Headlines
Lukaku Under Fire over Poor Performance Against Man City
Chelsea attacker, Romelu Lukaku, has been heavily criticised by fans after the Belgian squandered a glorious opportunity to put the Blues ahead against Manchester City by attempting to set up Hakim Ziyech.
With just over nine minutes gone in the first half at the Etihad, Lukaku found himself in space after spinning away from John Stones and galloping towards City’s goal.
However, rather than entering the box at pace and looking to test Ederson, Lukaku attempted to play Ziyech in with a through ball to his right.
Also, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel voiced his frustration at Romelu Lukaku after Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant strike beat the Blues 1-0 to open up a 13-point lead at the top of the table.
A tale of two Belgian internationals saw Lukaku spurn a chance to silence his critics early in the second half before De Bruyne produced the one outstanding moment of quality in the game by curling home from outside the box.
A 12th consecutive league win for the champions strengthens City’s grip on the title race as they streak towards a fourth league crown in five seasons.
Chelsea got the better of Pep Guardiola’s men in last season’s Champions League final, but securing their place in Europe’s top club competition next season now looks like the height of their ambitions for the rest of the Premier League season.
The Blues remain second but have won just one of their last six league games.
“Our offensive players need to show up more. We need consistency. Chelsea is not a place to hide,” said Tuchel.
Lukaku was supposed to be the final piece required to turn the European champions into challengers for City’s title over the long haul.
But he has scored just twice in his last 11 league appearances either side of being dropped for voicing his unhappiness at how the season has gone since a club-record £98 million move from Inter Milan to Italian media.
And Tuchel rejected suggestions the striker is starved of service.
“Sometimes he needs to do the service,” added the German. “He had many ball losses without any pressure. He had a big chance.
“Of course we want to serve him but the performance up front, we have to do much better.”
“We cannot forget who we played, they are European champions, and how incredible a side they are,” said Guardiola. “They defended well, they waited for transition to punish us and we won from one transition.”
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
