Liverpool’s title procession continued on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Anfield that was bookended by Virgil van Dijk’s header in the 14th minute and Mohamed Salah’s strike at the death. With 64 points from 22 matches, Liverpool’s performance so far is the best in the history of Europe’s top five leagues.
A sell-out crowd at Arsenal’s Meadow Park stadium was witness to the rapidly turning tide of the FA WSL as Chelsea stormed to a 3-0 halftime lead before securing a 4-1 victory to remain undefeated after 12 matches.
Arsenal’s the most successful club in the division’s eight-year history with three titles — including last year’s triumph when Chelsea finished third — but the Blues issued a statement of intent by signing Norway’s Guro Reiten in May before adding Australia’s Sam Kerr back in November, and both of the club’s marquee signings got on the scoreboard today.
Rhian Brewster wasted little time in scoring on his home debut for Swansea, striking in the 19th minute to bring the Swans level with Wigan at 1-1. The 19-year-old did well to sense an opportunity and made a perfectly timed run onto fellow loanee Conor Gallagher's slip pass into the box, burying his shot in the lower right corner for his first senior goal.
He was named Swansea fans' Man of the Match for his performance in the 2-1 victory over Wigan which saw the Swans move up to fifth place in the Championship.
Bournemouth’s Steve Cook made one of the top saves of the day, springing up from his arse to his bat away an effort from Norwich, turning the shot onto the crossbar and saving a goal.
Unfortunately for the Cherries, Cook is no goalkeeper.
Cook, a center back, was sent off for denying a goal from Ondrej Duda in the 31st minute on Saturday, taking a page out of Luis Suarez’s playbook. But unlike Suarez for Uruguay in 2010, things didn’t work out so well for Cook and Bournemouth.
Norwich City has ventured into the transfer market this month in a bid to boost its chances of Premier League survival. Manager Daniel Farke has brought in Ondrej Duda from Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim's Lukas Rupp in hopes they will be able to help turn around the fortunes of the struggling Canaries.
Duda arrives on a loan until the end of the season, while Rupp was purchased outright for $570,000. Their signings continue the trend of Farke scouting the German leagues he knows so well; the two represent his 11th and 12th additions from Germany since his 2017 arrival.
I’ll never forget the buildup to Chipotle’s first restaurant in London. I was studying there at the time and the “COMING SOON” signage on Charing Cross Road would hit hard around lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon. A cohort of Americans would stand outside the scaffolding and strain to see inside the darkened edifice for any signs of that spar, industrial interior design coming together. It’s hard to tell how much progress is being made when the piping is always exposed.
Tottenham could be left without star striker Harry Kane until the start of next season, according to manager Jose Mourinho. Kane left Spurs' 1-0 New Years Day defeat to Southampton with an injury, revealed after scans to be a ruptured tendon in his hamstring. The North London side was initially hopeful Kane would be able to resume training in April, but Mourinho has now suggested that may be too optimistic.
Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen could soon have his wish of leaving Tottenham granted. Eriksen has voiced his displeasure with the club and intends to leave the Premier League to go elsewhere. Serie A side Inter Milan has focused its sights on the 27-year-old and is prepared to offer him quite the lucrative deal. Eriksen could be earning $130,000 a week after taxes according to The Times.
Kevin De Bruyne exited the pitch in the 63rd-minute of Manchester City’s victory over Aston Villa on Sunday with his side leading 5-0 and with two assists to his name. As the final scoreline of 6-1 suggests, it was pure perfection from City with Sergio Agüero (three goals, one assist), Riyad Mahrez (two goals, one assist), Gabriel Jesus (one goal, one assist), David Silva (one assist) and De Bruyne putting on a masterclass at Villa Park.
After winning all five of its Premier League games in December, Liverpool raked in the monthly awards yet again. Trent Alexander-Arnold brought home his first Player of the Month award of the season, while Reds manager Jurgen Klopp tied Pep Guardiola's single-season record after winning Manager of the Month for the fourth time.