Chelsea’s Morata condemns fans’ song
Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has publicly distanced himself from an anti-Semitic song about him chanted by the club’s supporters during their 2-1 win over Leicester City. The song appeared to be directed at rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who have a traditional Jewish fanbase. Afterwards, Chelsea, whose owner Roman Abramovich is Jewish, issued a statement that said: “The club and the players appreciate the fans’ passionate support away from home. But the language in that song is not acceptable at all. We’ve spoken to Alvaro after the game. He does not want to be connected with that song in any way and both the club and the player request the supporters stop singing that song with immediate effect.”
HAZARD NEEDS TIME TO BE 100 %: CONTE
LONDON: Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has welcomed the return of Eden Hazard from injury during their Premier League win over Leicester City on Saturday but said the Belgian playmaker needs time to get back to 100 percent. Hazard, who recovered from an ankle fracture sustained in June, played for the final 12 minutes as Chelsea ground out a 2-1 win with goals from striker Alvaro Morata and midfielder N’Golo Kante to go third in the table. “For sure he needs time to be 100 percent but for us his recovery is very important. Now we must have patience to give him the possibility to improve his form, but I am pleased for him because after a bad injury it’s great to see him with us.”
MANE RED CARD HAD DIVIDED REACTIONS
LONDON: Sadio Mane’s red card in the first half of Liverpool’s 5-0 defeat by Manchester City on Saturday divided observers and pundits even from the same family, with former Manchester United defenders Gary and Phil Neville disagreeing. “Jon Moss, you have just ruined the game there. He didn’t need to give a red card. He could have given a yellow,” said Gary Linekar.
PRAISE FOR KANE
LIVERPOOL: Mauricio Pochettino paid tribute to Harry Kane after he reached 100 goals for his club in an impressive 3-0 victory against Everton. Kane scored twice at Goodison Park on Saturday, bringing to an end an unproductive start to the domestic season in which Kane continued his remarkable record of never having scored a Premier League goal in August.