Sergio Aguero scored a brace in his final Premier League appearance as Manchester City thrashed Everton 5-0. The hosts flew into the lead after just ten minutes as Kevin De Bruyne rifled a stunning effort past Jordan Pickford from 20 yards. And three minutes later they made it two as Gabriel Jesus cut inside before lashing past the England goalkeeper. The Toffees kept their heads up and won themselves a penalty as Ruben Dias took down Dominic Calvert-Lewin as the striker bore down on goal. But Gylfi Sigurdsson’s effort from the spot was well saved by the diving Ederson who kept City’s 2-0 lead intact heading into half time. City put the game to bed less than ten minutes into the second half as the brilliant Phil Foden shifted onto his right foot before lashing past Pickford from 12 yards. ...
Dennis Bergkamp is the latest former player to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. The Dutchman joins ex-Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry as well as Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and Frank Lampard in receiving the League’s highest individual honour. “It feels special to be part of a small group of players who got the recognition of playing in the strongest league in the world,” said Bergkamp. “I’m honoured.” His arrival at Arsenal in 1995 from Inter Milan was the catalyst for a transformation of the Premier League, the playmaker adding a new level of technical ability and skill that elevated the competition and attracted other stars from overseas. ‘THE PL MADE ME A BETTER PLAYER’ “I’m extremely proud if people say that I was one of the first foreign players who added s...
File Photo Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has threatened a nationwide strike over attack on leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC including its President, Ayuba Wabba and other Labour leaders during Tuesday’s peaceful protest in Kaduna State as part of the ongoing five-day strike to force the state government to rescind alleged anti-workers policies including the recent mass sack of workers. The thugs had attacked the labour leaders after Governor Nasir el- Rufai left the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, adjacent where the workers assembled, with heavily armed security personnel. The armed thugs came in a bus and attacked the Labour leaders with various weapons including stick, bottles, stones and machete. Reacting to the development, NUPENG expres...
Press Association Sam Allardyce has warned that the Premier League is in danger of becoming boring because teams have been “brainwashed” into using the same playing style. The English top-flight has opened up to different tactical approaches over the last decade, with an influx of coaches coming from elsewhere in Europe. However the West Brom manager fears coaches are being prevented from sticking to their preferred style and that the league is suffering as a result. He said to Sky Sports: “What’s the point of playing out from the back against Man City and Liverpool, the best high-pressing team in this country. If they drop off, you play out from the back. Where’s the space? Exploit the space. I tried to get the players to think about that. It’s a simple game that’s been complicated far to...
Chelsea suffered late VAR heartache as they slipped to back-to-back FA Cup final defeats after a 1-0 loss to Leicester City, Youri Tielemans’ second-half strike proving decisive. In front of a reduced, yet undoubtedly noisy, Wembley crowd, it was Chelsea who made the brighter start, Timo Werner showcasing his electric speed to test the Foxes backline early on. Despite controlling the opening exchanges, the first real chance of the match fell to their opponents, Timothy Castagne getting in down the right and teeing up Jamie Vardy inside the area, the veteran striker’s effort well blocked by Reece James. At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Tuchel’s men almost fashioned a chance of their own, Thiago Silva’s dinked cross agonisingly evading the head of Cesar Azpilicueta at the back post, aft...
File Photo The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended Lagos House of Assembly (LAHA) over the suspension of three council chairmen in the state. The PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Taofik Gani, gave the commendation in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos. The suspended chairmen are: Ogidan Mukandasi of Lekki LCDA, Suleiman Jelili (Alimosho) and Tajudeen Ajide (Surulere). He said that the assembly’s resolution to suspend the three council chairmen over alleged mismanagement and under-performance was commendable. According to him, many local government areas and local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state have remained underdeveloped since the assumption of office by the chairmen in 2017. Newsmen recall that the assembly had, on Tuesday, suspended the council chairmen ...
Awards season continued with the Academy Awards, and with them returned all the glitz and glamour of the red carpet. This year’s ceremony marked one of the few in-person award shows since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, which meant the bar was set especially high, even though the audience was limited to a mere 170 people. There was also the open-ended question of the Oscars dress code, detailed in a letter sent to nominees in March, which left many curious whether stars would champion high-fashion escapism or rock something more casual. However, tie-die sweatshirts didn’t quite fit the producers’ “inspirational and aspirational” prompt — sorry, Jason Sudeikis — and celebrities arrived dressed to the nines. There were pink tuxedos, glittering gowns, and naturally,...
Returning to the Staples Center in Los Angeles and hosted by The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah, the 2021 Grammys delivered the first traditional red carpet display we’ve seen since the pandemic began. And while things looked a little different this year — when arriving, celebrities posed 15 feet from reporters and photographers to maintain social distancing — artists nonetheless upped the level of bold, outré fashion for which the show has become known. Last year’s outfits may have been hard to top (see: Billie Eilish’s Guccified acrylics, Billy Porter’s mechanized fringe), but then again, these stars have had several months’ worth of delays to really nail it. And so far, they have: First-time nominee Megan Thee Stallion looked stunning in an orange gown and glittering diamond j...
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the likely candidate to replace Jose Mourinho, should Tottenham’s current slump continue. Spurs began the season in excellent form and even topped the table as recently as early December, yet just a few months later, Mourinho’s men find themselves 23 points behind leaders Manchester City and with a real job to do to secure a top-four spot. Their defeat to London rivals West Ham United on Sunday means they are now nine points behind the Hammers in fourth, albeit with a game in hand on David Moyes’ side. Despite a late rally in that game, inspired by half-time substitute Gareth Bale, Tottenham’s defensive woes once again came to the fore, the centre-back pairing of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez looking particularly shaky in recent weeks. With...
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the likely candidate to replace Jose Mourinho, should Tottenham’s current slump continue. Spurs began the season in excellent form and even topped the table as recently as early December, yet just a few months later, Mourinho’s men find themselves 23 points behind leaders Manchester City and with a real job to do to secure a top-four spot. Their defeat to London rivals West Ham United on Sunday means they are now nine points behind the Hammers in fourth, albeit with a game in hand on David Moyes’ side. Despite a late rally in that game, inspired by half-time substitute Gareth Bale, Tottenham’s defensive woes once again came to the fore, the centre-back pairing of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez looking particularly shaky in recent weeks. With...
Super Eagles center back Leon Balogun impressed in a right-back role as Rangers won in a seven -goal thriller in the Europa League round of 32 clash against Royal Antwerp at Bosuilstadion on Thursday night. With 24 minutes played, the Nigeria international came off the bench to replace Rangers skipper James Tavernier, who was not able to continue due to an injury. The right-back position is not entirely new to Balogun as he has played in that role for the national team, Mainz and Brighton & Hove. In fact, he made his debut for the Super Eagles as a right-back when he replaced Efe Ambrose in the second half of a pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico in March 2014. “I was back to an old role and I was happy I can still play it,” Balogun said at yesterday’s press conference. “I think the ...