Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to 10-man Everton in the Premier League on Monday night highlights the job Ruben Amorim still has on his hands at Old Trafford.

Kiernan Drewsbury-Hall’s effort in the first half was enough to secure all three points for David Moyes’ men, which will no doubt leave the Red Devils boss scratching his head.

His men spent 77 minutes with a one-man advantage, but none of his first-team squad could pop up with the goods to extend their unbeaten run in England’s top-flight.

Despite spending £200m on a new attacking trio over the summer, the Red Devils looked largely toothless in front of goal, as seen by their tally of 100% big chances missed.

However, the manager will desperately want added reinforcements in the upcoming January window to aid him in his quest for success during his time at Old Trafford.

United’s hunt for added attacking signings in January

Over the last couple of weeks, Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo has been identified as just one player whom United are targeting for the January transfer window.

The Ghanaian international has been in remarkable form during the early stages of 2025/26, with the winger already netting six goals and three assists in just 11 appearances for the Cherries.

However, Amorim’s men aren’t alone in the pursuit of the 25-year-old, with Arsenal and Liverpool just two other top-flight clubs seeking a £65m move for his signature.

He’s not the only player on the Red Devils’ shortlist, with Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior a player who INEOS are potentially considering a move for in the coming months.

According to The Mirror, the Brazilian international could leave the LaLiga giants in the coming months, with the forward having just 19 months left on his current deal – leading to keen interest from the Red Devils.

It also states his recent bust-up with senior members at the Bernabeu could see them cash in on his services to avoid losing him for nothing in the near future.

How Vinicius Junior compares to Bryan Mbeumo

As part of their £200m spending spree in the summer, United forked out a reported £71m on the services of forward Bryan Mbeumo from fellow Premier League side Brentford.

The Cameroonian generated huge excitement within the Red Devils fanbase after netting 20 times in the league last season, with the 26-year-old already making an excellent start to life at Old Trafford.

He’s already netted five goals in his first 12 league outings for the club, with such a tally currently making him the top goalscorer within Amorim’s squad.

However, his showing against Everton yesterday was one to forget, with the attacker struggling to provide the goods amid the absence of Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha.

Mbeumo was only able to register a single effort on target whilst also failing to complete any of his three attempted dribbles – further highlighting his lack of impact in the final third.

There’s no doubt he’s been a shrewd addition to date, but ultimately, he hasn’t been able to get near the levels produced by Vinicius during his opening matches in LaLiga.

When comparing the pair’s respective stats this campaign, the Brazilian has massively outperformed Mbeumo – showcasing why he’d be a better addition for the Red Devils.

Vinicius, who’s been dubbed the “best in the world” by Thierry Henry, has racked up more combined goals and assists this season – subsequently handing Amorim a more threatening option in front of goal.

He’s also registered more key passes and more passes into the final third per 90, with such numbers allowing those around him to be on the end of more chances in attacking areas.

How Vinicius & Mbeumo compare in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Vinicius

Mbeumo

Games played

13

12

Goals & assists

9

6

Progressive carries

8.9

2.8

Progressive passes

4.8

2.7

Pass accuracy

80%

73%

Key passes

2.9

1.7

Passes into final third

1.9

1.5

Take-on success

38%

33%

Carries into final third

2.9

1.9

Stats via FBref

The Brazilian’s all-round dominance over Mbeumo is further highlighted in his higher take-on success and greater tally of carries into the final third per 90, which showcases his ability to go alone when needed.

A player of Vini Jr’s quality would cost a small fortune in today’s market, with such a move likely to break the club’s current transfer record of £89m paid for Paul Pogba.

However, it would be a deal worth every penny, with the winger having all of the tools to take the United frontline to the next level for many years to come under Amorim’s guidance.

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Smith and Brook went into trance mode and reintroduced a third result to the match when it seemed like England were out of it

Sidharth Monga04-Jul-2025

Jamie Smith was at his attacking best•ECB via Getty Images

Bazball never sounds more like a cult than when Jeetan Patel speaks about it. The press pack half-expected him to say, “we have got them where we wanted” in the press conference at the end of day two. The scores were India 587 vs England 77 for 3.Jeetan is self-aware, give that to him. He acknowledged “you keep laughing at me”. One of the lines Jeetan said might as well be a mantra for a cult: “That was yesterday; today is today; tomorrow will be another day.”The problem with cults usually is that while they can offer light and solace to those needing something to hold on to, their experiments, so to speak, aren’t backed by independent evidence. They need certain, erm, conditions for the believers to find nirvana.Related

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• Smith hails belief to 'do what you feel is right in the moment'

Bazball’s conditions are flat pitches and the recently quick-to-go-soft Dukes balls. Not just flat pitches, but ones that don’t deteriorate, ones that result in progressively increasing averages over the innings of Tests in the Bazball era in England. There is no moisture left because typically on moist pitches the hard Dukes balls leave indentations, which result in uneven bounce over the course of a Test.Even so, at 84 for 5, Mohammed Siraj on a hat-trick in the second over of the day, England 503 behind India, was the ultimate test of this mad belief. England have had their bad days in this era, but they have never been so far behind so early in the game. In comes Jamie Smith, a “made” wicketkeeper, playing ahead of accomplished ones, selected for Bazballing reasons, to face the hat-trick ball. And he smashes it for four through mid-off.In a sensational assault on India in the rest of the session, Smith and Harry Brook reintroduced the third result to the match when it had seemed England were out of it. The fans in the Hollies Stand sang Oasis and “Sweet Caroline”, but the cricket was in keeping with the land of the birth of heavy metal. By two guys who look like they have never contemplated long hair let alone anything as rebellious as heavy metal.To watch that session was to just continuously head-bang for two hours. It was just believers in a trance. They really seemed like they were in a trance. Brook said they didn’t discuss any plans or match state. They just watched ball and hit ball. Brook might have fumbled his lines a little, but Smith went at a strike rate of bazillions with a control percentage of 90-plus.0:59

Brook: Was definitely hungry to get a hundred today

India played their part. They banged on the drums. The ball had gone soft, and they were willing to buy a wicket. Prasidh Krishna was sacrificed for the plan. He bowled two good overs of line and length, drawing an edge that flew through the sparsely populated slips, drew a rare miss from Smith, and then all of a sudden, he started to bang the ball into the middle of the pitch.Two fielders on the hook, Smith went in front of square. Another man went out, and he went over them. Another fielder back, and he went in front of mid-on. Then over mid-on. Not long ago, Bazball was killing Test cricket with lifeless pitches, but now it was reviving it with sensational batting.India had so many runs in the bag they didn’t need to bowl for control, but what do you do with opponents that keep coming at you and don’t seem to care about the match situation or the result? That fear of getting out is the bedrock of batting; it is what makes risk management necessary. No matter the pitches, Bazball is disrupting that fear.In the lunch break, though, India decided to use that bank of runs to their advantage and go hunting only with the second new ball. ODI fields and possibly tiring batters resulted in a slower session following which India struck back just as gloriously with the second new ball, but that one session of mad belief did leave them shaken.Just as well that the new ball created enough jeopardy to restore some balance for those not in on the cult. It still doesn’t seem to matter to the believers, though. There is a second innings to come as well.

Only 69 runs required for victory but history dictates South Africans will remain nervous to the last

Andrew Miller13-Jun-20253:39

Steyn: SA on the brink of a ‘fantastic achievement’

No team in world cricket, and arguably the whole of sport, has a more brutal relationship with the finishing line than South Africa.It’s cruel, but essential, to state this up front, much as Shukri Conrad, their impressively phlegmatic head coach, did when – with their place in the World Test Championship final up for grabs – they slipped to 19 for 3, chasing 148, against Pakistan in December.”Do you want to be remembered as chokers?” was the gist of Conrad’s message, as the cricket world – more engaged with this contest than could ever have been possible without the WTC’s over-arching narrative – began to snipe from the shadows in the prescribed manner.The players duly got their act together and hauled themselves over the line by two wickets, in what Conrad later coined “Camel classic”, in reference to the nerve-settling smoke break he’d had with a handful of his players.Related

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If that Pakistan run-chase was a moment to savour, it is nothing compared to the euphoria that South Africa now know is within their reach, after a day of batting dominance at Lord’s that might have been beyond their most fevered hopes and desires. And yet, even now, they dare not make eye contact with the prospect, lest the whole edifice comes crashing down.Speaking at the close of play on day three, for instance, Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s batting coach, was asked about the magnitude of Temba Bavuma’s performance – on one leg for most of his unbeaten 65, while carrying one of the most unconscionable burdens in world sport, as he extended his unbroken third-wicket stand with Aiden Markram to 143.Prince started to respond with the sincerity that his captain’s heroics deserved, but checked himself mid-flow: “Maybe I should answer that question after the game.”And so, there can – and will – be no counting of chickens as South Africa’s day of destiny dawns at Lord’s on Saturday. Least of all against an Australia that are not simply the defending WTC champions, but – as their proud record in world finals can attest – as habitually certain of their ability to win from any situation as South Africa tend to be consumed by fatalism.”The messaging has been the same throughout,” Prince said. “Make them believe that they can do it, and then just step out the way and allow them to go and do it.”One of the things we said before the run-chase is: ‘the game will finish when it finishes’,” he said. “Whether that is tomorrow at lunchtime or whatever, the end of the match will take care of itself. For us, the most important thing is to remain in the moment. And from a batting point of view, that means play one ball at a time.”3:33

Prince: This team’s greatest strength is its unity

The calm within South Africa’s dressing room, Prince added, was a testament to Conrad’s unflustered approach to his role.”Shukri must get a lot of credit for that,” he said. “As soon as Aiden and Temba came up the stairs [after the third day], the first thing he said was, ‘guys, do the same as you do every night’. Don’t change a thing. Tomorrow morning, come and do the same warm-ups that you do every day. We obviously understand the magnitude of the situation and what’s at stake, but just stay calm and take it in your stride.”Just stay calm… it’s easier said than done, given what South Africa know of their fractured big-match psyche, but moreover what they know everyone else knows of it.Not that the team will be allowing the thoughts to fly so far ahead of the process, but it’s safe to assume that the ICC is already preparing its big-match montage to accompany South Africa’s winning moment… just as was the case in the last World Cup final to be staged at Lord’s, back in 2019.On that occasion, the tape memorably froze in the split-second before Jos Buttler whipped off the bails for the title-sealing run-out… and the ghosts of England’s many and miserable failures flooded into the picture. But, on this occasion, will it even be possible to exorcise so many all at once?2:56

Hayden lauds Bavuma’s ‘champion effort’

For there’s been a horror story for every format and every generation since South Africa’s readmission, up to and including their agonising loss to India – 30 runs needed from 30 balls – in their first T20 World Cup final appearance in Barbados last year.For the current scenario, however, there’s an even more on-the-nose shortcoming – arguably the founding father of the chokers tag. In Bridgetown once again, in South Africa’s very first Test match back in the fold, Kepler Wessels and Peter Kirsten had carried their side to 122 for 2, chasing 201 for victory, against a West Indies pace attack led by Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.A rest day intervened – and premature celebrations were had. But, upon the resumption, those 79 runs were never remotely challenged, as South Africa’s remaining eight wickets were culled for just 25 runs. Against an attack featuring Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – and in light of their first-innings collapse of 5 for 12 – history is primed to repeat itself if there’s even the slightest dropping of the guard.”There’s no desire to get ahead of ourselves,” Daniel Vettori, Australia’s assistant coach, said. “I think it’s one wicket, that’s the starting point. I don’t think there’ll be any thinking around how to get eight dismissals. It’ll be simply about getting one and seeing what can happen from there.”Perhaps this fatalism really does all come from the outside now. Prince acknowledged there was a bit of low-key superstition at play while South Africa’s crucial stand was growing – everyone staying seated then rushing to the bathroom at drinks, or when Bavuma’s hamstring required treatment – but overall, he insisted the pursuit of positives was the defining aspect of their day. Even during the frustrating morning session, while Starc and Hazlewood were adding 58 for the tenth wicket.2:23

Day 3 review: Markram’s knock could be career-defining

“I think there were signs, starting yesterday evening, when you’re sitting and watching the game, that all those type of things might be positive for us,” Prince said. “There was a little bit of frustration, obviously, with the ball dropping short of the cordon all the time. But if you reverse that when we bat, it’s a little sign that something might be in our favour. The stats suggest that day three might be the best for batting, and their Nos. 9, 10 and 11 were pretty comfortable against a pretty good bowling attack.”Whether the cricket can now take care of itself, only the fourth day’s events can tell. And yet, South Africa already know they have given a good account of themselves, through the brilliance of Kagiso Rabada’s nine wickets, and the indomitability of their senior batting pair. Regardless of the final act, they have arguably already shown that the ends justify the means, when it comes to their scrutinised route to this showpiece occasion.”There was no talk about proving anybody wrong,” Prince said. “Obviously there was a lot of talk about our route to the final, and who we played against, and people have their opinions about that. I can promise you now, we’d love to play against everybody more often, especially if there’s some big-money series that we can also make some money [from].”But the important thing, from Shukri’s point of view, is to make the players aware of how good they are, and if you take them lightly, you might come short. I’m sure Australia wouldn’t have approached the game in that manner. But perhaps the rest of the world, watching the final or predicting what’s going to happen in the final, might have had that opinion.”

Despite earning a convincing victory in the Champions League, Napoli head coach Antonio Conte is concerned with the rising injury concerns inside his squad. As the Italian team prepare for their upcoming battle against Serie A leaders Roma, the coach wants his side to take extra caution as his squad is stretched thin.

McTominay powers Conte's side to victory

After a devastating 6-2 loss to PSV and a goalless draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli returned to winning ways in the Champions League by defeating Azerbaijani heavyweights Qarabag 2-0 on Tuesday. A 65th-minute goal from last season's player of the year, Scott McTominay, and an own goal from Marko Jankovic seven minutes later, decided Napoli's fate, who rose to the 18th position on the continental table. However, fielding his best side was somewhat challenging for Conte, who had to keep two goalkeepers and two young players on the bench. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportConte bemoans mounting injury crisis

Napoli missed six important figures against Qarabag, including the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Leonardo Spinazzola. While Conte expressed delight after the victory, he seemed cautious of the team's injury concerns.  

He told reporters: "Tomorrow we'll enjoy it, then we'll put the helmet back on because we have Roma on Sunday. Napoli were not dead, it's not a question of being alive or not alive, but of continuing to work always giving everything we have. Then games can be won or not, but we know that we always have to give everything. It is a moment of great difficulty for the availability of the players, we had seven players on the bench, two of whom were goalkeepers and two young players like Ambrosino and Vergara.

"We have been facing a very difficult period since the beginning of the year, we must start from the assumption that the players go on the pitch. If you don't have any, you have to find different solutions, trying to exploit almost always the same ones because then the risks increase. We are moving forward, we have played two excellent games. Let's not forget the results of Qarabag, in the Champions League there are no easy opponents, I was convinced that by bringing this pace we would direct the challenge."

Conte sheds light on Spinazzola's return

While Miguel Gutierrez succumbed to an injury a day before the Qarabag game, Conte expects Spinazzola to return on Friday. Whether he'll be available for Sunday's clash against surprise Serie A leaders Roma still remains unclear, but one of the six key individuals returning to the side will be taken as a positive by the experienced mentor. 

He said: "Many times we also judge on the basis of the results of the matches, I think since the beginning of the year we have been chasing having many unavailability. I can control some situations, but I can't manage the sprain that Gutierrez got yesterday during training. It's a shame, because then we immediately talk about a crisis without actually seeing what we are facing. The boys are exceptional, in terms of availability, everyone's responsibility has risen exponentially, because there will be many games that we have to face without being complete. We hope to have Spinazzola with us on Thursday, so we would have another option instead of the Spaniard."

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Getty Images SportNapoli's recent form over Roma a boost for squad

Defeating Roma will offer Napoli a chance to reclaim top spot in Serie A, depending on AC Milan's result against Lazio on Saturday evening. However, despite many injury concerns, Napoli have one positive to inspire them against Roma. In the last five meetings against the capital club, Napoli have lost to Roma only once, drawing two games and winning three. Conte might want his team to escalate their confidence, keeping this head-to-head record in mind. 

Ajax’s turbulent search for a new technical director has taken an interesting turn after a leaked photo revealed a secret meeting with Jordi Cruyff in Barcelona. The son of club icon Johan Cruyff spoke with Ajax chiefs Menno Geelen and Marijn Beuker as the Dutch giants accelerate plans to rebuild their collapsing football department.

• Cruyff meets Ajax top brass in Barcelona

  The race to find Ajax’s next technical director intensified this week after Geelen and Beuker were photographed holding talks with Cruyff at the Torre Melina a Gran Melia hotel in Barcelona. The meeting, initially intended to be discreet, became public when an observant Dutch resident living in Spain captured the photo of Cruyff and his manager with Ajax bosses, the image was shared by .

  Ajax more or less acknowledged that negotiations are underway. When approached, Geelen said: “It's true that we're working on important projects. We'll comment on that when there's news to report. That's not the case yet.” Cruyff also declined to go into details, insisting: “This isn't the time to say anything.”

  The secretive nature of the meeting highlights Ajax’s urgency as the delegation flew from Amsterdam early on Monday despite the club preparing for a Champions League match against Benfica the following evening. It signals that Cruyff is not only a leading candidate, but potentially the leading candidate to replace departing technical director Alex Kroes.

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• Kroes' exit and club crisis push Ajax toward a new era

  Ajax’s pursuit of Cruyff comes amid institutional chaos as Kroes, who was originally hired to stabilise the sporting department, announced earlier this month that he would step down after taking responsibility for the team’s alarming decline. Prior to this, he had been suspended following a Supervisory Board ruling that he purchased up to €190,000 worth of club shares one week before officially taking office.

  Although he later returned in a technical capacity, his decision to leave has forced Ajax to scramble for solutions. At the club’s annual stakeholders’ meeting, Geelen confirmed that recruiting a technical director takes priority over appointing a permanent manager.

  Ajax explored several options, reportedly including former sporting director Marc Overmars, but he dismissed the approach, calling his Amsterdam chapter “closed.”

  Cruyff, meanwhile, arrives with a notable resume, he previously held technical roles at AEK Larnaca, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Barca, where he assisted Xavi Hernandez during the club’s squad rebuild. Since early 2024, he has served as an advisor to the Indonesian FA. In the Dutch press however, he is now viewed as a serious contender to restore direction to a club drifting both on and off the pitch.

• The legacy weight

  Should Cruyff accept the role, he would inherit a challenge reminiscent of his father Johan's famous Velvet Revolution. In 2010, the elder Cruyff wrote that “Ajax was no longer his Ajax” and declared the situation “even worse than the period before Rinus Michels joined the club in 1965.” His intervention triggered a structural overhaul that led to seven Eredivisie titles, a Europa League final and a Champions League semi-final run.

  Ajax have since disintegrated in recent years and failed to arrest their decline this season. They brought back former player and coach John Heitinga to lead the team for a second time this season, though he was recently sacked. They are currently sixth in the Eredivisie following a shock defeat to Excelsior at the weekend and sit bottom of the Champions League with zero points, one goal scored and 14 conceded from four matches.

  Jordi would now be tasked with rescuing Ajax from a similarly bleak state. Like his father, Jordi is known to value the presence of club DNA, and many within Amsterdam believe he could help restore the familiar Ajax identity that has faded since Overmars' departure.

  Cruyff’s network also allows for modern solutions. While he respects Ajax traditions, he may not hesitate to appoint a foreign coach if required, “a Spanish coach from his network,” as Dutch reports put it, pointing to success stories such as Francesco Farioli in the Eredivisie.

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• AFP
  

  Why Ajax are moving fast?

  This week’s Barcelona meeting shows that Ajax are not willing to wait until the January window to put the club back on track. With the team tumbling down the league and European results inconsistent, the management believes the new technical director must arrive before the winter break so he can immediately initiate structural reforms.

  Cruyff is seen as someone who understands both Ajax’s traditional principles and the demands of modern football. And. the fact that Geelen and Beuker travelled personally, despite the Champions League fixture against Benfica looming, underlines that the Amsterdam giants want a resolution quickly. If Cruyff is appointed, he will oversee managerial recruitment, squad planning, youth integration and long-term strategy.

  Ajax aim to make an appointment before the winter break, and Cruyff is firmly among the frontrunners, if not the favourite. The Supervisory Board will now evaluate the Barca discussions before deciding whether to proceed to the final negotiation phase.

Manchester City fans arriving at the Etihad on Tuesday evening might well have been somewhat perplexed by the lineup that was announced.

Indeed, for the showdown with Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola would ring the changes, with a mammoth ten alterations on display from the 2-1 defeat versus Newcastle United.

Nico Gonzalez was the only player remaining in the XI from that humbling loss.

The Spaniard’s widespread tinkering did not work the way he would have wanted, whatsoever, as City ended up crashing to a second successive defeat in all competitions, with Leverkusen taking advantage of the disjointed feel to the hosts to inflict a 2-0 loss.

While Leverkusen were ultimately clinical and deserving of all three points, several of Guardiola’s reserve personnel did let him down big time against the visitors from Germany, with Savinho – in particular – putting in another poor showing down the flanks.

Savinho's poor performance in numbers

The Brazilian would have been hopeful that he could change Guardiola’s mind about who his starting attacker should be down the left wing by putting in a high-octane performance against Leverkusen, with Jeremy Doku pushing Savinho to one side with ease as of late.

Instead, however, the below-par forward remains on just one paltry goal for the season, with social media account City Chief going as far as to bash his display against Kasper Hjulmand’s men as offering “no end product” again.

The numbers don’t lie in this regard, too, with Savinho coming off the pitch at the end of a frustrating 90 minutes with just one shot attempted at the Leverkusen goal.

Moreover, despite successfully completing four successful dribbles from nine attempts, as per Sofascore, all of the South American’s trickery and flair on the night ultimately went to waste, with just one accurate cross amassed.

On top of that, the hit-and-miss 21-year-old also gave away possession 24 times, with his decision-making labelled as “puzzling” by journalist Amos Murphy.

Guardiola has defended Savinho in recent weeks by calling him an “aggressive” threat in attack at his best, with this criticism rampant when you consider he has put away just four goals from 64 City appearances.

But, even the Spaniard deciding to wear rose-tinted glasses at times can’t defend that shoddy showing against the Bundesliga giants, with the £30m attacker going down the route of becoming the club’s next Jack Grealish, in being another flashy and inconsistent flop.

He isn’t the only struggling star up top where the Grealish comparison rings true, however, as another underperformer begins to worry if he, too, is a high-profile acquisition gone wrong.

The Man City star turning into the next Grealish

At least Savinho, even if his efforts were largely inaccurate and clumsy, got himself involved in the thick of the action, having accumulated a mighty 76 touches of the ball come the full-time whistle.

On the contrary, Omar Marmoush – with his own tally of 18 touches – faded in and out of the contest as an unmemorable focal point, with his £59m price tag now weighing him down, much like Grealish’s excessive £100m valuation would be his dismal undoing.

Yet, Grealish did show flashes of his excellence at City here and there before an Everton loan move came to fruition, with 17 goals and 23 assists to date helping the sky blue half of Manchester to three Premier League titles.

Marmoush hasn’t quite got that in the bank, but he does have a respectable nine goals next to his name from just 36 outings.

Still, football is a fast-paced and fickle game, and for the riches that were splashed out on his services, after amassing a jaw-dropping 50 goal contributions for Eintracht Frankfurt, just one goal this season won’t cut the mustard, with his goal-shy display on Tuesday night further reinforcing how reliant City are on Erling Haaland to get them out of trouble.

Minutes played

65

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

18

Shots

0

Accurate passes

7/9 (78%)

Possession lost

7x

Total duels won

2/5

From his minimal touches of the ball, despite lasting 65 minutes on the Etihad turf, Marmoush would fail to register a single effort on Mark Flekken’s busy net.

In stark contrast, the constantly dangerous Haaland would manage a colossal four shots, from just nine touches.

With only two duels won, too, it’s unlikely that Guardiola will be keen to utilise the Egyptian as his lone striker moving forward, as he now finds himself in danger of fading into the background, rather than being an impactful statement signing, like the former Aston Villa man.

Time will only tell if he can kick on this season to show he belongs, with injuries not helping him this campaign so far, either.

But, based on his Leverkusen showing alone, he will be pushed back to the bench, alongside Savinho, when Premier League action returns at the weekend.

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BySean Markus Clifford Nov 24, 2025

Arsenal defeated rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in the North London Derby, and there was some controversy on display during a pulsating affair, with one particular matter piquing the interest of Mark Goldbridge.

The Gunners went into the clash knowing that a victory would put them six points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table, while Spurs had the opportunity to move into the top four.

On this occasion, Mikel Arteta was able to claim a valuable triumph against Thomas Frank’s side, beginning with a deflected Leandro Trossard strike before Eberechi Eze enhanced his reputation as a Gunners’ fan favourite with a brace at the Emirates Stadium, the second of which coming just after the interval.

Spurs rallied in the second half, and Richarlison’s long-range strike caught out David Raya in stunning fashion. However, the home side had already done more than enough to secure the victory beforehand, keeping their charge for the title well and truly on track.

Eze completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, earning derby folklore status after joining Arsenal despite interest from Tottenham during the summer window to complete a 4-1 rout.

Next time out, Arsenal face the small matter of taking on Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium, pitting two of Europe’s heavyweights against each other in the capital on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Tottenham face the unenviable task of going to Paris Saint-Germain, presenting a challenge of great might against the reigning Champions League holders.

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Thrills and spills underpinned another pulsating affair between both sides, though it wasn’t an evening that was short of controversy, which is usually the case with both sides fighting tooth and nail for local bragging rights.

With that in mind, Goldbridge took to social media to point out something he believes VAR missed during a dramatic affair at the home of the Gunners.

Mark Goldbridge takes aim at VAR during Arsenal vs Spurs

Taking to X, Goldbridge took issue with Eze’s first goal being allowed after two Arsenal players were in the line of Guglielmlo Vicario’s sight as he struck sweetly into the bottom corner.

In theory, Goldbridge has a point, given that Virgil Van Dijk saw a goal ruled out in similar circumstances during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat against Manchester City before the international break.

Nevertheless, there is an argument to be had as to whether either player is actually preventing Vicario from saving Eze’s strike, something that is likely to dominate headlines over the next few days after a momentous victory for the Gunners.

Either way, Arsenal appear to be in fine fettle and have taken command of their mission to claim a first Premier League title since 2004, which is becoming more likely with every passing week.

TORONTO —  There is a laundry list of problems the Seattle Mariners will take into Game 7 of the American League Championship Series tonight. They have struck out almost twice as many times as the Blue Jays (62–34). They don’t win when they don’t hit a home run (13–30 in 173 games this year). And they must win in the toughest place to win this year in the AL.

None of those issues are their biggest problem. The Mariners have a Vlad problem.

To go to their first World Series, they must figure out how to pitch to a smoking hot Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is having a postseason for the ages. So hot is Guerrero that the best course of action for Seattle pitchers is to swallow their pride and pitch around him in any spot with a smidgen of meaning.

No offense to Alejandro Kirk, who is swinging a hot bat behind him right now, but there is no way the Mariners can go home allowing Guerrero even a chance of beating them. You pitch to him every time in Game 7 as if there are two outs and first base open. He is that good and that hot.

In a too-easy 6–2 victory over a tight Seattle team Sunday (three errors, three double plays grounded into and 13 strikeouts), Guerrero’s night went like this:

Popped out for only the second time this postseason.Grounded out on a slider on one of the seven hardest hard balls he has hit all year (116 mph).Ripped a curveball for a home run.Shot a classic “how-dare-you” look at the Mariners’ dugout upon scoring after they hit him with a pitch.Hit a sinker twice for a single—once as it broke his bat on the handle and again, on the carom, with his barrel.

“He came in the dugout and said, ‘I hit that twice,’” said Toronto center fielder Dalton Varsho. “That’s how hot he is. He knew he hit it twice.

“It’s amazing to watch this.  He’s hitting everything right now. It doesn’t matter where they pitch him—in, out, up or down—and what they pitch him. I mean, he’s so hot right now they flipped him a curveball out of nowhere and he’s on time and hits it out.”

The Mariners have thrown him 77 pitches in this series. Only two have been curveballs. He smoked one for a double and whacked the other for a homer to end the night of a wholly ineffective Logan Gilbert, Seattle’s Game 6 starter.

Seattle quashed Guerrero in Games 1 and 2, getting him on the ground six times in seven hitless at-bats. The Mariners pounded him with right-handed sinkers away. Before Game 3, Guerrero made an adjustment to catch the ball slightly deeper on its way to the plate and to elevate it.

Since then, he is 10-for-17 (.588) with three homers, three doubles and 13 times on base in four games. In the past two games Seattle has tried to pitch him in; that worked no better.

With a PlayStation postseason slash line of .462/.532/1.000, Guerrero is carving a place for himself among the Mount Rushmore of great postseasons in the expanded playoff era. Take your pick from among Reggie Jackson (1978), Barry Bonds (2002), David Ortiz (2004 and 2013), Carlos Beltran (2004) and Yordan Alvarez (2023), but you better have Guerrero in your top four.

Shohei Ohtani, of course, set the postseason afire with his one-man show in NLCS Game 4. But let that not diminish the history in the making by Guerrero, who is having an October of pure hitting excellence like we’ve never seen. He is the first player in the postseason to hit six home runs with only two strikeouts. The fewest strikeouts while hitting six homers in the postseason was six, by Albert Pujols in 2004.

Guerrero has seen 144 pitches in the postseason and swung and missed only nine times on 58 swings. How in the world do you slug 1.000 make contact on 84% of your swings against the best pitchers of the best teams in the most important and most heavily scouted time of year?

A better question was put to Seattle manager Dan Wilson. It was as brief as it was obvious: “What do you do about Vladdy?”

It seemed mostly a rhetorical question, like asking a farmer what you do about a drought or a Manhattan taxi driver about traffic. You bear the misery, is what you do.

Wilson’s answer was perfectly euphemistic: “He’s someone that you have to take note of and that’s for us to do going forward.”

Take note, yes. Paul Revere once took note of the British coming. Guerrero is that dangerous right now. It’s hard to imagine the Blue Jays imaginedwhen they signed him to a 14-year, $500-million extension this year to keep him away from free agency. Your most restful night of sleep could not dream a postseason like this. But the contract did remove the usual “where-is-he-going-and-how-much-will-he-get” parlor game nonsense that is for elite free agents. (Hello, Kyle Tucker and the Cubs.) And it did validate Vladdy, even in his own mind, that he is the rare kind of player who can not only carry a team but also welcome the responsibility to do so.

“I've seen him embrace being the face of the franchise,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

Tonight the Mariners will play their first Game 7 in franchise history. (The Blue Jays have played one, losing in the 1985 ALCS.) There has never been a postseason game to decide the pennant among two teams with a combined wait for one that is this long: 81 years of waiting for the World Series.

This is a series that has whipsawed back and forth in terms of the upper hand, so Seattle can flip it back in its favor to finally retire its status as Only Franchise Never to Have Won a Pennant. But to do so, the Mariners likely must hit two homers (because as Game 6 reminded us with three rally-killing double plays, they are awful at situational hitting) and they must get starting pitcher George Kirby through 18 batters with the game still tight to make use of their bullpen advantage.

Above all their musts, the most pressing one is an answer to that postgame question to Wilson: “What do you do about Vladdy?”

تحدث ياسين منصور، نائب رئيس مجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي، عن كواليس عودته للعمل داخل القلعة الحمراء، ورؤيته لتطوير المنظومة الإدارية والرياضية.

وقال ياسين منصور في تصريحات عبر برنامج “الحكاية”، على قناة “mbc masr”: “سر عودتك للنادي الأهلي؟ هذا حب أو كما يُقال (القلب وما يريد) الحقيقة أنني في الأهلي ربما بدأت مشواري في المجلس مع الكابتن صالح سليم – رحمه الله – ثم مع الكابتن حسن حمدي، ثم رحلت، ثم عدت في شركة الكرة، ثم غادرتها”.

وواصل: “وبعد ما حدث للكابتن الخطيب – بسبب حالته الصحية، نسأل الله أن يشفيه – جاء إلي وتحدثنا، فقلت له: الله، انظر.. إذا كنت ستنزل فأنا سأنزل معك نائبًا، وإذا لم تنزل فسأنزل أنا رئيسًا للنادي الأهلي، لكنني أفضل أن تكون موجودًا كرئيس للنادي”.

وتابع: “لأنني أيضًا لم أكن يومًا نائب رئيس، فأريد أن أرى كيف يسير المكتب التنفيذي، فالنادي الأهلي منظومة رائعة بالفعل، وأنا أرى أن وقت التطوير قد حان، وهذا سبب دخولي النادي، فهناك، في الحقيقة، أمور كثيرة جدًا يمكن القيام بها”.

وباغته الإعلامي عمرو أديب بتعليق: “لازلت تتحدث عن تطوير الأهلي والزمالك ليس قادرًا على الحصول على الأرض”، ليرد عليه نائب رئيس النادي الأهلي ضاحكًا: “هذا موضوعكم أنتم، أما نحن فسنواصل العمل”.

طالع أيضًا | أبو العلا ينفجر: الزمالك دوره “سنيد” في مسرحية شرعنة البطل الأوحد

وواصل: “طبعًا كرة القدم في مصر – بشكل عام – تشهد حالة من الفوضى، وتواجه مشاكل كبيرة جدًا، فعلى سبيل المثال، النادي الأهلي أنشأ أكثر من شركة، لكن فكرة إنشاء مثلًا شركة الكرة أصبحت منتشرة الآن، ففي الوقت الحالي ريال مدريد يُنشئ شركة كرة”.

ليعلق أديب ساخرًا: “نعم، ريال مدريد يقلد الأهلي” فيرد عليه منصور مازحًا: “نعم، يقلد الأهلي.. هذا هو الواقع، وقد أرسلوا لنا أشخاصًا ليروا التجربة الأهلاوية، وسيصلون قريبًا”.

واختتم: “شركة الكرة أمر بالغ الأهمية، فمن المفترض في أوروبا أن تمثل تذاكر المباريات دخلاً للأندية يتراوح بين 25% و30%، لكن التذاكر هنا لا تمثل 1% حتى من دخل النادي الأهلي، رغم أن التذاكر رخيصة”.

Trolling is a part of sports. Oftentimes, it's the athletes doing it, but every so often, a celebrity will join in on the fun in the name of supporting their favorite team. That's what Canadian rapper Drake did when he playfully trolled Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani in the midst of a thrilling, back-and-forth World Series that was eventually won by Los Angeles in seven games.

Only, the Dodgers didn't see Drake's social media posts as playful trolling. As Dodgers Game 7 hero Miguel Rojas told TMZ in an interview, Los Angeles perceived the Canadian rapper's online jabs at Ohtani to be disrespectful.

Rojas says Drake trolling Ohtani 'didn't go unnoticed'

"… That [Drake's trolling] doesn't go unnoticed," Rojas said. "When you kind of disrespect—a little bit—the best player in the game. Not understanding the quality of the person and what the guy has done for baseball. … You don’t have to do that, man.”

What did Drake post about Ohtani?

Drake decided to have a little social media fun at the Dodgers‘ expense following the Blue Jays‘ Game 5 victory—in which Toronto starter Trey Yesavage dominated Los Angeles‘s lineup. The Canadian rapper took to Instagram and trolled Ohtani, who went 0-for-4 with a strikeout against Yesavage.

Rojas credited Yesavage for his superb pitching, but noted that in the Dodgers‘s eyes, Drake didn't have to go there and troll Ohtani. The Dodgers infielder, who hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7, explained that Drake's trolling is what prompted teammate Kiké Hernández to take a shot at the rapper during the team's victory celebration.

Kiké Hernández fires back at Drake after Dodgers‘ World Series win

Hernández, during his speech at the Dodgers‘ World Series parade, couldn't resist taking a not-so-subtle jab right back at Drake, referencing one of Drake's songs, "Big Rings."

"…Playing the most games in October for this franchise, for this really big team that has a lot of really big rings," Hernández said.

Perhaps the Drake curse lives on?