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Jonathan Cook’s World Game Wrap-Up

Posted on | Posted by Jonathan Cook

Spurs swamped by Toon tide

There might only be six points between them on the table but Newcastle United are light years away from Tottenham Hotspur on the evidence of Sunday’s Premier League clash.

Two goals each to Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak and one from Joelinton gave Newcastle an incredible 5-0 lead just 21 minutes into the match.

Callum Wilson added a sixth goal in the second half after Harry Kane had pulled a goal back for Spurs in what turned out to be an embarrassing 6-1 defeat.

Newcastle climbed back to third on the table and tightened their grip on a UEFA Champions League place next season, while Tottenham’s own push for Europe hit a major obstacle.

Spurs slipped to sixth, just two points above Aston Villa and three ahead of seventh-placed Liverpool.

Red and Blue FA Cup final

Manchester United did it the hard way to set up the first all-Manchester FA Cup final.

United beat Brighton on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes at Wembley Stadium and will face an even tougher task when they take on Manchester City in the final.

City remain on track for a remarkable treble of trophies after a Riyad Mahrez gave them a 3-0 win over Championship side Sheffield United in the other FA Cup semi-final.

There are bigger fish to fry for City, who are also in the hunt for the Premier League title and have a UEFA Champions League semifinal clash with Real Madrid on the horizon.

Mahrez became the first Manchester City player to score a hat-trick at Wembley, while it was also the first time a hattrick had been scored in a semifinal since 1958.

Hammers riding Europa wave

Eight goals in two games – including the arrogance of a scorpion kick finish from Pablo Fornals – doesn’t sound like the performances of a team fighting to avoid relegation. But that’s West Ham United for you.

A 4-1 win over Belgian side Gent on Thursday took them into the semi-finals of Europa Conference League semi-finals.

And the Hammers continued the momentum with a 4-0 win over Bournemouth that is far more valuable to the club’s immediate future.

Fornals produced the spectacular fourth goal in a victory that took West Ham six points clear of the Premier League drop zone. David Moyes’ side have also played one game fewer than the eight teams below them.

Gunners in the firing line

Is there ever really a good time to be playing Manchester City? Probably not, but Arsenal could not have timed a dip in form any more poorly ahead of Wednesday’s top-of-the-table clash against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Friday night’s 3-3 draw with bottom side Southampton was yet another opportunity missed by league leaders Arsenal to put pressure on defending champions Manchester City.

Draws against Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers, in which the Gunners threw away two-goal leads, were bad enough. But the latest debacle at home to the Saints was a horror show.

If not for a late rally in which Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka scored, it could have been even worse.

Arsenal are five points clear of City, who have played two games fewer than the Gunners. An Arsenal victory on
Wednesday would keep the Premier League title in their sights.

Jota back to his best

More than 12 months after his last goal for Liverpool, Diogo Jota finally bagged another, and then helped himself to three more.

The Portuguese international has featured in just 21 of Liverpool’s 45 games in all competitions this season, partly due to a serious calf injury that put him out for four months.

But on the evidence of the past two games, he is back to his best with two goals in last week’s 6-1 win over Leeds United and a double in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.

Smith rewarded for all-out attack

Leicester City boss Dean Smith was rewarded for his positive approach against Wolverhampton Wanderers with a victory in his first home match in charge of the Foxes.

Desperate for a win to get them out of the bottom three, Smith opted to start with three strikers – Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka – with attacking midfielder James Maddison ruled out through illness.

After going behind to Matheus Cunha’s opener, Iheanacho scored from the penalty spot and Timothy Castagne completed Leicester’s fightback.

The Foxes climbed out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Bizarre Schade miss costs Brentford

Brentford striker Kevin Schade was looking for somewhere to hide at the Gtech Community Stadium after missing a sitter.

Schade, who is on loan from German club Freiburg, is yet to score in 13 appearances for Brentford and is unlikely to get an easier chance than the one he had against Aston Villa.

The Germany international appeared to have done everything right when he rounded goalkeeper Robin Olsen but somehow put his shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

Ivan Toney found the way to goal for Brentford before Douglas Luiz equalised for Aston Villa.

Goals galore as Glory cling on

Perth Glory went from impending defeat to the cusp of victory before being forced to settle for a draw in a bizarre period of stoppage time at HBF Park yesterday.

A 4-4 draw against Adelaide United, in which three goals were scored in nine minutes of second-half stoppage time, technically kept alive Glory’s finals hopes. But with just one regular season fixture to play, it’s hard to see how any finals series game will match yesterday’s for drama.

Trailing 3-2 at the end of 90 minutes, Adam Zimarino equalised in the 93rd minute three minutes before Adam Taggart, who had scored with a great header on the hour, drilled the ball home from outside the box for what appeared to be a Glory winner. But Nestory Irankunda spoiled the Glory celebrations with a 99th-minute equaliser.

Glory play their final regular game of the season against Western United at HBF Park on Saturday, April 29.

Maclaren sets new A-League mark

Melbourne City front man Jamie Maclaren was reduced to tears after becoming the highest goal scorer in A-League history.

The former Perth Glory striker, who also spent two seasons with Brisbane Roar, scored a hat-trick in 3-1 win over Western United to reach 143 goals in 201 matches.

His tally surpassed the record set by Besart Berisha, who reached 142 goals during 236 appearances for Brisbane, Melbourne Victory and Western United.

Tuchel’s Bayern lose again

Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as Bayern Munich manager looks more and more confusing with each passing game.

The former Chelsea boss was thrust into the position last month after predecessor Julian Nagelsmann was sacked with Bayern a point behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Since Tuchel turned up, Bayern have lost three of seven games, including a Champions League exit to Manchester City, and again find themselves a point behind Dortmund in the Bundesliga title race.

Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Mainz was unexpected and allowed Dortmund to cash in with a 4-0 win over Eintracht
Frankfurt.




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