Watford v Tottenham: match preview
5 HRS AGO - Watford are on an incredible run and huge credit must be given to Nigel Pearson and his squad for Expand
5 HRS AGO - Watford are on an incredible run and huge credit must be given to Nigel Pearson and his squad for the potentially season-saving turnaround. José Mourinho needs to stop Troy Deeney from running rampant for Tottenham to stand a chance of not becoming their latest scalp. Mourinho’s forte is negative tactics but, without a goalscorer, a victory against any in form side will be difficult. Hopes of Champions League football next season may begin to fade if Tottenham’s fortunes continue to slide. They will be wary of potentially falling 12 points behind Chelsea. Graham SearlesSaturday 12.30pm BT Sport 1 Continue reading... Collapse
FA Cup roundup: Shrews leave it late to seal fourth-round date with Liverpool
3 DAYS AGO - • Aaron Pierre’s 89th-minute goal sees off Bristol City• Watford face four games in nine days Expand
3 DAYS AGO - • Aaron Pierre’s 89th-minute goal sees off Bristol City• Watford face four games in nine days after postponementAaron Pierre scored an 89th-minute winner to give League One Shrewsbury a 1-0 victory over Championship Bristol City in their FA Cup third-round replay and set up a fourth-round meeting with the Premier League leaders Liverpool.Watford are facing the prospect of playing four games in nine days following the postponement of their FA Cup third-round replay at Tranmere due to heavy rainfall. Related: Joelinton ends drought and caps Newcastle rout to see off Rochdale Continue reading... Collapse
The Dozen: the weekend’s best Premier League photos
5 DAYS AGO - Hero tatts and upside down play in this week’s roundup of the best top-flight picturesView the Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Hero tatts and upside down play in this week’s roundup of the best top-flight picturesView the Dozen archive Continue reading... Collapse
Nigel Pearson’s plain speaking and tactical rejig reap rewards at Watford | Simon Burnton
5 DAYS AGO - Bournemouth have slumped as new Watford manager has crafted a revival but he is taking nothing for Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Bournemouth have slumped as new Watford manager has crafted a revival but he is taking nothing for grantedAs recently as early November, Bournemouth were seventh in the Premier League and flying. Manchester United had just been beaten 1-0 thanks to Josh King’s volley and a third successive clean sheet, and the Cherries were 11 impressive games into what looked set to be another season of overachievement. “We felt we needed that win,” said Eddie Howe. “For our own confidence and impetus into our season I think that was a really key game today.”His team’s defending in particular was a source of satisfaction. “We’re very pleased with our last three defensive performances,” he continued. “We have to do it on a consistent basis. Three games isn’t enough. We need to be looking after 20, 25 games of this season and showing a vast improvement to last year to really say that we’ve turned a corner. So it’s early steps, but the signs look good.” Related: Who will be the Premier League’s winners Collapse
Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
7 DAYS AGO - Odds are against depleted Spurs, Everton need to respond after their derby woe while Solskjær is Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Odds are against depleted Spurs, Everton need to respond after their derby woe while Solskjær is feeling the heat againJosé Mourinho’s life in football can be measured out in vendettas. There are two clubs he reserves a special enmity for, and for much the same reason. Both Barcelona and Liverpool passed over his services, choosing instead to turn to Pep Guardiola and Rafa Benítez, by little consequence two managers he has most enjoyed getting the better of. Only recently arrived at Tottenham, his latest club are near powerless to stop Liverpool’s procession to the Premier League title, save for performing the unlikely act of ending the leaders’ unbeaten run. To do so would be one of the shocks of the season. Where Liverpool have suffered a fair share of injuries, with James Milner’s muscle injury adding to a shortfall in midfield, Tottenham are completely riven, with Moussa Sissoko out until April and Tanguy Ndombele succumbed to a hip injury that in the words of Mourinho offers “no Collapse
Deulofeu and Doucouré deliver victory for 10-man Watford over Wolves
01/01/2020 - Nigel Pearson’s rescue mission gathered more momentum here as Watford claimed another precious Expand
01/01/2020 - Nigel Pearson’s rescue mission gathered more momentum here as Watford claimed another precious victory to take their tally to 10 points from five matches since their manager’s arrival. Gerard Deulofeu and Abdoulaye Doucouré scored their goals here before Pedro Neto struck back for Wolves, who, though off colour, did their utmost to summon an equaliser but were denied by determined hosts even after Christian Kabasele was sent off with more than 20 minutes to go.In the buildup to this game Troy Deeney attributed Watford’s improvement to the “no BS culture” that Pearson has fostered, explaining that the manager’s “morals and high standards” have inspired everyone at Vicarage Road. Watford’s captain also declared his side’s intention to “go after teams at home”, Watford having sometimes been too timid here earlier in the season. Related: Manchester City v Everton: Premier League – live! Related: Southampton’s Danny Ings sinks Tottenham and Harry Kane limps off Continue reading... Collapse
Premier League fans’ January transfer window wish lists
28/12/2019 - Marco Verratti to Manchester United? Adama Traoré to Spurs? Supporters set out their hopes for Expand
28/12/2019 - Marco Verratti to Manchester United? Adama Traoré to Spurs? Supporters set out their hopes for next monthForgive the cynicism, but it’s hard not to think Arsenal’s suits went for Mikel Arteta because, unlike some of the more experienced options, he was happy to take the job without demanding a massive war chest up front. So, while the squad is gossamer thin and injury-struck, it won’t be a surprise if not much is spent next month. Especially since Emery seemingly wasted £72m on Pépé – that experience suggests the board are unlikely to risk £80m on another show pony in Palace’s Wilfried Zaha. Mikel might well be forced to rely on kids instead, hoping Saka, Maitland-Niles, Smith-Rowe, Nelson and Willock will flourish. Continue reading... Collapse
Ben Foster’s heroics thwart Sheffield United and lift Watford off bottom
26/12/2019 - Watford moved off the bottom of the Premier League courtesy of a Gerard Deulofeu strike that Expand
26/12/2019 - Watford moved off the bottom of the Premier League courtesy of a Gerard Deulofeu strike that earned them a point at Sheffield United – but how the visitors were grateful for a string of wonderful saves from Ben Foster, which denied Chris Wilder’s side the chance to leapfrog fifth-placed Spurs.Having beaten Manchester United on Sunday, this hard-working, spirited performance was further evidence of the Nigel Pearson effect at Watford, but the heroics of Foster were the major reason they left South Yorkshire with the point. Related: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang salvages draw for Arsenal at Bournemouth Continue reading... Collapse
The Dozen: De Gea's fumble and big Dunc's pride – the best Premier League photos
22/12/2019 - Our picture editors choose their favourite images from the weekend’s action Continue reading...
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Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
21 HRS AGO - Two cerebral coaches meet at the Emirates, shaky Spurs head to Vicarage Road and can United really Expand
21 HRS AGO - Two cerebral coaches meet at the Emirates, shaky Spurs head to Vicarage Road and can United really end Liverpool’s unbeaten season?Gedson Fernandes started only three league games in 2019 – and was substituted at half-time in one of those – and though he is richly talented there is no guarantee he will enjoy more success at Spurs than his largely underwhelming compatriots Ricardo Rocha, Pedro Mendes (he of the disallowed goal from the halfway line at Old Trafford), Helder Postiga and José Dominguez, the entertaining if only occasionally effective winger who was a light in the darkness of the Gerry Francis-Christian Gross era. Fernandes’ fitness levels are unknown but there are easier debuts than against an in-form Watford side that have discovered their collective mettle. The former Tottenham midfielder Étienne Capoue is providing many of the qualities José Mourinho could use from the base of midfield. In their next four league games, Spurs play three of the current bottom four in Collapse
Watford sign Udinese forward Ignacio Pussetto for €8m
3 DAYS AGO - Ignacio becomes Watford’s first January signingArgentinian has been at Udinese since 2018Watford Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Ignacio becomes Watford’s first January signingArgentinian has been at Udinese since 2018Watford have made their first signing of the transfer window with Ignacio Pussetto joining from Udinese for €8m (£6.8m) Related: Transfer window January 2020 – every deal from Europe's top five leagues Continue reading... Collapse
Bournemouth v Watford: Premier League – as it happened
5 DAYS AGO - Another excellent performance took Watford out of the bottom three for the first time this season, Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Another excellent performance took Watford out of the bottom three for the first time this season, while Bournemouth, who are now third-bottom, were miserable once again and played like a side in deep trouble 4.07pm GMT And here’s our match report. Enjoy the rest of your weekend; ta-ra. Related: Abdoulaye Doucouré sparks win for reborn Watford over Bournemouth 4.07pm GMT Eddie Howe says there wasn’t much in it till Watford scored the first goal – I’m not sure about that – and that the second half was “difficult” – I am certain about that. He says the first goal came about because of “our endeavour to do the right thing”, and that he’s not going to blame players because he never does, but the problem was the execution not the action. He agrees that his team are conceding too many and scoring too few; they worked on attacking this week, but confidence is low. And so too is fitness; he says he has players playing through injury, and when a team goes behind that becomes a problem. Collapse
Tranmere and Rochdale’s TV snub suggests FA Cup replays have had their day | Paul Wilson
6 DAYS AGO - League One pair have cause for excitement this week but the rewards may be slim – so why not ditch Expand
6 DAYS AGO - League One pair have cause for excitement this week but the rewards may be slim – so why not ditch replays until the semis?The FA Cup, once the competition that brought all of English football together, has become incredibly divisive. As the third‑round replays get under way this coming week, it will be hard not to notice that Wolves did not actually want an extra game at Old Trafford. It will be their 38th of an already long season, it will still be only mid-January, and Nuno Espírito Santo would have been perfectly happy for the matter to have been settled on penalties at Molineux.Traditionalists keen to hang on to the magic of the Cup will have been more encouraged by Tranmere’s performance at Watford. Not only the three-goal second‑half fightback that earned them a draw, but the eagerness with which Micky Mellon embraced Tuesday’s Prenton Park replay. “It’s the sort of distraction our bank manager enjoys,” the Rovers manager said. “I’d like 10 replays.” Related: The joy of the FA Collapse
Paul Mullin seals stunning comeback draw for Tranmere at Watford
04/01/2020 - League One strugglers Tranmere battled back from three goals down at Vicarage Road to take Premier Expand
04/01/2020 - League One strugglers Tranmere battled back from three goals down at Vicarage Road to take Premier League Watford to an FA Cup third round replay. The Hornets looked to be cruising at half-time. Expert finishes from Tom Dele-Bashiru, Nathaniel Chalobah and Roberto Pereyra had the home side 3-0 up, with Tranmere contributing to their own downfall. But the hosts took their eyes off the ball in the second half and Micky Mellon’s men punished them with two goals from set pieces and a penalty awarded by VAR turning the match on its head.The scoring started in the 12th minute and was all too easy for the hosts. Watford had won their first corner of the match after Adam Masina’s cross was blocked by Jake Caprice, and they took it short. Roberto Pereyra played it to Domingos Quina who in turn found Nathaniel Chalobah who slipped the ball to Tom Dele-Bashiru who was loitering 25 yards from goal. There was no one marking the 20-year-old former Manchester City prospect and no one interested in Collapse
Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
30/12/2019 - Lamptey may not last long at Chelsea, Leicester can be regular title contenders and have Pereira Expand
30/12/2019 - Lamptey may not last long at Chelsea, Leicester can be regular title contenders and have Pereira and Ndombele finally arrived?Welcome to the Premier League, then, Tariq Lamptey. And – quite possibly – farewell. For the 19-year-old right-back, the Emirates Stadium was some place to make a professional debut. He rose to the challenge, keeping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang quiet and making one thrilling foray into Arsenal territory before playing in Tammy Abraham. It says plenty about Chelsea’s short-term youth policy that Lampard felt able to throw an untried teenager into a game of this magnitude. It says plenty about Chelsea’s long-term youth policy that they may not be able to keep him. Lamptey’s contract is up at the end of the season, and Paris Saint-Germain are ready to pounce. “Hopefully he feels a bit of love,” Lampard said afterwards. The question, with three right-backs ahead of him and time running out, is whether it will be enough. Jonathan Liew Related: The Dozen: the Collapse
Troy Deeney at the double to help resurgent Watford reel in Aston Villa
28/12/2019 - Troy Deeney struck a brace to hand Watford a vital 3-0 win over relegation rivals Aston Villa at Expand
28/12/2019 - Troy Deeney struck a brace to hand Watford a vital 3-0 win over relegation rivals Aston Villa at Vicarage Road. The Hornets skipper grabbed his first three minutes before half-time and added a second from the penalty spot in the 67th minute, 10 minutes after his teammate Adrian Mariappa had been sent off.Ismaïla Sarr scored a third not long after to make it back-to-back victories for Nigel Pearson at Vicarage Road and take his side to withing three points of Premier League safety. Dean Smith endured a terrible afternoon in Hertfordshire and his side now looks in trouble, with this their fifth defeat in six league games. Related: Norwich City v Tottenham: Premier League – live! Related: Danny Ings extends his Southampton hot streak to peg back Crystal Palace Continue reading... Collapse
Premier League clubs' best players of the decade
24/12/2019 - Our writers name the outstanding performer during the past 10 years for each of the current 20 Expand
24/12/2019 - Our writers name the outstanding performer during the past 10 years for each of the current 20 top-flight sidesIt took the midfielder over a year to recover from the injury he suffered in a tackle from Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross in February 2010 but Arsène Wenger’s patience with the Welshman was ultimately rewarded with more than 350 games and 65 goals, two of which were winners in FA Cup finals – against Hull in 2014 and Chelsea in 2017. The way Ramsey was allowed to leave last summer rankles among Arsenal fans but he eclipses Laurent Koscielny as the club’s best performer of the decade. Paul Chronnell Continue reading... Collapse
Manchester United played at ‘testimonial’ pace in Watford loss – Solskjær
22/12/2019 - • United manager complains of lack of urgency and intent• Nigel Pearson hails ‘important result’ Expand
22/12/2019 - • United manager complains of lack of urgency and intent• Nigel Pearson hails ‘important result’ for league’s bottom sideOle Gunnar Solskjær believes a lack urgency lay behind Manchester United’s shock defeat against Watford, going as far as to accuse his players of performing at testimonial pace in the first half. Related: Willian double earns Chelsea win at Tottenham but racism mars result Continue reading... Collapse
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Ismaïla Sarr aims to follow path of his Senegal ‘big brother’ Sadio Mané | Ed Aarons
1 DAY AGO - Watford’s £30m record signing, who was nurtured at the same Dakar academy as the Liverpool Expand
1 DAY AGO - Watford’s £30m record signing, who was nurtured at the same Dakar academy as the Liverpool forward, has become an integral part of the Hornets’ revivalThe Watford bus was just about to leave Anfield but Sadio Mané had a message for Troy Deeney. “Take care of my boy,” the Liverpool forward urged. “He’s a shy boy, shy boy.” Standing awkwardly in the background with his hands in his pockets and peering down at the floor, Ismaïla Sarr looked exactly that. “He just needs to speak English, he’s working on it,” came the reply from Deeney. “He’s a good boy.” Related: Watford sign Ismaïla Sarr from Rennes for club-record £30m Related: Liverpool’s Sadio Mané named African Footballer of the Year for first time Ismaïla is fast, powerful and now he has his bearings … and it's only his first season, you will see how he gets better Continue reading... Collapse
Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
4 DAYS AGO - Bournemouth need to find goals fast, Aubameyang’s red card has caused a headache at Arsenal and Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Bournemouth need to find goals fast, Aubameyang’s red card has caused a headache at Arsenal and Ings is in England formBournemouth’s defending left a lot to be desired as they crumbled against Watford but their failure to penetrate Nigel Pearson’s improving side was equally alarming. No team has scored fewer goals in the Premier League this season and those front–foot displays of yesteryear – they scored almost 100 goals en route to promotion in 2015 and more than any team outside the top six last season – feel a distant memory following a ninth defeat in 11 league matches. “Historically we have always been free-scoring and we have always had goals in us,” their manager, Eddie Howe, said. “We have always had the ability – even if we have conceded first – to come back and win games. That is probably where the feeling has gone missing, the creativity and that feeling we are going to score. We have to do better in that respect.” Ben Fisher Continue reading... Collapse
Abdoulaye Doucouré sparks win for reborn Watford over Bournemouth
5 DAYS AGO - When Watford appointed Nigel Pearson last month, the carnival atmosphere that emanated from the Expand
5 DAYS AGO - When Watford appointed Nigel Pearson last month, the carnival atmosphere that emanated from the away end at full-time would have represented the stuff of dreams. The travelling supporters deliriously preached Pearson’s name after watching a revitalised Watford dismantle Bournemouth to leap outside of the relegation zone for the first time this season, with the substitute Roberto Pereyra wrapping up another delightful day’s work after goals by Abdoulaye Doucoure and Troy Deeney helped earn a third successive league victory, racking up another clean sheet in the process.As for Bournemouth, the reality is they are engulfed in a relegation scrap after accumulating just four points from the last available 33. They trailed at the interval, by which point any fillip from the return of Nathan Ake after a month out with a hamstring injury had been long forgotten, instead trumped by a worryingly flat performance. Continue reading... Collapse
Bournemouth v Watford: match preview
6 DAYS AGO - If Watford’s resurgence continues with a victory against Bournemouth they can climb out of the Expand
6 DAYS AGO - If Watford’s resurgence continues with a victory against Bournemouth they can climb out of the relegation zone, while pushing their opponents further into the mire, if Aston Villa lose against Manchester City. Nigel Pearson’s side were brilliant over the festive period earning 10 points from 12. Eddie Howe’s side are trending in the opposite direction with their huge injury list taking its toll. Bournemouth gained one point in the same set of four matches. Pearson will surely be hoping his side have the confidence to compound any January blues at the Vitality Stadium and continue building toward a comfortable finish come the Spring. Graham SearlesSunday 2pm Sky Sports Premier League Continue reading... Collapse
Tears or joy: who will be the Premier League’s winners and losers? | Barry Glendenning
04/01/2020 - Could Liverpool blow it? Should Brighton and West Ham be confident of staying up? Can Bournemouth Expand
04/01/2020 - Could Liverpool blow it? Should Brighton and West Ham be confident of staying up? Can Bournemouth carry on surviving? Can Jamie Vardy keep scoring to win the golden boot?In a word: no. Jürgen Klopp’s side have succeeded in making a total mockery of any notion that their apparently relentless march to a first league title in 30 years might be derailed by fixture congestion either side of Christmas. Related: Port Vale's Tom Pope: ‘As a target man you'd try to rough up John Stones’ Continue reading... Collapse
The Dozen: the weekend's best Premier League photos
29/12/2019 - Our picture editors select their favourite images from the weekend’s action Continue reading...
Watford v Aston Villa: match preview
27/12/2019 - Both teams are mired in the relegation battle, and will see this encounter as must-win if they are Expand
27/12/2019 - Both teams are mired in the relegation battle, and will see this encounter as must-win if they are to ultimately escape. Watford have won one and drawn two of their four matches since Nigel Pearson was announced as interim manager, but are still five points adrift of Villa, who grabbed a vital win against Norwich on Boxing Day. Pearson must decide whether to stick with Troy Deeney up front; the Watford captain’s fitness must be managed, but he scored late winners against Villa twice in 2015-16 – the last season these teams were in the same division. Niall McVeighSaturday 3pm Continue reading... Collapse
Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
23/12/2019 - Leicester’s title hopes are fading, Danny Ings makes his England case and John McGinn’s absence is Expand
23/12/2019 - Leicester’s title hopes are fading, Danny Ings makes his England case and John McGinn’s absence is a huge blow for VillaAt this rate there is every chance two of the Premier League’s deadliest English strikers will not be part of Gareth Southgate’s squad at Euro 2020. Jamie Vardy is unlikely to be tempted out of international retirement and then there is Danny Ings, the Southampton striker who took his tally to 13 goals for the season with a double. Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Tammy Abraham and Callum Wilson may be ahead of Ings in the pecking order but seven goals from his past seven games means it is impossible to ignore the 27-year-old’s credentials for a recall. Ings’s only cap came against Lithuania four years ago under Roy Hodgson, when the striker was at Liverpool. “He is a typical No 9 in the box,” said the Saints manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl. “With his technique, there are not a lot of strikers who are better than him.” Ben Fisher Related: The Dozen: De Gea's fumble and big Collapse
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