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Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily: Leafs, Knights ousted, and another Game 7 on tap
Published in
Hockey
Wednesday, 24 April 2019 05:13
This might have been the craziest first round in Stanley Cup playoff history, and Tuesday night featured one of the wildest Game 7s you'll ever see. And oh yeah, there's another Game 7 in store on Wednesday.
Here's a recap of Tuesday night's action (check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+) and what to watch for Wednesday night in today's edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily:
Jump ahead: Last night's games | Three Stars
Play of the night | Today's games | Social post of the day
About last night ...
Game 7: Boston Bruins 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 1 (Bruins win series 4-3) Are the Maple Leafs cursed? As long as they keep facing the Bruins in the playoffs, they might be. Toronto has lost each of its last three Game 7s -- all against the B's. No team in Stanley Cup playoff history has lost three straight winner-take-all games to the same opponent. The only other team in NHL, MLB and NBA playoff history to lose three consecutive winner-take-all games to the same opponent is the Pat Riley-led Miami Heat against the New York Knicks from 1998 to 2000.
For Boston, Tuukka Rask was exceptional and bottom-six forwards Joakim Nordstrom, Marcus Johansson and Sean Kuraly provided huge goals, while Patriots receiver Julian Edelman was credited with an assist by Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy in his postgame comments:
����l��CASSIDY THANKS EDELMAN������#Bruins Head Coach thanks #Patriots WR @Edelman11 for chugging a beer and getting the @tdgarden crowd fired up during #Game7 of #Bruins win over #LeafsForever #TORvsBOS #Edelman @Patriots #WBZ pic.twitter.com/hjVbghSkRf
- Scott Sullivan (@SliceOfSully) April 24, 2019
Game 7: San Jose Sharks 5, Vegas Golden Knights 4 (OT) (Sharks win series 4-3) We'll be talking about this game for years. The Golden Knights looked like they were surely going to win it after building a 3-0 lead by the third period. Then Joe Pavelski went down with an ugly injury, Cody Eakin was given a five-minute major for his role in that injury, and the Sharks rallied around their teammate in quite spectacular fashion.
The Sharks scored four goals during the major to grab the lead. Jonathan Marchessault tied it late, and that led us to overtime. (According to MoneyPuck.com, the Sharks had a 1.19 percent chance to win when they were given their five-minute power play with 9:13 left in the third period.) It took nearly the entire 20-minute OT period, but none other than Barclay Goodrow scored a beauty of a game winner after taking a feed from Erik Karlsson:
The winner....Goodrow....What a feed from Karlsson..dime... pic.twitter.com/YBH7cLchzB
- Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) April 24, 2019
Three Stars
1. Barclay Goodrow, RW, San Jose Sharks
After one of the wildest playoff games, it felt appropriate that a wild card scored the game winner. Only Lukas Radil (2:36) had less ice time than Goodrow for the Sharks on Wednesday night. But he looked like a scoring dynamo on his series clincher.
2. Tuukka Rask, G, Boston Bruins
The Bruins goaltender was sensational, stopping 32 of 33 shots. "I hope fans recognize what he did tonight," Cassidy said afterward. "I think you have to, as a fan, acknowledge when a player plays well. I know in this town when you don't, you hear about it -- that's fine, too. But tonight he played well and hopefully the people get behind him."
3. Kevin Labanc, RW, San Jose Sharks
The 23-year-old was all over the Sharks' five-minute power play in the third period, scoring a goal and adding three assists. He's the first player in NHL history to score four points in a period in a Game 7.
Play of the night
0:28
Goodrow's OT goal gives Sharks Game 7 victory
Barclay Goodrow nets the winning goal in overtime as the Sharks knock off the Golden Knights in Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
Another look at the goal that ended it all.
Dud of the night
The play that started San Jose's furious rally. You be the judge if it was an unfortunate, awkward fall or deserving of a five-minute major.
Here is the Cody Eakin five-minute major for cross-checking on #SJSharks captain Joe Pavelski #VGKvsSJS pic.twitter.com/mEGVgzpcOb
- SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) April 24, 2019
On the schedule
Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals, Game 7, 7:30 p.m. ET (series tied 3-3)
This one has been a tale of two cities, and one which would entertain Charles Dickens himself. The Canes have impressed in all three games in Raleigh. But the Caps have looked terrific in Washington, led by the unstoppable duo of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. You'll hear a lot about Justin Williams being Mr. Game 7. The Hurricanes forward (and former Capital) has more points in Game 7s (14) than any other player in NHL history. It would be an upset if the Canes (playing in their first postseason in a decade) knocked out the defending champs on their home ice, but ... let's just say stranger things have happened already in these playoffs.
Social post of the day
Zdeno Chara has quietly become one of the league's best Instagrammers this season.
Thank you Boston for bringing your best tonight. #madeforthis
A post shared by Zdeno Chara (@zeechara33) on
Quotable
"It's a f---ing joke. It's embarrassing. That's what it is. It changed the entire outcome of the game, and the season." -- Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault on the five-minute major.
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Notes: Thomas launches charity foundation for kids, military
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 23 April 2019 15:10
Justin Thomas is the latest PGA Tour player to launch a foundation, and it wasn't anything he threw together overnight.
''We've been talking about it the last couple of years,'' Thomas said. ''My mom has done an unbelievable job of making sure everything was done properly. We've talked to so many other athletes, their wives, people who have run other foundations who said, 'If we had to do it over, make sure you to do this or do that.' There's no reason to do it if it's not done right.''
The Justin Thomas Foundation officially launched last Wednesday in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. It featured a dinner with 544 guests and a waiting list, always a sign of support. Along with a silent auction, Thomas invited an auctioneer for other items because, he said, ''I'm not very good at talking real fast to get people to donate money.''
Peter Jacobsen conducted a fireside chat with Thomas, who at 25 has nine victories, a major at the PGA Championship, a FedExCup title and has reached No. 1 in the world. Kelley James provided the entertainment.
Thomas grew up in Louisville, where father Mike was the longtime pro at Harmony Landing.
''I wanted it to be local because of how special Louisville is to me,'' he said.
Thomas said the three cornerstones of the foundation would be children in need, military families and junior golf. Charities the foundation initially plans to support are the Boys and Girls Club of Kentuckiana, The First Tee of Louisville, Folds of Honor, The First Tee of Tuscaloosa, Kentucky Golf Foundation and Convoy of Hope.
The next step?
''As I said at the dinner, I need to make sure I'm playing good golf so I can help fund this thing,'' Thomas said with a laugh.
EARLY START
Captain Tiger Woods and part of his U.S. team can expect to be bleary-eyed at the Presidents Cup this year.
Woods announced Tuesday that his Hero World Challenge will return to the Bahamas in December and end on Saturday (Dec. 7) instead of Sunday to give him and some of the players a little extra time to get to Australia for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
The matches start Thursday, Dec. 12. Even leaving the Bahamas on Saturday, a charter would not arrive until Monday morning. This will be the latest the Presidents Cup has ever been played. The first time in Melbourne - 1998, the only International victory - ended on Dec. 12.
Still to be determined is who makes the teams, and who plays in the Bahamas.
The Hero World Challenge will be held the same week as the Australian Open, which was moved to the week ahead of the Presidents Cup with hopes of attracting a stronger field as it did in 2011, the second time Royal Melbourne hosted the Presidents Cup.
ONE COURSE, TWO TOURS
Meghan MacLaren of England will be playing with the men for the third time this year, even if she's not on the same golf course.
MacLaren missed the cut in the Vic Open in Australia, in which men and women competed in separate competitions for equal prize money. She was runner-up to Daan Huizing in the Jordan Mixed Open, in which players from the Challenge Tour, Ladies European Tour and Staysure Tour (Europe's 50-and-over tour) competed against each other on the same course.
Next up is the Lalla Meryem Cup on the LET in Morocco, held the same week as the Trophee Hassan II on the European Tour. The men are competing on the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, while the women are playing on the neighboring Blue Course.
All players use the same driving range, practice green and players' lounge.
''Any time the men and women are in the same environment it creates a different kind of buzz for the players, because I think there's a lot of mutual respect and also enjoyment that we're all connected by creating a living through the game of golf,'' MacLaren said. ''The more opportunities there are for women's golf to raise its profile, the more I think investment and interest in it will grow.''
BACK BROTHERS
Rory Sabbatini and Brian Gay are teammates in the Zurich Classic this week, a partnership linked by bad backs and a company that helped them.
Both players have had total disc replacement surgery through Pennsylvania-based Centinel Spine. Along with being partners in fourballs and foursomes at the TPC Louisiana, the idea is to help promote solutions for spinal injury and disease.
Gay has the company's logo on his apparel and golf bag, while Sabbatini has the logo on his hat and bag.
DJ'S SUNDAYS
Hilton Head was the latest example of Dustin Johnson not getting the most out of his opportunities.
He was one shot behind going into the final round of the Valspar Championship when he failed to make a single birdie for the first time in 31 tournaments worldwide, shot 74 and tied for sixth.
He closed with a 68 and finished one shot behind Tiger Woods at the Masters, but he went 31 holes - from the 10th on Friday until the 16th on Sunday- without making a birdie on anything but a par 5.
And then in the RBC Heritage, he lost a one-shot lead going into the final round with a 77.
Johnson has now only converted five out of nine times on the PGA Tour when he has led going into the final round. In three of those events he failed to win, he closed with a 77 or worse. The others were a 77 in the 2017 HSBC Champions, where he lost a six-shot lead, and an 82 in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he led by three going into the final round.
Johnson shot 71 in the final round at Doral in 2011 and finished two behind Nick Watney.
PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE
Now that the Tour Championship will offer world ranking points through standard 72-hole scores, the PGA Tour has moved the deadline up by one week for players to qualify for the U.S. and International Presidents Cup teams.
The American team is based on FedExCup points starting with the 2017 BMW Championship (double points in the current season), while the International team is based on world ranking points accumulated from last year's Dell Technologies Championship outside Boston.
The original plan was for qualifying for eight automatic spots on both teams to end at the Tour Championship.
However, no FedExCup points will be available at the Tour Championship – instead, players will start at various points under par depending on their FedExCup ranking. But with world ranking points being available for International team players, the tour decided to end qualifying one week early at the BMW Championship.
Tiger Woods and Ernie Els then would get four captain's picks.
DIVOTS
Lucas Bjerregaard, who beat Tiger Woods in the quarterfinals of the Match Play, has taken special temporary membership on the PGA Tour. That means the Dane can have unlimited sponsor exemptions the rest of the season in his bid to get a full card. Matt Fitzpatrick of England previously took special temporary membership. That means 46 of the top 50 in the world ranking have some form of PGA Tour membership. ... Matt Kuchar has two victories and two runner-up finishes this season. The last time he had two wins and two second-place finishes was in 2013. ... The Lakewood Club in Alabama has been selected to host the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur in 2020.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Justin Thomas at the 2017 PGA Championship is the last major champion who wasn't wearing a Nike swoosh on his clothing.
FINAL WORD
''Probably about three years ago ... we didn't know how long he was going to play for because he was struggling to play five tournaments a year. So to be able to do that, it's very impressive, and we'll see where he goes from there.'' - Sergio Garcia, on Tiger Woods winning the Masters.
Note: Doug Ferguson is a golf writer for the Associated Press.
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College notebook: Ole Miss scripts SEC shocker; Fisk wins again
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 23 April 2019 16:43
This is the stuff they write movies about.
What Ole Miss did Sunday at the SEC Championship – rallying behind a once-little-used freshman, defying the odds against the conference’s best with a series of jaw-dropping moments and making the improbable probable with the program’s first conference title – certainly couldn’t have been scripted any more perfectly.
Let’s start with the unlikely star. Macy Somoskey, a mechanical engineering major from Sanford, Fla., doesn’t attend Ole Miss on an athletic scholarship but rather an academic one. She played just one tournament in the fall and didn’t even crack the Rebels’ lineup until March. Her scoring average this season? 76 and change.
Even at the SEC Championship, she tied for 57th in the stroke-play portion at Greystone Golf Club in Birmingham, Ala.
Yet when the pressure heightened, Somoskey rose to the occasion. She won the deciding point against Florida standout Marta Perez in 19 holes to send the Rebels to the semifinals. She then took down Georgia’s most experienced player, Rinko Mitsunaga, in 21 holes.
“My confidence definitely grew as the matches went on,” Somoskey said, “but it was still incredibly nerve-racking.”
Finally, she completed a 62-hole match-play run with a 22-hole win over South Carolina’s Lois Kaye Go, a match that Somoskey kept alive by sinking a 50-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.
“It was really special to see what she did out there and pull through with such clutch moments,” Ole Miss coach Kory Henkes said. “I’ve watched that putt [on 18] probably 50 times and get chills every time I watch it.”
Not bad for a player with little match-play experience. Of course, Ole Miss is new to this kind of success, as well. It was just last year that the Rebels qualified for their first SEC Championship.
Now, they have their first SEC title after winning as the eighth seed entering match play and taking down Florida, Georgia and a South Carolina team that beat Ole Miss, 4-1, at the Liz Murphey earlier this month. And despite being ranked 35th in the country, the Rebels appear to be no fluke behind the strong one-two punch of Julia Johnson and Conner Beth Ball, who have combined for 10 top 10s this season, and the suddenly clutch-as-nails Somoskey.
As Ole Miss’ athletic slogan says, this could be the “new normal.”
When the Ole Miss team arrived back in Oxford on Sunday evening, it was greeted by the men’s golf team, as well as other student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans. The players wore their SEC champion t-shirts to class on Monday and that night donned their winning caps at the Rebel Choice Awards.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Henkes said. “I think I’ve finally had time to look at all the social-media posts and watch all the videos clips and just realize how truly spectacular this past week has been and how amazing of an accomplishment this was for all of the girls.
“I think this really has put Ole Miss golf on the map and it’ll be fun to see where we go from here.”
The story continues.
EXTRA CREDIT
For a full recap and scores of every Division I women's conference championship, click here.
TOP OF THE CLASS
While Oklahoma State’s dynamic duo of Matt Wolff and Viktor Hovland are dominating the headlines, Steven Fisk has one fewer win than the two of them … combined.
The Georgia Southern senior picked up his sixth individual victory of the season – and ninth of his career – at the Sun Belt Conference Championship on Tuesday at Sandestin Resort’s Raven Course. The triumph, Fisk’s second Sun Belt crown, came after Fisk topped Arkansas State’s Luka Naglic in a one-hole playoff.
After opening the tournament in 75, Fisk shot 15 under in his final 36 holes.
“A great example of the perseverance and determination this young man has,” said Georgia Southern coach Carter Collins.
Fisk is now the Eagles’ all-time wins leader, passing Jodie Mudd, and school’s only two-time Sun Belt champion.
Of course, what Fisk did a day earlier was arguably even more impressive. A season after nearly shooting college golf’s first 59 and instead settling for 60, he flirted with a sub-60 score again in the second round at Sandestin.
Fisk made 10 birdies and shot 10-under 61, a round that included pars on three of his final four holes.
“I’ve actually had a couple of rounds lower than 61 before, so it was a comfortable enough of a situation and something that I’ve done in competition and knew how to handle,” Fisk said.
While Fisk’s Georgia Southern team still has to earn its NCAA regional invite via match play on Wednesday, Fisk should be guaranteed at least a ticket as an individual. What would be even better is if the mid-major marvel gets matched with Wolff and Hovland in a regional.
SOCIAL LIFE
As if you needed another reminder that match play is the most exciting way to crown a champion. Here’s some more reaction from Ole Miss’ epic win.
ON TAP
While the women’s regional fields will be set Wednesday night, men’s conference championships are in full swing. The Pac-12 finishes up play Wednesday, but the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 all will contest their championships later this week and into the weekend.
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Arsenal manager Unai Emery has hit out at criticism of under-fire defender Shkodran Mustafi, telling fans that he "doesn't agree" with personal insults towards the German international or any of his players.
Mustafi was at fault for two Crystal Palace goals as Arsenal fell to a 3-2 home defeat last Sunday, first losing striker Christian Benteke at a free-kick before allowing Wilfried Zaha to race through to score Palace's second, and has been questioned for his performances in recent weeks.
The defeat was a missed opportunity for Arsenal to boost their hopes of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League, while Mustafi found himself on the receiving end of some of the Arsenal fans' frustrations.
Emery's side can take back fourth place if they win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday and ahead of the game the Arsenal coach launched a public defence of the defender, urging fans to get behind the team during their crucial run-in.
"I know it is not easy and they are going to criticise when they are in the stadium and also when they are watching on TV," Emery said. "But personal insults I don't agree with. Insults I don't want. I think it is not necessary to be insulting.
"If I protect the players, first it is for the confidence. I do criticise them -- but only inside when I am working and we are speaking. I use my conversations with them individually and collectively and sometimes I criticise them. But outside I want to protect them. I prefer that as I think we need to be together."
He added: "I protect Mustafi because I believe in him.
"He is a very good centre back, he has the habit of doing the sliding tackle and using anticipation against the opposition. He can win one, win two, win three, win four -- but if he loses one he is in the picture and if he concedes a goal he is the big picture. Sunday was like that.
"I have spoken to him. I told him 'You are young, you can improve and you need to work hard because you have a big quality for a centre back.'"
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Sources: Malcom wants to leave Barcelona in summer
Published in
Soccer
Wednesday, 24 April 2019 05:32
Malcom wants to leave Barcelona at the end of the season with the club prepared to sell if they can recoup what they spent on him last summer, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPN FC.
The Brazilian forward was set to join Serie A side Roma from Bordeaux until Barca swooped in with an eleventh-hour bid to take him to Camp Nou in a deal worth €40 million.
However, coach Ernesto Valverde appeared to suggest he didn't want the player by labelling him "a signing made by the club."
Since then, Valverde has offered Malcom very few opportunities to prove himself at Barcelona. Despite impressing with goals against Real Madrid and Inter Milan, he has started just eight games in all competitions. In total, he has made 19 appearances, scoring four goals.
The 21-year-old has remained positive throughout the season, insisting he will keep working hard to fight for a place in the team, but he has grown frustrated at his lack of game time.
Sources have confirmed to ESPN FC that he will look to move on in the summer, with his agents already offering him across Europe.
Roma, Inter and AC Milan have all shown an interest in the past, while Premier League sides Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal have also been linked. A move to China has not been ruled out, either.
Barca have no qualms with his attitude but acknowledge his situation is unlikely to change. He is competing for a place with Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.
Therefore, the club are willing to let him go if a club is prepared to pay close to what they paid for him last July.
"He is a good footballer and has a good reputation," a club source told ESPN FC. "He's had the option to leave now for a while and we have to respect his decision. But Barca aren't going to give him away."
Meanwhile, former Barca president Sandro Rosell has been cleared of money laundering by a Spanish court.
Rosell, 54, spent 21 months in prison after being arrested in 2017 on charges of money laundering involving the sale of television rights for Brazil matches, while a sponsorship contract signed between Nike and Brazil was also under investigation.
However, he was released in February pending the conclusion of the trial, with prosecutors pushing for an 11-year prison term and a fine of nearly €60m.
A Spanish court ruled on Wednesday, though, that there was insufficient evidence to carry on with the case and acquitted Rosell, along with his business partner, Joan Besoli.
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Newcastle United midfielder Miguel Almiron will miss the last three games of the season due to a hamstring injury, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.
Almiron signed from Major League Soccer champions Atlanta United in January for a club record £20 million. The Paraguay international has made 10 league appearances for Newcastle so far and sustained the injury in the second half of their victory over Southampton on Saturday.
"Miguel Almiron will miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in Saturday's 3-1 win over Southampton," Newcastle said in a statement.
"The 25-year-old was withdrawn in the 64th minute against the Saints and having been assessed by the club's medical staff, it has been confirmed that he will not be fit for the Magpies' final three matches of the campaign."
Newcastle said they were in touch with the Paraguayan Football Association's medical staff and that Almiron might still be able to represent his country at Copa America, which starts on June 14.
Saturday's win over Southampton confirmed Rafa Benitez's side will avoid relegation and they face Brighton, Liverpool and Fulham in their final three matches of the season.
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MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Pep Guardiola were at the centre of a disagreement over tactical fouls on the eve of Wednesday's crucial Manchester derby.
The Manchester United manager held a news conference early on Tuesday and claimed that City deliberately foul high up the pitch to stop opponents from counter-attacking.
But Guardiola rubbished the claims at his own news conference in the afternoon, insisting he has never set up a team he has managed to foul tactically.
- Manchester Derby a nightmare scenario for United
- Sterling wants nine-point deduction to tackle racism
"We have got to be ready for the press, for their pressing, they have got quality on the ball, so we have got to defend well," Solskjaer told a news conference.
"When we win it we have got to be ready for their aggression, because they will snap at your ankles and heels and kick you, they are not going to allow us easy counter-attacking because there will be fouls.
"I have absolutely no doubt about it because when you watch those games they commit so many players forward and they will be stopping us as high as they can I think."
Asked about making tackles high up the pitch, Solskjaer added: "You don't get the yellow cards, do you? But that's just because they commit so many players forward and you can clearly see that they've got them in that mould of trying to win the ball back, and they do make fouls.
"It's up to us to play through that press, be ready enough, play one and two-touch, don't give them time. If you spend two or three touches... it's not my decision."
Solskjaer's comments left some at City some baffled with one source sharing statistics with ESPN FC that don't reflect well on United.
City have committed 288 fouls to United's 381 this season, with 170 in the opposition half compared to 195 for their neighbours. Guardiola's side are also top of the Fair Play table with United in 19th.
Asked if the comments could influence the performance of the referee, the Catalan coach said: "That is the reason why, of course. I don't think [it could be successful] because we don't do that."
Guardiola said he wants his team to win the ball quickly, but insisted that he had never instructed his players to deliberately foul.
"I know exactly what I said to my players from day one to the last day," he said. "So when a player wants to attack, we have to be honest and of course there is contact, there are fouls, but when it happens and you arrive late and that is why there are referees, to make yellow cards or red cards or whatever they decide
"We want to do our game, sometimes it's not possible. Sometimes it's difficult to understand that, but the other teams play too. But I never said I'm going to do that to punish them or cancel them making having fouls. Never."
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Why Man United will be derby losers even if they win
Published in
Soccer
Tuesday, 23 April 2019 13:34
The 178th Manchester derby between United and City, on Wednesday at Old Trafford, will be crucial in deciding the outcome of this season's Premier League title race, but the result of this game will mean as much in Liverpool as it does in Manchester.
With United languishing in sixth position, it is all about whether City can claim the win that will put them on course for the title or if the home side can get the draw or victory that would tilt the balance in Liverpool's favour.
But with United able to decide the fate of their two biggest rivals, this derby is different from any other.
So why does this game matter so much?
This game was originally scheduled for mid-March, but the involvement of both clubs in the FA Cup quarterfinals forced it to be rescheduled for this crucial stage of the league season.
The added dimension is that United know that a win or draw will put traditional rivals Liverpool in pole position to win their first league title for 29 years. Nobody at Old Trafford wants to see Liverpool as champions, but if City win, they will have the title within their grasp instead. This game really is the nightmare scenario for United, who also need to win to boost their chances of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League.
What's the big deal about United winning to help Liverpool win the title?
Historically, United and Liverpool are, by some distance, the biggest and most successful clubs in England. United have won 20 titles, Liverpool have won 18. Their rivalry is more than a century old and has often been marred by bitterness and hostility on and off the pitch. Liverpool dominated during the 1970s and 1980s before Sir Alex Ferguson's United became the superpower during the 1990s and 2000s, with United winning 13 titles between 1993 and 2013 to eclipse Liverpool's previous record of 18 titles.
They are two of the biggest clubs in the world, each with a huge global fan base, and their rivalry is as deep-rooted as they come.
Why don't United fans view City as bigger rivals than Liverpool?
The rivalry between United and City has intensified since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan began to plough his vast fortune into City in 2008 -- prompting Sir Alex Ferguson to describe them as "noisy neighbours" in 2009 -- but United have traditionally regarded their rivalries with Liverpool, Arsenal and Leeds United as bigger and more important.
-- Premier League sprint to the finish -- How Man City changed football forever
Aside from a brief spell of success in the 1960s, City rarely challenged until the arrival of Sheikh Mansour, so United supporters have barely regarded them as true rivals. That has now changed but Liverpool are the only club who can come close to matching United's all-time trophy haul and history matters more than the success of their neighbours -- at least for now.
Are United capable of beating City?
On current form, United are huge outsiders even at home. City have won their past 10 Premier League games and on their past two league visits to Old Trafford, while United go into the match having lost six of their past eight games in all competitions. Pep Guardiola's City are the definition of relentless consistency and United, who lost 4-0 at Everton on Sunday, are the polar opposite. But United fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to win 3-2 at City last season and only last month stunned Paris Saint-Germain with a 3-1 Champions League victory at the Parc des Princes.
United have the players to beat City, but recent performances suggest that they won't.
Has this scenario ever happened before?
In 1995, Liverpool found themselves in a similar situation that United face against City. Liverpool knew that a win against Blackburn Rovers, managed by Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish, on the final day of the season would help United win the title and deny Dalglish a historic success with his new club. Liverpool ended up scoring a last-minute goal to win 2-1 but United failed to take advantage, with Ferguson's men only able to draw 1-1 at West Ham.
Had United won their game, Liverpool's win would have been crucial in handing them the title.
United were hammered 4-0 at Everton on Sunday. How will they respond?
First of all, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has his own problems to deal with. United need a win to keep alive any realistic hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four finish, so the Norwegian cannot afford to make wholesale changes and turn to inexperienced youngsters. Rather than making wholesale changes, he's likely to rely on his players wanting to restore personal pride by producing a winning performance against City.
-- Pogba: Man United were 'disrespectful' vs. Everton
-- Guardiola: United trip no longer 'scary'
There's also the issue of upholding United's name and the integrity of the Premier League by pushing City all the way for the points, regardless of what it may mean for Liverpool.
Is the title all over for Liverpool if City win?
No, but Jurgen Klopp's team know that this game is their best hope of City dropping points. United have lost just once at home in the league this season -- against Tottenham last August -- so this is a tough fixture for City. If City come through this one with a win, Liverpool will need them to drop points against Burnley (a), Leicester (h) or Brighton (a) to have any hope of ending their 29-year title drought.
The race will still be on if City win, but Guardiola's men will be in the final straight with the finishing line in sight.
Who are the key men for both teams?
David de Gea and Paul Pogba have both been well below their best in recent weeks, but if they rediscover their form against City, United can win the game. Yet if they perform as poorly as they have been doing, City will cruise to victory.
For City, the form of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva has been crucial during their 10-game winning run in the league and United need to stop all three to take anything from the game.
What's going to happen?
Despite United's woeful performance at Everton, the clash against City really is too close to call because Solskjaer's men will be expected to show their true colours. In many ways, United's hammering at the weekend was a bad result for City because the pressure is on them to bounce back on Wednesday.
City have the greater depth and quality but United are a wounded animal on their own turf, so expect fireworks and a night of unbearable tension in Liverpool.
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Knight Riders host Royals with time running out for both teams
Published in
Cricket
Wednesday, 24 April 2019 07:06
Big picture
Only a few weeks ago, there was a big gap between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals on the points table. While Knight Riders were riding on one big knock after another from Andre Russell, Royals were losing one match after the other. All that has changed. They are now placed alongside each other on the table, with Knight Riders placed sixth and Royals seventh, with eight and six points respectively.
Knight Riders' journey has been very disappointing, chiefly because of their initial tempo. They have lost five consecutive matches now - they have failed to take early wickets, they are dropping catches, and they have leaked runs at the worst rate for any team this season (9.10). As for the reliance on Russell, his knocks of 65 off 25 balls, 45 off 21, and 50 not out off 44 have also resulted in losses, and there is a lot of back and forth about his batting position, especially after the loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Knight Riders know they have to get their act together before the qualification train leaves them behind.
Time is running out for Royals too, as it's a must-win for them. To add to that, they have learnt that individual centuries don't necessarily win you T20s, and their foreign contingent is shrinking rapidly, not to mention Ashton Turner's three ducks in a row in the IPL (and five in all T20s). Royals were already without Jos Buttler, who left early because of the birth of his child, and will lose Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer too after Thursday. How they will balance the XI for their last three games is another headache, but for now they need to ensure they at least beat Knight Riders with a near full-strength squad.
Royals also need to up their batting game in the death overs; they have the third-lowest scoring rate in the period this IPL and need their big hitters to step up.
In the news
Stokes has been far from impressive this season, but Buttler is Royals' second-highest scorer so far and Archer is their second-highest wicket-taker as well as their most economical bowler among those who have bowled more than five overs. Royals' best hope will be if Stokes and Archer fire together before they are forced to change the combination.
For Knight Riders, Joe Denly, a part of England's World Cup squad, has flown back home early. He even played a one-day match after reaching England, scoring a half-century for Kent on Tuesday.
Previous meeting
These two teams met just over two weeks ago in Jaipur, and Knight Riders thrashed Royals - without Russell having to bat. Hosts this time, Knight Riders will draw confidence from that match as they look to notch up the wins again.
Likely XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Shubman Gill, 6 Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Harry Gurney, 11 Prasidh Krishna
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Ashton Turner, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Riyan Parag, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Shreyas Gopal, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni
Strategy Punt
Royals could think of getting Ish Sodhi back in the XI. In all T20s, he has conceded only 30 runs off 29 balls against Lynn, and 17 off 23 against Karthik (including a dismissal).
Make Sunil Narine open the bowling, not just the batting. He has dismissed Rahane thrice in 52 balls in T20s, while conceding only 69 runs.
Despite being an occasional wristspinner himself, Steven Smith doesn't have a great record against the breed in the IPL since 2015. He has managed only 214 runs against them off 191 balls, and been dismissed four times.
Royals should look to bowl Archer to Shubman Gill as soon as the batsman comes out to bat. Four of Gill's five dismissals this season have come against fast bowlers and he has scored only 74 runs off 73 balls against them, with a dot-ball percentage of 37.
Stats that matter
The last time Royals beat Knight Riders was way back in 2015. Of course, Royals didn't play in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but they have lost their last four clashes against Knight Riders. Worse, they have won only one of their eight matches in Kolkata in all these years of the IPL.
Karthik's average of 16.70 is his second-worst in any IPL season and his worst since IPL 2016. It's a steep fall after averaging nearly 50 in 2018.
Rahane is 87 runs away from the 5000 mark in T20s and Stokes needs two sixes to reach 100 in the format.
Gurney needs one more wicket and Sodhi needs three more to reach 150 in T20s.
Steven Smith needs two more runs to get to 2000 in the IPL.
Knight Riders' next win will be their 100th in T20s.
Knight Riders and Royals have leaked runs at the same rate during the middle phase (overs seven to 15) this IPL: 8.8.
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Time for Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das to prove 'how good they are' - Tamim Iqbal
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Cricket
Wednesday, 24 April 2019 06:56
Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das, both talked up as among the most talented top-order batsmen in Bangladesh, have been frustratingly inconsistent in their international careers so far. With the World Cup coming up, Tamim Iqbal, the senior opening batsman, is hoping the two youngsters grab their chances as best as they can, first in the tri-series in Ireland and then at the showpiece event.
The only time Liton has really shown his ability was at last year's Asia Cup final, in which he dominated India's bowling to make 121 as Bangladesh went down off the last ball. Soumya made a sound start in 2015 but has had to mostly fight for his place in the ODI team since 2016. Earlier this year, he made a maiden Test hundred, against New Zealand in Hamilton, and yesterday, he became the first Bangladeshi to score a List A double-hundred.
Tamim said that a score like the unbeaten 208, which came in a crucial Dhaka Premier League game for Abahani Limited on Tuesday, was bound to give Soumya confidence ahead of the bigger challenges. The batsman was having an ordinary time in the league, having scored just 197 runs in 11 innings, but hit 106 and then the record double-ton in Abahani's last two matches.
"Liton and Soumya have enough chances, and I am sure this is the right time to show the world how good they are" TAMIM IQBAL
"It is a great achievement to become the first Bangladeshi to score a (List A) double-hundred," Tamim said on Wednesday. "Although we will play in completely different conditions and against vastly different bowling attacks (when on tour), scoring runs is still a positive. It will give him confidence, regardless of where he has scored these runs. If he had made 10 and 5 in his last two innings, it would have left a percentage of doubt in his mind.
"But now he knows he has scored the runs, and how he has done it. When you are in bad form, you forget how to score runs. Therefore, it is very positive for him that he has two big knocks before going to Ireland."
Since the 2015 World Cup, Tamim has had five different opening partners in ODIs: Soumya, Liton, Imrul Kayes, Anamul Haque and Mohammad Mithun. When Tamim was out with injuries occasionally in the last two years, Bangladesh used five different opening pairs. There is currently no word on who should open with Tamim in a best-case scenario, but it will be one of Soumya and Liton, the only other openers in the World Cup squad.
But while Soumya has shown that he has some form on his side, Liton followed up his poor New Zealand tour with only two fifties in eight DPL outings for Mohammedan Sporting Club. Tamim, however, felt that both batsmen could fulfil their potential in the coming months.
"A regular opening partnership means that the two know each other's game quite well," he said. "For example, if I am hitting the fielder, he needs to take that extra chance. I can do the same if the other batsman is struggling.
"But if somebody is not settled at the crease or in the team, it's very unfair to go and tell him, 'brother, now you take the risks'. But I am confident that Liton and Soumya have enough chances, and I am sure this is the right time to show the world how good they are." Tamim agreed that Bangladesh were still waiting to identify their ideal opening pair, which every successful cricket team must possess.
"It happens in every profession where your colleague of 20 years, for example, will know how you operate, and what you like and dislike. There was always understanding between some of the best opening pairs in the world like Hayden-Gilchrist, Ganguly-Tendulkar or Sehwag-Tendulkar," Tamim said. "If you look back at those games, they seem to be having fun in the middle and they each knew what the other wants.
"We haven't had that opportunity yet but those two who have been picked in the World Cup squad, I am sure they can represent Bangladesh for the next 10-15 years. I feel this is the best time for them to perform."
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