Tottenham’s Tudor age begins with a north London derby, Guardiola ponders Haaland’s role and Wirtz has a chance to flummox ForestAston Villa, third in the Premier League, chasing Champions League qualification and the Europa League title, will be expected to beat Leeds on home soil. But Unai Emery’s
Those who have worked with midfielder reflect on his career as he prepares to make a 654th top-flight appearanceJames Milner was the most dedicated and professional young player I’ve met. He also took the not inconsiderable transition from being at school to playing in the Leeds first team totally i
Anthony Gordon scores four as Newcastle thrash Qarabag 6-1 in the Champions League playoff7 min: Newcastle are carving Qarabag open. Joe Willock runs through the middle before slipping in Harvey Barnes. Barnes hits it down to the keeper’s left and it’s out for a corner.5 min: Qarabag head the other
When the Qarabag manager, Gurban Gurbanov, declared before kick-off that Newcastle possess “a style of play that does not suit us”, there were suggestions that he was playing mind games. Long before half-time it was fully apparent that he had rather understated things.Had this been a boxing match it
Wise remembers long throws with Vinnie Jones, training in a park with Gus Poyet and scoring in Europe for MillwallBy The Coaches’ VoiceAs a young player I had been told a few times that I wasn’t quite good enough. Wimbledon manager Dave Bassett was the one who looked at me in a different way. He was
Referee Chris Kavanagh will not officiate this weekendVAR was not used in FA Cup fourth round tiesThe referee Chris Kavanagh will not officiate in the next round of Premier League fixtures after a series of high‑profile errors during the FA Cup tie between Aston Villa and Newcastle on Saturday.Kavan
Pressure is telling on Scott Parker at Burnley while Dominik Szoboszlai is reaching new heights for LiverpoolThe lack of pressure on Scott Parker this season, despite a collection of desperate performances and an impending relegation, has been mystifying. Plenty at Turf Moor feel a strong sense of l
On a night when VAR – or the lack of it – came under serious scrutiny, Newcastle came from behind to beat their hosts with three second-half goalsRead John Brewin’s match report from Villa Park 1 min: Tammy Abraham gets the ball rolling, playing it a few yards backwards to Amadou Onana. Within secon
Football’s interminable video assistant refereeing debate has its latest chapter after a bizarre evening and officiating performance at Villa Park. With the FA Cup not allowing the video protocol until the fifth round, this was an occasion to make the abolitionists think twice. Is elite football alr
Burnley have the chance of a Cup run, Leicester fear an unwelcome repeat and Brighton fans get a raw dealChelsea have kept two clean sheets in 10 games since appointing Liam Rosenior as head coach last month. Repeated doziness at the back has cost them. They have held commanding advantages against C
Tottenham manager ‘1,000% sure’ he should carry onFans booed and jeered the Dane once again during defeatThomas Frank remains convinced he has the support of the Tottenham board and will continue in his job as manager, arguing that the club’s problems run deeper than him. The Dane watched his team l
To his extensive list of problems at Tottenham, Thomas Frank can add another. The manager is dealing with a ghost from the club’s more successful recent past. There were 49 minutes on the clock when the South Stand choir took up the song. “He’s magic, you know. Mauricio Poch-e-ttino.” The message wa
Manager has ‘no doubt’ he remains best person for jobNewcastle travel to Spurs on Tuesday in 12th placeEddie Howe has said he would offer Newcastle his resignation if he believed he was no longer the right man to lead the club.Howe’s team visit Tottenham on Tuesday night aiming to end the run of thr
Liverpool rue costly mistakes, Viktor Gyökeres builds up a head of steam and Rayan gets the hype train chuggingPremier League top scorers: the latest standingsArne Slot was close to landing a coup against Pep Guardiola, the coach he admires most. Then came more of the individual errors that have rui
‘I think I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to do more’Ouattara’s late goal gave Brentford 3-2 victoryEddie Howe said he was facing a “harsh reality” and felt “angry” with himself after watching his Newcastle team lose 3-2 at home to Brentford on Saturday evening.It was their fourth defeat in five game
The Bees deservedly triumphed in a five-goal thriller on Tyneside as Dango Ouattara struck a late winnerThe players are out and we’re almost ready to go. Chris Paraskevas emails in, presumably from Australia/somewhere far away where it’s currently very early in the morning:This might seem a little p
What price Keith Andrews for manager of the season? Thomas Frank’s surprise successor certainly added to his fanclub as he choreographed Brentford’s fourth win in six Premier League games to leave Eddie Howe even gloomier than the unremittingly wet Tyneside weather.While outstanding performances fro
Arsenal need energy from home crowd, Florian Wirtz has found his groove and Liam Rosenior deserves respectDaniel Farke is understood to have wanted a new goalkeeper during the January transfer window but the Leeds board failed to oblige. Might that decision ultimately cost the club their Premier Lea
Cup rules state new signings must arrive before semi‘Hopefully they can change it,’ City manager saidAny attempt by Manchester City to clear Marc Guéhi to play in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal will be rebuffed by the English Football League.Guardiola questioned the rule which means Guéhi can
Vivid dreamscape sold to fans in 2021 is yet to materialise amid layers upon layers of bureaucracy, economics and geopoliticsLayer two: Nick Woltemade, signed for £69m in the hot madness of summer, has stopped scoring. Anthony Elanga, a £55m winger, has struggled for game time and goals. Malick Thia
