Football

José Mourinho claims that if Fulham field a full-strength side in Wednesday's rearranged match at Tottenham, Fulham will owe the rest of the Premier League an apology. Spurs manager was upset by what he considers to have been a reluctance to play the game at short notice on Fulham's part. He indicated that the only explanation for them not to do so as if they had problems with choices, but he didn't think they had any. Mourinho complained that he had been informed of the postponement of the initial Fulham game just a few hours before kick-off. And they had more than 48 hours to prepare for this one.Meanwhile, Fulham manager, Scott Parker, said the league told him and his club at 9:30 a.m. on Monday that they would have to finish the fixture. It was postponed on December 30 follo...

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton will both aim to build on wins in the FA Cup. To advance to the fourth round, Nuno Espirito Santo's side saw off Crystal Palace1-0. Whereas Everton needed extra time to overcome a dogged Rotherham United side. With only one win from their last seven in the top flight, Wolves slipped to 13th in the table and are now seven points ahead of the top six. But with a much-needed win on Tuesday, the hosts would temporarily leapfrog Arsenal and Leeds United. Adama Traore has not enjoyed the most fruitful of campaigns so far. But the thunderous effort of the 24-year-old proved decisive against Palace as Nuno's side booked their spot in the next round of FA Cup. With his stand-in, Fabio Silva failing to make a name for himself in the English game, the ab...

Scott McTominay's early headed goal capped a great individual effort that took Manchester United through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. They defeated Watford on Saturday at Old Trafford 1-0. McTominay connected with an Alex Telles corner and while his downward header lacked strength, it bounced up and into the top corner. United looked a little disorganized after making nine changes from the team that lost the League Cup semifinal to Manchester City in midweek. Meanwhile, Watford, who were relegated last season from the Premier League, produced plenty of chances but could not score. Instead, with a selfless showing of running and tackling, it was 24-year-old Scottish midfielder McTominay who won it for the Red Devils. McTominay was captaining the United side for the first...

Arsenal started their FA Cup defense with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the third round at Emirates Stadium. Emile Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in extra time to give Arsenal the permit to the next round. Arsenal were in the driving seat from the first minute. They were creating chances and taking them by giving Dubravka some nervy minutes. Andy Carrol missed a few good chances as well. In the 56th minute, Carroll missed the mark for the visitors from inside the six-yard box. Bernd Leno brilliantly blocked his attempts on goal in stoppage time. Smith Rowe had a red card rescinded for a tackle on Sean Longstaff in stoppage time. Referee Chris Cavanagh went up to the monitor and reversed his red card decision. He was as a second-half substitu...

Barcelona eased to a comfortable 4-0 win in Granada on Saturday. Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann bagged two goals each. As Barca closed the gap on the Madrid clubs at the top of the table, Griezmann ended his goal drought of nine matches in all competitions. In the first two minutes, Granada nearly scored the opener. But Marc-Andre ter Stegen created a superb save from Antonio Puertas. After 12 minutes, Barca took the lead when Griezmann responded quickly inside the box and ended up in the bottom corner. He also set up Messi who curved the ball into the top corner. Again, with a stunning free-kick, Messi scored his second just 3 minutes before half-time. Now for the 15th consecutive season, the Barca captain has now scored 10 goals or more in La Liga. Granada coach tried to t...

Sadio Mane scored twice as Liverpool eased past a youthful Aston Villa side 4-1. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the club, Aston Villa fielded a side full of U-23 and U-18 players. Manager Dean Smith was not on the sidelines, while Liverpool also rested some regulars for the game. Liverpool's side had featured Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in their squad. And shortly after the kickoff from a Curtis Jones cross, the Senegal striker led his team in front. Villa held firm for the remainder of the first half. Liverpool dominated possession against their youthful opponents. And leveled the score shortly before the break with a classy finish from Louie Barry. Georginio Wijnaldum fired past Akos Onodi from the top of the area. However, Mane headed in another three minutes later, Liverpo...

Sean Dyche has called for fast-tracked coronavirus vaccines in football, diverting the money saved on research to the NHS. Dyche revealed there were "a couple" of Covid-19 cases in the Clarets camp before Saturday's FA Cup home encounter against MK Dons. Dyche also spoke of the advantages he thinks could come from "getting some vaccinations faster throughout football. He did not mean that footballers could take precedence over "essential people who need vaccinations" such as key staff, the elderly, and the vulnerable, but talked about benefits. “I think vaccination is the way forward throughout football,” said Dyche. “I can only talk for the Premier League because I’m in the Premier League, but I think it would be good for football. I appreciate some people will be surprised by ...

If the Football Association intends to ban players for violating Covid-19 protocols after Aleksandar Mitrovic of Fulham attended a New Year's Eve party with Luka Milivojevic of Crystal Palace, Scott Parker will not be shocked. A social media video showed Mitrovic and Milivojevic celebrating with at least seven other individuals indoors, flouting tier 4 regulations. Previously a photograph showing three Tottenham players, Érik Lamela, Sergio Reguilón and Giovani Lo Celso, at a party with Manuel Lanzini over the Christmas period encountered a furious reaction after its circulation last weekend. The Serbian pair are not the only Premier League players to have flouted social distance rules recently. “I could understand it,” Fulham’s manager said. “If you go back to not just football...

Arsenal will be looking to book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup. They face Newcastle at Emirates tonight. The Gunners will reach the match off the back of three consecutive Premier League wins. While during a poor streak, Newcastle are winless in their last six matches in all competitions. It has been a good couple of weeks for Arsenal as they have beaten Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, and West Bromwich Albion in their last three league fixtures. They have now climbed to 11th place in the table. Arteta's side now has three games in a row at Emirates, welcoming Crystal Palace and Newcastle in their next two league matches. They’ll travel to Southampton on January 26. Newcastle, meanwhile, are six-time FA Cup champions but have not won the trophy since1955. How...

Barcelona secured a 3-2 victory at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday to climb up to third in La Liga. Lionel Messi was at the top of his game. Messi has had a relatively poor season by his own standards. But his goals took him on to nine goals for the campaign, making him the joint top scorer in La Liga. In their first match under new coach Marcelino, Athletic got off to a dream start. Forward Inaki Williams latched on to a low through ball and sped towards the goal. He beat one defender in the third minute before shooting low into the net. With a sensational team goal, however, Barca replied quickly. Messi delivering a perfect pass to pick out Frenkie de Jong by the byline and the Dutchman volleyed the ball back. The pass went across the area for 18-year-old Pedri to head home. ...