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Liverpool still in English Premier League control but title race warming up
Summary
- *Liverpool visit Brentford with a four-point cushion
- *Arsenal closest title challengers as they host Villa
- *Third-placed Forest welcome bottom club Southampton
Liverpool remain in the driving seat in the Premier League title race but there are signs that instead of Arne Slot’s side vanishing over the horizon in the second half of the season they could face a real battle to be crowned champions.
The leaders head to Brentford on Saturday with a four-point cushion over second-placed Arsenal and a game in hand but suddenly they are not having it all their own way.
While unbeaten in the league since losing at home to Nottingham Forest in September, a run of 16 games, they have drawn four of their last seven, having dropped points in only two of their first 13 matches.
The failure of the teams below them to take full advantage, namely Chelsea and Arsenal, and Manchester City’s meltdown towards the end of last year means Liverpool still look secure.
But Arsenal’s 2-1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, the night after Liverpool were held 1-1 by surprise package Nottingham Forest, has left the door ajar.
Arsenal, who are unbeaten in 11 league games and host seventh-placed Aston Villa on Saturday, look the most likely side to chase Liverpool down but Forest, who are six points off the pace have become part of the conversation.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side reeled off six successive league victories before the draw with Liverpool and should get back to winning ways this weekend as they host bottom club Southampton at the City Ground.
Newcastle United are the form team with six straight wins pushing them into fourth spot, although they are nine points adrift of Liverpool having played a game more. Eddie Howe’s side host Bournemouth, who are eighth, on Saturday.
Chelsea’s climb has tailed off after a five-match winless streak in the league and Enzo Maresca’s fifth-placed side will be desperate to get back on track at home to relegation-battling Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday.
HOME GOALS
Liverpool will be mindful of a Brentford side who show scant regard for reputations and hit back with two late goals to draw 2-2 with Manchester City on Tuesday at the Gtech Community Stadium where they have scored 29 goals, more than any other side has managed at home this season.
They have leaked 21 there too, so Saturday’s visit from Liverpool is unlikely to be a cagey encounter.
Arsenal’s midweek victory over Tottenham revived their mood after a difficult start to the year which has included a draw at Brighton & Hove Albion, back to back home cup defeats and a season-ending knee injury for forward Gabriel Jesus.
But opponents Villa are showing returning to form and the last time Arsenal lost at home in the league it was to their former manager Unai Emery’s Midlands side — a 2-0 defeat in April that dealt a huge blow to the Gunners’ title ambitions.
The return of manager David Moyes to Everton fell flat on Wednesday as the Scot began his second spell in charge with a 1-0 home defeat by Villa.
Everton are one point above the relegation zone having scored one goal in six league games but Sunday’s visit of a woefully out of form Spurs offers a chance to gain momentum.
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham side have won once in their last nine league games and talk of a top-four challenge has now been replaced with that of a potential relegation battle if things do not improve rapidly.
“The reality is that our results and our form in the league has been nowhere near good enough. That needs to change,” the Australian said on Wednesday.
-Reuters
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UEFA appears poised for an emergency vote on suspending Israel from European competition next week, with national federations scrambling to position themselves amid mounting political pressure following calls for action.
The brewing crisis intensified this week when United Nations experts called for Israel’s suspension from international football amid the unfolding genocide in occupied Palestinian territory.
A source confirmed that Europe’s soccer body could potentially decide next week to vote on whether to suspend Israel from European competition.
Should UEFA vote to ban Israel, it would put the organisation on a collision course with the government of the United States — co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup — which is vehemently against such a motion.
“We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup,” a spokesperson for the U.S. state department told Sky News.
But even though UEFA has the power to suspend Israel or its clubs from their competitions, it may not be able to stop them from competing in World Cup qualifiers, which fall under the ambit of global soccer body FIFA.
The general secretaries of all UEFA national associations are meeting this week in Marbella, where Israel is not officially on the agenda, but officials expect UEFA to call an emergency vote next week.
FIFA did not respond to a Reuters request for comment while UEFA declined to comment.
Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub said Israelis should not be allowed to participate in any matches, whether they are under UEFA or FIFA.
“Israel has violated the principles, values and FIFA’s statutes. Therefore, I believe that Israel should be sanctioned,” Rajoub told TV2.
“The sanctions should come from UEFA and FIFA.”
WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Israel’s national team are set to face Norway and Italy, the top two teams in their World Cup qualifying group, next month.
“We don’t have any indications that we are facing such an act (UEFA suspension),” a spokesperson for the Israel Football Association told Reuters.
“We are focusing on our international matches against Norway and Italy.”
Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) is one of the member associations that have been the driving force behind calling for a meeting on the Israel situation. The NFF declined to comment.
Lise Klaveness, the president of the NFF and a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, has also been vocal about the crisis in Gaza ahead of her country’s home game against Israel on October 11.
“Neither we nor other organisations can remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been subjected to for a long time,” Klaveness said in a statement last month.
“We want to donate the proceeds (from the game) to a humanitarian organisation that saves lives in Gaza every day and provides active emergency aid on the ground.”
The Dutch football federation (KNVB) said it knows nothing about a vote to suspend Israel.
“As soon as the football association receives a message about this, it will take a position,” the KNVB told Dutch outlet NOS.
Last week, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Israel should be banned from international sports competitions. However, officials from the Spanish FA (RFEF) have kept a low profile on the matter.
Israel maintains that its war is not against the population of Gaza but against the Hamas militant group whose fighters led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and precipitated the war.
The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people, according to local health officials.
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A hat-trick from George Agha and a sublime free-kick goal from David Edeh ensured a comfortable start for five-time world champions Nigeria in the WAFU-B U17 Championship, as the Golden Eaglets routed Baby Cheetahs of Benin Republic 4 -1 in Yamoussoukro on Wednesday.
Agha converted from the spot three minutes into the game after Boluwatife Thompson was hacked inside the box.
Edeh displayed fantastic football artistry to score from a free-kick in the 5th minute of the encounter.
The Eaglets were in cruise control as Agha bagged his brace in the 14th minute. The charges of Manu Garba were very dominant with a three-goal advantage.
Warris Soumanou in goal for Benin Republic was caught napping and his error of judgement gave the Eaglets another goal after a beautiful exchange of passes and dribbles between Thompson and Edeh, which set up Agha for his hat-trick in the 32nd minute.
It was raining goals and it was the turn of the Beninoise in the 45th minute, as a low drive from Jeremy Zannou gave the Baby Cheetahs a consolation goal.
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Mohamed Salah’s dramatic stoppage-time penalty ensured Liverpool maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory at promoted side Burnley on Sunday.
With British record signing Alexander Isak forced to wait for his Liverpool debut having been left out the squad for the trip to Lancashire, the champions struggled to break down a dogged home side in the first half.
After a regroup at the break, the visitors upped the ante in the second half, with Dominik Szoboszlai finally forcing a fine save from Martin Dubravka in the Burnley goal.
Burnley were holding on for a well-earned point with ease, before the ball agonisingly struck substitute Hannibal Mejbri’s arm in the penalty area and Salah slotted the spot kick into the net in the 95th minute to break home hearts.
Liverpool are still to really get going this season, requiring a winner in the last 10 minutes of all four of their league victories so far. The goal that clinched an undeserved success at Turf Moor was certainly the most fortunate.
After one of the longest transfer sagas in Premier League history finally reached its expected conclusion, Liverpool supporters were forced to wait two weeks for their first glimpse of their 125-million-pound ($169.45-million) goal machine due to the international break.
While coach Arne Slot said this week that Isak would have to be utilised carefully due to his previous injuries and lack of action so far this season, the Swede was still expected to at least be on the bench at Turf Moor.
The wait goes on as, without their expensive new forward, Liverpool mustered just one shot on target in the first half, from left-back Andrew Robertson.
Burnley, who conceded the fewest goals in English football league history last term to earn them promotion, otherwise frustrated the champions with ease. Even Lesley Ugochukwu’s red card for two bookings in the 84th minute did not seem to fluster them.
Even without Isak, Liverpool still had much attacking talent on the Turf Moor pitch but they just could not find that killer pass.
Salah was especially below par but he made no mistake in the most pressurised moment after Hannibal had stuck up an arm to block Jeremie Frimpong’s cross
The champions’ impressive Premier League goalscoring streak stretches to 38 games nonetheless, their longest such run in the competition.
-Reuters
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