Liverpool, Man City held to draws; Chelsea rallies for win
LONDON — (AP) — It might be time for Liverpool to start worrying about its slow start to the English Premier League. “It’s not the start we wanted,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. Everton's Jordan Pickford and Liverpool's Alisson pulled off stellar saves while Liverpool also had three shots hit the woodwork. The decision bailed out Chelsea after an underwhelming performance that once again highlighted the team's lack of firepower up front. “We had chances to score a second when the game was in our hands but we didn’t,” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
wftv.comPenalty save denies City victory, keeps EPL title race alive
Britain Soccer Premier League Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez takes a penalty during the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Manchester City at London stadium in London, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) (Kirsty Wigglesworth)A dramatic penalty save might have kept the Premier League title race alive. When Riyad Mahrez stepped up to take an 86th-minute spot kick for Manchester City, he knew that converting it would virtually secure another league championship for his team. A win is probably required at Southampton, though, given City has a superior goal difference of 7 compared to Liverpool. City finishes at home to Aston Villa, managed by Liverpool great Steven Gerrard, who was never able to win the league for Liverpool.
wftv.comLeeds, Wolves COVID outbreaks lead to more EPL postponements
Britain Soccer Premier League Supporters have their proof of vaccination checked as they go through a COVID checkpoint before the English Premier League soccer match between Leeds United and Arsenal at Elland Road in Leeds, England, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Jon Super) (Jon Super)LONDON — (AP) — Leeds and Wolverhampton have secured Premier League approval for further matches to be postponed due to coronavirus outbreaks in squads. Leeds' home game against Aston Villa on Tuesday has been called off, having already had Sunday's match at Liverpool postponed. Three matches were postponed due to coronavirus infections across squads: Burnley vs. Everton, Liverpool vs. Leeds and Wolverhampton vs. Watford. ___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports___Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemicCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.
wftv.comLeeds COVID cases prompt another EPL game postponement
Britain Soccer Premier League Supporters have their proof of vaccination checked as they go through a COVID checkpoint before the English Premier League soccer match between Leeds United and Arsenal at Elland Road in Leeds, England, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Jon Super) (Jon Super)LONDON — (AP) — Leeds has secured Premier League approval for another match to be postponed due to the club's coronavirus outbreak. The home game against Aston Villa on Tuesday has been called off, having already had Sunday's match at Liverpool postponed. The game at Tottenham is one of six Premier League fixtures on the Boxing Day program. Three matches were postponed due to coronavirus infections across squads: Burnley vs. Everton, Liverpool vs. Leeds and Wolverhampton vs. Watford.
wftv.comSolskjaer's United loses again; Chelsea consolidates lead
Britain Soccer Premier League Watford's Ismaila Sarr celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Watford and Manchester United at Vicarage Road, Watford, England, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. But even the United fans seemed to turn against him when he came over to applaud them after the game. And that was a ‘sorry for the performance.’”Unlike United, Chelsea showed again that it's a genuine title contender this season by consolidating its lead atop the standings with a 3-0 win at Leicester. For United, it was a fifth loss in its last seven Premier League games — the previous two coming to biggest rivals Liverpool and Manchester City. Gerrard left Rangers during the international break to replace Smith, who was fired following five successive Premier League defeats.
wftv.comLiverpool great Gerrard joins Villa for 1st EPL coaching job
Denmark Soccer Europa League Rangers' head coach Steven Gerrard during the Europa League group A soccer match between Brondby IF and Rangers FC at Brondby Stadium in Copenhagen, Thursday, Nov, 4, 2021. (Martin Sylvest/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) (Martin Sylvest)It won’t be long before Liverpool great Steven Gerrard is back at Anfield as a Premier League manager. Gerrard was hired as Aston Villa manager on Thursday, ending a 3½-year stint in Scottish soccer where he transformed the fortunes of Rangers and ended the long-time dominance of Glasgow rival Celtic. In a date he’ll likely have circled on his calendar, Villa plays at Liverpool on Dec. 11 for the fourth match with his new team. “It has been very clear in our discussions with him that Steven’s coaching ambitions, philosophy and values entirely match those of Aston Villa," Villa chief executive Christian Purslow said.
wftv.comRangers wins first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years
Rangers soccer fans celebrate outside the ground after their win in the Scottish Premiership match against St Mirren, at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday March 6, 2021. Some thousands of fans gathered outside the stadium celebrating the win against St. Mirren, putting them on the brink of securing the Scottish Premiership title. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)GLASGOW – Rangers won its first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years on Sunday to complete its recovery from financial implosion and being forced to start again in the fourth division. A world record 55th domestic league title — although some rivals will claim it is the reborn club's first — was sealed after Glasgow rival Celtic drew 0-0 with Dundee United. Gerrard came agonizingly close in 2014 to finally landing the one club prize that eluded him: The Premier League title.
Fernando Ricksen, former Rangers player, dies at age 43
(CNN) - Former Rangers player Fernando Ricksen has passed away at the age of 43 following a battle with motor neurone disease. Ricksen, who won 12 caps for the Dutch national team, had been battling the disease for six years after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in October 2013. The former defender spent six years at the Glasgow club, where he won the domestic cup double in 2002 and the treble in 2003. "It's very sad news for everyone connected with Rangers and, more importantly, his young family," Rangers coach Steven Gerrard told a news conference on Wednesday. "That sums up the character, the warrior type on the pitch and off the pitch.