Connect with us

Uncategorized

EPL: Crystal Palace snatch 1-0 win at Anfield to leave Liverpool behind in title race

Published

on

EPL: Crystal Palace snatch 1-0 win at Anfield to leave Liverpool behind in title race

Liverpool on Sunday lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in what is a major blow to their Premier League ambition.

A first home league defeat in 29 games for the Reds leaves Jurgen Klopp’s men two points behind Manchester City and level with Arsenal, who can go top with victory over Aston Villa later on Sunday.

Eberechi Eze’s early goal handed the Eagles a vital win in their battle for survival as they move eight points clear of the drop zone.

However, Liverpool’s final season under Klopp is unravelling.

The League Cup winners were on course for a quadruple just a few weeks ago.

But after crashing out of the FA Cup to Manchester United, Liverpool succumbed to a first home defeat in any competition for 14 months when Atalanta stormed Anfield on Thursday to take a 3-0 first leg lead in their Europa League quarter-final tie.

Klopp’s men have now won just three of their last eight games in all competitions and are showing clear signs of fatigue after already having played 51 games this season.

Slow starts have been a recurring theme of Liverpool’s struggles of late and they were again forced to come from behind.

Alisson Becker made his long-awaited return in goal for the home side but he had no chance when Eze was left with a simple finish from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross.

Crystal Palace were millimetres away from a second moments later when Andy Robertson produced a remarkable goalline clearance to deny Jean-Philippe Mateta after Virgil van Dijk’s slip let the French striker through.

Liverpool had to resort to set-pieces to put the Crystal Palace defence under pressure in the first half.

Wataru Endo’s scuffed effort came back off the crossbar.

Dean Henderson then produced a stunning save to prevent Luis Diaz levelling at the back post with an acrobatic effort.

Klopp reacted at half-time with the introduction of Dominik Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s return after two months out quickly followed when Conor Bradley went down injured.

Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo were also sent on for the rescue mission from the bench.

Jota looked certain to equalise when picked out by Szoboszlai but the Portuguese forward’s finish hit Nathaniel Clyne on the line with the goal gaping.

At the other end, Alisson showed why he is one of the world’s best goalkeepers with a remarkable stop to turn Mateta’s strike over from point-blank range.

Liverpool galloped immediately up the other end and Curtis Jones slotted wide with just Henderson to beat.

Mohamed Salah had one final chance to at least snatch a point, but his goalbound effort was brilliantly blocked by Mitchell in stoppage time.

Unless Liverpool produce a stunning fightback against Atalanta in midweek, Klopp will have just two more games at Anfield before his momentous reign comes to an end.

But what looked like it could be a glorious goodbye is now at danger of turning into a damp squib.

 

 

Author

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

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

Uncategorized

Ruud van Nistelrooy Confirms Next Move After Emotional Manchester United ‘Goodbye’

Published

on

Ruud van Nistelrooy Confirms Next Move After Emotional Manchester United 'Goodbye'

Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed he will find out his future at Manchester United within the next day as new boss Ruben Amorim prepares to take over.

The former United forward, who has been at the helm for the last four games after Erik ten Hag was dismissed, has overseen a run of three victories and a draw.

However, with Amorim expected to bring in his own backroom team, Van Nistelrooy’s position is uncertain. Despite this, he has expressed a desire to stay on and work with Amorim, even admitting he harbours dreams of one day becoming the permanent manager of the club.

The two are set to have decisive discussions following Amorim’s final game in charge of Sporting Lisbon against Braga. After United’s convincing 3-0 triumph over Leicester City, an emotional Van Nistelrooy spoke to BBC Sport, saying: “I really enjoyed it, it’s been a short but amazing period. We are in an uncertain position but we tried to do our jobs and help the club which is important.”

He added, reflecting on the support from fans: “There are a lot of feelings there, the way the fans supported me and the team always in difficult moments it was a special moment. To close down this block of games with good results and a good connection I can’t thank them enough. We will learn what the further plan is now.”

Following his latest match, Van Nistelrooy shared insights in the press conference, explaining why clarity from the club’s hierarchy was important to him: “(The club hierarchy) said, ‘okay, it’s going to be four [games], it’s going to be announced a new head coach’ etc, etc. So, for me, it is important to have that clarity and I appreciated that. In the end, the most important thing is this football club, and I’m here to support that in my role.”, reports the Mirror.

He went on to add, “As I said, I want to continue doing that in the future and now also the communication was okay, [that] ‘after the block of four games, there will be communication towards you and your colleagues that are in an uncertain situation’. So, I expect to hear today or tomorrow from them.”

 

Author

Continue Reading

More Sports

Ugandan athlete in critical condition after Kenya petrol attack

Published

on

Ugandan athlete in critical condition after Kenya petrol attack

Ugandan athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei is in critical condition in a Kenyan hospital, after allegedly being doused with petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend.

The 33-year-old marathon runner, who competed at the recent Paris Olympics, had suffered burns to more than 75% of her body, police said.

She was attacked at her home in western Kenya, where she had been training.
There are concerns about the increasing cases of violence against female athletes in Kenya, some of which have resulted in death.

Ms Cheptegei is said to have been rescued by neighbours after the incident that happened on Sunday at her home in the small town of Endebess.

The alleged attacker also sustained serious burns, local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom told journalists.

The two are being treated at Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the main town in the region.

“The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” Mr Kosiom was quoted as saying.

Ms Cheptegei, from a region just across the border in Uganda, is said to have bought a piece of land in Trans Nzoia county and built a house, to be near Kenya’s many athletic training centres.

A report filed by a local administrator said the two had been wrangling over the piece of land. Police say an investigation is under way.

Ms Cheptegei finished 44th in the marathon at the recent Paris Olympics.

She also won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2022.

In April 2022, another female runner, Damaris Mutua, was found strangled in a home with a pillow over her face in the Rift Valley town of Iten.

It came months after record-breaking long-distance runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in the same town.
Men have also been targeted.

Last December, another Ugandan athlete, Benjamin Kiplagat was stabbed to death by assailants in Eldoret.

Author

Continue Reading

Uncategorized

Real Madrid step up Alexander-Arnold interest

Published

on

Real Madrid are reported to have made concrete steps in their push to sign Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Real Madrid are reported to have made concrete steps in their push to sign Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Alexander-Arnold has entered the final 12 months of his contract with Liverpool, with talks over an extension being delayed by the Reds’ need to find a new sporting hierarchy and manager earlier this summer.

90min first reported of Madrid’s interest in Alexander-Arnold in March, when the right-back was known to be both relaxed and understanding about the delay in resolving his future at Anfield.

However, now in the final year of his current deal, Alexander-Arnold’s situation has piqued the interest of several top sides and Christian Falk claims Madrid are now “getting concrete” with their push to sign the 25-year-old.

It is claimed that Madrid have been in contact with Alexander-Arnold for the past month and the Liverpool star has expressed an interest in moving to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Having now ended his Euro 2024 journey with England, Alexander-Arnold will be free to speak with Liverpool about his future and the Reds are likely to pursue a speedy resolution before he enters the final six months of his deal and can formally speak with other clubs.

Alexander-Arnold’s stance on his Liverpool future is not yet clear, but he did suggest he was already thinking about next season with the Reds during an interview with club media in May.

“It was a good season, built on last season, got better as a team, challenged for the title, took it far and we improved,” he said. “Any time you improve means that it’s a good season. Take the positives and move forward and hopefully again next season.”

As for Madrid, right-back has long been suggested as an area in need of strengthening but, while a replacement for 32-year-old Dani Carvajal will be needed eventually, the Spain veteran is arguably in the best form of his career and is an outside contender for the 2024 Ballon d’Or thanks to his ludicrous trophy haul over the past 12 months.

 

Author

Continue Reading

Trending