Maurizio Sarri’s team were left frazzled by the craft of Eriksen, Alli and Son and the return of Spurs’ high pressWith 16 minutes gone at Wembley it was clear the witching hour was at hand. Strange things had already begun to happen. Chelsea’s custard-yellow shirts seemed to be moving through a heavier gravity. Moussa Sissoko had just picked up the ball in midfield and slalomed away from two Chelsea players, legs flailing like a drunken Zidane. No doubt in the rows of suburban houses beyond the glare of the stadium the cats began to bark, the dogs miaowed and the birds flew backwards.At which point, with Tottenham already 1-0 up, David Luiz seemed to wink out of existence completely; to...
Tottenham have had a toughish time of it this season and need to make up for a couple of home defeats against so-called big-six clubs with a win at Wembley on SaturdayWin away games against the big six, they said. That’s the real test, they said. That’s what’s holding Tottenham back from taking that extra step and winning trophies, they said. So Tottenham started winning away games against big‑six sides. After one win in 19 away games against the elite, they beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in April and Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in August.The problem is that since then they have started losing against the big six at home: twice to City and once to Liverpool...
From Loris Karius to Patrick Roberts we check how the players are doing to see if they have a future at their parent clubsPart one: every loan player from Arsenal to HuddersfieldIslam Slimani, 30, Fenerbahce The striker has made 13 appearances for Fenerbahce in both the Turkish league and the Europa League this season. He has scored six goals for the club, including two in a Europa League match against Spartak Trnava.We've picked our favourite three goals from the @EFL this month and we want to know which one you think's best...Starting with the @skybetchamp, we've picked Harvey Barnes absolute screamer of a debut goal for @wba #WBA #EFLonQuest pic.twitter.com/0YLIiNRDs3Harry Wilson has an ADDICTION to scoring screamers this season. That...
Hugo Lloris ends his madcap day on a high, Everton work out how to stop Chelsea and Salomón Rondón proves his worthUnai Emery delivered an overdue update on Danny Welbeck, the Arsenal striker who was stricken against Sporting in the Europa League last Thursday. Welbeck, the manager reported, underwent surgery last Friday to repair his badly broken ankle and he will be out for some time. With Welbeck’s contract due to expire at the end of the season, has he played his final game for the club? Emery had more pressing matters with his strikers against Wolves and he made a tactical change at half‑time, switching from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-1-2 in order to allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to come in from...
José Mourinho to antagonise Manchester City, Mark Hughes on the brink and an Everton reunion for Ross BarkleyThe moments Jose Mourinho has cherished most in his career are those when he could thumb his nose at expectation and the established order. Wednesday night’s post-match gurning and chuckling in Turin showed he has lost none of his appetite for personal vindication and vindictiveness. Such occasions were in short supply at cash-rich Chelsea, an Inter Milan dominating Serie A or when managing Real Madrid. And his attempts to paint Manchester United as bedraggled underdogs have usually defied credibility. Sunday at the Etihad, though, is an occasion he can paint himself as a freedom fighter. The Premier League title is all but surrendered...