Enzo Maresca slammed his lacklustre Chelsea side after their English Premier League (EPL) title challenge suffered a huge setback in a shock 1-3 defeat against Leeds on Wednesday. Maresca’s side paid the price for a woeful first-half display featuring Leeds goals from Jaka Bijol (6th min) and Ao Tanaka (43rd min). Pedro Neto reduced the deficit in the 50th minute, but Chelsea conceded a farcical third goal to Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the closing stages. The Blues’s first defeat in eight games across all competitions left them nine points behind Arsenal in fourth place. “There was nobody at their best level. Leeds were better than us in all aspects, they deserved to win. [Overall] a very poor night. The only thing we can do is try and understand what we did and reset,” said Maresca. Other results . Aston Villa 4-3 Brighton. Crystal Palace 1-0 Burnley. Notts Forest 1-0 Wolves This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2025 07:19 AM IST | Leeds | AFPKylian Mbappe scored twice and set up another as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to cut Barcelona’s La Liga lead back down to one point on Wednesday. “I think we played a complete game today. It was probably our best match,” said coach Xabi Alonso. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2025 07:16 AM IST | Bilbao | AFPManager Arne Slot conceded his Liverpool side have lost their fear factor during a miserable run as Sunderland emerged with a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Wednesday. The English Premier League (EPL) champions have now failed to win in three consecutive home games and needed a Nordi Mukiele own goal (83rd min) to rescue a point against the Black Cats after Chemsdine Talbi’s deflected strike opened the scoring (67th min). Since winning their opening five league games of the season, Liverpool have won just two of their last nine. “Teams that play us now think they can get a result because that has been shown this season. Even the games we have won, we have fuelled confidence in other teams that [a good result] is possible because the wins we had weren’t easy ones as well,” said a disappointed Slot. Arne Slot Any hope that a corner had been turned in Sunday’s 2-0 victory at West Ham was quickly dispelled for Slot. Mohamed Salah was left on the bench for the second consecutive game, but Wirtz and Alexander Isak again failed to deliver. “I knew Sunderland is a hard team to score against, and create chances against. [We] were really unlucky with the goal we conceded. It was a deflection and could have gone anywhere but in the period we are in, it went in,” lamented Slot. Meanwhile, league leaders Arsenal eased to a 2-0 win over Brentford. Mikel Merino opened the scoring (11th min), with Bukayo Saka adding further gloss to the scoreline in injury time. In the injury-enforced absence of Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz, Merino — a midfielder by trade — has bagged four goals and three assists across all competitions when playing as a no. 9. His value to the team has not gone amiss, with Arteta showering praise on the Spaniard. “It’s unbelievable what he has done. Not only the goal, but also his movement, his work-rate. It’s phenomenal,” Arteta said. 8thLiverpool’s current position in the EPL table Liverpool’s last nine EPL results Draw 1-1 vs SunderlandWin 2-0 vs West HamLoss 0-3 vs Notts ForestLoss 0-3 vs Man CityWin 2-0 vs Aston VillaLoss 2-3 vs BrentfordLoss 1-2 vs Man UtdLoss 1-2 vs ChelseaLoss 1-2 vs Crystal Palace This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2025 07:13 AM IST | Liverpool’s Alexander Isak (left) and Virgil van Dijk appear dejected after conceding a goal to Sunderland on Wednesday. pic/getty images | AFPHansi Flick’s Barcelona produced an impressive comeback to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday, with the German boss saying his side had taken a step forward after some shaky performances. Alex Baena fired Atletico ahead (19th min), but Raphinha equalised for the champions (26th min) before Dani Olmo (65th min) and Ferran Torres (90+7th min) struck to end the visitors’s run of 13 straight league games without defeat. Barcelona boss Hansi Flick “This was one of the best matches from us, I really appreciate what I saw over the 90 minutes,” Flick told reporters, before adding, “This was the next step... we are coming back to our best level.” This was the Catalan giants’s fifth consecutive league victory since losing the Clasico to Real Madrid in October. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 December,2025 10:18 AM IST | Barcelona | AFP1 Erling Haaland (111 games) Club: Manchester CityFrom the moment he arrived on English shores, the Norwegian has done nothing, but bag goals for Man City. He has already won the EPL Golden Boot in two of his three seasons at the club. Quick on the pitch, dominant in the air, and possessing a devastating left foot, it’s no surprise he sits atop this list. 2 Alan Shearer (124 games) Clubs: Newcastle Utd, Blackburn RoversFor a player to score 100 goals without playing for any of the Big 6 – Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal, and Tottenham — is remarkable. Shearer was never flashy, but could generate enormous power from his right foot with little backlift and was exceptional in the air. 3 Harry Kane (141 games) Club: Tottenham, NorwichThe ex-Tottenham captain and current England skipper is not only a stellar goal-scorer, but also good at linking up play and creating chances for those around him through his accurate passes. What Kane lacks in pace, he makes up for with excellent positioning and deadly finishing. 4 Sergio Aguero (147 games) Club: Manchester CityThe former Man City forward showed everyone that you don’t need to be over six-feet-tall to be a successful striker in the EPL. Standing at five-feet-eight-inches, Aguero relied on his natural predatory instinct inside the box. His movement and positioning was second to none. 5 Thierry Henry (160 games) Club: ArsenalThe Frenchman undoubtedly possesses the most flair and trickery on this list. The Arsenal legend was not an old-school striker, who would occupy the penalty box, but relished drifting out to the left and taking on defenders with his ridiculous pace and dribbling ability. Once in the box, he was absolutely lethal, as many an opposition goalkeeper will attest to.
04 December,2025 10:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronan CarvalhoErling Haaland made history as the Manchester City striker became the fastest player to reach 100 English Premier League (EPL) goals in a remarkable 5-4 win against Fulham on Tuesday. The Norwegian’s clinical finish in the 17th minute off a cutback from Jeremy Doku at took him to his century in just 111 league appearances for City, shattering the previous record set by former Newcastle and Blackburn star Alan Shearer, who took 124 matches to reach the mark. “It’s incredible, impressive. He was outstanding, today he was unbelievable. He made a fantastic goal. Hopefully, he’s starving hungry to continue with this club to make more and more goals,” City boss Pep Guardiola said of Haaland. Pep Guardiola It was the striker’s 15th goal in 14 league appearances this season. “It’s huge and I’m really proud [of my achievement]. Of course it’s a massive thing, the 100-goal club is a nice thing to be in and I’m happy,” said an ecstatic Haaland, before adding, “I knew about the record, that’s what I tried to do. I try to help the team scoring goals, that’s my job. When you’re a striker for Man City you should be delivering great numbers.” After Haaland’s landmark strike, Tijjani Reinjders (37th min), Phil Foden (44th and 48th min) and an own goal from Sander Berge (54th min) helped City race into a 5-1 lead — Emile Smith-Rowe scored for Fulham in first-half injury time. However, the hosts then scored thrice via Alex Iwobi (57th min) and Samuel Chukwueze (72nd min and 78th min) in a furious second-half fightback. Having squandered a two-goal lead in their last-gasp 3-2 win against Leeds on Saturday, Guardiola was alarmed by the latest meltdown from his leaky defence. “Of course, I was concerned. But this will help us in future games. Every game is a new [experience] for some players. There were some really positive things in what we have done. In the end, it was a question of character and resilience,” said the Spaniard. Other Results. Tottenham 2-2 Newcastle. Everton 1-0 Bournemouth This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 December,2025 10:06 AM IST | London | AFPArne Slot has backed his ‘superhuman’ forward Mohamed Salah to shake off the blues and get back to his best sooner rather than later after the Egyptian’s indifferent start to the season has coincided with the Reds’s own disastrous slump. Salah was dropped for Liverpool’s 2-0 English Premier League (EPL) win against West Ham last weekend, which injected some much needed life into the team after a streak of nine losses in 12 games across all competitions. Ahead of Wednesday’s clash against Sunderland, the Dutch coach said Salah was understandably disappointed, but praised his attitude in training, hinting he could return to the starting line-up. “Of course a player isn’t happy when they’re not playing. Salah has been a superhuman in my time here. But there are also phases when you are not. But Salah is so disciplined, he knows what to do to stay fit, no matter if he plays or he not,” said Slot before adding, “He’s scored so many goals for us and I’m sure he will in the future.” Salah has scored four goals in 12 EPL games this season. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
03 December,2025 08:50 AM IST | Liverpool | AgenciesTwo greats of the game, Argentine football legend Lionel Messi and batting icon Sachin Tendulkar will come together at the Wankhede Stadium on the evening of December 14. The Mumbai Cricket Association is all geared up to welcome and felicitate the World Cup-winning Argentine superstar. Messi will start his ‘GOAT tour to India’ in Kolkata on December 13, followed by Hyderabad the same evening. He will be in Mumbai the next day and will be concluding his India visit in New Delhi on December 15. “Messi will be giving lessons to some young players and it will be a memorable experience for all his fans to watch their idol from close quarters. With batting great Sachin Tendulkar’s presence, you never know, both might do some batting or bowling at the historic Wankhede Stadium. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and some other leading sporting personalities will also be present during this match,” a MCA source told mid-day on Monday. Messi has scored 115 goals in 196 international appearances so far. “MCA and the state will be felicitating Messi during this match. Cricket fans always respond in a big way whenever there is an international game at this ground and we are expecting the same this time too,” he added.
02 December,2025 09:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureMikel Arteta insisted Arsenal deserved respect after the Premier League leaders battled to a bruising 1-1 draw with title rivals Chelsea at the end of a gruelling week. Arteta’s side salvaged a point at Stamford Bridge thanks to Mikel Merino’s header in the 59th minute. Chelsea ignored Moises Caicedo’s 38th minute red card and took the lead through Trevoh Chalobah’s 48th minute header. Arteta was especially impressed with Arsenal’s display because they started a Premier League match without injured centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for the first time this season. “It’s been a big week,” he said. “The derby [against Tottenham, where they won 4-1], how emotional and the necessity to win, then Bayern Munich. We lost players in those games. We had to play a partnership we haven’t played before in a really difficult match. It’s been a positive week because the difficulty was immense. But I have this flavour that today we should have won the game, and we haven’t,” Arteta added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
02 December,2025 09:45 AM IST | London | AFPLiverpool legends David James and Robbie Fowler are still upbeat about the club’s chances of defending their English Premier League (EPL) title despite their woeful start to the season. The duo believe Arne Slot’s men can draw inspiration from the legendary second-half comeback Liverpool stirred up against AC Milan in the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League (UCL) final at Istanbul, which they won 6-5 on penalties after trailing 0-3 at half-time. ‘It will all click for them’ The Reds are currently 8th in the league table (21 points), having lost six of their 13 matches so far. They trail table-toppers Arsenal by eight points at the time of writing this, but James insists it’s ain’t over until the fat lady sings. “Liverpool will have that one game, where it all clicks for them, and then they’ll be set to carry that on for the rest of the season get into a position where they can contend for the title. We saw they went unbeaten for 24 games last season, so they are capable of doing that. If you recall [the 2005 UCL final], Milan were 3-0 up at half-time and were favourites to win the title, but then look at what happened,” James, who played for Liverpool between 1992-1999, told mid-day during an interaction at a city hotel on Sunday. Liverpool players during their 1-4 defeat to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield on Wednesday Fowler agreed with his ex-Manchester City and England teammate’s assessment, before firing a cheeky dig at the Gunners, when asked if it was Arsenal’s title to lose. “It’s not Arsenal’s title to lose because they haven’t won it yet. It’s Liverpool’s title to lose,” said Fowler with a laugh during the interaction organised by Carlsberg. Arsenal may lose steam James, who has also coached Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters (2014 and 2018), foresees Arsenal losing steam in the second-half of the season, just like they did in the last campaign. “There will come a point when a decision will have to be made [about prioritising competitions]. Last season, Arsenal sacrificed their EPL games to prioritise the UCL. That will leave Liverpool in a good position to capitalise because they’ll be in a mindset where they have to keep winning every game,” said James, who played 53 times for England. Liverpool players celebrate with the trophy after their Champions League final win over Milan at Istanbul in 2005. Pics/Getty Images Reflecting on the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ 20 years later, Fowler, who was then cheering Liverpool from the stands, revealed that he had given up at half-time before the Reds flipped the script much to the former East Bengal manager’s delight. “Honestly, no, I didn’t [expect Liverpool to win]. Milan were incredible in the first-half. They could have scored more than three. At half-time I was fearful. I thought this could end up being the most one-sided UCL final ever. But Liverpool made an incredible comeback,” said Fowler, who played for the Reds between 1993-2001 before returning for a second stint in 2006-2007.James chimed in, saying: “Miracle rightly describes the event. The moment that Jerzy Dudek made that save [in the penalty shootout to deny Andriy Shevchenko], it was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe what I’ve just witnessed’.” Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard was brilliant on the night, scoring the first goal and winning a penalty for the third. Then, custodian Dudek made an excellent double-save from point blank range against Shevchenko in the 117th min to take the match into penalties. Liverpool sink West Ham 2-0 Alexander Isak finally scored his first Premier League goal for troubled Liverpool to inspire a much-needed 2-0 win against West Ham on Sunday. Isak had failed to score in his five top-flight appearances since making a British record £125 million ($165 million) move from Newcastle in September. Cody Gakpo bagged Liverpool’s second goal in stoppage time to secure their first win in four games in all competitions.
01 December,2025 09:58 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronan CarvalhoJoshua Zirkzee scored his first Premier League goal for nearly a year before Mason Mount grabbed the winner as Manchester United came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Sunday. Ruben Amorim’s side trailed to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first half penalty at Selhurst Park, but Zirkzee and Mount netted after the interval to secure United’s first win in four games. United recovered from their lacklustre start thanks to Zirkzee’s first goal in the Premier League since he netted against Everton in December 2024. The much-maligned Dutch striker had gone 24 league games without a goal, adding to perception that his £36 million ($47.7 million) move from Bologna in 2024 was a bad investment. Zirkzee, 24, had failed to score in his eight previous appearances dating back to April. Beaten by Everton’s 10 men at Old Trafford on Monday, United’s first victory since October was a much-needed boost for Amorim. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 December,2025 09:49 AM IST | London | AFPADVERTISEMENT
