Rob Smyth's Blog, page 2
September 16, 2025
Real Madrid 2-1 Marseille, Juventus 4-4 Dortmund, and more: Champions League – as it happened
Kylian Mbappe scored two penalties for Real Madrid, while Juventus scored twice in injury-time to draw an epic
One of the greatest nights in Union Saint-Gilloise’s history. They’ve done an emphatic number on the Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, with Anouar Ait El Hadj’s exhilarating solo goal the highlight.
UNION SG ARE TOP OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
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September 14, 2025
Manchester City 3-0 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened
A rampant Erling Haaland scored twice to give City a thumping win over their woebegone local rivals
Match report: Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
Premier League result: Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
Continue reading...September 13, 2025
Newcastle 1-0 Wolves, Fulham 1-0 Leeds, Rangers 0-2 Hearts and more: football clockwatch – as it happened
Nick Woltemade scored on his Newcastle debut, while things went from bad to worse for Russell Martin at Rangers
It’s full-time at the Emirates, Arsenal have dispatched Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest 3-0. Murillo going off in the first half will be a concern for the visitors but the Gunners were excellent. Mikel Arteta was missing a few starters but the players coming off the bench showed the depth now running through his team.
Nick Woltemade immediately comes into the Newcastle starting XI after his £73.5m move, but World Cup winner and Guardian columnist Philipp Lahm is less than convinced with the big man:
He has not yet developed any consistency or patterns – not in his first touch, not in his combination play, not in his timing on headers, not in his shooting. His goals are not the logical consequence of excellent actions and skills. His excellence is not repeatable. And he still has to prove that he can last 50 games in a season, because he is tall but not robust.
Continue reading...Newcastle 1-0 Wolves, Fulham 1-0 Leeds, Rangers 0-2 Hearts and more: football clockwatch – live
Nick Woltemade scored on his Newcastle debut, while things went from bad to worse for Russell Martin at Rangers
It’s full-time at the Emirates, Arsenal have dispatched Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest 3-0. Murillo going off in the first half will be a concern for the visitors but the Gunners were excellent. Mikel Arteta was missing a few starters but the players coming off the bench showed the depth now running through his team.
Nick Woltemade immediately comes into the Newcastle starting XI after his £73.5m move, but World Cup winner and Guardian columnist Philipp Lahm is less than convinced with the big man:
He has not yet developed any consistency or patterns – not in his first touch, not in his combination play, not in his timing on headers, not in his shooting. His goals are not the logical consequence of excellent actions and skills. His excellence is not repeatable. And he still has to prove that he can last 50 games in a season, because he is tall but not robust.
Continue reading...Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest: Premier League – as it happened
Martin Zubimendi scored twice and Viktor Gyokeres grabbed another as Arsenal cruised past Forest at the Emirates
6 min Arsenal are starting to find some rhythm. Madueke cuts inside from the right and teases a dangerous inswinging cross that is headed away well by Murillo.
4 min Ndoye is down and in pai- oh forget it, he’s trying it on.
Continue reading...Premier League returns with Postecoglou taking Nottingham Forest to Arsenal – matchday live as it happened
Buildup for the Premier League’s return, with Arsenal set to host Nottingham Forest in the lunchtime kick-off
Scottish Premiership
“Oh matchday live, how could you?” thunders says Simon McMahon. “You forgot about about Dundee United’s trip to Easter Road to face Hibs at 5.45pm, so please, allow me. United manager Jim Goodwin this week signed a new deal, and Ivan Dolcek, one of this summer’s 14 new faces at Tannadice, was named Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for August. Add in the fact that our last game was a 2-0 schooling of Dundee at Dens and it’s easy to see why there’s a lot of positivity from United fans at the moment.
Premier League returns with Postecoglou taking Nottingham Forest to Arsenal – matchday live
News and buildup to the day’s football action
Premier League things to look out for
Scottish Premiership
“Oh matchday live, how could you?” thunders says Simon McMahon. “You forgot about about Dundee United’s trip to Easter Road to face Hibs at 5.45pm, so please, allow me. United manager Jim Goodwin this week signed a new deal, and Ivan Dolcek, one of this summer’s 14 new faces at Tannadice, was named Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for August. Add in the fact that our last game was a 2-0 schooling of Dundee at Dens and it’s easy to see why there’s a lot of positivity from United fans at the moment.
September 12, 2025
Records tumble as England thrash South Africa by 146 runs: second men’s T20 international – as it happened
England pulverised South Africa at Old Trafford, with Phil Salt walloping 141 not out in a record score of 304 for two
5th over: England 88-0 (Salt 32, Buttler 54) Rabada returns to the attack and is monstered down the ground for six by Buttler. Three successive fours take Buttler to a quite exhilarating 50 from 18 balls. He waves his bat to the ground, then snaps his head back to salute his late father.
The second of those three fours tempted mid-on, who dived in an attempt to take a low catch but was beaten by the dip on the ball.
Continue reading...September 9, 2025
Serbia 0-5 England: World Cup 2026 qualifying Group K – as it happened
Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi all scored their first international goals as England hammered Serbia in Belgrade
Same formation for us – and it looks like the same formation for our opponents. It looks like a classic 5-4-1 defensively. I was hoping for a little more risk but they left Mitrovic and Jovic out and they have more defensively minded players. Okay; we will try to find solutions.
[On Elliot Anderson] He impressed me a lot; he played with a very natural rhythm and self-confidence. He understood very quickly what we wanted, so why not keep him in the team?
Most of you will remember Serbia’s coach, Dragan Stojkovic, as a player. For those who don’t, here’s a sensual little treat from Italia 90.
Continue reading...September 6, 2025
Arsenal 4-1 London City Lionesses: WSL – as it happened
Olivia Smith scored a spectacular equaliser on debut as Arsenal recovered from a slow start to overwhelm London City Lionesses
5 min London City have made an assured start, with most of the early play taking places in the Arsenal half.
2 min Chloe Kelly, supersub for England and starter for Arsenal, wins the first corner of the game on the left. Caldentey’s inswinger is chested away at the near post.
Continue reading...Rob Smyth's Blog
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