Scott Murray's Blog, page 45

Brighton 4-1 Chelsea, Newcastle 4-0 Aston Villa: Premier League – as it happened

There was a humbling defeat for Graham Potter at the hands of his old team, while Newcastle further established their upwardly mobile credentials with a third win in a row

There are also a couple of Premier League matches to be played later this evening. Not that Clocko™ will have anything to do with them, you understand – there will be hot MBM action, don’t worry – but the point remains. Everton travel to Fulham for the 5.30pm kick-off, while at 7.45pm, Liverpool host Leeds United in a replay of the 1965 FA Cup final / 1974 Charity Shield punch-up. To whet your appetite for the latter, please be upstanding for Rob Smyth, who has some rather more up-to-date references for your edification.

That result puts City back in their usual spot: atop the Premier League table. Let’s see how this baby changes this afternoon, then.

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Manchester United 3-0 Sheriff: Europa League – as it happened

Sheriff defended deep, and defended well, but United had too much for the Moldovan champions over the long haul

5 min: A slip in the Sheriff defensive block by Kyabou, and for a second there’s a bit of space for Casemiro. Old Trafford wants him to shoot from distance, but he’s closed down too quickly to bother.

3 min: Garnacho’s run down the opposite flank is equally unsuccessful, though for a split second, before Borges gets in the road, it looked as though he’d break into the box. An exciting run, with an appreciate soundtrack to match.

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Manchester United 3-0 Sheriff: Europa League – live reaction

Sheriff defended deep, and defended well, but United had too much for the Moldovan champions over the long haul

5 min: A slip in the Sheriff defensive block by Kyabou, and for a second there’s a bit of space for Casemiro. Old Trafford wants him to shoot from distance, but he’s closed down too quickly to bother.

3 min: Garnacho’s run down the opposite flank is equally unsuccessful, though for a split second, before Borges gets in the road, it looked as though he’d break into the box. An exciting run, with an appreciate soundtrack to match.

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The Fiver | VAR sending Antonio Conte’s canopy spinning around at high speed

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Antonio Conte has seen it all as a manager. Things you wouldn’t believe. He’s won Serie A titles with Juventus and Inter, lifted Premier Leagues and FA Cups with Chelsea, even watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Turnpike Lane. But he’s never tasted glory in Europe. A single measly Big Cup quarter-final with Juventus in 2013 is the best he’s managed on the continent, if you don’t count nearly winning Big Vase in 2020 with a team containing Ashley Young, Alexis Sánchez and Victor Moses, which we probably should do, but for the ease of narrative, don’t. Either way, it’s all very strange. Oh oh Antonio!

This is an extract from our daily football email, The Fiver. To subscribe for the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions .

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Ajax 0-3 Liverpool: Champions League – as it happened

Ajax passed up a couple of golden chances before Liverpool took control and eased through to the last 16

Liverpool get the ball rolling. No surprise that there’s a wild atmosphere in the Johan Cruyff ArenA. “I heard that a long time ago Peter Oh sent in ten different entries to The Guardian’s Pun of the Week competition, hoping one of them was good enough to win. Alas, no pun in ten did.” Justin Kavanagh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the edibles.

The teams are out! Ajax wear their famous white shirt with thick red stripe – or red shirt with two thin white ones, depending on how you see it – while Liverpool sport that aforementioned green. This being the Netherlands, and Virgil van Dijk being Dutch, there were plenty of friendly embraces in the tunnel beforehand. Anyway, we’ll be off once Zadok the Priest’s younger brother continues to sully the family name with the cover version he recorded for Uefa’s marketing department.

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The Fiver | Juventus get their shambolic Big Cup exit out of the way early this season

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La vita è bella for Juventus at the moment. Beautiful, that is, if you’re looking at life solely in the context of being the best team in Turin. Should you be peering through that poxy prism, Juve are absolutely banging it, sitting proudly in eighth spot in Serie A, a whole two places and five points ahead of their city neighbours Torino. Additionally, while Il Toro’s rampant-bull badge has a certain classic-car charm, the Fiver much prefers the sleek seventies sass of Juve’s modernist J. So the Bianconeri have it all sewn up, two in the hole, whichever way you look at it. Providing that way is through the special prism.

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RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea: Champions League – live reaction

Chelsea made it through to the knockout stage after putting on an entertaining show in Austria

7 min: Pulisic turns on the jets to make space down the left. He fizzes in a low cross that Gourna-Douath intercepts, then nearly runs out of play for a corner. The Salzburg midfielder just about keeps the ball from going out, then draws a foul from Pulisic. There wasn’t much in that, and Gourna-Douath got away with one there.

5 min: Chelsea have started on the front foot – this is what Salzburg usually do here – and they swarm the hosts into shipping possession 30 yards out. Gallagher nearly releases Aubameyang down the inside-right channel and into the box, but the pass is a bit lively and the striker can’t control. Kohn, his head now clear, save those two apologies rattling around in it, gathers calmly.

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The Fiver | Welcome back Unai Emery, the Rishi Sunak of the Premier League

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Unai Emery’s stint at Arsenal wasn’t studded with glorious success. So much so that, were you to ask fans in England for the first thing that springs to mind upon mention of the four-time Euro Vase-winning Spaniard, a fair few would head straight for the way he delivers a particular latter-day greeting. It’s a bit off, really. Partly because poking fun at an amiable gent for the way they mispronounce one syllable from thousands of words in live television interviews conducted in a foreign language is staggeringly poor form. But mainly because his presiding over that 4-1 Euro Vase final defeat to Chelsea says a lot less about Emery, and a damn sight more about the epic show Arsenal regularly make of themselves on the continent.

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Tottenham 2-0 Everton: Premier League – as it happened

It wasn’t pretty, or particularly entertaining, but a win’s a win’s a win, and it keeps Spurs up to speed in the title hunt

6 min: Perisic works his way down the left and crosses deep. Richarlison springs up highest at the far stick but can’t get his header on target. He should have done much better from close range. A fast start from Spurs.

5 min: Space for Son down the left. He whistles a cross towards Kane, six yards out at the near post. Kane flicks a header that pinballs off Tarkowski and out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, but that deflection could have gone anywhere.

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Leicester City 0-0 Crystal Palace: Premier League – as it happened

Not much happened

6 min: Another free kick in a dangerous position, this time for Palace, as Schlupp hares down the right and draws a foul from Soumare, just outside the box. Eze pulls it back, carelessly so, and it’s nearly intercepted by Tielemans. Doucoure rescues the situation by getting in first and rolling it to the left for Zaha, who looks for the top-right corner. Always high, always wide. That was a good chance, despite the vague whiff of cock-up in the air.

4 min: Maddison whips into the box and across Guaita, looking for the top right. The Palace keeper punches clear with confidence. The visitors counter through Edouard, who is in space down the left. Faes comes across and blocks well to put a stop to Edouard’s gallop.

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