Wasteful Arsenal crash out of FA Cup after 2:0 defeat to Liverpool

Published

4 months ago

January 8, 2024

Wasteful Arsenal crash out of FA Cup after 2:0 defeat to Liverpool

Liverpool compounded Arsenal’s woes with a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium to send the Gunners out of the FA Cup in the third round.

Mikel Arteta’s men have now failed to win their last four matches in all competitions, which has put their title hopes in jeopardy.

The Gunners missed numerous goalscoring chances against a Liverpool side without the services of Mohammed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk.

The hosts dominated the first half with Martin Odegaard hitting the crossbar before Kai Havertz and Reiss Nelson missed good opportunities to break the deadlock.

Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota also hit the cross bar for Liverpool in the first half as both sides failed to cancel out each other to end it goalless.

Liverpool scored two late goals to book their place in the fourth round of the competition.

Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick bounced in off Jakub Kiwior’s head for an own goal to put the Reds in the lead.

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Luis Diaz put the icing on the cake with an emphatic finish to condemn Arsenal to another defeat.

Arsenal manager, admitted that his side are not finishing off their chances.

He said, “Well, the performance was there and the amount of chances too,”

“We just have to win the game, but we lost it, and we are not capitalising. To win games, we need to capitalise.

“When you are better than the best team in Europe and you generate that amount of chances. I have not seen a team do it against them like we have done it.

“It is not enough. The reality is that it is not enough.”

The Spaniard has urged his team to be more efficient ahead of a busy schedule.

“Listen [do I say] play worse than Liverpool, be worse and we will win the game? When my team plays with this confidence what can I do? I am still behind them 100 per cent.

“It is what it is and we have to continue to play the same way and be more efficient,” he added.

Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp hailed his side fighting spirit after a tough clash at the Emirates.

He said, “In the end, we came through. I’m really happy we could win this game. Arsenal could have won it without a doubt. We finished it off, and it spoke for the character of the boys,”

“I’m super proud. It was a super difficult draw. Maybe the most difficult we could have got.
“It wasn’t an easy game to enjoy in the first half. We changed a bit at half-time.

“We were really in the game in the second half. We scored the goals and fought for 95 minutes.”

Up next for Arsenal is a Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on January 20, while Liverpool have a date with Fulham in the EFL Cup semi final first leg on Wednesday.

Wasteful Arsenal crash out of FA Cup after 2:0 defeat to Liverpool

Iheanacho, Ndidi’s Leicester City secure promotion back to EPL

Published

1 hour ago

April 27, 2024

Trends Admin

Leicester City

Iheanacho, Ndidi’s Leicester City secure promotion back to EPL

Leicester City were promoted to the Premier League on Friday after rivals Leeds United crashed to a shock 4-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers.

The result leaves Leicester City top of the Championship with 94 points with two games to play while Leeds stay second on 90 but with just one match left.

Third-place Ipswich Town can pip Leeds to the second automatic promotion place as they currently have 89 points with three matches still to play.

Enzo Maresca’s Leicester City achieved promotion at the first time of asking having been relegated from the Premier League last season following a third-from-bottom finish.

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Their final two games begin with a trip to Preston on Monday, before they round off the season with a home finale against Blackburn on May 4.

Leeds will find themselves outside the top two if Ipswich beat Hull on Saturday, or Coventry win their game in hand on Tuesday.

Should Ipswich win both, they will be promoted while Leeds will have to enter the play-offs.

On Friday goals from Ilias Chair, Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field gave QPR victory and guaranteed their survival in England’s second-tier.

Iheanacho, Ndidi’s Leicester City secure promotion back to EPL

Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo

Published

3 days ago

April 24, 2024

Trends Admin

Cristiano Ronaldo and Odion Ighalo

Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo

Ex-Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has disclosed that the decision of Cristiano Ronaldo and other top footballers to ply their trade in Saudi Arabia was informed by pecuniary motives.

Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr last year in a stunning three-year deal that would see him earn €210.704 million in total.

Other top footballers, who have made names for themselves in Europe, have also moved to Saudi Arabia as the the oil-rich middle east nation injected massive cash into league in order to make it a football powerhouse.

Reacting to the move of Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia and the influx of big players to the Saudi league, Ighalo said the motivation behind these moves was money and not passion.

Ighalo made this known during an interview with sport journalist, Oma Akatugba.

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He said. “See people that are going to Saudi Arabia, big players. Is Ronaldo still playing for passion? He has made more than 100 times what I have in my life, but he still went to Saudi. You want to tell me that is passion? No, it’s for money.

“It’s only when we Africans say it they will say we like money. But these people don’t care, some of them want to be highest paid and all that,”

Ighalo left mainstream Europe for Chang Chung Yatai in 2017 after playing for Lyn, Udinese, Granada, Cesena, and Watford.

At Yatai, he earned a reported €200,000 weekly salary, before moving to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua where he also commanded a similar wage.

Ighalo spent one year in Shanghai before moving to Manchester United on a six-month loan deal.

After that, the 34-year-old joined Al Shabbab, where he started earning €170,000.

Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo

Sports

MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Trends Admin

Lionel Messi

MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table

Lionel Messi showcased his brilliance with a double and an assist for Sergio Busquets as Inter Miami secured a 3-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday, keeping them at the summit of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.

Despite a shaky start that saw Franco Negri inadvertently deflect a corner into Miami’s net within two minutes, Messi swiftly equalized in the 11th minute after Luis Suarez redirected a rebounded shot from the Argentine.

Messi continued to menace Nashville’s defense, narrowly missing another goal before providing an exquisite cross for Diego Gomez, whose header was denied by Nashville keeper Elliot Panicco.

Miami capitalized on their momentum as Busquets, Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, nodded in a corner just before halftime, giving Miami a well-deserved lead.

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However, Miami suffered a setback as Gomez was stretchered off with an ankle injury, adding to their injury woes.

Although Nashville dominated possession in the second half, Miami remained resolute defensively. In the 81st minute, Messi sealed the win by converting a penalty after Leonardo Afonso was fouled in the box.

With this victory, Messi extended his impressive goal-scoring record to nine goals in as many games across all competitions for Miami.

Reflecting on Miami’s performance, manager Gerardo Martino praised his team’s resilience, particularly considering their depleted squad due to injuries.

Despite Miami’s success, Columbus Crew faced a tough battle, twice coming from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati clinched a 2-1 win over Atlanta United, with Luciano Acosta playing a pivotal role in their comeback victory. This highlights an eventful day in Major League Soccer.