Sports

Brilliant Chelsea Shatter Tottenham’s Top-Four Hopes

Published

8 months ago

May 3, 2024

Chelsea delivered a hammer blow to Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with a 2-0 win against their spluttering London rivals on Thursday.

Trevoh Chalobah’s first goal since March 2022 put Chelsea ahead in the first half at Stamford Bridge.

The much-maligned Nicolas Jackson wrapped up the points in the closing stages with his 14th goal of a difficult first season with the Blues.

After losses to Arsenal and Newcastle, fifth-placed Tottenham’s third successive defeat leaves them seven points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.

Tottenham have four games left, while Villa have three to go, making the north Londoners rank outsiders to finish in the Premier League’s top four.

It was another painful setback for Tottenham, who have squandered the good will built by Postecoglou for much of the Australian’s first season in charge.

While Postecoglou licks his wounds, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed a second win over his former club this season following the 4-1 success in November.

Pochettino had irritated Chelsea fans by admitting he couldn’t “hide his emotions” for the club he managed for five years and led to the 2019 Champions League final.

But he put those feelings aside to provide the result they wanted, keeping alive eighth-placed Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for Europe and making it just one defeat in 34 home league games against Tottenham.

Postecoglou had criticised Tottenham’s sloppy performance in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat against Arsenal and responded by making five changes, with Richarlison brought in and James Maddison dropped.

But in Pochettino’s 400th match in English football, the Chelsea manager should have been celebrating a goal inside five minutes.

Jackson sprinted into the Tottenham area for a shot that went under Guglielmo Vicario but lacked the power to beat Mickey van de Ven’s clearance off the line, with Cole Palmer somehow scooping the loose ball over from close range.

Moments later, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke embarked on a dynamic run before firing just over from the edge of the area.

Four of the five goals conceded by Tottenham in their previous two games had come from set-pieces and they were punished for more woeful dead-ball marking in the 24th minute.

Conor Gallagher’s free-kick looped into the area and Chalobah was left unmarked to power a superb header over Vicario from 12 yards.

That made it 22 goals conceded from set plays in league games by Postecoglou’s creaky defence this term.

Tottenham claimed Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella had blocked Brennan Johnson from marking Chalobah, but VAR ignored their protests.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s deflected strike was held by Vicario before the Ukraine winger curled narrowly wide as Chelsea pushed for a second goal.

Undone by their set-piece frailties, Tottenham almost took advantage of Chelsea’s defensive deficiencies with a Cristian Romero header that clipped the post from Pedro Porro’s free-kick.

Postecoglou looked increasingly irate by the half-time whistle and his chastened players responded to their manager’s frustration with a more lively second-half display.

Porro’s drive from a tight angle forced Djordje Petrovic to save in Tottenham’s most threatening moment.

But Chelsea landed the knockout punch in the 72nd minute.

Palmer’s fierce free-kick cannoned down off the bar towards Jackson, who reacted quickest to head home from six yards.

AFP

Sports

‘After earning millions as a footballer – but I ended up with only £597 in the bank’

Published

3 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Naijablitznews

Asamoah Gyan went from earning a staggering amount of money in the Chinese Super League to having just £597 in his bank account.

The 39-year-old Ghanaian striker started his career at Liberty Professionals in 2003 before being snapped up by Udinese for an undisclosed fee later that year. Gyan spent five years with the Italian club, including a loan spell with Modena between 2004 and 2006, before Rennes signed him.

After netting 14 goals in 51 games for the French side, Sunderland shattered their club-record transfer fee to bring Gyan to Wearside for £10million in 2010. However, his stint in the North East was brief – he was loaned out to Al Ain in 2011 before a permanent deal was struck the following year.

In the United Arab Emirates, Gyan raked in a reported £160,000 per week – three times what he was earning with the Black Cats in the Premier League.

His hefty salary was certainly justified as he scored an impressive 112 goals in 107 matches.

In 2015, Gyan further boosted his wealth by securing a move to Shanghai SIPG under ex-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. And Gyan was said to be the eighth highest-paid footballer globally at the time, pocketing a cool £227k per week.

Sports

CAF Fines Benin Republic $30,000 For Misconduct In Rwanda

Published

1 day ago

December 31, 2024

Naijablitznews

According to CAF Disciplinary Board, a fine of $5,000 is for violating article 45 of the CAF Disciplinary Code, while $50,000 is for misconduct by officials at the end of the match.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Board has fined the Beninese Football Federation $30,000 for non-cooperation during their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda.

According to CAF Disciplinary Board, a fine of $5,000 is for violating article 45 of the CAF Disciplinary Code, while $50,000 is for misconduct by officials at the end of the match.

However, $25,000 is suspended bringing total fines to $30,000 to the Benin Football Federation.

The statement partly read: “The CAF Disciplinary Board charged the Beninese Football Federation for its non-collaboration with the Disciplinary Board, in violation of article 45 of the CAF Disciplinary Code during their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Qualifiers fixture against Rwanda.

“The CAF Disciplinary Board found the Beninese Football Federation and imposed a fine of USD 5,000 for violation of article 45 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

“The DC Board also imposed a fine of USD 50,000, with USD 25,000 suspended for misconduct of its officials at the end of the match.”

The body said the decision reflects the CAF’s commitment to upholding disciplinary standards in African football.

It should be recalled that in May 19, 2023, Benin Football Federation was charged following an incident that took place ahead of their TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2023 Cote d’Ivoire qualifier match against Rwanda after the latter complained that during their training session, Benin officials interrupted their official training session.

Sports

EPL: Guardiola rules Man City out of title race, eyes January signings

Published

1 day ago

December 31, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Pep Guardiola has declared there is “no chance” of Manchester City winning the Premier League this season.

This comment follows the club’s 2-0 victory over Leicester City on Sunday— their second win in 14 matches across all competitions.

The win leaves City fifth on the table, trailing leaders, Liverpool, by 14 points.

In a late Sunday statement on the Premier League website titled “‘No chance’ – Guardiola rules Man City out of title race,” the Catalan manager admitted the title is already out of reach.

“Hopefully the new year can help us bounce back,” Guardiola said post-match. “It is not enjoyable right now, it is just relief. We have done incredible things for many years. It is not the best.”

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, he was more blunt.

He said, “We are far away from winning the Premier League. We accept there’s already no chance of that, but we have other things to fight for – FA Cup, top four… and winning games helps.”

January reinforcements needed

With the transfer window opening on Wednesday, Guardiola hinted at incoming signings to bolster his injury-hit squad.

“In some positions we need help,” Guardiola admitted. “When we’re all together, we’re the team we were, but with important players out for weeks and months, it’s so difficult.”

City’s injury struggles, particularly in defense and midfield, have taken their toll.

“I thought central defenders would be fit all season, but we have struggled—holding midfield and central defenders, we need help,” he said.

“The market is the market—it’s not easy, it’s expensive, so we will see what the club can do.”

Guardiola 500 matches at City

Despite City’s struggles, Sunday’s win marked a personal milestone for Guardiola – his 500th match as Manchester City manager. Reflecting on the achievement, Guardiola spoke with pride.

“Yeah definitely [proud],” he said. “It is better to celebrate it with a victory and the new year. I am so proud. I would cry now. I’m so proud to be a part of this club.”

“Today when they told me, ‘You are going to do 500 games,’ I said ‘Wow.’ But we are judged in the last 13. In the other 480 games, they have been an incredible period and yeah, more to come.”

Record of dominance

While City’s form has dipped this season, Guardiola’s legacy at the club remains unparalleled. Since his arrival in 2016, no Premier League manager has come close to matching his achievements.

City have claimed six of the last eight Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four in a row last season. They also completed the Treble in 2022/23, echoing Manchester United’s historic feat from 1999.

Since Guardiola took charge, City have accumulated 45 more points and scored 83 more goals than any other team in the league.

Guardiola is the first Premier League manager to oversee 500 matches since David Moyes hit that landmark with Everton in 2013. As the league’s longest-serving active manager, Guardiola’s reign at City surpasses Brentford’s Thomas Frank by two years.

Only Sir Alex Ferguson, with 13 Premier League titles, has more than Guardiola’s six – but with more milestones ahead, Pep’s chapter in City’s history is far from over.