Could Liverpool blow it? Should Brighton and West Ham be confident of staying up? Can Bournemouth carry on surviving? Can Jamie Vardy keep scoring to win the golden boot?In a word: no. Jürgen Klopp’s side have succeeded in making a total mockery of any notion that their apparently relentless march to a first league title in 30 years might be derailed by fixture congestion either side of Christmas. Related: FA Cup third round: match previews Related: Port Vale's Tom Pope: ‘As a target man you'd try to rough up John Stones’ Continue reading...
Lamptey may not last long at Chelsea, Leicester can be regular title contenders and have Pereira and Ndombele finally arrived?Welcome to the Premier League, then, Tariq Lamptey. And – quite possibly – farewell. For the 19-year-old right-back, the Emirates Stadium was some place to make a professional debut. He rose to the challenge, keeping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang quiet and making one thrilling foray into Arsenal territory before playing in Tammy Abraham. It says plenty about Chelsea’s short-term youth policy that Lampard felt able to throw an untried teenager into a game of this magnitude. It says plenty about Chelsea’s long-term youth policy that they may not be able to keep him. Lamptey’s contract is up at the end of the season,...
The Liverpool right-back scored one and made a couple more on a night when the runaway leaders made short work of their nearest though increasingly distant challengersJoyful and, indeed, triumphant. The King Power Stadium was a boisterous place with Liverpool’s world champions in town. New-build stadiums can often be deathly places. Not this one, with its operatic pre-match fanfare, its sense of high-end underdog glamour, and with a Leicester team that came here unbeaten at home in the league this season.At which point, enter the red machine. And in particular another extraordinary, incisive and deeply unusual performance from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Related: Liverpool go 13 points clear as Roberto Firmino leads ruthless rout of Leicester Continue reading...
Thirty-eight years ago in Tokyo the Brazilian side won a famous victory against the English championsBy Joshua Law for Yellow and Green FootballIn each game Flamengo played in the Maracanã during this year’s Copa Libertadores one song rang out louder than any other. “In December 1981,” they chanted, “we ran rings around the English. 3-0 against Liverpool, it went down in history. In Rio there’s no equal, only Flamengo are world champions. And now your people ask for the world again.”Fans were desperate for the continental title and urged their players toward it. Yet with Liverpool confirmed as European champions they could not help but cast their thoughts further ahead. With each passing round they were a step closer to...
Arsenal can exploit Manchester City’s weakness, Pellegrini in peril and Brighton upbeat for Palace derbyNigel Pearson was introduced to the media at Vicarage Road on Thursday, when he was asked about the reputation he has gained across his career. Towards the end of his time at Leicester one press conference memorably dissolved into an instantly infamous rant – “If you don’t know the answer to that question then I think you are an ostrich” – which sealed his reputation as, frankly, a bit of a grump. “I know I have at times been perceived as difficult to work with, but a lot of that was born out of trying to protect my players,” he said. “I’m a human being, I’m...