Scott Murray's Blog, page 46
October 12, 2022
Rangers 1-7 Liverpool: Champions League – as it happened
Mohamed Salah scored the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history as Rangers were taken apart at Ibrox
The teams are out! Ibrox roars as one when the players emerge from the tunnel. Rangers sport their royal blue, while Liverpool wear red. Always lovely when both teams are dressed in their finest. Fireworks light up the sky. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, once Uefa have given a nod in the direction of Zadok the Priest.
Jurgen Klopp speaks to BT Sport. “It is a busy period and we cannot force the boys through, we have to make changes. Diogo Jota was not planned, that’s why he was in yesterday’s press conference, but we got a call from the medical department saying he can play, but not too long. Oh great! So we’d better start somebody else who can play 90 minutes. But he is on the bench and is available.”
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The Fiver | Kylian Mbappé and an earworm that is not music to PSG’s ears
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Kylian Mbappé did a penalty against Benfica on Tuesday night, and it made him the all-time leading Big Cup goalscorer for Paris Saint-Germain. Setting aside the fact that it’s a statistic worth the square root of eff all – for the record, he’s now scored 31 eurogoals for les Rouge-et-Bleu, one more than PSG’s other Big Cup nearly man Edinson Cavani, but really, whatever – that should have been the big story of the evening. However, the mood music around Mbappé drowned all of that out … much to The Fiver’s chagrin, given his name is effectively an instant Hanson earworm, and if we have to suffer it then so do you. Ba doo ba doo mmm bop ba doo ba doo do doo mmm baby shark. You’re welcome.
Continue reading...October 11, 2022
Milan 0-2 Chelsea: Champions League – as it happened
Fikayo Tomori’s early dismissal gave Chelsea momentum they never relinquished as Graham Potter’s side went top of Group E
2 min: The first free kick of the evening as Mount stands in the environs of Tomori, who falls over. Confusion all around. Tomori springs back up and play restarts. Mount isn’t happy at receiving a ticking-off from the referee, having done very little to deserve one.
Chelsea get the ball rolling. The stadium is bouncing.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Steven Gerrard and a worrying pointer from the Rule of Rhule
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The Fiver is of course your natural one-stop shop for all things gridiron, and so we report that Matt Rhule of the Carolina Panthers has become the first NFL coach to lose his job this season. To be honest, the news didn’t come as too much of a surprise: the Panthers had lost 27 of 38 games played under Rhule’s yoke, ending last season on a seven-game losing streak, then starting this one with four defeats out of five. After Sunday’s latest pounding, at the merciless hands of the 49ers, the few fans who still bother to travel from miles around the Carolinas booed and called for Rhule to bhugger off – and when catcalls echoing around half-populated stadiums start to get louder than the ringing of tills in concession stands, billionaire owners tend to sit up and take notice. So Rhule was sent bouncing down Interstate 85 on the well-upholstered seat of his pants (and that’s not a sizeist quip, he’s got a guaranteed $62m contract stuffed in his back pocket).
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 .
Continue reading...October 8, 2022
Brighton 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – as it happened
Harry Kane’s first-half goal was enough for a win dedicated to the memory of Gian Piero Ventrone
2 min: Spurs start confidently, and Kane is found just to the left of the Brighton D. Mac Allister panics and clumsily barges into him from behind. A free kick in a very dangerous position here.
An emotional moment of heartfelt applause for Ventrone. Then the knee, a gesture met with more warm applause. Respect and love the top note all around the Amex. Poor Conte looks drained. Spurs get the ball rolling.
Continue reading...October 5, 2022
Chelsea 3-0 Milan: Champions League – as it happened
Chelsea started slowly but by the end had utterly dominated the toothless Italian champions
3 min: Milan are seeing most of the ball during these very early exchanges. Koulibaly, impatient and irritated, comes through the back of De Ketelaere and is lucky not to go into the book. He might have used up his early-exchange privileges.
1 min: The first free kick of the evening is awarded to Milan. Tonali swings it into the mixer from the right, and it’s easily dealt with by the home defence.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Steve Bruce’s unique brand of managerial magic
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The former Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce is having a hard time of it at his current club West Bromwich Albion. Despite a glittering managerial career of skyscraping achievement, during which he’s nearly won the Second Division title on two separate occasions, and shipped a two-goal lead in the FA Cup final, poor Steve has sometimes had trouble convincing the masses of a talent that has repeatedly and deservedly earned him all these chances to shine. Such a shame, and it’s this unfortunate and inexplicable inability to connect with the people that has plunged him chin deep into a merry puddle yet again.
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 .
Continue reading...October 4, 2022
Liverpool 2-0 Rangers: Champions League – as it happened
Trent Alexander-Arnold scored an early free kick and Liverpool never looked back, restoring some confidence on an uneventful night at Anfield
1 min: Liverpool quickly snaffle possession and give all of their defenders an early touch of the ball.
Rangers get the ball rolling. They’re kicking towards the Kop in this first half. Anfield is jumping.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Liverpool v Rangers, McCoist and Hateley, and three centuries of data
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Liverpool have enjoyed something of an affinity with the green half of Glasgow down the years, so it’s easy to forget that the club was founded and initially run by a load of stern looking gentlemen in bowler hats. Anfield’s early connection to the Orange Order is little more than a historical footnote these days, however, and The Fiver isn’t going too far out on a limb to suggest that fundamental attitudes among Liverpool’s supporter base to existential issues such as king and country have evolved over the years. It’s probably best for all concerned that it was Ajax in town three weeks ago rather than Rangers, now we come to think about it.
Continue reading...October 1, 2022
West Ham 2-0 Wolves: Premier League – as it happened
Gianluca Scamacca’s first Premier League goal helped to lift West Ham out of the bottom three at Wolves’ expense
4 min: Nothing comes from the set piece.
3 min: Podence pearls a shot goalwards from the best part of 30 yards. It’s on target, and Fabianski is forced to tip over for a corner.
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