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Jose Mourinho was brought in as the ‘special one’, as a solution to the problems plaguing the team. The decision divided the fans, but they still hoped for the best. Mourinho, however, ended up being a bigger problem than his predecessors. He made his big name signing, bringing back Paul Pogba to United, but the two were soon at loggerheads. Mourinho’s acerbic personality didn’t exactly charm the team, and the players barely seemed excited to be playing on the field....

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing at the start as the Gunners were put under immediate pressure. The away side exploited the hosts’ susceptibility on the break to send Nathan Redmond clear. The Englishman though, couldn’t make the most of his opportunity as he was denied by Bernd Leno. Moments later, the Gunners sprang a quick counter-attack of their own to go ahead as Alexandre Lacazette pirouetted superbly near the half-way line before finding Alex Iwobi....

Tactical analyses by both coaches in their respective post-match press conferences brought to light the fact that Chelsea did not press Ederson as much as they did in their prior 6-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League. Not only was this a smart move by Sarri, but it also showed the Chelsea faithful that ‘SarriBall’ was not this rigid and stubborn militarist coaching style, but something that could be adaptive and successful when it needs to be....

Manchester United – the other club in the ‘Big Six’ – are currently 8 points away from the top 5, but a turnaround isn’t impossible just yet. But of course, all 6 of these massive clubs could probably do with some strengthening in certain areas to really make sure of their title push. Here are the positions that the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ should probably look to strengthen in January....

Newcastle secured the signing of West Brom striker Salomón Rondón on a season-long loan this week, in a deal that saw Dwight Gayle go in the opposite direction (also on-loan). The 28-year-old offers a different skill set than Gayle and may find himself a better overall fit in Benitez’s system. The other new arrival is Japanese forward Yoshinori Muto, and his ability to play in different positions will be beneficial for the Toon....

The first half was all Manchester United, punctuated by a sharp goal from their new No. 9 Anthony Martial. But the second half was the home team the entire way, culminating in a picturesque Ruben Neves goal that punctured United hearts. If that was not enough entertainment for the night, Rui Patricio dived the right direction to deny Paul Pogba his penalty, and United their three points. As always, there were a few key individual battles that went a long way in deciding the course of the contest....

That phrase may have first been used to describe things not related to football over the holiday season, but we’re not particularly interested in that. For better or worse, the Premier League traditionally presents a packed fixture list either side of Christmas Day and this year is no different. Every club in the English top flight will play three times between December 22 and New Year’s Day, with clashes such as Arsenal vs Liverpool and Tottenham vs West Ham on the schedule....

Goalkeeper: #1 Peter Gulasci ( RB Leipzig) The Hungarian goalkeeper played for Liverpool between 2007 and 2013, even though he did not make any competitive appearance for the Anfield club. The 28-year-old is thriving in Germany ever since joining Leipzig back in 2015. He has arguably been the best goalkeeper in Bundesliga this season. Having kept 11 clean sheets in 24 matches this season, the goalkeeper is at the top of the Bundesliga clean sheet chart....

Two goals from Romelu Lukaku and a fine strike from Ross Barkley allowed Everton to coast to a 3-0 win over Southampton in Matchday 2 of the Premier League at the St Mary’s Stadium. The hosts were toothless in attack against a clinical Everton side who were also very solid at the back, registering their second clean-sheet in their last 18 away games in the league. Lukaku scored the opener for the Merseyside club when he powered home a header from Kone’s cross from the right in the 22nd minute....

Man Utd urged to sign Griezmann and Bale Football clubs spent a total of $4.79 billion (£3.8bn) during 2016, an increase of 14.3 per cent on 2015, according to a new report by FIFA’s Transfer Matching System. That year-on-year increase is the biggest since 2013. A total of 82% of that global fee was spent by UEFA members, but clubs in England top the list. Last year saw Paul Pogba join Manchester United for £89 million, while players such as Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Leroy Sane, John Stones, Granit Xhaka, Shkodran Mustafi and N’Golo Kante also commanded big fees....

#5 Stoke City and Tom Cairney According to the folks at The Sun, Manchester City-owned goalkeeper Angus Gunn, who is on loan at Norwich City, is on the radar of Stoke City as they are taking measures should Jack Butland decide to leave this summer. A lot of Fulham players have alerted Premier League clubs and Tom Cairney is one of them. Apparently, Fulham will let him leave for £20 million should they fail to win promotion....

So, without further ado, let’s begin! #5 Sarri speaks out on RLC and Cahill Ruben Loftus-Cheek has shown signs of brilliance for Chelsea over the last few weeks, making the Blues fans dream about a potential world-class player in midfield for years to come. Coach Sarri himself has been impressed by the youngster and has stated that he has no intention of letting the Englishman go on loan in the January transfer market....

“India is delighted and proud of athlete Hima Das, who won a historic Gold in the 400m of World U20 Championships. Congratulations to her! This accomplishment will certainly inspire young athletes in the coming years,” tweeted the Prime Minister. Das clinched the top spot in the women’s 400m final race at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Tampere, Finland yesterday. President Kovind too lauded Das’ unprecedented feat. “Congratulations to our sensational sprint star Hima Das for winning the 400m gold in the World Under-20 Championship....

“Fight hard tonight Colby. You are a real Champ! #MAGA,” Trump wrote. Covington wagged his tongue, landed his strikes, and coasted to a unanimous decision victory over Robbie Lawler in the 170-pound main event fight of a rare Saturday afternoon card at the Prudential Center. President Donald Trump’s two adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, rooted on Covington (15-1) from cageside seats and snaped pics throughout the day with several well-wishers....

Belgium international midfielder Praet signed a five-year contract at the King Power Stadium. The 25-year-old established himself as a star performer in three seasons at Samp and was said to be the subject of interest from Juventus last year. Praet subsequently signed a new contract that ran until 2021, but he has now moved to the Premier League. He joins a midfield that already includes the talents of compatriot Youri Tielemans, Wilfred Ndidi, James Maddison and Hamza Choudhury....

Coutinho was by far the best player of the match received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he was subbed by the manager. After the win, Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for Brazilian playmaker. The Liverpool manager said, “He’s so gifted as a player. “He’s just magical. His ability to get out of tight situations and his view of the game is incredible. “And that’s his best position - playing between the lines, he doesn’t get marked....

City responded to a 2-0 loss to Manchester United in the International Champions Cup by beating Real Madrid 4-1 and Tottenham 3-0. They carried that form into competitive action and have proved unstoppable under the former Barcelona coach, thrashing Spurs 4-1 on Saturday to lead the Premier League table by 11 points. And Guardiola, speaking after his team’s latest victory at the Etihad Stadium, suggested the importance of overcoming Mauricio Pochettino’s side in Nashville in July should not be underestimated....

Only two of the 18 horses California Chrome beat at Churchill Downs on May 3 will compete in the 1 3/16-mile race at Pimlico on Saturday, and “new shooters” — horses that enter the Preakness after not running in the Derby — traditionally have not impressed in Baltimore. Writes Marcus Hersh of the Daily Racing Form, “Recent Preaknesses with minimal Derby participation were ruled by horses who had run in the Derby....

From putting on shows without crowds to embracing pre-taped, cinematic wrestling matches, WWE has truly lived up to the adage that “the show must go on.” During the era of no live audiences, stars like Apollo Crews and Shayna Baszler have won their first major titles in WWE. Drew McIntyre has won other titles before, but not the WWE Championship, and he won that title in his first official shot at it....

And for the next 10 months, the whole world will be divided, cheering on for their respective clubs. Memories will be made, familiar faces will reintroduce the fans to their magic and new stars will emerge to take the world by storm. Here is a prediction of who we think will shine the brightest for each of the 20 teams vying for the Premier League trophy in the 2018/19 season....