Rashford Spurs Manchester United To Victory Against Leicester
The good news for Manchester United is that they have rediscovered their winning habit. They won this game despite missing a number of key players with injury and, for that alone, Ole Gunnar Solskjær can probably accept the fact their performance never got any higher than six out of ten – lots of huffing and puffing, but none of the old panache.
Leicester certainly had enough of the ball to believe they ought to have extended United’s winless sequence to four matches. Ultimately, though, Solskjær and his players can reflect on a decent afternoon’s work bearing in mind Leicester have ambitions of their own to break into the Premier League’s top four this season.
Marcus Rashford’s seventh-minute penalty was the game’s decisive moment and, in particular, it must have been a satisfying day for Harry Maguire given the Leicester supporters, for reasons not particularly clear, spent large parts of the afternoon targeting their former player with a very unflattering chant. Maguire played well, winning his personal battle with Jamie Vardy, on an afternoon when United started with great energy before fading around the 20-minute mark and never looking as sharp again.
Solskjær was certainly entitled to feel happy about the commitment of his team – encapsulated by Scott McTominay’s hard but fair challenge on Ben Chilwell in the first half – and it was certainly one of Andreas Pereira’s better games for the club. Daniel James showed some nice touches and Rashford was always a difficult opponent. Solskjær’s team might have reminded us of their flaws at times but, if nothing else, nobody could doubt their determination to make it a happier season than the last one.
Tammy Abraham Shines As Chelsea Hammer Wolves In 7-Goal Thriller
Chelsea hammers Wolves 5-2
This was supposed to be a day of celebration for Wolves, as they marked the 130th anniversary of their first match here. Instead, a new Chelsea goalscoring hero stole the show, as Tammy Abraham struck his first hat-trick for the club after Fikayo Tomori started the rout by opening his own account with a wonderful strike from long-range. Late goals for Romain Saïss and Patrick Cutrone gave the hosts a little cheer and took away some of Chelsea’s satisfaction. Mason Mount restored some it by scoring Chelsea’s fifth in stoppage time.
Dear old Molineux had been a fortress for Wolves for most of this year, with the home side unbeaten in any competition here since January, but by half-time that was all irrelevant history. They were 3-0 down and in danger of an even worse mauling.
For Frank Lampard, the first half was a delight, with his team showing defensive improvement before conceding a flurry of goals. Both managers had taken steps to repair leaky defences for this game but only one oversaw progress.
Lampard, whose side conceded nine goals in their first four league matches, made changes intended to address his team’s weaknesses and reflect the home team’s strengths, as Chelsea mirrored their hosts’ back- three formation. Kurt Zouma was demoted to the bench as Tomori and Andreas Christensen formed the rearguard with Antonio Rüdiger, making his first appearance of the season after a knee injury.
The result was a solid Chelsea team and then, just after the half-hour, came an extraordinary bonus, as Timori stepped out of defence to curl a superb shot into the top corner from over 25 yards. The ball had broken to him after Diego Jota poked it off the foot of Mount near the right wing and Nuno Espírito Santo berated his players for giving Timori so much time to measure up a beautiful shot.
Worse followed for Wolves as three minutes later Timori strode forward again and pinged a low pass to Mount in the box. When Mount went down under a challenge, the referee waved play on and Jesus Vallejo inadvertently helped the ball on to Abraham, who finished smartly from eight yards.
That two-goal salvo had not been clearly coming, as for the first half-hour this had been a tight affair characterised by a midfield logjam and imprecise passes.
Willian was the first to find an opening in the home defence but blasted over the bar from the edge of the area, while Wolves’ main threat came from Adama Traoré, the speedster who spread panic down Chelsea’s left nearly every time he got the ball. Raul Jimenez headed wide from one of his crosses. Later, Traoré dashed in-field and flicked a lovely pass through to Jota, who was closed down by Andreas Christenson before he could shoot.
Wolves continued to show an uncharacteristic raggedness that made one wonder whether their Europa League exertions are already starting to take a toll. Whatever the cause, Abraham was not minded to pardon their slackness. When Marcos Alonso chipped a cross in from the left, Abraham outjumped Conor Coady and headed past a motionless Rui Patricio. On the sideline Nuno was hopping mad.
Zouma was introduced for the second half in place of Rüdiger, who appeared to be struggling towards the end of the first period in what was the only negative note for Lampard. Nuno had a whole lot to ponder. He was given even more unpalatable food for thought in the 54th minute, when Abraham ran on to a cute pass by Jorginho and rammed the ball into the net. The finish and the way the striker held off Wolves’ last defender showed true quality did nothing to advance the Coady for England campaign.
Wolves restored a smidgin of pride when Romain Saïss rose to meet a corner by João Moutinho. Kepa Arrizabalaga made a feeble attempt to keep out his header, succeeding only in pushing it into the net via the foot of the helpless Abraham.
The goalkeeper was fallible again in the 85th minute when he failed to swat away a shot by Matt Doherty, allowing Cutrone to nudge the ball in from close range of his first goal for Wolves.
Chelsea had the last laugh when Mount collected a super pass by Michy Batshuayi and finished nicely.
EPL: Super Son strikes twice as Tottenham demolish Crystal Palace
When was the last time Tottenham produced a performance this complete in a league game? You’d probably have to go back to last season’s Boxing Day victory over Bournemouth to find one, which goes to show how long it has been since Mauricio Pochettino’s side played with this much energy, class and craft.
In that context this thrashing of Crystal Palace could end up being remembered as one of the most important victories of the Pochettino era. After a spluttering start to the season, not to mention all the angst caused by the uncertainty over Christian Eriksen’s future during the summer, Spurs demonstrated that there is plenty of life left in them yet by devouring a ragged Palace side during a first half in which Son Heung-min stole the show with two goals of the highest quality.
Spurs clearly took their cue from their manager. Before this game Pochettino had told the players who were unhappy not to be sold before the European transfer window shut earlier this month to knuckle down and it was satisfying for the Argentinian to see Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen provide a solid base in central defence, Danny Rose keep Wilfried Zaha quiet and Eriksen produce a typically intelligent display in attack.
The sense was that Spurs needed to score early to ensure the game did not fall into a familiar pattern. They have struggled to pick the lock against deep defences in recent months and few teams are better at spoiling a spectacle than Palace, who used the 4-4-1-1 system that brought them victory at Manchester United last month.
With Zaha and Andros Townsend poised to race down the flanks whenever space appeared on the break, there were no surprises from Palace – other, that is, than their ability to keep it tight during a first half in which Spurs seemed capable of scoring at will.
Roy Hodgson’s suffering began when one peach of a long ball from Alderweireld cut through the red and blue wall in the 10th minute. The Belgian centre-back’s pass drifted over Mamadou Sakho’s head and gave Son the chance to control with his left thigh, skip round the flat-footed Gary Cahill and wrongfoot Palace’s goalkeeper, Vicente Guaita, with a shot that bobbled inside the near post.
The goal acted as a release for Spurs, enabling them to summon an intensity that suggested reports of their demise are premature. Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko had an impressive grip on midfield and the hosts tore forward, pinning Palace back and hunting greedily for more goals.
Plan A had gone out of the window for Hodgson’s side, whose increased adventure meant that Spurs had plenty of space to attack. In the 21st minute Serge Aurier received a pass from Son, sauntered into the area from the right and saw Patrick van Aanholt deflect his low cross into the Palace goal.
Poor Van Aanholt. The left-back was horribly exposed by Townsend’s failure to give him enough cover and Spurs were not in a mood to be merciful. They were rampant in the wide areas and made it 3-0 when Aurier, enjoying a fine game at right-back, dropped a deep cross on to the left foot of Son, who clobbered a ferocious volley past a stunned Guaita.
Son was in one of his waspish moods and he was involved in the fourth goal as well, spinning clear in the middle and moving the ball sharply on to Kane, whose bending cross from the right presented the tigerish Erik Lamela with an easy finish.
After a gloomy few weeks everything felt lighter in Pochettino’s world.
The Average Nigerian Is Powerless And Fearful: My Thoughts As A Citizen
Alot happened this week. For me personally, they became personal for some reasons. I ended up putting myself at the receiving end of every action and inaction that have made the news this week; things aren’t right in Nigeria. The average Nigerian is powerless and is fearful; a fear that leads in the most subtle way to a point where most are now being ruled by a survival instinct. Experiences and realities emanating from Nigeria can’t but push you to think strictly about yourself alone, even if it’s for a second.
This week, South Africans attacked Nigerians again. The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal delivered judgment. A state governor advised a Nigerian to break the law. A state governor’s wife was accused of complicity in the death of atleast two Nigerian students during a protest to demand stable power from Benin Electricity Distribution Company. Too many things happened behind the scenes that couldn’t have made news also; for example, it’s almost certain that policemen accused nicely dressed youths of wrongs without proof.
For the average Nigerian, this might not be the best of times to be a youth. For those of us who are just starting to have clear views of life and seeking to lead a honourable path in our rise to the top, things couldn’t be harder. Even Nigerians distrust Nigerians; it’s funny how we want the world to trust us. Charity begins at home.
If we had a President who understood international politics, true diplomacy, and when to take advantage of situations, the Xenophobic attack on Nigerians this week wouldn’t have happened. If only the Nigerian government would stop seeing every criticism as destructive, but rather, an eye-opener to ills in the country! Acting as The Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of The Federal Republic of Nigeria would have been a good statement by President Muhammadu Buhari. Obasanjo would have. With his shortcomings, Abacha would definitely have. True leaders jealously protect their people and not play unhelpful diplomacy when lives have been lost and sources of livelihood destroyed. Our President needs to wake-up.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal delivered judgement in the case brought before it by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential candidate in the last Presidential polls, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the election of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC). While I am of the opinion that President Muhammadu Buhari definitely would have had a WASSCE result (considering he attended higher military schools), I can’t but wonder what exactly was running through the minds of those highly respected members of the bench when they clandestinely told us affivadits can now replace original documents; this is a bad precedence.
A state governor asked a Nigerian to break the law. The Nigerian had attempted to discredit an announcement cum news made by the governor. The governor, in response, told him to break a law and he would get the governor’s attention. Of course, anyone who breaks the law would get a responsible government’s attention, but, should a people-inclined governor who’s supposed to be the chief arbitrator for peace encourage someone to commit an offence, that by the governor’s own admission, could cause breakdown of law and order? Well, this is Nigeria.
A state governor’s wife went to a town hall meeting; by the evening, atleast two students, resident in that town, ended up dead. The truth, no one who isn’t there knows; but, the facts didn’t put the governor’s wife in a good place. Students ended up dead. The governor’s wife definitely couldn’t have given such instruction to the policeman who fired the first shot, but she definitely could have put a stop to the madness that followed and the recklessness of policemen who went after unarmed students as they should ‘supposed herdsmen’ terrorising the very people whose taxes pay their salaries. That case shouldn’t be ‘swept under the carpet’.
I am a Nigerian who believes in doing everything right by The Law; but, I can’t say that for the frustrated man on the street. Some believe in fighting injustice with another injustice; that, for me, makes two wrong men. The attack on businesses ‘supposedly owned’ by South Africans in Nigeria by Nigerians, I believe, should be an eye-opener to the government on the volatile nature of the average man’s anger when misplaced and the readiness of some to take advantage of situations just for survival.
Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder.
Aroso Akintomide Adedamola,
Office of The Citizen,
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
tomidearoso@gmail.com
CBN Offers Automatic Employment For Graduates, See Requirements
The Central Bank of Nigeria has undertaken to hire all first-class graduates of Economics from Ebonyi State.
The state commissioner for information and orientation, Uchenna Orji, disclosed this on Thursday in Abakiliki during a joint press briefing on the outcome of the state’s weekly executive meeting.
Orji who was swapped from the ministry of Human Capital Development to Information, announced that the gesture was attracted to the State as a reciprocation of the state Governor David Umahi’s effective engagement of the Centre bank in economic empowerment of her citizens.
The Commissioner further said that the CBN has also signed an agreement with the State Government for an offer of N2 billion.
He maintained that the fund which would attract 2 percent interest rate would be offered to artisans, traders, civil servants and the less privileged, among others in the state.
“The fund would be housed by Zenith Bank, which would ensure that it was disbursed in line with the terms of the agreement, while the Ministry of Human Capital Development was to liaise with the Department of Small and Medium Enterprises to ensure effective implementation.
“Also, because of the way the Governor engaged the CBN, the CBN graciously approved to absorb all First-Class indigenes of Ebonyi State origin in Economics to work with the bank.
“So anybody who has a first class degree in Economics is now an automatic employee of the prestigious Central Bank of Nigeria.
“This is no mean feat and it should be appreciated by all and sundry and it is also an encouragement to our students so that they can work harder to have this kind of opportunity.”
BBNaija: I Was Dating Emenike When I Found Out About His Marriage On Instablog – Mercy
Mercy made a major revelation about her love life before she got unveiled as a housemate on the Big Brother Naija Reality TV show during her discussion with her colleague, Elozonam.
The reality show star revealed that she was dating former Super Eagles player, Emmanuel Emenike before he got married to ex-beauty Queen Iheoma Nnadi. According to her, the footballer was in love with her while they were dating but she felt he had cold feet in getting serious in their relationship because she was a “nobody” at that time which was understandable.
Mercy said that she took the decision of becoming a celebrity at all cost after getting to know about Emenike’s marriage on social media and also finding out that he blocked her on all social media platforms after she tried contacting him. Though she didn’t know how to achieve her aim of becoming a celebrity before BBNaija, Mercy however added that her plan is to pop up whenever he reaches for his phone.
Here is the video below;
Mercy says she had dated Emenike the footballer but he dumped her, that she has been through hurt. She only wants someone with money and she wants fame. Girl is going for that 60M#BBNaija #bbnaija pic.twitter.com/8J9TCI4Baq
— Laura Sam (@LauraSam2) September 14, 2019
PDP Governor Wike, Heartily Congratulates Buhari On Tribunal Ruling Against Atiku
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on the validation of his election by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
In a statement Wednesday, Wike urged Buhari to use his victory to work for all Nigerians, irrespective of their political leanings.
Wike called on the President to work towards the unity of the country, noting that the country is divided.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal had on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by Atiku Abubakar and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the victory of President Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the February 23 presidential poll.
See What Fayose Said After Buhari Defeated Atiku In Tribunal
The immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has given reasons he cannot congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari over his victory at the Presidential Election Tribunal on Wednesday.
The immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has given reasons he cannot congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari over his victory at the Presidential Election Tribunal on Wednesday.
Concourse News reported earlier that the Justice Mohammed Garba,-led Tribunal dismissed Atiku and PDP petition in its entirety.
The court ruled that Buhari was duly elected as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the presidential election held on 23rd February, 2019.
The tribunal ruled that electronic transfer of results which was the crux of the opposition’s petition did not take place at any level.
Reacting, Fayose dissociated himself from any congratulatory message to President Buhari that might have been issued in his behalf.
According to him, he can’t author such statement because he is a believer in PDP and Atiku 2019 project
The former governor added that his PDP and Atiku will also appeal the judgment of the Presidential Election Tribunal.
On his Twitter page, Fayose wrote: “Nigerians should disregard any congratulatory message issued in my name on the outcome of the Presidential Election Judgment.
“My party has indicated its intention to appeal the judgment, and as a party man and believer in the PDP/ATIKU 2019 project, I can’t author such statement.”
The tribunal ruled that electronic transfer of results which was the crux of the opposition’s petition did not take place at any level.
Reacting, Fayose dissociated himself from any congratulatory message to President Buhari that might have been issued in his behalf.
According to him, he can’t author such statement because he is a believer in PDP and Atiku 2019 project
The former governor added that his PDP and Atiku will also appeal the judgment of the Presidential Election Tribunal.
On his Twitter page, Fayose wrote: “Nigerians should disregard any congratulatory message issued in my name on the outcome of the Presidential Election Judgment.
“My party has indicated its intention to appeal the judgment, and as a party man and believer in the PDP/ATIKU 2019 project, I can’t author such statement.”
Kidnap Suspects Reveal They Bought Complete Army Uniform For N15,000
Suspected kidnap gang members arrested in connection with the abduction of three Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, students have said they bought the military uniform used during the operation for N15,000 from Second-hand clothes traders, popularly known as Okrika sellers.
The men, who were among the 58 suspects paraded by the police in Abuja on Wednesday, said they were also responsible for the abduction of a House of Representatives member from Sokoto State.
They also admitted that they were paid N5.5m for the release of the students who were abducted while travelling to Abuja from Kaduna.
A gang arrested in connection with the abduction of some Turkish nationals in Kwara State were also paraded.
A gang member, Kabiru Abdullahi stated, “The others lied to me that they were paid N6m, whereas they received a N10m ransom. I was given only N450,000 from the operation, but the money was recovered by the police after they arrested us.”
Force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, said eight of the suspects were responsible for the kidnap of a Kaduna lawmaker, Suleiman Dabo, adding that the gang confessed to have received N10m in ransom before releasing their victim.
Items recovered from them included 18 AK-47 rifles, 1,233 rounds of Ak47 ammunition, nine pump action rifles, five single barrel rifles, one automatic pistol, one hand grenade, 53 live cartridges and several stolen vehicles.
Mba said the suspects would be arraigned after investigation.