Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku said Chelsea are "the hunters" of Manchester City in the title race after coming off the bench to score his first Premier League goal since September to help beat Aston Villa 3-1. Reece James' own goal put Villa ahead, but Jorginho quickly levelled from the penalty spot in […]

Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku came on to score his first Premier League goal since September to keep Chelsea in the title race as the European champions came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-1. Reece James' own goal put Villa ahead, but Jorginho quickly levelled from the penalty spot in a clash […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City opened up a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a first half demolition of Leicester in a thrilling 6-3 win as Chelsea got back on track with a 3-1 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday. Three of the scheduled nine Boxing Day matches were postponed due […]

London (AFP) – Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers believes his side will recover quickly from their agonising penalty shoot-out exit from the League Cup when they face Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday. The Foxes twice conceded a two-goal lead in their midweek League Cup quarter-final against Liverpool — including an equaliser deep into […]

Rabat (AFP) – Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech has been left out of Morocco's preliminary Africa Cup of Nations squad with coach Vahid Halilhodzic saying he was a disruptive influence. Halilhodzic named a 25 man squad with the definitive list being revealed on December 30. However, it appears highly unlikely Ziyech will gain a last minute […]

London (AFP) – Brentford manager Thomas Frank is confident a League Cup defeat by Chelsea will benefit his side in the long run. The Bees' bid to reach the last four foundered when they conceded two goals in the last 10 minutes of a 2-0 loss to their west London rivals on Wednesday. But after […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool's clash with Leeds and Watford's trip to Wolves, scheduled for December 26, became the latest Premier League games to be postponed due to coronavirus outbreaks on Thursday. A total of 12 matches have now been called off in the past two weeks as Britain battles record numbers of positive Covid cases […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool came from two goals down to beat Leicester on penalties after a pulsating League Cup quarter-final ended 3-3 at Anfield as Tottenham and Chelsea also made the semi-finals on Wednesday. Spurs were 2-1 winners over West Ham, while Chelsea needed two late goals to see off Brentford 2-0 All three matches […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson fears player welfare is too low down the list of football's priorities as the English game continues to grapple with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Premier League announced on Monday its intention to continue with the scheduled matches over the traditionally busy Christmas and New Year […]

Review: World Soccer Talk's Robert Hay Jr. details the autobiography of Paul Mariner, My Rock and Roll Football Story. Universal shock and dismay in the soccer world came in response to the passing of Paul Mariner this summer. Mariner was the epitome of a 'jack-of-all-trades'. Mariner won near universal praise for his larger-than-life personality and kindness […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel said Tuesday that Chelsea must "start from scratch" in selecting a squad for their League Cup quarter-final after reporting yet another Covid-19 case as Liverpool's assistant manager criticised the "absurd" festive schedule. Chelsea were only able to name four outfield players on their bench for Sunday's goalless draw against Wolves […]

Madrid (AFP) – Eden Hazard started for the first time since September on Sunday but Liga leaders Real Madrid were denied an 11th consecutive victory as they were held to a frustrating goalless draw with Cadiz. A spate of positive Covid tests prompted coach Carlo Ancelotti to bring Hazard in from the cold yet his […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli got their title challenge back on track on Sunday with a dramatic 1-0 win at rivals AC Milan which moved them up to second in Serie A. Eljif Elmas headed home the decisive goal from Piotr Zielinski's fifth-minute corner at a freezing San Siro to end a mini-crisis for Luciano Spalletti's […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel has criticised the Premier League for putting his coronavirus-hit Chelsea side at "huge risk" by forcing them to play at Wolves on Sunday as leaders Manchester City put Newcastle to the sword. Chelsea drew 0-0 at Molineux while City eased to a 4-0 away win before Tottenham held 10-man Liverpool […]

The Hague (AFP) – Rotterdam police used water cannons and made 64 arrests after violent clashes between fans ahead of the behind-closed-doors Eredivisie game between Ajax and Feyenoord on Sunday. Most of those detained were charged with possession of smoke bombs. Police used water cannons to disperse "several dozen" rioters near the De Kuip stadium […]