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Premier League

Bullet point previews of Premier League matches

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Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures from Nov. 25-27 (all times GMT):

Saturday, Nov. 25

Manchester City v Liverpool (1230)

* Liverpool are one of the only two clubs City striker Erling Haaland has not scored against in the top flight.

* City’s Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Sergio Gomez and Mateo Kovacic will likely remain on the sidelines due to injuries. Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson and Norway’s Haaland, who missed games on international duty, are expected to feature in the top-of-the-table clash.

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* Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has netted seven times in 12 league appearances against City, who have won their last 23 home games across all competitions.

 

Sheffield United v Bournemouth (1500)

* Sheffield United have been in poor form at home, losing four, winning one and drawing one. The promoted side sit 18th after collecting five points from 12 matches.

* Dominic Solanke scored a double to help Bournemouth move out of the bottom three with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United. They are 16th in the standings.

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* Sheffield United and Bournemouth are among the three teams who have conceded the most goals, with Paul Heckingbottom’s team top of the list with 31 and Andoni Iraola’s third on 27.

 

Newcastle United v Chelsea (1500)

* Chelsea will look to carry on their momentum after victories over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and drawing with City when they take on seventh-placed Newcastle, who lost their last two games in all competitions.

* Callum Wilson, Newcastle’s leading scorer for the past three seasons, joined a long list of injuries at St James’ Park. Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, Elliot Anderson and Matt Targett were already on the sidelines.

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* Chelsea, 10th, received a boost with the return of captain Reece James, while Frenchman Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia edge closer to making their debuts for the Stamford Bridge side following injury setbacks.

 

Luton Town v Crystal Palace (1500)

* Luton, 17th, are on a six-match winless streak, with their last victory coming against Everton.

* Mads Andersen, Dan Potts, Reece Burke and Albert Lokonga are among those injured at Kenilworth Road.

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* Palace are sweating on the fitness of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, James Tomkins and Dean Henderson. They are 13th in the standings.

 

Nottingham Forest v Brighton & Hove Albion (1500)

* Brighton could see Kaoru Mitoma miss out through injury after the winger withdrew from Japan’s squad. The South Coast side were already without captain Lewis Dunk, Danny Welbeck, Julio Enciso, Solly March, James Milner.

* Taiwo Awoniyi is Forest’s top scorer with four goals.

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* Eighth-placed Brighton are winless in five league matches, their longest such run since Roberto De Zerbi’s first five games in charge in October last year.

 

Burnley v West Ham United (1500)

* Promoted Burnley have scored the least goals (nine) in the league this season.

* West Ham’s Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus suffered injuries during the international break. Bowen is the league’s third-highest scorer this season.

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* Midfielder James Ward-Prowse could again be the key for West Ham, having provided five assists this season.

 

Brentford v Arsenal (1730)

* This will be Mikel Arteta’s 200th match in charge of Arsenal in all competitions (W115, D34, L50).

* Brentford are winless in their last three games against Arsenal (D1 L2).

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* Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira will miss the game after picking up a straight red card in their 3-1 win over Burnley.

Sunday, Nov. 26

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa (1400)

* Spurs started the season with eight wins from 10 matches but have dropped to fourth after defeats by Chelsea and Wolves.

* Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have picked up long-term injuries, while Richarlison underwent groin surgery that will rule him out of action for a few weeks.

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* Villa will hope to take their fine home form to Spurs. Villa have opened a season in the top division with six successive home wins for the first time since 1932-33.

 

Everton v Manchester United (1630)

* Everton became the first Premier League club to be deducted points for breaching profitability and sustainability rules last week, when the league docked the Merseyside club 10 points. They dropped to second-from-bottom from 14th.

* Keeper Andre Onana and Denmark duo Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund have added to United’s injury problems over the international break, with Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Casemiro among long-term absentees.

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* United have lost nine of their opening 17 matches of a season in all competitions for the first time since 1973-74, when they were relegated.

Monday, Nov. 27

Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers (2000)

* Fulham have only picked up one point in their last four league matches.

* Wolves are unbeaten in their last six games against Fulham.

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* Fifteenth-placed Fulham and Wolves, 12th, are separated by just three points.

-Reuters

 

 

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Premier League

Salah uncertain about his future at Liverpool

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Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah crosses the ball during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England. AFP

Egyptian publication, Ahram has published that Liverpool’s Egyptian winger, Mohamed Salah, expressed uncertainty about his future with the club on Sunday, citing the impending expiration of his contract at the end of this season.

The 32-year-old shone on Sunday as Liverpool delivered a stunning 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in a Premier League fixture.

Salah played a pivotal role in the win, assisting in the first two goals before finding the net for the third, bringing his goal tally to three in three games so far this season.

“I had a good summer and had a long time to myself to try to stay positive because as you know it’s my last year at the club, “Salah told Sky Sports after the game on Sunday.

“Nobody at the club has spoken to me yet about a new contract so. I just play this last season and then see at the end of the season.”

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When asked about the possibility of playing for Manchester United, Salah responded that it is premature to discuss such matters.

“So far, we don’t know with which club, but so far yeah my last game here with Liverpool. It’s not up to me but nobody talk to me about a contract with the club. We’ll see.”

The Egyptian winger joined Liverpool in the summer of 2017 from Italian side AS Roma.

He has made 352 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool, scoring 214 goals and providing 92 assists.

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Man Utd humbled as Diaz double helps Liverpool humiliate rivals

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Liverpool's Luis Diaz in action with Manchester United's Matthijs de Ligt REUTERS/Molly Darlington

Two goals from Luis Diaz and one from Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool stroll to a 3-0 victory at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag’s side humbled by their fierce rivals.

Liverpool dominated a United team who could not keep pace with them in the first half, the visitors taking the lead in the 35th minute through a back-post header from Diaz after United midfielder Casemiro had given the ball away.

Casemiro was again at fault for Diaz and Liverpool’s second, again supplied by Mohamed Salah, with the Colombia international sweeping home three minutes before the break, sending United supporters off for their halftime refreshments early.

With United on the ropes, Liverpool smelled blood after the break, Salah adding a third 11 minutes into the second half, but the visitors settled for three as they maintained their 100% record this season under new coach Arne Slot.

“The goals are always self-inflicted,” United captain Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sports. “You need to commit a mistake to give them the goal. We don’t need to be pointing fingers at everyone. that won’t help us now.

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“When you concede a goal you can’t just point at one mistake. We don’t have to look at the past. We just have to make it different. We lost the game, congratulations to Liverpool, they were more clinical. I don’t look at the stats but the game was tight.”

After a positive summer in the transfer market and fresh faces in the boardroom, last week’s last-gasp defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion gave United supporters a stark reminder of the improvements still needed on the pitch.

Sunday’s visit of a Liverpool side who had lost just one of their previous 12 Premier League meetings with United will have caused a great deal of concern pre-match.

Those more pessimistic fans were fearing the worst as Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to have fired Liverpool into an early lead at Old Trafford, only for VAR to step in and save the hosts, adjudging Salah to be offside earlier in the move.

United settled into the contest without troubling Liverpool down the other end of the pitch, allowing the visitors to pick their moments when they came.

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Casemiro’s wayward pass ensured the Slot’s side did not have to try too hard to unlock their rivals, Diaz applying the finishing touch to get Liverpool up and running.

Diaz’s third of the season was another fine finish, but another Casemiro will want to forget. The flying Liverpool forward has now scored more Premier League goals against United than any other opponent.

Yet another mistake in midfield, this time from Kobbie Mainoo, was ruthlessly punished by Salah in the second half, the Egyptian cementing his pace as the highest-scoring opposition player at Old Trafford in Premier League history — seven strikes.

The visitors thereafter cruised to a victory that means Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win his first meeting with United since Bob Paisley in November 1975, and just the second to do so away from home after George Kay in November 1936.

“Everything what you want to see as a manager you saw in this game,” Slot said. “There were difficult moments for us, United started really well but then we have disallowed goal and there was no negative reaction, kept on playing, scoring three, could have scored more.

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“There were two important saves from our goalkeeper and the work rate was incredibly well without the ball and that makes it a very positive day.”

-Reuters

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Brighton end 10-man Arsenal’s winning start

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- Premier League - Arsenal v Brighton & Hove Albion - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - August 31, 2024 Arsenal's David Raya in action with Brighton & Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Brighton and Hove Albion ended Arsenal’s winning start to the new Premier League season with a 1-1 draw at The Emirates on Saturday, with the home side holding on with 10 men after Declan Rice’s second-half sending off.

Arsenal dominated the first half and deservedly lead at half time after Kai Havertz finished brilliantly in the 38th minute, having been played in expertly by Bukayo Saka.

Four minutes into the second half, however, Arsenal’s task was made all the harder when Rice was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. Brazilian striker Joao Pedro fired Brighton level 12 minutes later.

Both sides missed golden chances to win the contest late on, but they each had to settle for a point that keeps Arsenal and Brighton unbeaten from their three games so far.

“We started the game really well,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports. “We scored the goal, 1-0. We started the second half really good but then there is the decision that changes the game completely.

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“If it (second yellow card) happens throughout the game in a consistent way it is fine but it didn’t. It is the inconsistency.”

After narrowly missing out on their first Premier League title since 2004 last season, Arsenal started the new term in perfect fashion.

With champions Manchester City also coming into this weekend’s fixtures with two wins from two at the start of the new season, Arsenal know any slip-up, even this early in the campaign, could be costly.

They appeared set to be course for a ninth successive league victory after a dominant first-half display. Skipper Martin Odegaard should have scored earlier in the opening period before Havertz lofted home his second of the campaign.

Rice’s second yellow for trying to stop Brighton taking a quick free kick, a decision that was met with consternation around the stands, turned the tide in the visitors’ favour.

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Since Boxing Day 2019 – Mikel Arteta’s first game in charge of Arsenal – the Gunners have been shown 16 red cards in the Premier League, at least three more than any other side. But it was Rice’s first red in his 245th Premier League appearance.

Following his last-gasp winner against Manchester United last weekend, Pedro reacted first after Yankuba Minteh’s shot had been saved to pull Brighton level, and the game opened up thereafter.

Saka could have snatched the win late on, while Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya had to be at his best on several occasions to keep Brighton from earning all three points, but both seemed content with a draw after an exhilarating tussle.

“We didn’t create enough chances when they went down to 10 men, but we will go away and look at it,” Brighton captain Lewis Dunk said.

“We always believe we can win any game of football. We are in a good place and we know we can beat anybody.”

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-Reuters

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