Category: Sport News

Arsenal had a late goal disallowed as they missed the chance to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points with a draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Bukayo Saka thought he had given the Gunners all three points when he headed in Gabriel Martinelli’s cross two minutes from time, but the goal was disallowed after the Brazilian was found to be offside during the build-up.

Raul Jimenez, with his sixth goal of the season, put Fulham in front against the run of play when he latched on to Kenny Tete’s ball down the line to fire past David Raya from a tight angle.

Mikel Arteta’s side were level within six minutes of the second half after a well-worked corner kick routine saw William Saliba convert Kai Havertz’s knockdown.

The draw means Arsenal are six points behind leaders Liverpool, having played a game more

Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United after just five months.

Ashworth joined the Red Devils as sporting director on July 1 after a lengthy period of gardening leave at Newcastle United.

However the transition has not been smooth and an exit has been decided on.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is believed to have played a key role in the decision to part ways.

Ratcliffe, and right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, put the 53-year-old in charge of ‘football performance, recruitment and operations’ at United.

Ashworth had a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada at Old Trafford following the club’s 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park has been postponed on safety grounds because of severe weather caused by Storm Darragh.

An amber weather warning for strong winds was issued for Merseyside on Saturday morning amid disruptive conditions across the UK.

The game was called off after a meeting between both clubs and representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council.

“Whilst we appreciate this will be deeply disappointing for supporters, the safety of fans, staff and players is of paramount importance,” an Everton statement read.

Fans of French footballer, Paul Pogba have expressed frustration after his expected return to the pitch was cancelled just four days before he was set to play.

The former Manchester United midfielder was previously handed a four-year suspension from playing after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone following Juventus’ opening game of the 2023-24 season.

His first return to action was set to take place in the King’s Cup clash in Dubai but he now won’t be playing in the contest that was meant to get underway in the Middle East next week.

Football legends were set to go head-to-head in the exhibition with John Terry and Paul Scholes amongst those featuring alongside Pogba, but the event has now been cancelled at the eleventh hour.

Organisers cited ‘unforeseen circumstances’ as the reason for the game being cancelled and has now been pushed back until February, with refunds being offered to ticket holders.

Announcing the decision to reschedule the icons match, the organisation said: ‘Dear Football Fans, we regret to inform you that the King’s Cup Dubai has been rescheduled to February 2025 due to unforeseen circumstances.

‘For refunds, please visit the Platinum list website and follow the instructions for your ticket.

‘We will announce the specific dates for the rescheduled event soon, so please stay tuned for updates. Thank you for your understanding and support -Team King’s Cup,’ he added.

Chelsea stretched their unbeaten run in the Premier League to five games and maintained their status as dark horses for the title with a comfortable 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.


The Blues were worthy winners as they dominated from the moment Nicolas Jackson fired them into the lead in the seventh minute when he beat Emiliano Martinez at his near post from Marc Cucurella’s low cross.

Robert Sanchez did have to step up, however, to keep Ollie Watkins from equalising as the England striker bore down on goal after shrugging off Wesley Fofana.

At the other end, Jackson and Cole Palmer were denied by Martinez from close-range, but Enzo Maresca’s side doubled their lead before half-time as Enzo Fernandez traded passes with Palmer on the edge of the Villa box before firing in a superb outside-of-the-foot strike.

Ruben Amorim collected his first Premier League victory in emphatic fashion as his Manchester United side easily put away lowly Everton at Old Trafford.

United drew at Ipswich last weekend in Amorim’s first game in charge since replacing interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, before beating Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday.

On Sunday they were initially wasteful in the final third and had little control of the contest, but they were clinical once they broke through with Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee both scoring twice.

The hosts attempted to sign visiting defender Jarrad Branthwaite in the summer and it was a game to forget for the Everton defender, inadvertently contributing to United’s first two goals.

Rashford’s low strike deflected in off the centre-back’s outstretched boot for the opener, before Branthwaite dawdled on the ball allowing Amad Diallo to nip in and feed Bruno Fernandes, who laid it off for Zirkzee to convert.

The Red Devils effectively ended the game as a contest just 20 seconds into the second half when the impressive Diallo slid a pass through to Rashford to convert and Dutchman Zirkzee coolly slotted United’s fourth on 64 minutes to wrap up a comfortable victory.

According to The Athletic, a deal to a major club could be forthcoming – but only if Delap continues his form for a prolonged period.

It is also confirmed that Chelsea and Man Utd both admire the forward.

Ipswich have not set a transfer fee for Delap, who is under contract with Town until June 2028, giving them plenty of power in any deal

Liverpool finally ended their Real Madrid curse as they maintained their flawless Champions League record with a fully deserved victory in a thrilling encounter at Anfield.

They had failed to beat the holders in eight previous meetings in the tournament – including two Champions League finals – but there was no denying Liverpool as head coach Arne Slot’s remarkable start in succession to Jurgen Klopp continues.

Liverpool dominated Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who have now lost three of their five games and must fight for a play-off place in the tournament’s new format.

In a game where the two superstars, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Real’s Kylian Mbappe, failed from the penalty spot, Alexis Mac Allister put the hosts ahead after 52 minutes with a low shot across Thibaut Courtois in front of an elated Kop.

Real then squandered the chance to draw level as Caoimhin Kelleher saved Mbappe’s penalty following Andy Robertson’s foul on Lucas Vazquez.

Slot’s side then missed a spot-kick of their own when Salah blasted wide after he had been upended by Ferland Mendy.

Liverpool did not have to wait long to increase their lead, substitute Cody Gakpo heading past Courtois from Robertson’s cross 14 minutes from time, putting them top of the Champions League table with five wins from five.

According to Sky Germany, Man Utd have taken a liking to Bayer Leverkusen and Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface and have shortlisted him as an option for 2025.

The trouble is that Leverkusen will not sell in January and Boniface would be very expensive in the summer.

Additionally, the striker raised eyebrows earlier this season by insisting that he has no interest in moving to the Premier League. He didn’t entirely rule out a transfer to England but admitted that he would prefer staying in Germany or moving to Spain.

Man Utd are determined to add a new striker in 2025. Ideally, they would sign someone already in January, but a summer transfer might be more realistic.

Goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez secured the three points for Chelsea as they beat Leicester City 2-1 at the King Power Stadium.

Maresca received the perfect welcome gift on his return to his former club when Jackson fired the Blues ahead inside the opening 15 minutes of the game.

The Senegal forward fashioned the chance out of nothing after pressing Wout Faes, forcing an error and then tucking his shot into the bottom corner thanks to the return pass from his team-mate Fernandez

United are eyeing a €100m bid for Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman, according to Fichajes.

Lookman is one of the players in demand across top European leagues.

His stock rose considerably, after he led Nigeria to the AFCON 2023 final, and Atalanta to the Coppa Italia final

Lookman also scored a sensational hat-trick as the Serie A club won the UEFA Europa League.

His outstanding displays saw him finish 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings.

Paris Saint-Germain were linked with a move for Lookman in the summer, but nothing concrete materialized. In the last few weeks, there’s been interest from Arsenal.

Silvan Wallner, a 22-year-old Swiss midfielder, has announced his retirement from professional football, stating that his decision is driven by his wish to follow Jesus Christ.

The defender, who started his career in 2020 with FC Zurich, has accumulated over 100 appearances, playing for two other clubs, Wil and BW Linz, where he signed a two-year contract in September.

Wallner in a statement released by Blau-Weiß Linz, said: “I’m a devout Christian, and I read the Bible. I make my own decisions about my life. I wish to follow Jesus Christ, and the biblical day of rest has become important to me.

This means that I no longer want to play professionally on Saturdays. This is my personal conviction, I’m not yet a member of any church. I say a big thank you to people who have accompanied and supported me in my sporting career.”

The Chippa United goalkeeper posted on his Instagram story announcing the death of his father.

He first posted, “RIP Dad,” accompanied by a crying face emoji and a burning candle.

The Super Eagles custodian then posted another status and wrote, “Rest in heaven” with a broken heart emoji and a burning candle.

Victor Osimhen marked his return to international football with the equaliser as Nigeria drew 1-1 with Benin in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

The Galatasaray striker, who missed the October international break, glanced home substitute Moses Simon’s cross with around nine minutes of normal time remaining.

Benin had deservedly led in the first half through Mohamed Tijani in Abidjan, but they were unable to see out what would have been a second victory over the Super Eagles in 2024.

The result means Nigeria are guaranteed a place at the 2025 AFCON finals with one game to spare in qualifying, as they cannot now be caught at the top of Group D.

Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho helped Manchester United to a much-needed Premier League win against Leicester as the curtain came down on Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim reign – and perhaps his second spell with the club.

Having returned to Old Trafford in the summer as one of Erik ten Hag’s assistants, the fan favourite took charge for the fourth and final time on Sunday before Ruben Amorim starts as head coach.

Van Nistelrooy’s place as part of that new-look backroom team is unclear but the United great at least enjoyed a winning end to his time in charge, with Fernandes scoring and forcing another goal before Garnacho completed a 3-0 victory against Leicester.

Arsenal’s poor run of results continued with a 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan despite a spirited performance at the San Siro. The Gunners got off to a tough start and could have been behind inside the opening 90 seconds when Denzel Dumfries struck the crossbar with a superb outside of the foot effort.

Arsenal grew into it though and could have been in front when Mikel Merino headed just wide under pressure from Yann Sommer.

Right on the stroke of half time Merino would be left to rue the miss even further after conceding a harsh penalty when Mehdi Taremi’s close-range flick hit him on the arm. Despite a lengthy VAR check Hakan Calhanoglu was able to keep his cool and tuck the spot kick away.

Incoming Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim’s Sporting produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat Premier League champions Manchester City 4-1 helped by a Viktor Gyokeres hat-trick.

On a night when the pre-match pressure was heaped on the home team and their departing head coach, City left with questions being asked of them as they fell to a third consecutive defeat, after losses at Tottenham and Bournemouth.

Manchester United wrote:

“Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Head Coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements.

He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November.

Ruben is one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football. Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP; the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will continue to take charge of the team until Ruben joins.”

Manchester United progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with a convincing 5-2 win over Leicester City at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Under Ruud van Nistelrooy’s stewardship for the very first time, United got the better of their Premier League counterparts in what was a pulsating cup tie.

Spanish midfielder Rodri has won the men’s Ballon d’Or award as the world’s best footballer in a star-studded ceremony in Paris that was snubbed by Real Madrid.

The 28-year-old Rodri won the prestigious award for the first time on Monday, after helping Manchester City win the Premier League and being a key player in Spain’s European Championship triumph in July.

He succeeded eight-time winner Lionel Messi of Argentina and beat Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior into second place, a result which greatly displeased the Spanish club. Madrid and their players stayed away from the ceremony and vented their feelings on social media.