Connect with us

European Leagues

Luton rescue draw with Forest as Burnley keep survival hopes alive

Luton’s Luke Berry struck late to salvage a crucial 1-1 draw with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, while Burnley kept alive their faint survival hopes with a 2-1 victory against Brentford on Saturday.

As the fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League comes to a head, Luton and Forest met in a potentially decisive showdown at Kenilworth Road.

Forest, beaten in their previous three games, took the lead through Chris Wood’s first-half strike.

But Berry came off the bench to equalise with just one minute to play in normal time.

Third-bottom Luton, who blew a three-goal lead in Wednesday’s disastrous 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth, are without a win in their last nine games in all competitions.

They sit three points behind fourth-bottom Forest, with both sides having nine games left to preserve their top-flight status.

Luton’s late leveller was painful for Forest, who face the potential threat of a points deduction before the end of the season after being hit with a Premier League charge over alleged financial breaches.

“The reality is that this match is huge for us and we know that,” Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo said this week.

Wood put Forest ahead in the 34th minute, drilling past Thomas Kaminski from close-range after Morgan Gibbs-White’s chip picked out the New Zealand striker.

But Hatters substitute Berry levelled with a close-range strike from Reece Burke’s header in the 89th minute.

At Turf Moor, second-bottom Burnley won for the first time in 11 league games since a 2-0 victory at Fulham in December.

Vincent Kompany’s side took the lead in the 10th minute when Vitinho sprinted onto Josh Cullen’s pass and was about to shoot when he was pulled down by Sergio Reguilon.

The Spanish defender was shown the earliest red card in the Premier League this season, after a VAR check, and Jacob Bruun Larsen stepped up to convert the spot-kick.

Brentford were nearly gifted an equaliser when Dara O’Shea’s errant backpass had Burnley ‘keeper Arijanet Muric scrambling to clear off the line before pushing away Ivan Toney’s rebound.

David Datro Fofana fired wide with a golden opportunity to double Burnley’s lead, but the on-loan Chelsea forward made amends in the 62nd minute with a composed finish into the far corner.

Kristoffer Ajer got one back in the 83rd minute with a diving header from Bryan Mbeumo’s cross, but the Clarets held on for their first league win in 2024.

They are now eight points from safety with nine games left.

Brentford have won only three of their past 18 league games and sit just four points above the relegation zone.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Premier League

BIG SHOCK! AI Predicts Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City Final Premier League Positions

BIG SHOCK! AI Predicts Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City Final Premier League Positions

The race for Champions League football remains wide open with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton, Fulham, Aston Villa and even ninth placed Bournemouth still in the mix.

The technology then predicted a tighter battle for the top four.

“Manchester City, the defending champions, have had an uncharacteristically poor season,” it said. “However, with players like Erling Haaland and a history of late surges, they could climb back to third or fourth, likely ending with around 75-80 points.

“Chelsea, under Enzo Maresca, have shown a resurgence and could sneak into the top four, possibly third, with their attacking flair and a solid finish to the season so far.”

Grok also stated that Brighton are in with a chance for European football but face some serious competition in the remaining matches.

“Nottingham Forest have been a surprise package,” Grok said. “Their 7-0 thrashing of Brighton in February highlights their potential, but maintaining that form might see them settle in fifth or sixth rather than cracking the top four.

“Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Brighton are also in the mix for European spots, with Newcastle’s recent upturn and Villa’s Champions League distractions possibly influencing their final positions.”

Brighton and Hove Albion are still in the mix for Champions League football as the Premier League reaches the final stages.

The Seagulls, who along with the rest of the top flight have paused for the international break, are currently seventh in the table and just one point off qualification for Europe’s elite club competition.

There are nine Premier League fixtures remaining for Fabian Hurzeler’s team and they are also through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup where they face Nottingham Forest on March 29 at the Amex Stadium.

Albion’s next league clash is at home to Aston Villa on April 2, with their remaining matches Crystal Place (a), Leicester City (h), Brentford (a), West Ham (h), Brighton (h), Wolves (a), Liverpool (h) and Tottenham (a).

Hurzeler’s men are however on a good run of form. They have won five and drawn once of their last six and a strong finish could well see them in Europe once again.

The fixtures against Aston Villa, old rivals Palace and Graham Potter’s West Ham could be key to their chances.

It’s a tight race to predict, so Sussex World asked Grok AI, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, for a Premier League prediction.

Unsurprisingly Grok praised Liverpool and Arne Slot for an “outstanding season” so far and tipped “valiant” Arsenal to finish second.

Here’s Grok’s verdict
1 Liverpool – 94 points 2 Arsenal – 85 points 3 Chelsea – 78 points 4 Manchester City – 76 points 5 Nottingham Forest – 70 points 6 Newcastle United – 68 points.

7 Aston Villa – 65 points, 8 Brighton & Hove Albion – 62 points, 9 Tottenham Hotspur – 60 points, 10 Manchester United – 58 points, 11 Fulham – 54 points,12 Bournemouth – 52 points.

13 Crystal Palace – 50 points, 14 West Ham United – 48 points, 15 Everton – 45 points, 16 Wolverhampton Wanderers – 42 points, 17 Brentford – 40 points, 18 Leicester City – 34 points (Relegated) 19 Southampton – 30 points (Relegated), 20 Ipswich Town – 25 points (Relegated).

Source: sussexexpress

Continue Reading

European Leagues

Lamine Yamal Slams At Rafael van der Vaart After Victory

Lamine Yamal Slams At Rafael van der Vaart After Victory

Lamine Yamal has quipped back at Rafael van der Vaart’s “pants down” jibe after helping Spain beat Netherlands in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League quarterfinal.

Yamal scored Spain’s third goal in a pulsating 3-3 draw at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, with La Roja going on to win on penalties and set up a semifinal against France in June.

The 17-year-old missed his penalty in the shootout, but he still took to social media after the game to respond to former Dutch international Van der Vaart, who had criticised him for his attitude and for wearing his shorts low before the game.

“Shorts down, a goal, a missed penalty and INTO THE SEMIFINAL, COME ON SPAIN!” the Barcelona winger wrote on Instagram.

Yamal’s post included a series of photos, one featuring Van der Vaart’s face alongside an image of him walking off the pitch after the win with his shorts pulled lower than normal.

“I see things that are starting to bother me a little,” Van der Vaart said about Yamal after the first leg, a 2-2 in Rotterdam last Thursday.

“Pants a little lower, not making much of an effort, slightly superficial gestures.

“That’s when I think: if you’re that young, you should be happy with every minute you play for Spain. No matter how good you are, at that age, you have to prove it every minute and in every game.”

Despite his age, Yamal has never shied away from responding to criticism from senior or retired players.

He told Adrien Rabiot to “speak now” and “checkmate” after knocking France out of the European Championship last summer following comments made by the midfielder pre-match.

Yamal experienced some nervous moment in the shootout against Netherlands after seeing his spot kick saved by Bart Verbruggen.

However, Unai Simón kept out Donyell Malen’s penalty and Pedri then scored the winning kick to send Spain into the semifinals.

“I said to him ‘What a s–t penalty,” Barça midfielder Pedri joked of his message to Yamal after his miss.

“But no, you learn from these situations. He is not affected by pressure and you have to take a penalty to miss one.

“His calmness has always surprised us. It’s as if pressure doesn’t exist for him when you see the ease with which he dribbles and how he plays. He’s someone we have to take care of and, above all, enjoy.”

Pedri and Yamal are part of a group of Barça players who now face a quick turnaround as they race back to their club for Thursday’s rearranged LaLiga fixture against Osasuna.

“We are a little tired, but we’re Barça, if they say we have to play Thursday we will, and we will give everything to win LaLiga,” Pedri added.

The game could be decisive in the title race. Barça are currently tied at the top of the table with Real Madrid, four points clear of Atlético Madrid, but have this game in hand.

However, they are likely to be without Ronald Araújo and Raphinha on Thursday, with both players in action on Tuesday in South America in World Cup qualifying games.

The club’s other international players should all be back in time, with Spain’s Under-21 side allowing Fermín López, Pablo Torre and Gerard Martín to return to their club early and miss Tuesday’s game against Germany.

 

Continue Reading

LaLiga

Wojciech Szczesny Ready For Contract Renewal With Barcelona

Wojciech Szczesny Ready For Contract Renewal With Barcelona

Wojciech Szczesny joined FC Barcelona following Marc Andre Ter Stegen’s serious injury that was expected to keep the German goalkeeper out till the end of the season.

The Pole had already retired at the end of the last season but came back from retirement to join the Blaugrana side. However, for several months after his arrival, it looked like he would not have an important role in the squad as Inaki Pena continued to be a starter.

However, Szczesny was working behind the scenes to regain the sharpness that he had lost because of the months spent in retirement. He got his first opportunity to don the Blaugrana jersey only after the turn of the year, but since then, he has never looked back and is currently the fixed starter for Hansi Flick over Inaki Pena.

Owing to his importance in the team, there has been speculation of a contract renewal for the Pole. Both Deco and Flick were reportedly ready to extend his stay at the Catalan team, but previously, the goalkeeper had made it clear that he would make a final decision in this regard only at the end of the season.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Szczesny has already given his go-ahead for a contract renewal with Barcelona. With this new contract, he will remain for another season at the Blaugrana club, while also having another optional year.

Thus, both parties agree that they should continue working together beyond the length of this season, and have already got down to work to make the renewal a reality. However, there are still some details on which the two sides need to agree before the new contract can be finalised.

Continue Reading

Trending