Sports

Jonathan Cook’s World Game Wrap-Up

Posted on | Posted by Jonathan Cook

Gunners reign supreme in North London

Arsenal have opened a commanding 8-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a largely comfortable away win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

An own goal from Hugo Lloris and Martin Odegaard’s strike from distance gave Mikel Arteta’s side a 2-0 victory and, aside from a spell just after half time, Spurs were very disappointing.

Odegaard is surely a candidate for Player of the Year and now has 8 goals to his name in 17 league appearances, a superb return for a midfielder.

United take the honours in Manchester

A whirlwind comeback from Manchester United saw them claim bragging rights over City at Old Trafford, continuing the club’s revival under Erik ten Hag.

Jack Grealish opened the scoring for Pep Guardiola’s men on the hour mark, but Bruno Fernandes and the in-form Marcus Rashford struck within 4 minutes of each to turn the contest on its head.

There was more than a little controversy surrounding Fernandes’ equaliser as Rashford appeared to be in an offside position, but the referee and his assistants ruled that England man wasn’t interfering with play and allowed the goal to stand.

The result is a massive blow to City’s title aspirations, and they now sit just one point ahead of United as the gap to Arsenal grows even larger.

Toon leave it late to see off

Alexander Isak nodded home from close range in the 89th minute to give Newcastle United a big three points at home to Fulham.

Eddie Howe’s side rode their luck at times and caught a massive break when Aleksandar Mitrovic kicked the ball against his standing foot when taking a penalty on 70 minutes. The ball found the net but, by the laws of the game, the double contact meant Newcastle were instead awarded a free kick.

It wasn’t all good news though as Bruno Guimaraes had to be replaced at half time due to ankle injury. The Brazilian was in tears as he headed down the tunnel, suggesting the problem could be a serious one.

Brilliant Brighton ease past Liverpool

An excellent Brighton & Hove Albion performance culminated in 3 second half goals and 3 points as Liverpool’s dreadful run continues.

Robert De Zerbi’s side should have been ahead by half time, but they got their noses in front just after interval thanks to a couple of strikes from Solly March. Danny Welbeck put the icing on the cake with a very well taken goal 9 minutes from time.

Second best all day with 39% possession and just 2 attempts on target, the loss sees Liverpool slump to 9th on the ladder. Rumours of a takeover and new ownership continues, but that will probably come too late to save what has been a poor campaign so far.

Bend it like Ward-Prowse

A double from captain James Ward-Prowse gave Southampton a massive win over fellow relegation candidates Everton at Goodison Park. The England international’s second strike was a wonderful free kick that takes him to 16 dead ball goals, just 2 behind David Beckham’s Premier League record.

Everton took the lead through Amandou Onana’s header on 39 minutes, however they were undone in the second half as pressure mounts on not just manager Frank Lampard, but the club’s board of directors.

Just 2 points now separate the 20th placed Saints and Leeds United in 14th, setting us up for an exciting battle to avoid the drop in the second half of the season.

Chelsea welcome new signing with win

A Kai Havertz goal was enough for Chelsea to get over the line against Crystal Palace as new big money signing Mykhailo Mudryk was paraded to fans at half time.

The 22-year-old Ukrainian arrives from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee believed to be in the region of £88.5 million. The winger has also signed a whopping 8-and-a-half-year deal, the longest contract handed out in Premier League history.

The acquisition will certainly be a boost to under fire manager Graham Potter whose side remain just inside the top half of the table after the win over Palace.

Young guns help Barca defeat Madrid in Supercopa

Barcelona claimed the Supercopa de Espana with a 3-1 win over Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of 2023.

Young Spaniards Gavi and Pedri were instrumental in the win for the Catalan side, both finding the net either side of a goal from Robert Lewandowski. Karim Benzema netted a consolation for Madrid in injury time.

The teams return to league action this coming weekend and Barcelona sit 3 points clear of their rivals at the top.

Coming up

Both Manchester clubs play twice this week, and the results could go a long way to determining their participation in the title race. United’s game against Arsenal on Sunday is a mouth-watering clash, while City really need to get back on track with two wins. Liverpool and Chelsea is a mid-table contest with a lot riding on it for both managers, while West Ham United against Everton is the pick of the games at the bottom.

Matches: January 18: Crystal Palace v Manchester United. January 19: Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur. January 21: Liverpool v Chelsea; Leicester City v Brighton & Hove Albion; Southampton v Aston Villa; West Ham United v Everton; Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest; Crystal Palace v Newcastle United. January 22: Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers; Leeds United v Brentford; Arsenal v Manchester United. January 23: Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur.




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