Chelsea's carertaker manager Guus Hiddink has revealed for the first time how close the club were to being relegated when he first arrived, claiming the side was “drowning” and that he feared they would not survive. The Dutchman was appointed on December 19, with the club just two places and one point off the relegation zone after a woeful start to the season that saw Jose Mourinho fired. The Dutchman has since steadied Chelsea to mid-table stability, but he admits he was deeply worried when he first arrived at Stamford Bridge – admitting that some of his players were too complacent. But Hiddink says that the situation was “desperate” and far more serious when he first arrived than was realised at the time. “Is there danger when you are there, in 16 or 17 … [Read more...]
Alexis Sanchez to the rescue as 10-man Arsenal draw at White Hart Lane
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the North London derby at White Hart Lane. Having lost three consecutive games prior to the visit to White Hart Lane. Arsene Wenger’s side had to put a stop to their poor run as their season seemed to be taking a nose dive. After a nervy opening period that saw the hosts dominate without creating chances it was Arsenal who took the lead when Aaron Ramsey flicked in Hector Bellerin’s pull back after a good move from Danny Welbeck. However, the game turned on its head when Francis Coquelin saw red for a second bookable offence after bumping into Harry Kane, with Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld blasting in from five yards following a rebound to draw Spurs level. Harry Kane seized his … [Read more...]
Aguero’s double keeps Manchester city title hopes alive
Manchester City kept alive their chance of winning the Premier League title, with an emphatic 4-0 thrashing of relegation candidates Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium. City’s confidence was low after a 3-0 hammering at Liverpool in midweek, but they responded in a positive way on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium. After a disappointing first half that saw Manchester City with the majority of the possession(78%), but failed to convert the chances created, the floodgates were opened in the second half with Sergio Aguero grabbing a brace and missing a chance to walk away with the match ball when his penalty struck the post. The Chilean welcomed back inspirational midfielder Yaya Toure who opened scoring and tormented rock bottom Remy Garde's men who might have … [Read more...]
Klopp delighted with win at Selhurst park despite red card
Liverpool responded to James Milner's sending-off in the 62nd minute against Crystal Palace by coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1 as Christian Benteke's penalty clinched victory in the sixth minute of injury time. Liverpool played its best football down to 10 men at Selhurst Park, where the team hadn't won since 1997, although it needed two errors by Palace players to bring about the comeback Liverpool looked set to suffer their fourth straight Premier League loss to Palace after Joe Ledley opened the scoring and James Milner sent off for his second bookable offence in the 62nd minute. But an error from Palace's goalkeeper Alex McCarthy allowed Roberto Firmino to equalize and the ambition of Klopp's side despite their numerical disadvantage was rewarded deep … [Read more...]
10-man United risk European Qualification after suffering defeat at West Brom
Manchester United were made to pay for a 26th-minute red card to Juan Mata at West Bromwich Albion, who won 1-0 thanks to Salomon Rondon's 66th minute strike at The Hawthorns. The Baggies claimed a 1-0 win over 10-man United at the Hawthorns – their first home league win over the Red Devils in 32 years . United dropped three points behind fourth-place Manchester City in the race for Champions League qualification and is now only three ahead of Liverpool, which has won three straight league games for the first time in a year. The Dutchman, speaking after the match, says he was not happy about Mata’s two first half bookings, which saw referee Mike Dean send him off in the 26th minute. He said: "it's a big blow,"We have played 60 minutes with 10 versus 11, and … [Read more...]
Late Diouf strike denies Chelsea win at the Bridge
A late Mame Biram Diouf strike denied Chelsea a win in a 1-1 score draw at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday. Chelsea took the lead in the 39th minute when Bertrand Traore's stunnig strike from just outside the box rested in the back of the net. Stoke pushed and deservedly drew level in the 85th minute as Diouf headed a rebound pass Thibaut Courtois for Mark Hughes men. The first half was a beehive of activities with both teams creating early chances. It was the Blues who took the initiative as Traore, who was standing in for the injured Diego Costa, struck with aplomb from the edge of the box. The second half continued in a similar fashion, with chances created for each team. Stoke's goal came after Courtois punched the ball straight to … [Read more...]
Cech sidelined for three to four weeks
Arsenal's Premier League title hopes have been dealt a huge blow after it was confirmed a calf injury will rule Petr Cech out for close to a month. Arsenal fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Swansea City on Wednesday leaving them six points adrift Premier League table toppers Leicester City in third place. But Arsenal's shaky title bid got from bad to worse when Cech injured his calf rushing back to his goal after he had gone for an injury-time corner as Wenger's men sought a late equalizer at Emirates Stadium. Wenger said Cech had already been carrying an injury following Swansea's equalizer and the goalkeeper is now set for the treatment table during a busy and nervy period. "Cech is out," Wenger told a news conference ahead of Saturday's north London derby … [Read more...]