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The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Wimbledon 2025: Osaka opens before Alcaraz in action and Sabalenka v Raducanu
Update: Date: 2025-07-04T11:41:51.000Z Title: The winner of Osaka v Pavlyuchenkova will face Britain's Sonay Kartal or the French qualifier Diane Parry in the last 16 Content: Day five updates as the third round gets under way Email Katy | Draper knocked out by inspired Cilic Katy Murrells (now) and Niall McVeigh (later) Fri 4 Jul 2025 12.41 BST First published on Fri 4 Jul 2025 10.28 BST 12.41pm BST 12:41 . They're up first on No 1 Court in about 20 minutes' time. And Sierra v Bucsa is also going the distance, because Bucsa has bagged the second set 6-1. 12.35pm BST 12:35 Sierra is getting treatment for a blister. Not surprising given the amount of tennis she's played over the last week, having competed in three matches in qualifying, before reaching the main draw as a lucky loser. Osaka, meanwhile, is set point down at 30-40 … and Pavlyuchenkova lets rip on the return! We've got ourselves another set of this to enjoy. Updated at 12.37pm BST 12.29pm BST 12:29 Osaka, after holding for 4-4, has her eye in, and it's 0-30. Pavlyuchenkova has her heart in her mouth on the next point, as she leaves the ball, which only just drops long. 15-30 becomes 15-40, two break points. Take one of these and Osaka will be serving for the match. But Pavlyuchenkova produces three huge, gutsy serves to bring up game point and holds from there. Instead of serving for the match, Osaka must hold to stay in the second set at 6-3, 4-5. 12.23pm BST 12:23 There's nothing between Anisimova and Galfi in the second set. It's 3-3. And Bucsa breaks Sierra for 3-1. 12.20pm BST 12:20 Pavlyuchenkova doesn't look impressed with that code violation, demonstrating to the umpire that she didn't hit the grass hard. The umpire is immoveable. But Pavlyuchenkova doesn't lose focus, holding to 15. It's Osaka* 6-3, 3-4 Pavlyuchenkova. 12.17pm BST 12:17 Osaka, from 0-30 down, nails another forehand winner down the line. That shot is working so well for her today. A mis-hit from Pavlyuchenkova and it's 30-all. A pin-point inside-in forehand from Osaka and it's 40-30. But Osaka's second double of the day gives Pavlyuchenkova a reprieve, and soon it's break point. Pavlyuchenkova goes long, Osaka rattles off the next two points for a huge hold and Pavlyuchenkova gets a warning for giving the grass a little whack with her racket. Updated at 12.18pm BST 12.10pm BST 12:10 Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, both Pavlyuchenkova and Osaka love to hit a hard ball, and Osaka makes another loud thump as she hits a forehand winner down the line for deuce on Pavlyuchenkova's serve. She then drills another winning forehand down the line after successfully chasing down a drop shot. So here's a break-back chance … and Pavlyuchenkova goes wide! Osaka, having been a point from dropping 4-0 down, is now back in the second set, trailing 3-2 on serve. 12.05pm BST 12:05 Sierra edges an absorbing opener against Bucsa 7-5. 12.04pm BST 12:04 No sooner than Osaka takes the first set, she's in a bit of trouble, sliding 3-0 down in the second, as Pavlyuchenkova holds, breaks and then holds, finishing with a one-two punch straight out of the tennis textbook. Has Osaka's focus waned or has Pavlyuchenkova upped her level? A bit of both, I'd say. Pavlyuchenkova even has points for a double break at 15-40 but this time Osaka holds firm. That could prove to be a key hold if Osaka is to win this in two sets. It's Osaka 6-3, 1-3 Pavlyuchenkova*. Updated at 12.14pm BST 11.55am BST 11:55 Sierra can't shake Bucsa off. Twice she's broken and twice she's been broken back, this time when serving for the set at 5-4. It's now 5-5. 11.50am BST 11:50 Osaka sends down back-to-back aces from deuce and that's that, 6-3. She's one set away from reaching the fourth round for the first time. Updated at 11.56am BST 11.47am BST 11:47 It's a similar story on No 2 Court, where Osaka is broken back, before seeing Pavlyuchenkova's new level and raising it, immediately breaking for a 5-3 lead. Osaka looks as if she's going to win the first set of the third round, but blinks on her two set points from 40-15, just as Anisimova wins her fifth game on the spin to take the opening set 6-3 against Galfi. Updated at 11.50am BST 11.41am BST 11:41 As for Sierra, the Argentinian who lost in the third round of qualifying before being called up as a lucky loser and beating Britain's Katie Boulter in round two, she's just been broken back and it's 3-3 against Bucsa. The world No 101 has already had to change her accommodation in London four times because of her unexpected run. 'It's a good problem to have,' she said after that win over Boulter. And move No 5 could be in the offing when she swiftly breaks again to lead 4-3. Updated at 12.11pm BST 11.30am BST 11:30 The RSI-inducing Pavlyuchenkova (let's hope Osaka gets the business done quickly because my fingers/wrists are already hurting enough five days into the tournament without having to type the Russian's name too often), is shaky on serve again, and has already hit three double faults, but she squeezes through from deuce to win her first game and reduce her arrears to 3-1. 11.27am BST 11:27 A few venerable tennis observers have spoken of Amanda Anisimova as a possible champion here given the carnage in the women's draw, especially in her quarter. The 23-year-old American started her campaign by serving up a double bagel to a distracted Yulia Putintseva, and won in straight sets in the second round too, but she's been broken in the early exchanges against Galfi and trails 3-1. Updated at 11.43am BST 11.21am BST 11:21 Make that 3-0 Osaka. Nick Kyrgios, who will play alongside Osaka at the rebooted US Open mixed doubles event next month, is watching on with Osaka's team, and will be impressed with what he's seen so far. 11.19am BST 11:19 Osaka, the ultimate hard-court specialist who's finally found her feet on grass, is attempting to reach the fourth round for the first time in her career. I'd love for her to have a deep run here; the former US and Australian Open champion has been so hard on herself for not quite hitting the heights since returning to tennis after the birth of her daughter, Shai, who turned two on Wednesday. Osaka opens with a comfortable hold, and then breaks to 15 when Pavlyuchenkova, the 34-year-old Russian who reached the French Open final in 2021, opens serve with an error-strewn game. It's 2-0 to Osaka. Updated at 11.41am BST 11.12am BST 11:12 On No 2 Court: Naomi Osaka v Russia's Anastasia PavlyuchenkovaOn No 3: the 13th seed Amanda Anisimova v Hungary's Dalma GalfiOn No 12: Argentina's lucky loser Solana Sierra v Spain's Cristina Bucșa 11.04am BST 11:04 The gates are open. The players are warming up on the outside courts. The spectators are finding their seats. The sun in shining. A high of 27C is forecast. Let's play! 10.51am BST 10:51 Centre Court (1.30pm UK time) (5) Taylor Fritz (US) v (26) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spa) Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger) v (2) Carlos Alcaraz (Spa) (1) Aryna Sabalenka (Blr) v Emma Raducanu (GB) Court 1 (1pm) Diane Parry (Fra) v Sonay Kartal (GB) Mattia Bellucci (Ita) v Cameron Norrie (GB) (24) Elise Mertens (Bel) v (14) Elina Svitolina (Ukr) Court 2 (11am) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) v Naomi Osaka (Jpn) Laura Siegemund (Ger) v (6) Madison Keys (US) Nicolas Jarry (Chi) v Joao Fonseca (Bra) Court 3 (11am) Dalma Galfi (Hun) v (13) Amanda Anisimova (US) (14) Andrey Rublev (Rus) v Adrian Mannarino (Fra) Nuno Borges (Por) v (17) Karen Khachanov (Rus) Court 12 (11am) Solana Sierra (Arg) v Cristina Bucsa (Spa) Kamilla Rakhimova (Rus) v (30) Linda Noskova (Cze) Kamil Majchrzak (Pol) v Arthur Rinderknech (Fra) Court 18 (11am) Lloyd Glasspool (GB) & Giuliana Olmos (Mex) v Jack Withrow (US) & Irina Khromacheva (Rus) Hao-Ching Chan (Tpe) & Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) v (3) Sara Errani (Ita) & Jasmine Paolini (Ita) Luciano Darderi (Ita) v Jordan Thompson (Aus) Court 5 (11am) Francisco Cabral (Por) & Lucas Miedler (Aut) v Petr Nouza (Cze) & Patrik Rikl (Cze) Rafael Matos (Bra) & Marcelo Melo (Bra) v (8) Nikola Mektic (Cro) & Michael Venus (Nzl) Hailey Baptiste (US) & Catherine McNally (US) v (11) Beatriz Haddad Maia (Bra) & Laura Siegemund (Ger) Court 6 (11am) Fernando Romboli (Bra) & John-Patrick Smith (Aus) v Guido Andreozzi (Arg) & Marcelo Demoliner (Bra) Quinn Gleason (US) & Ingrid Martins (Bra) v (5) Mirra Andreeva (Rus) & Diana Shnaider (Rus) Robert Cash (US) & JJ Tracy (US) v Rinky Hijikata (Aus) & David Pel (Ned) Court 8 (12.30pm) (3) Kevin Krawietz (Ger) & Tim Puetz (Ger) v Matthew Romios (Aus) & Ryan Seggerman (US) (1) Katerina Siniakova (Cze) & Taylor Townsend (US) v McCartney Kessler (US) & Clara Tauson (Den) (7) Kevin Krawietz (Ger) & Ellen Perez (Aus) v Nathaniel Lammons (US) & Alexandra Panova (Rus) Court 14 (11am) (10) Timea Babos (Hun) & Luisa Stefani (Bra) v Hanyu Guo (Chn) & Alexandra Panova (Rus) (11) Sadio Doumbia (Fra) & Fabien Reboul (Fra) v Alexander Erler (Aut) & Constantin Frantzen (Ger) (4) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Jelena Ostapenko (Lat) v Marta Kostyuk (Ukr) & Elena Gabriela Ruse (Rom) Sadio Doumbia (Fra) & Fang-Hsien Wu (Tpe) v Neal Skupski (GB) & Desirae Krawczyk (US) Court 15 (11am) Eri Hozumi (Jpn) & Aldila Sutjiadi (Ina) v (14) Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) & Shuai Zhang (Chn) (1) Marcelo Arevalo (Esa) & Mate Pavic (Cro) v Pedro Martinez (Spa) & Jaume Munar (Spa) Sander Arends (Ned) & Demi Schuurs (Ned) v Joshua Paris (GB) & Eden Silva (GB) (3) Andrea Vavassori (Ita) & Sara Errani (Ita) v Julian Cash (GB) & Heather Watson (GB) Court 16 (12.30pm) Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Col) & Alycia Parks (US) v (15) Nicole Melichar-Martinez (US) & Ludmilla Samsonova (Rus) Jamie Murray (GB) & Emily Appleton (GB) v David Stevenson (GB) & Maia Lumsden (GB) Yuki Bhambri (Ind) & Xinyu Jiang (Chn) v Christian Harrison (US) & Nicole Melichar-Martinez (US) Court 17 (12.30pm) Billy Harris (GB) & Marcus Willis (GB) v (2) Harri Heliovaara (Fin) & Henry Patten (GB) Polina Kudermetova (Rus) & Zeynep Sonmez (Tur) v (2) Gabriela Dabrowski (Can) & Erin Routliffe (Nzl) Henry Patten (GB) & Olivia Nicholls (GB) v Andres Molteni (Arg) & Asia Muhammad (US) Updated at 10.51am BST 10.43am BST 10:43 And a few other pieces for your perusal: 10.40am BST 10:40 Tumaini Carayol And Tumaini's thoughts on the task facing Raducanu: Hours after Emma Raducanu's latest convincing defeat by Iga Swiatek just a few weeks ago at the French Open, the 22-year-old was understandably still seething. Once again, she had given herself an opportunity to face one of the best players in the world, and once again she simply could not keep up, losing 6-1, 6-2. Her uncomfortable afternoon on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the end of May was reflective of a pattern that has defined her recent months. Raducanu has performed admirably when facing the players she should defeat, compiling a 14-3 record against lower-ranked players over the past year. Against the elite players, however, she has consistently been flattened. 'I think I have done a pretty good job of staying with and getting some good wins over players not in the top 10,' she said, sighing. 'But there is a big difference as you go up into the top five and then playing, like, slam champions. It is a completely different ball game.' There have been times when those top players have almost appeared to be playing a different sport. Raducanu's 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Swiatek at Roland Garros had actually marked an improvement after her 6-1, 6-0 loss in their Australian Open third-round match. She has also suffered heavy defeats against Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen in recent weeks and is 1-9 against top-five players in her career. The common theme in those performances was how underpowered Raducanu's game appeared against players who are capable of completely overwhelming her with their superior pace and weight of shot. Now she will take on the very best, and most powerful, adversary of all in Aryna Sabalenka, the undisputed women's world No 1. Over the past few years, Sabalenka's evolution has become one of the most impressive sights in the sport. After arriving on the tour as a wildly inconsistent shot maker who entered every match with the sole intention of bashing the ball as hard as possible while having no control over her emotions, the 27-year-old has evolved into a more refined, well-rounded player who has learned how to harness her power into consistently devastating tennis. Click here for the full preview. 10.34am BST 10:34 Paul MacInnes Here's Paul MacInnes's report on Draper's premature exit: The question that sprang into Jack Draper's mind after this chastening defeat was simple: how did Andy Murray do it? Draper, the new hope of British men's tennis, had come into these championships with expectations that he would leave his mark. Instead he was taught a grand slam lesson by the veteran Marin Cilic and leaves Wimbledon with fresh lessons to take on board in his burgeoning career. There has been distinct excitement at Draper's prospects in SW19 this summer after his heady ascent up the rankings and victory at Indian Wells in the spring. That this was only his fourth Wimbledon appearance and that none of his previous outings had gone beyond the second round was not given much weight. But perhaps a lack of experience told here, at least in how Draper managed the match, while the 36-year-old Cilic, a Wimbledon finalist in 2017, revelled in his own on-court Indian summer. 'It makes me think that Andy's achievement of what he did, winning here twice, was just unbelievable,' Draper said, having collected his thoughts after the 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 reverse. 'I wasn't going out there thinking I was under so much pressure. I just didn't play good enough today. I lost to a better player. I wasn't able to find the level I wanted.' It seems, too, fair to imagine there's an element of deflection in that answer. Part of Murray's great triumph was to rise above the clamour of expectation that met him every time he set foot in the All England Club. And Draper did look tight in the match, particularly the opening two sets. But there were other obvious factors: he points to a struggle to find his feet on grass, and then there was the form of Cilic. The Croat's strength of serve is well known and his whipped forehand a deadly weapon. What was less clear was how able he would be to summon those powers after more than two years out of the game dealing with a knee injury that required two rounds of surgery. An omen was to be found in Nottingham last month, when the 36-year-old won the grass-court tournament and became the oldest winner ever of an ATP Challenger event (usurping Murray). Here he looked a player who had emerged fully from rehabilitation, and was the more mobile player on court. You can read the rest here. 10.28am BST 10:28 Hello and welcome to our coverage of Wimbledon, where there's a mixture of shock and awe early on day five: shock after Jack Draper's chastening exit last night and awe at how Marin Cilic – at the age of 36, with only one good knee and without a win at Wimbledon since 2021 – so comprehensively took out the leader of Britain's pack. Oasis's isn't the only comeback making headlines this morning. Draper's exit means that of the 23 British players who started in the singles, we're left with only three as the third round begins. Emma Raducanu will have to play the match of her life later on Centre Court to oust the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the only survivor among the women's top five seeds, but the way in which Raducanu relished the challenge against the 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the previous round was encouraging. Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie are both on No 1 Court: Kartal, Raducanu's childhood rival, has a (dare I say it) very winnable match against the French qualifier Diane Parry, while Norrie, finally playing with a smile on his face again after problems with injury and illness, starts as the favourite against Italy's Mattia Bellucci. Also in action: Carlos Alcaraz, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca, along with Jasmine Paolini Kamilla Rakhimova and Alexander Zverev Arthur Rinderknech, while marathon man Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova are the American force in action on the fourth of July. Play begins at: 11am UK time on the outside courts, 1pm on No 1 Court and 1.30pm on Centre Court. Don't be late! Updated at 10.57am BST
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Liverpool hold trophy celebrations and parades
Update: Date: 2025-05-26T09:48:10.000Z Title: If you're an Arsenal, Crystal Palace or Liverpool Content: fan do get in touch. Drop a comment below the line or send me an email via the address linked above. Update: Date: 2025-05-26T09:45:07.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Where else would you rather be on a bank holiday Monday? It's 'get-your-trophy-out day' in north London, south London and Liverpool. Tottenham and Newcastle have set a high bar for raucous partying so we will see if Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Liverpool can reach those levels (spoiler alert: I think they will). We start just off the Holloway Road as the Gunners, fresh off the plane and a Jess Glynne concert, celebrate their Women's Champions League title at Armoury Square. Barry Glendenning and Niall McVeigh will be along a bit later as Crystal Palace show off the FA Cup from 1pm, before Liverpool's Premier League trophy parade gets underway at 2.30pm.
The Guardian
12-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
When was the phrase ‘smash-and-grab victory' first used in football?
'Liverpool's 1-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain last week was the ultimate smash-and-grab victory. When was the phrase first used in a football context?' poses our very own Niall McVeigh. Liverpool's win in Paris was smash-and-grab bingo. They were away from home, like all burglars. They were battered and their keeper had the game of his life, which made it feel like they had stolen a result they didn't deserve. The match was low-scoring, which meant there was a single, sudden moment of smashing and grabbing. And that moment came late on, in the 87th minute, increasing the dramatic impact to Hitchcockian levels. It would still have been a smash-and-grab had Harvey Elliott scored in the second minute, before all of Alisson's saves, but it wouldn't have satisfied the smash-and-grab purists in the same way. A meander through the newspaper archive suggests the use of the phrase 'smash and grab' in a football context has evolved over the past 90 years. But let's start with the etymology of the phrase, used to describe the literal act of smashing a window and lifting as much as possible before PC Plod strolls on to the scene. The earliest mention we could find was in the London Echo on 23 February 1904: SMASH AND GRAB Audacious thief sentenced Sentence of 20 months' hard labour at Clerkenwell today on William Woolley (31), labourer, for breaking the window of one of Messrs Straker's establishments in the East End. Prisoner's practice, it was shown, was to deliberately smash shop windows with a stone, and then bolt with whatever he could grab from the window. The phrase became a metaphor for football writers in the 1930s, often when Herbert Chapman's all-conquering Arsenal were playing. It usually referred to their counter-attacking style – what might now be called rope-a-dope – rather than matches in which they were clearly outplayed. There is inevitably a fair bit of crossover. Chelsea's famous win at Anfield in 2014, for example, was widely described as either a smash-and-grab victory and a Mourinho masterclass, even though they essentially mean different things. There's also the spin-off genre of warped smash-and-grab thrashings, although the snobbier purists would probably turn their nose up at that concept. The first mention anywhere in this newspaper came after Arsenal's win at Liverpool in January 1935. 'The champions,' wrote our reporter, 'played their famous smash and grab game with great success.' The meaning continued to evolve, and three years later was used in reference to Arsenal's bloodless pragmatism in a 3-1 win at Preston. 'Arsenal played with relentless and unsmiling efficiency – gloves off, sleeves rolled up, all looking very fierce indeed (especially [Wilf] Copping). Their football … was rarely beautiful, but it was wonderfully businesslike and direct. 'Smash and grab' someone called it.' Norwich's 1-1 draw at home to Sheffield United in December 1960 ticks precisely none of the smash-and-grab bingo card that we suggested in the first paragraph – but it is the first mention in the Guardian archive of a team scoring in the last quarter to get an undeserved result, rather than merely having less of the ball: One goal was poor reward for [Sheffield] United's considerable pressure. For 74 minutes they looked capable of holding on to their slender lead so inept were the Norwich forwards in front of goal. Then the visitors launched a 'smash and grab' raid and Alcock, their centre-forward, equalised. Norwich's short-passing football may have been attractive to watch, but generally it got them nowhere, and Hodgkinson in the Sheffield goal had a comparatively easy time. That broader meaning became more widespread, particularly from the 1990s onwards, and every football fan will be able to recall a match in which they experienced the unique joy of watching their team nick a result after being battered. Some of the most celebrated smash-and-grab victories of modern times include: Brazil 0-1 Argentina Italia 90 Man Utd 2-1 Bayern Munich 1999 Champions League final Netherlands 0-0 Italy (1-3 pens) Euro 2000 Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool 2001 FA Cup final Scotland 0-1 Finland Women's Euro 2022 qualifying Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Liverpool 2025 Champions League A couple of footnotes before we move on. In the 1970s, the Bristol Rovers strike partnership of Alan Warboys and Bruce Bannister were immortalised as Smash and Grab, with the club even making Wild West-style posters of the 'Deadliest Duo in the West'. As this Observer Sport Monthly interview with the pair explains: 'Warboys was an old-fashioned No 9 whose battering-ram approach earned him the Smash nickname, while the smaller Bannister would prey on any chances created. He was Grab.' A couple of decades later, fan discontent with the performances of Southampton left-back Francis Benali reached a bizarre peak, as detailed in the Observer in August 1998. [Southampton defender] Francis Benali recalled on Soccer AM that one year the Christmas tree was kidnapped from the club reception in a smash-and-grab raid. Later on, a ransom note was received bearing the message: 'Drop Benali – or the tree gets it.' Thankfully, for the defender, the tree got it. The risks people will take in the name of banter. 'What is the highest-scoring Premier League game that didn't feature an English born scorer? Extra points for the other top four European league equivalents?' asks Masai Graham. We'll let the readers cover the other big European leagues – can you help! – but we've got an answer for the English top flight. In August 2014, José Mourinho's Chelsea served notice of their title-winning intent by blasting to a 6-3 victory at Everton. The nine goals were scored by folk from Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Ireland, Scotland and Serbia – but not England. Everton 3 Kevin Mirallas (Belgium), Steven Naismith (Scotland), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) Chelsea 6 Diego Costa 2 (Brazil), Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia), Seamus Coleman (own goal, Ireland), Nemanja Matic (Serbia), Ramires (Brazil) 'Watching Lazio draw with Napoli last month, I noted the similarity between their club crest and the logo of the shirt manufacturer, Mizuno. Are there any other notable examples of this in world football?' wonders Eddie Eyers. Just the one answer to this so far, but it'll keep retro kit obsessives purring. 'It would've been wrong for France not to have had their kit made by Le Coq Sportif (RIP) at some point, and so it came to pass between 1970 and 1972,' writes Jim Hearson. 'However, as branding wasn't so prevalent in those days, the Le Coq Sportif logo only appeared on the outfielders' shorts. That said, the double coq did appear on the goalkeeper's shirt and, more recently, on all the jerseys of France's rugby team.' In last week's column we plucked one from the archive about the last time a top-flight team started a match with players wearing shirts from No 1 to 11. We assumed, in this day and age, that the previous answer would be correct in perpetuity. Wrong! Andrew Beasley and Mike Slattery both pointed out that, when he was manager of Burnley, Sean Dyche reinforced his old-school credentials with his team selection at Anfield in August 2021: Nick Pope Matt Lowton Charlie Taylor Jack Cork James Tarkowski Ben Mee Johann Gudmundsson Josh Brownhill Chris Wood Ashley Barnes Dwight McNeil 'This glorious moment lasted all of 75 minutes until Jay Rodriguez (19) replaced Chris Wood (9),' writes Mike. 'For the next three matches, the only change to their starting lineup was Ashley Westwood (18) instead of Jack Cork (4), but despite this, and a few other close calls, they never quite managed to get the complete 1-11 on the field at the same time again.' 'Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women are about to meet in consecutive matches in three different competitions – over four games. Excluding replays, has this happened before?' asks Peter Collins (and others). 'Liverpool haven't conceded a Premier League goal while Wataru Endo has been on the pitch in his last 15 appearances – one last year and 14 this season. Is that a record? What are the most appearances in a season without conceding?' wonders Brendan O'Mahony. 'Last week Cambridge lost 1-0 at home to Stevenage and had their only shot in the 91st minute,' weeps Max Rushden Nick Orton. 'Is there any record of a home side waiting so long to have their first shot in a league game? Is this the lowest amount of shots a home side has had in a league game since records began? Just to be clear – I'm talking about general shots, rather than shots on target. The Cambridge shot in question certainly wasn't on target; it would've gone out for a throw if the ball hadn't been kept in play!' 'Harry Kane has scored over 400 goals for club and country without winning anything at senior level,' notes Michael Pilcher. 'Assuming he breaks his duck this season, who will hold the record for most career goals? Let's split it into two categories: most goals without a major honour and most without a trophy at any level.' Mail us with your questions and answers
The Guardian
08-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Wolves v Everton: Premier League
Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Our current live football offering comes from the Gtech Community Stadium where Ollie Watkins has scored against his old side. Niall McVeigh has the updates. Brentford v Aston Villa: Premier League – live Share Hello! A few weeks ago this might have been a tantalising relegation six-pointer under the Molineux Saturday night lights. Now, however, thanks largely to the dire form of the three clubs in the drop zone and the impact of new managers at Wolves and Everton, it holds less significance. Credit must go to both Vítor Pereira and David Moyes, who have re-energised clubs whose football was becoming stale and stagnant and whose results wavered majorly earlier in the season, to the point where Ipswich and Leicester (probably never Southampton) harboured genuine hopes of survival. Not so much anymore – even if a Wolves loss in this one will keep the aforementioned duo vaguely interested. We'll run through the team news shortly before the 8pm (GMT) kickoff. Let's go! Share
