Fiorentina impressed but David Moyes’s side dug deep thanks to their relentless captain who is expected to leave this summerDeclan Rice could never have dreamed this. Almost a decade after being released as a teenager by Chelsea, West Ham’s captain and talisman has the fairytale ending he so dearly craved.Until Jarrod Bowen’s dramatic late winning goal that prompted David Moyes to embark on a David Pleat-esque jig across the turf at the Eden Arena, winning a first major European trophy since the days of Bobby Moore and company in 1965 had seemed the least likely scenario against Fiorentina. The Italian side dominated possession thanks to the outstanding Sofyan Amrabat despite falling behind to Saïd Benrahma’s penalty. But it is a...
Win over Inter was another landmark for the Partenopei but fans are left wondering what next for title-winning manager?Napoli reached another landmark in their title-winning campaign, a 3-1 win at home to Internazionale making this the first season in club history when they have beaten all 19 Serie A rivals at least once. Yet this latest feat was overshadowed by reports that the manager, Luciano Spalletti, might not return next season.On Friday the club’s owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, left room for doubt when he told Sky Sport: “Spalletti is a superstar and superstars need a place where they can express the best of themselves. He found that here and it all worked. [But] in life freedom is an immeasurable and...
Four years on from a famous title-chasing failure against Fiorentina, Napoli allowed history to repeat itselfFour years have passed since Napoli “lost a Scudetto in the hotel”. That was how Maurizio Sarri explained things after his then team was thrashed 3-0 by Fiorentina in April 2018, effectively ending their title bid. They had begun the weekend with hopes of going top of the table but suffered an emotional collapse after watching Juventus come from behind to beat Inter the night before.The Bianconeri trailed that game as late as the 87th minute, despite playing with an extra man for more than an hour. They should have gone down to 10 themselves when Miralem Pjanic, already booked, leapt knee-first into Rafinha at...
Dusan Vlahovic continued his prolific form at the weekend though his contract situation has the Viola Ultras unhappyDusan Vlahovic finished off a weekend’s work by playing Father Christmas. He had already delivered two goals for Fiorentina on Saturday, helping them to a 4-0 win over Salernitana at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, but while his teammates went to celebrate under the Curva Fiesole he took himself to the stand behind the opposition bench. A young fan had prepared a sign asking for the striker’s shirt. It was enough to get on Santa’s “nice” list.Privately, Vlahovic might have been happy for the excuse. His relationship with the Ultras who occupy the Fiesole has not recovered since the club’s owner, Rocco Commisso, went...
After Juve’s walkover win over Napoli was cancelled and they lost 3-0 to Fiorentina, could it finally be someone else’s year?There have been times in Juventus’s recent history when dropping six points in a month might have been considered as a run of poor form. On Tuesday, they saw that number slip away in the space of less than six hours.First came the news that the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) had overturned the decision by Serie A’s sporting justice to award Juventus a 3-0 win for their unplayed game against Napoli in October. The Partenopei were a no-show for that fixture in Turin after two members of their first team, and a further member of staff, tested positive for Covid-19....