The Ivorian’s stunning 25-yard equaliser to complete the club’s remarkable fightback in a 4-4 draw with Arsenal is part of St James’ Park folkloreBy August 2008 the word had already got out among Premier League scouts that a 22-year-old midfielder from the Ivory Coast, recently signed up by FC Twente after an eye‑catching season on loan at Roda JC, had something about him. It would be instructive to see how he fared at a higher level and a Champions League qualifier for Steve McClaren’s side against Arsenal provided an early chance to find out just how quickly Cheick Tioté was learning. The sight of him sticking to Robin van Persie like glue during Twente’s home leg, subduing the striker into irrelevance with...
Rafael Benítez’s side have secured promotion to the top tier but plenty of questions remain about the future direction of the clubRafael Benítez and Newcastle United are back in the Premier League – but have they underachieved or overachieved this season? And, most importantly, what happens now? Related: Rafael Benítez puts owner Mike Ashley on notice after Newcastle are promoted Related: Newcastle United crush Preston North End to seal return to Premier League Continue reading...
The Loons start their first season in MLS on Friday and their head coach believes loyal fans and tough conditions can forge a strong identityIn his first press conference the Minnesota United head coach, Adrian Heath, referred to his team as the “Newcastle of MLS,” as well as expressing his desire to find players who specifically wanted to play for the Loons. Now that he’s been in the job for a few months, Heath is able to see how that may play to his side’s benefit as they approach their first ever game in MLS, a meeting with the 2015 champions, Portland Timbers, on Friday night.“They’re some of those places that are out of the way,” Heath says about both...
Liverpool’s defence needs to find cohesion fast, Lincoln felt the force with Alan Power and Bastian Schweinsteiger is welcomed back by José MourinhoIt was an afternoon when the ball would not go in for Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The Chelsea attacking midfielder was twice denied by the Brentford goalkeeper, Daniel Bentley, and, when he clipped over him on 58 minutes, the effort came back off the crossbar. Loftus-Cheek had two other moments when he jinked inside the area but could not find a finish. It was, nonetheless, an eye-catching performance from the 21-year-old – in front of the watching England manager, Gareth Southgate – in which he advertised both his power and the deftness of his touch. Could it offer him a...
Will Daniel Sturridge get a chance to regain his verve? Will Ranieri fine-tune for a relegation battle? Will Ravel Morrison return to Old Trafford?A clutch of (fool)hardy Lincoln City fans queued through Wednesday night in sub-zero temperatures in order to get their gloved hands on the last tickets for their club’s biggest and indeed only fourth-round FA Cup tie since 1976. Those fans were evidently not discouraged by the fact that the National League leaders had suffered their heaviest defeat of the season the previous night, when they were beaten 3-0 by Barrow, whose rugged approach on a treacherous pitch fairly knocked Danny Cowley’s men out of their impish stride. The Championship leaders, Brighton, will probably not resort to such...