Best individual goal
ANDROS TOWNSEND
"A scorer of great goals, not a great goal scorer," according to Roy Hodgson. Townsend proved his manager right with a 26m, 109kmh volley that flew into the Manchester City net.
Biggest shock
MANCHESTER CITY 2 CRYSTAL PALACE 3
City had a 100 per cent home record and had gone 52 games without losing to anyone outside the big six. Palace had a solitary point from their previous six away games. So, with perverse inevitability, Palace won, and deservedly so.
Best game
ARSENAL 4 TOTTENHAM 2
A game that had it all: Penalties and a red card, controversy and a comeback, a broader narrative and plenty of drama on the day. Perhaps Arsenal's best display under Unai Emery and it brought a terrific result.
Best signing
LUCAS TORREIRA
No matter how many times various people said that Arsenal needed a defensive midfielder, it was never any less true. When Torreira belatedly arrived, he showed what Arsenal had been missing. He brought plenty of bite, a couple of useful goals and the capacity to make Granit Xhaka play better.
Best team goal
AARON RAMSEY
The finish, a back-heel flick against Fulham, was pretty special, but a remarkably quick counter-attack to go from the edge of the Arsenal box made it even better. Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ramsey (three times) were all involved.
Most improved
MOUSSA SISSOKO
After two seasons in London, he looked a waste of £30 million (S$52 million) of Tottenham's money. Now the powerful Frenchman has become their most reliable midfielder and their fans are singing, "Who needs Bale when you've got Sissoko?" What a turnaround.
‘Best of the rest’ team
4-4-2
Ben Foster (Watford) Matt Doherty (Wolves) Federico Fernandez (Newcastle) Issa Diop (West Ham) Ben Chilwell (Leicester) Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) Andre Gomes (Everton) Ruben Neves (Wolves) Felipe Anderson (West Ham) Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) Richarlison (Everton)
Substitutes: Alex McCarthy (Southampton) Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace) Philip Billing (Huddersfield) James Maddison (Leicester) David Brooks (Bournemouth) Roberto Pereyra (Watford) Glenn Murray (Brighton)
Best player
VIRGIL VAN DIJK
Defenders don't tend to win the individual awards, but perhaps they should. Van Dijk has been a colossus at the back, transforming Liverpool into a frugal side and forming a superb partnership with Joe Gomez.
Best manager
JURGEN KLOPP
And not merely because Liverpool are six points ahead in a league most expected City to win. Klopp has enacted change. Liverpool are not always as fast and frenetic, but they are better defensively, more consistent and more tactically flexible. The fact they have not dropped points to any of the bottom 15 is remarkable.
Best understudy
BERNARDO SILVA
But for Mohamed Salah, Kevin de Bruyne would have been named Footballer of the Year last season. Until their December relapse, Manchester City barely missed the brilliant, but injured, Belgian. It is a sign of the class and creativity of Bernardo Silva, but also of his reliability and defensive discipline.
Biggest letdown
ALEXIS SANCHEZ
Even after the Chilean's slow start at Old Trafford, there was a theory this could have been his season. He had a rare summer off and a fine pre-season. Yet, since then, he has mustered a solitary league goal, been dropped and injured. It is hard to see the league's best-paid player getting into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's strongest side.
Worst manager
JOSE MOURINHO
With a dishonourable mention of Mark Hughes, another who moaned better than he managed, it is Mourinho. He was sacked after failing to get the best from his players, criticising them relentlessly, presiding over poor football and even, unlike his teams, failing to defend properly. He left Manchester United 11 points behind the top four, and with the biggest wage bill.
Worst showing
KENEDY
The Brazilian borrowed from Chelsea helped keep Newcastle up last season. But at Cardiff in August, he had a shocker. He was the first player since 2010 to complete the first half of a Premier League match without making a pass. Then he cost his side victory by missing a penalty.
Worst signing
ANDRE-FRANK ZAMBO ANGUISSA
Fulham spent £100 million (S$173 million) and are 19th. If much of the focus has been on the much-vaunted Jean-Michael Seri, it is worth noting that his midfield sidekick Anguissa cost still more. A £30 million defensive midfielder has failed to protect the defence. Centre-back Calum Chambers has looked a better option in midfield.
Worst signing
GLENN MURRAY
Murray is a stalwart of the lower leagues who turned 35 in September. His career should be winding down. Instead, the inelegant Brighton striker has been rubbing shoulders with Sergio Aguero and Anthony Martial in the scorers' chart.
Man City surge clear through Sterling as Spurs suffer March 10, 2019 - by admin LONDON (Reuters) - Raheem Sterling's hat-trick in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Watford lifted the champions four points clear at the top of the Premier League after Tottenham Hotspur's challenge faltered again with a 2-1 loss at Southampton on Saturday.
Spurs prevail as mind-bending match sees Guardiola's City
Jun 02, 2019 · Neymar, the Brazilian football star, has denied an accusation that he raped a woman at a luxury hotel in Paris last month, claiming that he is the victim of an extortion attempt.
Neymar rape allegation: PSG player denies Paris hotel claims
Each had a story to tell about a "good Christian" child, raised in their home and in our church, who had walked away from the faith during the college years. These children had come through our church's youth program, gone on short-term mission trips, and served in several different ministries during their teenage years.
Youth Prisons Don't Work. Here's What Does. | Time
time.com/4543401/youth-prison-reform/
Mishi Faruqee is the National Field Director of the Youth First Initiative October is Youth Justice Action Month, so let's take stock of what we've learned about our juvenile justice system
PDF Guidelines for Ministry to & With Young People
LIVERPOOL manager Juergen Klopp says his team have shown they are mentally equipped to handle a title run-in, having acquitted themselves well in high-pressure situations over the past few years. Klopp dismisses talk of Liverpool crumbling under pressure | New Straits Times | Malaysia General Business Sports and Lifestyle News
No more tears for Son Heung-min as Spurs star eyes Champions League cheers in Madrid. "But it shows you football is not about 45 minutes, it is about 90 minutes or even longer. I have said
The Superstar Hiding in Plain Sight - The New York Times
Nov 14, 2014 · SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian hospital says Pele is "recovering well" after undergoing surgery to remove kidney stones. The Albert Einstein hospital said in a statement Friday that the 74-year
Pele 'recovering well' after kidney stones surgery - Yahoo Sports
Tunisian club win African title after final abandoned over VAR Wydad Casablanca refused to continue playing on 60 minutes because VAR (video assistant referee) was unavailable to judge a
Tunisian club win African title after final abandoned over
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/05/31/tunisian-club-win-african-title-after-final-abandoned-over-var/
Tunisian media reported that officials were aware before the match that the VAR (video assistant referee) was not working. It is the first time in the 55-year history of the elite African club competition that a match in the home-and-away final has not been completed.
(Reuters) - Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud wants to move back to France when his contract expires at the end of the season after growing frustrated by a lack of playing time under manager Maurizio Sarri. Giroud has not started a Premier League game for Chelsea since the club signed Argentina international striker Gonzalo Higuain in January.
Chelsea's Giroud Seeks France Return To Boost Game Time
Aaron Ramsey has agreed a five-year deal with Juventus worth £36m and will join the Italian champions on a free transfer at the end of the season. The midfielder has been discussing a move for weeks and will leave Arsenal after 10 years at the club.
Ramsey poised to sign five-year, €40m Juventus deal
Napoli 0-1 (agg 0-3) Arsenal: Unai Emery's men reach Europa League semi-finals with ease Alexandre Lacazette's free-kick secured a 1-0 win over the Serie A giants and a 3-0 victory on aggregate
Napoli 0 - 1 Arsenal - Match Report & Highlights
"I'm not happy to play the second role. That's why I said next year I will need to have a more important role to play in the team." When asked whether he has already had offers to go elsewhere, Giroud added: "Yes but I won't reveal that now. The priority is Chelsea.
Giroud demands important role at Chelsea next season
What's the best smartphone for getting a signal? Clue: It's not Apple's iPhone. A new Nordic-wide study has found huge variations between the performance of smartphone models in areas with a weak
Slow wifi but strong signal | Tom's Hardware Forum
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola feels the Sky Blues' upcoming opponents Everton are a top side this season and the clash with the Toffees will not be easy. Marco Silva's side are seventh
Pep Guardiola - Manchester City's new signings could be more
SOCCEROOS' NEED FOR SPEED. Like they did in the loss to Japan last week, the Caltex Socceroos are likely to dominate possession and field position against Thailand. The visitors are likely to put plenty of men behind the ball, and Leckie says the speed of ball movement will be vital if Australia hopes to rack up a big score.
Speed, adaptibility hallmark of Socceroos coach Graham Arnold
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