Sports

Trossard goal seals Arsenal win at Everton

Published

2 years ago

September 18, 2023

Trossard goal seals Arsenal win at Everton

Arsenal claimed their first English Premier League win at Everton in six years as Leandro Trossard’s second-half strike proved enough to secure the points at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Everton, still without a win this season, had managed to frustrate the visitors who had a Gabriel Martinelli goal ruled out for offside via VAR in the first period.

But the Londoners were eventually rewarded for their domination as substitute Trossard’s shot cannoned in off the post after a clever build-up in the 69th minute.

Unbeaten Arsenal joined Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on 13 points from five games, two points behind leaders Manchester City who have a 100 per cent record.

A third successive 1-0 home defeat left Everton third from bottom with one point.

Arsenal face a huge week ahead with their return to the Champions League on Wednesday followed by next weekend’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

Everton might have hoped that Mikel Arteta’s side would be distracted by those impending dates, but were ultimately unable to live with an Arsenal side that never hit top gear.

The Merseysiders offered very little to suggest they will be far away from the relegation strugglers this season with a display high on graft but sadly lacking in quality.

Arsenal’s last league win at Everton in 2017 ended the reign of Ronald Koeman and while Sean Dyche is unlikely to suffer a similar fate, he has a huge task on his hands.

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“We defended in numbers which you have to do against teams like this often — not always, but often.

“We did well on that side of the game but with the ball we were miles off.

“We gave it away too many times,” Dyche said.

Arsenal made a surprise team selection with England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale replaced by David Raya.

Raya had a relatively quiet afternoon though as most of the play was at the other end of the pitch.

Everton were given a let-off in the 17th minute when Martinelli was played through on goal and finished with a curled finish reminiscent of Thierry Henry in his pomp.

Arsenal’s celebrations were cut short though as a VAR check ruled that there was an offside in the build-up and shortly after Martinelli was forced off with a muscle injury to be replaced by Trossard.

For all Arsenal’s possession they were guilty of over-elaboration at times and Everton were hanging on grimly for what would have been a morale-boosting draw.

But Arsenal eventually unpicked their defence with a short-corner eventually being fed in to Martin Odegaard who released Bukayo Saka on the right side of the penalty area.

The England forward cut the ball back for Trossard who opened his left foot and placed a shot in off the far post.

Arsenal were comfortable after that as they ended their Goodison Park hoodoo.

“I think we played an incredible game, we kept them quiet and created many, many chances,” Arteta said.

“We gave very, very little away. They haven’t created a single chance. It’s about intelligence but also about the fight,” he added.

The only negative for Arteta was the injury to Martinelli.

“He felt, I think, something in the action in the run for the goal.

“He’s not normally a player to have muscular issues, but he had to come off. Let’s see,” Arteta said.

Trossard goal seals Arsenal win at Everton

(Reuters/NAN)

Sports

U-20 AFCON: Nigeria drawn in Group B with Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya

Published

2 days ago

April 14, 2025

Trends Admin

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles

U-20 AFCON: Nigeria drawn in Group B with Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have been drawn in Group B alongside Tunisia, Kenya, and Morocco for the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.

The new groupings were announced on Sunday following a fresh draw conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt.

This comes after Cote d’Ivoire withdrew as hosts, prompting Egypt to step in as the new venue for the tournament.

The seven-time champions, Nigeria, will kick off their campaign against Tunisia on Sunday, April 28.

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Group A features host nation Egypt, along with South Africa, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Tanzania.

Defending champions Senegal will compete in Group C, where they face the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ghana.

The tournament officially begins on Saturday, April 27, with the hosts Egypt squaring off against South Africa in the opening fixture.

U-20 AFCON: Nigeria drawn in Group B with Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya

Sports

I don’t have a second wife or family – Super Eagles striker Brown Ideye

Published

2 days ago

April 14, 2025

Trends Admin

Former Super Eagles striker Brown Ideye

I don’t have a second wife or family – Super Eagles striker Brown Ideye

Recall there have been reports of a woman named Yana Voloshchenko, who claimed she is the mother of Ideye’s two children, and accused the former Dynamo Kyiv and West Bromwich Albion forward of neglecting his parental duties.

She claimed the 2013 AFCON winner owes over $150,000 in unpaid child support, stemming from an alleged agreement to pay $7,000 monthly for their children, Joel and Mitchell.

In a tweet on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Ideye stated emphatically that he does not have a second wife or family home or abroad.

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He wrote, “I have said this before and I’m saying it again. I don’t have a second wife or family, home or abroad. Happily married since 2010, and God blessed my wife and I with two lovely boys. Don’t take my silence for foolishness. Period.”

Recall Ideye recently returned to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) with Enyimba, and has been pivotal in their campaign.

The former West Brom forward has seven goals in 28 international appearances for Nigeria, including the second goal in the 4-1 defeat of Mali in the semifinals at AFCON 2013 in South Africa.

I don’t have a second wife or family – Super Eagles striker Brown Ideye

Sports

Salah stars again as Liverpool move closer to Premier League title

Published

3 days ago

April 13, 2025

Trends Admin

Salah stars again as Liverpool move closer to Premier League title

Mohamed Salah celebrated his new contract with another Premier League record as Liverpool moved to within two wins of clinching the title despite a lacklustre 2-1 victory over West Ham.

Two days after top-flight defenders had to come to terms with the prospect of another two years of torment from the Egypt international, the Hammers’ 19-year-old wing-back Ollie Scarles found himself in the firing line.

Scarles was turned inside and out by Salah, whose cross for Luis Diaz’s 18th-minute effort was his 45th Premier League goal involvement (27 goals, 18 assists) and the most in a 38-game season.

Salah, favourite for a fourth Golden Boot in eight seasons, is now only two away from the all-time assist record jointly held by fellow Premier League greats Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Anfield came to celebrate their ‘Egyptian King’ but in reality other than that and Diaz’s 15th goal of the campaign there was little else to cheer until a late flurry prompted by Andy Robertson’s 86th-minute own goal.

It was Virgil van Dijk’s attempted clearance of Aaron Wan Bissaka’s cross which cannoned off his team-mate but the captain, set to join Salah in soon signing a new contract, made amends by powering home a late header and wheeling away to kiss the badge on his shirt.

Conor Bradley’s start at right-back after last week’s substitute appearance following injury had made a major improvement to the side, as did Alisson Becker’s return as he found himself the busier goalkeeper in the second half as West Ham seized on their hosts’ lethargy.

Salah is on his worst goalscoring drought since February 2023 with no goals in five games but his value to the team was evident in a first half in which Scarles was given a real education.

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The 57 minutes he faced Salah will have felt like an eternity and his second-half substitution will have come as something of a relief.

His wily opponent’s movement was a major concern for Scarles, who let his man escape for the goal.

Salah had already left him trailing in his wake when cutting inside to curl a shot wide of the far post but when he turned him again on the touchline seconds later the result was more devastating.

His curling pass with the outside of his left foot was intended for Diogo Jota but Max Kilman cancelled him out and it ran through for Diaz to convert.

Salah’s clever clip saw Alexis Mac Allister volley at Alphonse Areola, having just seen his Liverpool counterpart tip Mohammed Kudus’ shot onto the crossbar after being caught out of position.

West Ham centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos headed over at a corner in added time but after Mac Allister crashed a free-kick against the crossbar and forced a scrambling Areola to waft behind his cross-shot, Liverpool retreated into their shell and the visitors should probably have won as a result.

Carlos Soler diverted over a cross from Jarrod Bowen, who was denied by a charging Alisson before Kudus flashed a shot across goal.

Salah’s influence had waned by this point and he cut a frustrated figure when he was substituted five minutes from the end, showing little interest in receiving the accolades.

Within a minute West Ham equalised as Liverpool paid for their lethargy and it needed a towering header from Salah’s main rival for Player of the Year to finally kick-start a party.

Even then they were not safe with substitute Niclas Fullkrug heading against the crossbar.