Liverpool celebrated the return of fans to Anfield with a 4-0 victory over Wolves on Sunday.
Sitting three points off the summit of the Premier League following Tottenham s win over Arsenal earlier in the day, the Reds responded by claiming a typically hard-earned victory over Nuno Espirito Santo s side.
Goals from Mohamed Salah, Georginio Wijnaldum and Joel Matip, along with an own goal from Nelson Semedo, ensured they drew level with Spurs on points to move second by virtue of goal difference.
Perhaps buoyed by their returning supporters, Liverpool started the brighter, and went close when Sadio Mane headed over after a slick one-two with Andy Robertson.
But they were quickly reminded of Wolves threat at the other end as Daniel Podence drew a fingertip …
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On Saturday evening, AS Monaco will welcome Olympique Marseille to their Stade Louis II where the two teams will stand against each other in what will be the fifth Ligue 1 game of the 2019/20 season for both.
Monaco
Having stunned the French football public by displacing the eternal favorites Paris Saint-Germain as the champions in 2016/17 and finishing second the following year, Monaco are struggling at the moment. Last season they barely escaped relegation, which naturally means that they won t be playing any European football this term, and things aren t looking any better at the moment. Not if the opening four games are anything to by.
Monaco enter this clash from one step above the bottom of the table. They ve only managed…
Wolves confirmed their status as Championship winners thanks to a crushing 4-0 triumph at struggling Bolton Wanderers, while Sunderland s controversial 2-1 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Burton Albion sealed a second successive relegation.
Middlesbrough moved a step closer to securing a play-off spot thanks to a 2-1 win at Derby County, who remain just outside the top six as a result, while Aston Villa – who are at the very least assured of a play-off berth – thrashed Ipswich Town 4-0 on the road.
Birmingham City gave their survival hopes a big boost by beating Sheffield United 2-1, while Leeds United ended a run of four winless games with a 2-1 victory over manager Paul Heckingbottom s former side Barnsley, who remain two points adrift of safety.
Ther…
Liverpool have the class to walk the game when they tackle Everton in Wednesday s derby, and former Reds defender Stephen Warnock believes that would pile pressure on Rafael Benitez.
A series of worrying injuries have hampered Everton in recent weeks, and they will be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina and Tom Davies for this midweek tussle.
Warnock has sympathy for Benitez, whom he played under at Liverpool, but he feels the big game will only go one way unless Everton can raise their levels.
A run of seven games without a win in the Premier League, their longest such streak since 2016, has seen Everton plummet to 14th in the Premier League going into the midweek round of games.
As a former Liverpool boss, Benitez needed a strong start to earn th…
Can Uruguay cope without their key man? / Image via independent.co.uk
Uruguay have been dealt with a major set-back prior to their Copa America Centernario opener against Mexico as Barcelona forward and Europe’s top striker from last season Luis Suarez has been ruled out for the game with injury.
Uruguay head coach Oscar Tabarez has confirmed the news on Saturday claiming that Barcelona striker is not ready.
The 29-year-old suffered a right hamstring injury in the second half of Barcelona’s Copa del Rey final against Sevilla two weeks ago when he limped off in tears fearing that he would miss Uruguay’s entire Copa America Centenario campaign.
“Suarez is a player who always surprises us with his recovery, but he is not ready yet”, said Tabarez.<…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailed his old club Barcelona for their staggering 6-5 aggregate victory against PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Neymar inspired Barcelona to an unbelievable comeback, the Brazilian scoring twice as his club overturned a 4-0 first-leg defeat in style thanks to Sergi Roberto s injury-time winner.
Guardiola won the Champions League title twice with Barca, in 2008-09 and 2010-11, and while he could not watch the 6-1 victory as he was managing City to a 0-0 draw in the Premier League, he praised the LaLiga giants.
I d like to congratulate Barcelona, it’s an amazing result they got tonight, said Guardiola after his side missed the chance to narrow the gap to leaders Chelsea to eight points.
It is incredible…
FIFA medical committee chairman Michel D Hooghe confirmed the governing body is awaiting a decision on the proposed changes to the concussion rule, including the introduction of a temporary substitute.
FIFPro has led calls for change to the current three-minute assessment and treatment of head injuries after high-profile incidents since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The issue of concussion and head injuries dominated headlines last season – a sickening incident involving Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen in the Champions League semi-finals of particular concern.
Vertonghen required extensive treatment after colliding with the back of Spurs team-mate Toby Alderweireld s head in the first half of a first-leg loss to Ajax in London, where he was initially cleared …
According to AS, Barcelona are looking at Jeroen Zoet as a possible replacement for Jasper Cillessen. The 29 year old Cillessen has been at the Nou Camp since 2016, but has failed to make any major appearances in comparison to his time in the spotlight with Ajax. It s expected that he ll soon leave the club in search of first team football, with sitting on the bench not really being a favourable option for him.
Zoet, on the other hand, has been with PSV since back in 2011 and has made over 150 appearances for the Dutch club. At the age of 27 he s just starting to come into his prime as a goalkeeper, although this situation does raise an interesting question regarding what some keepers are willing to do for money.
After all, Zoet will almost certainly be taking Cillessen…
Lionel Messi confirmed he is in a great place physically and mentally on the eve of his final World Cup.
The Argentina captain cut a remarkably relaxed figure ahead of Tuesday s game against Saudi Arabia in Doha, repeatedly stressing how much he is enjoying his football as his glittering career enters its final chapters.
Messi caused alarm over the weekend by failing to show for the section of training open to the media, but he was quick to rule out any injury concerns.
He said: I am feeling very well physically, I m in good condition. I come here in really good form, both personally and physically. I have no issues whatsoever.
There were rumours about missing part of training, but no, it was just a precaution, nothing out of the ordinary.
Hast…
Spain s record goalscorer David Villa has been handed a shock recall for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Liechtenstein at the age of 35.
The former Barcelona forward has scored 59 times for his country, winning Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, but has not featured for Spain since they were dumped out of the 2014 World Cup in the group stages.
Villa has scored 19 goals in MLS for New York City FC this season and joins a Spain side currently leading Italy in Group G on goal difference, with four games remaining.
And head coach Julen Lopetegui is happy to welcome back Villa, believing the veteran forward – who has also previously represented Valencia and Atletico Madrid – can make a difference in a crucial double-header.
I underst…