Reweloae

The Guardian - Goalkeeping is a precarious career where someone is more likely to be remembered for mistakes than successes as Karima Taieb found out as her two errors, among a litany of saves, set Chelsea on their way to the Women’s FA Cup final at Manchester City’s expense. The game was effectively settled in five first-half minutes as first Erin Cuthbert thrashed the ball through Taieb’s hands, before Melanie Leupolz did much the same but in a tamer fashion to leave the goalkeeper crestfallen as City’s hopes of a third successive FA Cup triumph were dashed. Beth England put the result beyond doubt late on. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Steven Gerrard said Rangers were close to perfect as they romped to a 6-1 win over Motherwell to take them four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. After falling behind to an early goal by the Well defender Bevis Mugabe, the champions went into the interval leading through goals by their captain, James Tavernier, who was celebrating his 30th birthday, and Fashion Sakala, who finished the game with a hat-trick. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Fans’ fury at Daniel Levy is understandable – the on-pitch stagnation is only highlighted by the luxury surroundings There were always going to be boos from one end of the ground or the other and, as Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side pulled off another of those increasingly familiar job-saving victories, they came from Spurs fans. At half-time, at full time and, probably most significantly, when Lucas Moura was taken off for Steven Bergwijn. By the end there were chants against the chairman, Daniel Levy. It seems absurd to say it 11 games into the manager’s reign but already for Nuno Espírito Santo the situation is critical. Manchester United were more solid than they have been. There may be problems ahead if Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba have to go without regular football for a protracted spell, but for now the 3-4-1-2 has brought short-term relief. Solskjær at least has the fallback of good players who can do brilliant things. Continue read

The Guardian - * 42-year-old diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis * Dyer says he is is positive ‘he will overcome minor setback’ The former England midfielder Kieron Dyer requires a liver transplant, his club Ipswich have announced. Ipswich, where Dyer has been working as under-23s manager, confirmed that the 42-year-old was undertaking tests in hospital on Wednesday. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Zaha posts screenshots of abuse he received on Instagram * ‘I’ll always be black and proud,’ says Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha has highlighted racist abuse he was sent online after Crystal Palace’s victory at Manchester City on Saturday. Zaha scored the opener in Palace’s 2-0 win, a match in which City defender Aymeric Laporte was sent off for a foul on the forward. The Ivory Coast international subsequently posted screenshots on Instagram of racist abuse he had received following the match. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Visitors make most of key decisions to claim 2-0 win * Patrick Vieira: ‘You have to be prepared to suffer’ Patrick Vieira said his players “suffered” during their 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium while Pep Guardiola refused to blame Aymeric Laporte’s red card and Gabriel Jesus’s VAR-adjudged offside goal for the champions’ second defeat of the season. Wilfried Zaha was the standout performer in what was Palace’s first away win, scoring the opener and later in the first half forcing Laporte, as the last man, to wrestle him to the grass. Laporte was sent off by Andre Marriner and Zaha’s devilry subsequently caused Bernardo Silva to be booked for chopping him down. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Cardiff battle back from 3-0 down to claim 3-3 draw * Huddersfield climb to fifth after beating Millwall Managerless Cardiff pulled off a remarkable comeback at the Bet365 Stadium, as Stoke let slip a three‑goal lead to draw 3-3. Jacob Brown put the hosts ahead after 10 minutes and Steven Fletcher grabbed a goal in each half to put them in control. But three goals in five minutes hauled Cardiff level. Rubin Colwill pulled one back in the 66th minute, Mark Harris added a second four minutes later and Kieffer Moore struck almost instantly to complete the fightback. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Stryjek saves Giakoumakis stoppage-time spot-kick * Hearts miss chance to go top after defeat to Aberdeen Giorgos Giakoumakis missed a stoppage-time penalty as Celtic squandered the chance to go top of the cinch Premiership in a goalless home draw with Livingston. The Greek striker’s weak effort was saved by Max Stryjek after Abi Obileye had gifted the hosts a rare chance when he hit out at Kyogo Furuhashi in the box and received a red card. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Sean Dyche spoke of his delight at Burnley changing the narrative after they recorded their first win of the Premier League season with a 3-1 victory over Brentford at Turf Moor. On the day Dyche reached nine years as the club’s manager, his side scored three times without reply in the first half, via Chris Wood in the fourth minute, Matt Lowton in the 32nd and Maxwel Cornet four minutes later. Continue reading...

The Guardian - At half-time the crowd were urged to raise money for the Royal British Legion by participating in an auction to win “match worn” signed shirts streaked with mud, sweat and, in the case of Newcastle’s players, quite possibly tears. No prizes for guessing whose top Chelsea fans would bid most money for. Reece James’s two second-half goals allowed Thomas Tuchel’s Premier League leaders to translate dominance into points as they left Newcastle stuck in the bottom three and still seeking their first win of the season. Continue reading...

The Guardian - What is taught in school now does nothing to reduce prejudice but the sport I love has the power to change perceptions As somebody who has played football since I was tiny, spent two decades in the game and been fortunate enough to become a manager, I would like to think I am an asset to the sport. Then I remember that I am one of the very few lucky people in my position. Imagine if I had felt obliged to step away and find another profession because I didn’t feel there was a pathway for me, for no other reason than the fact people had decided there was nothing I could contribute? I know so many black and minority ethnic people who would have made fantastic managers, directors of football and coaches, but they just cannot see where the opportunities might come. Football loses some great minds because they feel the door is closed to them, and it is genuinely upsetting. Society is full of unconscious biases and, given football mirrors life closely, we have to accept they

The Guardian - Chelsea defender discusses the German manager’s demands, feeling like the bogeyman and learning not to fight “A lot of people don’t know me,” Antonio Rüdiger says as he considers how perceptions of him have changed since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival at Chelsea in January. Rüdiger has been one of the most watchable players in the Premier League this season, entertaining supporters with aggressive defending, powerful runs and expressive mannerisms, but he does not feel any different. “I have always been as I am now,” he continues. “It’s just that things are going well. Obviously everyone has their opinion. I’ve always been the same Toni.” According to Rüdiger, that Toni is “a guy who is serious about his own things,” but with a penchant for creating a good vibe in the dressing room. He bats away suggestions that he is a joker, but he is hardly a shrinking violet on the pitch. He is tough on opposition forwards and he showed his humour when he stuck out his tongue at Chelsea’

The Guardian - * Clubs meet in FA Cup semi-final in Manchester on Sunday * Hayes praises influence of forward Pernille Harder Emma Hayes has warned Chelsea not to be complacent when they attempt to reach the FA Cup final at the expense of struggling Manchester City on Sunday. City are ninth in the Women’s Super League after a surprisingly poor start and are depleted by injuries, but Hayes will not make the mistake of underestimating Gareth Taylor’s team. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær has said he is ready to fight back after the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool. Responding to a comparison between his situation and Sir Alex Ferguson's near-dismissal in 1990, he said he could emulate the legendary former manager. Solskjær also addressed claims that the club had suspended contract talks with Paul Pogba, which the Frenchman later refuted in a social media post. 'When it’s blatant lies, they have to stand up and say so. All the opinions and reports, fine, but don’t make lies about players or me' he said. * Defiant Solskjær vows to emulate Ferguson fightback at United – live! Continue reading...

The Guardian - Manchester City have not lost in the Premier League since the opening weekend and Crystal Palace have only two points on the road and one win overall, so the favourites are clear. Patrick Vieira, the visiting manager, is a City Football Group alumnus, having coached Manchester City’s elite development squad and New York City: but for the 90 minutes there will be zero sentiment allowed by his opposite number, Pep Guardiola. Jamie Jackson Saturday 3pm Continue reading...

The Guardian - * England will face Austria in opener, Norway also in Group A * Defending champions Netherlands face Sweden in Group C England face a home nations clash at next summer’s Women’s Euro 2022 after being drawn in a group with Northern Ireland. The hosts will play Kenny Shiels’s tournament debutants at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium in their final game of the stage. The draw provided a very familiar feeling for England, who are in the same World Cup qualifying group as two of their opponents, Austria and Northern Ireland. They also face Norway, whom they defeated in the 2019 World Cup quarter-finals. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * David Sullivan and David Gold would welcome investment * Kretinsky is Sparta Prague co-owner and has Sainsbury’s stake The Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is in talks with West Ham over a deal to buy a minority stake. The co-owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, have been looking for investment for some years but have turned down offers to sell outright. Discussions with Kretinsky have taken place over the past 12 months and it is understood that the 46-year-old could buy a large shareholding, believed to be about 27%. Sources have played down suggestions that a deal would automatically lead to Kretinsky buying out Sullivan and Gold. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! In recent months, Ronald Koeman hasn’t so much resembled a dead man walking as one scurrying around booking his own plot at the cemetery, ordering some tasteful wreaths from the florist and chiselling his own epitaph on a headstone before climbing Dracula-style into his own coffin, getting comfortable and sliding the lid shut. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Manager made comment after 3-1 defeat by Newport * ‘It was a poor analogy … it won’t happen again’ Joey Barton has apologised for comments he made comparing poor Bristol Rovers performances to the Holocaust. The manager made the analogy after his side’s defeat at home against Newport last Saturday. Barton said after the 3-1 loss: “Someone gets in and does well but then gets suspended or injured. Someone gets in for a game, does well but then has a Holocaust, a nightmare, an absolute disaster.” Continue reading...

The Guardian - Slow tempo is hindering Tottenham’s attacking thrust and a change is needed to get the best from Harry Kane There are no two ways about it, I found it hard watching Tottenham at West Ham on Sunday. They have scored nine goals in as many Premier League games and their defeat in east London tells us why. Tottenham’s tempo is slow and although it may allow them to control play it hinders their ability to attack. Despite having more than 60% possession against West Ham, Spurs managed four shots on target – without troubling Lukasz Fabianski – because they are not using the ball quickly enough to create chances. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Maxime Lopez scores in stoppage time * Radamel Falcao nets Rayo Vallecano winner against Barcelona Juventus slipped to a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Sassuolo in Serie A with Maxime Lopez’s stoppage-time winner stunning Massimiliano Allegri’s side. The hosts were well off the pace in the first half and fell behind to a fine team goal from Sassuolo two minutes before the break, with Davide Frattesi finishing well when put through on goal. Juve stepped it up in the second half with Juan Cuadrado having a powerful effort cleared off the line while Federico Chiesa also missed with a header. The equaliser finally came when McKennie powered a header into the net in the 76th minute, much to the relief of everyone in the Juventus Stadium. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Adelaide full-back only openly gay man playing in any top flight * Gary Lineker and Joey Barton among those to offer messages The support for Josh Cavallo was unanimous and vocal. Players lined up to congratulate the Adelaide United player. Their clubs did the same. Everyone from Gerard Piqué and Raphaël Varane to Gary Lineker and Joey Barton. Every club from Sunderland to Athletic Bilbao to Liverpool and Juventus. “I want to thank you for this step that you take,” Piqué wrote to Cavallo on Twitter. “The world of football is far behind and you are helping us move forward.” It felt like the sport of professional football, so long associated with homophobia and the repression of individual sexuality, was determined to make the young full-back’s decision to come out a moment. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! There are no Big Cup fixtures this week. No action either in Big Vase, or whatever that thing is that Spurs are in. There are no international qualifiers and no rescheduled Premier League matches, this week’s episodes of Succession and the Bake Off have been and gone, and the nights are fair drawing in so Granny Fiver won’t let us out to the swings. There’s not much to do, dear reader, so, and you won’t hear us saying this sort of thing very often, thank goodness for the League Cup! Yep! You heard us. Aye. Continue reading...

The Guardian - One of Scotland’s greatest football managers who enjoyed huge success at Rangers and was hailed as a hero by the club’s fans Walter Smith, who has died aged 73 of cancer, was one of the most successful football managers Scotland has produced, winning respect across the tribal lines that characterise Scottish football. While Rangers defined his career, his wider reputation also reflected times with Dundee United, Everton and the Scottish national team. A working-class Glaswegian and Rangers supporter by upbringing, he was a classic and increasingly rare example of a manager who led a club that also embodied his own deep-rooted loyalties. It was this affinity, as well as the success that he brought to Rangers, that made him particularly revered in the eyes of the fans. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Matty Cash’s decision to play for Poland has reminded us of some other interesting international careers Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Fifpro and European Leagues to issue ‘manifesto of governance’ * Bodies want more representation for players, leagues and fans Two organisations at the heart of European football have broken ranks with Uefa, calling for complete reform of governance to prevent the recurring threat of a Super League. Fifpro, the international players’ union, and European Leagues, which represents domestic competitions across the continent, are to issue a “joint manifesto of governance” which demands greater representation for players, leagues and fans at the highest level. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Full-back is set to play for country of his mother’s birth * Coach Paulo Sousa and country’s president show support The Aston Villa defender Matty Cash could make his international debut for Poland as soon as next month after being granted citizenship. The president of the Polish FA, Cezary Kulesza, confirmed that the 24-year-old had been given citizenship on Tuesday afternoon. The country’s president, Andrzej Duda, also tweeted his support to the player, writing: “congratulations and good luck on the pitch!” Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Decision made after Ferguson, Woodward and Arnold back him * Joel Glazer agrees manager should get another chance Ole Gunnar Solskjær will take charge of Manchester United’s game at Tottenham on Saturday after the club followed Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice and gave the manager a chance to turn fortunes around. Ferguson, Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold threw their support behind Solskjær after United’s 5-0 humiliation by Liverpooland the taking of one point from the past four games. Joel Glazer, the co-chairman who heads the American family’s ownership, makes the final decisions and agreed the manager should continue. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Like this? Forward it to your friends and they can sign up here One of football’s most dependable white knights has dismounted his charger for the final time. Walter Smith: now there was a man you’d be happy to see galloping into view when things were in danger of going a sour way out. Take Rangers, who he calmly steered to silverware after Graeme Souness left for Liverpool during the 1990-91 title run-in. Or Scotland, for whom he picked up the very many small pieces left behind by Berti Vogts, the team rising 70-odd spots in the rankings in short order, with the Kirin Cup thrown in. Or Rangers again, whisking them from Paul Le Guen to the Euro Vase final in less than 16 months. As speedy base-metal-to-gold transformations go, that registers a full 10 on the Fiver’s patented and fully trademarked Tuchelometer. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Before any Premier League is broadcast live, a statistician will compile a 25,000-word document detailing every eventuality By Richard Foster for The Football Mine You do not know his face or his name but you will have experienced his work many times while watching televised football. As a freelance broadcast journalist and assistant producer Dave works for, among others, BT Sport and Premier League Productions – the company responsible for broadcasting the Premier League around the world. He is one of an army of statisticians who provide a vast array of facts and figures for those working in front of or behind the camera. When Peter Drury or Martin Tyler seemingly plucks a choice statistic out of thin air to throw into the mix, there is a fair chance that he will have done so from his stat pack. Dave describes it as the perfect job for a football geek, and Drury confirms that these statisticians are “of a certain kind”. Having started his career while in Spain, as p

The Guardian - * Officers conclude no offences committed * Banner criticised Saudi owners and Premier League Police have confirmed they will not be taking any action against Crystal Palace supporters who raised a banner last weekend criticising the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United. As the supporters’ organisation Fans Europe endorsed the protests, police confirmed accusations the banner was offensive to Newcastle’s new owners had not been substantiated. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Christophe Galtier led Lille to the Ligue 1 title last season. He couldn’t do it again with Nice this season, could he? By Eric Devin for Get French Football News On a day of big matches across Europe, the encounters generally failed to live up to their billing. Manchester United v Liverpool was a one-sided affair; the clásico only stirred into life occasionally; and the marquee games in Serie A – Napoli 0-0 Roma and Inter 1-1 Juventus – were disappointing. The big match in Ligue 1 on Sunday – PSG’s trip to Marseille – fared little better, ending in a goalless draw. The early stages offered some entertainment, with a goal at either end being chalked off for offside, but Jorge Sampaoli adopted a defensive approach to cope with PSG’s fantastic four and his team were unable to capitalise when Achraf Hakimi was sent off with half an hour to play. However, there was plenty of excitement in another Ligue 1 match earlier in the day – Nice v Lyon – a game that did not featu

The Guardian - The Madrid forward lit up an otherwise underwhelming clásico against impotent hosts who seemed at odds with reality Vinícius Júnior had a long walk home but not half as long as the people he passed on the way. The Brazilian was on the other side of the ground when he was taken off with four minutes left and Real Madrid 1-0 up in the clásico, slowly heading eastbound around the edge of the pitch. As he went along the front of the north stand, some Barcelona supporters came to shout at him. Others gave him the finger. More took pictures where once they took the piss. Mostly they were just glad to see the back of him. Which is pretty much all their players had seen too, Óscar Mingueza especially. Mingueza had already played his last minutes an hour earlier, departing early defeated. Now Vinícius left too, eventually cracking into a smile and pointing at the scoreboard. His work was done and the game was too, it seemed. He hadn’t been on the bench long when it definitely

The Guardian - The bitterness between Inter and Juventus goes way back and a late VAR intervention at San Siro led to more These were the nights we longed for during football’s behind-closed-doors season: a storied rivalry playing out before a passionate crowd in one of Europe’s most evocative arenas. And these were the moments we didn’t miss: a refereeing controversy to overshadow it all. Although Sunday’s game between Inter and Juventus was far from a classic, it did feel like a true Derby d’Italia at last. The stands were not full at San Siro – Italy’s Technical and Scientific Committee on the Coronavirus has recommended for now that stadiums operate at no more than 75% of capacity – and there was no pre-game choreography on the Curva, but 56,532 fans were enough to create a fierce atmosphere. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Stocked with young talent, Leipzig still don’t currently have enough elite quality to consistently reach the next level It was a win, and a comfortable one. Yet rarely can a one-way second half have felt less instructive as it did for RB Leipzig. Points are points, but successive home victories over Bochum and Greuther Fürth offer little in the way of clues as to how Jesse Marsch’s debut season at the helm in the Bundesliga might ultimately turn out. It had been a frustrating week, with Leipzig’s slim Champions League hopes dealt a probably fatal blow with defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, a result which may yet contribute to a new year without any European involvement at all. “The boys stuck to the plan, had confidence and played very well,” Marsch reflected before Saturday’s game. “With a bit more luck and a little more maturity in a couple of situations we could have won the game.” Continue reading...

The Guardian - Steven Gerrard paid tribute to Alfredo Morelos after the Rangers striker scored his 100th goal for the club to help the champions secure a 2-1 win against St Mirren. The striker, signed in 2017 from HJK Helsinki, had been stuck on 99 since scoring against Hibernian earlier in the month but, just before the break, after a Kemar Roofe penalty had cancelled out a fourth-minute strike by the St Mirren midfielder Connor Ronan, Morelos headed in a cross from the captain, James Tavernier, for his landmark goal. Continue reading...

The Guardian - When the goal that finally settled this match was scored, Gerard Piqué was lying on the floor in one penalty area and Lucas Vázquez was bursting into the other to slip in the knife. Barcelona’s centre-back had been sent up front as an emergency striker on a mission to rescue his team, to do something, anything. Instead, he was left with his head in his hands, desperately appealing for a penalty that wasn’t and watching any last hope slipping away. Watching Madrid slip away too, their full-back running the length of the pitch in the 94th minute to make in 2-0. As it turned out, there would be another goal, which was probably more than this game warranted, Sergio Agüero scoring in the 97th minute. But there were no celebrations, everyone knowing it was too late already and the image of Madrid’s second, decisive strike helped to define the 246th meeting between these teams who once were giants. The closer Barcelona came to the opposition’s area – if only very rarely their

The Guardian - In his quieter and more personal moments, you suspect these are the sorts of wins that give David Moyes a warm tingling feeling: 1-0, at home, against your local rivals, from a set piece. A plan soundly executed. A proper, noses-in-the-dirt defensive rearguard at the end. And for West Ham, who now take Tottenham’s place in the Premier League top four, further proof that Moyesball is good against all oppositions, in all conditions. Michail Antonio reacted quickest to punt home Aaron Cresswell’s corner 18 minutes from time, a poacher’s finish against his favourite opponents. In truth Antonio had had a quiet game to that point and this was not a flawless team performance by any stretch. But there was a real stomach and maturity to the way they managed this game, seeing out the tough periods before gradually raising the volume in the second half. Declan Rice deserves a special mention here: again, immense. Continue reading...

The Guardian - The message was loud, clear and broadcast from the away end for some time after the final whistle. “Sign him up,” it demanded, and there was no mistaking the subject. Youri Tielemans is Leicester’s best player and nobody of their persuasion will sleep especially soundly until talks over a new contract are concluded successfully. He was the difference between a smash-and-grab away win and what would have been a deserved defeat in west London, scoring a tremendous opener and prising open Brentford’s defence in the buildup to James Maddison’s second-half winner. The home side were vivacious as ever but, for the second weekend running, were left to regret a combination of missed chances and inspired goalkeeping. Ultimately, Brentford could not find anyone to rival Tielemans’ incisiveness. In Leicester’s win over Manchester United, the Belgian had caused jaws to drop with a gorgeous chip that drifted beyond David de Gea in slow motion. To break the deadlock here, he dispens

The Guardian - Before Sunday’s clásico, the former Barça striker on Maradona, Messi and why he thought he’d ‘fluked’ it all the way to the top Gary Lineker never really thought he was much of a footballer until a fortnight in Spain changed everything. The way he tells his story, it happened both suddenly and in slow motion: 34 years on he sees himself watching the ball drop into the net, wondering what was going on. It was the last day of January 1987 and he had just scored his third against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, the first clásico hat-trick in 24 years. Eighteen days later, he got four against Spain at the Bernabéu. “And that,” he says, “is when it dawned on me that I was good at this.” Hang on a minute. You had just been the first division’s top scorer for the second year running. You had scored in the FA Cup final. You had joined Barcelona for £2.8m. Only one player had cost more and that was Diego Maradona. Oh, and you had won the World Cup Golden Boot. “Yeah,” Lineker say

The Guardian - Liverpool clash is being billed as make-or-break but that is typical of club where everything happens but nothing changes The Super League breakaway. The resignation of Ed Woodward. The Old Trafford protests. The Europa League final. The signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane. Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s new contract. The return of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s two-goal debut against Newcastle. The injury-time defeat to Young Boys. The injury-time victory over Villarreal. Losing 4-2 to Leicester. And most recently coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Atalanta, a result so eminently predictable it almost counts as plagiarism. That’s just the past six months. Six months of wins, losses, triumph, heartbreak, scandal, rumour, greed and excess at the world’s most meme-able football club. It’s tempting to see the modern Manchester United as essentially a directionless vehicle, a model of flailing incompetence that provides plenty of entertainment but whose wider purpo

The Guardian - Palace supporters get their point across while Toon fans show black humour as they come to terms with their new owners It’s about 2.20pm outside Selhurst Park, on the corner of Holmesdale Road. A man is shaking a bucket on behalf of the Palace for Life foundation. “Any loose change for cancer research?” he asks the crowds. “Every penny helps.” A Newcastle fan walks past. He’s wearing a jacket with those blacked‑out goggles on the hood and over his shoulder he says: “Do you want some Saudi money?” The man smiles. “Yes,” he says, “We’ll take Saudi money. Even if it’s covered in blood”. Continue reading...

The Guardian - As the final whistle blew, the majority of Brighton’s supporters stood and applauded their side, which to some extent was a curious sight given they had just lost 4-1. But this was a hammering in which the losing team deserved praise having shown character and quality in the second half, dominating possession and territory and securing the goal their efforts deserved. Yet as the home fans cheered so did those in the away end having not just seen a win by Manchester City but another statement of intent. Four days after dismantling Club Brugge in the Champions League, City were at it again, this time getting the job done in the first half, scoring three times, through Ilkay Gündogan and Phil Foden, twice, during a devastating 18-minute spell. Their approach play was typically quick, slick and accurate and, having secured a fourth goal via Riyad Mahrez’s stoppage-time strike, they climb to second. City will drop back a place should Liverpool beat Manchester United on Sund

The Guardian - * England 4-0 Northern Ireland * Mead 64 74 78, England 72 The post-match lap of honour was lengthy, the smiles were broad. Thanks to Beth Mead the second-half super sub, England’s perfect qualifying record for the 2023 World Cup endures. Until Mead arrived, taking mere seconds to score the first goal of a hat-trick, Northern Ireland, for whom goalkeeper Jackie Burns had been outstanding, looked like denying England on a historic day for the women’s national team. England firing blanks against inferior opposition might have added a sense of anticlimax to the first competitive women’s international in Wembley’s 98-year history as the national stadium. A combination of a continuing pandemic, ticket prices and a full programme of Premier League and Football League action had led to an attendance of 23,225, way short of the 77,768 that saw the November 2019 friendly with Germany. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in the league without either Sergio Ramos or Lionel Messi involved for first time since 2005 Eduardo Iturralde González could see it coming. “I saw Sergio Ramos running towards Leo Messi and I thought: ‘He’s going to whack him,’” the referee recalled – and he was right. It was late on a Monday night in November 2010, Messi was left on the floor, a fight started and Ramos was sent off. On Saturday afternoon they should have been preparing for the latest chapter in a seemingly never-ending story. Instead, though neither had exactly planned it this way, they found themselves at Camp de Loges, north of Paris. Together. No one has played more clásicos than Ramos or Messi, who are both on 45. This summer, though, the captains of Real Madrid and Barcelona left Spain. Sunday’s will be the first clásico La Liga has had without either of them on the pitch since April 2005, 16 years ago. The first time they faced each other was the night the Bernab

The Guardian - * Evra alleges in autobiography he was abused by a teacher * He told ‘devastated’ mother only two weeks ago The former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra was sexually abused by a teacher when he was 13, the Frenchman has alleged in an interview with the Times. The abuse is detailed in Evra’s upcoming autobiography, I Love This Game. Evra, 40, said that although it was difficult to speak about the abuse in an interview, it was even more challenging to break it to his mother, who was told about the incidents only two weeks ago. Continue reading...

The Guardian - The Norway winger on human rights in Qatar, playing with Erling Haaland and his renaissance at Southampton Mohamed Elyounoussi rewinds to the end of August, Southampton’s visit to Rodney Parade, home to Newport County, in the Carabao Cup. For the club, it turned into a historic night as they recorded their biggest away win, and although it was not the most glamorous setting or grandest occasion for Elyounoussi to make his first Southampton appearance in more than two years, he knew it was time to grasp his second chance. “It was almost like now or never, really,” he says. “I went in at half-time, we were 3-0 up and I was thinking: ‘I haven’t scored yet.’ I thought: ‘I have another 45 minutes to really step up.’ I had an assist in the first half but it was not enough. I needed a goal, and maybe one goal was not enough either.” Continue reading...

The Guardian - * City manager insists he still loves job despite abuse of Bruce * ‘We are incredibly criticised, more than the worst in society’ Pep Guardiola believes football managers are treated worse “than the worst in society” amid a culture of online abuse, as he urged Steve Bruce to ignore the “bullshit” from strangers and remember the praise from those who know him. Bruce has said he may retire, citing the toll insults have taken on his family, after leaving Newcastle and Guardiola’s former assistant Mikel Arteta has voiced concern that a climate of vitriol will deter potential managers from a career in coaching. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Jones told he will oversee Crystal Palace and Chelsea matches * Talks held with Paulo Fonseca but others under consideration Newcastle have asked Graeme Jones to take charge of the team for the next two games as the owners continue discussions over who should replace Steve Bruce as manager. Advanced talks have been held with the former Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk head coach Paulo Fonseca but other candidates are under consideration, including Roberto Martínez, Frank Lampard, Lucien Favre, Steven Gerrard and Eddie Howe. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Wolves could gatecrash the top eight if they complete a fourth consecutive Premier League win over a Leeds side that have one unconvincing victory to their name and are in danger of dropping into the relegation zone. There are mitigating circumstances for Leeds, who have been ravaged by injury, and although Marcelo Bielsa is able to welcome back the influential Raphinha he is still without the England duo Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips. Stephen Hollis Saturday 3pm Continue reading...