Liverpool have flown Luis Diaz’s parents to Merseyside so they can spend Christmas with their son after their recent kidnapping ordeal.
Cilenis Marulanda was freed almost immediately after being taken by guerrilla group the National Liberation Army earlier this month but father Luis Manuel was held captive for 12 days until being released late last week.
Diaz was reunited with his parents when he returned to Colombia for international duty and the pair were in the crowd to see their son score both goals in an emotional 2-1 victory at home to Brazil on Thursday.
The PA news agency understands that following the game Liverpool paid for a private jet, for security reasons and to help manage the family’s trauma, to bring Diaz’s parents and wider family to Merseyside so they could spend an extended period of time together.
Their plane was scheduled to land at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport early on Saturday morning.
Since Diaz’s parents were kidnapped, the club have endeavoured to provide the best possible support, with manager Jurgen Klopp allowing Diaz compassionate leave and leaving decisions about when he trained and was available for selection entirely up to the player, in keeping with the family values they believe are vital to the club’s ethos.
Diaz will rejoin his family in Liverpool when he returns from international duty after their match in Paraguay on Tuesday.
He will be on a flight with the club’s other South American players Alisson Becker, who was beaten twice by his club-mate in their game in Barranquilla in the far north of Colombia, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez – who faced each other in Argentina’s 2-1 defeat by Uruguay – in a plane jointly chartered by a number of Premier League clubs to return their players home as expediently as possible.
Liverpool head to Manchester City in a top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad Stadium next Saturday lunchtime.
Sendings-off stacking up – Premier League on course for record red card haul
Conor Gallagher’s red card in Chelsea’s win over Brighton on Sunday was the 31st in this season’s Premier League – already more than the whole of last season.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how the two seasons compare to Premier League history.
Dirty thirty
Gallagher’s was the second red card of the Premier League weekend, following Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie’s second of the season in Saturday’s defeat to Burnley.
Thirty players in total have seen red already this campaign, with 14 clubs having experienced at least one dismissal – Aston Villa, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Luton, Manchester United and Newcastle are the exceptions.
Liverpool are the worst offenders with four red cards, though Alexis Mac Allister’s against Bournemouth was overturned on appeal. Virgil van Dijk, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones are their other culprits.
Gallagher became the third Chelsea player sent off this season, joining Malo Gusto and Reece James and moving them alongside Burnley, Tottenham and Wolves.
Last season saw 29 Premier League players sent off, with Manchester United midfielder Casemiro the only repeat offender. Wolves’ six, for Nelson Semedo, Mario Lemina, Jonny, Nathan Collins, Diego Costa and Matheus Nunes, were twice as many as any other club.
Over-correction
There were only 17 straight red cards last season, the fewest in the Premier League era, while the overall total was the lowest since the 28 shown in 1993-94.
While an increase on that figure was always likely, this season’s average of one red card every 4.5 games means the top flight is currently on course for 84 over the course of the season.
That would comfortably be a new record, beating the 75 shown in the 2005-06 season.
That campaign brought red cards for all 20 teams, and more than one for all bar Portsmouth. Eleven teams had four or more, topped by Blackburn and Everton with seven apiece. A 76th red card initially shown to Newcastle’s Jermaine Jenas against Arsenal was rescinded after referee Steve Bennett reviewed his own decision, with no need for a formal appeal.
Before last season, the total had been in the 40s for four years in succession – and before that, over 50 every season as far back as 1997-98.
Goals galore
Another statistic on the rise this season is the most important in football – goals.
With Burnley’s 5-0 win over Blades followed on Sunday by Liverpool and Chelsea winning 4-3 and 3-2 respectively and a 3-3 draw between Manchester City and Tottenham, there have now been 442 goals in 140 matches this season.
That average of 3.16 per game would, if sustained over the full season, be the highest in Premier League history – beating the record of 2.85 set last season.
The 1,084 goals scored on that occasion were a record for a 20-team season, with this season currently on track for 1,200.
There have still been only three 0-0 draws – Bournemouth against Chelsea and Crystal Palace’s home games against Fulham and Nottingham Forest.
Guyana and Grenada earn victories in W Gold Cup qualifying
Guyana secured first place in Group A of League B as the Road to W Gold Cup tournament began its final matchday on Sunday. Guyana won 3-0 against Antigua and Barbuda at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadium in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Annalisa Vincent struck with a back-heel in the 39th minute to put Guyana in front. The play developed quickly from a Otesha Charles cross to the left side to a pass in the box by Shanice Alferd before Vincent got the final hit.
Charles put her name on the scoresheet with a header in the 63rd after connecting with a cross from Brianne Desa and Neema Liverpool put the finishing touch on a Guyana corner kick in the 85' on a second assist from Desa.
Meanwhile, Grenada topped United States Virgin Islands 2-0 to finish Group C of League C of the Road to W Gold Cup with a perfect record at the Bethlehem Soccer Stadium in St. Croix, USVI.
Grenada finished the group with four wins in four matches, while USVI are second with four points, followed by Bahamas with one point.
The first half did not see a goal, but there were ample chances for both sides, including five shots on target for the home side. USVI was getting most of their activity from Ariel Stoltz and Josie Couch, while Grenada’s top scorer, Nia Thompson, accounted for the two best looks at goal for the visitors.
Grenada came out much more aggressive to start the second half and a driving run into the area from Melania Fullerton resulted in a foul from the USVI defense and a penalty kick. Fullerton was tasked with taking the spot kick and she coolly converted, firing in a powerful right-footed attempt for a 1-0 Grenada lead.
Grenada were flying and came within a whisker of doubling the lead in the 71st minute when Roneisha Frank hammered a shot toward goal that USVI keeper Kinda Lambert managed to tip to the crossbar and out of play.
Frank would get her goal in the 78th when miscommunication between Lambert and her defense led to spill in front of goal and Frank was there to clean it up to double the lead, 2-0, which held until the final whistle.
Reggae Girls fall short of Gold Cup prelims after 1-1 draw against Guatemala
Jamaica's Reggae Girls fell short of their goal to qualify for the preliminary round of the Concacaf Women Gold Cup following their 1-1 draw against Guatemala in the final match of Group B of League A of the Road to W Gold Cup on Sunday night at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
The result also means that Panama have finished in first-place in the group and have qualified for the W Gold Cup group stage. Guatemala will progress to the Prelims, while Jamaica finish in third.
Jamaica came out strong early and almost snuck in a goal through Davia Richards, but instead it was Guatemala breaking the deadlock in the 10th minute. Ana Martinez was taken down in the Jamaica penalty area and it was Martinez who converted from the spot to hand the home side a 1-0 lead.
That was followed later in the half by a buzzing chance from Andrea Alvarez from 40 yards out that forced Jamaica’s goalkeeper Serena Mensah to make a leaping save with her fingertipping the ball to safety.
Jamaica were keen to get back on even footing and a long ball played up to the Guatemalan half led to a mix-up between a pair of defenders, allowing Davia Richards to swoop in and score to level things at 1-1 in minute 66.
But the Guatemalan defense would hold firm the rest of the way to secure the necessary result to earn their prelims place.
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