Football

The last 20 minutes of title winners’ matches are supposed to be a time of either tedium or showboating. There is such a gap between the Premier League’s haves and have-nots that well over half of league games will be over as contests before the game enters its final throes. If you’re having to fight […]

As far as festive and new year traditions go, watching enormous, bearded men lift, grunt and roar their way through a series of cartoonishly difficult tests of strength belongs in the same area as drinking tequila slammers for breakfast (now that was a happy Boxing Day). But for some, it has become a tradition none […]

If this carries on Manchester United might have to take the candidacy of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seriously. Under the great Norwegian revivalist United present as Manchester’s favourite new combo, the Happy Sundays. There is no point telling United fans not to get carried away. Compared to the torpor of the recent past they are all […]

Manchester United David De Gea 7/10 Had little to do and had no chance of stopping Ake’s header. Comfortable with the ball at his feet and not flustered whatsoever. An easy day at the office. Ashley Young 7/10 Adventurous from right back and keen to push on and threaten a disjointed Bournemouth left-hand side, but […]

Welcome to the BetBright STATZONE, where we give you the stats and you make the decisions! It’s ‘week 21’ in the Premier League as we move into the first games in 2019 with all 20 sides in action from the 1st till the 3rd of January. We get going on Tuesday 1st January with three […]

Crystal Palace will host Chelsea at Selhurst Park this weekend in search of an unlikely return to winning ways, after they followed up Andros Townsend’s heroic goal at the Etihad with a deflating 0-0 draw at home to Cardiff City. Of the 19 Premier League meetings in the history of the two London sides, Palace […]

Liverpool Alisson 7/10 Lofted a fantastic ball out to the right-hand side to start the move that ended with Salah winning a penalty in the first half. Claimed a couple of dangerous balls, but was largely unchallenged. Trent Alexander-Arnold 7/10 Allowed to push on and play incredibly high on the right-hand side, almost as more […]

While singling out games between Tottenham and Wolves as ones to watch back at the start of the season would doubtless have opened up a journalist up to accusations of hipsterism, Mauricio Pochettino and Nuno Espirito Santo have crafted two of the most interesting teams in the Premier League. Ships in the night during their […]

After a bruising few weeks for Arsenal, the last thing they need is a trip to Anfield to face league leaders Liverpool. A draw with Brighton on Boxing Day is just the latest sign that Arsenal’s momentum has stalled somewhat, with consecutive defeats to Southampton and Spurs in the Premier League and League Cup respectively […]

When Jadon Sancho pulled on an England shirt to make his Three Lions debut, it was notable for more than one reason. While the Borussia Dortmund speedster was the first player born since 2000 to represent England at senior level, his substitute appearance in Croatia also anointed him as the nation’s maiden international to have […]

Manuel Pellegrini is facing somewhat of an injury crisis at West Ham over the holiday period, with a significant number of his first-choice players out with knocks. December injuries to Fabian Balbuena, Lucas Perez, Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic mean that West Ham’s casualty list has extended to double figures. Read more: Fernandinho injury: Will Manchester City star […]

Manchester City’s Premier League campaign has hit rocky ground in the past fortnight, with back-to-back league losses to Crystal Palace and Leicester City. As a result, Pep Guardiola’s side have slipped from comfortably first to third in the table, behind Liverpool and Tottenham. With injuries and suspensions mounting in key positions, Guardiola may be minded to turn […]

He’s the league’s form player, rattling in six goals and laying on a further three assists in just five matches. But come January Son Heung-min is set to miss a series of league fixtures as he prepares to take part in the Asian Cup with South Korea. The call-up could have huge ramifications for Tottenham, […]

England football manager Gareth Southgate, Three Lions captain Harry Kane and cyclist Geraint Thomas are among the sports stars decorated with awards for their achievements. Southgate, who led the national team to its first World Cup semi-final since 1990, is appointed an OBE for his services to football. Southgate said: “I’m an incredibly proud Englishman, so […]

December is a time for clip shows, running through the highlights – or lowlights – of a memorable year, decade or lifetime. With that in mind, it felt apt at this time to focus on a one-man own goal highlight reel, football’s own Gil Gunderson: Mr Richard Dunne. Dunne turned bad luck into an art […]