Sam Allardyce looks to next season, Swansea find belief under Carlos Carvalhal and Liverpool’s defence worthy of praiseGet The Recap, the best of the Guardian’s sport coverageLiverpool’s oft-maligned defence deserved a little credit here. For almost the entire game they kept Spurs at bay, with Dejan Lovren and Virgil van Dijk making important blocks and Loris Karius looking a decisive shot‑stopper. Perhaps Liverpool could have been slightly quicker to close down Victor Wanyama when the Spurs substitute equalised but when Karius stood tall to deny Harry Kane from the penalty spot it appeared the home side had answered most of the criticisms of their defensive solidity. When Mohamed Salah scored at the other end in the 91st minute Anfield was...
Liverpool and Tottenham lived up to Jürgen Klopp’s image of knights in face-to-face combat in a thrilling draw at AnfieldVerily and forsooth, this jousting idea could catch on. Neither of these sides is in a position to tilt for the title but Jürgen Klopp’s image of knights in armour engaged in face-to-facecombat proved surprisingly accurate. No suggestion of parking the bus here, or even leaving the lance at home and just doing battle with the shield. There were never any horses anywhere on show but obviously plenty of Spurs.Perhaps it would not have been so entertainingly open and end-to-end had Eric Dier’s early mistake not handed Liverpool the lead inside three minutes, for Tottenham had little option after that but...
Tottenham’s captain says aggression was the key to sinking Manchester United and wants more of the same at AnfieldHarry Kane started sprinting before the first whistle in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 Wembley win over Manchester United on Wednesday night and, for Hugo Lloris, it was a moment to symbolise the team. Kane was not the only one. So did Dele Alli and so did Christian Eriksen.Kane got away with encroaching into the United half and, when Jan Vertonghen launched a high ball forward, the striker rose to win the header. Alli arrived at pace and, when the ball broke, there was Eriksen, on the scene without checking his stride, to shoot Tottenham into the lead after 11 seconds. United were shellshocked....
Michy Batshuayi might be just what Chelsea need, VAR creates fresh farce and Coventry’s on-field outlook brightens at lastCardiff are not the first team to irk Pep Guardiola this season with their aggressive style but the constant fouling and Lee Mason’s conservative use of cards meant Manchester City were lucky to get away with only one injury in their victory at Cardiff City Stadium. Leroy Sané was the victim of a heinous shin-high challenge from Joe Bennett at the end of the first half that was punished only with a yellow card, the Cardiff defender eventually being dismissed in the closing stages of the match for a late lunge on the teenager Brahim Díaz. Guardiola rightly lambasted Mason after the...
The pressing by Jürgen Klopp’s side was so disciplined that it forced a collective loss of control in the visitors’ backlineIt turns out, then, that the formula was simple. All anybody had to do to beat Manchester City was to match them shape for shape, press high up the pitch, harass them into a eight-minute meltdown, capitalise on mistakes with a series of stunning finishes and then cling on desperately.Jürgen Klopp is not the first manager to realise that the best way to unsettle a Pep Guardiola side is to squeeze them, and this is not the first time he has had his side do that effectively. No manager has a better record than Klopp against Guardiola: six wins in...