Thomas Tuchel registered his first Premier League win as Chelsea head coach after a 2-0 victory over Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Cesar Azpilicueta put the Blues ahead shortly before half-time with a crisp finish as Tuchel s side dominated proceedings, assuaging the frustrations of Wednesday s 0-0 draw with Wolves.
Marcos Alonso added a second late on when he spectacularly hooked the ball home after being restored to the side.
Burnley offered little threat at the other end, with Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy spared any attempt at his goal until deep into stoppage time.
The win lifts the hosts up to seventh, four points shy of the top four, with Sean Dyche s side staying 16th.
Chelsea showed the early initiative as they directed much …
Robert Lewandowski is dreaming of scoring at a World Cup for the first time in a stark warning to Poland s opening Group C opponents Mexico.
The prolific striker played a huge part in Poland s qualifying campaign with nine goals and four assists, with those 13 direct-goal involvements twice as many as any team-mate.
However, he failed to find the net in 270 minutes of play in his only previous World Cup appearance in Russia four years ago, with Poland finishing bottom of their group.
But after scoring 211 goals at club level since that tournament – 42 more than next-best Kylian Mbappe – the Barcelona star is eager to put that right in Qatar.
I think about the last World Cup for sure, he said. To score at a World Cup would be a huge dream and I m goin…
Gareth Bale s stop-start return to Tottenham has stalled again after the on-loan Real Madrid winger was ruled out for a few weeks .
Bale sustained a calf problem during the EFL Cup quarter-final win at Stoke City on December 23, failing to emerge for the second half, and played no part in the 1-1 draw at Wolves four days later.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has now confirmed the Wales international, who has made just one Premier League start following his much-heralded return to north London, is set for a frustrating spell on the sidelines.
I wouldn t say [Bale s injury] is serious but I d say a few weeks, said Mourinho, whose team host Fulham on Wednesday.
Giovani Lo Celso, Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinicius will also miss the clash with Scott Parker s stru…
Thomas Tuchel being a German coach was a central factor in him being swiftly selected as Frank Lampard s replacement at Chelsea, according to former Stamford Bridge favourite Gus Poyet.
Former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund boss Tuchel will take charge of the Blues for the first time against Wolves on Wednesday, a day on from being confirmed as Lampard s successor.
The struggles of big money signings Kai Havertz and Timo Werner since joining Chelsea during the close season has been cited as a motivation for the club s hierarchy moving to appoint their compatriot Tuchel.
However, Poyet believes a wider trend is at play given the success of a high-pressing style made prominent over recent seasons by the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Ralph Hassenhuttl and Hans…
Tottenham secured their place in next season’s Women’s Super League after a Bethany England brace inspired a 4-1 win over Reading.
January recruit England opened the scoring with a close-range header and took her tally for Spurs to 11 goals with a poacher’s finish after half-time.
Celin Bizet scored in between for Vicky Jepson’s team before Kit Graham added the icing on the cake with her first goal since returning from anterior cruciate ligament damage suffered at the end of 2021.
Justine Vanhaevermaet netted a late consolation for basement club Reading, but they now trail Tottenham by six points with one match remaining and could be relegated if 11th-placed Leicester beat West Ham on Sunday.
This clash took place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium afte…
With the Premier League once again taking center stage this weekend, we are set for another Saturday of non-stop action. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a few helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Saturday December 31st
BST 13:00 Albion Rovers vs Dumbarton
While Dumbarton might have lost their League One status last season, it looks like Saturday s guests are skyrocketing their way towards an immediate third-tier return. Last seen on Christmas Eve claiming a deserved 2-0 victory at home against East Fife, Stephen Farrell s men find themselves holding a four-point buffer at the top of the table. Although the Whites might have endured a brief wobble when opening October, the former Stranraer boss has seen his side c…
Denmark will be hoping to end something of a quarter-final hoodoo when they tussle with the Czech Republic, who beat them in their most recent last-eight match back in Euro 2004.
Since winning Euro 92, Denmark have only reached the quarter-final stage of a major international tournament on two occasions, losing to 3-2 to Brazil in the 1998 World Cup and then 3-0 to the Czechs six years later.
The Danes will fancy themselves to at least ask questions of the Czech Republic on Saturday though, given they became the first team in Euros history to score four or more in successive games last time out.
While they took a little time to get up to speed, converting just two per cent of their first 44 shots, they have scored 26 per cent of their 31 attempts since.
B…
Ronald Koeman believes Cody Gakpo has a great future and made the right choice in signing for Liverpool.
After impressing at the World Cup, Gakpo joined Liverpool from PSV last month, with the Reds reportedly paying an initial £37million (€42m).
Since the start of last season until his move to Anfield, no player had more goal involvements in the Eredivisie than Gakpo s 46 (21 goals, 25 assists). Indeed, no other player in Europe s top 10 leagues tallied at least 20 goals and 20 assists over the same timeframe.
However, after four games – all starts – for Liverpool, Gakpo is yet to score or set up a goal. He has had 12 shots, with three hitting the target, and only 18 touches in the opposition penalty area.
While it has been a slow start for the 23-…
Last season’s League Two playoff semi-finalists Salford made a winning start to the campaign as they beat recently relegated Forest Green 2-0 at The Bolt New Lawn.
A Conor McAleny strike and late substitute Matt Smith’s header were enough for all three points against opponents who had not lost an opening-day game since 2016.
Rovers should have taken the lead through Tyrese Omotoye, but his header from a Charlie McCann cross went over the top on 12 minutes.
Matty Stevens was next to come close and he connected with a Callum Jones corner, but the forward was denied by the crossbar and City scrambled to safety.
McAleny took full advantage of a set-piece not dealt with by Forest Green as he fired home right-footed from six yards out after the break.
…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take charge of his 100th game as Manchester United boss when his side host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Norwegian initially revitalised United after succeeding Jose Mourinho on a caretaker basis in December 2018 and was handed the job permanently three months later.
Solskjaer s time at Old Trafford has not exactly been plain sailing, though, with the former striker coming in for frequent criticism during his near two years at the helm.
But has the 47-year-old been unfairly targeted? With the use of Opta statistics, we compare his record with other members of United s centenary club.
Only two players have come off the bench to score a hat-trick for .
Here is a picture of both of them
— Mancheste…