BOURNEMOUTH: Maurizio Sarri's first season at Chelsea descended into crisis as his spluttering side slumped to an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Wednesday (Jan 30) to drop to fifth in the Premier League.Two second-half goals from Joshua King, either side of a well-taken effort by David Brooks, and Charlie Daniels's late header inflicted a third successive away defeat on Sarri's team.The Blues have now lost five Premier League games, including their last two fixtures, in just over two months, a wretched run that has cost them their place in the top four.Arsenal move above Chelsea, who are level on points with their London rivals but drop down to fifth on goals scored.Chelsea lost a Premier League game by a four-goal margin for the first time since 1996.With fast-improving Manchester United only two points behind, this abject performance demonstrated the need for Sarri to inject fresh impetus into Chelsea's inconsistent campaign.Adding to his woes, Chelsea fans chanted … [Read more...] about Football: Chelsea stunned by four-goal Bournemouth
Mirror football liverpool
Football: United need old De Gea back for visit to Liverpool
LONDON: Even Manchester United's reliable last line of defence David de Gea has struggled for form this season but the Spanish keeper will need to be at his best in Sunday's (Dec 16) clash with bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield.Last season's Premier League Golden Glove winner has not looked himself since some uncharacteristic mistakes undermined Spain's World Cup campaign and they went out in the last 16.De Gea's struggles have continued into this season as United sit sixth in the Premier League, 16 points behind the leaders. He had conceded 26 goals in 16 games whereas last season he let in only 28 in 37 appearances.The 28-year-old may not, therefore, be relishing Sunday's showdown with Liverpool's back-in-form forward Mohamed Salah, who scored a hat-trick last week in a 4-0 win at Bournemouth that sent Juergen Klopp's side to the top of the table and struck the vital winner against Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday.He has not been helped by manager Jose Mourinho chopping and … [Read more...] about Football: United need old De Gea back for visit to Liverpool
Football: No Hazard, no problem as Chelsea hit Burnley for four
BURNLEY: Chelsea proved their Premier League title credentials even without the injured Eden Hazard as goals from Alvaro Morata, Ross Barkley, Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek sealed a comfortable 4-0 victory at struggling Burnley to climb into second, two points behind leaders Liverpool.Hazard, who was ruled out by a back problem sustained in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United last weekend, has been Chelsea's main source of goals in an unbeaten start to the season under Maurizio Sarri.However, the visitors were stronger than their relegation-threatened hosts in every department and perhaps the only disappointment for Sarri was that they failed to underline their dominance with further goals.After a sombre start with a minute's silence to mark a helicopter crash that is feared to have taken the life of Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha on Saturday, Chelsea soon got to grips with the business at hand.There should have been more to show for their first-half efforts than just … [Read more...] about Football: No Hazard, no problem as Chelsea hit Burnley for four
Football: Mourinho’s Euro woes add to pressure on Man United
LONDON: Jose Mourinho is facing an unsettling new reality in the Champions League as Manchester United launch their campaign at Young Boys of Bern on Wednesday.Mourinho was once the Champions League's pre-eminent force, winning the tournament twice and making the latter stages virtually every year.But it is four years since the Portuguese coach last managed a victory in the knockout stages of Europe's elite club competition.In that time, the 55-year-old has been surpassed by Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone and former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane as the tournament's most innovative and successful coaches.In Mourinho's past 10 knockout games with United and Chelsea in the Champions League he has just two wins and five draws - his last away victory in the knockout stages came at United's expense in 2013 when he was still at Real Madrid.Mourinho's decline as a Champions League force mirrors the fading challenge of United, who reached three finals in four … [Read more...] about Football: Mourinho’s Euro woes add to pressure on Man United
Robin Hood, Rocky Balboa help Klopp passion shine at Liverpool
LIVERPOOL: A confessed admirer of the underdog tales of Robin Hood and Rocky Balboa, Jurgen Klopp is probably uncomfortable with Liverpool's status as strong favourites in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final, the first leg against Roma. However, it is a testament to how far the German has revitalised a sleeping giant on the European stage that Liverpool's first appearance in the Champions League last four for a decade is met with such expectation. It hasn't always been a such a smooth ride since Klopp arrived an Anfield two-and-a-half years ago. Indeed, even in the aftermath of a 5-1 quarter-final thrashing of hitherto tournament favourites Manchester City, Klopp warned the clock was ticking on his promise to deliver a trophy within four years of taking charge. Early in his reign Klopp at times bemoaned the subdued atmosphere in modern English grounds, even at the mythical Anfield, compared to his grounding in Germany's Bundesliga. By contrast, Anfield will be at fever pitch on … [Read more...] about Robin Hood, Rocky Balboa help Klopp passion shine at Liverpool