The visitors were made to work right to the very last minute for their victory, with the much-maligned striker delivering at the death

Liverpool scored twice in second-half stoppage time to beat Brentford 2-0 and keep up their push for the Premier League title.

Thomas Frank's Bees were resilient for 90 minutes but couldn't hold out having conceded 37 shots in total, as the Reds came away from west London with all three points.

Arne Slot's side had already dropped points at Nottingham Forest this week, and needed a better result here before Arsenal's match with Aston Villa kicked off later in the day. Fortunately for the visitors, they were rewarded for their endeavours with a grandstand finish.

The hosts ought to have been ahead inside five minutes, with Mads Roerslev nipping to the byline and flashing a cross right through the six-yard box, but neither Yoane Wissa or Mikkel Damsgaard could sort their feet out in time to tap home.

Liverpool took a while to settle into the game and had to wait until the 35th minute to go particularly close to an opener, as Dominik Szoboszlai thundered a strike from distance off the crossbar. Soon after, Cody Gakpo failed to make good of a free shot towards the back post after being found by Mohamed Salah, only for his weak effort to be easily collected and cleared.

After the break, the Reds wanted a penalty after Mark Flekken spilled a shot from Luis Diaz and appeared to clip the Colombian when scrambling for the loose ball, only for replays to clearly show there wasn't nearly enough contact to give a spot-kick.

Slot's side piled on the pressure in search of a winning goal and came close to that in the final 10 minutes when Trent Alexander-Arnold lashed a strike narrowly past the far post, while Virgil van Dijk was in the right place at the right time to slice over a Kevin Schade cross down the other end.

But into added time at the end of the 90 minutes, Liverpool grabbed that all-important goal. In an opening eerily similar to Brentford's first chance of the day, Alexander-Arnold found space to nip to the edge of the pitch and he cut back for Darwin Nunez to convert.

Liverpool and Nunez weren't done their, either. The Bees pushed everyone forward in search of an equaliser, allowing Harvey Elliott to tee up the Uruguayan to thump home.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from the Gtech Community Stadium…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Alisson (6/10):

Didn't have too much to do although saved well on a few occasions in the second half when called upon.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (7/10):

Defended with the diligence and desire he should really display every week. Tucked into midfield when Liverpool were dominating the ball. Assisted Nunez's go-ahead goal at the death.

Ibrahima Konate (6/10):

Won a number of headers, largely due to the sheer size advantage he boasted over Brentford's attackers, though was dragged into some scrappy duels when stepping higher up the pitch.

Virgil van Dijk (7/10):

Barked orders at his team-mates from the off and was far more composed than Konate when it came to dealing with the Bees' pesky forwards.

Kostas Tsimikas (5/10):

Offered another chance to stake a claim for a starting spot, but again didn't make good on such an opportunity. Replaced by Robertson midway through the second half.

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Ryan Gravenberch (6/10):

Would occasionally break into speed to beat the Brentford press singlehandedly, such was the visitors' overarching lack of dynamism and explosiveness at times. Didn't set the world alight aside from that.

Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):

Likewise showed an occasional flurry of flair without truly grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. Withdrawn for Jones for the final stages.

Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

Rattled the crossbar from around 25 yards in the first half, which proved to be the Hungarian's most notable contribution to the game. Came off for Elliott.

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Mohamed Salah (7/10):

Created chances by the bucket-load and how he must have wished he could have somehow been on the end of them himself. Lacked that spark when running to goal himself.

Luis Diaz (4/10):

Could never quite sort his feet out in the final third. Spurned a number of golden chances and was eventually hooked for Nunez.

Cody Gakpo (5/10):

The entire afternoon would have been different had he simply converted when one-on-one with compatriot Flekken. Nowhere near as sharp or energised from that point onwards. Taken off for Chiesa.

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AFPSubs & Manager

Andy Robertson (6/10):

On for Tsimikas and immediately provided more attacking threat.

Darwin Nunez (9/10):

Replaced Diaz. Taunted by the home fans for being 'just a sh*t Andy Carroll'. Appeared to take that personally and hit back with two huge goals in Liverpool's season.

Curtis Jones (6/10):

Brought on for the closing stages in place of Mac Allister.

Harvey Elliott (8/10):

Subbed on for Szoboszlai, and this changed the game. Found pockets of space between the lines and had a huge say in both goals.

Federico Chiesa (N/A):

Came on for Gakpo for the last few minutes.

Arne Slot (8/10):

Liverpool had to be extremely patient to breach Brentford's defence but they were rewarded come the end of the afternoon.

The transfer window has been closed for nearly two weeks now, but Manchester United are still continually being linked with new players as INEOS plan more business for the 2025 windows.

Man Utd and INEOS looking at free move to sign 28 y/o "battleship" in 2025

Manchester United already have their eye on one player they would like to sign in 2025.

ByBrett Worthington Sep 12, 2024 Manchester United plotting Unai Simon transfer

Erik ten Hag was backed by INEOS during the summer, as the club added three defenders, a midfielder, and a forward to their squad. But that doesn’t appear to be enough so far, as the Red Devils still have their eye on some big-name players.

Leny Yoro

Lille

Joshua Zirkzee

Bologna

Matthijs de Ligt

Bayern Munich

Noussair Mazraoui

Bayern Munich

Manuel Ugarte

PSG

United are well stocked in the goalkeeping department; Andre Onana currently has the number one spot, followed by Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaten providing backup, but they are also eyeing a change in that area of the pitch.

It has been reported that Man United are “very interested” in signing Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon. The goalkeeper has been really impressive for the La Liga side in recent seasons and has now established himself on the international stage with Spain, playing a key role in their Euro 2024 success.

Those performances have caught the attention of United, who are said to be willing to pay a “considerable sum” to sign the shot stopper. While United weigh up a move for Simon, they are also looking at signing another established international star.

Man Utd now keen on "obscene" £35m target

According to Caught Offside, Manchester United are admirers of AS Monaco defender Vanderson. The report states that fellow Premier League side Chelsea are showing the most interest in the player, but United and Tottenham Hotspur are in the mix.

The 23-year-old, who has been with Monaco since January 2022, has really impressed for the French side lately. Vanderson played 20 times in Ligue 1 last season, scoring three goals and chipping in with one assist. The defender is in the 99th percentile for tackles when compared with right-backs in similar leagues, and FBRef ranks his combination of ferocious defending and attacking quality as a similar profile to Tottenham's Pedro Porro.

Vanderson, who has been described as having "obscene pace and acceleration" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, was linked with an exit during the summer, but Monaco selling Youssouf Fofana to AC Milan eased any pressure they were under to sell. The right-back, who has been capped twice by Brazil, is contracted until 2028, but the French side could be willing to let the player leave for around €35-40 million, which is roughly £29-35 million.

Vanderson has started this 2024/25 season strongly, starting two of Monaco’s three league games, grabbing the assist in their opening day win against Saint-Étienne.

It’s been a hectic and incredibly tough start to life in the Premier League for Ipswich Town this season, but they are handling it brilliantly so far.

Kieran McKenna’s side were given possibly the most challenging opening fixtures of anyone in the league this year. To kick things off, they played a home game against Liverpool, followed by an away trip to Manchester City, just in case the fans forgot how tough the top-flight can be.

Understandably, the Tractor Boys didn’t pick up any points from those games, but they have since picked up a point against Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton, and most impressively, Aston Villa.

In all, things are looking good for McKenna’s side, and while they might not be full of household names, there are more than enough talented players in the squad who could keep them up this year, including Liam Delap.

Delap's start to the season

Delap cost Ipswich around £15m plus a further £5m in potential add-ons in July, and while that is a fairly significant amount of money for a young striker, it’s not unreasonable considering his 32-game stint with Hull City last season, in which he scored eight goals and provided two assists.

Moreover, in 55 games for City’s various junior sides, the Winchester-born poacher racked up a seriously impressive haul of 46 goals and 16 assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 0.88 games.

Now, while he isn’t going to recreate those sorts of numbers at Portman Road, the 21-year-old forward has got off to a flying start, finding the back of the net away to Fulham and twice in the draw at home to Champions League contending Villa.

It’s still very early in Delaps’s Ipswich career, but if he can maintain his current form of scoring a goal every 2.33 games or so, then not only will the club have a brilliant chance of staying up, but his valuation will surely exceed his fee as well. That said, the Englishman is not the only McKenna signing coming good this season.

Axel Tuanzebe's Ipswich career

Yes, the McKenna signing in question is former Manchester United ace Axel Tuanzebe, who joined the club on a free last September, just three months after leaving the Red Devils.

However, the once-capped Congolese international only signed a one-year deal, likely due to persistent injury problems that had limited him to just 90 first-team appearances at that point in his career, which for a then-25-year-old was more than a little concerning.

Unfortunately for the Bunia-born defender, despite his undeniable quality, fitness issues once again impacted him at the start of last season, and up until around late February, he played very few games for the club. However, once he eventually got into the side, he became the club’s first-choice right-back and made 21 appearances across all competitions.

Appearances

27

Points per Game

1.74

Goals

1

Assists

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.07

In June, the newly promoted side confirmed that they had activated the option to extend the 26-year-old’s £40k-per-week contract for another year, and what a decision that has turned out to be.

In stark contrast to last season, the 6 foot 1 ace has played in and started all six of the Tractor Boys’ league fixtures so far, and though it’s been tough going at times, he has not looked out of his depth at this level.

For example, he was given an 8/10 rating for his performance against Villa by TNT Sports’ Paul Hassall, a 7/10 by the East Anglian Daily Times’ Alex Jones for his display against Fulham, and another 8/10 from Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz for the 0-0 draw with Brighton.

Ultimately, Tuanzebe is looking every bit like a Premier League player, and while Transfermarkt has him valued at just €3m – £2.5m – at the moment, that price will surely only increase if he can remain fit, and if he can, then he may well end up being just as crucial to Ipswich’s survival chances as Delap.

McKenna may have found Ipswich their own Grealish in "unplayable" star

The tremendously exciting attacker could play a big part in the Tractor Boys’ season this year.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 1, 2024

Everton finally managed to secure their first Premier League victory of the season, beating Crystal Palace 2-1 at Goodison Park.

Despite going 1-0 down after just ten minutes, the Toffees were able to pull it back, with Dwight McNeil scoring a second-half brace to win them the game, securing three points.

This win takes Sean Dyche’s side to 15th in the Premier League, having lost four games, drawn one and won one in their opening six.

This could see Dyche’s job safe – for now – after last weeks of speculation that he could be sacked after his poor start to the campaign.

Dyche's torrid start to the season

This was Everton’s first win of the season in the Premier League, with their only other point coming in a 1-1 draw against Leicester.

One of their most disappointing performances came against Bournemouth, where the Toffees were leading 2-0 in the 86th minute before three late goals (87th, 92nd, and 96th) saw the Merseysiders lose yet again.

Everton hold the least amount of possession in the league, with 36.9% on average, and also have the worst pass accuracy, with 76.3% on average, but they aren’t defending well either.

Most sides that concede this amount of possession rely on their defensive structure to keep them in games, looking to hit teams on the break to get a result.

The Toffees have conceded 15 goals in six matches, the second worst in the division, only better than the 16 conceded by Wolves.

However, Everton may have just been handed their lifeline, with Jarrad Branthwaite’s return, which could play a huge part in saving Dyche’s job.

Branthwaite the saviour

On his return to action, Branthwaite scored an 8/10 match rating from the Liverpool Echo, making five clearances, three interceptions, two tackles and completing 100% of his dribble attempts throughout the clash.

The 22-year-old defender was one of Everton’s standout players last season, attracting interest from clubs such as Manchester United this summer.

The English defender also won 100% of his ground duels (4/4), and 50% of his aerial duels (3/6) during the game, playing a big part in Everton only conceding one goal, and managing their first victory of the campaign.

Passes Attempted

40.0

40.8

45.1

Pass Completion %

79.8%

77.1%

77.4%

Progressive Passes

2.14

3.42

2.86

Tackles

1.91

1.61

1.43

Blocks

1.47

2.16

1.02

Interceptions

1.34

1.48

1.59

Aerials Won

2.72

3.68

3.27

Comparing Branthwaite with the two Everton central defenders that started this season, James Tarkowski, and Michael Keane, you can see the 22-year-old offers the highest pass completion – a stat Everton are struggling with this season – and tackles made, a particularly important one for defenders.

The return of the young centre-back to the side will help improve them in important metrics, whilst also adding a 6 foot 5 frame to the backline, who can also recover at speed.

This is a rare profile, having a player with such physical attributes, who is also tidy on the ball, and his timely return could be exactly what is needed for Dyche to save his job.

Friedkin could sack Dyche by hiring "genius" Moyes alternative at Everton

Sean Dyche faces a critical few weeks at Everton

ByRoss Kilvington Sep 23, 2024

تتجه أنظار عشاق كرة القدم في جميع أنحاء العالم إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، حيث ستُقام النسخة الأولى من بطولة كأس العالم للأندية بنظامها الجديد، بمشاركة 32 فريقًا، في حدث تاريخي من المنتظر أن يكون الأضخم على الإطلاق على مستوى الأندية.

مع تبقي أقل من أربعة أشهر على ضربة البداية، بدأت التقارير تكشف عن التفاصيل المالية الضخمة التي رصدها الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” للبطولة، حيث أكدت مصادر مسؤولة أن إجمالي الجوائز المالية سيصل إلى مليار دولار، يتم توزيعها وفق معايير مختلفة تشمل تصنيف النادي، قاراته، وأداءه في البطولة.

ووفقًا لما أوردته صحيفة “هسبورت” المغربية، فإن الفرق الأوروبية ستحصل على منح مالية تتراوح بين 12.5 مليون دولار و38 مليون دولار، وفقًا لحجم النادي ومكانته.

أما الأندية الإفريقية والآسيوية، فقد تم تحديد مكافآت موحّدة لكل فريق، بواقع 9.5 مليون دولار، تشمل فرق: الأهلي، الوداد المغربي، الترجي التونسي، ماميلودي صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي، الهلال السعودي، العين الإماراتي، أوراوا ريد دايموندز الياباني، وأولسان هيونداي الكوري الجنوبي.

وبجانب مكافآت المشاركة، قرر “فيفا” تخصيص جوائز إضافية تعتمد على نتائج الفرق في البطولة، حيث سيحصل الفريق الفائز بأي مباراة على 2 مليون دولار، بينما ينال الفريق المتعادل مليون دولار.

طالع أيضًا | محمد الشناوي: سنكتب التاريخ لـ الأهلي في كأس العالم للأندية

أما الفريق الذي سيتوج باللقب فسيحصل على الجائزة الكبرى بقيمة 40 مليون دولار، بالإضافة إلى مكافآت تصاعدية تُمنح للفرق التي تتجاوز الأدوار الإقصائية، بدءًا من دور المجموعات وحتى المباراة النهائية.

وبالحديث عن المشاركين، سيكون النادي الأهلي هو الممثل الوحيد للكرة المصرية في البطولة، حيث جاء ضمن المجموعة الأولى، إلى جانب إنتر ميامي الأمريكي، بورتو البرتغالي، وبالميراس البرازيلي، وسيكون المارد الأحمر أمام اختبار صعب منذ البداية، إذ سيفتتح البطولة في مباراة مرتقبة أمام إنتر ميامي يوم 15 يونيو المقبل.

لم تقتصر المكاسب المالية على الأندية فقط، بل ستحقق البطولة أرباحًا ضخمة للاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، حيث تشير التقديرات إلى أن “فيفا” سيجني نحو 2 مليار دولار من تنظيم البطولة، سيتم تخصيص نصفها كجوائز مالية للأندية المشاركة.

بهذه الأرقام الضخمة، يبدو أن مونديال الأندية 2025 سيكون حدثًا غير مسبوق، سواء من حيث قوة المنافسة أو العائدات المالية، مما يجعله واحدًا من أكثر البطولات المنتظرة في عالم كرة القدم.

Iyer hits 43 before Royals collapse around Samson

Peter Della Penna25-Sep-20213:20

Brathwaite: Capitals have the best bowling attack in IPL

What appeared at the innings break like a small mountain to climb soon looked like Everest to a struggling Rajasthan Royals batting lineup as Delhi Capitals turned in a disciplined team bowling effort led by Anrich Nortje to comfortably defend 154, winning by 33 runs in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon.Royals were always behind in the chase after losing three wickets in the powerplay as the overseas pair of Liam Livingstone and David Miller fell cheaply to dent Royals chances. Sanju Samson could have been the fourth to fall in the sequence but was reprieved by DRS. He waged a lone battle through the rest of the innings, ending unbeaten on 70 off 53 balls but receiving little support at the opposite end. Mahipal Lomror’s 19 served as the only other score to get into double-digits as the Capitals strangled the scoring rate from start to finish to seal a victory that puts them two points clear of Chennai Super Kings into sole possession of first place in the IPL points table.Watch the IPL on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the IPL live in the US. Match highlights of Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

Tyagi picks up where he left offRoyals were buoyant early in the match after Samson chose to field at the toss when Kartik Tyagi, the final over hero from Royals win over Punjab Kings in the middle of the week, struck with his very first ball of the match in Abu Dhabi after entering in the fourth over. Boundaries were hard to come by early on and Shikhar Dhawan tried to play with soft hands looking for a single in the ring but only managed to drag the ball back onto his stumps for 8.The lack of boundaries created enough pressure for Prithvi Shaw to throw away his wicket soon after as well, beginning the fourth over shoveling a catch off Chetan Sakariya to Livingstone at mid-off to make it 21 for 2.Shrey-yesIn what proved to be the most important partnership of the match, Shreyas Iyer was joined by Rishabh Pant for a 62-run third-wicket stand. The pair spent most of the sequence knocking around ones and twos. But Iyer delivered a pair of crunching blows in the 10th and 11th over taking on Rajasthan’s spinners.Rahul Tewatia was the first victim as Iyer punched him back over his head for six. Tabraiz Shamsi, who came into the lineup in place of the unavailable Chris Morris, was the next to feel Iyer’s wrath, clubbing him over extra cover for an elegant six. On a day where boundaries were few and far between, these were a pair of hammer blows delivered straight to the gut of the Royals bowling unit. Iyer wound up top-scoring with 43 off 32 and when he and Pant departed, Shimron Hetmyer provided a flurry of boundaries in his 28 off 16 to propel Capitals toward and eventually past 150.Rajasthan Royals fined for slow over-rate

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has been fined for a slow over-rate for the second time since the IPL has resumed. For the second offence, he will be fined INR 24 lakh, while his team-mates who played against Delhi Capitals will be fined the lesser of INR 6 lakh or 25 percent of their individual match fees.

Royals power outageRoyals never got any momentum in their reply after a disappointing first six overs. Livingstone, who was sent up to open with Evin Lewis out injured, was dismissed in the first over by Avesh Khan, getting a toe edge to an attempted swat over the leg side. Yashasvi Jaiswal fended at the next ball to start the second over and sent a healthy edge through for Pant’s second catch as DRS had to be used to overturn a not out decision from Nortje’s appeal. A bigger blow was struck in the fifth when Miller’s charge to R Ashwin went completely awry resulting in a simple stumping for 7. At 17 for 3, Royals looked miles behind.Samson continued to lose partners and was scoring at well under a run a ball by the time Riyan Parag’s missed slog to Axar Patel in the 12th made the score 55 for 5, leaving the required run rate at well above 10 per over with half the team gone. Samson eventually started to get unstuck by using finesse over power to find the boundary and get his innings going, eventually reaching a half-century off 39 balls. But by that stage the match was well gone. With 56 needed off the last three overs, Royals could only manage two boundaries off the final three overs as Capitals never let up their relentless discipline with the ball to seal their eighth win in 10 games.

A currently unemployed manager, whose last job was in the Premier League, is keen on becoming Wolverhampton Wanderers’ next boss, according to a new report. It has been a poor start to the campaign for the Midlands side, so much so that despite doing an impressive job last season, Gary O’Neil is coming under considerable pressure.

Related John Percy: New update shared on Gary O'Neil's future as Wolves manager

The poor start to the season continued against Brentford.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Oct 6, 2024 Gary O’Neil under pressure at Wolves

Wolves are winless in their opening seven league games of the Premier League season; they have picked up just one point from a possible 21, and that came in a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest in August.

That form has put O’Neil’s side at the bottom of the table with a 5-3 defeat to Brentford over the weekend doing nothing to ease the pressure. However, despite the poor run of form, O’Neil still has the backing of the club’s hierarchy for now, according to John Percy of The Telegraph.

The former Bournemouth manager is reportedly going to be given time to turn the club’s fortunes around, with him set to consider changing the defensive structure. This update goes on to state that November fixtures appear to be crucial – Wolves face Manchester City and Brighton in October before playing Crystal Palace, Southampton, Fulham, and Bournemouth in November.

While O’Neil appears to have the backing of the club’s board at this moment in time, a manager who is currently out of work looks keen on landing the job should it become available.

"Genius" boss who Pep loves wants Wolves role

According to Football Insiders’ Pete O’Rourke, former Chelsea manager Graham Potter is keen on the Wolves job should it become available.

This report states that Potter, who has been hailed as a “genius” by journalist Sam Morton, is keeping tabs on the ongoing situation regarding Wolves and O’Neil, as he sees it as an attractive job at an established Premier League team. It goes on to add that “many people” are monitoring the situation at Wolves, with the managerial position at Molineux having plenty of interest, including from David Moyes.

The update does also confirm what has been reported by Percy, but the manner of the defeats have been a concern for the club’s hierarchy.

Potter, who has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in April 2023, is said to be keeping an eye on the situation. The 49-year-old has seen his reputation suffer after the job at Stamford Bridge, but he is someone who is well liked in the game, as Man City boss Pep Guardiola heaped praise on Potter while he was struggling at Chelsea.

Graham Potter’s Premier League record

Games

141

Won

41

Drawn

50

Lost

50

Points per game

1.23

Guardiola said of Potter: “I would say to Todd Boehly, give him time. I know in big clubs, results are important, but I’d say give him time. The second half is what he is. What he’s done at Brighton is outstanding, but… we need time in the first season. I had (Lionel) Messi in Barcelona my first season, so I didn’t need two seasons because Messi was there.”

Manchester United have spent heavily under Erik ten Hag during his tenure of two and a quarter years. He has spent a whooping £616m according to Goal, and has made 20 signings in that time, with several of them being familiar players who played under him at Ajax.

The most expensive player he has signed during his Old Trafford tenure is Antony. He cost an outrageous £81.3m, although has not really had the return which United would have hoped. The Brazilian has scored just 12 goals and has five assists to his name in 86 games.

Incredibly, the player who has been a revelation for the Dutchman over the past two seasons was someone who cost nothing, Jonny Evans.

Man Utd's "crazy" signing

Bringing Evans back to Old Trafford eight years after he left for West Brom was certainly a curious move from United. A graduate from the esteemed Carrington academy, the Northern Irish stalwart initially joined the club for a short-term deal with a view of helping maintain fitness whilst finding a new club.

As it happened, that club happened to be the 13-time Premier League champions, of which Evans won three of them. The club confirmed the deal following the 2023 summer transfer window, amongst something of an injury crisis.

It is fair to say that there was a mixed response from United fans when the club confirmed that the 36-year-old had rejoined the club. Mark Goldbridge, presenter for Red Devils fan channel The United Stand, explained that it would “terrify me” if the Old Trafford side made the signing permanent, which, of course, they did.

He also took to X to call the deal “crazy”, largely blaming the Red Devils now minority owners – the Glazers – for bringing the former Northern Ireland international, who recently retired from international football, back to the club.

However, it is fair to say that Evans has been impressive during his second spell at the club, earning himself a new one-year deal and has become a player Ten Hag can rely on in crucial moments.

Evans' record under Ten Hag

Having been a part of the hugely successful United sides of the late noughties and early 2010s under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, Evans now finds himself in a far different environment. United are languishing in 14th in the Premier League having won just once.

Despite his age, which of course has some effects on his game, such as making him slower along the ground, the former Leicester City man has been superb. He has played 36 times across his second spell at the club, having initially left with 198 games under his belt.

The United academy graduate has been a player for the big occasion under Ten Hag, and although he is slower physically, he is as sharp as ever mentally. The Dutchman has relied on him in some huge games, with Evans starting away to rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. He helped to keep a clean sheet at Anfield.

However, arguably his finest hour during his second spell at Old Trafford came during the last game against Aston Villa. He was a surprise starter but put in a stellar performance, which earned him Sky Sports’ Player of the match award, to help United keep a clean sheet and get a valuable point.

Stat

Record

Touches

54

Pass accuracy

86%

Passes completed

36/42

Ground duels won

6/7

Aerial duels won

5/5

Tackles won

4/4

Clearances

3

It was that game which led United fan and social media presence Jay Motty to call the Northern Irishman “Ten Hag’s best signing”. Given he did not cost a penny, that might be a surprising claim, although he has been superb since his return to the club.

Ten Hag will be hoping the United veteran can keep up his impressive form as the Red Devils look to turn around their poor start to the season, having already left Goldbridge – and others – eating humble pie.

Goldbridge thinks it's "stupid": Man Utd could hire perfect Ten Hag upgrade

The Red Devils could look to make a managerial change over the next week or so…

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A player praised for his lightning-quick speed is said to have been in “constant contact” over potentially joining Arsenal via his representatives, with transfer chief Edu Gaspar and co casting their eyes on the January window after a productive summer.

Arsenal planning for 2025 after £100 million summer transfer window

In their bid to usurp Man City and win their first Premier League title in over two decades, Mikel Arteta’s side splashed just over £100 million on five new recruits before summer deadline day on August 30.

Arsenal in talks with "exciting" £84m player and his reps ahead of January

The Gunners have reached out for discussions.

By
Emilio Galantini

Sep 19, 2024

David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Neto and Raheem Sterling all put pen to paper on moves to north London, with the latter making his debut off the bench in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Tottenham last Sunday.

Merino fractured his shoulder in training, and will have to wait for his first appearance in an Arsenal jersey. Meanwhile, Calafiori is back from a calf injury and could play against Atalanta in the Champions League this evening.

However, Arsenal’s injury crisis of late has highlighted the fact that Arteta could still do with extra bodies in key areas. The club is reportedly putting transfer plans in motion ahead of 2025 as a result, with a few interesting names linked in the past fortnight.

Lille striker Jonathan David is a target for Arsenal heading into January, as Edu contemplates a cut-price deal for the clinical forward who is out of contract next summer as things stand.

While Kai Havertz has continued to shine in a makeshift centre-forward role this season, already bagging two goals and an assist over his first four Premier League games, Arsenal continue to be linked with strikers in particular.

Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres’ agents have held talks with Arsenal, following the Swede’s electric start to 2024/2025, and the same can be said for RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.

Benjamin Sesko in "constant contact" over joining Arsenal

As per TEAMtalk, it is believed Sesko has been in “constant contact” over joining Arsenal, via his agents, with the Slovenia international having a gentleman’s agreement to leave Leipzig next year or in 2026 (Fabrizio Romano).

The 21-year-old scored 18 goals in all competitions for Leipzig last season, attracting attention from Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United, but Sesko snubbed all of their summer proposals in favour of staying at his current club for another campaign (Fabrizio Romano).

It appears the £92,000-per-week ace chose to further his development in the Bundesliga before deciding on a possible Premier League move in future. If or when Sesko does decide the time is right to go, it looks as if Arsenal will be at the front of the queue for his services.

“Benjamin Šeško is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player,” said Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell.

“He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6’4″) is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”

Seven matches. Just two wins in those. And Kolkata Knight Riders are seventh on the table of eight in IPL 2021 as the second leg of the tournament begins from September 19 in the UAE. The poor start, according to head coach Brendon McCullum, was because the players were “being paralysed a little bit by fear” at times in those early games, but he feels the two-time champions “can end it right”.”In regards to the tournament which is upcoming [the second part of IPL 2021], we can end it right,” McCullum told . “We can take the game on and we’re in a situation where we need things to go our way. We need to hit the ground running, challenge one another privately, support one another publicly and try and get the best out of one another in the next four-five weeks. Who knows where we can go with this.”The Knight Riders began their campaign with a ten-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, but then lost four games in a row before bouncing back with a dominant five-wicket win over Punjab Kings, before losing one more, to Delhi Capitals.That more-down-than-up run has been down to inconsistent performances. Dinesh Karthik (123 runs at 30.75, strike rate 138.20), Andre Russell (163, 27.16 and 155.23) and Rahul Tripathi (187, 26.71 and 135.50) have been good with the bat, but captain Eoin Morgan has been poor, with just 92 runs in seven innings, and a strike rate of 112.19, while Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill, regulars at the top of the order, haven’t been able to get a move on either. With the ball, Varun Chakravarthy and Pat Cummins – the Australian is unavailable for the remainder of the tournament – have been the star performers, but the rest of the bowlers haven’t been as tough to get away.”There were sometimes throughout the season when I just felt we were being paralysed a little bit by fear,” McCullum said. “I wasn’t able to free the guys up enough to understand that and that’s sort of a challenge for me. But it is also a good challenge for the guys as well that they need to push the envelope of their own thinking as well.Related

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“Hopefully we will be able to strip away a bit of the angst which had built up in the first part of the season, just go out there and try and enjoy ourselves. That’s the ambition that I have got for the franchise and hence why I am unapologetic and unrelenting in my belief that we need to play a braver style of play.”McCullum, a Knight Riders player when the IPL kicked off in 2008 – remember innings – took charge as chief coach of the Kolkata franchise, as well as at Trinbago Knight Riders, in 2020. While Trinbago went on to win the CPL title in 2020 at the end of a remarkable unbeaten run [they topped the table and are in the semi-finals this season too], the IPL team didn’t have it as good, failing to qualify for the playoffs. This season has not been much better.As far as McCullum is concerned, though, his focus is on the bigger picture. “When we left India [in May], I think everyone understood me as a coach on how I want our team to play,” McCullum said. “I am unapologetic about that as well because my job is to try and build something at KKR that is going to last far longer than I am going to last for the franchise.”