Tag: Premier League

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Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City: Super Sergio sinks sloppy Blues to devastating effect

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Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City: Super Sergio sinks sloppy Blues to devastating effect

Sergio Agüero flexed his big-game muscles and netted a well-taken hat-trick as the Citizens strolled to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge against a sloppy Chelsea side.

Following his narrow penalty miss against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, which luckily didn’t prove pivotal, Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero scored a well-taken hat-trick to help the Citizens against a sloppy Chelsea side away from home.

Morale continues to rise within City camp

As a result, Manuel Pellegrini‘s men climb a place into third – with Arsenal set to face Crystal Palace in tomorrow afternoon’s clash from the Emirates. For a side that has struggled with consistency and faltered upon multiple occasions already this season, the sky Blues’ progression into the Champions League semi-finals has certainly rejuvenated the first-team squad: there is clear harmony between players and they’ve all been linking up together well in recent weeks.

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West Ham United 3-3 Arsenal: Koscielny saves Gunners’ blushes after six-goal drama

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West Ham United 3-3 Arsenal: Koscielny saves Gunners' blushes after six-goal drama

Having stormed into a two-goal cushion, Arsenal capitulated in true Gunners’ fashion – and Laurent Koscielny was luckily on hand to salvage a point from a game in which they really should’ve taken all three.

Gunners get off to very promising start

Laurent Koscielny‘s second-half equaliser saved the Gunners‘ blushes in a match they really should’ve won: having stormed into a two-goal cushion before the half-time whistle at Upton Park. A hat-trick in the space of ten game minutes from Andy Carroll left the north Londoners on edge after a seemingly perfect start to proceedings against their London rivals, on Arsenal‘s final visit before West Ham make the lucrative move to the Olympic Stadium.

Goals from Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez were both well-taken, after inviting passes made by 19-year-old forward Alex Iwobi – notching up two assists in the process. The visitors were 2-0 up after 35 minutes, and many had suggested it’d be a routine victory from then on. You’d have assumed after their dreaded opening day defeat against Slaven Bilic‘s side, Arséne Wenger‘s men had learned to curb their attacking enthusiasm and stay defensively resolute under pressure.

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Reports: City set to rival Liverpool for Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s signature

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Reports: City set to rival Liverpool for Marc-Andre ter Stegen's signature

The talented 23-year-old goalkeeper, who is reportedly unsettled at the Nou Camp, could be on his way to either of the Premier League sides – with recent reports suggesting he’d prefer a move to Eastlands.

Reports: City interested in ter Stegen’s services

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has made no secret that he is currently unsettled, could make a move to the Premier League this summer. As reported by the Telegraph, the Express and Liverpool Echo, Manchester City have emerged frontrunners for his signature.

The talented 23-year-old German, who has been Claudio Bravo‘s understudy for much of the 2015/16 campaign, is certainly eager to play more regularly and with the experienced Chilean reaching the latter years of his playing career, his future with Barça remains uncertain.

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Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United: Player ratings in a forgettable derby day defeat

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Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United: Player ratings in a forgettable derby day defeat

Plenty was at stake in another intriguing – but tense – Manchester derby. So, what went wrong for Sunday’s hosts?

Manchester City were unable to make use of their dominance and prevail over local neighbours, Manchester United – in a Manchester derby which promised much but for the home supporters, delivered little. Instead of tightening their grip on the top-four, the Citizens’ defensive frailties have been exposed and their big-game vulnerability has come into question once more, having lost to a less-than-perfect Louis van Gaal side on Sunday.

How did the players fare individually? Read below, for the hosts’ player ratings:

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Everton 0-2 Arsenal: Welbeck and Iwobi on scoresheet as Gunners victorious in style

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Everton 0-2 Arsenal: Welbeck and Iwobi on scoresheet as Gunners victorious in style

Birthday boy Hector Bellerín, Danny Welbeck and in particular Alex Iwobi – on his first Premier League start – were excellent as the Gunners were victorious in a must-win game to keep their title chances alive.

Gunners back in tandem with stylish victory

Following three games without a win, it was imperative that Arsenal started quickly and effectively took the game to their opponents on Saturday – an Everton side buoyed by their 2-0 home victory over Chelsea last time out, sealing their passage into the FA Cup semi-finals as a result.

They did just that, despite plenty of news rumbling before kick-off that a section of the travelling supporters might possibly stage a protest at both the club – in particular major shareholder Stan Kroenke – and current manager Arséne Wenger, who the media have continuously said is under an increasing amount of pressure to succeed in a relatively unpredictable league campaign, as their best opportunity to win the title is seemingly slipping away from their grasp.

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Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United: Rashford the hero as Citizens struggle in tense derby loss

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Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United: Rashford the hero as Citizens struggle in tense derby loss

Marcus Rashford’s first-half strike was enough to sink the struggling Citizens, in an afternoon where the hosts dominated for large periods but ultimately failed to take their chances.

Rashford’s first-half strike enough to sink Citizens

Manchester United have prevailed with a hard-fought derby victory away at the Ethiad, thus boosting their top-four hopes in the process. All of the plaudits and media attention, will undoubtedly be diverted in the direction of young Marcus Rashford – who became the youngest goalscorer in the Manchester Derby (18 years, 141 days) with a cool, composed finish in the first-half.

Having been slipped through on-goal by Juan Mata, the 18-year-old had it all to do, but skipped past Martin Demichelis within a flash and his effort from close-range nestled into the back of the net within seconds afterward.

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Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United: As it happened

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Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United: As it happened

Hello everyone! Good afternoon and welcome to my live commentary from today’s Manchester Derby at the Ethiad.

Manchester City host local rivals United, in what promises to be an intriguing fixture – especially with the early team news that awaits.

Following injuries to City’s first-choice defensive partnership of Nicolas Otámendi and captain Vincent Kompany, it is expected that the Red Devils will hope to prevail and exploit the Citizens’ defensive frailties away from home today.

So, what’s at stake? City can close the gap on third placed Arsenal with a derby day victory, whilst United can leapfrog West Ham into 5th – just a point behind the sky Blues (provided they win!).

In terms of results earlier on, Southampton managed a miraculous comeback from two goals down to seal a 3-2 victory at home against Liverpool.

Ronald Koeman‘s men have propelled themselves level on points with United as a result, whilst the Tyne-Wear derby served up an unpredictable 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park in the 1.30pm kick-off.

Both sides will be eager for victory – City can maintain their faint title aspirations with a win whilst United can breathe new life into their quest for Champions League qualification, after they were knocked out of the Europa League at the expense of Jürgen Klopp’s unpredictable Liverpool side.

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18-year-old winger Chris Willock destined for exciting future, says Wenger

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18-year-old winger Chris Willock destined for exciting future, says Wenger

Arséne has not been shy in his praise for the talented teenager, who has been impressive at youth level this term and is poised to be included in the first-team matchday squad v Watford

Arsenal winger Chris Willock is destined for an exciting future, according to Arséne Wenger. The talented 18-year-old, who has been a regular in the under-18 and under-21 squads in recent months, has continued his development having signed a professional deal with the Gunners around this time last year.

Willock has been regularly training with the first-team and impressed, so much so, that he’s been included in matchday squads recently too. Along with the likes of Krystian Bielik, Julio Pleguezuelo and Ben Sheaf, he’s amongst a highly-rated crop of youngsters in his age-group, and has already featured for the England national side too at various youth levels.

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Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa: Citizens thump wounded Lions

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Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa: Citizens thump wounded Lions

Goals from Yaya Touré, Raheem Sterling and a Sergio Agüero brace helped restore some much-needed confidence after a forgettable defeat in midweek at Anfield.

Ahead of kick-off, this fixture was billed as a mismatch. In all honesty, it really was. In spite of Manchester City’s troubling inconsistency in the league this term, they’re still in with a shout of winning the Premier League crown come May. Saturday’s vistors, Aston Villa, have the unenvious task of trying to remain in the top flight. Nine points from safety, having only won three league games all season, things look bleak from Remi Garde’s perspective.

So they made the trip to the blue half of Manchester, not expecting much. At the half-time interval, they would’ve been quietly surprised that they were still in with a chance of getting an encouraging result out of the game.

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Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Arsenal: Sánchez saves Coquelin’s blushes in frantic North London Derby

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Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Arsenal: Sánchez saves Coquelin's blushes in frantic North London Derby

A late equaliser from Alexis Sánchez helped to save Francis Coquelin’s blushes following the Frenchman’s second-half dismissal: at a point where the Gunners were in the ascendancy and looked certain to secure all three points.

Alexis to the rescue for travelling Gunners

A late equaliser courtesy of Alexis Sánchez – with his first league goal since October – was enough to salvage a point for Arsenal in an unpredictable, yet frustrating North London Derby at White Hart Lane.

Having broken the deadlock on the stroke of half-time courtesy of a deft backheel finish from Aaron Ramsey, the Gunners enjoyed some counter-attacking freedom of their own – the momentum shifted as Spurs were eagerly anticipating the referee’s whistle to signal the half-time interval.

Ramsey (pictured, middle) broke the deadlock with an excellent improvised backheel flick from Bellerín’s pass | Photo: Getty

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Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Arsenal: As it happened

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Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Arsenal: As it happened

Hello everyone! My name is Mosope Ominiyi and I’ll be guiding you through the action as it unfolds, in what promises to be one of – if not the biggest North London Derby in recent history this afternoon. Tottenham Hotspur – Arsenal, and both rival sides have their eyes firmly fixated on the prize: the Premier League trophy come the middle of May.

Kick-off is scheduled for a 12:45PM BST start, so keep following along as I deliver all of the pre-match build-up ahead of the action at White Hart Lane.

The atmosphere promises to be a lively, but tense one in north London today – plenty at stake, and not just bragging rights either. Here’s a picture of how the Premier League table looks at the moment, with all of the top six (apart from Manchester City) having played 28 games.

Arsenal could go level on points with their rivals Spurs, provided they win today | Photo: LiveScore

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Arsenal vs Swansea preview: Gunners aim to redeem themselves after forgettable week

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Arsenal - Swansea preview: Gunners aim to redeem themselves after forgettable week

Following defeats against Barcelona and Manchester United in quick succession, Arsenal will be eagerly awaiting an uplifting display all-round when they entertain Swansea at the Emirates – aiming to keep their title fight alive.

Following successive defeats against Barcelona and Manchester United last week, Arsenal will be looking for a positive response as their Premier League title credentials have been questioned – with a home fixture against Francesco Guidolin’s inconsistent Swansea side.

The visitors for Wednesday’s clash sit in 16th place, just three points above the relegation zone with a game in hand over both Sunderland and Norwich, who played this evening. They’ll be hoping to avenge their 3-0 home defeat earlier on in the campaign, but the Gunners will be equally bullish about their chances of sealing all three points.

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