Football: Man Utd lose at Leicester, five-goal Liverpool thrash Watford

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom -- Manchester United succumbed to a first away league defeat for 30 games by losing 4-2 at Leicester as Liverpool thrashed Watford 5-0 on Saturday.

Chelsea remain on top of the Premier League after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Brentford, while Manchester City eased to a 2-0 victory over Burnley.

The top three are separated by just two points, but the expected title challenge from United after a summer of heavy investment is not materialising to increase the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United have taken just one point from a possible nine and face Liverpool, Tottenham and City in their next three league games.

Mason Greenwood's spectacular strike put the visitors in front against the run of play at the King Power, but were quickly pegged back by Youri Tielemans' dinked finish beyond David de Gea.

A flurry of four goals in the final 12 minutes then condemned Solskjaer's men to a first defeat on the road since January 2020.

Caglar Soyuncu put Leicester in front before Marcus Rashford equalised on his first appearance of the season after shoulder surgery.

Straight from kick-off, United's leaky defense was breached once more as Jamie Vardy smashed home and Patson Daka's first Leicester goal in stoppage time sealed a much-needed win for Brendan Rodgers' men.

"We need to look at the whole set-up and balance of the team and maybe something has to give," said Solskjaer. 

"Lately, we have not been in great form, we've lost too many points and that is something we have to look at."

- 'No one better' than Salah -

Roberto Firmino scored his first hat-trick since 2018 as Liverpool ran riot at Vicarage Road in Claudio Ranieri's first match as Watford boss.

But it was Mohamed Salah who again took most of the plaudits for another stunning solo goal to take his tally for the season to 10 in as many games.

"In this moment it is clear that there is no one better than him," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp of the Egyptian.

Salah helped open the floodgates with a defense-splitting pass that teed up Sadio Mane to score his 100th Premier League goal.

Firmino tapped home his first goal from James Milner's cross before half-time and took advantage of another open goal after Ben Foster parried Craig Cathcart's attempted clearance.

Salah left four Manchester City defenders trailing to score in a thrilling 2-2 draw before the international break and pulled off a similar feat before curling into the far corner.

Firmino then completed the rout in stoppage time.

City did not need to hit top gear to see off Burnley at the Etihad as Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were on target either side of half-time for Pep Guardiola's men.

Chelsea needed a series of miraculous saves from Edouard Mendy to ensure they were not the latest giants to be stung by newly-promoted Brentford.

Ben Chilwell's goal in first-half stoppage time earned victory for the European champions as they withstood a late Brentford barrage thanks to their Senegalese stopper.

"We were very strong for 70 minutes and very lucky for 20 minutes, to sum it up," said Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said.

"We escaped with the three points thanks to Edouard."

Wolves produced a miraculous comeback from 2-0 down with 10 minutes remaining to win 3-2 at Aston Villa.

Danny Ings and John McGinn had put the hosts in a commanding position at Villa Park.

But Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves handed Bruno Lage's men a dramatic three points.

Southampton got their first league win of the season thanks to Armando Broja's goal to beat Leeds 1-0.

Norwich remain winless and bottom of the table after a 0-0 draw with Brighton.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Chelsea cling on to win 5-goal thriller, Leicester held at Arsenal

LONDON -- Chelsea moved up to third in the Premier League table after holding out to win a 3-2 thriller at Crystal Palace, while Leicester could only manage a draw at 10-man Arsenal on Tuesday.

Frank Lampard's men edged closer to sealing a place in next season's Champions League as a seventh win in eight games took them one point ahead of Leicester and opened up a five-point lead on fifth-placed Manchester United.

The Blues were fortunate when opening the scoring at Selhurst Park as former Chelsea captain Gary Cahill fell to the ground clutching his hamstring to allow Willian to tee up Olivier Giroud for his fourth goal in six games.

Christian Pulisic's form since the Premier League's restart has led to comparisons with Eden Hazard, the man he replaced at Stamford Bridge, and the Belgian would have been proud of Chelsea's second as the 21-year-old American skipped past Joel Ward and hammered in off the inside of the near post.

"Christian is hugely important," added Lampard. "You look at the top attacking players in the world and they score goals and make assists regularly that win games and at the moment he is doing that, so I am delighted with him."

As so often this season, Lampard's men failed to capitalise on their dominance and were suddenly on the back foot when Wilfried Zaha thundered a shot high past Kepa Arrizabalaga from long range for Palace's first goal in four games.

Chelsea looked to have sealed the three points again when substitutes Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham combined for the latter to restore a two-goal cushion 19 minutes from time.

Just over a minute later, though, Palace were back in the game when a brilliant move culminated in Patrick van Aanholt squaring for Christian Benteke to tap in just his second goal of the season.

Questions remain over whether the Chelsea defence will be strong enough to maintain a title challenge next season and they were left clinging on in stoppage time as Kepa turned Scott Dann's header off the inside of the post and only a last-ditch challenge from Kurt Zouma denied Benteke a second.

- Vardy matches Aubameyang -

Leicester have now won just one of their six games since the restart to see their lead over the chasing pack for a place in the top four whittled away, but were grateful for a 1-1 draw at the Emirates after a slow start against in-form Arsenal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang swept home the opener for the Gunners as Kasper Schmeichel kept Leicester in the game with a stunning save to deny Alexandre Lacazette.

"In the first half we should have gone 3 or 4-0 up and kill the game against this type of opposition," said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

Lacazette also saw a goal disallowed for offside after the break before the game turned when Eddie Nketiah was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for a high challenge on James Justin.

Leicester made the man advantage count as Vardy pounced to slot home Demarai Gray's cross and regain his two-goal advantage over Aubameyang in the race for the Golden Boot.

"I was really pleased with how we managed the game 11 v 10. We got a deserved goal and if we had made the final pass we could have gone on and won the game," said Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers.

Arsenal's hopes of reaching the top four now appear over as they remain nine points behind with just four games to go.

- Welbeck makes Watford mark -

At the other end of the table, Danny Welbeck's first Premier League goal for Watford was as valuable as it was spectacular as the Hornets beat Norwich 2-1 to move four points clear of the relegation zone.

Defeat pushes Norwich ever closer to the drop and the Canaries could be relegated at the weekend if they fail to beat West Ham.

Like so much of his career, Welbeck's first season at Watford has been blighted by injury, but the former Manchester United and Arsenal forward showed his class by adjusting his body to hook home the winner after Craig Dawson cancelled out Emiliano Buendia's early opener for Norwich.

"I am speechless after the goal," said Welbeck. "It means a lot to me and means a lot to the whole team. It is one that puts us on our way now. We will give it our all from now."

Agence France-Presse

Football: Liverpool held in title blow, Chelsea humiliated

LONDON -- Liverpool wasted a chance to take complete control of the Premier League title race as Leicester earned a 1-1 draw against the leaders, while Chelsea's bid for a top-four finish was rocked by a humiliating 4-0 thrashing at Bournemouth on Wednesday.

After second-placed Manchester City lost at Newcastle on Tuesday, Jurgen Klopp's side would have moved seven points clear at the top with a win over Leicester.

But Liverpool, chasing a first English title since 1990, had to settle for a frustrating draw that left them five points ahead of champions City.

"We put Leicester under pressure but we were unlucky with the goal in the last second before half-time. You have to take it how it is," Klopp said.

Following a warm-weather training break in Dubai, Liverpool were ahead in the third minute at snowy Anfield.

Senegal winger Sadio Mane wriggled through the Leicester defence and slotted a clinical finish into the far corner for his 11th goal of the season.

Liverpool's quickest league goal since April 2016 had the Kop belting out songs of praise for their former manager Rafael Benitez, who masterminded Newcastle's victory against City.

But Liverpool quickly lost their rhythm and Leicester defender Harry Maguire punished sloppy marking from Virgil van Dijk to meet Ben Chilwell's header with a close-range finish on the stroke of half-time.

Liverpool appealed in vain for what looked a clear penalty when Naby Keita went down under a challenge from Ricardo Pereira.

"It was probably the clearest penalty situation we have had. You will have to ask the ref why he didn't give it," Klopp fumed on BT Sport.

It took a superb save from Alisson Becker to stop Roberto Firmino scoring an own goal as Liverpool were forced to settle for a point that gave City fresh hope.

At Dean Court, Chelsea suffered a second successive defeat that left their bid to qualify for the Champions League under severe threat.

The Blues, winners in just one of their last four league games, drop down to fifth place -- below Arsenal on goals scored -- with Manchester United only two points behind in sixth.

"We reacted very badly. We stopped being a team. Everybody tried to solve the problem in an individual way. I can't understand why after a good first half," Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri said.

"Maybe it's my fault because I'm not able to motivate this group of players. I don't know why. I have to understand very soon."

Not for the first time this season, Sarri's team lacked a cutting edge, even with Gonzalo Higuain making his Premier League debut following the Argentine striker's loan move from Juventus.

Bournemouth made them pay in the 47th minute when Josh King converted a David Brooks pass.

- Furious fans -

Brooks added to Sarri's woes in the 63rd minute as the Bournemouth winger eased past the flat-footed David Luiz to lash in the second goal.

Chelsea's fans were furious, chanting "you don't know what you're doing" at Sarri when he substituted Higuain.

But the misery wasn't over for Chelsea, who conceded again in the 75th minute when King struck, before Charlie Daniels netted in stoppage time to condemn the west Londoners to their heaviest league loss in over two decades.

Tottenham staged a late fightback to close the gap on Manchester City to two points with a 2-1 win over Watford.

After a miserable week that saw Tottenham knocked out of the FA and League Cups, Mauricio Pochettino's third-placed side lifted the gloom at Wembley.

Watford took the lead in the 38th minute after the latest mistake from error-prone keeper Hugo Lloris.

Lloris completely missed his attempt to catch a corner and Watford defender Craig Cathcart headed into the empty net.

But Son Heung-Min was back in the Tottenham side for the first time since January 13, having missed three games while on duty for South Korea at the Asia Cup.

Son spared Tottenham further indignity as he pounced to drive in the 80th-minute equaliser.

Fernando Llorente completed the turnaround when he headed the 87th-minute winner from a Danny Rose cross.

Southampton rescued a crucial 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Crystal Palace, who had goalscorer Wilfried Zaha sent off at St Mary's.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Leicester stun Sevilla to reach quarter-finals

LEICESTER - From heroes to zeros and back again, Leicester City's remarkable rollercoater ride took another twist as a superb 2-0 victory over Sevilla put them in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Down 2-1 from the first leg last month in Spain -- when they were also careering towards relegation -- Leicester rolled back the clock to last season's Premier League title heist as goals by skipper Wes Morgan and Marc Albrighton put them in the last eight in their first crack at Europe's elite competition.

Europa League aristocrats Sevilla's dream of a first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals turned sour as Samir Nasri was sent off shortly before Steven N'Zonzi's 80th-minute penalty was saved by Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

The Dane, whose father and former Champions League winner Peter was watching inside a pumped up King Power Stadium, also saved a penalty in the first leg in which a dominant Sevilla could have won by a landslide.

"It is an unbelievable achievement for the club. I am proud of the boys and proud of everybody. We had a game plan, we stuck to it and it came off perfectly," Schmeichel, who made two other important saves, said.

Leicester have now won all three matches since Ranieri, the man who led them to the Premier league title last May, paid the price for a woeful run of form that had the Foxes careering towards the ignominy of relegation as champions.

They are still just three points above the drop zone but with Ranieri's former assistant Craig Shakespeare confirmed in full-time charge, they can look forward to a potential clash with the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid.

It looked ominous for Champions League debutants Leicester in the early exchanges as Sevilla sought the away goal that would have put them in complete control of the tie.

Leicester keeper Schmeichel made a great save to keep out Nasri's stinging shot, but Sevilla struggled to find the passing rhythm that had overwhelmed their opponents in the first leg.

A well-organised Leicester worked tirelessly and looked dangerous from set pieces and it was from a Riyad Mahrez free kick that they took the lead with skipper Morgan bundling the ball into the Sevilla net with his thigh in the 27th minute.

Ahead on away goals the situation played perfectly into Leicester's hands as they sat deep and broke quickly with Jamie Vardy's pace always a threat.

Sevilla upped the ante in the second half and came within a coat of paint of equalising in the 54th minute when Sergio Escudero's swirling effort from 30 metres beat Schmeichel but struck the underside of the crossbar.

It proved a pivotal moment as a minute later the ball dropped kindly for Marc Albrighton just inside the penalty area and he was allowed time and space to dispatch a left-foot shot past Sevilla keeper Sergio Rico.

Sevilla went desperately in search of a goal but Nasri got himself needlessly sent off in the 74th minute after squaring up to Vardy and bumping foreheads.

Nasri received a second yellow card while Vardy, an irritation all night to Sevilla, was cautioned.

Sevilla were handed a lifeline almost immediately though when Schmeichel clattered into Vitolo and the referee awarded a penalty. N'Zonzi was handed the task of putting Sevilla back into the tie but his weak kick was saved by Schmeichel.

"The players can be immensely proud of themselves," Shakespeare said. "We rode our luck at times but the character was immense. When we needed Kasper the most he came up trumps."

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Mahrez takes Leicester closer to last 16, Madrid win big

PARIS, France -- Riyad Mahrez secured another Champions League victory for Leicester City on Tuesday while big boys Real Madrid, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund were also in winning form.

Leicester maintained a perfect record in Group G in their first foray in Europe's elite club competition by edging FC Copenhagen 1-0 at the King Power Stadium with Mahrez getting the only goal of the game.

Islam Slimani headed down a Jamie Vardy cross for Mahrez to score with a close-range volley with the outside of his left foot five minutes before half-time.

With Porto winning 2-1 away to Club Brugge in the group's other game, Claudio Ranieri's side now know a win away to Copenhagen in their next match on November 2 will secure a place in the last 16.

"We're in a good position now," said Ranieri.

"We knew it would be tough. Copenhagen tried until the end. It was difficult at the start, but the performance was good."

In Bruges, Jelle Vossen put the home side in front early on but Miguel Layun lashed in the equaliser midway through the second half and Andre Silva scored a stoppage-time winner from the penalty spot.

For Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas it was a 92nd win in the Champions League, allowing him to surpass Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez and establish a new record.

Leicester's Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur found themselves hanging on for a point as they claimed a 0-0 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in Group E.

A Vincent Janssen header that came back off the bar was the closest Spurs came to scoring at the BayArena.

The home side piled on the pressure in the second half but Javier Hernandez was denied by a brilliant save on the line by Hugo Lloris and Stefan Kiessling missed a great chance late on.

"We can be pleased with the point," said Lloris.

"The game turned in the second half, Leverkusen pressed high and we struggled a bit. I think the draw is a good result for us."

Just three points separate all four teams in the section, but it is Monaco who are on top after coming from behind to draw 1-1 at CSKA Moscow.

Ivorian striker Lacina Traore, on loan from Monaco, scored against his parent club in the 34th minute but Bernardo Silva equalised for the visitors late on.

- Trouble mars Madrid win -

Reigning champions Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 victory at home to Legia Warsaw in Group F after supporter violence marred the build-up to the game at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Five fans and two police officers were treated for minor injuries following clashes outside the stadium before kick-off.

When the game began, Vadis Odjidja struck the post for the visitors before Gareth Bale fired in the opener and a Marcelo shot went in off Tomasz Jodlowiec.

Miroslav Radovic pulled one back from the penalty spot but Marco Asensio made it 3-1 before the interval and substitutes Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Morata added further goals in the second half.

Zinedine Zidane's side are level on seven points at the top of the group with Borussia Dortmund, who were 2-1 winners over Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang burst through for an early opener and a superb Julian Weigl strike made it 2-0 but Dortmund were hanging on after Bruno Cesar reduced the deficit midway through the second half.

In Group H Juan Cuadrado came off the bench to score a late winner as 10-man Juventus beat Lyon 1-0 in France.

Gianluigi Buffon was in fine form for the Italian champions as he saved a first-half Alexandre Lacazette penalty, while Juve had Mario Lemina sent off early in the second period.

But Cuadrado netted the winner 14 minutes from the end as the hosts failed to make their man advantage count.

"I should thank Mario Lemina for his sending-off because I thought we played better with a man less," said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri.

They are level at the top of the group with Sevilla, who were 1-0 winners away to Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, Samir Nasri netting the only goal.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

LEAGUE CUP: Fabregas downs Leicester, Everton crash out

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Cesc Fabregas made an emphatic point to Chelsea manager Antonio Conte as his double sealed a 4-2 win at Leicester, while Everton and Bournemouth suffered shock third-round exits from the English Football League Cup on Tuesday.

Fabregas has been limited to three substitute appearances in the Premier League since Conte took charge over the summer, but the Spain midfielder proved he can still be a game-changer with an influential display capped by the decisive two goals in extra-time.

"I was happy to play from the start! Hopefully this will shut up a few journalists talking rubbish all the time," said Fabregas, who has been linked with a move away from Chelsea.

Elsewhere, second-tier Norwich spoiled Everton's impressive start to the season and inflicted Ronald Koeman's first defeat as Toffees boss with a 2-0 win at Goodison Park.

Bournemouth were the other top-flight casualties as second-tier Preston won 3-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Denmark striker Simon Makienok.

At the King Power Stadium, Shinji Okazaki put Premier League champions Leicester ahead in the 17th minute when the Japan striker punished terrible Chelsea defending to head home from close range.

Okazaki followed his first goal since March with a second in the 34th minute.

Gary Cahill reduced the deficit on the stroke of half-time, the defender heading home after being left unmarked at the far post from a Fabregas corner.

The Blues equalized four minutes after the interval through Cesar Azpilicueta's blistering long-range effort.

Leicester had to play extra-time with 10 men after Marcin Wasilewski's 89th minute dismissal for elbowing Diego Costa and Fabregas made them pay, finishing a flowing move in the 92nd minute and drilling home again two minutes later.

Everton are second in the Premier League but Koeman made six changes and his stand-ins were brushed aside by promotion-chasing Norwich.

The Canaries went ahead when former Everton striker Steven Naismith slipped as he went to shoot and inadvertently lobbed the ball into the net.

Josh Murphy's superb strike from the edge of the area in the 74th minute completed the upset.

"I can't criticise the players. We played well but weren't clinical enough. The difference was Norwich were clinical with their two chances," Koeman said.

- Hat-trick hero -

At Dean Court, Makienok, who hadn't scored in his previous 19 appearances, gave Preston the lead in the 10th minute before Bournemouth equalised through Lewis Grabban's 53rd minute penalty.

Dan Gosling put the hosts ahead from close range in the 76th minute, only for Makienok to force extra-time in the 85th minute and then win it for Simon Grayson's men in the 111th minute.

Lucas Perez's first goals for Arsenal inspired a 4-0 rout of second-tier Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who has never won the League Cup, made 11 changes from the team that thrashed Hull on Saturday and the understudies went ahead in the 23rd minute through a long-range effort from Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Spanish striker Perez, who arrived from Deportivo La Coruna on transfer-deadline day, opened his Arsenal account in his third appearance with a 60th-minute penalty after a foul on Chuba Akpom.

Perez got his second in the 71st minute and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got Arsenal's fourth in stoppage time.

"It was a motivated team against us and we had a complete performance. The speed and movement of our play was fantastic," Wenger purred.

Liverpool, last year's beaten finalists, remain on course for a return to Wembley after a 3-0 win against Championship side Derby at the iPro Stadium.

Estonia centre-back Ragnar Klavan took advantage of poor Derby defending to fire home in the 24th minute.

Philippe Coutinho doubled Liverpool's lead in the 50th minute and Divock Origi put the result beyond doubt four minutes later.

Newcastle defeated Championship rivals Wolves 2-0, Leeds beat fellow second-tier side Blackburn 1-0, while Reading won 2-1 in another all-Championship clash at Brighton.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com