Author: David Great

Aston Villa increased the pressure on Tottenham manager Antonio Conte with a 2-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the first Premier League match of 2023. An error by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in his first game back since the World Cup allowed Emiliano Buendia to score before Douglas Luiz doubled the lead. A lacklustre Spurs, who fell out of the Premier League top four on Saturday, have now won only two of their past seven matches. Aston Villa have won back-to-back away league games as they improve under Unai Emery. It appeared this contest would pit the two keepers who…

Mykhailo Mudryk says Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is a “top coach”, with Chelsea joining the Gunners in the race for the 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger. (Metro) Jude Bellingham’s father wants the England and Borussia Dortmund midfielder to join Liverpool, with Real Madrid and Manchester City also seeking the 19-year-old’s signature. (Football Insider) Aston Villa are monitoring the situation of Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, with the 28-year-old yet to sign a new deal with just over a year remaining on his current contract at Goodison Park. (Sun) Chelsea are “one step away” from signing Benfica’s 21-year-old Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez. (Relevo – in Spanish) Portugal forward Joao Felix, 23 – a Manchester United target – is open to leaving Atletico Madrid in…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the oil producing states in Nigeria over “their failure to account for the spending of the oil derivation refunds of N625bn recently paid to them by the Nigerian government, including details and locations of projects executed with the money.” The Federal Government recently paid N625.43 billion oil derivation refunds to the governors of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Ondo, Imo and Cross River states. The payments covered 13 percent oil derivation, subsidy, and SURE-P refunds. The refunds date from 1999 to 2021. In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/2371/2022…

Arsenal moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League after an entertaining victory at Brighton. This result, allied to Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Everton, extends Arsenal’s advantage heading in to 2023. The visitors were cruising at 3-0 thanks goals by Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Eddie Nketiah before Kaoru Mitoma pulled one back. Gabriel Martinelli settled any nerves with Arsenal’s fourth before Evan Ferguson added Brighton’s second with his first league goal. Mitoma had a second goal chalked off to deny the home fans a grandstand finish as Arsenal held on for a deserved three points.…

Manchester City were held to a draw by Everton in a feisty Premier League affair at Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland, notably incensed after an early exchange with Ben Godfrey which left the Norway striker requiring treatment, finished off a lovely move to open the scoring in the 24th minute. Riyad Mahrez received the ball on the edge of the area and, after some nifty footwork to take it round defender Vitaliy Mykolenko, found Haaland, who finished sweetly past Jordan Pickford from the middle of the penalty area. However, during a tumultuous second half Demarai Gray scored a stunning equaliser after…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, has denied meeting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) G5 Governors in the United Kingdom. Tinubu, in a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman denied the group of governors led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers. Others are Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo; Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Ebonyi; and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia. Tinubu said that at the end of each year, he travels to Saudi Arabia and this year, he had a stop in the United Kingdom. “As usual with him when a year…

An Abuja court has ordered that Joseph Utum, a 2nd defendant in the charges of alleged attempted murder of former member of the House of Representatives, Robinson Uwak, be remanded in Keffi Correctional Centre. Justice M. Inuwa of Grade 1 Area Court in Nyanya, Abuja made the order shortly after Utum was arraigned by the police and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Utum was accused of conspiring with the estranged wife of the ex-lawmaker, Kezia Robinson Uwak, formerly Kezia Irek, to murder him. The Inspector-General of Police had, on Dec. 16, arraigned Kezia Robinson Uwak and Ibiang Yemiode Ofem,…

Second-half substitute Marcus Rashford scored the winner for Manchester United in the Premier League against Wolves after being dropped to the bench for disciplinary reasons. Rashford was left out of the starting XI over an “internal disciplinary” matter, according to manager Erik Ten Hag. The England international was brought on at half-time and scored after a fine one-two with Bruno Fernandes. Rashford also had the ball in the net a second time, but it was ruled out by the video assistant referee for handball.

Real Madrid are ready to spend over 100m euros (£88.6m) to sign 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who is also a target for Liverpool. (ESPN) Newcastle have been heavily linked with highly-rated 19-year-old Velez Sarsfield midfielder Maximo Perrone, but Manchester City may have beaten the Magpies to his signature. (Team Talk) Jorginho, 31, wants to return to Napoli when his Chelsea contract ends, but Barcelona and Newcastle are also interested in the Italy midfielder. (La Repubblica – in Italian) Benfica and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 21, has agreed a move to Chelsea. (Metro) But Benfica say reports they are ready to sell the World Cup winner in January are “totally false”. (Evening Standard) If the move falls through, Chelsea’s contingency plan is to sign 24-year-old Brighton and…

Wout Faes scored two own goals as Liverpool came from behind to beat Leicester in their final Premier League game of 2022. The Foxes made the ideal start when they took the lead after just four minutes as poor defending by the hosts allowed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to race through on goal before firing past Alisson. Both sides had opportunities to score after that in an open and entertaining first half but Liverpool’s equaliser came in hugely fortuitous circumstances. With seven minutes to go the break, Faes stuck out a boot to try and divert Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross behind but instead…