Lecce were dramatically denied a come-from-behind victory but still put the brakes on AC Milan’s attempt to reignite their Serie A title charge as second-half goals forced a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Via del Mare.
With Milan hoping to exploit Lecce’s own floundering form, Olivier Giroud finished off a swift team move before the half-hour and Netherlands international Tijjani Reijnders plundered his first Diavolo goal to double their advantage.
But Nicola Sansone and Lameck Banda hit back after the break with two goals in four minutes and although Roberto Piccoli will feel aggrieved his solo goal at the death was ruled out, Lecce did enough to arrest their own slide for now.
Stefano Pioli’s Milan responded to a four-game winless run featuring three defeats by b…
With another stacked schedule from across Europe s top-tiers this weekend, we have a host of noteworthy meetings that are worth keeping an eye out for. So, for those of you looking to chuck on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of tips that offer some great value.
Saturday March 5th
BST 12:30 Leicester vs Leeds
Starting with the hosts, managing to pick up what was a deserved 2-0 win away at relegation scrappers Burnley earlier in the week, Leicester will be desperate to build off of that result here. While Brendan Rodgers men might have shown some extended inconsistencies this season, the Foxes have still lost just one of their last five matchups across all formats. Extending on their Europa Conference League adventure thanks to a thumping 7-2 aggregate …
Pep Guardiola marvels at the defence-splitting passes from Kevin De Bruyne that drive Manchester City to new heights – and it makes him wonder how the Belgian occasionally bungles the elementary side of the game.
It was a case of De Bruyne at his brilliant best in City s 8-0 thumping of Watford on Saturday, a result he capped with a sublime late strike.
City would love him to reproduce the devastating playmaking skills that tore a hole in the Hornets defence on a match-by-match basis, but not even De Bruyne can be perfect every day.
Since De Bruyne made his City debut in September 2015, however, he has provided more Premier League assists than any other player, with 52 goals laid on for team-mates so far.
There has been the odd stray pass, the odd n…
Every defeat has a scar, said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta ahead of the north London derby against Tottenham. Some of those scars, one would imagine, are bigger than others.
Saturday s reunion with Spurs would have evoked particularly painful memories for Arsenal players and fans.
The last time the sides had met, in May, Arsenal missed the chance to secure Champions League qualification as they lost 3-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. When the Gunners then lost again in their next match at Newcastle United, Tottenham stole in to finish fourth.
Of course, the entire collapse played out before the Amazon cameras for Arsenal s All or Nothing documentary series.
Antonio Conte, the Tottenham coach, is yet to finish the series – although he plans to – but di…
FC Twente have the signing of Julio Pleguezuelo from Arsenal.
Pleguezelo is a defender, primarily a centre-back, who spent his youth career playing for four different clubs in Spain Atletico Baleares, Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, before moving to north London in 2013. He spent the 2016/17 and 2017/18 on loan with Mallorca and Gimnastic, and rejoined the Gunners last summer. He made his first-team debut in the Arsenal shirt in the League Cup against Blackpool at the end of October last year. However, it seems he failed to prove his quality is at a level sufficient for Arsenal, and now he will be plying his trade in Netherlands.
Twente have returned to the Eredivisie following a season of second-tier football and are looking to bolster their squad for the …
Chelsea midfielder N Golo Kante is a doubt for the UEFA Super Cup showdown with Liverpool, head coach Frank Lampard has confirmed.
The France international played only 17 minutes of the Blues 4-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday as he was short on fitness.
Lampard says the 28-year-old sustained another minor problem in that match and is therefore facing a race to be ready for the meeting with Liverpool in Istanbul on Wednesday.
Kante was purely because he had an injury. I am very aware of how important he is, Lampard told a news conference, speaking about the former Leicester City star s omission from his last starting line-up.
He picked up another small injury in the game, so we are assessing that.
Highlig…
Arsenal cannot replicate the meteoric rise of Liverpool due to financial restraints and the Premier League becoming more competitive, says Mikel Arteta.
Jurgen Klopp signed a new deal to keep him at Anfield until 2026 on Thursday, signalling an intent to extend Liverpool s dominance that has them hunting an unprecedented quadruple.
Liverpool are profiting from a transformation in the club s fortunes, underpinned by astute signings and the development of players into world class stars.
The Gunners, meanwhile, are fighting for fourth in the Premier League – a competition they have not won since 2003-04 – with their last trophy being the 2019-20 FA Cup.
While manager Arteta respects the route Liverpool took to return to a force to be reckoned with, t…
Hansi Flick admits he is fighting for his future at Bayern Munich as he battles to make a case to stay in charge of the first team.
Bayern s interim head coach, appointed after Nico Kovac departed in November, may be in the frame to stay at the helm until the end of the season.
Several leading coaches are expected to be available, or more easily prised away from their current teams.
And if Flick can prove himself a safe pair of hands, that could be helpful for Bayern as they plan for the long term under a new boss – with Flick potentially a candidate if he can deliver trophies.
After starting with four impressive wins, Bayern head into Wednesday s Champions League final group game against Tottenham on the back of two straight Bundesliga defeats.
Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that the Catalan club failed with a potential €17million move for Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo when he was 18.
Madrid made Ronaldo the most expensive player in the world when they paid an estimated €94m to Manchester United for his services in 2009.
Ronaldo scored a last-gasp winner for Madrid at Camp Nou last season to end a 39-game unbeaten run for Barca and he will once again be front and centre for Zinedine Zidane s side when they head back to Barcelona on Saturday.
But Laporta Barca s president between 2003 and 2010 has made public a conversation he held with Ronaldo s agent Jorge Mendes about bringing the then-teenager to Catalonia as he led a rebuild of the squad.
When we [Laporta s ad…
Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel penned an emotional letter to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha following confirmation the club s chairman was killed in Saturday s helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium.
Schmeichel arrived at the club shortly after Srivaddhanaprabha had taken up the role of chairman and was part of the side that stunned the sporting world by winning the Premier League in 2015-16.
On Sunday it was confirmed the Thai businessman was one of five people killed in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium following Saturday s 1-1 draw with West Ham.
Schmeichel was among a number of Leicester players to express their shock and grief on social media following the announcement, penning a considered tribute to the late Srivaddhanap…