Here are your Premier League headlines on Friday, April 22.
Howe makes demands of Newcastle United squad
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe insists the levels of his sides performance will not drop despite them having secured their Premier League status for next season. A 1-0 win in midweek over Crystal Palace saw Howe’s side reach the hallowed 40-point mark with weeks to spare, an incredible feat given their dismal start to the Premier League season.
When Howe arrived on Tyneside following Steve Bruce’s departure, Newcastle sat in the relegation zone, with their first win of the campaign coming against Burnley on December 4th. A remarkable turnaround followed the Burnley win, with Newcastle winning nine of their 14 Premier League ties since the turn of the year to secure their Premier League survival.
But despite their 2022 success, Howe is challenging his players to not let their levels drop ahead of a challenging slate of games, which starts with a trip to Carrow Road to face Norwich this weekend.
“First and foremost we have standards to maintain,” said Howe. “We’ve had a way of playing and delivered consistent performances in the main. We don’t want to let to those standards drop we don’t want to let that feeling go.
“Every game we have between now and the end of the season is very difficult because we’re playing teams that have something to play for. But we’re playing for Newcastle. Not for one second will our preparation drop and our expectations of the players won’t drop. We’ve got to make sure the players are ready to give their all.”
Norwich will have on-loan Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams back after he missed the 3-2 defeat to his parent club. Kenny McLean is set to play through the pain of a fractured toe, while Pierre Lees-Melou has resumed full training. Lukas Rupp, Josh Sargent, Adam Idah, Andrew Omobamidele and Ozan Kabak miss out.
Newcastle winger Ryan Fraser (hamstring) faces a race against time to return before the end of the season. Eddie Howe has hinted he may freshen things up, but full-back Kieran Trippier (fractured metatarsal) and striker Callum Wilson (Achilles/calf) are still out.
Last five league matches: Norwich L L D W L; Newcastle L L W W W
Top scorers: Teemu Pukki (Norwich) 10; Callum Wilson (Newcastle) 6
FA announced FA Cup and Women's FA Cup finals kick-offs
The Football Association has announced the kick-off times for the Emirates FA Cup and Vitality Women's FA Cup finals at Wembley next month. Chelsea will take on Liverpool at 4.45pm on Saturday, May 14, with Chelsea Women facing Manchester City Women the following day at 2.30pm.
Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 when the sides last met in the men's final in 2012. Chelsea Women are the current holders of the women's trophy after beating Arsenal 3-0 in a final delayed from May 2021 until December due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tickets to the conclusion of the Emirates FA Cup's 150th anniversary season will be made available by Chelsea and Liverpool in due course. Tickets for the Vitality Women's FA Cup Final are currently on sale.
Frank reveals Eriksen excitement ahead of Spurs clash
Thomas Frank hopes Brentford can help Christian Eriksen flourish against his former club Tottenham. The Bees host Champions League-chasing Spurs at the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday when Eriksen will hope to continue his brilliant return to the Premier League.
The 30-year-old joined the Bees in January as a free agent, having left Inter Milan following his cardiac arrest at last summer's European Championship, and Brentford have won all five games the Denmark midfielder has started.
His next appearance is set to come against the club who he helped reach the 2019 Champions League final, and Bees boss Frank expects Eriksen to be motivated to beat his old side. Frank said: "I think he just literally looks forward to playing Tottenham. He has a lot of old team-mates, a lot of staff members he worked closely together with for seven years of his life.
"This is where he went from being a very talented footballer at Ajax to be a world-class midfielder, and one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. I know one thing, he is looking forward to it but he will do his best to try and beat them, of course he wants to compete."
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is no stranger to Eriksen having coached him at Inter Milan. On Thursday, Conte admitted he was surprised by how well Eriksen's return to football has gone. Eriksen's six-month contract with Brentford expires in the summer and Tottenham are among the clubs to have been linked with offering him a deal.
