Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Chelsea take control as Spurs splutter in League Cup semi

chelsea

LONDON: Thomas Tuchel warned Chelsea their League Cup semi-final against Tottenham is not over yet after they took control of the tie with a 2-0 first leg win on Wednesday. Tuchel’s side are within touching distance of a first League Cup final appearance since 2019 after brushing aside Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. Kai Havertz put Chelsea ahead with a … Read more

Man City’s ‘title to lose’ after Chelsea, Liverpool fall on their swords

manchester

MANCHESTER: Even after a weekend in which Manchester City produced the worst performance of the Premier League’s top four, the champions streaked further clear towards a fourth title in five years. City manager Pep Guardiola admitted his side were second best despite coming from behind to beat 10-man Arsenal 2-1 with a 93rd minute winner … Read more

Morocco want to ditch underachievers tag in Africa Cup of Nations

Morocco

JOHANNESBURG: Morocco head to Cameroon without out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech and hoping to end a 46-year wait for a second Africa Cup of Nations title. The North Africa kingdom boasts one of the strongest leagues in the continent and its stars are dotted across Europe, but the national team consistently underachieves in the flagship tournament. … Read more

Chelsea battle back to deny Liverpool title race revival

Chelsea

LONDON: Chelsea came from 2-0 down to earn a point from a pulsating 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday that does little for either side’s hopes of catching Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. City’s lead now stands at 10 points from Chelsea with Liverpool a point further back, albeit with a game in … Read more

Lukaku’s comments leave Chelsea, Tuchel in awkward situation

Chelsea

Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku said in an interview published on Thursday he is “not happy” at Chelsea after starting just eight league games this term. Blues coach Thomas Tuchel has preferred a formation without the 28-year-old, who has suffered from injury and Covid-19 this season. Lukaku joined the English side in August after winning Serie A … Read more

Liverpool’s Klopp confident Chelsea game will go ahead despite virus cases

Klopp

LONDON: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes his side’s crucial match against Chelsea will go ahead on Sunday despite three new coronavirus cases in their camp as another fixture was called off by the Premier League. Klopp refused to name the players on Friday as they were awaiting test results but forward Roberto Firmino and goalkeeper Alisson Becker were … Read more

Chelsea legend Terry returns to club in consultancy role

John Terry

LONDON: Former Chelsea captain John Terry is returning to the club where he won 17 trophies including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in a coaching consultancy role at their Academy. “I’m delighted to announce that I’m coming home, and have taken up a consultancy role at ChelseaFC academy,” the 41-year-old former defender … Read more

Liverpool need to improve before Chelsea clash, says Van Dijk

Liverpool

LONDON: Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he and his teammates need to “look in the mirror and improve” after the 1-0 loss to Leicester dealt a blow to their Premier League title prospects. Leaders Manchester City can extend their advantage to nine points later on Wednesday if they beat Brentford. Chelsea could leapfrog Liverpool into second … Read more

Ben Chilwell will undergo knee surgery

Ben Chilwell

LONDON: Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell will undergo knee surgery that could rule him out of the season for rest. Chilwell suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in Chelsea’s Champions League win against Juventus on November 23. The Blues had hoped Chilwell could return to action without surgery, but the England left-back has been told he must … Read more

Six of the best for Man City as Chelsea get back on track

Kieran Tierney

LONDON: Manchester City opened up a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a first half demolition of Leicester in a thrilling 6-3 win as Chelsea got back on track with a 3-1 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday. Three of the scheduled nine Boxing Day matches were postponed due to coronavirus … Read more

Klopp, Conte keen for one-legged League Cup semi-finals

Klopp

LONDON: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte have called for January’s League Cup semi-finals to be switched to one-legged ties to ease fixture congestion. Spurs have a backlog of three Premier League fixtures due to postponements for bad weather and coronavirus outbreaks among the squad, while Liverpool have also been impacted by … Read more

Abramovich settles libel claim over Putin book

Roman Abramovich

LONDON: Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich said Wednesday he had accepted an apology and rewrites after suing the author and publisher of a book about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. Abramovich sued publisher HarperCollins and investigative journalist Catherine Belton in the High Court over passages about the Russian billionaire’s acquisition of the English … Read more

Chelsea knocked out of Women’s Champions League in defeat to Wolfsburg

Chelsea vs Wolfsburg

PARIS: Last season’s beaten finalists Chelsea were sent packing from the Women’s Champions League on Thursday after a 4-0 defeat away to Wolfsburg in Germany in a dramatic final round of group games. Captain Svenja Huth and Tabea Wassmuth, the competition’s leading scorer, both scored twice as the Germans claimed the comprehensive win they needed … Read more

Klopp won’t buy cover for Liverpool’s African Nations stars

Klopp

LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a move into the transfer market to cover for the Liverpool stars set to take part in the African Nations Cup. Liverpool are set to lose the services of Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, Senegal winger Sadio Mane and Guinea midfielder Naby Keita when the tournament gets under way in Cameroon. In … Read more

Three talking points from the Premier League weekend

David de Gea

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea remain separated by just two points at the top of the Premier League after all three relied on penalties to win this weekend. Manchester United also needed a spot-kick and a man-of-the-match performance from goalkeeper David de Gea to see off lowly Norwich before becoming the latest English club to … Read more

Lille’s Champions League run gives French football a lift

Champions League

PARIS: With French football reeling this season due to repeated incidents of crowd violence, Lille’s achievement in reaching the Champions League last 16 comes as a much-needed bright spot. While an all-star Paris Saint-Germain dominate the headlines, Lille have followed up their remarkable Ligue 1 title triumph last season by making it through to the knockout stages … Read more

Gerrard returns to Liverpool as Covid stalks Premier League

Gerrard

LONDON: Steven Gerrard will be determined to give Liverpool a bloody nose on an emotional return to Anfield with Aston Villa on Saturday as the coronavirus once more casts a shadow over the Premier League. Former Liverpool midfielder Gerrard has won three of his four league matches since taking over from Dean Smith at Villa Park but faces a … Read more

Azpilicueta urges Chelsea response after slip-ups

Cesar Azpilicueta

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has urged his teammates to show an immediate response after falling off the top of the Premier League and finishing a disappointing second in their Champions League group. The European champions twice surrendered the lead in Russia on Wednesday to draw 3-3 with Zenit Saint Petersburg and end their Group H … Read more

Premier League riches sow fear among Champions League rivals

Champions League

LIVERPOOL: As Barcelona and Spanish champions Atletico Madrid scrap for a place in the Champions League last 16 this week, the Premier League’s four participants can take it easy knowing their places in the knockout stages are already guaranteed. Read more: Barca, Atletico in danger of Champions League exit Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United … Read more

‘We were lucky’ says Tuchel as Chelsea snatch Watford win

Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel admitted Chelsea rode their luck as the Premier League leaders survived a spluttering display to snatch a 2-1 win against Watford on Wednesday. Tuchel’s side were well below their best at Vicarage Road, but Hakim Ziyech bagged the 72nd minute winner to extend their unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions. Mason … Read more

Man City secures top spot, PSG through to knockout stages despite defeat

City

MANCHESTER: Paris Saint-Germain face a potentially hazardous draw in the last 16 of the Champions League after Manchester City secured the top spot in Group A with a 2-1 win over the star-studded French side on Wednesday. Kylian Mbappe put PSG in front against the run of play at the Etihad five minutes into the second half. … Read more

Tuchel says Chelsea owner Abramovich ‘in love with the game’

Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel has praised Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich for being “in love” with football ahead of the title-holders Champions League match against Juventus. Abramovich, a Russian billionaire, was in London to host Israeli president Isaac Herzog at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and may stay on to see Chelsea at home against Italian giants Juventus on … Read more

Man Utd to name interim manager after finally sacking Solskjaer

manager

MANCHESTER: Manchester United ended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s three-year reign as manager at Old Trafford on Sunday, but plan to wait until the end of the season to name the Norwegian’s permanent successor. Saturday’s 4-1 embarrassment at the hands of struggling Watford was the final straw for the United board, who had stuck by Solskjaer in … Read more

Man City sweep aside Everton to close on Chelsea

Man City sweep aside Everton to close on Chelsea

Raheem Sterling, Rodri and Bernardo Silva got the goals as Manchester City cruised to a 3-0 win over Everton to move within three points of Premier League leaders Chelsea. With the focus of the football world on events across Manchester on Sunday as United sacked manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, City made light work of seeing … Read more

Hat-trick hero Salah hails ‘big win’ as Liverpool crush Man Utd

MANCHESTER: Mohamed Salah hailed a “big win” for Liverpool as the Egyptian forward’s hat-trick inspired a 5-0 victory against humiliated Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp’s side ran riot in the 202nd meeting of English football’s biggest rivals. Naby Keita and Diogo Jota put Liverpool two goals ahead early on before Salah turned on the style … Read more

Abraham, Chilwell called up for England qualifiers

Abraham, Chilwell called up for England qualifiers

LONDON: Roma striker Tammy Abraham and Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell were called into England’s squad for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers on Monday. Abraham is back on the England scene for the first time in November 2020 after initially missing out when Gareth Southgate’s 23-man squad was announced on Thursday. The 24-year-old has been in … Read more

UEFA drops case against European Super League rebels

UEFA drops case against European Super League rebels

Lausanne: UEFA says that it is dropping its disciplinary case against Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus over their involvement in the controversial European Super League, to comply with a ruling from a Madrid court. European football´s governing body said late Monday that “the proceedings (are) null and void as if the proceedings had never been … Read more

Premier League: Chelsea secures another win, Lukaku named king of the match

Premier League: Chelsea secures another win, Lukaku named king of the match

Chelsea won the match by 2-0 against Arsenal, securing yet another consecutive win. Currently, Chelsea is leading the points table with 2 wins and 6 points. Romela Lukaku made his second debut with a goal as Thomas Tuchels’s side maintained the winning streak. Lukakau signed in for Chelsea during the summer from Inter Milan. He … Read more