working well.


"We know there are different players at the front and it is difficult for the manager to decide when people like Dembele are playing at this level."
Sitting seventh in LaLiga, Barca are away to Cadiz on Saturday.

[Edoman]

Nearly pregnant is not being pregnant' – Tuchel urges calm after PSG top Man Utd



3 December 2020, 


Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel insisted the French giants have not achieved anything after boosting their Champions League qualification hopes by defeating Manchester United 3-1.


A Neymar brace and Marquinhos' goal placed United's last-16 progression on hold, while putting last season's runners-up PSG in control of their own destiny heading into the sixth and final matchday in Group H.


Neymar opened the scoring inside six minutes at Old Trafford on Wednesday before United star Marcus Rashford scored in his third successive Champions League appearance against PSG.
After Anthony Martial wasted a gilt-edged opportunity and former PSG forward Edinson Cavani rattled the crossbar, it all went pear-shaped for United – who watched Marquinhos bundle the ball over the line with 21 minutes remaining and saw Fred receive a second yellow card moments later.


Neymar added gloss to the scoreline in the first minute of stoppage time as PSG joined United and RB Leipzig on nine points with one fixture remaining – Tuchel's side only require a draw against Istanbul Basaksehir to secure a place in the knockout stages.


But Tuchel urged calm post-match, telling RMC Sport: "Nearly qualified, is not qualified. Nearly pregnant, is not being pregnant. That does not exist, I am not going to let a single guy think that everything has been done.


"We have made a big step forward but I am not going to let a single guy think that we are already qualified.


"We need to make the last step and for that, we will need to play with the same mentality, the same fire and the same spirit."


PSG have won both of their last two away matches against English opposition in all competitions (both versus United) – they had only won one of their first 10 such visits prior (drawn four and lost five).


Since his Champions League debut in 2013, only Cristiano Ronaldo (79), Robert Lewandowski (60) and Lionel Messi (59) have more goals in the competition than Neymar (38).


Neymar's double in Manchester was the Brazilian's first goals in his six Champions League games away to English sides.


"We can be proud tonight," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told RMC Sport. "We showed the real PSG, a real team who is fighting for the Champions League. It was important for us, this was a decisive match.


"We needed to show that we are always present in the big moments. I am proud of my players. It was difficult, it was a match that everyone wanted to win, I think that we created goals.


"Now we need to continue, we are not yet qualified, that is our aim. We also have the Ligue 1 match with Montpellier."

[Edoman]

Neymar: What I want most is to play with Messi again



3 December 2020, 


Neymar caused a stir after inspiring Paris Saint-Germain to victory over Manchester United when he said he wants to link up with Lionel Messi in 2021.


The Brazil star scored twice to help PSG to a 3-1 win at Old Trafford, a result that puts them in a strong position to reach the Champions League knockout stages.


Neymar joined the Ligue 1 champions from Barca for a world-record €222million fee in 2017, partly, it has been suggested, to escape the shadow of Messi at Barcelona.


The Catalans won the treble in 2014-15 with an attacking trident of Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez, but it has been claimed the former Santos man left Camp Nou so he could have a better chance of winning the Ballon d'Or.


Neymar has since repeatedly been tipped to return to Spain but has made it clear he will stay in Paris until at least the end of the 2020-21 season.

Messi failed to engineer a move away from Barca in the previous transfer window but, with his contract running out next June, it remains unclear whether he will choose to leave next year.


For his part, Neymar wants nothing more than to reunite with his old team-mate, telling ESPN on Wednesday: "What I want most is to play with Messi again.


"I want to play with him. I'll let him play in my position if he wants!


"Next year, we have to play together, for sure."
Neymar's two goals over United took him to 38 in the Champions League in his career. Since his debut in 2013, only Cristiano Ronaldo (79), Robert Lewandowski (60) and Messi (59) have scored more.


PSG's victory means they are level on nine points with United and RB Leipzig in Group H heading into matchday six next week.


A win for Thomas Tuchel's side over Istanbul Basaksehir will guarantee they progress as winners of the group.

[Edoman]

Wilfred Ndidi reveals excitement at returning to Leicester City after three months injury nightmare







Super Eagles and Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi has expressed his delight at his imminent return from a long-term groin injury that has sidelined him since September
 
The 23-year-old suffered the injury problem against Burnley in September and has only featured in two Premier League games for the King Power Stadium outfit in the 2020-21 season, missing their previous 13 games.
 
Ndidi was arguably Leicester City's best player last season when they finished fifth on the league table to clinch a Europa League ticket.
 

 
Ndidi is set to make a return for Leicester against Zorya in their Europa League group game on Thursday night and has revealed his excitement. 
 
“Hi guys, it’s Wilfred Ndidi and we are happy to be back and hopefully things go well,” Ndidi said in a video posted by Leicester on Twitter alongside his teammate Ricardo Pereira.
 
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is also excited by Ndidi's return.

"Wilfred Ndidi, it’ll be fantastic to see him back. Caglar Soyuncu will play. Ricardo Pereira as well. Timothy Castagne is still out, we’ll see how he is when we get back," Rodgers said in a pre-match press conference.
 
Ndidi joined Leicester since 2017 when he teamed up with the Premier League club from Belgian side Genk.
 

[Edoman]

Former Real Madrid star, Royston Drenthe declared bankrupt at age of 33 after losing an estimated £3.2m fortune following failed move into rap music and acting








Former Real Madrid and Holland international, Royston Drenthe has been declared bankrupt by a court in Holland after losing an estimated £3.2m fortune following a failed move into rap music and acting.
 
A court in Breda handed down the bankruptcy order on Tuesday, December 1, with the winger not present at the hearing.
 
The 33-year-old said he's hopeful the matter will be resolved, telling Voetbalzone that he 'didn't know exactly what is going on' following the verdict.
 
'I don't know the ins and outs and I don't know exactly what's going on, but if this is what I think it is, it's not that important,' he told the website.
 
 'I'm always under a magnifying glass, but it will be resolved as it should.'
 
According to Mail Online, Drenthe previously stated that he last lost £3.2million earned from what looked like a promising football career.
 
He started his career in his homeland with Feyenoord, before a big-money move to Real Madrid following his displays at the Under-21 European Championships in 2007, where he was named the player of the tournament as the Dutch player lifted the trophy. 
 

 
But Drenthe failed to find his feet in Spain, and after just 46 games in five years, including spells on loan at Hercules and Everton, he joined Alania Vladikavkaz.
 
Also appearing for Reading later in his career, Drenthe announced he had quit football in 2016 to pursue a career in music, and launched a career under the moniker Roya2Faces. He also attempted to break into acting, appearing in TV crime drama Mocro Maffia.
 
In 2018, he returned to football with Sparta Rotterdam in Holland and currently plays for Kozakken Boys in the Dutch third tier. 
 

[Edoman]

Tusquets: Messi Should Have Been Sold, Says Barca Boss 

Interim Barcelona president Carles Tusquets said Thursday that the club should have sold Argentine star Lionel Messi in the summer.

Messi made an attempt to leave Barcelona this summer before backing down.

He can talk to other clubs in January and leave for free when his contract expires in June, with Manchester City expected to make a renewed attempt to lure the 33-year-old away from Camp Nou.

“From an economic point of view, I would have sold Messi this summer. Economically, that would have been desirable,” Tusquets told Catalan radio Rac1.

“La Liga imposes salary caps and that would have helped us,” Tusquets said when asked what a potential transfer would have offered.

Tusquets, who took over as interim president after the resignation of Josep Maria Bartomeu in October, all but ruled out a return of Neymar to Barcelona from Paris Saint-Germain.

“If he comes as a free agent, that could work, but if we don’t sell, we won’t be able to recruit. It won’t be possible, unless the next president (who will be elected on January 24) has a miracle in his hands,” said Tusquets.

Barca’s financial status, Tusquets added, was “worrying, very bad, but with hope”.

“We will not be able to pay salaries in January,” he said.

“In January, the players will not be paid, but it’s not serious. The players have two big paydays, in January and July. That has been delayed, as have title bonuses.”

https://punchng.com/messi-should-have-been-sold-says-barcas-boss-tusquets/

[Edoman]

Arsenal legend, Patrick Vieira sacked by Nice after a disastrous run of five straight defeats 








Arsenal legend, Patrick Vieira has been sacked as manager of Nice following a disastrous run of five straight defeats and a shock Europa League exit after they were knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night, December 3.
 
The French side released a statement on Friday morning confirming that they have dismissed former France international who took the job in June 2018 following Lucien Favre's move to Borussia Dortmund.
 
His Romanian assistant Adrian Ursea to take charge until they announce a new manager.
 
Nice said on Friday morning: 'Patrick Vieira is no longer the coach of OGC Nice as of today.
'During a meeting after last night's match, the Nice board informed Patrick Vieira of its decision to end their collaboration.
 
'Patrick Vieira has put all his heart and professionalism at the service of OGC Nice during the last 30 months of this shared venture.
 
'The Nice board would like to sincerely thank the former French international for his involvement in the development of the club and wish him the best for the rest of his coaching career.'

[Edoman]

EPL: Mourinho fires fresh dig at Guardiola, Klopp


 
on
 December 5, 2020



Tottenham Hotspur manager, Jose Mourinho, has aimed a dig at managers who have complained about fixture congestion like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.


According to him, nobody cried for Spurs during a brutal early-season stretch of games.


Klopp has been most critical about the spacing of matches, with a number of his Liverpool players injured in the early season.


His latest rant came last weekend, when he told BT Sport: “Playing 12:30 after Wednesday is really dangerous for the Premier League players.”

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s north London derby, Mourinho said he did not receive much support from his peers during a stretch of eight games in 18 days at the start of the season.


“By the way, we played four matches in one week and nobody was crying or supporting us about it. And now my colleagues, when do they play these matches?” Mourinho said.


Several Premier League teams have a game in hand over Tottenham, with Manchester United and Manchester City having games pushed back, after their involvement in European football.

“What is very difficult to accept is that four clubs have one match less than the others and I don’t even know when they’re going to play these matches.


“I don’t even know when Burnley, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Manchester United and probably Newcastle and Aston Villa twice [are going to play].


“It’s difficult to accept that because it can affect the competition. But I was trying to know. I was trying for an answer this week and no one can give me that answer,” Mourinho added.

[Edoman]

LaLiga: Koeman reveals why Barcelona lost 2-1 to Cadiz


 
on
 December 6, 2020




Barcelona manager, Ronald Koeman, has admitted his side was not good enough following a 2-1 defeat away to Cadiz on Saturday.


It was Barca’s fourth defeat of the campaign, making it their worst start to a season since 1987/1988.
Alvaro Gimenez opened scoring for the hosts, before Jordi Alba made it 1-1.


However, Alvaro Negredo put Cadiz in front again in the second half.


With just 14 points from their opening 10 games, the Catalans are already 12 behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who beat Real Valladolid 2-0 earlier on Saturday.

“It’s a huge step back in terms of winning La Liga. It’s disappointing, but we must accept it, even though being 12 points back from a strong team like Atletico is a lot.


“The result today is difficult to explain. We conceded the first goal and weren’t good in attack, with too many players in the middle of the pitch.


“That’s not the level I expected from my team. We must improve. We must be more focused. In general, the attitude without the ball was not good,” Koeman said after the game.

[Edoman]

EPL: Lampard reacts as Chelsea go top of league table
 
on
 December 6, 2020



Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, has said there is nothing wrong with their fans dreaming of a Premier League title.


There were 2,000 supporters inside Stamford Bridge for the first time this season.


And they watched their team move top of the table with a 3-1 win over Leeds United.


It is the first time in more than two years that the Blues have occupied the position and they are now unbeaten in nine matches.

Lampard is, however, cautious when it comes to talking up their title chances.


“There is nothing wrong with our fans thinking we can win the league. It was great to have them back. You can see how excited they are to be top of the league. It felt like a lot more than 2,000.


“But it’s my job to know that it’s a long season. So I’m not thinking about that at the moment, it’s December,” he told a press conference.

[Edoman]

Chelsea 3-1 Leeds United: Giroud and Zouma lead Blues to Premier League summit



5 December 2020, 



Olivier Giroud's hot goalscoring form continued as Chelsea came from behind to claim a 3-1 win over Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, sending the Blues top.


Former Chelsea player Patrick Bamford put Leeds ahead with their first shot of the game as Chelsea were punished on the counterattack.



Giroud, who scored all four of Chelsea's goals in a Champions League win over Sevilla during the week, equalised just before the half-hour with an instinctive close-range finish.


Chelsea went ahead when Kurt Zouma headed in from a corner and the hosts finished Leeds off in stoppage time thanks to Christian Pulisic.


Leeds went ahead in the fourth minute when Bamford got on the end of a superb pass from Kalvin Phillips and nipped past Edouard Mendy before guiding the ball into the vacant net.


It helped Bamford, who left Stamford Bridge in 2017 without making a first-team appearance, take his tally of Premier League away goals to seven – the joint-best alongside Tottenham's Son Heung-min and Leicester's Jamie Vardy.


Timo Werner should have done better when the ball dropped to him from a corner but he could only scuff a close-range finish and then somehow struck the crossbar when it seemed easier to score.


Chelsea got themselves back on level terms when a low cross from Reece James was met by Giroud, who directed the ball past Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier at his near post.


Frank Lampard was forced to make a change when Hakim Ziyech left the field clutching his hamstring and was replaced by Pulisic.


The intensity of the first half continued after the break, with a last-ditch block denying Raphinha for Leeds before Werner saw two efforts saved by Meslier.

Zouma climbed highest to meet a Mason Mount corner just after the hour and powerfully headed the ball past Meslier to put the home side ahead.


The Chelsea defender has four goals in 10 Premier League games this season, as many as he managed in his first 141 games in the competition
Pulisic put the gloss on the result in the third minute of added time when he tapped home from Werner's cross as Leeds were caught on the break.

[Edoman]

Atletico Madrid 2-0 Real Valladolid: Lemar ends scoring drought as Simeone's men go top



5 December 2020, 


A rare Thomas Lemar goal helped Atletico Madrid to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Real Valladolid at the Wanda Metropolitano as Diego Simeone's side climbed to the top of LaLiga.


Simeone named Joao Felix, Koke and Marcos Llorente among the substitutes with key games against Salzburg and Real Madrid to come over the next week, and Atleti struggled to get going as a result.


Llorente was introduced at half-time and Joao Felix and Koke followed before the hour, though Lemar had made the all-important breakthrough a few moments earlier with his first club goal since April 2019.


Atleti were in control from that point and added a second through substitute Llorente's route-one strike as the leaders made it seven league wins in a row to move above Real Sociedad.


Jordi Masip spilled Angel Correa's long-range shot but Luis Suarez could not take advantage four minutes into his return, miscontrolling the ball as he attempted to round the keeper.


The visitors entered the game unbeaten in three and looked the more threatening in the first half, with Jan Oblak keeping out efforts from Oscar Plano and Marcos de Sousa.


Simeone's men were given another scare four minutes into the second period when De Sousa's volleyed shot at the back post was blocked by Kieran Trippier in front of goal.


But Atletico grew into the game and, a few moments after Correa fired wide on the turn, Lemar converted Trippier's cross from a tight angle after Suarez failed to reach it at full stretch.


That ended a run of 45 games in all competitions without a goal for the France international and Atleti had a second 16 minutes later - Trippier flicking on Oblak's pass for Llorente to race through and tuck past Masip.
What does it mean? Positive start to big week for Atletico

Atletico need to avoid defeat away to Salzburg on Wednesday to advance to the last 16 of the Champions League, before then travelling to bitter rivals Real Madrid in the league three days later.



Simeone was therefore keen to give a few of his key men a breather today but that did not go exactly to plan, as Joao Felix, Koke and Llorente were all brought on to help break down a resolute Valladolid side.


Atleti had only one shot on target in a below-par first half compared to three in the second, two of those beating Masip, as they took control of the game and made it six home league wins in a row in this fixture.


Kieran the key man
Trippier blocked De Sousa's goal-bound volley with the game delicately poised at 0-0 and then set up both of his side's goals, with no player on the pitch touching the ball more times than the right-back (93).


On what was his 48th appearance for Atletico in all competitions, he became the first English player to set up two or more goals in a LaLiga game since David Beckham for Real Madrid against Villarreal in May 2006.


Suarez's minimal impact
The Uruguay international had missed Atletico's previous four matches after testing positive for coronavirus while away with his country last month and was understandably rusty on his return to action.


He squandered a good chance early on and found the target from just one of his five shots before being replaced a little over an hour into the match.


What's next?

Atletico have those big games with Salzburg and Madrid over the next seven days, while Valladolid host fellow strugglers Osasuna on their return to LaLiga action next weekend.

[Edoman]

Guardiola: Win over Fulham ideal way to celebrate 700th game



5 December 2020




Pep Guardiola said victory over Fulham was the perfect way to celebrate 250 games in charge of Manchester City and 700 overall in management.
The Spaniard's glittering career in has seen him ply his coaching trade in three countries, winning top-flight titles in Spain, Germany and England.


His pursuit of a third Premier League continued with a 2-0 win over Fulham, thanks to a goal from Raheem Sterling and a Kevin De Bruyne penalty.
In his 700 matches to date, Guardiola has tasted victory 507 times and lost just 82 of those, leaving him with a superb win percentage of 72.4.


"Well, important first, of course, is being in the present – the present is the victory, of course," he told City's website.


"You know, my 250 games here at the same time with 700 games I share it with Barcelona people who were there, with Bayern Munich.


"There's a lot of games, a lot of victories, a lot of titles, just, 82 defeats with 700 games when I realised it – wow, how good it was this period together with these three amazing clubs?
"Happy to do this 250 with this club and more to come. So hopefully we can have success in the next period.


"Of course, the rates are good, so a lot of games 700, to have rated more than 70 per pecent victories. So it's really good."


Guardiola praised midfielder Ilkay Gundogan for the way in which he asserted his influence over the game, but warned him not to lose focus with his passing.


Gundogan made 116 passes – more than any other City player – with 89.7 per cent successfully completed.


"Ilkay is incredibly important for us. He has personality," Guardiola added
"Defensively he was good. He lost simple balls and he has to avoid that. But Ilkay is an exceptional player in all situations. He can play more upfront and as a defensive midfielder.


"Overall our finishing was wasteful. We know we have to improve this, but it's important to keep creating the chances.


"In the last 20 minutes we lost too many simple balls, which is a problem. We have to do the simple things better. That is the next step."