Football / Sports

Haaland hat trick leads rout vs Nottingham Forest

Manchester City turned on the class to hammer Nottingham Forest 6-0 as an Erling Haaland hat trick set them on their way.

Haaland scored a perfect hat trick in the opening 38 minutes (his second hat trick in the last four days) to set a new Premier League record for the most goals scored by a single player in their first five games in the competition.

Joao Cancelo scored a beauty and then Julian Alvarez scored his first two Premier League goals in the second half to add deserved gloss to the scoreline.

City have now gained 13 points from a possible 15 to start to the season and remain unbeaten, while Forest have lost three of their first five games and have four points.

What we learned from Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest

Haaland is not human: We all knew he was going to be brilliant and, on paper, he was exactly the striker City needed to finish off the boatload of chances they create every game. But nobody thought he would be this good, right? Back-to-back hat tricks is insane and so is Haaland. He has set a new PL record with nine goals in his first five games and he could have scored more. He is only 22 years old and he is set to play with Phil Foden for the next five years (at least). That is a scary thought for the rest of the Premier League. Yes, there will be tougher tests than Crystal Palace and Forest, but Haaland is doing exactly what is being asked of him.

Forest continue to struggle with fluidity: With so many new players coming in and out of the team, it was always going to be tough for Forest to find their rhythm early in the season. But even away at Man City, this was bleak. At a period in the first half they had just three percent of possession over a five minute period. Three. Steve Cooper knows his team won’t be judged by their performances …

Football / Sports

Harry Kane double seals victory over Nottingham Forest

Harry Kane was at the double for Tottenham Hotspur, who held off constant Nottingham Forest pressure to take all three points on Sunday afternoon.

Antonio Conte’s men produced a relatively poor performance in the East Midlands, with a lack of urgency seeing a spirited Forest dominate possession and carve out some presentable chances. But the hosts were simply unable to finish, and endured two key periods of looking susceptible on the break.

In both of those spells, Spurs capitalized. Dejan Kulusevski, one of Spurs’ few bright sparks, broke through the heart of the Forest backline before teeing up Kane for the early opener. With nine minutes left on the clock, the North Londoners killed the game with Richarlison’s superb outside-of-the-boot cross finding Kane in space at the back post, for the England captain to stoop down and head in.

Kane was making amends for earlier spurning a chance of a second goal, with his second-half penalty having been saved by Dean Henderson. The former Manchester United goalkeeper stepped up with a big spot-kick save for the second game here in succession.

Unlike against West Ham United, it wasn’t enough, though. It leaves Forest with four points from as many games, while Spurs rise to 10, level with reigning champions Manchester City and a couple behind leaders Arsenal.

Plenty of promise for Forest – but a focal point is needed

The transfer fee of Morgan Gibbs-White, potentially rising to £42.5m, raised plenty of eyebrows over the last fortnight – but there is no doubt he is the man for this Forest side.

The versatile attacker was brilliant against Spurs, particularly in the first half, causing problems for all three opposing centre-backs as well as Ivan Perisic. He spotted balls nobody else did, and generally looked a level above many of his teammates – which was a feat in itself, after such a strong team performance.

He dovetailed well with both Jesse Lingard and Brennan Johnson, with the trio interchanging positions throughout. They were slightly more weighted towards the right flank, almost …

Basket Ball / Sports

Man Utd’s Dean Henderson ‘fumes’ at ‘criminal’ waste of season before Nottingham Forest loan

Manchester United’s Dean Henderson, on loan at Nottingham Forest, has made a scathing assessment of his “criminal” season at Old Trafford last year.

Henderson said he was promised the United No 1 jersey after his club form in 2020/21, which had seen him talked about as unseating Jordan Pickford as England’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of the European Championships last summer.

However, after returning early from the summer tournament with Covid, the then 24-year-old failed to make a single Premier League appearance for the club under either Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick, and has subsequently been usurped in the England squad by Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale. A season on the bench left Henderson about his treatment at Old Trafford, and he said:

“The conversation I had, coming out of the Euro squad, was that you’re coming back here to be the number one goalkeeper. I got Covid – unfortunately, no one followed through with anything they told me. I turned so many good loans down last summer, and they wouldn’t let me go. It was frustrating. To sit there and waste 12 months is criminal really, at my age. I was fuming.” Now on loan at Forest, Henderson looks certain to start their season opener with Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday, as the Trees return to the Premier League for the first time since 1999.

On signing for the club last month, the goalkeeper called his discussions with manager Steve Cooper “outstanding” ahead of his decision to move to the City Ground, and told Sky Sports News he felt like a “caged animal” now unleashed ahead of the new season.

He told Sky Sports News: “I can’t wait to get back out there. For me personally, being a caged animal for the last year, to get out there and actually play in front of a full St James’ Park, being the underdogs, is sensational.

“I love playing, the manager has been fantastic with me. I want to play for him. He’s shown some good trust in me and …

Football / Sports

Lingard joins Forest after leaving United

Nottingham Forest pulled off its biggest signing since clinching a return to the Premier League by bringing in Jesse Lingard on a free transfer. The England midfielder was available after ending his 22-year association with Manchester United during the offseason.

Lingard’s move to Forest was announced late Thursday. He is the 11th signing made by the promoted club as it prepares for a first season in the Premier League since 1999. The length of Lingard’s deal was not disclosed.

The 29-year-old Lingard spent the second half of the 2020-21 season on loan at West Ham, scoring nine goals in 16 starts in the league, and he was linked with a permanent move to the London club.…