All posts by n8rngtd.top

The Gunners were humbled by Pep Guardiola's champions in the top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad Stadium

Arsenal crumbled to a miserable 4-1 defeat at Manchester City to leave their Premier League title hopes all but over.

The game was billed as a championship decider, but it failed to live up to the hype – with Mikel Arteta's side having little answer to the brilliance of City.

It was one way traffic from the start and only a series of fine stops by Aaron Ramsdale saw the Gunners escape an absolute mauling.

But the Arsenal keeper was still beaten four times, twice by the exceptional Kevin De Bruyne, once by a John Stones header and finally by a late Erling Haaland strike as Pep Guardiola's side moved to within two points of leaders Arsenal, with two games in hand.

🏆 TOP STORY: Haaland breaks Salah's goal record

📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Is Lukaku the answer to Chelsea's scoring woes?

🚨 MUST READ: Arsenal couldn't, so can anyone stop Man City?

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Etihad Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Aaron Ramsdale (8/10):

  Should perhaps have done better with the first goal, but made several excellent stops to keep the score down.

  Ben White (6/10):

  Probably Arsenal's best defender on the night, made one great block to deny Haaland.

  Rob Holding (3/10):

  Given a torrid time by Haaland all night before City eased off. Nice finish to pull a goal back, though.

  Gabriel Magalhaes (4/10):

  Looked a bag of nerves all night.

  Oleksandr Zinchenko (3/10):

  Anonymous, never got into the game.

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  Midfield

  Thomas Partey (3/10):

  Couldn't get to grips with De Bruyne at all. Really poor night.

  Granit Xhaka (4/10):

  Never got into game.

  Martin Odegaard (3/10):

  Dreadful error for the third goal. City kept him so quiet.

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  Attack

  Bukayo Saka (3/10):

  Akanji barley gave him a kick.

  Gabriel Jesus (3/10):

  Didn't get a chance all night.

  Gabriel Martinelli (3/10):

  No impact. Frustrating night.

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  Subs & Manager

  Jorginho (5/10):

  Brought a bit more stability to the midfield.

  Leandro Trossard (6/10):

  Few nice touches and set up the goal. Made a difference.

  Emile Smith Rowe (5/10):

  Good to see him actually get some minutes.

  Eddie Nketiah (5/10):

  Fizzed one effort wide of the far post.

  Reiss Nelson (6/10):

  Another bright cameo off the bench.

  Mikel Arteta (3/10):

  Stuck with Holding rather than trying something new. It didn't work. His changes did at least stem the tide somewhat.

Jordan Pickford was Carlo Ancelotti’s real hero as Everton recorded the first away win over Liverpool in 22-years during Saturday’s 2-0 Merseyside derby triumph at Anfield.

Goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson in either half dealt Jurgen Klopp’s defending Premier League champions their fourth-straight home defeat, having gone almost four years without losing a top-flight fixture on Reds soil before Burnley’s 1-0 win last month.

You had to go back even further for the last time that the Toffees had won on their travels across Stanley Park, with Walter Smith’s Blues running out 1-0 victors in September 1999 for the Goodison Park natives’ last win away to their rivals.

The clock has now been reset on Everton’s unwanted record, and Ancelotti’s men’s rare win was enough for the Toffees to move level with Liverpool in sixth-place while closing the gap to the top-four to just three points after Southampton held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw.

But Everton still have a game in hand over Thomas Tuchel’s Blues and can look to further solidify their challenge for a European qualifying berth thanks to Pickford’s exploits between the posts on Saturday.

In challenging conditions with the wind swirling around Anfield, Pickford frequently provided pivotal saves to keep his side a goal to the good. The England number one proved a particular bane for Jordan Henderson in the first half and Mohamed Salah in the second.

Henderson had appeared on course to pull Liverpool level in the 20th minute with a beautiful outside-foot volley, only for Pickford to fly down to his right-hand side and fingertip his compatriot’s effort round the post.

Pickford had already punched away a dangerous cross from Sadio Mane in the opening stages to deny Curtis Jones, as the midfielder waited at the back post with an open goal in front of him. He would again deny Mane after the break and confidently collected another delivery when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross floated into the £100,000-per-week shot-stopper’s box.

Salah again forced a vital save from the £23.5m-rated ace in the 69th-minute, with Pickford decisively smothering the Egypt winger’s attempt on goal after a nice piece of interplay between Roberto Firmino and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Pickford’s performance was a showcase of the best the 26-year-old can be and the perfect retort to his critics after the slating received for his challenge on Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk in the reverse fixture in October.

The 30-cap ‘keeper, who made six saves in total – above the Premier League-high average of 4.13 a game recorded by West Bromwich Albion’s Sam Johnstone – further took 47 touches on Saturday, only Mason Holgate (48) and Lucas Digne (51) registered more for Everton, per WhoScored.

Pickford also registered his best SofaScore match rating across all competitions for club and country since January 2019 when he achieved an 8.7 out of ten against AFC Bournemouth, with the former Sunderland ace earning an 8.3 despite averaging a 6.6 over his last three Premier League appearances.

His display ensured Pickford emerged as Ancelotti’s real hero at Anfield, despite Michael Keane providing two fantastic moments to keep the Reds without a goal by blocking Firmino in the first half and pulling off a crucial last-man tackle on Mane in the second period.

AND in other news, Everton face a £35m asking price to land Carlo Ancelotti’s 21-year-old target…

With everything that Marcelo Bielsa has done at Leeds United since he was appointed as the club’s manager back in the summer of 2018, it’s no surprise that fans of the Elland Road side absolutely adore him.

‘El Loco’ brought the Yorkshire club back to the big-time of the Premier League after winning the Championship last season, and the Whites have more than just held their own in their return to the top-flight – even after the weekend defeat to Aston Villa, they remain just ten points off the top four.

But, with Bielsa still yet to put pen to paper on a new deal – his existing contract comes to an end this summer – reports are suggesting that Leeds have got their eyes on potential replacements.

According to journalist Bruno Andrade, Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim is a name that is being “closely followed” by both Leeds and Leicester, with his impressive work at the Portuguese side being noted.

The 36-year-old is still very much a newcomer to management, having taken his first job as third-tier side, Casa Pia AC’s boss in the 2018/2019 campaign after retiring as a player.

The former Portugal international appears to be a bit of a maverick in the mould of a Bielsa, with Amorim already in his fourth stint as boss.

He helped Braga to the domestic cup in his first season in charge there, before retaining the trophy with Sporting a couple of months ago – the final of that game came against his former club, with both he and Braga boss Carlos Carvalhal, formerly of Sheffield Wednesday, being sent to the stands for arguing on the touch-line.

Aside from being a manic presence on the touch-line, just like the Leeds boss, it appears Amorim’s style of play is all about intensity and desire, with Portugal legend Jesualdo Ferreira, saying: “They all laughed when Braga announced it was promoting Ruben Amorim to manager. No one’s laughing now.

“Everyone who doubted him has been silenced. Ruben Amorim has injected aggression into Braga and maybe that was something they lacked. They lacked the mentality needed to go and win against big clubs in the league and he’s changed that.”

As a former top player for both Benfica and Portugal, Amorim could also bring a bit of credibility in terms of potential new signings at Elland Road who may have watched him play even quite recently, a la Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.

If Andrea Radrizzani does eventually find that Leeds have to appoint someone to succeed Bielsa, then he could find a dream replacement in the young and hungry Amorim.

Just like Bielsa has done in terms of bringing a bit of stability back to Leeds by staying longer than for just one season at the club, Amorim’s age could see him develop a real project in Yorkshire for a number of years if things work out.

Meanwhile, Leeds must get rid of this Bielsa favourite this summer…

Many Everton fans have been left to fume as some footage emerges of an incident that happened in their 1-0 win at West Ham United in the Premier League.

As shared by Twitter page @EvertonNewsFeed, a header from Josh King appeared to be blocked on the line by the hand of Craig Dawson, which was subsequently not picked up by the referee or VAR officials on the day.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference before their match away at Aston Villa, Carlo Ancelotti said (via @EvertonNewsFeed): “He scored a goal, and I’m surprised nobody knew this. I didn’t see this. I don’t think VAR was in the stadium. Imagine if West Ham scored a goal, it was a huge mistake, it cannot happen with VAR!”

Luckily for the Goodison Park faithful, it did not cost them any points in the end, but given that goal difference could well turn out to be a factor in their hunt for European qualification, Dawson would have been sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity while they would have also been able to increase their goal tally from the penalty spot and potentially score more as the game went on.

Everton fans on West Ham footage

These Toffees fumed as the footage was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that it was ‘astonishing’:

“You could really tell Carlo was enraged about it today, too right. How on earth have they not seen this? If King waves his arms in the air calling for it it gets given”

Credit: @AshleyAbbott09

“Astonishing”

Credit: @efac1878

“Red card and a penalty should’ve been given. We are Everton though”

Credit: @BigChungusREE

“Truly astounding. Thankfully didn’t cost us. Feel a little bad for King though. His first goal literally stolen from him.”

Credit: @deanoiskeeno

“Wait what?? I completely missed this on the night. Kept that quiet on commentary didn’t they”

Credit: @_wardley_

“Mad that like hahaha cant believe this wasn’t given”

Credit: @DanBandell

In other news, find out what transfer update has been lauded by EFC fans here!

Former Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez has exclusively told Football FanCast that he isn’t surprised Rangers midfielder Steven Davis was offered fresh terms at Ibrox.

The 36-year-old, who’s played a key role in the Gers’ Scottish Premiership triumph this term, recently signed a new one-year contract and is currently enjoying an impressive second spell at the club.

Despite being the second oldest player in the Rangers squad, Davis has been a regular under Steven Gerrard, and turned in another excellent Old Firm derby performance against Celtic on Sunday – his 47th appearance of the campaign.

His deal with the Scottish champions was set to expire in the summer, but the extension handed to him by Ross Wilson means he’ll remain at Ibrox until 2022.

And Sanchez, who gave the midfielder his debut on the international stage, told Football FanCast that despite turning 37 in January, Davis is more than good enough to still compete at this level.

He said: “He’s your eight out of 10 professional. He looks after himself, he sees the big picture, he understands how to extend his career.

“He’s proved at Southampton, Rangers and with Northern Ireland what a great player he is, he set a record number of caps of any home player. He’s avoided injury most of his career. He’s consistently good, and he’s a good pro, an excellent pro – one that all managers want in the team.

“Certainly, in Scotland, he can cope with that level, so it doesn’t surprise me that Steven Gerrard gave him another new contract. He gives you everything that a modern professional should do.”

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting in worried fashion after Diogo Jota missed training ahead of Saturday’s clash with Newcastle United.

The Reds host the Magpies this weekend, in what represents a must-win game for the Premier League champions.

Victory for Jurgen Klopp’s men would take them above both Chelsea and West Ham in the table, with the pair meeting at the London Stadium later in the day.

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Liverpool continue to be plagued by a number of injury problems, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson all key absentees.

Although it hasn’t been confirmed – Jurgen Klopp’s press conference is later on Friday – there are concerns that Jota may have joined them on the treatment table, having not taken part in training (Liverpool Echo) on Thursday.

It may be that he was simply being rested or doing indoor work, but considering how this season has panned out, another injury wouldn’t be a surprise.

Liverpool fans bemoan potential Jota injury

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to give their thoughts on another possible fitness issue for the Reds, with negativity the order of the day.

“Now what has happened to Jota? What’s the point?”

Credit: @FplFlynn

“No Jota? What the hell am I reading?”

Credit: @originalakin

“What are they doing in training? Only 7 players in the squad haven’t had an injury this season, that’s unacceptable”

Credit: @aidanthaprince

“No no no no no”

Credit: @LFCArran

“Why isn’t this affecting me? Think we have just got to the point where we’re use to it”

Credit: @NITOMHALLU

“Why always if one person returns another player get injured? Can someone please fire our medical staff, they clearly doing a bad job on keeping our players fit”

Credit: @9Boonzaaier

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to a potentially exciting transfer story. Read more here.

Having not managed to sign a central midfielder in the January transfer window as per Brendan Rodgers’ apparent wish, Leicester City could potentially try again in the summer.

It already appears that the groundwork has been made on a potential deal, with Tuttomercatoweb suggesting that the Foxes hold a “serious” interest in AC Milan’s Tommaso Pobega, who is currently in the midst of a very productive campaign on-loan at Spezia.

So far this term, the Italy under-21 midfielder has played 16 times in all competitions for his adoptive employers, scoring three goals and providing two assists, managing to find the net against the likes of Napoli and Juventus throughout the campaign.

Interestingly, at the age of just 21, Pobega is getting close to the numbers accumulated by current Leicester midfielder Dennis Praet, who is five years his senior.

According to WhoScored, the current Spezia man completes marginally more passes per game than the Belgian with 21.8 compared to 20.4, whilst he also attempts slightly more shots per game with 0.8 versus 0.6 for the Foxes ace.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leicester-city-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-soumare-soyuncu-edouard-jakupovic-lookman” title=”Latest Leicester City news, transfer rumours and more… “]

Whilst Pobega is narrowly beaten on key passes, he loses possession far less frequently than Praet, being dispossessed on just 0.2 occasions per match in Serie A compared to the Belgian’s 0.6.

Although it could be argued that there is not actually that much difference between the two players, hence Pobega would not actually be adding much to the current Leicester squad, his young age should lend him towards considerable improvement in the future.

In fact, that is a sentiment which is echoed by Spezia’s director Mauro Peluso, who has suggested that Pobega already has an “international profile”.

Rated at just £4.5m by Transfermarkt, his arrival would also be relatively affordable for Leicester; and considering that they would be receiving a player of such promise and potential, they must make a move to try and land his signature.

AND in more news, find out why Danny Ward’s new Leicester contract could be a huge clue for the future…

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Steve Bull, who made 561 appearances for Wolves, has claimed that super-agent Jorge Mendes will already be working on summer signings for Wolves but doesn’t want other clubs to be jealous.

Since Mendes became more involved at Wolves, they have seen an influx of top-class Portuguese talents such as Ruben Neves, Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho and Diogo Jota all join the club, with the latter now at Liverpool.

In recent weeks there have even been rumours of Mendes attempting to orchestrate a deal for Cristiano Ronaldo to make the move to Molineux this summer, with Juventus knocked out of the Champions League and out of the Serie A title race.

Speaking on Mendes already working on a number of deals and why other clubs should not be jealous of Wolves, Bull told The Transfer Tavern:

“There’s no need for other clubs to be jealous and we’ve said this before, but why be jealous? If the club’s got money then spend it wisely which is what he is doing.

“I think Mendes will have a few more players in the pipeline for Wolves over the next few years, don’t worry about that.”

It was reported last week that Wolves spent the eighth-most on agent fees over the last 12 months as they continue to prize top foreign talent to Molineux.

Wolves have experienced an indifferent season this year as they languish in the unfamiliar territory of the bottom half of the Premier League with leading striker Raul Jimenez being out injured since last year.

Steve Bruce should look to unleash Matty Longstaff following the international break in the hopes of convincing Miguel Almiron to stay at Newcastle United for the long-term.

What’s the word?

Speaking with Paraguayan radio station ABC Cardinal on Friday, Almiron fuelled speculation that he could look to secure a move away from St James’ Park in the near future.

The 27-year-old has admitted that he would like to play for a club who carry a greater fight in their performances, as he became the latest Toon player to seemingly criticise recent results.

Ciaran Clark had revealed earlier in the week that the United squad “weren’t up for it” during last weekend’s 3-0 mauling by relegation rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, as the Magpies’ torrid run of form stretched to two wins in 18 Premier League games.

Almiron has now fuelled speculation that he may look to secure a move away from Tyneside after his agent Daniel Campos claimed the midfielder would already have been sold amid interest from Atletico Madrid had it not been for the global pandemic.

“I would like to play in a team that fights more,” Almiron said. “Here, I am happy, and I feel comfortable.”

Campos had noted earlier in the season that Almiron may look to join a team who play a different brand of football than Newcastle, and could chase a transfer in June.

“Miguel’s work rate at Newcastle and Paraguay has been great,” Campos told Futgol 970 in November, via quotes shared by Chronicle Live. “If it wasn’t for the pandemic, he would’ve been elsewhere. Perhaps he would like to play on a team that has a lot of possession. Maybe in June, he’ll make that jump.”

Time to unleash Longstaff?

Almiron claiming that he would like to play in a side which carries more fight, just after Clark admitted that Newcastle rolled over against Brighton, will be a bitterly concerning update for Bruce.

Newcastle have established themselves as a team which plays on the back foot throughout the Premier League season, with relegation rivals West Bromwich Albion the only side to have averaged a lower share of possession per game (41.4%) than the Magpies (42%) to date.

Only Burnley (71.6%) and the Baggies (73.1%) retain possession at a lower standard than the Toon, who hold a 75.3% pass success rate, while Bruce’s men rank 14th in the division for tackles made per game with 14, per WhoScored.

All the indications point to a style of football not to Almiron’s preference, but Bruce can look to impress the Paraguayan coming out of the international break by unleashing Longstaff to add more bite to the engine room.

Longstaff has only played 377 minutes in the Premier League this season, despite Bruce assuring the 21-year-old of his path to the first team last summer and many considering the academy graduate to be the aggressive presence which Newcastle currently lack.

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson also claimed that Longstaff “would be a good addition for any team” last summer amid the midfielder’s contract stand-off, while later noting that he is already a “top player” but is “going to go on to become a better player”.

However, Longstaff’s development has stagnated massively this season due to his limited chances under Bruce, but he will still be expected to add bite to the engine room against Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday and show Almiron what some in the Newcastle squad are capable of producing.

AND in other news, Newcastle are closely monitoring a £13.5k-p/w dud who’s “been caught out” this season…

According to a report by Anfield Central, West Ham United have contacted Liverpool with an approach to sign midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – despite the fact he has been out for the majority of the season through injury.

The 27-year-old, who has no shortage of experience on the biggest stage, amassing 35 caps for England at international level, has barely been used by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp since recovering from a lengthy layoff.

West Ham make contact for Oxlade-Chamberlain

He missed 113 days for the Reds due to his injury, but Klopp has only called upon Oxlade-Chamberlain twice for a starting role and 10 times off the bench since his return.

Now, Anfield Central report that he is enticing West Ham, who may be looking to poach the midfielder.

Apparently, David Moyes and co are looking to capitalise on their fine form by strengthening with key players for the 2021/2022 season – especially considering they could be in Europe.

Transfer Tavern take

The Reds allegedly wish to keep hold of Oxlade-Chamberlain amid West Ham’s interest, but it will all come down to whether he is ready to settle for less playing time.

Klopp recently heralded him as an ‘outstanding player’ back when he was nearing a return from injury, but whether or not this is a deal the Irons should prioritise is debatable.

Currently on a reported £120,000-per-week at Liverpool, while he holds experience at the top level, GSB may wish for him to take a significant pay cut for this move to be possible.

In other news: Sky pundit blown away by player West Ham are reportedly targeting, find out more here.