Chelsea nudged ahead of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table as Eden Hazard s hat-trick helped secure a come-from-behind 4-1 win over Cardiff City
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on Saturday.
The Belgium star needed just six first-half minutes to erase an early deficit and later returned to seal his treble from the spot as the hosts continued their perfect start to the new season.
Cardiff did fleetingly threaten an almighty upset thanks to Sol Bamba s shock 16th-minute opener before Maurizio Sarri s men took command on the way to a convincing fifth straight victory.
The in-form Hazard instigated a hasty turnaround that became a comfortable three points when Willian curled home seven minutes from the end, ensuring the Blues inched into top spot on goal difference.
Al-Hilal are expected to try and sign Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in the near future, according to Ben Jacobs.
The Egyptian winger, who netted twice in Liverpool s victory over Saudi-owned Newcastle on Monday, has long been a subject of Saudi interest. Apparently, Al-Hilal considered a move for his services last summer, but Al-Ittihad were given the green light to try first as they were to appear at the FIFA Club World Cup. In any case, Liverpool stood firm about not letting their main attacking threat leave ahead of 2023/24, and Salah stayed put.
But with his contract entering its final 12 months at the end of June this year, Salah s future appears uncertain once more. He will have turned 32 by then, and the Merseysiders might be more willing to negotiate a sale under…
Sam Allardyce claims he rejected the chance to speak to Newcastle United about returning to the club as Rafael Benitez s replacement.
Newcastle are searching for a new manager after Benitez left for China following the expiry of his contract at the end of June.
Steve Bruce has reportedly emerged as the favourite, but another former Sunderland boss in Allardyce claims to have been contacted about the role, much to his own surprise.
The former Bolton Wanderers, West Ham and England manager spent eight unhappy months in charge of Newcastle before a parting of ways in January 2008.
I was certainly extremely surprised, Allardyce told talkSPORT about the approach.
It never really got to the sort of talks people are suggesting. I had to chat to my agen…
Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri has insisted Darren Moore’s departure as manager was not due to disagreement over the club’s recruitment.
Moore left Hillsborough on Monday just three weeks after guiding Wednesday back into the Championship via the play-offs after a two-year absence.
The club said the 49-year-old left by mutual consent but reports have hinted at tension between the chairman and former manager over a lack of backing in the January transfer window.
Following Tuesday’s fans forum and subsequent correspondence to the club, chairman Dejphon Chansiri has conducted an in-house and in-depth interview to clarify and expand upon answers
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc)
Wednesday were second at the start of the month and u…
Pep Guardiola has been known to readily remind journalists in his news conferences that he understands how to cope with an injury crisis.
The Manchester City manager likes to recall his first Champions League final, when Barcelona faced a rampant Manchester United in Rome with Yaya Toure at centre-back, Carles Puyol shunted out to right-back and veteran Sylvinho in the other wide defensive position.
Barca dazzled during a 2-0 win that sent one of the greatest club teams in history on their way into the stratosphere.
So, when all Guardiola s senior City centre-backs were injured this season, no problem. Defensive midfielders Fernandinho and Rodri could play there and they did exactly that during back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Atalanta.
It…
Former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has replaced the sacked Niko Kovac as Wolfsburg head coach on a long-term contract.
The 56-year-old Austrian, who has previously managed RB Leipzig and Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga, had been out of work since leaving Premier League side Saints in November 2022.
Wolfsburg said Hasenhuttl would be unveiled as boss at a Monday press conference before overseeing his first training session on Tuesday, with a view to delivering an overdue win after recent results led to the dismissal of Croatian coach Kovac on Sunday.
Welcome, Ralph Hasenhüttl!
The Austrian takes over as head coach at the Wolves and signs a long-term contract.
— VfL Wolfsburg EN/US (@VfLWolfsburg_EN)
Kovac, 52, took over at the Vol…
Everton have reached an agreement with Manchester City about the transfer of Fabian Delph, according to The Times journalist .
The Merseyside Blues apparently believe the former Aston Villa captain would bring leadership to their team, but he also might be perceived as a potential replacement for Idrissa Gana Gueye, who is a long-standing target for Paris Saint-Germain.
Having started out at Leeds United, Delph joined Aston Villa in the summer of 2009, and eventually earned the captain s armband. His subsequent move to Manchester City, in 2015, sparked a lot of controversy as he first failed to report to a medical with the current Premier League champions and then appeared to confirm he would be staying at the Villa Park. However, it soon became clear that he had change…
Back when Pep Guardiola was in his playing pomp and Zinedine Zidane was plotting his path towards the summit of the European game, elite clubs loved to look towards Brazilian brilliance to supply a vital measure of Champions League pizzazz.
Guardiola could delight in picking out the lethal Romario from midfield. Where he trod for Barcelona, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho duly followed.
Pep has a special feeling for Brazilian players, Guardiola s former assistant and newly appointed Flamengo boss Domenec Torrent told Globoesporte earlier this year.
In fact, he has a preference for Brazilians because they are very versatile and can adapt to any type of football.
It was little surprise to see Brazil internationals at the heart of Guardiola s plans for Fr…
Angel Di Maria should continue playing in Europe for another one or two seasons despite his uncertain future with Paris Saint-Germain.
That is the view of Di Maria s father Miguel as the winger reviews his career options.
Di Maria is expected to leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player has only started four times in Ligue 1 since the start of 2022 and his importance to the team appears to be diminishing.
Di Maria has three goals and three assists from 20 league appearances this season, but his father Miguel believes he still has more to do in Europe and should remain there with the World Cup approaching.
I would like him to play one or two more years in Europe and then come …
Joan Laporta has won the race to become Barcelona s new president, with the 58-year-old seeing off competition from Victor Font and Antoni Freixa.
Laporta, who held the post from 2003 to 2010, was the favourite to come out on top in Sunday s election, and those predictions proved correct.
An exit poll conducted by Catalan television station TV3 projected Laporta to succeed with 58.3 per cent of the vote over Font (31.3) and Freixa (9.3).
The final figures were not too far off – Laporta claiming 54.28 per cent of the vote (30,184 votes). In total, there were 51,983 valid votes.
2021 ELECTION
Joan Laporta, new president of FC Barcelona
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
Lionel Messi and fellow first-team stars Sergio Busquets…