SPORTS

Liverpool Beat Manchester City To Extend Lead To 11 Points

Published

1 day ago

December 2, 2024

Liverpool beat Manchester City to extend lead | fab.ng

Liverpool widened their lead in the Premier League to an impressive 11 points over defending champions Manchester City with a commanding 2-0 victory at Anfield.

This result extended City’s winless streak to seven matches across all competitions, marking the worst run of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career.

Guardiola responded to City’s recent struggles by benching regular goalkeeper Ederson in favour of Stefan Ortega.

However, Ortega faced relentless pressure from the start as Liverpool launched a series of aggressive attacks.

Dominik Szoboszlai tested the goalkeeper twice early on and then set up Virgil van Dijk, whose powerful header struck the post.

The opening goal seemed inevitable, and Anfield didn’t have to wait long for a moment of brilliance from Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian delivered a pinpoint cross that found Cody Gakpo at the back post, who bundled the ball into the net, sending the Kop into raptures.

A simple finish 👍

Cody Gakpo with the easiest of tasks to tap home to make it 1-0 🔴#LIVMCI pic.twitter.com/u7Wu1igHPR

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 1, 2024

City’s strategy of playing out from the back continued to cause them problems even after conceding. Van Dijk missed another opportunity with a header, and Gakpo fired over the bar as Liverpool maintained control.

Although City managed to reduce the flow of Liverpool’s attacks, they struggled to create any meaningful chances.

Their first shot didn’t arrive until the 39th minute when Rico Lewis’s tame effort missed the target. This encapsulated a miserable first half for the champions.

The statistics told the story…

It was the longest City had gone without a shot in a Premier League match since April 2010. Although they looked slightly more threatening after the break, Liverpool remained dominant.

Gakpo had another shot blocked by Matheus Nunes, and Van Dijk headed another chance over the bar.

Salah then intercepted a loose pass from Bernardo Silva, racing through on goal only to lift his shot over the bar, missing a golden opportunity to double Liverpool’s lead.

Despite their dominance, Liverpool still needed a second goal to seal the win against Manchester City. That decisive moment came 12 minutes from time. Ruben Dias lost possession, allowing Luis Diaz to sprint through on goal.

👑 pic.twitter.com/JWGjDwcHPG

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 1, 2024

Ortega brought Diaz down, conceding a penalty. Salah confidently stepped up and converted the spot-kick, redeeming himself after a midweek miss against Real Madrid. This goal marked his 13th direct contribution in his last 11 starts against City.

With this victory, Arne Slot’s Liverpool side solidified their dominance at Anfield this season, having already beaten the champions of England, Spain, and Germany.

They now sit nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table, leaving Arsenal trailing behind.

Meanwhile, Manchester City finds itself in unfamiliar territory. This defeat marks their fourth consecutive league loss, a streak they haven’t endured since August 2008.

The defending champions now sit outside the top four, facing mounting pressure and searching for answers as their title defence falters.

Liverpool’s performance underscored their credentials as genuine title contenders, with clinical finishing, defensive solidity, and moments of individual brilliance.

In contrast, City must regroup quickly to halt their downward spiral and reignite their season.

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Related Topics:Football Liverpool Manchester City sports news

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Barcelona’s Dominant Victory: Raphinha Shines In 5-1 Win Over Mallorca

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Ancelotti Admits Mbappe Is In “Difficult Moment” And Lacks Confidence

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SPORTS

Barcelona’s Dominant Victory: Raphinha Shines In 5-1 Win Over Mallorca

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2 hours ago

December 3, 2024

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Raphinha Shines In 5-1 Win for Barcelona Mallorca | fab.ng

A second-half brace by Raphinha played a pivotal role in the Blaugrana’s success as Barcelona extended their lead at the top of LaLiga to four points.

They did this with a commanding 5-1 victory over Mallorca, breaking a three-match winless streak in the league.

After a surprising home defeat to Las Palmas, Barcelona needed a strong performance against an in-form Mallorca side. Determined from the outset, Hansi Flick’s team applied early pressure.

Their efforts paid off in the 12th minute when Ferran Torres capitalised on a defensive error, nudging the ball past Leo Roman to score his second goal of the season.

Buoyed by this early breakthrough, Barcelona continued to dominate. Torres nearly added a second, but Roman’s sharp reflexes kept the scoreline in check.

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal missed a crucial opportunity, firing wide when well-positioned in the box.

Despite Barcelona’s dominance, Mallorca remained dangerous on the counterattack. Their persistence paid off just before halftime.

Pablo Maffeo unselfishly set up Vedat Muriqi, who tapped in from close range to level the score. This goal highlighted Mallorca’s resilience and set the stage for an intense second half.

Mallorca - Barcelona match stats

Raphinha Takes Charge in the Second Half

Barcelona resumed with renewed intensity after the break. Torres and Raphinha both came close to restoring the lead.

Their pressure finally yielded a penalty when Johan Mojica fouled Yamal in the area. Raphinha confidently converted the spot-kick, notching his 15th goal across all competitions.

The Brazilian forward continued to lead Barcelona’s attack. In the 60th minute, Yamal delivered a stunning trivela cross, which Raphinha expertly finished, extending Barcelona’s lead to 3-1.

This goal underlined their attacking prowess and tactical cohesion.

With momentum firmly on their side, Barcelona sealed the win with two late goals. Frenkie de Jong capitalised on a loose ball to score, demonstrating perfect positioning.

Minutes later, he assisted Pau Victor, who easily slotted home, making it 5-1. These late strikes not only secured the win but also extended Barcelona’s unbeaten streak against Mallorca to 17 matches (15 wins, 2 draws).

This dominant performance reaffirms Barcelona’s title credentials. Their blend of youthful energy and experienced leadership, highlighted by Raphinha’s brilliance, sends a clear message to their LaLiga rivals.

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SPORTS

Ancelotti Admits Mbappe Is In “Difficult Moment” And Lacks Confidence

Published

5 days ago

November 28, 2024

Reporter

Kylian Mbappe, Ancelotti admits is in a 'difficult moment' | fab.ng

Kylian Mbappé, the 25-year-old French striker, delivered another lacklustre performance for Real Madrid on Wednesday night.

In their 2-0 Champions League defeat at Anfield, Mbappé struggled to impact the game, failing to pose a significant threat to Liverpool’s defence and missing a crucial penalty.

Since his high-profile transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid in June, Mbappé has endured a difficult start to life in Spain.

He has managed to score only one goal in five Champions League appearances for the Spanish club.

Despite his recent form, which includes just one goal in his last six games across all competitions, manager Carlo Ancelotti remains steadfast in his support for Mbappé.

Ancelotti views the World Cup-winning forward as an “extraordinary” player who simply requires patience and support to fully adapt and excel in the Spanish league.

“It’s a difficult moment for him, we’ve got to support him and give him our love, he’ll soon be fine,” Ancelotti said.

“It could be a lack of confidence maybe. Sometimes you have moments when things aren’t quite working out for you. But you get through these moments. People miss penalties, it happens a lot. You can’t put too much grief on him for that.

“He works hard, he’s got to keep working hard and fighting. You get through these moments. Things just aren’t running for him at the moment. We’ve got be patient. He’s an extraordinary player.”

Ancelotti acknowledged Liverpool’s superior performance, stating that they deserved to win the match.

“I think that to be totally honest with you, it was a fair result,” he said. “They have a really good dynamic at the moment, they are switched on, they play with a high intensity.”

Liverpool are the first team to confirm their place in the round of 16 or knockout phase play-offs ⚽#UCL pic.twitter.com/ebUtmFxFeW

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 27, 2024

Ancelotti expressed confidence that Real Madrid’s form would improve significantly, despite their current position of 24th out of 36 teams in the league and the looming threat of missing the knockout phase.

“I think this game today wasn’t a decisive game,” he said. “We’ll be there, we’ll be competing in the knockout phase, like in previous years.”

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham concurred with his manager’s assessment, stating that Liverpool had outperformed them in the match.

“They were more up for it than us which is very disappointing. It is a bad result against the best-performing team in Europe,” he said.

“We are disappointed at how we have performed and it is important that we win the next three games and give ourselves a chance to go through.”

Bellingham also voiced his support for Kylian Mbappé.

“He is a wonderful player but the pressure on him because of how good he is is huge. The penalty is not why we lost the game. They performed better than us. I know that he will produce many more moments that will be huge for this club,” he said.

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SPORTS

FA Investigating Suspended Referee Coote For Allegedly Discussing Booking Before Match

Published

7 days ago

November 27, 2024

Reporter

David Coote investigated by FA for booking before match | fab.ng

David Coote, a Premier League referee currently suspended, is the subject of an ongoing betting investigation by the Football Association (FA).

The investigation stems from allegations that Coote discussed giving a yellow card before a match.

According to messages from The Sun, a friend of Coote’s allegedly urged him to issue a yellow card to Ezgjan Alioski. Alisoki is a then-Leeds defender, during a Championship match against West Brom in October 2019.

Coote followed through on this advice, booking Alioski in the 18th minute for a cynical foul. Subsequently, he messaged his friend back, stating, “I hope you backed as discussed.”

Coote recently spoke to The Sun, admitting that the conversation with his friend did indeed take place. However, he insists it was merely “banter” and denies any intentional wrongdoing.

Tomorrow’s front page: Coote texted friend about yellow card before match https://t.co/eojKr0ugPv pic.twitter.com/cd8YKlkcKN

— The Sun (@TheSun) November 26, 2024

Despite the claims, the Football Association is investigating David Coote on the matter.

A spokesperson from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the refereeing body, told Sky Sports… “These are very serious allegations and we are investigating as a matter of urgency.”

“The facts need to be established in light of these very serious allegations.

“We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our integrity code of conduct, which is signed by all match officials on an annual basis.

“PGMOL board is committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that code be proven.

“David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter, which will be carried out independently by the FA.

“We will be making no further comment at this stage.”

The FA have launched a betting probe into allegations that referee David Coote discussed giving a yellow card to a Leeds United player with a friend before a match.

Coote carded Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski in the match against West Brom in October 2019. pic.twitter.com/ZS3PaK2p6V

— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) November 26, 2024

Recent scandals have further tarnished Coote’s reputation. Foul-mouthed videos surfaced of him ranting against Liverpool and their former manager, Jurgen Klopp.

In these videos, he used derogatory language, calling Klopp a “c***” and “f****** arrogant”. As a result of this offensive behaviour, PGMOL suspended him on November 11th.

Days later, another video emerged, this time showing Coote seemingly snorting white powder in a hotel during the European Championship in Germany, where he was officiating.

This clip is believed to have been filmed on July 6th, just a day before the France-Portugal quarter-final. In response to this incident, UEFA, European football’s governing body, also suspended Coote, aligning with PGMOL’s decision.

Check out more sports updates here.