Sports

Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Man City In Six-goal Thriller

Published

2 years ago

December 3, 2023

Manchester City were stunned by a depleted Tottenham as Dejan Kulusevski’s 90th minute equaliser earned Spurs a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Etihad on Sunday.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou insisted he would not relent from his philosophy of relentless attacking football despite facing the might of City with a mounting injury crisis and earned his reward.

Spurs captain Son Heung-min scored at both ends inside the opening 10 minutes.

Phil Foden put City in front before half-time, but Giovani Lo Celso levelled 20 minutes from time.

Jack Grealish restored the home side’s lead once more, only for Kulusevski’s header to ensure City have now dropped points in five of their last eight league games.

The English and European champions drop to third in the table, three points behind leaders Arsenal.

A point lifts Tottenham into fifth and snaps a run of three consecutive defeats.

The visitors’ daring approach was met with an early reward.

Son raced onto Kulusevski’s ball over the top and Ederson failed to prevent the South Korean scoring his eighth goal against City.

The lead only lasted three minutes as Son cancelled out his opener at the wrong end.

Julian Alvarez’s free-kick was flicked on by Erling Haaland and deflected off the unfortunate Son into his own net.

Spurs started for the second consecutive game without a recognised centre-back and they never looked capable of restricting City going forward.

Haaland missed what should have been a simple tap when he skewed wide after Tottenham coughed up possession inside their own box.

City should have had the game out of sight before half-time.

Jeremy Doku smashed off the inside of the post before Alvarez also hit the woodwork from outside the box.

Haaland’s off day in front of goal went on as he blazed well over with another clear opening.

Yet, City did produce a move of clinical precision to go in front on 31 minutes.

Doku fed Alvarez inside the box and the Argentine squared for Foden to slot home.

Guglielmo Vicario was forced to make a stunning save from Bernardo Silva seconds into the second period to keep Tottenham in the game.

But City were then guilty of resting on their laurels and allowing Spurs’ makeshift defence some respite.

Lo Celso has been handed a rare run in the starting line-up by an injury to James Maddison and fired in off the post for his second goal in as many games.

Tottenham’s determination to play out from the back looked to have cost them 10 minutes from time.

Rodri robbed Yves Bissouma and played in Haaland, who crossed for Grealish to tap home.

But the drama was far from over.

Kulusevski timed his run perfectly to head in Brennan Johnson’s cross.

And City were incensed in stoppage time when referee Simon Hooper inexplicably stopped the game to award the home side a free-kick when Grealish was clean through on goal.

City’s punishment did not end there as yellow cards for Rodri and Grealish mean they will be suspended on Wednesday for a trip to an Aston Villa side that have won 13 consecutive home Premier League games.

Sports

FULL LIST: Nigerian Boxer Efe Ajagba Breaks Into World’s Top 10 Heavyweights

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2025

Editor

Nigerian heavyweight boxer Efe Ajagba has been ranked among the top 10 fighters in the world by The Ring magazine.

In its latest rankings updated on Thursday, Ajagba secured the No. 10 spot in the prestigious list, widely regarded as the sport’s most respected independent ratings.

The 30-year-old, who holds a professional record of 20 wins, one loss, and one draw with 14 knockouts, joins an elite lineup.

The heavyweight division is currently led by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the champion’s position, with Britain’s Tyson Fury ranked first among contenders.

New Zealand’s Joseph Parker and Germany’s Agit Kabayel occupy the top three positions.

Ajagba’s inclusion comes after a string of impressive performances that have reignited his world title ambitions.

His most recent victory solidified his status as one of the leading contenders from Africa in the heavyweight division.

The Ring magazine, founded in 1922, updates its ratings monthly based on results, performance, and track record, with input from boxing journalists and historians worldwide.

The development makes Ajagba the only Nigerian currently ranked in the heavyweight top 10.

Below is the full updated heavyweight ranking by The Ring:

Sports

SWAN Orders Nationwide Boycott Of NFF Activities

Published

1 day ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, has announced a nationwide boycott of all activities related to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, including the Federation’s upcoming Annual General Assembly, AGA, scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The directive, issued on Wednesday by the leadership of the association, follows what SWAN described as the NFF’s “deliberate and persistent exclusion” of the Association from the Congress, the Federation’s highest decision-making body.

In a statement jointly signed by the SWAN President, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin, and the Secretary-General, Ambassador Ikenna Okonkwo, the Association condemned the NFF’s actions as “unacceptable, retrogressive, and an affront to the sporting media’s role in national football development.”

“The media is a critical tripod in the growth of sports globally. SWAN, as the professional body coordinating sports journalism in Nigeria, has consistently engaged with the NFF on the need to restore our rightful place in its Congress. Yet, while the Federation claims to be expanding its Congress, it continues to sideline us—a move that is both short-sighted and detrimental to Nigerian football,” the statement read.

SWAN accused the NFF leadership of adopting a divisive approach to football administration, warning that the continued decline in the nation’s football fortunes is a reflection of ongoing maladministration.

“Despite enormous financial and institutional support from the Federal Government, state governments, and private sponsors, Nigeria’s football continues to nosedive.

“It is time to put a decisive end to this dangerous trend. Nigeria cannot afford to watch its most cherished sport deteriorate under avoidable circumstances,” the statement read.

Effective immediately, all SWAN members across the country are instructed to cease coverage and promotion of any NFF-related activity.

“A task force will be set up to ensure strict enforcement of this directive. Simultaneously, the Association will begin a thorough investigation and public exposure of the maladministration and backward practices now synonymous with the Federation’s operations practices that have contributed to Nigeria’s repeated World Cup qualification failures,” the statement added.

SWAN reaffirmed its position as a critical stakeholder in Nigerian football and vowed to resist any attempt to marginalize the sporting media.

“The exclusion of SWAN from the NFF Congress is no longer acceptable and will not be tolerated. We stand resolute in defending the integrity and rightful role of the sporting media in the Nigerian football ecosystem,” the statement concluded.

Sports

I Don’t Hate Ronaldo, Messi Is A Better Player – Wayne Rooney

Published

1 day ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

Former England striker, Wayne Rooney, has insisted he does not hate Al Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, he insisted that Lionel Messi is a better footballer.

Rooney and Ronaldo were at United together between 2004 and 2009, winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League.

“I absolutely love Messi, love watching him play and that was the only reason because I think Messi had a little bit more in terms of how he played and taking players on and whatever,” Rooney said.

“Ronaldo’s a killer and people think because I’ve said Messi is better than Ronaldo, I don’t like him or speak down on him.”

Rooney played in the United team that lost two Champions League finals against Messi’s Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.