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Watkins hat-trick as Aston Villa humble champions Liverpool with 7-2 defeat

A sensational first half hat-trick from Ollie Watkins helped Aston Villa to a stunning 7-2 victory over Liverpool in the English Premier League (EPL) on Sunday.

It was a result which not only ended the champions’ 100 per cent start to the season, but also was a severe humbling.

Liverpool started badly at Villa Park as a poor pass from Adrian —- deputising for Alisson in goal for the visitors — gifted Watkins the opener in the fourth minute.

If there was an element of good fortune about Watkins’ first goal in an Aston Villa shirt, his second was all his own fine work.

He cut inside before firing into the top corner to stun the champions and make it 2-0 in the 22nd minute.

Mohamed Salah’s fine left foot finish seemed to get Liverpool back in the game in the 33rd minute, but John McGinn’s deflected strike two minutes later restored Aston Villa’s two-goal advantage.

Read more: Manchester United humiliated as Mourinho lead Spurs to massive win at Old Trafford

Watkins completed his hat-trick inside 39 minutes.

Former Everton midfielder Ross Barkley —- making his debut after joining Aston Villa on loan —- made it five 10 minutes into the second half.

Salah did give Liverpool hope on the hour mark, before a late double from Grealish completed a remarkable victory for the team which just avoided relegation last season.

October 5, 2020
Aston Villa Humiliates Liverpool 7-2 in EPL

Defending Champions Liverpool have been massacred by Aston Villa 7-2.

Villa’s captain Grealish was the star player, scoring two goal and assisting three others.

Details shortly…

October 4, 2020
Liverpool forward, Sadio Mane tests positive for Coronavirus

Liverpool forward, Sadio Mane has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently self-isolating, the club have announced.

Mane, who started and scored in Monday’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal, displayed minor symptoms of the virus but feels in good health overall, according to Liverpool.

A club statement read: ‘Sadio Mane has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently self-isolating according to the necessary guidelines.

‘The forward, who started and scored in Monday’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal, has displayed minor symptoms of the virus but feels in good health overall.

‘However, like with Thiago Alcantara, Liverpool Football Club are – and will continue to – follow all protocols relating to COVID-19 and Mane will self-isolate for the required period of time.’

In a statement posted on his Instagram account, Mane said: ‘Hello I’ve been tested positive but I am feeling good and not showing heavy symptoms. I will begin my quarantine and recovery process immediately.

‘Make sure that you stay safe and follow all rules to protect yourself and your loved ones to avoid a second wave of the COVID-19 Virus spreading all over the world

‘I will be back stronger than before!’

Mane is now the second member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad to contract coronavirus after summer signing Thiago Alcantara tested positive earlier this week.

October 3, 2020
Champions League draw: Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City learn their fate

Manchester United will face Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League group stage, while Liverpool will take on Ajax, Atalanta and FC Midtjylland.

Chelsea will play Sevilla, Krasnodar and Rennes in Group E, while Manchester City will face Porto, Olympiacos and Marseille in Group C. Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo will face Lionel Messi in the group stage as Barcelona and Juventus have been paired together in Group G along with Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencvarosi TC.

In Group A, holders Bayern Munich will take on Atletico Madrid, Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Conte as Real Madrid will play Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach. Group F will see Zenit take on Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Club Brugge.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW IN FULL

GROUP A Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow

GROUP B Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Monchengladbach

GROUP C Porto, Manchester City, Olympiacos, Marseille

GROUP D Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, FC Midtjylland GROUP E Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes

GROUP F Zenit, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge

GROUP G Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, Ferencvarosi TC

GROUP H Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir

The first matches of the group stage will be played on October 20 and 21, while matchday two will take place in the following week on October 27 and 28. The final is due to be held at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on May 29, 2021.

October 1, 2020
Liverpool’s hopes of record points haul end after loss to Arsenal

Arsenal capitalised on shocking errors from Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Alisson to beat the champions 2-1 at The Emirates on Wednesday.

The loss ended their hopes of a record points tally for the Premier League season.

It means Liverpool, on 93 points, can now only stretch that tally to 99, one short of Manchester City’s record.

Arsenal’s first win against Liverpool since April 2015 lifts them one place to ninth in the table on 53 points.

The visitors created all the early pressure and opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Sadio Mane lashed in his 17th goal of the season from close range.

Yet the home side, playing without their leading scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, were handed a free pass back into the game 12 minutes later.

This was when Van Dijk made a back pass straight into the path of Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.

The Frenchman calmly rounded defender Fabinho and goalkeeper Alisson and fired into an empty net.

A second moment of calamitous work at the back from Liverpool then gifted the lead to Arsenal before the break.

This was when Alisson attempted a chipped ball out to Robertson that Lacazette ran onto and pulled back to Reiss Nelson.

The 20-year-old turned and shaped his shot beyond the diving goalkeeper into the bottom left corner.

“Twice, a massive lack of concentration… These two moments killed the game for us,” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, whose side suffered only their third league defeat of the season.

“Arsenal had no real chances… You cannot win football games when you concede goals like this.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had left Aubameyang on the bench, most likely with one eye on Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

This match may now be the Gunners’ best chance of securing European football next season.

Yet, as Liverpool poured forward after the break and created numerous chances, Arteta responded.

The best of these chance was from Salah whose shot was palmed over the bar at the last second by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Arteta shored up his side with a triple substitution, bringing off both his goalscorers and Lucas Torreira and replacing them with Aubameyang, Dani Ceballos and Joe Willock.

Klopp then took off Firmino and brought on Takumi Minamino.

The Japanese had an almost immediate shout for a penalty kick after coming into contact with Kieran Tierney in front of the Arsenal goal.

The visitors kept up the pressure but in spite of at times driving almost the entire Arsenal team back into their own penalty area, they were unable to find a way through.

“In terms of energy and happiness in the dressing room before the (FA Cup) semi-final, it’s a good medicine,” Arteta said.

“To beat this team you have to have moments in the game when you take your chances, defend and have a bit of luck.”(Reuters/NAN)

July 16, 2020
Manchester City crushes newly crowned EPL Champions 4-0

It has been Liverpool’s season, but it was Manchester city’s night as they crushed the newly crowned premier league champions 4-0 at the Etihad stadium on Thursday.

Manchester City have been in good form since the restart of the premier league and they had a point to prove against Liverpool.

They also had their eyes on the maximum points to keep third place Leicester city at bay.

Kevin De Bruyne scored his first career goal against Liverpool from the penalty spot, and then ten minutes later, Raheem Sterling doubled the lead with a well taken goal.

Phil Foden put the game beyond Liverpool’s reach at the stroke of half time as City cruised to a deserved 3-0 victory.

Elsewhere, Tottenham’s hopes of finishing in the Top four and securing a Champions league spot was dealt a severe blow after they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Sheffield United.

Sander Berge scored in the first half to give the home team the lead. But when Tottenham thought they had equalized, Harry Kane’s strike was ruled out by the VAR.

Second half goals by Lys Mousset and Oliver McBurnie ended the contest despite Kane’s late consolation goal, as Sheffield picked the maximum points and moved above Arsenal into 7th on the premier league table.

July 3, 2020
Liverpool aim to regain momentum as Bournemouth come calling

Liverpool Manager, Juergen Klopp, is looking for his defence to regain top form after a third loss in four games across all competitions but Saturday’s Premier League opponents Bournemouth could be more concerned about their own back line.

Leaders’ Liverpool were expected to respond strongly to last Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Watford – their first of the league campaign – but instead were beaten 2-0 at Chelsea in the FA Cup on Tuesday.

Those results followed last month’s 1-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champion’s League round of 16 and a tense 3-2 win at home against West Ham United in the league.

“Usually, you don’t get a lot of chances against us, but now we have to admit that in the last three games, maybe four, we have conceded too many goals.

“Look, it went our way for so long because we defended outstandingly… the boys are strong, they showed so many times a wonderful reaction and we have to show this reaction again,’’ Klopp said.

Down in 18th place, Bournemouth have lost their last five league games to Liverpool, conceding 17 goals without response, and will be wary of a backlash that could hurt their hopes of escaping the drop zone.

With one hand already on the league trophy, thanks to a 22-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, Liverpool will look to regain lost momentum before next week’s Champions League clash against Atletico.

Manchester United will aim to avoid another dent, in their bid for a top-four finish, when they host City on Sunday and a victory will not only boost their chances but secure a rare league double over the champions.

United, who defeated City 2-1 in the league earlier in the campaign, have not managed the double over their derby rivals since the 2009-10 season when Alex Ferguson was in charge.

Despite a 1-1 draw against Everton last time out, United will fancy their chances, buoyed by the form of January signing Bruno Fernandes, who has bagged three goals and two assists in all competitions since his debut last month.

“He’s lifted the place, lifted everyone around him and it’s still early days.

“I think he can get even better,’’ former United winger, Ryan Giggs, told Sky Sports.

City could be missing the services of their own midfield talisman, Kevin De Bruyne, due to a shoulder injury sustained in the League Cup final win over Aston Villa.

Trying to stay in the race for a Champions League spot, seventh-placed Tottenham Hotspur face a stern test at Burnley on Saturday, having lost their last two league matches.

Fellow contenders, Wolverhampton Wanderers, host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday while third-placed Leicester City takes on Villa on Monday.

Carlo Ancelotti takes his Everton side to former club Chelsea on Sunday but awaits an FA decision on whether he is banned from the dugout after being charged with misconduct in the last game. (Reuters/ NAN)

March 5, 2020
Liverpool eye top-flight record; Norwich fight for survival

Top and bottom will both have very different goals in the Premier League this weekend as Liverpool chase a record and Norwich try to boost their survival hopes.

Liverpool will set a new top-flight record of 19 consecutive victories if they win at Watford while Norwich need a win over Leicester if they are not to be cut adrift at the bottom.

Juergen Klopp’s men travel to second-bottom Watford 22 points clear of Manchester City in second and needing just 12 more points for their first top-flight title since 1990.

Victory over Nigel Pearson’s side would give them a 19th straight league win, breaking the record they share with Manchester City from 2017.

Klopp and his side will still not countenance talk the title is done and dusted but three more points on Saturday evening will put them ever closer to breaking their 30-year drought.

“Obviously we’re quite close but they’re four very tough games,” full back Trent Alexander-Arnold told Liverpool’s website.

“Anything can happen in the Premier League and we’ve learned that over the course of our time playing in it, it’s difficult for us.”

Watford are also fighting for their lives, one point short of safety with 11 games to go.

“Going to Watford is not an easy task and teams have learned that over the course of the season,” Alexander-Arnold said.

“We learned that when they came here, it was a tough game. We scored in the last minute in that game, so it was a tight one. And we understand that, with the new manager that they’ve brought in, it’s difficult to break them down.

“So for us, our mentality needs to be 100 per cent and we just need to focus on that and then after that we’ll focus on the next game.”

With second-placed Manchester City playing in the League Cup final on Sunday, third-placed Leicester City can close the gap if they win at Norwich on Friday.

But the match holds even more significance for Norwich as they fight for survival. Six points adrift at the bottom, victory over Leicester would give them a huge morale boost.

Full back Max Aarons said the side needed to show a reaction after losing easily to Wolves last time out.

“They’re obviously a great side,” Aarons told Norwich’s website.

“They’ve got youth and energy as well as a large amount of experience, so it’s no surprise that they’re at the top end of the table.

“They’re fighting for a Champions League position as well, so they’ll be coming with a lot of intent but so are we. We want to get out of our position and it’s time to do so.”

“We knew coming into this division that there would be lots of ups and downs.

“We’d have liked there to be more ups than there have been until this point, but all we can do is keep battling and keep fighting and that’s what we will do.”

The battle for the top four continues with Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, separated by just four points from fourth to sixth, all in action.

Fourth-placed Chelsea travel to Bournemouth, fifth-placed United are at Everton and Tottenham host Wolves.

Third-bottom West Ham host Southampton, Brighton meet Crystal Palace and Newcastle play Burnley in the weekend’s other matches.

February 27, 2020
Liverpool fight back against West Ham to continue winning streak

Runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool had to come from behind to beat lowly West Ham United and maintain their 100% home record with a battling 3-2 win on Monday.

It looked like business as usual for Liverpool, unbeaten in the league and with a 22-point advantage at the top, when they went ahead in the ninth minute as Georginio Wijnaldum headed home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s whipped cross from the right.

Three minutes later, though, 18th-placed West Ham drew level with Issa Diop’s angled header from a Robert Snodgrass corner beating keeper Alisson Becker, who should have kept it out.

Virgil Van Dijk headed against the bar for Liverpool but Anfield was stunned in the 54th when Hammers substitute Pablo Fornals turned a low cross from Declan Rice into the far corner.

Facing the possibility of their first defeat of the Premier League campaign, Liverpool inevitably piled on the pressure but their usually deadly frontline was misfiring.

Only an awful error from West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski that allowed Juergen Klopp’s side to get back on level terms.

Mohamed Salah’s tame shot from an Andy Robertson pull back creeping through the legs of the Polish keeper.

Fabianski was at fault again when he came off his line but failed to stop Alexander-Arnold looping the ball over him to Sadio Mane who slotted home.

Mane had the ball in the net again in the 86th minute but his effort was ruled out for offside after a swift VAR review.

Liverpool’s win ensured they equalled Manchester City’s record of 18 straight top-flight wins. (Reuters/NAN)

February 25, 2020
Liverpool captain Henderson out for three weeks with hamstring injury

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will be out for three weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in their 1-0 midweek Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid, manager Juergen Klopp said on Friday.

The injury rules the influential midfielder out of Monday’s Premier League home game against relegation-threatened West Ham United, a match in which the runaway league leaders will be desperate “to put things right”, the German added.

“It’s not that bad, but he will be out I think for three weeks or so, which is not cool but how we see it is we were still lucky and that’s it,” Klopp told a news conference.

Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 first leg defeat on Tuesday was just their third loss of the season in all competitions and their first since their youth side was beaten by Aston Villa in the League Cup in December.

“It’s a little bit strange. Yes, we lost the game and there’s absolutely no positive in it.

“But it’s important… that it felt like a defeat. It felt after the game like a defeat, it felt the next morning like a defeat. But the thing is… to get the other feeling back… the feeling of how a win feels.

“We have won a few games and now we’ve lost it and the difference is massive. Much more than three points. It’s really from sunshine to hardest rain and that’s how it should be.

“If you really want to be successful… like we could have been in that game, then it has to feel really bad and that’s how it felt.

“So yes, we want to put things right even when it’s a different competition,”Klopp said of the loss in Spain.

West Ham, who were beaten 2-0 by second-placed Manchester City in their last league outing, would come to Anfield and “defend with all they have”, he added.

“With all the brilliance that Man City have… (West Ham) weren’t outplayed like you would expect when City is on the pitch.

“They… didn’t have a lot of possession obviously so I wouldn’t expect that they go for much more possession against us but… I think they took some positives out of that game and they will try it again and we have to be ready.

“I expect a really tough match, 100 per cent,” Klopp said. (Reuters/NAN)

February 22, 2020