Sean Dyche takes Burnley into lofty territory, José Mourinho miscalculated in the Manchester derby and Tiémoué Bakayoko fails to justify his costly transferThere is a temptation to regard Burnley’s presence in the upper reaches of the division as an early-season aberration. One of their alumni argued otherwise, while maintaining that improbable interlopers will benefit if they continue to be overlooked. Andre Gray, who traded Turf Moor for Vicarage Road in the summer, said: “The table doesn’t lie. It’s 16 games, not four or five where they’ve had a great run, and they’re seventh. They’ve been consistent.” The striker was jeered by some fans on his first return to Burnley, but had nothing but praise for his former colleagues and his...
It was no surprise to see the former England manager attempt to frustrate Liverpool with his pragmatic tactics in the 1-1 draw at Anfield‘School of Science? Give me a break,” Roy Evans once complained after a particularly attritional Merseyside derby in Everton’s Dogs of War period under Joe Royle. Evertonians may soon be looking back at that era quite fondly, since the early indications are that Sam Allardyce’s tactics are going to make Royle’s battleplans look sophisticated.The former England manager pulled no punches here. He sent out his team with a horrible emphasis on long balls, in a disciplined defensive formation that allowed no room for individual flair or attacking invention, and even had them wasting time at free-kicks and...
Everton have not won at Anfield since 1999, but Allardyce, spurred on by memories of a previous meeting with Klopp, may be the man to change all thatTo put it into context, the last time Everton won at Anfield, We’re Going to Ibiza! by Vengaboys had spent a little over two weeks in the singles chart and Tony Blair a little over two years in Downing Street. In other words, it was a long time ago. Monday 27 September 1999 to be precise – a fiery encounter in which Kevin Campbell scored the only goal of the game and three players received a red card, one of whom was a 19-year-old midfielder called Steven Gerrard.Since then Everton have made 18...
Philippe Coutinho ran riot against Spartak Moscow but the Brazilian was circumspect about his immediate future and the prospect of another bid from BarcelonaJürgen Klopp bestowed the Liverpool captaincy on Philippe Coutinho for the first time in a competitive fixture against Spartak Moscow, acutely aware it will not be the fleeting honour that ensures the Brazilian’s loyalty amid interest from Barcelona but the continued promise of a shot at the Champions League. The destruction of the Russian champions, with Coutinho at the heart, kept the promise alive and Barcelona waiting.Liverpool’s coveted playmaker responded to the armband with the first hat-trick of his Anfield career as Klopp’s team took their prolific tally to 12 goals in two games before Sunday’s Merseyside...
Manchester City chasing record number of records, Hazard challenged to get better still, Puel proves his worth again and Pochettino unfazed by wobble• Sign up now and get our weekly email, The Recap, every Friday Related: Pep Guardiola happy as Man City repeat ‘Fergie time’ trick against West Ham Related: The Dozen: the weekend’s best Premier League photos Continue reading...