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https://ift.tt/2q3i9E6 Ralph Hasenhuttl admitted Southampton were fortunate to beat Watford on Saturday after VAR failed to spot a handball in the build up to their equalising goal. Saints looked set to suffer a costly defeat to one of their relegation rivals before Danny Ings’ 78th-minute leveller was swiftly followed by James Ward-Prowse’s superb free-kick winner to seal a 2-1 win over the Hornets . Sky Sports Moussa Djenepo handled the ball in the build-up to Danny Ings’ equalising goal for Southampton Television replays later showed Moussa Djenepo handled the ball before assisting Ings’s equaliser, with VAR officials since admitting the goal should have been disallowed. Victory for Southampton was their first at home since mid-April and ended an eight-match winless league run to leave Watford languishing at the bottom. Saints boss Hasenhuttl felt the result lifted a weight but acknowledged fortune played a part in a much-needed three points. “If VAR would have seen it...

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J VAR officials have admitted Danny Ings’ equaliser for Southampton against Watford should have been disallowed for handball by Moussa Djenepo in the build-up.

https://ift.tt/2q3i9E6 Ralph Hasenhuttl admitted Southampton were fortunate to beat Watford on Saturday after VAR failed to spot a handball in the build up to their equalising goal. Saints looked set to suffer a costly defeat to one of their relegation rivals before Danny Ings’ 78th-minute leveller was swiftly followed by James Ward-Prowse’s superb free-kick winner to seal a 2-1 win over the Hornets . Sky Sports Moussa Djenepo handled the ball in the build-up to Danny Ings’ equalising goal for Southampton  Television replays later showed Moussa Djenepo handled the ball before assisting Ings’s equaliser, with VAR officials since admitting the goal should have been disallowed. Victory for Southampton was their first at home since mid-April and ended an eight-match winless league run to leave Watford languishing at the bottom. Saints boss Hasenhuttl felt the result lifted a weight but acknowledged fortune played a part in a much-needed three points. “If VAR would have se...

https://ift.tt/2qQy4Gw West Ham got one over on former player Frank Lampard by beating his wasteful Chelsea side 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, condemning them to back-to-back defeats in the Premier League. Lampard made five changes – naming Willian, N’Golo Kante and Cesar Azpilicueta on the bench – and the Blues paid the price as Aaron Cresswell struck to end a run of eight games without a win for the Hammers. Getty Images - Getty West Ham won against a heavily-changed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge Earlier in the day, Man City dropped two points away at Newcastle and league-leaders Liverpool took full advantage with a 2-1 win over Brighton, although they made hard work of it. With the hosts seemingly cruising at 2-0 thanks to a double from Virgil van Dijk, Alisson saw red for handling outside the box and Lewis Dunk converted the resulting free-kick with some quick-thinking. And the Reds were forced to survive some late pressure to gain all three points and go 11 points clear of Man ...

https://ift.tt/35I389Y It appears Jose Mourinho might have a new good-luck charm in ball boy Callum Hynes, as he celebrated with the teenager again when Tottenham took the lead over Bournemouth. The 15-year-old was hailed by the manager after his quick-thinking on the sidelines directly led to Spurs’ equaliser in their 4-2 win over Olympiakos in the Champions League. BT Sports 2 Jose Mourinho made sure to congratulate the Tottenham ball boy for his ‘intelligent’ play after their Champions League equaliser Mourinho went over to celebrate with the ball boy and then praised him in his post-match press conference “I love intelligent ballboys,” said the Portuguese. “I was a brilliant ball boy as a kid and this kid was brilliant. He understands the game and he got an assist.” The schoolboy was then invited to share the pre-match meal with his Tottenham heroes ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Bournemouth. Hynes was back on duty at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ...

https://ift.tt/2L7fOzx Gareth Southgate believes England deserve to be feared ahead of the Euro 2020 draw on Saturday evening. The Three Lions will discover who will join them in Group D when the must-anticipated draw is made in Bucharest. Getty Images - Getty Enjoyed enjoyed an excellent qualifying campaign under Southgate England could end up facing both holders Portugal and world champions France but will have home advantage, with all three of their group games taking place at Wembley. And Southgate feels their run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, and to last summer’s Nations League finals, means other teams should be worried about facing England. “I think we’ve gained some respect and I think people would view us as a threat, which certainly wasn’t the case ahead of Russia,” he told BBC Sport. “We also know we have got to improve to another level. It’s hard to assess exactly where we are after this qualifying campaign, but if we looked at the World Cup semi and ...

https://ift.tt/377FaGS Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted he will not stand in Mikel Arteta’s way if Arsenal come calling. The former Gunners captain has served as Guardiola’s No.2 since he arrived in England and the pair have forged a close friendship at the Etihad. Getty Images - Getty Arteta is once again on the radar to take over at Arsenal Arteta was on the verge of landing the Emirates hot seat before Unai Emery was appointed in summer 2018 and he is now in the frame again. Guardiola said: “I said many times with my players, staff, they’re free to do what they want to do. “With Mikel, it’s about being a friend, I want the best for him. “What I want is that we stay together this season and next season but I don’t know what’s best for him. GAMEDAY Tottenham v Bournemouth commentary: Alli fires Mourinho's men in front dining out Jose Mourinho and Harry Kane welcome Tottenham ball boy to pre-match meal GameDay Premier League scores li...

https://ift.tt/2L9Aqaf The Tottenham ball boy who helped Spurs beat Olympiakos joined the players for a pre-match meal on Saturday as a reward for his heroics. Callum Hynes, 15, started the attack for Spurs’ equaliser during the 4-2 victory with some quick thinking, allowing Mourinho’s men to catch the Greeks cold from a throw. Twitter @SpursOfficial Mourinho and Kane welcomed Hynes to the pre-match meal Twitter @SpursOfficial The teenager joined the squad for some food The goal proved a turning point as Tottenham cancelled out the visitors’ two-goal advantage and went on to seal qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Mourinho, who high-fived the youngster in the immediate aftermath, then went on to praise Hynes in his post-match press conference. And the Spurs manager came good on his promise to bring the kid along to a pre-match meal, even taking the time to introduce him to the players. Hynes could be seen shaking hands with the likes o...

https://ift.tt/2spbswW Two stunning goals in the last ten minutes saw Manchester City held to a 2-2 draw at Newcastle, dropping two valuable points in their pursuit of Liverpool. With the scores level, Kevin De Bruyne thought he had won the game with an unbelievable volley, only to be matched by Jonjo Shelvey just six minutes later. Getty Images - Getty Former Newcastle man Liverpool did his old side a favour The Magpies captain curled a beautiful strike into the bottom corner to cancel out De Bruyne’s goal of the season contender as Steve Bruce’s men took more points off the ‘Big Six’. More to follow… FIXED Why De Bruyne called Euro 2020 draw 'fake' with Belgium's opponents already confirmed Approved Abraham to Barcelona? Suarez names ‘incredible’ Chelsea ace among his top strikers GameDay Newcastle vs Man City commentary: Shelvey stunner cancels out De Bruyne thunderbolt GAMEDAY Tottenham v Bournemouth commentary: Mourinho takes charge of f...

https://ift.tt/2Y1nl89 Luis Suarez has given Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham his seal of approval and suggested the 22-year-old could fill his boots at Barcelona one day. The Catalan giants are said to be on the hunt for Suarez’ long-term replacement, with the former Liverpool ace set to turn 33 in January. getty Luis Suarez may now be in the twilight of his career, but he’s still banging in goals for Barcelona In an interview with Onefootball , the Uruguayan was asked about his favourite frontmen in the game right now. He went on to list a number of young stars who have caught his eye and, with Barca on the look-out, revealed he has been really impressed by Chelsea ’s ‘incredible’ Abraham. “There are many young strikers who are playing very well this season,” Suarez said. “Personally, I have certain number of young and old strikers that I like to see them because of their skills. For example, I like Abraham, Chelsea’s No9. “In my opinion he is an incredible striker with a...

https://ift.tt/34GKVd2 Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has decided to start Olivier Giroud over Michy Batshuayi for the Premier League visit of West Ham on Saturday. Many expected Batshuayi to start in the absence of star striker Tammy Abraham, who was stretchered off during the 2-2 draw with Valencia in midweek. AFP or licensors Giroud is rumoured to be off in January However, Giroud gets the nod in a heavily-rotated side at Stamford Bridge, with Lampard making five changes from the team which started at the Mestalla Stadium. Pedro, also out of favour in the new regime, gets a rare start alongside Mason Mount, Emerson, and Fikayo Tomori, who all come in. For the visitors, manager Manuel Pellegrini has finally lost patience with goalkeeper Roberto, instead naming 33-year-old David Martin in goal. historic FA Cup third round draw: Ball numbers, date and time and where to watch per-fect choice Arsenal announce ex-defender is set to join Ljungberg in the dugout G...

https://ift.tt/2sp3ioi Arsenal have confirmed Per Mertesacker will be alongside Freddie Ljungberg in the Gunners dugout at Norwich on Sunday. Ljungberg was handed the reins on an interim basis after Unai Emery was sacked on Friday following a run of seven games without a win. Mertesacker, who won three FA Cups during his time with the north London club, retired at the end of the 2017/18 season and has been working as the club’s academy director. The Guardian claims Gilberto Silva is also set to join Ljungberg’s staff, but the Brazilian World Cup winner insisted nobody from the club has made contact with him as of yet. Ljungberg , who was Emery’s No.2, has no immediate designs on becoming permanent Gunners boss. The Swede told Sky Sports: “For me it’s about the team and the club. “I’m trying to concentrate on the game tomorrow. We’ll try to win that as hard as we can and if there are a few other games, we’ll see. “But that’s what I look at, the other stuff is totally irrelevant....

https://ift.tt/2QdGQsq Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has defended Paul Pogba’s professionalism and willingness to return to football. The campaign could not have gone much worse for the 26-year-old, who admitted he wanted to leave the club for a ‘new change’ in the summer. Getty Images - Getty Pogba’s return will be a welcome boost for Manchester United Injured against Southampton at the end of August, Pogba was able to return in late September against Rochdale and Arsenal only for an ankle issue to lie him low ever since. The France international this week finished up a period of rehabilitation in Miami, where the midfielder was seen playing basketball with Heat star Jimmy Butler without his ankle seemingly proving problematic. That video naturally raised questions and a report in Spain even suggested the wantaway midfielder was fit and refusing to play for United, but Solskjaer defended the former world record signing. “Every player is allowed to be inju...

https://ift.tt/2OZhDj6 Chelsea will be without star striker Tammy Abraham when they welcome West Ham to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday. The 22-year-old, who is currently second in the top-flight’s goalscoring charts, was stretchered off during the 2-2 draw with Valencia in the Champions League on Wednesday night. AFP OR LICENSORS Abraham was stretchered off in the match against Valencia in midweek It also certainly means a rare start for Belgium forward Michy Batshuayi as the Blues look to strengthen their position inside the top four. Batshuayi has been used mainly as an impact sub this season, but the 26-year-old has made valuable contributions, including the winner away at Ajax last month. And that might not be the only change Frank Lampard makes as he comes up against his former club. Mason Mount has lost his place in the starting XI in recent weeks, with Lampard preferring a midfield three of Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante. Those three ...

https://ift.tt/2KbDRfY Tony Cascarino has claimed Arsenal have ‘become a smaller club’ since leaving Highbury to move into the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners left their historic home for their newly-built ground in 2006, with the promise of competing with the world’s elite. But club chiefs have been accused of ‘selling supporters a dream’ with the team failing to win or even challenge for the Premier League title or Champions League crown in the 13 years since. Getty Images - Getty Arsenal are set for a huge battle to even make the top-four in the Premier League this season after their poor start The stadium move has long been blamed for the lack of investment into the team, but even after splashing out more than £100million over the summer it has not helped Arsenal improve, with Unai Emery sacked as manager on Friday after overseeing the club’s worst run of results since 1992. And, reflecting on a disastrous week for the north London club, Cascarino said the club have bee...

https://ift.tt/2QP163V Forget Brendan Rodgers, Massimiliano Allegri and Nuno Espirito Santo, here’s a reminder that England head coach Eddie Jones told talkSPORT he would ‘love to coach’ Arsenal. The England rugby chief joined Alan Brazil and Ally McCoist in the talkSPORT studios last Thursday to promote his new autobiography, My Life and Rugby . And after being quizzed on the Red Rose’s World Cup final heart-break , his early career and relationship with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola , he was asked: Would he ever make a shock move to football? talkSPORT Eddie Jones joined talkSPORT for a wide-ranging interview to promote his new autobiography At the time of the interview, Unai Emery was under the cosh in the Gunners hotseat with his side eight points adrift of the Premier League’s top-four. And Jones – a former north London resident – cannily put his name in the hat to replace the Spaniard. Little did he know that just a week later the role would be free, with Emery ...

https://ift.tt/2DstP6F Jose Mourinho is set to give Eric Dier a vote of confidence by including him in his starting XI against Bournemouth on Saturday. The Spurs boss, in his first home match in charge of the club, saw his side go 2-0 down inside 20 minutes against Olympiakos and responded by hauling Dier off and replacing him with Christian Eriksen. AFP Dier was hooked early on with Spurs 2-0 down in midweek The move worked as Spurs came roaring back to seal their  place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 4-2 victory. However, according to The Sun, Dier is set to be named in the Portuguese’s team to face Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mourinho is thought to be a big fan of the Englishman, who can play in defence or as a holding midfielder. After the match on Tuesday, Mourinho went to great lengths to explain his treatment of Dier was nothing personal. dining out Mourinho offers Tottenham ball boy once-in-a-lifetime opportunity aft...

https://ift.tt/35I389Y Jose Mourinho has invited the Tottenham ball boy who helped them beat Olympiakos to a pre-match meal with the players on Saturday. Callum Hynes, 15, started the attack for Spurs’ equaliser during the 4-2 victory with some quick thinking, allowing Mourinho’s men to catch the Greeks cold from a throw. BT Sports 2 Jose Mourinho made sure to congratulate the Tottenham ball boy for his ‘intelligent’ play The goal proved a turning point as Tottenham cancelled out the visitors’ two-goal advantage and went on to seal qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Mourinho, who high-fived the youngster in the immediate aftermath, then went on to praise Hynes in his post-match press conference. And ahead of the clash with Bournemouth – live on talkSPORT 2 at 3pm on Saturday – the Tottenham manager has offered the kid a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Listen to Tottenham vs Bournemouth LIVE on talkSPORT 2 “He comes for lunch, for a pre-match...

https://ift.tt/33xTKV8 Declan Rice has insisted it will be strictly business when he faces ‘best friend’ Mason Mount as West Ham take on Chelsea on Saturday afternoon. The young midfielders have been close mates since they were seven, having grown up together in Chelsea ’s academy. AFP or licensors Best mates Mason Mount, left, and Declan Rice are set to start together in England’s midfield for the first time They were team-mates at the club until six years ago when Rice was released by the Blues, but on Saturday they will go head-to-head for the first time in the professional game. You probably saw their antics from their holiday together in Dubai over the summer, with Mount’s scare prank on Rice going viral on social media . Even their parents are close, with the pair often visiting each other’s home towns when they were younger. It’s such a close double-act of a friendship that the England squad – where they were reunited earlier this year – have dubbed them ‘dumb and ...

https://ift.tt/2XxwJQC Kevin De Bruyne hit out at UEFA and called next summer’s Euro 2020 ‘a fake competition’, as Belgium already know who they will play in the group stage. The draw takes place live on talkSPORT 2 at 5pm today, but the Red Devils won’t be paying much attention to it – they know who will be joining them in Group B. AFP Kevin De Bruyne has blasted Euro 2020 as a ‘fake competition’ over its ‘fixed’ draw Due to seedings and rules involving host nations, three of the four teams in Group B have already been determined, with Belgium guaranteed to face Denmark and Russia next summer. The official Euro 2020 draw is scheduled for November 30, but Roberto Martinez’s men have the rare advantage of already knowing who their opponents will be. For the first time, the European Championships will be played in 12 host cities from 12 nations, with Wembley Stadium staging the semi-finals and final. Belgium join Italy, England , Germany, Spain and Ukraine in the top seeds...