Celtic defender Liam Scales admits it hurt to hear manager Brendan Rodgers claim he was unsurprised by their poor performance in defeat by Hearts.
The Irishman believes he and his team-mates will be stung into action by Rodgers’ assessment when they host Livingston on Saturday.
It was a first domestic defeat at Celtic Park for almost three years but a second consecutive loss in the cinch Premiership – the first time the champions have lost back-to-back league games in more than a decade.
Celtic had already drawn at home to St Johnstone and Motherwell this season and Rodgers had revealed he was the angriest he had ever been as a manager when his side trailed in Perth weeks earlier.
Scales was among a small group of players Rodgers absolved of blame fol…
Arsenal and Liverpool can boast 100 per cent records after two games of the new Premier League season, while four sides have failed to pick up a point from their opening pair of matches.
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Southampton and Watford all suffered defeats on matchday two, while Manchester City and Chelsea dropped points at home.
With every team desperate to get into a winning habit, Opta s data helps us take a closer look at the patterns unfolding after the weekend s big games.
REDS WIN AGAIN TO EQUAL RODGERS RECORD
Liverpool racked up their 11th consecutive top-flight victory with a 2-1 win at Southampton, equalling the club record set under Brendan Rodgers in April 2014.
Sadio Mane s third goal in four days sent Jurgen Klopp s …
RB Leipzig have barely put a foot wrong since they were founded in 2009.
Four promotions in that time have seen the Red Bull-backed side achieve their ambition of reaching the Bundesliga, finishing second in their debut season in the top flight in 2016-17.
On Thursday, the club announced the highly rated Hoffenheim head coach would take charge at the Red Bull Arena from 2019-20, taking on the task of delivering the German title to Saxony.
Here, we take a look back at the history of a club that has been in existence for less than a decade but are ruffling feathers at the top of German football.
2009: FOUNDING
After exploring opportunities to establish or purchase a club in various German cities, Red Bull eventually settled on Leipzig and acquired t…
Manchester City remain in the hunt for glory on four fronts this season but Pep Guardiola s focus is not wavering from the more immediate challenge of a trip to struggling Fulham on Saturday.
As domestic action resumes following the international break, the Premier League champions have the chance to return to the summit with a win at Craven Cottage, a day before leaders Liverpool host Tottenham at Anfield.
Having already lifted the EFL Cup, City have an FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion still to come, prior to a Champions League quarter-final meeting with Spurs.
Not since Manchester United in 2008-09 has a club retained the Premier League title, and Guardiola – winner of successive crowns with both Barcelona and Bayern Munich – insists his p…
Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said he always wants more and more as he eyes further records after surpassing Pele.
Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick on Sunday to inspire Juve to a 3-1 win over Cagliari in Serie A and move onto 770 career goals.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner became the top goalscorer in history, eclipsing Brazil legend Pele.
There is still much more to achieve and I believe we can do it together, Ronaldo wrote via Instagram on Monday.
Goals are an essential part of who I am. I can t stop chasing for more, looking forward to achieving another record.
I always want more and more and I think that s why people often say that I have so much energy and that I never stop.
Maybe it s true, but this is essential to ke…
Luis de la Fuente asserted that Rodri will have to start playing ahead of Spain s Nations League clash with Switzerland.
Rodri is yet to feature for Manchester City in the Premier League this season after being substituted at half-time during the Euro 2024 final due to a hamstring injury.
The Spanish defensive midfielder made 34 appearances for City in the Premier League last season, scoring eight goals, and is a crucial cog in their midfield.
Despite Pep Guardiola erring on the side of caution to not use Rodri, De la Fuente believes he is ready to play again.
We always prioritise the player s health. [But] Rodri is perfectly trained and at some point he will have to start playing, either here or with his club, he told the media.
If we understan…
Opening up the new Premier League campaign with a worrying display in their 1-0 defeat against on Sunday, it appears that there are dark clouds forming over the White half of North London.
Despite just about managing to secure a top-six finish at the final hour earlier in the summer, Jose Mourinho has struggled to make an immediate impact at Tottenham and his style of play hasn’t won over many Spurs fans.
With some fearing that their long-awaited search for a piece of silverware is only set to continue after a concerning start to the New Year, all eyes are firmly on one man.
While Mourinho’s position in the Tottenham dugout certainly isn’t in any immediate danger with discussions over a return still ongoing, the bookmakers have already lined up a list of…
Still likely to be rueing a string of missed opportunities over the weekend, saw their Europa League dreams cut short thanks to a turnaround 2-1 defeat against Sevilla out in Germany.
Now crashing out of the Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup at the semi-final stage this season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it clear after Sunday’s defeat that he has his sights set on making some alterations to his squad this summer.
However, while the former Premier League champions might still remain interested in bringing to Old Trafford over the coming months, question marks still linger over the future of a number of their first-team squad.
With it confirmed earlier in the month that has made his move to Inter Milan a permanent one, who are the other Manchester United st…
Manchester City sent a message to the Premier League with an 8-0 thrashing of Watford on Saturday, but Liverpool claimed victory at Chelsea to ensure they maintained the lead in this season s title race.
The Reds held their nerve in the wake of City s emphatic performance, taking a first-half lead at Stamford Bridge and withstanding a late wave of Chelsea pressure to emerge with a 2-1 win.
While the top two attempt to outstrip each other, Tottenham and Arsenal are lagging behind and there were mixed fortunes for the North London rivals in matchweek six.
After a thrilling weekend of top-flight action, the Opta data sheds light on the important details.
REDS SET RECORD AS FLYING START CONTINUES
Liverpool s 2-1 win at Chelsea made them…
Prediction: Correct Score 2-0
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Bookmaker:
Tottenham Hotspur could potentially reclaim top spot in the Premier League on Saturday evening as they host Pep Guardiola s Manchester City.
Jose Mourinho s troops have enjoyed an excellent start to the new campaign and could put down another marker with victory against the Sky Blues at the weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur
Despite not really being talked up as title contenders before the season got underway, Spurs have displayed plenty of reasons so far as to why they could be genuine challengers. The North-Londoners have only lost one out of their opening eight Premier League games, that solitary loss coming right at the start of the season in the 1-0 reverse at the hands of Everton. One aspect that has…