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Jonathan Cook’s World Game Wrap-Up

Posted on | Posted by Jonathan Cook

Record-breaking Reds

One loss in 22 matches gave way to humiliation as Manchester United suffered their worse ever defeat to archrivals Liverpool.

After their improvement this season and last weekend’s League Cup success, United went into this one with a spring in their step.

Instead, they were dealt an embarrassing 7-0 defeat, as Mohamed Salah scored twice to become Liverpool’s most prolific Premier League scorer with 129 goals.

Fellow strikers Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez also bagged doubles and Roberto Firminho scored the seventh.

Incredibly, six of the goals came in the second half, the first of the game steered home by Gakpo just two minutes before halftime.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp described the result and performance as belonging to another season. Liverpool, are now up to fifth in the league, three points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, and seven behind Manchester United.

Fast and furious

It took just nine seconds for Philip Billing to open the scoring and the next 97 minutes for Arsenal to break Bournemouth hearts.

The struggling Cherries were in dreamland when Billing scored the second fastest goal in Premier League history before Marcos Senesi doubled their advantage.

And then the nightmare started.

First Thomas Partey hit back before Ben White scored his first goal for Arsenal. The comeback was completed six minutes into stoppage time when Reiss Nelson drilled home the winner.

The result kept league-leading Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City, who beat Newcastle United 2-0.

What to say about Spurs

It’s been a bad week for Tottenham Hotspur.

Knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Sheffield United during the week, Spurs where then beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers in a Premier League surprise.

In both games Spurs created plenty of chances (17 shots against the Blades and 21 against Wolves) without finding the net, before conceding late goals at the other end.

Iliman Ndiaye scored the goal that took Sheffield United into the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, while Adama Traore smashed in the winner for Wolves at Molyneux.

Saints live by football cliche

There is a saying in English football that getting knocked out of the FA Cup allows a team to focus on the league.

That’s exactly what Southampton did after an embarrassing midweek FA Cup loss to fourth-tier Grimsby Town.

A 1-0 win over Leicester City, who suffered a midweek cup defeat to Championship side Blackburn Rovers, was just the tonic on Saturday as Southampton climbed off the bottom of the Premier League by the finest of margins. Bournemouth are bottom on goal difference.

Blues win at last

Defender Wesley Fofana came to Chelsea’s rescue to earn them just a second victory in 10 Premier League matches.

Pressure had been mounting on Chelsea boss Graham Potter and Fofana’s second-half header was just the trick to see off Leeds United.

Chelsea stayed 10th on the Premier League table, some way short of their pre-season expectations.

There will be more at stake for Potter and the Blues on Wednesday (WA time) when the Blues host Borussia Dortmund in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match.

Dortmund won the first leg 1-0.

De Zerbi misses the touchline view

Roberto de Zerbi wasn’t a happy man as he served a one-match touchline ban, while his Brighton side were giving West Ham United a lesson.

A penalty from World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister started the rout before Joel Veltman, Kaoru Mitoma and Danny Wellbeck got in on the act.

De Zerbi had a good view from the stands at the Amex Stadium but missed being in the thick of the action on the touchline.

Things were less encouraging for West Ham boss David Moyes with fans chanting “you don’t know what you’re doing” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning.”

Brighton are eighth in the league and looking capable of pressing further up the table. West Ham are dangerously close to the relegation zone.

Barca edge further ahead

Barcelona stretched their lead at the top of Spain’s La Liga to nine points after Real Madrid were held to a second successive draw.

Just days after Barcelona beat their rivals 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey, Real were held goalless away to Real Betis. They had drawn their previous La Liga game against Atletico Madrid.

Raphinha scored the only goal of the game as Barcelona earned a 1-0 victory over Valencia.

Mancini’s stunning winner

Gianluca Mancini struck a brilliant winner for Roma against Juventus as they continue to push for a Champions League place next season.

Mancini, who hadn’t scored for two years, was understandably delighted with a goal that lifted Roma to fourth in Italy’s Serie A.

Inter Milan’s 2-0 win over Lecce cut the gap to league leaders Napoli to 15 points. Napoli suffered just a second league loss of the season when they were beaten by Lazio.

Glory return to familiar territory

It might be difficult for Perth Glory to look forward to their next game but what do they have to lose?

After making their temporary home at Macedonia Park this season, Glory return to HBF Park on Friday to take on high-flying Western Sydney Wanderers.

A season in which Glory slid out of finals contention then fought their way back has swung around again in recent weeks.

A 2-1 defeat to Western United on Saturday extended Glory’s winless streak to six games and left them second bottom on the table, seven points outside a finals place.

The Wanderers, who moved to second on the table with a 2-0 win over Central Coast Mariners, have scored 10 goals in their past three games.

Controversy as Sydney sinks Victory

Sydney FC claimed a controversial “Big Blue” win to consolidate sixth place on the A-League table.

Melbourne Victory coach Tony Popovic wasn’t a happy man after Sydney were awarded a corner that should have been a goal-kick for the Victorian side.

Anthony Caceres rubbed salt into the wound by firing home brilliantly from the resulting corner.

Former Perth Glory coach Popovic has a lot of work to do to turn around last-placed Victory’s season.




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