Man United were forced to battle from 2-0 down at home to Burnley to draw 2-2 on Boxing Day, much to the delight of Man City fans all over the world.
While City enjoy a record winning streak and sitting comfortably at the top of the Premier League – currently 12 points clear of second-placed United – Jose Mourinho’s side are struggling for points having had to settle for 2-2 draws twice four days.
It means City can go a huge 15 points clear at the top of the league with a win against Newcastle on Wednesday night and would all but secure them a third Premier League crown.
It really has been a big shift in power in Manchester over the few years and Pep Guardiola’s City are setting a benchmark not many will be able to reach, regardless of how much money is spent on players.
City fans are enjoying the downfall of their once great rivals, as you can tell by the Twitter reaction below…
According to the reliable @ExWHUemployee on the latest episode of The West Ham Way radio show, West Ham United have made Jonjo Shelvey their top midfield target during the January transfer window, and Irons fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.Hammers boss David Moyes is keen to bring in a new central midfielder this month after former boss Slaven Bilic failed to get Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho during the summer, and Shelvey is rumoured to be his priority target.The likes of Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate have struggled for form this season, but the same could also be said about the Magpies midfielder, who has been sent off twice already this term.West Ham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the potential addition of the 25-year-old, and while one said ‘I rate Shelvey more than N’Zonzi’ after the Sevilla man had been linked previously, another said he would be an “awful signing”.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
According to The Sunday Post, Southampton are considering a £10m offer for Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong during this month’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
It is no secret that Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino wants to improve his squad during the January transfer window, with the Saints sitting just outside the relegation zone in the Premier League following a disappointing 2017-18 campaign to date.
Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Monaco’s Guido Carrillo are amongst those that have been linked with moves, but according to The Sunday Post, Southampton’s attention is currently on Celtic midfielder Armstrong.
The report claims that the Saints are preparing to make a £10m offer this month after being knocked back in their move for the 25-year-old during the summer window.
Southampton have money to spend following the £75m sale of Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool, and it appears that Pellegrino wants to boost his midfield options with the arrival of Armstrong from the Scottish champions.
What would Armstrong bring to Southampton?
Armstrong joined Celtic from Dundee United in the summer of 2015, and the midfielder has managed 26 goals in 134 appearances for his Scottish club in all competitions.
Last term, Armstrong netted an impressive 17 goals – including 15 in just 31 Scottish Premiership appearances, which is some return from a midfield player.
This season, the four-time Scotland international has managed four goals and five assists in 33 appearances in all competitions.
Having landed six major trophies during his time at Celtic Park, Armstrong would certainly bring a winning mentality to the Saints.
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It is always difficult to ascertain whether a player in the Scottish Premiership has the potential to thrive in the English Premier League, but Armstrong’s performances over the last 12 months have been very impressive indeed.
For £10m – in the current market – Southampton could have a real bargain on their hands.
West Ham United announced the signing of Preston North End striker Jordan Hugill before the January transfer window slammed shut on Wednesday night, and Irons fans were quick to have their say on the deal.
BBC Sport reports that the move to take the 25-year-old to the London Stadium was worth around £10m, with the team from capital seeing off competition from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace for the centre-forward, who scored 30 goals in 114 matches for North End.
Even though Hammers boss David Moyes was keen to do more business on Wednesday to bring a new midfielder to the club following an injury to Pedro Obiang against Wigan Athletic last weekend, the Scot had to make do with just the striker by the 11pm deadline.
West Ham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the addition of Hugill, and while one said “the Boleyn Ground didn’t die for this”, another said “shame he has signed when the morale is as low as it is”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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It is probably about time that Paul Dummett received the credit that he deserves.
The 26-year-old is not a star name and does not live the lifestyle of a superstar footballer, but he has been one of the most consistent defenders in the Premier League in recent weeks.
Indeed, since returning from a hamstring problem in the latter stages of 2017, Dummett has been simply terrific for Newcastle United.
He was again in fine form on Sunday afternoon as Newcastle picked up a massive three points against Manchester United in the Premier League.
Dummett had Anthony Martial to deal with for long stages of the match, and the left-back had a solid game against the talented Frenchman.
There is no question that Dummett is popular with the Newcastle fans, and many have taken to social media to lavish praise on the left-sided defender.
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Indeed, one supporter even suggested that the full-back should be the club’s next captain.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Andrea Radrizzani took full control of Leeds United in May last year, and the news was met with widespread joy from the club’s following due to the tumultuous period under Massimo Cellino’s rule.
Since then, the Italian businessman has tried to keep up-to-date with the fans’ needs and he often interacts with the supporters on Twitter.
This week, the Yorkshire club gathered Radrizzani, managing director Angus Kinnear and director of football Victor Orta for a Q&A session with the fans via Twitter.
The supporters were asked to send in their questions to the trio, using the hashtag #ASKLUFC.
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More often that not, football fans make a mockery of online Q&As by posing tongue-in-cheek questions, but on this occasion, Leeds fans had a few serious things on their minds.
The club’s winless run came to an end on Saturday as they earned a 1-0 victory over Brentford – the club’s first league triumph since Boxing Day.
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As it stands, the Whites are 11th in the table, five points adrift of the playoff places.
Liverpool are among five clubs that have table offers for Real Madrid attacking midfielder Marco Asensio, according to Diario Gol.
What’s the word?
The 22-year-old is believed to have attracted plenty of interest due to his impressive performances this season.
Even though the midfielder is not a regular starter in Zinedine Zidane’s side, he has still managed to score 10 goals and create five assists in 35 appearances in all competitions.
According to Diario Gol, Liverpool have made their interest known, while Chelsea, Arsenal, Juventus and Bayern Munich have also tabled offers.
The Spanish publication adds that Asensio is frustrated by the fact that he is lower in the pecking order and is prepared to leave the Bernabeu if Zidane remains in charge.
Would he fit in at Liverpool?
The Merseyside outfit are yet to bring in a replacement for Philippe Coutinho, who moved to Barcelona in the January transfer window.
Asensio would certainly be a welcome addition to the squad if the Reds were to get a deal over the line.
The Spaniard can play in a variety of attacking positions, including the left of midfield, the centre, or further forward.
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Jurgen Klopp’s style of play would certainly suit Asensio, and even though the team have other areas of the pitch that they could do with strengthening first, the attacking player would boost the current trio of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
The problem that Liverpool face is competition for his signature as it appears that a number of big-name clubs are interested in luring him away from the Bernabeu.
Tottenham Hotspur winger Lucas Moura produced an impressive display and picked up two assists in his side’s 6-1 FA Cup fifth round replay win over Rochdale at Wembley on Wednesday night, and Spurs fans are all making the same shock claim that the Brazilian should start over Dele Alli at home to Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
With Alli, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen on the substitutes’ bench, it gave the likes of Lucas, Erik Lamela and Fernando Llorente an opportunity to impress against the League One strugglers, and they didn’t disappoint.
The January signing from Paris Saint-Germain has scored once and provided two assists in two starts and two substitute appearances for the north London outfit so far, and the Wembley faithful are seemingly keen for him to make the XI ahead of Alli against the Terriers.
That is despite the fact that the 21-year-old was one of their most important players last season and has five goals and eight assists in 27 Premier League outings this term – although he has none of either in his previous five top flight appearances.
Tottenham supporters have been quick to have their say on the duo via social media, and while one said “tonight’s game showed why Lucas Moura should start ahead of Dele Alli”, another said they ‘would seriously consider leaving Alli on the bench against Huddersfield and have Son and Lucas on the wings’.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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West Ham United lost heavily at home to Burnley on Saturday in a match that also saw crowd trouble at the London Stadium, with fans taking to the pitch in anger at the current status of the club, even scuffling with players.
Even without the pitch invasions, the match itself was dire enough for level-headed supporters watching on, the Hammers no match for an impressive attacking performance from the Clarets in the second half.
Losing 3-0, fans were left fuming with the performance of Joe Hart, who made another goalkeeping blunder for the third goal.
It was the England shot-stopper’s first game since January, but supporters are positive they don’t want to see him in a West Ham jersey ever again.
They’re calling on David Moyes to stick Adrian back in goal as soon as possible, believing Hart simply isn’t the goalkeeper he once was at Manchester City.
Arsenal have a crucial end to the season as it will give them a big indication as to how the 2018-19 campaign will shape up.
At the moment, Arsene Wenger’s side are unlikely to finish inside the top four of the Premier League as they are 13 points adrift with eight games left to play.
Their only likely chance of playing in next season’s Champions League is if they go all the way in the Europa League, and in order to do that they need to get past CSKA Moscow in the quarter-finals.
Due to the team’s inconsistent performances throughout the season, some would have tipped Arsenal to struggle against AC Milan in the last-16 stage.
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It was quite the opposite, though, as they made it through comfortably, and the supporters were particularly impressed with Jack Wilshere’s display.
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In the next six games, the North London outfit will face Stoke City, Southampton, Newcastle United and West Ham United in the league, as well as CSKA Moscow twice in Europa.
Fans have been making predictions on social media.