| Bayern, Chelsea, Madrid stay perfect in Champions League Nine-time winner Real Madrid took control of its Champions League group with a 1-0 victory over Auxerre on Tuesday as AC Milan was held to a ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Utrecht v Liverpool - live! • Turn on our automatic tool for the latest updates• Email scott.murray@guardian.co.uk with your observations• Click here for all the latest scores from the Europa League12 min: Lucas earns himself a bit of space in midfield, and tears towards the box, drifting slightly to the right. As he approaches the box, he pulls the trigger, but the shot's weak and squirms wide left of goal. For a team free of confidence at the moment, Liverpool have started this game quite well.10 min: Meireles has a shot from the centre, after cutting in from the right. It's a terrible effort, Vorm swallowing it with ease. It's quite open, this game, without much happening. At least there's promise, shall we say.9 min: Johnson sends the ball in from the right, after jinking down the wing a bit. Torres is at the back post, but the cross isn't quite right, a wobbly affair which squeaks out of play to the left of goal.7 min: The ball's shuttled down the Utrecht right by Lensky and Silberbauer, before being shifted inside to Duplan. The man who sounds like a 1970s kitchen unit takes a first-time shot, sending the ball sailing wide left, Reina covering it all the way.6 min: Mertens clips the ball into the Liverpool area from the left. The magnificently monickered van Wolfswinkel tries to get his tippy-toe on the ball, but can't quite reach it, and Skrtel sees it out.5 min: A quiet start, this. Dirk Kuyt takes the opportunity to look around the stands, the former Utrecht player dreaming dreamy dreams of old times.2 min: Meireles tries to dink in a cross from a tight position on the left, but can only send the ball sailing miles behind to the right of goal.29 seconds: Liverpool were ahead in their last European game by now. The decline continues.And we're off! Liverpool lose the ball within three seconds. That's not ideal, that. They get it back within another 10, before losing it again. Hmm.The teams are out: Liverpool are dressed in black on the outside, because black is how they feel on the inside. Utrecht are wearing their shirts of red-and-white diagonals, rather like the away strip Rangers wore in the days the likes of Trevor Francis and Andy Gray were playing for them.The flip side: Utrecht are unbeaten in four European games this season, winning the last three without letting in a single goal. This could be good. Who needs the Champions League? (Apart from those two clowns who own the gaff, that is.)Liverpool's record against Dutch opposition: W8 D3 L1. They've not lost a game in the Netherlands since being tonked 5-1 by Cruyff's emerging Ajax in December 1966, a game that saw Bill Shankly wander onto the pitch under cover of deep fog to give his team a bollocking. What a guy.Kick off: Thursday night, Channel Five Thursday early-evening, ITV4. A 6pm start. Lovely.The ref: Duarte Gomes (Portugal)Here, this Liverpool team looks half decent, you know: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Kelly, Poulsen, Kuyt, Lucas, Cole, Meireles, Torres.Subs: Jones, Jovanovic, Kyrgiakos, Maxi, Babel, Ngog, Spearing.FC Utrecht, playing English opposition for the very first time: Vorm, Cornelisse, Wuytens, Schut, Nesu, Lensky, Silberbauer, van Wolfswinkel, Mertens, Duplan, Mulenga. Subs: Sinouh, Demouge, Van Der Maarel, Maguire, Keller, Vorstermans, Nijholt.Happy 300th Uefa club competition tie to you, happy 300th Uefa club competition tie to you, happy 300th Uefa club competition tie to Liverpool, happy 300th Uefa club competition tie to you. And what a tie to celebrate, away at Utrecht in the Europa... actually, let's leave it there.Europa LeagueUtrechtLiverpoolScott Murrayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Squad sheets: Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion Whatever the true state of Wayne Rooney's ankle, Albion are likely to be without their own first-choice centre-forward as Peter Odemwingie is struggling to shake off a knee injury while Jerome Thomas is also doubtful. Theoretically, this should be straightforward for Manchester United, who have not dropped a league point at Old Trafford this season. Nevertheless, Roberto Di Matteo's first four away games have taken him to the old Big Four. They were first thrashed at Chelsea, pushed Liverpool hard and then shocked Arsenal. Tim RichVenue Old Trafford, Saturday 3pmTickets ÂŁ27-49 (0161 868 8000)Last season n/aReferee M JonesThis season's matches 5 Y14, R1, 3.00 cards per gameOdds Manchester Utd 2-7 West Bromwich 12-1 Draw 5-1Manchester UtdSubs from Kuszczak, Brown, Gibson, Park, J Evans, Rafael, Obertan, Neville, Hernández, Smalling, Fábio, Owen, Anderson, Macheda, BebĂ©, CarrickDoubtful Giggs (hamstring), Park (knee),Injured Hargreaves (calf, 24 Oct), Valencia (broken leg, Mar)Suspended NoneForm guide DDWDWDDisciplinary record Y14 R0Leading scorer Berbatov 6West BromwichSubs from Myhill, Thomas, Bednar, Tchoyi, Pablo, Barnes, Zuiverloon, Cox, MĂ©ĂŻtĂ©, Reid, Miller, OdemwingieDoubtful Odemwingie (knee), Thomas (calf)Injured Cech (foot, 23 Oct), Mattock (thigh, 23 Oct)Suspended NoneForm guide DWWDLWDisciplinary record Y12 R1Leading scorer Odemwingie 3Match pointers• United have won 11 of their last 12 league meetings with Albion, scoring 34 goals and conceding only five times• Albion's last win at Old Trafford in any competition came over 30 years ago in December 1978, when they triumphed 5-3• United have scored three or more goals in 12 of their last 14 home top-flight matches• Nani has provided the most assists (six) and had the most shots off-target (14) so far in the 2010-11 season• If Albion lose it will be their 50th defeat away from home in the Premier LeaguePremier LeagueManchester UnitedWest Bromguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Liverpool sold to Red Sox owners The $476 million takeover by New England Sports Ventures was completed Friday after a bitter court fight with the club's previous American owners. cbc.ca |
Football League blog: your thoughts on today's games Sven-Goran Eriksson's big day was ruined by Hull, while David James is at risk of becoming the new Neil Redfearn• Click here for all the day's results and scorers and here for the latest league tables.• First half good, second half not so good. Andy King gave Sven-Goran Eriksson the perfect start to his career at Leicester City, putting the home side ahead after only three minutes, but that was as good as it got for Sven's men as Hull City recovered from that early concession to earn a draw thanks to Robert Koren's equaliser. It could have gone either way in the end, but Leicester are still in the bottom three, so there's plenty of work to be done. Not that Eriksson is averse to a spot of hard graft, of course.• It was first v third at a packed Loftus Road as QPR hosted Norwich City. Apart from Manchester United, QPR were the last side in the country not to have suffered a defeat this season, yet they could count themselves a tad fortunate not to have lost that impressive record this afternoon. But for Wes Hoolahan's spectacularly awful penalty miss in the first half, they would have. Norwich will be kicking themselves.• David James is at risk of turning into something of a relegation specialist. After last year's travails with Portsmouth, things haven't become much better for the former England goalkeeper at Bristol City. He arrived at the club to much fanfare in the summer, but 11 games into the season they are firmly rooted to the bottom of the Championship. And what's more, if they keep chucking away two-goal leads, that's precisely where they're going to stay for the rest of the season. Despite going two up inside eight minutes away to Cardiff City, they still contrived to lose. Jay Bothroyd swiftly pulled one back, and two excellent efforts in the second half from Peter Whittingham sealed victory for Cardiff, who stay second. As for James, who was also relegated with West Ham in 2003, if he's not careful people might soon start calling him the new Neil Redfearn.• That said, at least Bristol City didn't blow a three-goal lead. At home. Peterborough raced into a 3-0 lead after just 22 minutes at London Road against Swindon Town and unbelievably, it was 3-3 at half-time. There have been a spate of bizarre results in the lower leagues this season - 5-4s, 5-5s, 6-4s and even a 7-4 - but this one was as strange as they come. Obviously, it was eventually settled by a last-minute own-goal by Kevin Amankwaah which gave Peterborough a 5-4 win to keep them second. Breathless stuff, and more importantly it kept them within touching distance of League One's leaders, Brighton, who thrashed Charlton Athletic 4-0 at The Valley.• Although Brentford knocked Everton out of their Carling Cup, their league form has been miserable, so give them their dues today, as a thumping 3-0 victory at Tranmere Rovers lifted them off the bottom. And promptly put Tranmere bottom.• Squandered leads were something of a theme today and Torquay really are suffering from the curse of being lauded on the Football League blog. Top of League Two at the start of the season and boasting an awesome defensive record, they haven't won since August and are now marooned in mid-table. They endured a topsy-turvy ride against Bury today - 2-0 up, they eventually lost 4-3. Summer really is over down on the south coast.• This is getting a little tiresome. Northampton were 3-0 up at home against Hereford – a Leon McKenzie hat-trick doing the business – but by now, you probably don't need me to tell you that the visitors fought back to earn the unlikeliest of 4-3 victories in another madcap encounter. This was a particularly embarrassing result for Northampton, given that Hereford went into the game as the 92nd best team in the country. They still are but now they trail Barnet, who lost 2-1 to Stockport, only on goal difference.Have your say on all of today's Football League action below ...ChampionshipLeague OneLeague TwoJacob Steinbergguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |