Sports Buzz

Tag: score sheet

  • Ange slams ‘ridiculous’ targeted attacks as rejuvenated Spurs win third straight

    Ange slams ‘ridiculous’ targeted attacks as rejuvenated Spurs win third straight

    Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has dismissed talk of Spurs getting relegated before their recent return to form as “ridiculous” and “hysteria”.

    Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

    Postecoglou’s side have officially turned the corner after months of being ravaged by injuries, which led to them losing six out of seven league matches at once stage, with several of their big name stars returning to action and better results have come with them.

    Tottenham’s 4-1 win away to relegation-threatened Ipswich Town on Saturday was their third straight Premier League victory, the first time they have achieved a hat-trick of wins in the league since the early days of Postecolgou’s tenure in December 2023.

    Brennan Johnson scored a brace in his first start in more than a month due to a calf injury, while Djed Spence also hit the score sheet after a heavy knock kept him out for three games last month and Dejan Kulusevski, who has battled admirably all season, capped things off with the fourth and final goal.

    The win pushed them to 12th on the table, on 33 points, somehow with the fourth best goal difference in the league.

    Tottenham have won ten of their 26 matches, but are second only to league leaders Liverpool for goals scored this campaign, with 53.

    Based on those numbers, it is clear to see why Postecoglou was displeased when asked post-match about the victory putting them 16 points clear of the drop zone, meanwhile they are 11 points out of the top four.

    “It goes to show you how ridiculous a notion it was to start with,” Postecoglou said. “People saying we’re safe with 12 games to go, and people are actually talking about it. That’s the hysteria. And that’s all framed around putting pressure on me and the club. I get that, when you’re in that position you’ve got to accept that.

    “For me, it was always about trying … We always had the [Aston] Villa FA Cup game as a marker for us. We’ve got to get to that space as best we could. We obviously didn’t get the outcomes we wanted during that time. But not through a lack of will or effort from the players.

    “That was always my primary concern, to protect them and support them. Because they gave everything during that period. Now they’ve got some help, they’ve got some rest.

    “Like I said, we’re not happy where we are in the league, obviously, it’s unacceptable. But we’ve got an opportunity to address that.”

    To improve their position on the table, Tottenham will need to put in more performances like they did at Ipswich.

    An undermanned defence has struggled massively for much of the season, but it was a far more assured performance from the back four of Destiny Udogie, loanee Kevin Danso, teenager Archie Gray and Spence with the support of first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

    Postecoglou’s preferred centre back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven were absent, but he was pleased to lean on some improved squad depth.

    “I thought we did the hard things really well,” Postecoglou said. “A couple of times in the first half we lost a bit of concentration in terms of the second ball and duels.

    “It was a disappointing goal we conceded, but aside from that I thought we handled that side of the game really well.

    “I always felt we were a threat when we had the ball. Son Heung-min was unplayable in the first half and so good to get Brennan back in those areas where he’s always a threat.

    “All four of our goals were quality goals. We had to do the hard things, but the fruits of that labour was that our front third play was super exciting and clinical,” he said.

    “We’re certainly in a good space of using these two weeks as well as we could to re-energise the team and I think it has.

    “We’ve still got some significant players out. We’ve got (Dominic) Solanke, Richarlison, (Cristian) Romero, (Micky) Van de Ven, Ben Davies, he’s out today. They’re all still to come back.”

    Tottenham’s resurgence faces a stern test in the coming weeks, started by hosting Manchester City mid-week.

    Spurs have had the wood on Pep Guardiola’s side this season, demolishing them 4-0 at the Etihad as well as knocking them out of the Carabao Cup.

    But City have had a bounce back of their own, and they now sit fourth on the league table after winning three of their last four fixtures.

    Also looming is the final pursuit of silverware for the season.

    Spurs have been drawn to face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, who they defeated 1-0 in the league phase, in the two-leg Round of 16 Europa League tie.

    The first leg will take place on March 6, with return leg in London to be played the following week, and Postecoglou believes the lead-up is going to be crucial.

    “I just feel like we’ve got a really good opportunity in these next 10 days to be well equipped for what’s ahead,” he said.

    “What’s ahead is obviously Europe but also an opportunity to address our league position, which is obviously not good enough.”

    Source link

  • ‘Stop crying your heart out’: City on brink as Real pull off epic comeback in spicy CL clash

    ‘Stop crying your heart out’: City on brink as Real pull off epic comeback in spicy CL clash

    One of the best rivalries in modern football produced another classic, or you might even say “clásico”, as a 92nd minute Jude Bellingham winner handed Real Madrid a 3-2 win in the first leg of their Champions League knockout playoff against Manchester City.

    Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

    The Etihad Stadium was left stunned as English star Bellingham tapped into an empty net to steal victory for the Spanish giants.

    Vinicius Junior set up the decisive goal with the Brazilian stealing a pass from Mateo Kovacic that was intended for Rico Lewis, drawing City goalkeeper Ederson out and lobbing him, but the ball was sailing wide before Bellingham got their in time to finish off his teammate’s brilliant work.

    It was the first time Real have claimed victory in regular time away at Manchester City – they won on penalties after the second leg of last year’s quarter-final – and they are well-placed to eliminate Pep Guardiola’s side, and book their own place in the Round of 16, in the second leg at the Bernabeu next week.

    City led twice, through superstar Erling Haaland on both occasions, and the home crowd were jubilant when his 80th minute goal from a penalty, won by Phil Foden who was brought down just inside the box by a clumsy Dani Ceballos challenge, made it appear as if they may head to Madrid with a lead.

    But one of their own academy products that came back to haunt them.

    Brahim Diaz, who left City for Real Madrid back in 2019, and had a four-year loan spell at AC Milan, came off the bench to score an 86th minute equaliser.

    Diaz pounced on a ball that spilled off Ederson’s chest after a Vinicius Jr. strike, and the 25-year-old slotted it into the far corner, and in a classy touch opted not to celebrate.

    Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said pre-match that his side’s clashes with the Premier League giants “seems like it’s a clásico” due to the quality and frequency of their meetings, like the La Liga leader’s rivalry with Barcelona.

    It is only the fourth time that two teams have met in the Champions League in four successive seasons – after Deportivo v Juventus (2000-04), Liverpool v Chelsea (five in a row from 2004-09) and Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (2013-17) – but this battle was arguably Real and City’s spiciest.

    It was their first meeting since Real’s infamous Ballon d’Or boycott last October, and the home fans were eager to remind them of it.

    A massive banner with a picture of City’s Spanish maestro Rodri kissing the trophy accompanied by the words ‘stop crying your heart out’, in reference to the song by big City fans Oasis, was unveiled in the terraces before kick off.

    Rodri, who is sidelined with an ACL injury, was even spotted capturing a photo of the banner on his phone, while Real’s sensational forward Vinicius Jr., who they believe was the deserved winner, was met with boos and jeers every time he was involved in play.

    The noise did not seem to bother the Brazilian however as he was superb all night, but went without the reward of getting on the score sheet despite his impressive creativity.

    He released Kylian Mbappe in the 11th minute but Edersen pulled off an excellent save.

    One minute later he again almost had an assist but Nathan Ake cleared Ferland Mendy’s shot off the line, and shortly after he may have been awarded a penalty if not for the offside flag being raised, and later in the half a deflected shot of his hit the crossbar.

    Real’s electricity in the front half made them look the more threatening of the two sides early, but it was City who scored first through who else but Haaland in the 19th minute.

    Jack Grealish, who was subbed off after a half an hour with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, lobbed an excellent ball into the box to Josko Gvardiol who chested it down to Haaland and the Norwegian goal scoring machine calmly put the ball over Thibaut Courtois with his left foot.

    There was a lengthy VAR check for offside, but the video referee eventually awarded Haaland his first goal against Real Madrid, in his fifth attempt.

    Completing a brace later also added further to his remarkable Champions League record with 49 goals from 48 matches.

    City took a 1-0 lead into the break but there easily could have been more goals as a Manuel Akanji header from a Kevin De Bruyne corner hit the bar, and Mbappe squandered a late chance by launching a shot over the bar.

    The French superstar made up for it in the 60th minute, however, as a complete miskick sailed into the back of the net to equalise.

    Federico Valverde blasted a free kick into the City defensive wall, but the ball rebounded to Dani Ceballos who put a superb dink pass over the top to Mbappe inside the box and his acrobatic volley came off his shin, but a wrongfooted Ederson could only watch as it slowly looped into the far corner.

    The second half momentum was mainly with the visitors as Bellingham also had a couple of near misses, and having had almost double the amount of shots, 20 to 11, they could not help but feel like they should be returning home with a lead.

    But they were eventually rewarded for their persistence with Diaz and Bellingham’s late goals.

    – Clinical PSG, Juve and Dortmund lead –

    PSG put one foot in the Round of 16 with a dominant 3-0 victory away at fellow Ligue 1 side Brest.

    The hosts were always up against it with the Parisian giants boasting a 31 game unbeaten run against them, Brest’s last victory came in a league match in 1985, and the visitors put the foot down from the start.

    Vitinha converted a penalty in the 21st minute to open the scoring before Ousmane Dembele continued his stunning recent form with a brace either side of half time.

    The Frenchman has now scored 18 goals in his last 11 games in all competitions for PSG, making him the most prolific goal scorer in Europe’s big five competitions since the start of December.

    The second leg will be held at Paris’ Parc de Princes next week.

    Elsewhere, a 82nd minute Samuel Mbangula winner handed Juventus a 2-1 win in Turin against Dutch outfit PSV.

    Weston McKennie opened the scoring for the Italian giants, but Ivan Perisic levelled shortly after half time.

    Borussia Dortmund had a comfortable win away in Portugal against Sporting CP with a 3-0 victory courtesy of goals to Serhou Guirassy, Pascal Grob and Karim Adeyemi.

    Source link

  • ‘Crazy’: Ange tactics slammed as ‘unserious’ after Reds ‘could’ve got 10’ in Spurs smash-up

    ‘Crazy’: Ange tactics slammed as ‘unserious’ after Reds ‘could’ve got 10’ in Spurs smash-up

    Ange Postecoglou has threatened to stop answering a certain type of question from reporters after Tottenham were battered 6-3 at home by Premier League leaders Liverpool.

    Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

    The Australian manager never shies away from this attack-first philosophy, a cornerstone of which is his side’s high defensive line, despite recent criticism and an injury-hit, fatigued defence.

    Postecoglou made no changes to the starting XI that overcame Manchester United 4-3 in a thrilling Carabao Cup quarter-final with first-choice goal keeper Guglielmo Vicario as well as centre back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven still on the sidelines.

    Arne Slot’s side meanwhile was full strength, and there was a sense of the inevitable before kick-off when Postecoglou joked on Sky Sports that “it’s got all the hallmarks of a 0-0, mate”.

    Liverpool came out ruthless as they routinely capitalised on Tottenham’s defensive frailties as they produced 24 shots on goals with Luis Diaz and Mohammed Salah scoring braces, while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also got on the score sheet.

    “Spurs stayed high, caution to the chill wind. Liverpool simply ran through them,” The Guardian’s David Hytner wrote at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

    It was such a dominant display that Reds’ legend Jamie Carragher declared on Sky Sports that they “could’ve got ten” into the back of the net on Sunday.

    ‘Painful one for us’: Ange dejected | 01:06

    The insistence from Postecoglou to stick to his guns despite being regularly exposed, as they also conceded four goals in a home loss to second-placed Chelsea earlier this month, has copped widespread criticism.

    When he was asked yet again by the BBC whether Spurs’ injury woes were to blame for their issues at the back, Postecoglou responded in fiery fashion, showing that he is fed up with condemnation.

    “I’m just going to stop answering these questions,“ he said.

    “If people can’t see the obvious I‘m not going to point it out. Make of it what you want, yes we’re conceding goals.

    “If you want to discount the fact we’re missing a goalkeeper, two centre-backs and left-back and that hasn’t coincided with what we’re doing… I don’t know what to say anymore.

    “I think people make up their mind in their own way. They either think what I’m doing is good or bad, and that’s fine.

    “It’s fairly significant [losing injured players]. If you took out Liverpool’s goalkeeper, two centre-backs and a left-back – or any team other than Liverpool – they’d find it tough going as well.”

    Slot defends Postecoglou despite loss | 00:59

    Not everyone agrees with the injury struggles being the root cause of the fact Tottenham will sit 11th on the Premier League at Christmas Day despite scoring more goals than anyone else in the league.

    Carragher said post-game that “nobody has ever won anything playing like that”.

    “Not that I expect Tottenham to win the Premier League but nobody has ever won anything playing like that,” the Sky Sports pundit said after the game.

    “It was almost Kevin Keegan-like. The other team I could associate with that was almost Brendan Rodgers with Liverpool, where it was just end-to-end, 6-3, 5-4, and at the end of it they just come a little bit short.

    “You’ve got to respect the opposition, you’ve got to respect the defensive side of the game.

    “I get the idea. It’s not about a style of play. If everyone’s fully fit and he wants to do things slightly different – every manager who comes in has got a little different way of doing things.

    “You’ve got to have something that’s a little bit different, that makes you special, that makes you start off in Australia and get yourself to the Premier League. It’s a brilliant journey he’s been on, and he’s got a way about that.

    “But when you’ve got your best team, not when you’re down to the bare bones.”

    EPL Wrap: Cherries spark Man United | 01:15

    One of the key points of conjecture in Tottenham’s defensive set-up has been goal keeper Fraser Forster.

    The 36-year-old has never been particularly comfortable playing out from the back, as Postecoglou, likes to do and it led to Forster making two absolute howlers to concede goals against Manchester United mid-week when the Spurs’ defenders passed the ball back to him.

    Forster’s confidence was clearly rattled as in the third minute of the game, he passed the ball straight to Salah but that was one of the chances that went unpunished, and supports Carragher’s “could’ve got ten” view.

    The former England shot stopper found himself an ally in legendary Manchester United goal keeper Peter Schmeichel, who slammed Postecoglou post-match.

    “It’s on [Ange Postecoglou]. He’s playing to his principles. Today it was crazy, the high-line, the space they left behind, they’re not playing with a ‘keeper who’s comfortable cleaning up behind. You can’t play a system the players can’t play because of principle. For that they’ve conceded three on Thursday [in the League Cup] and six today,” Schmeichel said.

    “When you look at the table, they’re not on the front page, they’re on the second page. Tottenham are not supposed to be on the second page, it’s because of the way they play.

    “The stubbornness of wanting to play that way, they got what they deserved and it could have been a lot worse.”

    Man City’s top 4 dreams take ANOTHER hit | 03:29

    The Guardian’s Jonathan Liew was similarly scathing of Postecoglou, and Tottenham as a club more broadly.

    He labelled them “unserious” on a day when Spurs’ fans protested against club chair Daniel Levy.

    “Tottenham are not serious about this. They win spectacularly, and then they lose spectacularly, and it doesn’t really matter because over the past couple of years they have engendered a culture in which progress is basically divorced from outcomes,” Liew wrote.

    “League positions are of no consequence. Champions League qualification is not a target, because the entire success of this multi-billion-pound operation is geared around whether a middle-aged Australian man feels his ideas have taken root this week or not.

    “There are clear and tangible advantages to this approach. Most importantly, it’s a lot of fun. This is expressive football with no compromises, a young and essential energy, and occasionally the ultimate rush. When it destroys the quadruple champions or puts seven past Manchester United in two games, it feels like total vindication, and who doesn’t love one of those? This is the entertainment business, there are Tunnel Club packages to be sold, and being the Premier League’s top scorers is a pretty persuasive pitch if you’re not really fussed about who wins.

    “But there are also disadvantages to being an unserious team, and perhaps you glimpse them most sharply when you come up against a serious team. A team that don’t take a weird solace in denying their rivals the league, or entertain bizarre superstitions about maybe winning the FA Cup when the year ends in a one. A coach who believes his job is to make his players look good, rather than the other way around.”

    Not all in the British press have been as brutal.

    The UK Telegraph’s chief football correspondent Jason Burt wrote from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that it would cruel to judge Postecoglou too harshly given the fact he has a second-choice goal keeper in Forster, 18-year-old right-back Archie Gray and 22-year-old back-up Radu Dragusin as his centre back pairing, as well as the forgotten Djed Spence at left back.

    While Spurs supporters might be tearing their hair out, neutral observers are getting value for money, as evidenced by Postecoglou jokingly asking “are you not entertained?” in a post-match interview after their Carabao Cup win against Manchester United.

    “There must be sympathy for Ange Postecoglou, especially given how bravely he continues to demand his team play, but it does lead to criticism of its own. They give up simple goals at times and so it proved,” Burt said.

    “The fact Gray, at 18, is playing at centre-half highlights how stretched Spurs are, of course, but no-one can deny their spirit – they never take a backward step – and desire to score and they claimed two goals as firstly Kulusevski volleyed in after a fine link-up with Dominic Solanke and then Solanke also guided the ball home from a header by substitute Brennan Johnson.

    “But it only served to annoy Liverpool as they swiftly bewildered Spurs again for Salah to slip a pass through to Diaz who finished with a powerful angled shot. And with that there was a thumbs-up from Slot who took the pair off. It showed just how ruthless they can be and their work was done. And, yes, we were entertained.”

    The rollercoaster will roll on for Spurs with more crunch fixtures to come either side of New Year’s.

    A Boxing Day trip to the feel-good story of the season, fourth-placed Nottingham Forest will be difficult.

    They then face relegation-threatened Wolves and seventh-placed Newcastle at home, before hosting Liverpool once again in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on January 6.

    That will be a fascinating test of how they can change in a short-space of time, but Postecoglou will not shy away from his attacking philosophy.

    He never has, and he has always been up front about the fact that he is not going to.

    “I’ve been really patient the last 18 months, answering the same questions over and over again,” he said post-match.

    “If people want me to change my approach, it’s not going to change.

    “We’re doing it for a reason, we’re doing it because we think it’ll help us be successful.”

    Source link

  • Man City crisis plummets to new low; Arsenal gun scores five in a week against London rivals – PL Wrap

    Man City crisis plummets to new low; Arsenal gun scores five in a week against London rivals – PL Wrap

    Manchester City hit a new low with yet another loss to slide down the Premier League, while third-placed Arsenal produced a commanding performance to stay in touch in the title race.

    Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

    A hat-trick from a Newcastle forward piled on the pain for the league cellar dwellers and Nottingham Forest’s top four fairytale continued with a unique away win.

    Plus much more in our Premier League wrap!

    VILLA BEAT CITY TO DEEPEN GUARDIOLA’S PAIN

    Aston Villa beat crisis-hit Manchester City 2-1 on Saturday to heap more misery on floundering manager Pep Guardiola, who has now suffered nine defeats in his past 12 matches, after losing only eight times in his previous 106 contests.

    Jhon Duran finished off a fine team move to give the home side an early lead and Morgan Rogers doubled Villa’s advantage in the 65th minute.

    Phil Foden scored his first Premier League goal of the season in stoppage time to pull one back but it proved to be too little too late.

    Guardiola, in the worst run of his glittering career, said Friday that “sooner or later” things will turn around but City’s fear factor has vanished and they have just one win in their past 12 games in all competitions.

    City have now lost six Premier League games in the current campaign, twice as many as they suffered during the whole of last season, when they were crowned champions for a fourth straight season.

    They have dropped to sixth in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Liverpool having played two games more, while Villa leapfrogged them into fifth.

    Guardiola said he trusted his players despite their shocking form. “It depends on us,” he told the BBC. “The solution is bring the players back. We have just one central defender fit, that is difficult.” “We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys,” he added. “Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.” Guardiola made six changes to the team side that lost last week’s Manchester derby, bringing in goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and reshaping his defence with Rico Lewis, John Stones and Manuel Akanji.

    Mateo Kovacic and Jack Grealish also returned.

    But the defending champions started the match in chaotic fashion and could have been behind with just 15 seconds on the clock.

    Untidy work from Josko Gvardiol allowed John McGinn to steal the ball and he fed Duran, whose shot from outside the box was pushed behind by Ortega.

    Villa were millimetres away from taking the lead from the resulting corner, with Ortega, in for injured first-choice goalkeeper Ederson, producing a superb save to deny Pau Torres.

    City then settled and their possession numbers topped 75 percent but they created little.

    – Duran strikes again –

    Instead it was Villa who took the lead in the 16th minute through Duran after a superb team move.

    Youri Tielemans delivered a wonderful defence-splitting pass to Rogers, who burst through City’s backline with ease before squaring for Duran and the Colombian international finished crisply for his seventh Premier League goal of the season.

    Foden tested Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the 35th minute after an incisive move involving Lewis.

    And Gvardiol squandered a glorious chance moments before half-time, heading a Grealish cross over the bar.

    Guardiola brought on Kyle Walker for Stones at the break but Villa again took control, this time enjoying much more of the ball.

    Minutes into the second half Matty Cash lashed an attempt into the side netting after a speedy attack before Duran had a strike ruled out for offside.

    Rogers, formerly of Manchester City, hit the foot of the post just before the hour mark after an intricate team move down the left.

    But Emery’s men doubled their lead 20 minutes into the second half, with Rogers finishing unerringly from a McGinn pass.

    City created little as they searched for a way back into the game until Foden pounced for a late consolation goal.

    Emery told TNT Sports that Villa were “feeling strong”.

    “We played the first half very well,” he said. “In the second half we kept possession more and getting in the box to score the second goal, we imposed and dominated more.”

    ARSENAL PUT FIVE PAST LONDON RIVALS

    Arsenal kept themselves in touch with league leaders Liverpool with a 5-1 rout of Crystal Palace away from home.

    The Gunners sit three points shy of the Reds, who have two games in hand, and one point behind second-placed Chelsea, who also play tomorrow, courtesy of dominant display in south London spearheaded by Gabriel Jesus.

    The Brazilian scored twice in the opening 14 minutes of the game to ensure Arsenal had the early ascendancy despite an 11th minute goal to Palace’s Ismaila Sarr.

    Jesus was giving the home side nightmares after also scoring a hat-trick against them in Arsenal’s thrilling 3-2 League Cup quarter-final victory on Thursday, and the five goals he has put past Palace this week are as many as he had scored in his previous 45 appearances.

    “It’s been such an amazing week for Jesus,” Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp said.

    “I’m really happy for him because he’s had injuries, he’s always got a smile on his face and obviously had his problems when he was at Manchester City with the injuries.

    “But to see him playing at that level, he’s never been the most clinical goal scorer, the two that he missed were probably easier than the ones he scored, but just to see him playing, it’s been a fabulous week for him.”

    Kai Havertz got on the score sheet before half time, and Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice scored goals of their in the second half to give the Gunners a much-needed goal difference boost – which now stands at 18, the equal best in the league alongside Liverpool and Chelsea.

    Arsenal also finish the year with bragging rights over their London rivals.

    With eight wins and two draws, they became the first team since Chelsea in 2005 to go unbeaten in Premier League London derbies in a calendar year. It was the first time Arsenal had kept that unblemished record since 2004.

    They also created a slice of history by scoring five or more goals in an away game for the sixth time in all competitions this year, the most ever by an English top-flight club.

    FOREST FAIRYTALE CONTINUES, ISAK’S HAT-TRICK

    Nottingham Forest won their third consecutive Premier League match, condemning Brentford to their first home defeat this season.

    Coming into the game, Thomas Frank’s team boasted the best home record in the league, with seven wins and a draw from their eight games at the Gtech Community Stadium.

    But they came unstuck against Nuno Espirito Santo’s in-form team. Ola Aina slotted home the opener towards the end of the first half and Anthony Elanga made it 2-0 early in the second period.

    Newcastle deepened Ipswich’s plight and lifted themselves to seventh in the table with a 4-0 win at Portman Road.

    Isak volleyed Eddie Howe’s team ahead in the first minute and Jacob Murphy doubled their lead before Isak side-footed in from close range just before the break.

    The Sweden international scored his third nine minutes into the second half, poking the ball home after more fine work from Murphy.

    It was a ninth defeat in 17 games for Ipswich since they returned to the Premier League and they remain in the relegation zone, two points from safety.

    Mats Wieffer gave Brighton a 51st-minute lead against West Ham but Mohammed Kudus equalised seven minutes later and the match finished 1-1.

    Premier League leaders Liverpool face a tricky trip to Tottenham on Sunday while second-placed Chelsea visit Everton among five matches.

    Source link

  • Liverpool late heart break in six-goal thriller; Man City break their slump as maestro returns – PL Wrap

    Liverpool late heart break in six-goal thriller; Man City break their slump as maestro returns – PL Wrap

    League leaders Liverpool played one of the game’s of the season at Newcastle, while Manchester City returned to winning ways as two of England’s biggest clubs locked horns in London in a massive mid-week slate of Premier League matches.

    Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

    A 90th minute equaliser from Newcastle’s Fabian Schär ended Liverpool’s seven match winning streak in all competitions, as the Reds’ trip north ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

    Mohammed Salah continued his rich vein of form as the Egyptian scored twice in the second half to give Liverpool the lead, but goal keeper Caoimhín Kelleher had a moment to forget during a set piece in the dying minutes that pathed the way for Schär’s equaliser.

    The Irish shot stopper misjudged the ball, which was whipped in to the box by Bruno Guimarães from a free kick, and let it go over his head, thinking it would sail beyond the touch line, but the Magpies centre back slid in at the back post to squeeze his shot home from an incredibly tight angle.

    St James’ Park was sent into raptures by the celebrations but the drama was not over as fans ranged when the full-time whistle was blown after six minutes of stoppage time.

    Newcastle was seemingly on the break to create another attacking opportunity, but the game was drawn to a close with both sides have justifiable arguments for who let an additional two points slip, and who snatched a point.

    Obviously, the hosts levelled things up at the death, but Liverpool came from behind twice earlier in the night.

    Salah was voted player of the match for his performance that jumped him ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in the golden boot standings with 13 goals so far this campaign, and he has scored nine times in his last seven Premier League outings.

    His 68th minute and 83rd minute goals were both assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold who came off the bench and picked out Salah at the near post for the first before finding the Egyptian in the centre of the box to give him a brace.

    Salah assisted Liverpool’s first goal of the game when he delivered a low cross to Curtis Jones who smashed it into the roof of the net in the 50th minute.

    Alexander Isak’s first half rocket from outside the box gave Newcastle the early advantage as the Magpies caused Arne Slot’s side headaches with their tenacious high press.

    With Alexander-Arnold resting on the bench, and the injured Ibrahima Konate also not on the park, Liverpool looked unusually vulnerable at the back early, an issue vividly illustrated as Jacob Murphy smashed a fierce shot off the far post from an acute angle.

    It was a warning Liverpool failed to heed as Isak opened the scoring in the 35th minute.

    Surging into Lewis Hall’s pass, Isak took a clever touch that wrong-footed Virgil van Dijk 20 yards from goal, opening space for a blistering strike that flashed into the roof of the net.

    Gordon should have doubled Newcastle’s lead after Joe Gomez’s miscued clearance, but the forward’s hesitant shot was straight at Kelleher.

    Liverpool were ragged and Slot threw his arms up in frustration after another Gomez mistake allowed Murphy to blast narrowly wide.

    Yet in the blink of an eye, Liverpool conjured an equaliser five minutes after half-time.

    Anonymous in the first half, Salah burst into life with a superbly measured cross towards Jones, whose run was perfectly timed to meet the Egyptian’s delivery with an emphatic close-range finish.

    Newcastle were back in front after 62 minutes as Isak’s deft pass sent Gordon galloping into the area and he cut back inside before planting a composed finished beyond Kelleher from 10 yards.

    But Liverpool’s resolve was unshaken, thanks in large part to the presence of the sublime Salah, as well as Slot’s decision to send on Alexander-Arnold.

    Dropping points for the first time since a 2-2 draw at Arsenal on October 27, Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table is down to seven points.

    After impressive 2-0 wins against Real Madrid and Manchester City last week, Slot’s men were hailed as champions elect in England and leading contenders for the Champions League.

    Failing to kill off spirited Newcastle won’t change that status, but Slot will have noted the flaws in his injury-hit defence ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park.

    DE BRUYNE MASTERCLASS GETS MAN CITY BACK TO WINNING WAYS

    Manchester City snapped a seven-game winless streak as Kevin De Bruyne played a starring role in a 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

    The Belgian created Bernardo Silva’s opening goal and then scored the second before Jeremy Doku rounded off a much-needed victory for the English champions.

    City’s barren run included six defeats to leave them 11 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool before kick-off.

    However, De Bruyne’s return to the starting line-up for the first time in nearly three months helped resume normal service at the Etihad Stadium.

    City move back into the top four and within nine points of Liverpool after their 3-3 draw at Newcastle.

    Pep Guardiola had to shoot down suggestions of a rift with De Bruyne on the eve of the game after bedding him back into action slowly with a series of substitute appearances.

    The 33-year-old showed what City have been missing as he rolled back the years and could well have had more than just one goal.

    Guardiola reacted to Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool by making four changes as Josko Gvardiol, Doku and Jack Grealish also came into the team.

    It took just eight minutes for City to make the breakthrough. Ilkay Gundogan’s cross was headed back towards goal by De Bruyne and Silva was in the right place to tap home from centimetres out.

    Guardiola claimed pre-match that Ederson remains his number one goalkeeper but the Brazilian was again benched in favour of Stefan Ortega.

    The German made a big save to deny Morgan Gibbs-White before Forest missed a glorious chance to put the Etihad crowd back on edge.

    Chris Wood’s fine goalscoring form has been the catalyst to a fabulous season so far for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

    But the New Zealander was wayward as he fired wide with just Ortega to beat. De Bruyne settled City nerves on 31 minutes when he collected Doku’s pass inside the area and coolly slotted into the top corner.

    Erling Haaland has now failed to find the net in his last three Premier League games.

    But the Norwegian did play a part in the third goal with the assist for Doku, who cut inside and fired into the far corner.

    De Bruyne saw a free-kick curl just wide and was then denied a second by his international team-mate Matz Sels.

    He was given a standing ovation when he departed 15 minutes from time. City spectacularly collapsed from 3-0 up to draw 3-3 against Feyenoord in the Champions League eight days ago.

    However, there was never any sense of a repeat as they controlled the closing stages to add a clean sheet to an all-round restorative night for Guardiola’s men.

    Defeat leaves Forest still in sixth but now four points off the top four.

    ARSENAL CLOSE GAP ON LIVERPOOL

    Arsenal worked their set-piece magic to beat Manchester United 2-0 on Wednesday, ending Ruben Amorim’s unbeaten start to life in the Old Trafford hotseat and closing the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool.

    United frustrated the home side and kept the crowd quiet at the Emirates in a cagey first half but Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock from a corner after the break and William Saliba repeated the feat.

    The win leaves Arsenal in third place in the Premier League, behind Chelsea on goal difference and seven points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who were held to a 3-3 draw at Newcastle.

    Amorim made six changes from the team that brushed Everton aside 4-0 at the weekend, dropping in-form Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford from his starting line-up.

    Gabriel was a significant absence from Arsenal’s defence, joining Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori on the injury list.

    Amorim travelled to London with two wins and a draw from three matches in all competitions, keenly aware that Arsenal would be his biggest test yet.

    The Gunners hogged possession in the opening moments and had the ball in the net in the fourth minute through Gabriel Martinelli, only for it to be ruled out for offside.

    Mikel Arteta’s men should have been ahead just minutes later when Thomas Partey skewed his header wide from a corner.

    Martinelli flashed just wide from another corner midway through the first half as Arsenal continued to look dangerous from set-pieces.

    United were content to bide their time when they had the ball but they looked blunt in attack.

    The visitors could have gone in ahead at half-time had Diogo Dalot not steered just wide with a right-footed shot in the 43rd minute.

    The two teams, both in goalscoring form, produced a combined five shots in the opening 45 minutes, with none on target.

    – Corner routine –

    The game picked up tempo at the start of the second half, with Diallo replacing Tyrell Malacia for United.

    Feeding off a more vocal crowd, a re-energised Arsenal put United under pressure, finally breaking the deadlock when Timber headed his first goal for the club from a Declan Rice corner.

    Amorim reacted quickly, bringing on forwards Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee and handing French teenage defender Leny Yoro his United debut.

    Diallo won a free-kick after fine work on the right in the 66th minute and Arsenal were grateful to goalkeeper David Raya, who pushed away a powerful Matthijs de Ligt header from Bruno Fernandes’s free-kick.

    Arsenal doubled their lead from a Bukayo Saka corner in the 73rd minute when Partey’s shot hit Saliba and beat Andre Onana.

    Arsenal have scored more goals from corners — 21 — than any other side in the Premier League since the start of last season.

    Onana got down well to save a Kai Havertz shot as Arsenal threatened to cut loose.

    United just about managed to keep them out but Amorim will know that he has a big job on his hands.

    BIG WINS FOR CHELSEA, EVERTON AND ASTON VILLA

    Second-place Chelsea put bottom of the table Southampton to the sword with a 5-1 rout at St Mary’s, while Everton geared up for the weekend’s Merseyside Derby with a 4-0 home thumping of Wolverhampton.

    Chelsea looked like they were going to have a battle on their hands when Joe Aribo equalised for the Saints in the 11th minute after Axel Disasi’s seventh minute opener, but it quickly turned into a romp.

    The Blues shared the goals around with five individual goal scorers as Disasi (7th minute), Christopher Nkunku (17th minute), Noni Madueke (34th minute), Cole Palmer (76th minute) and Jadon Sancho (87th minute) all got themselves on the score sheet.

    Chelsea now sit seven points behind league leaders Liverpool, level with Arsenal but they possess a superior goal difference which benefited from the trip to the south coast, and they have won their last three Premier League matches.

    Everton meanwhile picked up a much-needed win to give themselves some breathing distance from the relegation battle.

    Ashleigh Young became the fourth oldest goal scorer in Premier League history as the 39-year-old scored with a stunning free kick in the 10th minute to get the ball rolling for the Toffees.

    Orel Mangala (33rd minute) and Craig Dawson (49th minute and 72nd) also put the ball into the back of the net to move Everton into 15th place, five points clear of the drop zone.

    Wolves languish in 19th with just nine points from 14 games.

    Aston Villa kept themselves in touch with the top four with a 3-1 win at home to Brentford.

    They scored three times in the first half with Morgan Rogers (21st minute), Ollie Watkins (28th minute, penalty) and Matty Cash (34th minute) doing the damage.

    Villa are in seventh on 22 points, four points behind fourth placed Manchester City, after a five-match winless run before Wednesday night’s match.

    Source link

  • ‘We’re going to win the league’: Fans revel in former PL powerhouse’s shock revival

    ‘We’re going to win the league’: Fans revel in former PL powerhouse’s shock revival

    Chants of ‘we’re going to win the league’ ringing around Nottingham Forest’s home, the City Ground, would have been unthinkable weeks ago.

    The chorus of singing may be a bit tongue in cheek but the two-time European champions are lapping up their first tastes of success in decades and are daring to dream of pulling off football’s latest miracle.

    Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

    Forest demolished West Ham 3-0 at home on Saturday to move to third place on the Premier League – heights they have not reached for 26 years.

    In fact, not since August 1998, when a 2-1 win over Southampton left them second on the table, have they sat so high.

    They may be leapfrogged by Aston Villa and Chelsea – who face away days at Tottenham and Manchester United respectively on Sunday – by weekend’s end but regardless of other results, Forest are flying.

    Their win against the Hammers – who played with ten men for more than a half courtesy of Edson Alvarev’s second red card of the season – was their third in a row in the Premier League after toppling Leicester City 3-1 and Crystal Palace 1-0 in recent matches.

    It is the first time they have won three on the bounce in England’s top flight in more than a quarter of century, and it has all been underpinned by stellar defending.

    Only league leaders Liverpool have conceded less than the seven goals scored against Forest in ten matches so far.

    It is a remarkable turnaround for a team who let in 67 goals last season – only four teams conceded more – and battled miserably to defend set pieces.

    Serbian centre-back Nikola Milenkovic has been superb since he joined from Fiorentina for £12m, while Matz Sels is firmly establishing himself as the number one goal keeper has been crucial after the Belgian was one of three keepers Forest used last season.

    Former Premier League goal keeper Ben Foster even dared to ask the question ‘are they the best defence in Europe?’ on his podcast after Forest defeated Liverpool on match day four.

    Meanwhile up front, it has all been about a Kiwi.

    United appoint Amorim as new head coach | 01:16

    New Zealander Chris Wood has led the charge as he sits equal second in the race for the golden boot alongside Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, three behind Manchester City’s goal scoring Erling Haaland.

    Wood headed home his eighth goal of the season against West Ham – Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina also got their names on the score sheet – and he is well on track to have a career-best campaign having never scored more than 14 goals in an entire Premier League season.

    But the six foot three striker’s desperation at the other end of the pitch received the most praise from Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo.

    In first half stoppage time, Hammers attacker Lucas Paqueta’s attempt on goal from the edge of the box was cleared off the line by Wood.

    “Did you see that? Wow,” Nuno said. “There’s no better example. Wow. You cannot thank them enough. He’s been huge for us, huge. I hope he continues. The way he leads, the example, the voice, the belief that his teammates have in him.”

    On the pitch, it makes sense that stoic defending and clinical finishing leads to strong results.

    But it makes little sense that Forest are doing so well considering their issues off the pitch.

    On the final day of last season they avoided relegation with a 2-1 win at Burnley – Wood scored both goals – after they were hit with a points deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.

    The drama surrounding the club has continued this season.

    Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis is not even allowed in the stadium at the moment.

    He was handed a five-match ban last month for spitting on the floor as match officials walked past in the tunnel following a 1-0 loss to Fulham last month.

    Meanwhile Nuno was still banned from the touchline for Saturday’s match after he was shown a red card for swearing at match officials during their 2-2 draw at Brighton in September.

    The players have not been distracted however.

    “It is a positive moment. We worked very hard this week, this is what we are focused on. We have to work and work hard and improve much more,” Nuno said after the win.

    “Nothing has changed since the beginning, we have to keep on going. Believe me, there is no other way. If you get distracted, football doesn’t forgive you.

    “I think the longer the team is together, the better the players will know each other, the options we have coming back, the group should be stronger and as time goes by the bond will grow. This is my belief.”

    Forest may not stay on cloud nine for long – away trips to title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal await in their next four matches – but their fans are daring to dream.

    Supporters at the City Ground on Saturday were treated to celebratory fireworks after the final whistle, and talk of the good old days of 1979 and 1980 when they famously won back-t0-back European Cups is filling the streets on the south side of the river Trent.

    They could follow in the footsteps of another proud club with a storied history Aston Villa who leapt into the top four last season to return to European football.

    They may dare to dream of being another shock title winner like Leicester City in 2016.

    It may all be a flash in the plan, but regardless of how the remainder of Forest’s campaign plays out, it is refreshing to have someone different rubbing shoulders with the behemoths at the top of the table.

    Source link

  • Red’s contract reveal as Liverpool fire early statement; Chelsea star’s foul-mouthed rant: PL Wrap

    Red’s contract reveal as Liverpool fire early statement; Chelsea star’s foul-mouthed rant: PL Wrap

    Liverpool’s perfect start to life under Arne Slot has continued with a solid victory over Brentford, with two key attackers getting their names on the score sheet.

    However, the new boss has made no assurances the club’s big-name stars will be retained beyond this season.

    Elsewhere, a Chelsea star quickly deleted his foul-mouthed criticism of Wolverhampton before slotting a hattrick past the Wolves.

    Newcastle, meanwhile, were lucky to come away from the Vitality Stadium with a draw.

    Read below for all the latest Premier League news!

    Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

    LIVERPOOL’S PERFECT START UNDER SLOT AMID VAN DIJK DOUBTS

    Arne Slot enjoyed a winning bow as Liverpool boss at Anfield with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah scoring in a 2-0 win over Brentford on Sunday.

    The Reds join Manchester City, Arsenal and Brighton as the only sides with maximum points from two games of the new Premier League season.

    Tougher tests lie ahead of Slot in his daunting task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp, starting with a visit to Manchester United next weekend.

    But the early signs are positive for the Dutchman as his side are yet to concede and showcased their wealth of attacking options, spearheaded by Salah.

    Slot is expected to instill a more possession-focused approach than the one adopted by Klopp in his near nine years in charge.

    Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, interacts with Harvey Elliott of Liverpool after the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield on August 25, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    However, Liverpool’s opener was straight out of the Klopp copybook. From a Brentford corner, Salah released Diogo Jota, who timed his pass perfectly into Diaz to charge through on goal and fire into the top corner on 13 minutes.

    Thereafter there were only flashes of the football Slot is hoping to bring in the first half.

    Brentford were again missing Ivan Toney, who is expected to leave the club before Friday’s transfer deadline.

    But the Bees still posed a threat without the England striker and should have levelled 10 minutes into the second half.

    Nathan Collins met Mathias Jensen’s enticing cross with a bullet header that Alisson Becker did brilliantly to parry.

    That warning awoke Liverpool from their slumber early in the second period. Collins made a goal-saving block moments later to deny Jota turning in Alexander-Arnold’s low cross.

    Vitaly Janelt was next to get a vital foot in to prevent Salah rounding off a slick team move.

    Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken then produced a brilliant stop to turn Diaz’s powerful effort behind.

    As is so often the case, the Reds had to turn to Salah to provide the clinical finish to finally make the points safe.

    The impressive Diaz this time bagged the assist and the Egyptian managed to time his run perfectly to remain onside and dink the ball over Flekken.

    Meanwhile, captain Virgil van Dijk said his focus is on leading the Reds’ transition under their new manager this season despite doubt over his future at Anfield.

    The Dutch centre-back has less than a year remaining on his contract with no signs of an immediate agreement on a new deal.

    Van Dijk has been fundamental to Liverpool’s success since joining for a then world record £75 million ($99 million) fee for a defender in January 2018.

    “I’m very calm,” van Dijk told Sky Sports.

    Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool interacts with Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool after the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield on August 25, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    “I want to be important and stay important for the club. What happens? Let’s see, but I’m very calm about my situation. There’s no reason for me to think about something else because I have the whole season to play.”

    Van Dijk has won the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups during his time at Liverpool.

    The 33-year-old is expected to be vital to helping his compatriot Slot instill his ideas as he faces the daunting task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp.

    “Whatever happens now, Anfield has a special place in my heart. And it’s been successful. Let’s see what happens,” added van Dijk.

    “Playing for Liverpool, one of the most if not the most successful club in the world. It feels great to wear the shirt.

    “But there’s so much for the club to improve on, for myself and the team, let’s see what (the season) it brings.”

    Slot was serenaded in the closing stages by the 60,000 crowd chanting his name – as they had been instructed to do by Klopp at his farewell in May.

    Van Dijk isn’t the only big-name player potentially playing for their future at Anfield, with Slot revealing no one is a certainty to earn new contracts.

    “The only thing I have to do — this is what I do with all of them — is to bring the best out of them,” Slot said in an interview with Sky Sports.

    “If we bring the best out of them, and they perform really well, then it’s up to them if they want to sign, it’s up to us [the club] if we give them a new contract.”

    Van Dijk, alongside Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the players with contracts that expire at the end of the season.

    Madueke hat-trick sinks Wolves | 00:33

    MADUEKE CAUGHT OUT

    Chelsea winger Noni Madueke apologised for his foul-mouthed criticism of Wolverhampton after responding to the controversy with a hat-trick in Sunday’s 6-2 victory at Molineux.

    Madueke posted and then deleted a critical opinion about Wolverhampton just hours before playing in the city, whose industrial heritage includes coal mining and steel production.

    Madueke shared his location, which was Wolverhampton, in the post, which read “this place is s**t”.

    Chelsea winger Noni Madueke’s accidental social media post.Source: FOX SPORTS

    The 22-year-old later shared: “Damn wrong Instagram account. You lot are too fast.” Madueke was booed by Wolves fans but he silenced his tormentors with a treble and then said sorry for his social media faux pas.

    “I just want to apologise to everyone that I might have offended. It is just a human mistake, an accident. It wasn’t meant to be out on my socials like that. I’m sure Wolverhampton is a nice town and I’m sorry,” he said.

    “In terms of the boos I expected it but it is part of the game. You have to be able to play under that sort of pressure.” Madueke’s hat-trick was aided by three assists from Cole Palmer. Palmer has been nicknamed ‘cold’ for his ice-cool approach to finishing, especially from the penalty spot.

    Chelsea winger Noni Madueke quickly deleted his post.Source: FOX SPORTS

    Madueke said his more emotional style of play made them the perfect combination.

    “It is unbelievable. He is cold and I am fire so it mixes well. He has the ability to always play a pass at the right time,” he said.

    “I like to get the ball in space, beat people and make things happen, so luckily today it worked.

    “The first one was a bit lucky. Second one was all Cole, two brilliant passes. I’m made up for the hat-trick but more made up we won the game.” Madueke’s treble inspired Chelsea’s first Premier League win under new boss Enzo Maresca.

    Beaten by Manchester City in their league opener last weekend, Chelsea beat Servette in a UEFA Conference League playoff on Thursday, with Madueke on the scoresheet against the Swiss side before his demolition job at Molineux.

    “Everyone saw what he did at Leicester last year, he is mad about the details,” Madueke said of Maresca’s promotion-winning campaign with Leicester.

    “Even in the first game against City there were some nice patterns of play but we just couldn’t finish it off. It is a great day today, I am happy he has got his first Premier League win for Chelsea.” Showing the attention to detail that Madueke referenced, Maresca praised his winger’s contribution but still found one small fault.

    “In the first 10 minutes he had two chances and overall he was very good. The only thing I didn’t like from Noni is the free-kick he gave away before halftime and we can avoid that, especially against a team who are good from set pieces,” he said.

    “In the first 10 minutes we created two or three chances and scored a goal and then we started to lose the ball, but overall a good performance.

    “Absolutely there always things we can improve on. We can learn many things.”

    Gundogan set to return to Man City? | 01:06

    CONTROVERSY AT THE VITALITY STADIUM

    At the Vitality Stadium, Newcastle rescued a controversial 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.

    Newcastle trailed when Joelinton carelessly lost possession and Antoine Semenyo’s low cross was touched in by Marcus Tavernier in the 37th minute.

    Eddie Howe’s team equalised in the 76th minute as Harvey Barnes floated in a cross that Anthony Gordon slotted home from close range.

    Bournemouth were furious to be denied a stoppage-time winner when VAR ruled Dango Ouattara had handled before heading in.

    Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola said: “It’s very difficult to digest. It’s obvious what happened. We should have won the game.

    “The ball touched his shoulder. The referee could not do anything else, someone call him and said he have to disallow it. No-one will remember this in two weeks. I’m very frustrated.”

    Source link

  • NBA Draft 2024: The Australian prospects to watch as Furphy becomes ‘big riser’, Proctor falls

    NBA Draft 2024: The Australian prospects to watch as Furphy becomes ‘big riser’, Proctor falls

    Johnny Furphy has emerged as a potential lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft, with one expert projecting the Australian guard/wing to go as high as 13th overall.

    It comes after a stunning run of form for the Kansas freshman since being rewarded with a starting spot in the Jayhawks’ 78-66 win over Oklahoma on January 14.

    Furphy has averaged 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 54 per cent from the field and 41.1 per cent from deep during that period.

    The outside shooting, highlighted by a four-game stretch that saw Furphy go 12-for-22, along with improvement on the defensive end has seen the Australian rocket up draft boards.

    In fact, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had Furphy going to the Portland Trail Blazers with the No. 13 pick in his latest mock draft, describing the 19-year-old as his “big riser on the board”.

    Watch an average of 9 NBA Regular Season games per week LIVE on ESPN, available via Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >

    Johnny Furphy handles the ball. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    “Furphy has a lot of what NBA teams look for across the landscape when trying to identify interesting projects in whom to invest,” Vecenie wrote.

    “At 6-9 with legitimate athleticism in the open court, Furphy is a potential one-and-done who was not even really on the radar this time last year. Over the last 18 months, the Australian has exploded.

    “At the Center of Excellence in Australia, he was always seen as an interesting upside swing due to his athleticism and shooting ability, but he didn’t always know how to impact the game when he was out there.

    “Now, Furphy has earned serious minutes and consistently hits the score sheet with his rebounding, and he forces teams to run in transition with Kansas because of how much pressure he puts on the rim. It’s hard to find guys who are this big, this athletic and can play on the wing. My bet is teams invest the developmental resources in Furphy in a big way.”

    Furphy did not feature on Vecenie’s 2024 NBA draft big board which he published in early December last year, speaking to just how much the Australian’s stocks have risen recently.

    It is not hard to understand why that is the case either given Furphy had been averaging 14.5 minutes with Kansas at that point.

    Since being given a starting role, Furphy — who was initially viewed as more of a second-round draft prospect — has played over 30 minutes in 10 straight games and been highly productive.

    Furphy first came up on the radar of Kansas and a number of other college programs in the wake of a breakout showing at the NBA Academy games in Atlanta, averaging 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

    ESPN’s latest mock draft has Furphy going 29th overall to the Timberwolves and the Australian could only climb higher up the board given the lack of top-end talent in this year’s class.

    “Furphy is neither a prolific ball handler nor a dynamic shooter, being almost exclusively a catch-and-shoot, spot-up option,” wrote ESPN’s draft expert Jonathan Givony.

    “He finds other ways to contribute by running the floor in transition, crashing the glass, cutting to the rim and rarely turning the ball over.

    “His defense appears to be making strides… he appears firmly entrenched as a starter and will have a huge platform on one of the best teams in college basketball for the rest of the season.

    “Continuing to make shots consistently and showing his improved defense is real will be key to his draft standing. He has room to improve his frame and become a more dynamic offensive player to solidify himself as a sure-fire first-rounder, something that might end up being more realistic for the 2025 NBA draft than this upcoming June depending on how the rest of the season plays out.”

    Furphy, who reclassified and committed to Kansas in August last year, could still decide not to declare for the draft and spend another season at the Jayhawks.

    Fellow Australian Tyrese Proctor is facing a similar dilemma with his draft stock falling amid an inconsistent and injury-interrupted sophomore season with the Duke Blue Devils.

    Proctor was viewed as Australia’s best chance of being a lottery pick at the start of the season but did not feature at all in both mock drafts on The Athletic and ESPN this week.

    The five-star guard impressed in his freshman season as one of four Blue Devils to play in all 36 games while finishing as their third leading scorer (9.4 points per game) along with a team-high 119 assists.

    It has been a different story in the 2023-24 season for Proctor, who spent nearly a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury and didn’t immediately see a starting role when he returned.

    Proctor then suffered a concussion earlier this month, which saw the Australian miss another game before making his comeback from the bench against Miami on Thursday.

    Proctor immediately flashed his high-level court vision in his return, finishing with a handy 12 points, five assists and three rebounds in the win.

    Bleacher Report’s leading NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman had Proctor heading to Miami with the 45th pick in his most recent mock, writing that the Australian’s inconsistency for a second-year player has “weighed on scouts’ confidence”.

    Tyrese Proctor in action for Duke. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

    Proctor had a strong five-game stretch in January which included a career-high 24-point haul against Louisville, where the Australian made four of 10 3-point attempts in a 83-69 win.

    Overall, Proctor has averaged 10.0 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 43.7 per cent from the field and 35.5 per cent from downtown.

    The 19-year-old has proven a productive pick-and-roll passer and shooter from mid-range, although the lack of rim pressure remains a weakness which if rectified will only further open up Proctor’s game and add to his upside.

    Sydney Kings Next Star Alex Toohey is the other Australian name to monitor, with the Canberra-born wing another candidate to declare for this year’s draft.

    Alex Toohey of the Kings. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

    Toohey, who had initially committed to NCAA team Gonzaga, has averaged 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds with the Kings in the NBL this season.

    Like Proctor and Furphy, Toohey also has the option of waiting for the 2025 draft and spending another season with the Kings to polish his game but could also benefit from how wide-open this year’s class is.

    Source link