Only Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur can stop this season from being remembered with an asterisk. So far, every major trophy has come with a caveat. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur This has been the campaign of the big fat "but". The Europa League was an all-London affair with a rip-roaring finale for Eden Hazard, but it was played in a half-empty stadium in a distant oil-rich state with a dubious human- rights record. Chelsea won, Azerbaijan won, but the jury is still out on the game itself. In England, Manchester City made history, but has there ever been more begrudging praise for a trophy clean sweep before? The Citizens won the first domestic treble with the limitless funding of a distant oil-rich state with a dubious human- rights record. Sounds familiar? It should. This was the year when "sportswashing" slipped into the psyche, when the football was often less important than the finance and the game felt in need of a good spring-cleaning. Thank heavens, … [Read more...] about Neil Humphreys: The Champions League final has already been won
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Liverpool’s victory hailed as the ‘Miracle of Anfield’
REUTERS: Liverpool's stunning 4-0 Champions League demolition of Barcelona naturally dominated the front and back pages of British newspapers on Wednesday with most going on a similar theme to the Daily Mail's splash: "Miracle of Anfield"."An Anfield miracle transcribed from the pages of pure fantasy," read the headline of the match report in The Independent, while The Guardian led with "Out of this world".The Merseyside club's sensational victory over what some pundits described as one of the best sides of the modern era allowed them to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg of their semi-final.There were some suggestions that Liverpool had topped the 'Miracle of Istanbul', when the club similarly overturned a three-goal deficit to beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final to win their fifth European title.European fixtures at Anfield have had a special atmosphere going back a lot further than that and some suggested the noise generated by a packed house combined with … [Read more...] about Liverpool’s victory hailed as the ‘Miracle of Anfield’
Football: Man United ‘not good enough’, says Solskjaer
LONDON (AFP) - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Manchester United had not been good enough over the course of the season after a disappointing 1-1 draw against Huddersfield ended their chances of qualifying for next year's Champions League. United have now won just two of their past 11 games in all competitions as Huddersfield ended a run of eight straight defeats despite goalkeeper Jonas Lossl's error handing the visitors an early lead through Scott McTominay. Terrible defending from Solskjaer's men gave the Terriers something to celebrate in their final home game before heading down to the Championship as Isaac Mbenza levelled on the hour mark. United huffed and puffed but could not find a winner and they cannot now mathematically finish in the top four of the Premier League. "We are where we are for a reason," Solskjaer told Sky Sports. "Over a long season we haven't been good enough to challenge for the Champions League places. It's not come as a surprise but we hoped to show a better … [Read more...] about Football: Man United ‘not good enough’, says Solskjaer