Everton falls to another bottom-half side as West Ham gets big win

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Jarrod Bowen scored a pair of first-half goals and posted a memorable celebration as West Ham beat Everton 2-0 at London’s Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

Bowen’s partner announced that she is pregnant with twins, and Bowen celebrated his opening goal by putting the ball under his shirt — nothing new — but putting both of his thumbs into his mouth.

“We broke the news last night that we are having twins,” Bowen said after the game. “Since we found out it has been hard to keep it away from everyone but to release it last night and score today was really special. I could not have asked for a better weekend.”

WATCH LIVE WEST HAM vs EVERTON FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM – LINK

West Ham had lost six of seven, taking just one point since October 30, but now climbs out of the relegation zone by a point.

Everton’s taken just two points from eight matches after this loss and now sits dead last with 15 points, two off the safe spaces, with 20 matches in the books.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]


Everton gives away three more points to relegation rival

Things are ugly around Goodison Park and ire toward the club ownership has somewhat deflected pain away from manager Frank Lampard.

But a team with established Premier League defenders with relegation-fighting experience has now given wins to the teams sitting 19th (Southampton), 18th (Bournemouth), 17th (Wolves), and the now 15th-place Irons.

Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Seamus Coleman, Alex Iwobi… this is not a team devoid of quality, but it is losing nearly every single week.

The Toffees had a lot of the ball — just under 70 percent for the game — but that’s a bit misleading given West Ham was happy to counter once ahead 2-0.

Everton lost the xG battle 2.33-0.67 and was out-attempted 11-5.

You go back to this summer and the sale of Richarlison partnered with the non-sale of Anthony Gordon — who came into this game with 21 minutes played since Boxing Day — has rattled the attack. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been easier to shut down and the money Everton bypassed by not selling Gordon for the wild fees attached to him would’ve sure been useful.

But there’s something here in terms of talent and experience. Can Everton continue to ride with Lampard?


Full credit to Moyes’ Irons, though

Whether David Moyes is the man for West Ham longer term is another story, but there’s no doubt the Irons have been fighting hard all season and, frankly, have been terribly unlucky in terms of what advanced stats say they should be getting from their performances.

So a 2-0 halftime lead was welcome and allowed the West Ham fans to dream about things returning to normal as Danny Ings came on as a second-half sub following his move from Aston Villa.

West Ham vs Everton
Fotmob.com

Bowen was excellent as was Declan Rice, and Nayef Aguerd — lost for most of the early season — looked the real deal in a back three with Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma. Things are looking up for the Irons.

And what would West Ham be without Rice?

Rumors that Arsenal will bid big for the complete midfielder and England national team star are just the latest buzz connecting him to a top-four side.

Look at those numbers. –>


Stars of the Show

Jarrod Bowen

Nayef Aguerd

Declan Rice

Kurt Zouma

Amadou Onana


Alex Iwobi reaction: Everton fighting for Frank Lampard

The ownership is on us as a team, we attack and defend together,” Iwobi said, via the BBC. “We still have half the season left and a lot of improvement to do.

“Frank Lampard made a few changes after the break, told us to keep pushimg and be more dynamic. (Pressure) is nothing new to us, we were in the same situation last season. We have a break coming up and we have to regroup. It is not just the manager who takes responsibility, the players are fighting for him and the club.”


Frank Lampard reaction:

“I didn’t see that (fan protests),” Lampard said, via the BBC. “The fans support us and travel a long way for us. … It is a big job, I knew that when I took the job because we were looking at a relegation battle then. We had a big fight and stayed in the league. We lost Richarlison and now have tried to build around that so it is normal we are fighting again, when other clubs are trying to move on.

“I don’t want to tell how Everton fans how to feel, my job its to give everything in the job here. We had a lot of possession, but were short in the final third. It is impossible for me to jump into the future, last season we were five points shy of safety with five or six games to go but as a club we have to move together. I cannot complain about the spirit of the players and how they approached the game. They may have passed it slow but we didn’t find it in the final third.

“Fans are realists, they have watched the team over the last few years. History moves and nothing gives you the right to be in their league, we have seen huge football clubs go down. If you don’t move you will hit tough times. We are in tough times and everyone has to try to move forward.”

What’s next?

West Ham’s off to Derby County for a Jan. 30 fourth-round match in the FA CUp before a trip to Newcastle on Feb. 4.

The Toffees now welcome Arsenal on Feb. 4 before a Merseyside derby on Feb. 13. It’s difficult to imagine Lampard’s men — whether they remain his or not — won’t be bottom three on Valentine’s Day. Bummer.


West Ham vs Everton live: Irons lead 2-0 on Jarrod Bowen goals (video)


How to watch West Ham vs Everton live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 10am ET Saturday
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com


Key storylines & star players

West Ham is playing tight games but not getting the rub of the green over its winless run, losing six games and drawing one with a combined xG difference of minus-3.67. West Ham’s running the midfield with Declan Rice, Lucas Paqueta, and friends, and Gianluca Scamacca continues to look like a powder keg waiting to go on an explosive run of form.

Everton has scored in four-straight games including their lone positive result, an impressive 1-1 draw with Man City, and Demarai Gray has two of those goals. The other scorers are a defender (Yerry Mina) and a defensive midfielder (Amadou Onana) as the Toffees sure would like to see Anthony Gordon, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Neal Maupay or another attacker show his finishing face to the Premier League.


West Ham team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Maxwel Cornet (calf)

Everton team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Nathan Patterson (knee), James Garner (lower back), Andros Townsend (knee), Michael Keane (knee), Ben Godfrey (knee)

Reports: Tottenham Hotspur to hire Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou as next manager

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Multiple reports say that Ange Postecoglou will be leaving Celtic to become the next manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

Celtic had reportedly granted permission for Spurs to speak with their trophy-collecting boss, and things apparently progressed quickly as the 57-year-old looks set to oversee the club’s big rebuild.

[ MORE: Recalling Zlatan’s “unicorn” career ]

Spurs suffered through an inconsistent 2022-23 season with Antonio Conte at the helm, followed by Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason in interim stints.

Tottenham will not have European football this season and is at risk of losing legendary center forward Harry Kane. The club has eight players including Kane going into the final year of their contracts, including Ivan Perisic, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, and Hugo Lloris.

Spurs finished eighth last season, 15 points off the top four despite spending much of the season inside of it. The club’s finished fourth just once in the past four seasons despite qualifying for the Champions League the previous four seasons.

Ironically, Celtic is being linked with pursuit of Brendan Rodgers and Jesse Marsch if Postecoglou departs this week.

Who is Ange Postecoglou?

Postecoglou, 57, was born in Greece and moved to Australia at a young age, starring for South Melbourne as a player and earning for caps for the Socceroos.

He is coming off a domestic treble with Celtic and won five of six trophies available to him in his two seasons with the Bhoys.

At Celtic, Postecoglou played with a 4-3-3 for much of the first half of his tenure but played a lot of this campaign in a 4-2-3-1.

Postecoglou won trophies as a manager with South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, and Yokohama F. Marinos, claiming the Asian Cup during his stint as Australia national team coach.

He said he expects tricky early times wherever he goes.

“Wherever I’ve been, the initial part is always rocky, because my ideas are… well they’re not extreme to me but I can see how they can be seen as extreme from the outside. It takes a while. Usually it can take me six months, it can take me a year to really bed them in, depending on how many opportunities I have to change the playing squad and the staff and all those kinds of things.”

Five players to watch in the Premier League’s summer transfer window

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There’s going to be turnover in the Premier League this offseason, and it seems likely the big boys will again be looking to the top young talents in other leagues to get in when the getting is good.

There will be big price tags attached to some players this summer, but in the case of the players below we may be talking about players just a window away from having unattainably high price tags for most clubs.

[ TRANSFER NEWS: Arsenal | Liverpool | Chelsea | Tottenham | Man City | Man United ] 

Most of these names have danced through ProSoccerTalk‘s transfer rumor mill at least once during the past season or two, and in one case have been on the radar for a half-decade or so.

Here’s a look at five players who may well find their way to the Premier League in the very near future, and could move somewhere this summer.

Xavi Simons, PSV Eindhoven

At times the teen hype around Xavi Simons coming out of Barcelona’s academy was akin to the recruitment of Martin Odegaard out of Norway so many years ago. But Simons couldn’t break through at Barca and his move to Paris Saint-Germain didn’t take off as expected. So Simons, who just turned 20 in April, landed at PSV Eindhoven. All he did was lead the Eredivisie in goals. PSG has a buyback clause but Simons would have to want to go there… and there are plenty of rumored suitors for the playmaker. Simons chipped in eight assists and was Fotmob’s highest-rated Eredivisie player.

Possible fits: Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool

Jurrien Timber, Ajax

Still 21 for a couple more weeks, Timber got Mancunian tongues wagging when he attended the FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Manchester City. The star center back played under United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax and now has 15 caps for the Netherlands senior team. He has a ridiculous passing and ball progression profile for his position, and has showed enough attacking acumen to get any team excited about him.

Possible fits: Manchester United, Manchester City

Randal Kolo Muani, Eintracht Frankfurt

The 24-year-old has acknowledged dreams of playing in the Premier League following a blockbuster first season at Eintracht, where he scored 23 goals with 17 assists amongst all competitions. Moving to a new country did not slow him at all after his time at Nantes, and he was linked with a number of PL sides even before he admitted his interest in the league.

Possible fits: Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United

Sepe Elye Wahi, Montpellier

The 20-year-old nearly scored as many goals as his age in his third season with Montpellier’s first team, and has attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, and Chelsea amongst others. Wahi is still very raw when it comes to passing the ball but part of his statistical deficiencies could have to do with his club’s relative struggles. A eager presser, his best traits are finishing and that’s the stat that drives the bus for him.

Possible fits: Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal

Gabriel Veiga, Celta Vigo

Here’s another playmaker linked with Arsenal, but you can see why he could fit in Mikel Arteta’s system. His 11 goals were 13th in La Liga this season and his four assists means he had a goal contribution on 15 of Celta’s 43 league goals. An eager dribbler, he delivered 80 shot creating actions this season and ranked in the 99th percentile for midfielders when it came to non-penalty goals.

Possible fits: Newcastle, Arsenal, Man CIty

How many times has a team won the treble? Man City goes for history

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There’s been a lot of treble talk these days, talk that’s found a new level of buzz since Manchester City moved within one win of joining the club.

It’s an elite club, by the way, of teams that have won their domestic league, top domestic cup, and the European Cup.

Nine times in history has a team won the treble, and only once has it been done by a Premier League club.

[ MORE: Recalling Zlatan’s “unicorn” career ]

That’s why Man City’s defeat of Manchester United earlier this month in the FA Cup Final rings so true for the Citizens; The blue side of Manchester would join the red side as treble supporters, as United won the treble in 1998-99.

Man City goes for the third jewel of its treble crown on Saturday versus Inter Milan in Istanbul when it kicks off the UEFA Champions League Final.

For more treble trivia, head below the jump.

How many times has the treble been won?

Bayern Munich and Barcelona have each done it twice, with Bayern doing it in 2012-13 and 2019-20 and Barca pulling it off in 2008-09 and 2014-15.

Celtic was the first to win a treble, doing it in 1966-67, while Ajax was the next in 1971-72.

PSV Eindhoven then won it in 1987-88 before Man United made it happen 11 years later. Inter Milan is the only Italian team to pull it off, winning in 2009-10.

(UEFA.com)

Manchester City vs Inter Milan: How to watch Champions League Final, odds, predictions

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Manchester City is on the chase for a historic treble and standing in the way is Inter Milan, one of Europe’s precious few clubs to claim such an honor.

[ LIVE: Manchester City vs Inter Milan ]

The Premier League winners three times running have an FA Cup under their belt after beating Manchester United on June 3 and the final jewel in their treble crown awaits with a win in Istanbul on June 10.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

Pep Guardiola could lead a second club to a treble after he did it with Barcelona in 2008-09, and they would give heated rivals United domestic company on the treble stage right down the road.

Guardiola says it’s now okay to talk about the treble. We agree, and we’ve laid out why the achievement is so special after the jump.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Manchester City vs Inter Milan.


How to watch Manchester City vs Inter Milan live, stream link and start time

Dates: 3pm ET June 10, 2023
Online: Live updates via NBCSports.com
How to watch: TUDN, Paramount+


What Premier League clubs have won the treble?

Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in 1998-99.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils are the lone Premier League club to win it.

That’s it. For now.


How many times has the treble been won?

Nine times in history has a team won its domestic league, top domestic cup, and the European Cup.

Bayern Munich and Barcelona have each done it twice, with Bayern doing it in 2012-13 and 2019-20 and Barca pulling it off in 2008-09 and 2014-15.

Celtic was the first to win a treble, doing it in 1966-67, while Ajax was the next in 1971-72.

PSV Eindhoven then won it in 1987-88 before Man United made it happen 11 years later. Inter Milan is the only Italian team to pull it off, winning in 2009-10.

(UEFA.com)


Champions League Final odds (Betting odds provided by our partner, BetMGM )

BetMGM is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on BetMGM for the first time after clicking our links. 

Man City (-250) vs Inter Milan (+625) | Draw over 120 mins (+380)

Over 2.5 goals (-160). Under 2.5 goals (+110)


Champions League Final predictions

Joe Prince-Wright: Man City 2-1 Inter Milan
Andy Edwards: Man City 3-1 Inter Milan
Nick Mendola: Man City 2-0 Inter Milan


Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options

QUESTIONABLE: None

Inter Milan team news, injuries, lineup options

QUESTIONABLE: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Joaquin Correa. OUT: Dalbert.