Sports News
Palmer stoppage-time penalty salvages a draw for Chelsea in eight-goal thriller against Man City
Salah double helps Liverpool to 3-0 win over Brentford as Villa ease to 3-1 victory over Fulham
Embracing the bright side: A guide on how to cultivate optimism
The power of solitude: Why you should go on a solo trip
How to get your kids to read: Essential tips for parents
How to boost your memory power: Psychological tricks and tips
Premier League leaders Manchester City and Chelsea slugged out a magnificent 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge with former City youngster Cole Palmer levelling for the hosts with a stoppage-time penalty on Sunday.
For the second time this week Chelsea were involved in an extraordinary tussle after their 4-1 win at nine-man Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, this time going toe-to-toe with the champions in a rip-roaring duel.
City, for whom Erling Haaland scored twice, once from the penalty spot, ended the weekend one point clear at the top with 28 points with Liverpool, who beat Brentford 3-0 on 27 along with Arsenal who beat Burnley on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah reached another scoring milestone for Liverpool, netting twice to reach 200 goals in English football and become the first player in the club’s history to score in each of their first six home league games of a season.
Aston Villa beat Fulham 3-1 to match a 40-year-old club record of 13 straight home league wins.
West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek powered home a late header to seal a topsy-turvy 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest and end their winless streak, while Brighton & Hove Albion’s winless league run was extended to six games when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sheffield United.
Chelsea and City served up a sizzling Sunday classic with Mauricio Pochettino’s side showing once again that they are beginning to gel after a mediocre start to the campaign.
City opened the scored when Spanish defender Marc Cucurella pulled Haaland’s shirt to concede a VAR-checked penalty which the Norwegian coolly converted in the 24th minute.
Five minutes later Chelsea’s 39-year-old Brazilian defender Thiago Silva equalised with a header and former City forward Raheem Sterling capitalised on a Josko Gvardiol stumble to put Chelsea in front after 37 minutes.
Manuel Akanji headed City level in first-half injury time and Haaland bundled in his second a minute after the restart, only for Nicolas Jackson, who scored a hat-trick against Tottenham, to equalise for Chelsea.
City appeared to have won it through Rodri’s 86th-minute strike but there was one final twist as Armando Broja was fouled in the box by Ruben Dias and Palmer kept his cool as tempers frayed to earn his side a point.
“We knew how tough it is to come here with the team they have built,” City’s Rodri said. “They have signed massive players. It wasn’t our best today. In the end we scored four but there were some mistakes.”
Things were far more sedate at Anfield where Liverpool moved right into title contention thanks to another contribution from the talismanic Salah.
“Crazy,” Klopp said of the 31-year-old Salah, who has 10 goals in 12 league games this season. “Goal number 200 in England, right? Exceptional, played a super game today.”
Aston Villa cruised past Fulham with strikes from John McGinn and Ollie Watkins and an own goal by Antonee Robinson.
Villa Park has become a fortress under Unai Emery as his side, along with Liverpool and Manchester City, are the only teams to have won all their home league matches this season.
“We are in the top five and I think this is a moment to enjoy and to analyse deeply, even when we are winning, how we can improve,” Emery said.
West Ham’s Soucek got on the end of James Ward-Prowse’s corner to seal the points for the Hammers who had gone four games without a league victory.
Victory lifted the Hammers to ninth in the table with 17 points from 12 games while Forest are 15th with 13 points.
Brighton & Hove Albion were reduced to 10 men after midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud picked up a red card.
Simon Adingra scored an early goal for Brighton but Dahoud’s sending-off for a stamp on Ben Osborn’s leg allowed United to capitalise and equalise through an Adam Webster own goal.
Brighton are eighth in the table, while Sheffield United are 19th with just one win.
Scores
Aston Villa 3 Fulham 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Sheffield United 1
Liverpool 3 Brentford 0
West Ham United 3 Nottingham Forest 2
Chelsea 4 Manchester City 4
Sports News
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Chelsea smashed six goals past the Championship team as they booked their spot in next month’s Carabao Cup final.
The Blues trailed 1-0 from the first-leg, but the Premier League side made no mistake in Tuesday’s second-leg.
Chelsea took the lead through a Jonny Howson own-goal, with Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Cole Palmer scoring before the break.
Palmer bagged his second goal of the night to add his side’s fifth as Noni Madueke completed the rout.
After the match, Manchester United legend Carrick spoke glowingly about Palmer, calling him a ‘real talent’ in high praise.
“He is a real talent. Nice lad as well. Down to Earth and you can see when you come up against him he will go on to have a great career. It’s not nice when you are on the end of it but we can appreciate and respect how good he is,” he said via The Mirror.
Mauricio Pochettino echoed Carrick’s sentiment and hailed the 21-year-old’s ability to play anywhere in the forward line.
“He is a player with an amazing talent. It is a player that understands the game. He has the quality and the talent to see the situation and to read the game in another aspect,” he added.
“He can play from the right, striker or in behind the striker. We try to give him freedom because in this type of game he can find the best position to help the team. For me, [the best part] is when he presses and then the intuition to get the ball back.”
Palmer, who joined the Stamford Bridge outfit from Manchester City last summer, has been in brilliant form this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
However, the national media picked out another Chelsea star as Matt Law of The Telegraph wrote about Ben Chilwell’s importance.
“What a difference a left-back makes. This was not just Ben Chilwell’s first start since September, it was the first time he started in his preferred position all season,” he said.
“And how Chelsea have missed him. Wearing the captain’s armband, Chilwell looked like he had never been away and sent a message to Mauricio Pochettino to give up on playing him as a winger.”
Chilwell started his first game for four months as he starred on the left-hand side in Chelsea’s victory over Boro.
The 27-year-old has only managed nine appearances in all competitions this season, having been blighted with injuries.
Sports News
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
The latest Chelsea and Arsenal transfer news as the striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League after impressing for Napoli.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has said that his full concentration is on helping Nigeria go as far as they can in the Africa Cup of Nations amid talk over his future.
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams to have been linked with an interest in the 25-year-old. football.london understands that Chelsea wanted to sign Osimhen in the summer , but Napoli’s reluctance to part ways with the player meant that attention was turned to Nicolas Jackson instead.
Mikel Arteta is likely to want to add to his striking options when the summer transfer window opens. Osimhen has been touted as a potential target.
The striker’s contract with Napoli expires in 2025, meaning that the summer could be one of the last chances that Napoli have to get a decent fee for the player if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the club. That has led to speculation that he could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Osimhen is currently on international duty with Nigeria who have secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s while representing his country that he addressed the talk over his future.
“I have to respect my contract,” he told the Guardian. “Whatever happens in the summer everybody will know. For now I am at the Afcon and I am focused on that.”
Osimhem’s goalscoring record for Napoli makes it no surprise that he continues to be linked with a transfer away from the club. Since joining from Lille in the summer of 2020 he has scored 67 times in 119 appearances for the club.
So far this season, he has scored eight times in 18 appearances in all competitions. The striker’s international record is even more impressive with him finding the net 20 times in 27 appearances for Nigeria, including the equaliser in the nation’s 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening AFCON game.
Sports News
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
The latest Chelsea news as we take a closer look at the fixtures on the horizon for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as they look to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday night as they came from behind to comfortably beat Championship side Millwall.
Michael Carrick’s side were leading 1-0 after the first leg at the Riverside Stadium, but Chelsea quickly settled any nerves that may have been around in the stands at Stamford Bridge. An early own goal by Jonny Howson was followed by strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, and Cole Palmer to put Chelsea 4-0 up on the night at half time.
It got better in the second half as Palmer scored his second of the game before Noni Madueke made it 6-0. Middlesbrough grabbed a consolation through Morgan Rogers in the 88th minute.
After booking their place at Wembley eyes now turn to the upcoming fixtures in both the Cup and the Premier League. Chelsea sit in ninth place in the table, 12 points off a top-four spot, a good run of form could see that gap quickly close before the end of the season.
As well as fixtures ahead of Chelsea, eyes could be on who others around them in the table are taking on. With that in mind football.london has taken a look at the next five fixtures coming up for Chelsea and the other clubs looking towards the top four and the European places.
Aston Villa (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Liverpool (A) January 31
The most difficult fixture of the run, on paper, with Liverpool currently leading the Premier League table. Jurgen Klopp’s side are four points clear of Man City in second, but Pep Guardiola’s team do have a game in hand.
The reverse fixture back in August finished in a 1-1 draw. Axel Disasi equalised in the first half after Luis Diaz’s opener.
Wolves (H) February 4
Chelsea don’t have long to wait to try and avenge the Boxing Day loss against Wolves. Goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty saw the Blues fall to a 2-1 loss with Christopher Nkunku grabbing a 96th-minute goal.
Wolves have been praised for their performances under Gary O’Neil so far this season. They sit in 11th place, three points behind Chelsea in the table.
Crystal Palace (A) February 12
Crystal Palace are a team struggling to find their form with pressure growing on manager Roy Hodgson. They fell to a 5-0 loss against Arsenal in their last outing, leaving them in 15th place in the Premier League table, five points clear of the bottom three.
Noni Madueke’s 89th-minute penalty saw Chelsea come out as 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture on December 27.
Man City (A) February 17
Another difficult game on paper for Chelsea as Man City look to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table. The reverse fixture back in November was a memorable one for fans of both clubs as well as neutrals.
Cole Palmer’s 97th-minute penalty saw the game end in a 4-4 draw. Chelsea came from behind on three occasions to take a point.
Manchester United fixtures (current position 8th, 32 points)
Newport County (A) 28 January (FA Cup)
Wolves (A) 1 February
West Ham (H) 4 February
Aston Villa (A) 11 February
Luton Town (A) 18 February
Brighton fixtures (current position 7th, 32 points)
Sheffield United (A) 27 January (FA Cup)
Luton Town (A) 30 January
Crystal Palace (H) 3 February
Tottenham (A) 10 February
Sheffield United (A) 18 February
West Ham fixtures (current position 6th, 35 points)
Bournemouth (H) 1 February
Man United (A) 4 February
Arsenal (H) 11 February
Nottingham Forest (A) 17 February
Brentford (H) 26 February
Tottenham fixtures (current position 5th, 40 points)
Man City (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Brentford (H) 31 January
Everton (A) 3 February
Brighton (H) 10 February
Wolves (H) 17 February
Aston Villa fixtures (current position 4th, 43 points)
Chelsea (A) 26 January (FA Cup)
Newcastle (H) 30 January
Sheffield United (A) 3 February
Man United (H) 11 February
Fulham (A) 17 February
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
Confirmed Chelsea line up vs Newcastle : Palmer, Jackson, Sterling Start as Nkunku seat on the bench
