PREMIER LEAGUE – Page 87 – Football Flame

PREMIER LEAGUE

PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich sent Frank Lampard sack message after Aston Villa draw

Frank Lampard, Manager of Chelsea speaks with Ben Chilwell of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 28, 2020 in London, England.Chelsea are "far from a crisis" and talk of speculation regarding Frank Lampard's long-term future at Stamford Bridge is far too premature, insists former midfielder Andy Townsend.The Blues have only won one of their past five Premier League matches, suffering three defeats in that time, after drawing 1-1 with Dean Smith's in-form Aston Villa on Monday night as Anwar El Ghazi cancelled out Olivier Giroud's header.That result means if Liverpool beat Newcastle at St James' Park on Wednesday, Chelsea could slip nine points behind the league leaders after 16 matches.Heading into the clash with Villa, sho...
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Solskjaer says Cavani ready to start more games for Man Utd

Edinson Cavani of Manchester United during the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park on December 23, 2020 in Liverpool, England.Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said striker Edinson Cavani is far too talented to be considered an impact substitute and the 33-year-old is likely to start more frequently as the Premier League season progresses.Seven of Cavani’s eight league appearances since he joined from Paris St Germain in October have come from the bench, though he has been in the starting lineup for several cup games.The Uruguay international has scored three league goals and assisted on two more, including one for Bruno Fernandes in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Leicester City last time out.“He’s definitely a starter. You do...
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Aston Villa comes back to hold Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

Olivier Giroud of Chelsea battles for possession with Douglas Luiz of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 28, 2020 in London, England.Chelsea – Aston Villa: Olivier Giroud’s early goal was canceled by Anwar El Ghazi after the break as Aston Villa stayed above Chelsea on the table with a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Monday.Chelsea had 63 percent of the ball and a healthy edge in shots but Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez made four saves to help the visitors to a point. A point apiece after a lively encounter at Stamford Bridge#CHEAVL pic.twitter.com/j9avydfjGF— Premier League (@premierleague) December 28, 2020 Villa and Chelsea both remain on 26 points, the visitors remaining in fifth place on goal differential. Villa’s...
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Leicester edge up to second despite draw at Crystal Palace

Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace scores a goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Leicester City at Selhurst Park on December 28, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.A much-changed Leicester moved up to second in the Premier League thanks to Harvey Barnes' late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday.Wilfried Zaha's stunning near post volley put the Eagles in front against the run of play after Kelechi Iheanacho had a first-half penalty saved for Leicester. Barnes scores late to rescue a point after Zaha's brilliant breakaway goal#CRYLEI pic.twitter.com/sgFExBJvzc— Premier League (@premierleague) December 28, 2020 With little over 48 hours rest between the Foxes' 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Saturday and the trip to Selhurst Park, Leicester bo...
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Villa beats Palace 3-0 in EPL despite Mings’ sending-off

Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace and Tyrone Mings of Aston Villa tussle as a scuffle breaks outduring the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace at Villa Park on December 26, 2020 in Birmingham, England.Aston Villa belied the sending-off of Tyrone Mings to beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, with striker Ollie Watkins playing a part in all of the goals.Mings was shown a second yellow card in the 45th minute for blocking Wilfried Zaha, with whom the defender had clashed to pick up his first booking.Villa was leading 1-0 at that point, with Bertrand Traore scoring from a rebound in the fifth minute after Watkins had a shot saved. Report: Villa 3-0 Palace#CPFC | #AVLCRY— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 26, 2020 Instead of sitting back and prote...
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Klopp admits Liverpool captaincy error but says Salah should not have got it

Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool Pepijn Lijnders Assistant manager during a training session at AXA Training Centre on December 23, 2020 in Kirkby, England.Jurgen Klopp admits it was an error making Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool captain - but claims Mohamed Salah should not have been given the armband instead.Alexander-Arnold skippered his boyhood club for the first time in the Champions League dead rubber against FC Midtjylland earlier this month.All "four captains" of Liverpool's "players committee" - Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum - did not feature in the fixture, handing the 22-year-old his chance to lead the side.Salah, 28, has since revealed he was unhappy not to be chosen by Klopp for the role.But while the Reds' boss conceded he had made...
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Arteta says beating Chelsea ‘the best medicine’ for ‘suffering’ Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during a training session at London Colney on December 21, 2020 in St Albans, England.Arteta has come under increasing pressure with the Gunners languishing in 15th in the Premier League table.They also crashed out of the EFL Cup with a 4-1 quarter-final defeat at home to Manchester City on Wednesday (AEDT).Arsenal are without a win in seven top-flight matches, picking up just two points since beating Manchester United at Old Trafford on November 2.Arteta says a London derby victory over Frank Lampard's side would be the perfect remedy ahead of trips to fellow strugglers Brighton and Hove Albion and West Brom.The Arsenal manager said: At the moment, to keep the team together, to keep the team alive and to be a team, not a group of players, it takes a lot of ene...
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Lampard seeks improvement at Chelsea to make them title contenders

Frank Lampard the Chelsea manager during a press conference at Chelsea Training Ground on December 23, 2020 in Cobham, England.Chelsea boss Frank Lampard said he is pleased with the progress made by his team in the Premier League so far this season, but has called for further improvement in their quest to become genuine title contenders.The London side are fifth in the table with 25 points from 14 games, two points behind second-placed Leicester City ahead of Saturday’s trip to local rivals Arsenal who have slipped to 15th after a poor start.“I’m happy but we always want more as managers,” Lampard told Sky Sports on Thursday.“The reality is at the start of the season, we had some new players while others were missing, and we lacked a pre-season. Looking at our early results, we saw some go...
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Tottenham Defender Danny Rose Arrested After High-Speed Crash

Danny Rose of Tottenham Hotspur during the PL2 match between Tottenham Hotspur and Derby County at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on November 06, 2020 in Enfield, England.Danny Rose, the 30-year-old Tottenham defender who was recently on loan with Newcastle United, has been arrested after a crash that took place at 4 a.m. on December 24.British tabloid The Sun has the exclusive on this, saying that the footballer was most likely speeding if only based on the damage to this car. An eyewitness says Danny Rose’s vehicle smashed into a central reservation with such force that it was left on three wheels and the bumper hanging off.The crash occurred on the A45 in Northampton in East Midlands, England, and based on initial reports, involved only one vehicle, with the football ace at the wheel...
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Jamie Vardy on target again as Leicester go second with impressive win at Spurs

Jamie Vardy of Leicester City celebrates with team mate Youri Tielemans (r) after their sides second goal, an own goal scored by Toby Alderweireld (Not pictured) of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 20, 2020 in London, England.Leicester validated their position in the Premier League title race with a 2-0 win at hapless Tottenham.Jose Mourinho’s men were seen as the main challengers to Liverpool after a promising start to the season, but they were second best in a limp display in north London.Jamie Vardy’s penalty and a Toby Alderweireld own goal saw Brendan Rodgers get one over his former mentor and send his side second in the table.Although Spurs made it much easier for them than it shoul...
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Sheffield United denied first win as Brighton grab late equaliser

Brighton's English midfielder Adam Lallana (L) vies with Sheffield United's English midfielder John Lundstram (R) during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Sheffield United at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on December 20, 2020.BRIGHTON, England - Ten-man Sheffield United were denied a first win of the season when hosts Brighton & Hove Albion grabbed a late equaliser to earn a 1-1 Premier League draw at the Amex Arena on Sunday.The visitors were reduced to 10 men when John Lundstram was sent off for upending Joel Veltman in a reckless challenge in the first half, with the referee changing his decision from a yellow card to a red following a VAR review.Despite Brighton’s domination, United took the lead wh...
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Sam Allardyce appointed as West Brom manager on 18-month contract

Sam AllardyceWest Bromwich Albion have confirmed Sam Allardyce as the club’s new head coach on an 18-month contract.The 66-year-old will take training on Thursday ahead of the Premier League game against Aston Villa on Sunday evening.West Brom sporting and technical Director Luke Dowling said on the West Brom website: “In Sam we have a man who has a proven Premier League pedigree with a track record of improving every club he has managed.“We believe and, more importantly, Sam believes we have a group of players that have the quality needed to give the club its best chance of Premier League survival.” We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Sam Allardyce as our new Head Coach ✍️— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) December 16, 2020 Allardyce returns to The Hawthorns where he had a brief sp...
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Tottenham and Liverpool held as Arsenal suffer fresh blow

Curtis Jones of Liverpool with Bobby Decordova-Reid during the Premier League match between Fulham and Liverpool at Craven Cottage on December 13, 2020 in London, England.Liverpool and Tottenham both had to settle for away draws in Sunday’s Premier League action.Jurgen Klopp’s champions missed the chance to reclaim top spot after they came from behind late on to secure a 1-1 draw at Fulham.Bobby Decordova-Reid struck the ball expertly past the recently-returned Alisson to give the Cottagers the lead, but Scott Parker’s side were unable to hold off Liverpool’s second-half fightback to secure all three points.The Reds eventually found the equaliser at Craven Cottage with 10 minutes remaining through Mohamed Salah’s penalty.Earlier, Tottenham extended their unbeaten run to 11 Premier League g...
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Premier League: Tomas Soucek, Angelo Ogbonna on target as West Ham script comeback to topple Leeds United

David Moyes, manager of West Ham United celebrates victory with Tomas Soucek of West Ham United following the Premier League match between Leeds United and West Ham United at Elland Road on December 11, 2020 in Leeds, England.Leeds: Leeds’ weakness at set-pieces haunted them again as West Ham came from behind to win 2-1 at Elland Road in the English Premier League on Friday. Enjoy your weekend, Hammers! ☺️ pic.twitter.com/FFMFXhICwu— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 12, 2020 For all their free-flowing football under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds have frequently been chaotic at the back on its league return — particularly from free kicks and corners—  and Tomas Soucek and Angelo Ogbonna were the latest beneficiaries.Mateusz Klich gave Leeds an early advantage from the spot, but tower...
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Arteta seeking solutions to Arsenal’s Premier League goal drought

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference ahead of the UEFA Europa League Group B stage match between Arsenal FC and Dundalk FC at on December 09, 2020 in Dublin, Ireland.Mikel Arteta is looking to his side's cup success for inspiration to solve their goalscoring problems in the Premier League.Arteta said Arsenal have had "really good runs" in other competitions, where they are through to the Europa League knockouts with a perfect record in the group stage and are also in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.But Arsenal have managed just one victory in their seven most recent league games, and recorded just 10 goals in their last 11 Premier League matches. That has left them 15th in the league and 11 points of leaders and local rivals, Spurs."We are very frustrated with that ...
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Premier League: Wilfried Zaha, Christian Benteke score brace apiece as Crystal Palace put five past West Brom

Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze, Sam Johnstone of Crystal Palace scoring his 2nd goal during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace at The Hawthorns on December 6, 2020 in West Bromwich, United Kingdom.London: Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke both scored twice as Crystal Palace made West Brom pay for Matheus Pereira's first-half red card in a 5-1 rout at the Hawthorns on Sunday.The Eagles had struggled for goals in recent weeks, but with Zaha restored after missing defeats to Burnley and Newcastle due to coronavirus , Palace were a team transformed as they moved to 11th and within three points of the top four.At the other end of the table, the margin of defeat sees West Brom sink behind Burnley to second bottom.Zaha made an instant impact as Palace took the...
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City’s Guardiola turns focus to Premier League after European qualification

Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City speaks with Bernardo Silva of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions League Group C stage match between FC Porto and Manchester City at Estadio do Dragao on December 01, 2020 in Porto, Portugal.Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola says his players can now fully focus on turning the tide in the Premier League during a busy festive period after securing top spot in the Champions League Group C with one game to spare.Guardiola’s side surrendered their 100% record in the Champions League group on Tuesday but a goalless draw at Porto was enough to finish as Group C winners with a potentially easier opponent in the last 16.“In this period, this year especially, the Champions League was tricky. When you lose one or two games you have to go to the last g...
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Premier League: Fulham move out of relegation zone with win over Leicester; West Ham beat Aston Villa

Wesley Fofana of Leicester City and Dennis Praet of Leicester City battles for possession with Ademola Lookman of Fulham during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Fulham at The King Power Stadium on November 30, 2020 in Leicester, England.Fulham climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone on Monday after finally solving their penalty woes in a shock 2-1 win at Leicester, while West Ham rode their luck to move into fifth place with a dramatic 2-1 victory against Aston Villa.Scott Parker's side won for just the second time in the league this season thanks to Ademola Lookman's 30th minute opener and Ivan Cavaleiro's penalty eight minutes later.Fulham had missed three of their four previous penalties this term, but Cavaleiro held his nerve to convert from the spot for th...
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Wolves announce Raul Jimenez has had surgery after suffering a fractured skull

David Luiz of Arsenal and Raul Jimenez of Wolverhampton Wanderers lie injured after a collision during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on November 29, 2020 in London, England.Wolves striker Raul Jimenez is 'comfortable' in hospital after suffering a fractured skull during Sunday night's Premier League match at Arsenal, the club have announced. Raul is comfortable following an operation last night, which he underwent in a London hospital.He has our love and support as he begins a period of recovery.We're all with you, @Raul_Jimenez9.— Wolves (@Wolves) November 30, 2020 The Mexican was involved in an accidental clash of heads with Arsenal defender David Luiz early in Wolves' 2-1 win, and was taken immediately to hospital, where he und...
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Stoppage time Gross penalty denies Liverpool all three points

Pascal Gross of Brighton and Hove Albion scores a penalty for his team's first goal past Alisson Becker of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool at American Express Community Stadium on November 28, 2020 in Brighton, England.Pascal Gross scored a stoppage-time penalty to earn Brighton a 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool as VAR once again took centre stage. It ends level.#BHALIV— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 28, 2020 The champions move a point clear at the summit, but will be left lamenting some of the interventions that denied them victory.The hosts should have exposed the visitors’ makeshift defence twice in the opening 20 minutes. First Aaron Connolly somehow shot off target when clear before Neal Maupay inexplicably fired a penalty wide....
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