Tottenham’s first-ever match at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium went just about perfectly. Its second was pretty spectacular too.
Son Heung-min scored in the 78th minute to propel Spurs to a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Eden Hazard is Chelsea’s magician. The Belgian is rumored to be looking for a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, and his performance against West Ham today might have made it more difficult for Chelsea to keep ahold of its star.
Chelsea needed three points to go third in the Premier League, above both Arsenal and Tottenham. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Gonzalo Higuain got their starts in a front three alongside Hazard, but it was the Belgian who stole the show. In the 24th minute, Hazard produced a goal of the season candidate.
Statistics can and will be used to deceive you. For example, I could tell you that with 12 goals from 52 shots, Romelu Lukaku is the most clinical finisher in the Premier League behind Raheem Sterling. That’s the truth when using those parameters. However, I could conversely tell you that Lukaku has missed 14 big chances this season, joint-fifth most in the division, and he’s one of the worst finishers in the Premier League. It’s hard to know where the truth lies, but it’s probably somewhere in the middle.
A meeting between two clubs desperate to cement commendable seasons with a shot at silverware produced a classic FA Cup semifinal today at Wembley Stadium. Wolves went 2-0 up by the 62nd minute before Watford came storming back to force extra time with a goal in the 94th minute, and then Hornets hero Gerard Deulofeu scored his second in the 104th to book his side’s passage to the final, where Manchester City awaits.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers deserve to be in the position that they are in the Premier League. Sitting seventh in the table, Wolves have been touted as the “best of the rest,” so to speak.
With an adaptable and tactically astute manager, dynamic players and an important financial backing, Wolves are an example of a promotion success story.
After four years of construction hamstrung by disputes and delays, Tottenham finally moved into “New White Hart Lane” on Wednesday with all the pomp and razzmatazz of a night that could’ve ended in tragic hubristic downfall against Crystal Palace. But second half goals from Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen sent 62,062 spectators home happy with Spurs climbing back to third in the table, one point above both Arsenal and Chelsea.
Chelsea thrashed Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 on Wednesday, momentarily moving the squad up a spot in the Premier League.
The Blues were merciless to Brighton keeper Matt Ryan as three goals were scored in the right corner.
Brighton started well, limiting Chelsea’s touches while playing aggressive.
However, things turned fast for the 15th-placed English team.
Tottenham and Hugo Lloris haven’t had a good week.
Spurs traveled to Anfield to face Liverpool in the hopes of gaining three important points in pursuit of Champions League football. (Spurs were out of the title race a while ago.) The match was particularly open, with end-to-end play a constant throughout.
Liverpool was not at its best, though it scored the first goal of the match through Roberto Firmino.
Jordan Pickford has had his fair share of the limelight lately, and maybe not for the best reasons. The England goalkeeper made himself an annoyance against Newcastle, goading the Newcastle fans after Everton’s second goal. As a former Sunderland player, Newcastle fans did not take kindly to his antics.
Good thing for Newcastle though, Pickford gave up three goals after that and the Toon picked up three points. Everton fans were less than pleased that day, and for good reason.