EPL
West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa: Player ratings as Hammers miss chance to win
FROM LONDON STADIUM – West Ham United failed to capitalise on their superiority as they dropped more home points in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
The point takes the Hammers out of the relegation zone on goal difference, leapfrogging Bournemouth, but it was another frustrating afternoon for David Moyes’ side as they failed to pick up a much-needed win.
Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma were the goalscorers – the latter from the penalty spot after Lucas Paqueta had been knocked over by Leon Bailey.
The Hammers came into the game after failing to capitalise on the 4-0 thumping of Nottingham Forest on February 25 – losing to Brighton by the same scoreline a week later – while Villa came back into the game after ending a run of three successive defeats with back-to-back wins over Everton and Crystal Palace.
David Moyes acknowledged in his programme notes that character is as important as a player’s footballing ability when struggling, but his side got off to the worst possible start after Benrahma had volleyed over the game’s first clear cut chance.
Alex Moreno was allowed too much space on the left flank and his floated cross was nodded into the far corner by Watkins, whose clever movement saw him evade Nayef Aguerd with ease.
Villa’s lead didn’t last long, however, as West Ham got themselves back into the game from the penalty spot. Paqueta’s bouncing shot from a Bowen corner was headed off the line, but the Brazilian picked up the rebound before being bundled over by Bailey. Benrahma took the penalty and smashed it past World Cup winner Emi Martinez.
Kurt Zouma could have nodded West Ham in front minutes later, before Watkins missed a glorious opportunity to restore Villa’s lead after failing to slide past Alphonse Areola from point-blank range.
The second half saw West Ham come out with a more positive attitude; Benrahma and Bowen the main protagonists as the relegation-threatened hosts pushed to take the lead.
Benrahma had a number of efforts on Martinez’s goal, some better than others, and did force him to tip a stinging shot over the crossbar. He also saw a late goalbound effort blocked by Ashley Young, following more good work from Bowen.
The elusive opening that West Ham needed failed to come though, and the visitors could have nicked it late on had Jhon Duran been able to sort his feet out quicker after Ezri Konsa rose highest to flick on a Villa corner. Instead, the American guided the ball into the grateful midriff of Areola.
GK: Alphonse Areola – 6/10 – Couldn’t do anything about Watkins’ opening goal but did make a superb save from the former Brentford forward before the interval.
RB: Thilo Kehrer – 6/10 – Just doesn’t have the skillset required to trouble opposition defences and support Bowen. Did okay defensively though some may argue he should have gone out to Moreno quicker.
CB: Kurt Zouma – 7/10 – Solid in the tackle and in the air – West Ham’s survival could depend on whether or not Zouma can stay fit.
CB: Nayef Aguerd – 6/10 – Lost Watkins far too easily for the opening goal, though Buendia’s run in close proximity would have distracted the Moroccan.
LB: Emerson – 6/10 – Not overly troubled by Bailey but did make a vital interception to nick the ball before the break. Good positioning on a couple of occasions cleared potential danger.
DM: Declan Rice – 6/10 – West Ham’s captain is going to be such a huge miss when he inevitably leaves – but he wasn’t at his brilliant best here. Dallied on the ball a couple of times, though his break-up play and starting of attacks remained sharp.
CM: Tomas Soucek – 5/10 – Got his foot in at times to pinch possession back but was so sloppy in other areas of his game. An ongoing concern.
CM: Lucas Paqueta – 6/10 – Good footwork enabled Paqueta to buy a penalty from the overly attentive Bailey. Did a few good things but still not anywhere near £50m+ worth of good. Booked.
RW: Jarrod Bowen – 8/10 – Bright and breezy down the right flank, Bowen was able to get in behind Moreno time and time again. Much better from the player who scored 18 in all competitions last season.
CF: Danny Ings – 6/10 – Struggled with the timings of his runs but pressed well to make a real nuisance of himself.
LW: Said Benrahma – 8/10 – End product isn’t always perfect but you can’t fault the application of Benrahma. Always positive and looking to make things happen, he slammed his penalty home with aplomb.
Substitutes
CM: Pablo Fornals (76′ for Paqueta) – 5/10 – Not enough time to really get overly involved but squandered an inviting opening.
CF: Maxwel Cornet (85′ for Ings) – N/A
Subs not used: Anang (GK), Johnson, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Lanzini, Downes, Scamacca
Manager
David Moyes – 6/10 – Was reluctant to change things with West Ham the more dangerous side throughout, but perhaps needed to freshen things up in midfield with Soucek so low on confidence.
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GK: Emiliano Martinez – 6/10 – The Argentine felt he’d been fouled in the build-up to West Ham’s penalty, but he unfortunately just flapped at the ball.
RB: Matty Cash – 6/10 – The Pole is known for influencing games at both ends of the field, but he was far more reluctant to join the attack knowing the threat Ings and Benrahma posed on the counter.
CB: Ezri Konsa – 6/10 – Stuck to his task of managing Ings well, with Tyrone Mings often occupied by Soucek if he sauntered forward.
CB: Tyrone Mings – 7/10 – Dominant in the air, though hardly surprising with the lack of height in West Ham’s attack. Organised things well.
LB: Alex Moreno – 7/10 – Had his defensive challenges facing a lively Bowen, which likely contributed to his substitution. A good attacking outlet though with decent delivery into the box.
DM: Douglas Luiz – 6/10 – Couple of neat interceptions and always on hand to recycle possession simply but effectively.
CM: Jacob Ramsey – 7/10 – Looks to be a real talent in this Aston Villa midfield. An energetic box-to-box midfield display.
CM: John McGinn – 6/10 – Full of running in a midfield battle that matched up pretty evenly. Perhaps needs to offer more on the ball but made some smart runs.
RW: Leon Bailey – 5/10 – Didn’t impact the game how Unai Emery would have wanted, instead conceding a needless penalty with Villa ahead.
CF: Emiliano Buendia – 6/10 – Interchanged positions with Watkins throughout, dropping deep to pick up pockets of space. Slick on the ball without carving West Ham apart.
LW: Ollie Watkins – 7/10 – Bagged his sixth goal in his last seven Premier League starts thanks to some cute movement and a deft header. Missed a sitter later on.
Substitutes
LB: Lucas Digne (64′ for Moreno) – 6/10 – Helped Villa settle the game down a bit.
RW: Bertrand Traore (64′ for Bailey) – 6/10 – Probably saw as much of the ball in his 25-minute cameo as Bailey did throughout his hour-long stint.
RB: Ashley Young (80′ for Cash) – N/A
CF: Jhon Duran (80′ for Buendia) – N/A
DM: Calum Chambers (85′ for Watkins) – N/A
Subs not used: Olsen (GK), Sinisalo (GK), Diego Carlos
Manager
Unai Emery – 6/10 – Will be disappointed that his side didn’t really offer much of a threat to Areola’s goal. Injuries hindered the Spaniard’s options so arguably content with taking a point.
Player of the Match: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
The Europa League final may not be a bucket list event that, say, the Champions League or World Cup finals are, but UEFA’s secondary club competition will mean a whole lot to those supporters whose sides progress into the showpiece event.
Just eight teams remain in this season’s iteration of the competition with several European behemoths of yesteryear still going strong. Manchester United, Juventus, and AS Roma sit among the favourites to at least reach the final in Budapest.
While the final at the Puskas Arena is still some time away yet, tickets for the event are set to go on sale soon.
Here’s everything you need to know about purchasing tickets for the 2023 Europa League final
There’s little information to access regarding 2023 Europa League final tickets right now, with more details expected to be released later this month.
Thus, exact ticket prices for the final in Budapest are not yet known. These were the prices for last season’s final between Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville:
A release date has not yet been revealed for 2023 Europa League final tickets. In 2022, tickets went on general sale on 20 April.
Supporters will be able to purchase 2023 Europa League final tickets via UEFA’s ticket portal once they go on general sale.
There are three different hospitality packages for the 2023 Europa League final, but all are sold out on UEFA’s website.
The most expensive of these packages – Private Suite Gold – costs €890 per person. UEFA’s Private Suite Silver package is €200 cheaper at €690, with the main difference between these two options being where the suites are located. Silver suites are behind the goal, while gold suites are in the main or opposite stand.
Customers in both suites will also receive a match ball.
The Club package also costs €690 per person which grants access to UEFA’s Sky Club lounge.
All packages include prolonged hospitality service before and after the match, world-class catering, a live TV feed, a parking pass, and, most importantly, a match programme.
The 2022/23 Europa League final is scheduled for 31 May and will be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
Tottenham managing director of football Fabio Paratici has been banned from football worldwide after FIFA extended the punishment imposed in Italy following his involvement in Juventus’ penalised accounting practices.
In January, the Italian giants suffered a shock 15-point deduction after the club was deemed to have inflated player transfer values in swap deals among other financial offences.
Paratici joined the Juventus hierarchy in 2010 and was the club’s sporting director between November 2018 and the summer of 2021, before he took up a similar role at Tottenham. The investigation into Juve’s accounts scrutinised transactions between 2019 and 2021 – when Paratici was at the heart of the club’s dealings.
At the start of the year, Paratici was one of several former Juventus board members that were banned from football following the conclusion of the investigation by the Italian Football Federation. Initially, Paratici was handed a 30-month ban from just Italian football, although the threat of extending the scope of that punishment internationally always loomed.
On Wednesday, FIFA released a statement confirming that they had indeed taken up that option, extending the ban handed out to Paratici and the other Juventus board members – including former owner Andrea Agnelli – worldwide.
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The statement read: “FIFA can confirm that following a request by the Italian FA (FIGC), the chairperson of FIFA disciplinary committee has decided to extend the sanctions imposed by FIGC on several football officials to have worldwide effect.”
Paratici was due to be in court this week for a a preliminary committal hearing regarding a portion of the charges levelled at Juve, but the date for those proceedings have been shunted back to 10 May. Juve appealed their 15-point penalty – which the prosecution only recommended as a nine-point punishment – and will hear the ruling of which on 19 April.
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On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Julian Nagelsmann’s future and links to the vacant Tottenham head coach role, Barcelona’s ambition to bring Lionel Messi ‘home’, Brighton teenager Evan Ferguson, Florian Wirtz, Kalvin Phillips and more!
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Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have become the first managers to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The duo won 16 Premier League titles between them across respective long-term spells with Manchester United and Arsenal.
With 13 of those championships, Ferguson is the most decorated manager in the history of the competition. He is the only coach to have won the Premier League three times in a row, doing so on two different occasions.
Ferguson said: “I’m truly delighted to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. It’s an honour when you receive recognition like this. However, it’s not just about me as a person. It’s about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I’m also proud for the club, the staff and my players.
“My job was to send the fans home happy. United’s history and my own expectations were the things that drove me, and I then had to try and develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and achieve them.
“I feel Arsene is a very worthy inductee as he transformed Arsenal Football Club fantastically. They became a tough team to compete with and we both wanted to win, which motivated us further. Through the years since retirement, we’d go for dinner together in a little restaurant he knows well in Switzerland. He is a really interesting man and I enjoy his company, but it is still my job to pick the wine!”
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Wenger arrived in England in 1996 as one of the Premier League’s first foreign coaches, and quickly proved sceptics wrong, transforming Arsenal into title winners and changing English football’s culture with his scouting and dietary expertise.
The Frenchman won three Premier League titles with Arsenal, including an unbeaten ‘Invincibles’ season in 2003/04.
Wenger said: “I am very grateful to have been selected for the Premier League Hall of Fame. We always wanted to give something special to the fans and when you have players capable of remarkable things, the most important thing for me is the obligation of perfection.
“I’d like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger.
“To share this with Sir Alex is a great honour for me. It’s like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together. At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles.”
In addition to Ferguson and Wenger, there are 16 other inductees in the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry were the first two people inducted when the Hall of Fame was created in 2021. They were followed later that year by Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham.
In 2022, Wayne Rooney, Patrick Vieira, Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes and Ian Wright were inducted.
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