Agbonlahor gives prediction for Everton clash v Manchester United clash
In advance of Everton vs. Manchester United in the Premier League, Gabriel Agbonlahor has made a prediction.
After the international break, the Toffees, who have won six of their last nine games across all competitions, will welcome the Red Devils at Goodison Park. United, on the other hand, has won four of its previous five Premier League games.
And despite the backlash Erik Ten Hag’s team has received for their performances, Agbonlahor stated on the talkSPORT breakfast show on November 16 that he believes they will overcome Everton.
He declared, “I really think they’ll win.” “They’ll figure it out. Fernandes is going to devise them to do something special.
Underdogs
Once again we’ll be underdogs going into a game despite our great form, but that is arguably how we like it.
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Of the last nine games we were probably only expected to be victorious in one, which was the home defeat to Luton, which suggests the players don’t deal too well with expectation.
Coming up against Manchester United the fans will no doubt be raring to cheer the team on after weeks away from the ground, but we also know this is a more than winnable game right now.
Man United have been rubbish for a while and scraping results, plus they still have a host of injury problems while we’re at near full strength and have confidence in our performances.
It’ll be a good game and realistically nobody will be surprised if we come away with three points from it, but we’ll be the underdogs going into the game and that’s ideal for us.
In other Everton news, star man confirms “clubs came knocking” in the summer window.
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YOU WONT BELIEVE WHAT CHELSEA MANAGER MAURICIO POCHETTINO CALLED MANCHESTER CITY AHEAD OF STAMFORD BRIDGE CLASH
In the lead-up to Manchester City’s Premier League visit to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino showered praise on Pep Guardiola and his team. Chelsea is lagging behind in 10th place even though they recently defeated Spurs, whereas City is the defending champion and league leaders after winning nine of their first 11 games.
Before Sunday’s Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino called City the “best team in the world.”
With nine wins out of their first 11 games this season, City, the defending champions, are now one point ahead of Tottenham at the top of the league.
Chelsea under Pochettino, who joined the Blues in the summer, are already 12 points behind their rivals but were boosted by a thrilling 4-1 win over Spurs last time out.
The Argentinian is aware of the size of the task coming up against Pep Guardiola’s side but refused to describe Chelsea as the “underdog” ahead of the clash.
“For me it is the best team, the best coaching staff, the best manager,” Pochettino said. “We need to praise, we need to tell the truth, it is the best or one of the best organisations in the world.
‘All the decisions were fair’ – Chelsea boss Pochettino after frantic 4-1 win at Spurs
“When you show the results it’s because you are doing things top to bottom really well. We need to give credit to all of the organisation.
“It’s going to be a challenge, we want to compete against them, I think we are going to try and compete our best, and what we want is three points, they are important for us.”
He added: “Chelsea is never the feeling of the underdog. The feeling always is you are Chelsea. When you say Chelsea it is impossible, the history is there.
“I think we cannot go and say we are the victim on Sunday, we need to go and try to be a protagonist.
“We proved on Monday that we have the skill and character to compete with the top English clubs by winning 4-1 against Tottenham. It’s time to start projecting that confidence that will undoubtedly make us more competitive.
Ten Hag is optimistic that Rashford will regain form and says, “He will be back,” despite Tottenham’s injury issue that will keep Maddison and Van de Ven out until the new year.
Under Guardiola, City is aiming for their sixth Premier League title in seven years and fourth consecutive year.
When asked if he believed that the sport would benefit from such a period of domination, Pochettino responded, “That’s the reality.” I’m not sure whether that’s good or terrible. They have demonstrated that they are deserving of their dominance in English football.
“I don’t know if it’s good or bad. It’s the reality, they are top. They are the team you want to beat, you want to challenge because they are showing great quality.”
Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League in 2019 but slumped to a 12th-place finish in the league last season.
The London club haven’t lifted the Premier League since 2017 but Guardiola believes it is only a matter of time before they are challenging once again.
“They’re getting better, new club, new players,” Guardiola said. “Sooner than later they’ll be a top contender, the quality in all departments is there.
“Chelsea are one of the most important teams in England, they won the CL (Champions League) with [Thomas] Tuchel against us. It’s one of the strongest teams, no doubts about that.
“They have good spirit, aggressive, good patterns, it’s one of the toughest games we have in the season but still, we go there optimistic.
“We are top of the league right now and we have to try and maintain the quality of the game. But sooner or later Chelsea will be fighting for the title, no doubt about that.”
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Manchester City 2-1 Brighton VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Haaland scores to put City a comfortable position
Erling Haaland returns to the scoresheet as Manchester City return to winning ways with a narrow 2-1 win over Brighton.
After suffering back-to-back defeats before the recent international break, the champions are at risk of three consecutive defeats in the Premier League for the first time under Pep Guardiola.
That looked unlikely at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, when early goals from Julian Alvarez and Haaland – his first for City in four matches – saw them win get three points.
The reaction from Brighton substitute Ansu Fati in the 17th minute made for a tense final – and tensions increased when Manuel Akanji received a second yellow card in stoppage time – but City continued continue to hold out.
For much of the match, City looked more confident on Rodri’s return from his recent costly suspension. The return of John Stones also brings more confidence, although starting goalkeeper Ederson is on the bench after his recent international efforts for Brazil.
Brighton have impressed under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi – who Guardiola repeatedly praises – but, with their bold play, their defense has appeared loose and their open-mindedness they were quickly exploited.
Phil Foden caused early trouble for the visitors when he won possession and stepped up to free the lively Jeremy Doku, who cut inside and curled up.
It didn’t take long to open the scoring, Doku again bypassed the defense to get to the touchline and cut the ball to Alvarez.
The Argentine World Cup winner’s goal wasn’t the cleanest, but his confidence was such that the first shot was too strong and he beat Jason Steele for his seventh goal of the season .
City continued to pile on the pressure with a burst from deep as Josko Gvardiol shot straight at Steele.
Kaoru Mitoma had his first chance for Brighton, but his tame effort was easily saved by Stefan Ortega and the Seagulls suffered a major blow when Mancunian Danny Welbeck was forced off injured after 15 minutes.
Haaland took further advantage of Brighton’s defensive weakness by ending their recent goal drought – by his extraordinary standards – by doubling their lead. Man City in the 19th minute.
The Norwegian had too much space as he headed into the box before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner from distance.
Alvarez caught the eye of VAR after pushing Pascal Gross but got nothing and Doku threatened again when he beat Man City veteran James Milner but failed to hit the target.
Brighton started to show some life early in the second half when Gross deflected a shot under pressure.
Haaland received Foden’s pass just after the hour mark, but his shot was saved by Steele.
Mitoma had another good chance after overcoming the Man City defense, but Ortega rushed to block it on the edge of the penalty area.
It was a warning that City failed to heed and as soon as Alvarez’s lob attempt failed, they were caught up in a quick counter-attack.
Brighton moved the ball quickly up the field and although Mitoma’s attempted pass into the box was blocked by Akanji, Fati was there in time to block it.
Brighton pressed until the last minute but struggled to create meaningful chances. Akanji’s late dismissal made home fans even more worried, but City got it done.
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7 GREAT STATS EARNED BY DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI AS A GREAT START AT LIVERPOOL
It didn’t take long for Dominik Szoboszlai to adapt to his new surroundings at Liverpool and we’ve picked out seven impressive statistics following his incredible start to life at Anfield.
Liverpool signed the midfielder this summer from RB Leipzig after activating a release clause of around £60m. The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract with Anfield and has made a strong impression at his new club.
His last moment of magic came against Leicester City in the EFL Cup when he curled a stunning shot into the top corner from outside the box. It’s fair to say that Jurgen Klopp was impressed with his performance. “I don’t need to tell him to shoot, he knows better than me that he has very good talent,” Klopp told reporters after the match.
“The next one, a little more complete, is another grenade. You can see that. In Premier League matches, everyone tries to stop him, which is why he hasn’t succeeded yet.
“But if he can do it, chances are the ball will go into the net. But the goal is big. In that situation, Wataru passed the ball and at that time there was no midfielder, no defender who could block him.
“That’s why after receiving the ball you have to try to make the first pass forward or at least have the idea of going forward. That helped a lot.
Of course, Szoboszlai is still in his early days with Liverpool, but the early signs are extremely promising. We’ve picked out seven impressive statistics following his incredible Premier League debut. – The Liverpool midfielder scored 2 goals from outside the penalty area. In eight appearances for the Red Devils, he has amassed an xG of just 0.59, giving him an outstanding xG performance of 1.41 goals.
– His most recent amazing goal against Leicester was scored with an xG of just 0.09. Choose this.
– Szoboszlai has created 12 chances for his teammates in the Premier League so far. Only Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson have created more at Liverpool since his arrival.
– Perhaps even more impressive is that the midfielder performed more actions that resulted in shots (30) than any other Liverpool player. Only Bukayo Saka, Rodri and James Maddision rank above Szoboszlai in this statistic for the entire Premier League.
– The 22-year-old makes an average of 5.17 successful passes in the final third per 90 minutes. Only Roberton is more than average in the Liverpool team. – Liverpool’s new midfield of Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo together scored 6 goals in September. This number is equal to Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita in all last season.
– Szoboszlai also brings value from the ball. The midfielder averaged 1.5 tackles per 90 minutes, more than Henderson and Milner averaged last season.
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Player Ratings: Liverpool vs Leicester City player comments: Dutch duo Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo fantastic as Dominik Szoboszlai seals Carabao Cup comeback for the Reds
The Dutch internationals teamed up to help overcome an early deficit against the league leaders at Anfield
Ryan Gravenberch and international teammate Cody Gakpo combined to score a vital goal for Liverpool as the Red Devils came from behind to beat Leicester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Gakpo equalized early in the second half, when Dominik Szoboszlai’s thunderous strike and Diogo Jota’s deft strike lifted the Red Devils to a comfortable 3-1 aggregate victory.
Liverpool continued their recent trend of conceding early goals when Kasey McAteer beat Caoimhin Kelleher after a good counter-attack in the third minute. However, the Red Devils’ response was strong as Ben Doak hit the woodwork, Gakpo saw an effort smartly denied by Jakub Stolarczyk, Jota wasted a chance from 2m out with about away from goal and Conor Coady headed the ball past Gakpo right on the line.
The Red Devils eventually equalised, with Gravenberch setting up Gakpo, who turned and fired to level the scores shortly after the break. Gakpo should have added a second goal a few minutes later, but his lob went over the crossbar.
Szoboszlai came off the bench to finally turn the game around, firing a shot over the bar from 25 yards. And Jota sealed it all, heading Jarell Quansah’s cross into the far corner with a smart backheel.
GOAL evaluates Liverpool’s Anfield players…
Goalkeeper and defense
Caoimhin Kelleher (June 10):
There wasn’t much I could do about McAteer’s goal. Otherwise he’s mostly just a spectator.
Curtis Jones (6/10):
The inverted full-back had good possession but his defensive weaknesses were exposed when Leicester attacked on the break.
Ibrahima Konaté (October 7):
He covered for Jones a lot and handled things in the background. A mature performance.
Jarell Quansah (8/10):
He could have been closer to his man when Leicester scored, but he made some important tackles and distributed well. A promising performance from the youngster who has impressed so far.
Kostas Tsimikas (7/10):
Was caught in Leicester’s first game – although he felt he had been fouled. The latter has improved much and is dangerous in the forward areas.
Midfielder
Harvey Elliott (May 10):
Starts bright but then fades. It is still unclear whether he is a midfielder or a winger.
Wataru Endo (6/10):
Put in some tackles, won some headers, and covered a lot of ground. Wasn’t always particularly tidy on the ball, though.
Ryan Gravenberch (8/10):
Some of his marauding runs were wonderful, and he was a real threat in the final third. Assisted Gakpo after a lovely piece of skill. Looked tired when removed from the game.
Attack
Ben Doak (6/10):
He offers pace and trickery on the wing, but his end product is lacking. He is an interesting prospect and will take time.
Cody Gakpo (August 10):
Packs balance with a sharp finish. I might have added one or two more. Finished the game at midfield, where he looked more comfortable.
Diogo Jota (7/10):
I should have scored in the first half. Causing problems with his energy and directness during breaks. A stunning heel lift added an exclamation point to the result.
Sub and manager
Dominik Szoboszlai (7/10):
Scored a world goal to put his team in the lead.
Darwin Nunez (July 10):
Full of energy when coming on the field and causing problems for Leicester’s defense. Stefan Bajcetic (N/A):
A convenient cameo gives Jones a break.
Jurgen Klopp (7/10):
Rotated heavily with one eye on Saturday’s clash with Spurs. Liverpool conceded early — again — but created chances in spades. Five or six wouldn’t have flattered them.
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