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Punjab Kings’ qualification hopes hanging by a thread – they need to win their final game, and then have plenty of results go their way

Peter Della Penna03-Oct-20213:11

What’s behind Glenn Maxwell’s incredible six-hitting ability?

Virat Kohli’s quest for a maiden IPL title before stepping down as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore at the end of the season is still very much alive after his side became the third team to clinch a playoff berth in IPL 2021, holding on for a six-run win over Punjab Kings in Sharjah. Choosing to bat first, Kohli helped lay a solid foundation in tandem with Devdutt Padikkal by adding 68 for the first wicket before Glenn Maxwell powered on further with a half-century to take RCB to the highest total made by any side in Sharjah since the tournament resumed in September.

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For the first half of the chase Kings looked like they would track it down, reaching 81 for 0 at the 10-over mark. But despite 57 from Mayank Agarwal as part of a 91-run opening partnership alongside orange-cap wearer KL Rahul, the wheels fell off soon after thanks to an inspired spell of legspin from Yuzvendra Chahal who claimed three wickets including Agarwal. By the time the final over came around, 19 runs were needed and purple-cap holder Harshal Patel had little trouble containing Kings lower order to secure victory.Kings luckless in the field, with or without the umpiresDespite a wicketless powerplay, Kohli and Padikkal’s partnership was at times a meandering one, and also had its share of luck. Kohli was dropped twice, on 9 and 10, while Padikkal was allowed to continue batting on 35 in controversial circumstances after Rahul’s use of a DRS was unsuccessful despite UltraEdge showing a clear spike on a failed reverse sweep where the ball appeared to graze Padikkal’s gloves on the way through to the keeper.Moises Henriques finally broke the partnership and then some, taking three wickets in the space of seven balls in the 10th and 12th overs. Kohli was bowled for 25 by one that kept low. Dan Christian bagged a golden duck, mistiming a drive to backward point. And Padikkal was finally sent back for 40. This time there was no need for the third umpire to intervene as an attempted cut produced a thin edge that was well held by Rahul standing up to the stumps. Royal Challengers were under pressure at 73 for 3.Glenn Maxwell got to a fifty off 29 balls•BCCI

Maxwell tortures his former franchiseThe Australian power hitter gave a handy reminder to his old team-mates about why he’s such a valued resource in T20 cricket, hitting 57 off 33 balls. With AB de Villiers struggling to get going at one end, Maxwell dominated their 73-run partnership with a flurry of sixes, mostly off the slog sweep against the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Ravi Bishnoi.But it wouldn’t have been Maxwell ball without a reverse at some stage and he executed one to perfection against Bishnoi in the 18th over to secure another boundary. He brought up his half-century off 29 balls and was dismissed only in the final over, by which time Royal Challengers had put up a strong total on the board, the best by any team in Sharjah this season.Another excellent Kings platform goes to wasteRahul might well become a chief lobbyist on behalf of the T10 brigade following his team’s contrasting fortunes this season in their first 10 overs compared to their last 10. The Kings captain continued his run as the leading scorer in the IPL with another sharp burst at the top of the order in tandem with Agarwal. But once he fell for 39 off 35, the chase began to flounder.Chahal built off the Rahul breakthrough by inducing a top edged sweep from Nicholas Pooran, dismissing him for 3 in the 13th over. Agarwal was another victim of the extra bounce in Chahal’s legbreaks as a catch swirled over to short third man in the 16th over. Three balls later, Chahal capped his haul by defeating a flummoxed Sarfaraz for a golden duck. At 121 for 4 in 16, the Kings required rate of 11 per over through the last four proved to be a herculean task.Now in addition to needing a victory in their final match, the Kings will need a series of other results to go their way to have any chance of securing the fourth and final playoff berth.

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West Ham United host Premier League leaders Liverpool at the London Stadium on Monday night.

The Reds will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing recent draw with Leicester City, whilst the Hammers will be under pressure to make up for their 3-0 defeat to newly-promoted Wolves last time out.

However, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have had some fine home results against ‘big six’ opposition so far this season, including wins over Manchester United and Arsenal. They’ll be hoping to take another scalp on Monday.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The battlers

If the Irons are to take anything away from their upcoming meeting with Liverpool then Declan Rice must be at his absolute best at the base of their midfield. 

The 20-year-old has been in fine form so far this season and will likely be tasked with limiting Roberto Firmino’s influence on the match.

Jurgen Klopp has been deploying Firmino in a slightly deeper role than last season, with the 27-year-old Brazilian playing behind Mohamed Salah.

Rice’s ability to contain the 27-cap Brazil international could go a long way towards deciding the outcome of the match.

Who will prevail?

Given how effective Liverpool’s attacking contingent can be – particularly the devastating trio of Firmino, Salah and Sadio Mane – it is hard to see how Rice can seriously limit Firmino’s impact as the Brazilian will be afforded the freedom of the park to escape the West Ham man.

However, if Pellegrini puts an extra man in midfield, and gives Rice license to follow, press and chase Firmino, then he could could upset the Liverpool man’s rhythm. If West Ham do that enough, they stand a chance of securing a result.

[ad_pod ]Tottenham Hotspur recorded a huge victory 3-1 against Leicester City on Sunday afternoon to stay within touching distance of pace-setters Manchester City and Liverpool.Spurs were far from their vintage best but they showed enough bottle to record three priceless points against the travelling Foxes courtesy of goals from Davinson Sanchez, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min.Mauricio Pochettino opted to field Oliver Skipp alongside Harry Winks in midfield, and the latter continued to justify his rapidly growing reputation with an accomplished performance in the centre of the park.It was the type of performance which Skipp should be using as a benchmark for the future, as the England international’s composure, precise vision and relentless work-rate provided a solid foundation for victory.

Recent exposure to regular first-team opportunities has enabled Winks to blossom this season and justify the hype which has surrounded his development ever since his excellent performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on October 17, 2017.

And his latest showing on Sunday has prompted some supporters on Twitter to compare the 23-year-old to both Steve Perryman and Luka Modric, and those compliments serve to illuminate how highly regarded he is in north London right now.

Here’s what the Tottenham fans had to say about Winks’ performance against Leicester:

[ad_pod ]Aston Villa suffered a 1-0 defeat at Brentford in the Championship on Wednesday night, which was a result that did not go down well with the club’s supporters.Villa have now only won one of their last eight league matches, which is a run of form that has left them in 10th position in the table.It was a disappointing performance from Dean Smith’s side, but the Villa fans were pleased with the performance of Tyrone Mings.The on-loan Bournemouth centre-back won two aerial duels and two tackles during his 90 minutes on the field, according to WhoScored.Mings looks to be a very good signing for this level of football and the Villa supporters were really pleased with what they saw from him on Wednesday.

Indeed, in response to a tweet from the Premier League ace, the Championship club’s fans were out in force to reveal their fondness for him.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Barnsley head coach Daniel Stendel has admitted that his players looked tired as they beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 on Saturday.

Two goals from Cauley Woodrow gave Barnsley another three points, their third successive win on the bounce.

What’s the word?

Barnsley have not lost in 12 games and sit second in League One, six points behind leaders Luton Town, though they do hold a game in hand on the leaders.

The club are currently five points clear of third-placed Portsmouth and face Burton Albion on Tuesday.

But Stendel admits that his players are tired as the games come thick and fast.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

“Wycombe is not our favourite team to play against,” Stendel admitted, per the club’s official website.

“The first game against them was probably our worst performance this season (a 1-0 loss in December), we were too lazy and we only really had one chance in 90 minutes.

“I told the players we needed to be attacking in this game all the time and we would win.

“We didn’t have our best day today, we seemed a little bit tired I think, but we still won which was our goal. It was not a nice game but it was a deserved win, we did enough.”

Momentum is key

Barnsley need to ensure that their momentum carries them through.

The Tykes are in the middle of a promotion tussle with Luton and have to be ready to capitalise on any slips.

Their game in hand comes this week, against Burton, and a win would see Barnsley move within three points of the league leaders.

Of course, Stendel admitting that his players are tired may well worry the club’s fans but Burton may well be equally as fatigued – they drew 1-1 with Shrewsbury Town on Saturday.

These runs can be tough on the legs but the momentum they generate, particularly if a team is winning as much as Barnsley are, is fantastic.

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It’s been all change in Paradise this week, with Brendan Rodgers departing for Leicester and Neil Lennon subsequently reinstated at the Celtic Park helm, and former Celt Moussa Dembele has taken to social media to share his take on the events.

The striker sought pastures new last summer and publicly criticised his former manager for rejecting Lyon’s approach although, eventually, the move went through and the Frenchman is now plying his trade with the Ligue 1 outfit.

However, the 22-year-old has now hit out at Rodgers once again, telling the Bhoys that he told them so, having previously suggested that the now-Leicester manager wasn’t a man of his word.

Check out a Celtic fan perspective on Brendan Rodgers leaving Celtic for Leicester in the video below…

Dembele may be gone and three new strikers, as Rodgers said he required, have replaced him, but that hasn’t prevented the Celtic faithful from clamouring for the hotshot’s return to Glasgow as he brilliantly slammed his former boss.

You can find the best of the reaction on Twitter below…

Liverpool have come a long way since solely relying on Mo Salah last year and their development in every department has been telling of Jurgen Klopp’s admirable work.

Not only has he improved his side’s defensive state exponentially, but he’s also helped his attackers take things up a notch as a collective unit.

Sadio Mane (who now has a Transfermarkt rating of £67.5m), for one, has capitalized from this change in tact impressively. After scoring a fantastic brace against Watford, which included an outrageous back-heel finish to send the Kop into raptures, he put an end to their goal drought. While Mohamed Salah is struggling to keep up the heat, Mane’s continued to be Liverpool’s torch-bearer in the attack and looks every inch a title-winning attacker.

The Senegalese winger’s style is different from Salah, but he’s also brought similar lethality into his game-play. Despite his ability, Mane’s talents have sometimes been undermined because of Salah’s incredible goal-scoring run, acting as more of a foil for the Egyptian.

However, now that his team-mate is somewhat struggling at the moment, people are finally recognizing his importance.

Largely known for being the tricky winger at Southampton, Mane’s grown into a much more clinical, decisive player. He’s already scored 14 league goals this season, four more than last campaign. Indeed, he’s scored only three goals less than Salah, despite having played almost 200 minutes less than him and has emerged as Liverpool’s go-to man over the course of his side’s excellent campaign.

He’s blossomed from being an inconsistent winger into a nightmare to defend against. Mane’s not only a pacy, skilful player capable of dazzling fans with his footwork, but the unpredictability he’s inherited to produce brilliant goal-scoring moments is making everyone realize his talent being on par with the mighty Egyptian’s.

It looks very unlikely that Salmon Rondon will return to West Bromwich Albion next season and, well, who needs him? While there have been many frustrations for Baggies fans this season, goalscoring certainly isn’t one of them and their attacking lines look better without the South American battering ram. 

After moving to Newcastle United on loan and revitalizing the  Magpies campaign, he’s himself stated towards wanting to stay at the club for “many years to come.”

Still, as much as Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez have impressed, the Baggies now face a dilemma in replacing him, with Premier League promotion a realistic dream for them. Though teams like Newcastle and Wolves have proven that promoted teams no longer merely just need to survive, neither Gayle or Rodriguez have proven overly prolific in the top tier and the style deployed by Darren Moore will need to be a touch more pragmatic.

To do that, they’ll need more of a hold-up player, someone who can battle like Rondon and bring others into play.

So, one closed door has opened up another one.

They can now look towards potentially replacing him with someone as talented or better in the summer. With that in mind, here are TWO such options.

Oliver McBurnie

The Swansea City hitman’s been a bright part in their gloomy season, lighting up their games with some stunning goals time and again. McBurnie’s scored 16 in 33 appearances while assisting four times as well.

A towering individual who’s averaged 3.1 aerial duels won to compliment his predatorial instincts and hard-tackling manner, McBurnie can set into the Baggies attacking system really well. The 22-year-old can be Darren Moore’s trump card and possibly take the Premier League by storm next season, having proved his worth.

Charlie Austin

He might be struggling to impress at Southampton, yet Charlie Austin can blend in really well at West Bromwich Albion.

Despite having only two goals this season, he could suit West Brom’s physical style and help them with his Premier League experience as well, having worked so well at QPR prior to his move south. Indeed, Austin’s a known goal-scorer and can benefit from the quality attackers surrounding him.

If Moore can shape his style around him, he could inherit the menacing goal-scorer the 29-year-old was at Queens Park Rangers.

West Brom fans, do you feel these two strikers can replace Rondon? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is nothing if not phenomenally thorough. The Argentine coach is well-known for his near-obsessive levels of analysis and attention to detail.

His side are incredibly well drilled, their complex movements and patterns of play choreographed and practiced relentlessly. As far as is possible in football, the Whites boss leaves nothing to chance.

However, in Jack Harrison, the manager persists with a player who brings a great deal of unpredictability to the table.

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

The 22-year-old Manchester City loanee has often flown somewhat under the radar this season as others have hogged the headlines, and he has only chipped in with three goals and three assists in the league, as per Transfermarkt’s stats. Yet, he has made 28 Championship appearances, 23 of which have come as a member of the starting XI.

At times he has lacked consistency, or looked to be short on confidence. He has regularly failed to produce end product. However, Bielsa has persevered with Harrison because of his work rate, commitment, and ability to bring the best out of others. The former England under-21 international is an intelligent runner. His movements make space for others. On top of that, he always looks to make progressive passes, and he never fails to track back and perform his defensive duties.

What he offers on the pitch isn’t always obvious, and there are certainly flaws in his game. However, as he demonstrated last time out against Reading, he picks up the slack for others in many areas. He also brings a bit of chaos to Bielsa’s order, which makes Leeds even harder to face.

Against the Royals, Harrison got forward well. As per WhoScored’s stats, he produced one key pass, had one shot on target, and successfully completed two dribbles. He also worked tirelessly to make space for the likes of Pablo Hernandez and Patrick Bamford.

The No.22 also did his defensive duties, making three tackles and producing one interception.

However, his ball retention left plenty to be desired. He committed three unsuccessful touches and could only muster a pass accuracy rating of 64% – the worst of any Leeds player. His erratic distribution will frustrate Bielsa, and it is an area in which the attacker must improve, but in some ways it is also a symptom of the high-risk-high-reward approach the player takes which makes him such a wildcard in this Leeds team.

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Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon.

James Milner scored the game’s vital third goal from the penalty spot after Ryan Babel had cancelled out the opener from Sadio Mane.

Adam Lallana was handed a start in the middle of the Liverpool midfield and played 72 minutes before being replaced.

Injuries have really taken their toll on the England international over the last 12 months or so, but it does appear that he has a role to play between now and the end of the season.

According to WhoScored, Lallana made five tackles and won three aerial duels against Fulham, but his pass success rate (78%) was a little on the low side.

There is no question that the 30-year-old has a lot of talent, but a number of Liverpool fans have taken to social media in the aftermath of the Fulham result to criticise the 5ft 8in ace.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: