The Football League season in England may have finished last weekend, but we’ve still got a handful of young Chelsea loan starts to catch up with, starting with another goal for Daniel Sturridge.
The England Under-21 international grabbed his eighth goal in just eleven appearances for Bolton on Saturday but it wasn’t enough to earn even a share of the spoils away to Blackpool.
Having spurned a close-range opportunity in the first half of what would turn out to be a seven-goal thriller at Bloomfield Road, Sturridge found the target early in the second. After Lee Chung-Yong had danced his way around goalkeeper Matt Gilks, he chipped the ball towards goal, and the Chelsea loanee could hardly miss from barely a yard out.
You can see his goal here.
Michael Mancienne continued at centre back for Wolves and was unbeaten for the third successive game as Mick McCarthy’s men took a huge step towards survival with a 3-1 win away to Sunderland.
The young defender played the full match alongside goalscorer Jody Craddock, and whilst he wasn’t impeccable, he continues to be a part of the club’s steadiest defence of the season as Wolves enter the crucial final weekend.
Gael Kakuta started both of Fulham’s matches this week on the bench, playing fifteen minutes in their home thrashing by Liverpool and remaining unused away to Birmingham on Sunday.
In Championship playoff action, Fabio Borini put in a terrific performance for Swansea away to Nottingham Forest last Thursday night as Brendan Rodgers’ team earned a 0-0 draw despite having a man sent off after just one minute of play.
As a result of Neil Taylor’s dismissal, Borini was forced into a deeper role closer to the midfield, with Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer left out wide. His team ethic and work rate were exceptional, and he tested goalkeeper Lee Camp twice in the first half.
His first effort came from a free kick not too dissimilar to the one he scored against Norwich City last month, and it was followed by a sharp left-footed effort taken in stride at the far post.
Camp was equal to both, and Borini’s evening was to end abruptly as he went off with a hamstring injury. After initial reports suggested that he would miss Monday’s return leg at the Liberty Stadium, it appears the Italian will be able to play.
It was the final day of the season in the Dutch Eredivisie, and Vitesse captain Slobodan Rajkovic returned from his long layoff with a back problem to play against Excelsior.
Unfortunately, he ended up on the wrong side of a 4-1 scoreline, whilst Matej Delac’s final match at the club was, as usual, spent on the substitute’s bench.
Jhon Pirez’s Defensor take on rivals Peñarol in Uruguay later this weekend, whilst Lucas Piazon scored twice for São Paulo’s Under-17 team in a resounding 7-0 friendly win as they approach the start of their season.