Author: Chronicle Editor

Watford manager Marco Silva has been sacked following a run of poor results, with the club apparently unhappy at Everton’s pursuit of him earlier in the season. The Hornets were as high as fourth in the Premier League table in October but have won just once in their last 11 top-flight matches. They remain in 10th place but are just five points above the relegation zone after they lost 2-0 away to Leicester on Saturday. The 40-year-old Portuguese was linked with the Everton manager’s job before Sam Allardyce took over and Sky sources understand their majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri approached…

Manchester United closed to within nine points of leaders Manchester City, for a few hours at least, thanks to Anthony Martial’s well-taken goal at Turf Moor. The Frenchman’s second-half strike was one of only two efforts on target from the visitors in a display that was effective rather than entertaining. After a dour first half, Martial fired in off the underside of the bar after good work in the build-up from Romelu Lukaku. Burnley pressed forward in search of a leveller, coming closest when Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s free-kick hit the bar. But United goalkeeper David de Gea rarely looked…

New Stoke boss Paul Lambert won his first match in charge as the Potters beat Huddersfield to move out of the Premier League relegation zone. Joe Allen struck early in the second half for the hosts, side-footing in Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s cross. Xherdan Shaqiri and Mame Biram Diouf then combined on the edge of the area before the latter stroked home. Huddersfield, without a league win since 16 December, rarely threatened. Steve Mounie had the Terriers’ best attempt, a well-struck effort from distance straight at Jack Butland late on. Peter Crouch, a target for Chelsea, came on for the final…

Arsenal ended a run of three Premier League games without a win thanks to a four-goal burst in the first half which helped to see off Crystal Palace. Nacho Monreal opened the scoring with a header and then assisted both of the next two goals for Alex Iwobi and Laurent Koscielny all inside the first 13 minutes. Alexandre Lacazette then rounded off a brilliant move to make it 4-0 after 22 minutes. READ: Hazard inspires Chelsea to 4-0 thrashing of Brighton Luka Milivojevic pulled one back late on, but Palace slipped back one place to 13th in the table, while…

The Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) says it has arrested over 20 suspects who specialised in counterfeiting entry visas of some foreign countries. Spokesman for the PSFU, Audi Lawal, said in a statement on Saturday in Lagos that the visa racketeers were arrested at several embassies of the foreign countries in Lagos. The police spokesman said that the suspects specialised in forgery of visa processing documents such as passports, bank statements, company letterheads and immigration stamps of several overseas countries. Lawal said that all the suspects confessed to have committed the crimes and were charged to court for prosecution to…

The Borno state government has relaxed the three-week curfew imposed on the metropolis of Maiduguri, the capital. Dr Muhammad Bulama, the Commissioner of Home Affairs, Information and Culture, on Saturday in Maiduguri said that the curfew would now be observed between 10:30 pm and 6:00 am. The review will give residents some measure of relief, as the curfew used to take effect from 8:00 pm till 6:00 am. There is, however, no reprieve for the city residents in Moloi and Muna Garage, target of bombing attacks by Boko Haram terrorists. Bulama said that the curfew will still be observed between…

A former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro stated categorically that he is very impressed with the Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. Obanikoro, who recently defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos. “I must confess that I am really impressed with what governor Ambode is doing in Lagos,” he said. “The massive investments in infrastructure upgrade all over the state, and the little, common sense solutions to traffic management and refuse disposal are really impressive. “The…

Chelsea moved level on points with second-placed Manchester United after two goals in the opening six minutes put them on the way to victory over a spirited Brighton. Eden Hazard opened the scoring for the visitors with a neat finish from inside the box and midfielder Willian added a second from 18 yards, after a slick move that he started, to leave Chris Hughton’s side facing an uphill task. The hosts’ response was impressive, they should have had a penalty when Chelsea stand-in goalkeeper Willy Caballero upended defender Ezequiel Schelotto, while Israeli striker Tomer Hemed was brilliantly denied by the…

Kogi State has recorded a fresh outbreak of Lassa fever as a medical doctor working with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja has been confirmed to be a victim of the disease. Dr Olatunde Alabi, the Medical Director of FMC, who briefed newsmen on Saturday in Lokoja, said that the male doctor was diagnosed of the disease on January 19. He said that the victim’s blood sample was sent to the Federal Medical Centre, Irrua, Edo State for laboratory analysis, adding that it tested positive. Alabi said that the 30-year-old doctor was in the early hours of Saturday taken to…

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a US-based journalists’ rights and press freedom campaign organisation, has profiled the police assault of Mrs Taiye Edeni of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The journalists’ defence organisation said the incident took place at Kaduna on January 4, 2017, adding that Enemaku Ojochigbe of the African Independent Television (AIT) was also a victim of the assault by a personnel of the police. “Nigerian police on January 4, 2018, denied at least 10 journalists access to the public commissioning of a dry port in Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna state. “And then assaulted at least two…