After putting on five-star display against Crystal Palace, the good news could be short-lived for Manchester City amid reports that one midfield star is willing to take a pay cut to get his move this summer.
Man City put five past Crystal Palace
When Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards struck to hand Crystal Palace a shock 2-0 lead at the Etihad, it looked set to be an all too familiar story for Pep Guardiola’s side. That is, until Kevin De Bruyne took a hold on proceedings.
The Belgian, into his last six games of his Manchester City career, scored a stunning free-kick before playing his part in Omar Marmoush’s swift equaliser midway through the first period.
Putting on a show, Manchester City then hit three goals without a response to seal all three points against an in-form Crystal Palace side. Speaking after an excellent display, De Bruyne told TNT Sports: “I thought the first 20 minutes, it was actually alright. We had a couple of chances but they pounced on two chances, one a corner and then obviously the Eze chance.
“I was wondering, ‘What’s going on here?’, but I think the reaction was really good. Obviously, scoring very quickly the first and the second changed the feeling of the game. I think overall we played really well.”
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It may well prove to be an all-important victory for the Citizens as they battle to secure Champions League qualification, with De Bruyne hoping to ensure of a fitting farewell in the process. That said, the Belgian may not be the only one saying his goodbyes in the coming weeks if recent reports are anything to go by.
Benfica eyeing Bernardo Silva move
According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, as relayed by Sport Witness, Benfica are now plotting a move to sign Bernardo Silva, who is reportedly willing to take a pay cut in order to secure an exit away from Manchester City.
In doing so, the midfielder would be going full circle back to his boyhood club. Now 30 years old and a player who’s been past his excellent best at times this season, Silva would be completing a fitting move.
If that is to be that for the Portugal international in Manchester, there’s no doubt that he’ll be bowing out as a modern-day legend at the home of the Premier League champions. Guardiola’s praise has often reflected that legend status, too.
The Spaniard told reporters in December: “We are lucky with the players we have, for example, like Bernardo. I know he’s a special player for me, but how he puts his heart into those positions.
“He is an incredible winner and example for us in how he behaves in different positions and always tries to help and read what happens in certain positions. Playing attacking midfield, holding midfield, always defensively he makes an incredible effort.”
The fast bowler does not entertain the thought that overseas players’ unavailability is diminishing PSL’s allure
Danyal Rasool21-Feb-2024Shaheen Shah Afridi’s early rise has been meteoric, but for anyone who’d watched him through his early years, not necessarily surprising. The franchise that helped him burst onto the scene has seen its fortunes blossom in tandem with their captain’s, but viewers of the early seasons will tell you there was nothing inevitable about that.”When, in any country or franchise, local players play in a team, that side does very well,” Afridi tells ESPNcricinfo. “I think that’s the biggest secret. When Lahore Qalandars started the PDP [Player Development Programme], we found players from all over the country. Sameen , Atif [the owners] and Aqib [Javed, head coach] worked very hard and they gave LQ and Pakistan very good players. There are more coming through this year. The local players who were given opportunities performed and won matches for Pakistan, and that was a huge deal for us.”There’s a frequent misconception Afridi emerged onto the scene through the Qalandars’ PDP. Though this is technically untrue – he was within the system and played an Under-19 World Cup for Pakistan before his first game with the Qalandars – it is with the PSL franchise that he emerged onto wider Pakistani consciousness. He would bowl perhaps the greatest PSL spell in history, figures of 3.4-1-4-5 snapping a six-match losing streak, and launching a career that barely looked back since. In Afridi’s words, Lahore “gave me a platform”.Related
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It is a platform he’s put to good use. He was appointed Qalandars captain two years earlier, and led his side to the title both years, turning the franchise from the least successful in the PSL to the most. We’re speaking on the eve of the start of the ninth season. He simply smiles and offers an insouciant “why not” when the topic of three in a row comes up, a feat achieved only by Jaffna Kings in all of T20 franchise-league history.Some of that optimism may have been dented by two defeats to start the season, but the format of the competition means there’s enough time before any franchise runs out of road. “We’ll try and maintain the process we’ve kept that has made us successful and try to repeat it. We’ve retained a core group of eight players or so who’ve won the title twice, and we understand what our process is and our plans are. Everyone’s ready and hopeful, and the local players are strong.”It is a theme – the local core – Afridi is keen to return to. Qalandars do have a streak of continuity running through their squad which often tends to be indicative of a franchise in good health. Fakhar Zaman has been with Qalandars since the outset, and Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and Afridi are staple members of the side, and have all played significant roles in their title triumphs over the last few years.In a year like this, it’s fairly handy to have a skipper who sincerely believes this. The PSL has been hit by overseas players’ unavailability, partially down to the financial heft of the ILT20 (where Afridi signed a bumper three-year deal) and the SA20, which have squeezed the PSL into a tighter window and made competition for player access much fiercer. The overseas roster this year is a shadow of what it was when the PSL was at its zenith; Qalandars alone boast Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Chris Lynn and AB de Villiers among their former players. This year, Qalandars’ biggest star Rashid Khan pulled out as he nurses his return from a back injury in a bid to be fit for the IPL in April.Shaheen Shah Afridi says Qalandars gave him a “platform”•PCBAfridi, though, has little time for any insinuation the league might not be as globally appealing as it used to be. “No, no,” he says dismissively before the question is even fully put. “I don’t understand this criticism,” he says. “People say big players not coming here affects the league. But look at our local players. When they go to an overseas league, they’re the biggest names in those leagues. Whenever the boys have gone abroad for a league, their value was the highest. We have to respect and value the local players in our league, and if we do that, our league’s prominence will continue to rise. Players from abroad may have their own reasons for not coming, but the local players have huge value and deserve respect.”Perhaps it goes back to Qalandars’ local core, and the sharp shift in philosophy from those bleak, early seasons. In the early years, the side went for the flashiest overseas player available, facilitated by the first pick they always had by dint of finishing bottom the previous year. Gayle, Lynn, McCullum and de Villiers were largely unable to light up the side’s fortunes. In recent years, it is the Pakistan players who have taken centre stage at the franchise, with crafty overseas picks such as David Wiese, Tim David and even Rashid subsumed into the collective instead of overshadowing it altogether.Afridi concedes the Afghan legspinner is a colossal miss. “Rashid walks into any team. No doubt he’s a class bowler and we’ll miss him. But our team’s bowling is very good. The struggles we faced in early seasons mainly came with the bat, and we didn’t score enough runs in the middle order. In the last two years, our batting order’s done very well. It’s a team effort and the boys back each other, and give each other the confidence to perform well. The team has gelled together nicely.”His success with the franchise has also seen him gain a promotion in the national side. Late last year, when Babar Azam reluctantly quit as captain in all three formats, Afridi was chosen to replace him in T20Is. It was a role he says he hadn’t even contemplated until former Pakistan captain Imran Khan advised him to take up the captaincy. Afridi has made little secret of his adulation for Imran. “It is very hard to say no to Imran ,” he smiles, the mood lightening as he recalls that memory.Any wholesomeness, as Afridi will know, can evaporate quickly when the carnival-like atmosphere of a T20 league is replaced by the intense, stifling scrutiny international cricket places on a captain. He took up the reins of a dressing room which was less than united just after a Test tour of Australia which Pakistan had lost 3-0, with Afridi himself getting significant criticism for sitting out of the final Test. He then lost his first series in charge, New Zealand sweeping the first four games in a routine 4-1 victory.Shaheen Shah Afridi: I know I can still bowl 140 or 145, but you have to do everything when the time is right•Getty ImagesAfridi wants to warn against reading too much into that performance though, insisting there’s no step up from franchise to international captaincy. “I don’t think there’s any difference,” he says. “If anything, Pakistan cricket captaincy is slightly easier because the boys have played together, all through the domestic circuit together as well. We can express ourselves in our own language and understand our role. In franchise cricket, you have players from overseas, and you work with different coaches. That can get tricky, but in Pakistan cricket there’s greater familiarity.”Afridi speaks with disarming candour about how little he knew about captaincy before taking on the role, but at the same time, believes there is more to it than granular details like tactics and match-ups. “When I wasn’t captain, I didn’t know a lot of things. Some so them are so basic I don’t even want to tell you about them,” he laughs.”When you’re a bowler you only focus on yourself and your bowling. When you’re captain, the 11 who play and the five sitting on the bench are all your players. You have to treat them as individuals, talk to them all and keep a friendly atmosphere. You even have a responsibility to conduct yourself in a particular way with the coaching staff, because you’re all pursuing the same goals. You have a short period of time and you have to be like a family during this time. The more united you are, the better the chance you give yourself to win.”We don’t put extra pressure on any player, and no player in our side is allowed to place additional pressure on any other player or try to intimidate them. Because everyone has the skills.”Afridi was keen to ensure he didn’t overwork himself before the PSL started. While he was contracted to the ILT20, he played the first five games with the Desert Vipers before returning and taking “ten days completely off from cricket”.While visibly weary of the lingering questions around his pace, Afridi says bowling every ball at over 145kph is “not a way any bowler bowls” in T20 cricket.”I know I can still bowl 140 or 145, but you have to do everything when the time is right. In T20 cricket, no bowler bowls 140-plus as their average ball. In T20 cricket, you only need to bowl three or four balls at express pace. There are a lot of slower balls, variations, and the like. I have never felt my pace has dipped. I know I can bowl 140 or 145. I’m still fit and young, just 23.”The PSL arrives as a welcome distraction for Pakistan•AFP/Getty ImagesYou don’t have to be particularly worldly to know there’s a lot more going on in Pakistan than just a T20 league. The country is currently in the grips of a severe economic crisis, aggravated by a bitter political atmosphere that culminated in a general election earlier this month marred by widespread allegations of rigging from around the world. There is no sign yet that either the economic pinch or the political deadlock will cease anytime soon.”The way the country’s situation is,” Afridi says vaguely before breaking off the sentence altogether. He clearly feels passionately about the subject. So he tries again, trying to balance it with the responsibility he has as one of the biggest draws of the PSL. “The PSL and cricket is something that makes people happy. Elections just got over, so I’m hopeful the crowds turn up and support cricket.”Few would begrudge Pakistan getting the brief distraction it needs so badly at the moment. And over the years, Afridi at the PSL has been more than happy to oblige.
The RCB allrounder has been setting the pace with both bat and ball this season
Hemant Brar08-May-2022Algebra and calculus have troubled Bengal and Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed more than any opposition bowler or batter has.In 2011, Shahbaz’s father enrolled him in a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, but until last year he couldn’t get past Mathematics 101, a subject from the first semester. It was only last season, when he was playing in the IPL for RCB, as it happened, that he took the exam for it online and passed. “So you can say I have completed my engineering,” Shahbaz says.Apart from that, he has also been working hard to upgrade his cricketing skills. Here, too, the results have gone largely in his favour.Related
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Bought back by Royal Challengers at the auction in February, Shahbaz made over 25 in each of his first five innings in this year’s IPL. That’s some consistency for a player who bats mainly at No. 5 and 6. He hasn’t been as successful with his left-arm fingerspin but has bowled a couple of handy spells.Shahbaz’s stronger suit is batting but in 2020, his first season with Royal Challengers, he played only two games and faced just one ball. The next year he got a longer run but could score only 59 runs in seven innings at an average of 8.42 and a strike rate of 111.32.While his returns with the bat were not stellar, he gained valuable insights about his craft. “I realised I was struggling to hit against fast bowlers,” Shahbaz says. “Whenever I tried big shots, I was ending up in an open-stance position. Simon Katich [then Royal Challengers head coach] and Mike Hesson [director of cricket at the franchise] sir told me if I can maintain my shape, I can score in any situation. That’s something I have tried to address this time.”At RCB, he has also had the opportunity to pick the brains of two of the best hitters in T20 cricket. “Big players such as AB de Villiers sir and Glenn Maxwell sir don’t talk much about technique,” Shahbaz says. “Whenever I spoke to them, it was about planning, conditions, and how to plan for different conditions. What the good boundary options are against fast bowlers and spinners. Or how to keep the scoreboard moving irrespective of the situation and build a platform from where we can win the match.”Shahbaz enjoys batting with Dinesh Karthik: “With him you don’t feel any pressure as he can change the momentum of the game in one over”•BCCIAll that culminated in one crucial knock after another this season. And his strike rate against pace zoomed from 125.00 last season to 143.01 this time.In the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, he went in at 62 for 4 and scored 27 off 20 balls to put his team ahead in a chase of 129. Against Rajasthan Royals he entered at the same scoreline. This time RCB were chasing 170. He smashed 45 off 26 balls and along with Dinesh Karthik (44 not out off 23), took the side to a win.Batting first against Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers were 75 for 4, which soon became 92 for 5. Shahbaz and Karthik then added 97 in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand, lifting Royal Challengers to a winning total.”I enjoy batting with DK [Karthik] . He is so cool and calm even in those pressure situations,” Shahbaz says. “He just says we have to take the game deep. If I play a rash shot, he would tell me that this is not needed at this stage. Only if I get a loose ball I should try for the boundary. Else, I should take a single, or even if it’s a dot ball, it’s okay. With him, you don’t feel any pressure as he can change the momentum of the game in one over.”Shahbaz mentions the Rajasthan Royals match, where Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin had stifled the batters on a pitch that was taking spin. “I wasn’t able to figure out how to take the game deep. Ashwin had an over left, and I was thinking of playing him out as it was easier to score against fast bowlers. Then DK came and attacked Ashwin. In that one over, the game completely changed.”RCB spin-bowling coach S Sriram suggested Shahbaz work on a faster run-up, which helped him find his rhythm and increase his bowling speed•Royal Challengers BangaloreWith 82 needed off 42 balls, Karthik hit Ashwin for three fours and a six in a 21-run over. It was another lesson for Shahbaz in his cricketing education.
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When he was struggling with the bat in the 2021 IPL, it was his bowling that kept Shahbaz in the frame at RCB. He picked up seven wickets, including a game-changing 3 for 7 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, at an economy of 6.57.This year he has been assigned the role of fifth bowler, alongside Maxwell. While he has been a bit expensive at times, he also bowled a spell of 4-0-25-0 against Lucknow Super Giants. Against Gujarat Titans he took the wickets of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya to bring his side back into the game, and in his most recent match, against Chennai Super Kings, he broke the opening stand by dismissing an in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad.Shahbaz credits S Sriram, the Royal Challengers batting and spin-bowling coach, for giving him belief. “When I first came to the IPL, I had doubts if my bowling skills were good enough for this level. But in the last two seasons, I have learnt a lot from S Sriram about how to bowl to each batsman and get them out. He knows my bowling inside out.”The biggest improvement, Shahbaz says, has been in his rhythm, which he had struggled with. Sriram suggested making his run-up faster, which helped with that aspect. It had another benefit as well.”Earlier, my bowling speed was too slow. If you bowl that slow in the IPL, batters can always attack you. So my biggest worry was how I can increase my speed by 4-5kph. As I worked on my rhythm, my speed also increased.”Now I aim for 94-95kph for my normal ball, and my slower ball is at around 88-89kph. If I can maintain 95kph, it helps a lot in these conditions. Otherwise, on these flat Mumbai wickets, it is very difficult for spinners.””There will be a time when I will have to finish games on my own. I am prepared and waiting for that time”•BCCIIn T20s, the conventional wisdom is that a left-arm fingerspinner isn’t as effective against a left-hand batter. But Shahbaz has been trying to up his game against left-hand batters as well.”Ever since I started playing, I bowled from around the wicket. It’s a good option but now I am bowling over the wicket as well, to left-hand batsmen. Because that gives you a lot of options, and the more options you have, the more you can control the game.”If you are bowling over the wicket, you can bowl wide outside off. If there is some turn available, then you can turn from outside off. Then the leftie has only one option – to hit down the ground. The leg-side option is no longer available.”From over the wicket, you can bowl the leg-stump line as well, which is effective this season because most games are being played on side wickets due to limited venues. So one square boundary is generally bigger than the other. That makes it difficult for left-handers to hit on the leg side [if that’s the bigger boundary]. This also creates more wicket-taking options.”While Shahbaz is tightening up his bowling, it’s batting he enjoys more and wants to make more of an impact with. At the top of his to-do list is to see games to the end with the bat.”In domestic cricket, I have finished a few close games, so I have that experience. Against KKR, we were chasing 127 [129], and I scored 27 in a tough situation but then I got out. Akash Deep [Bengal and Royal Challengers team-mate] said to me, ‘You could have finished this game but you lost your wicket to a bad shot. What happened?’ I told him this was my first innings in the IPL where I had batted well. The more experience I get of batting in this position, the more games I can finish for the team.”Right now, I am mostly playing a supporting role to DK , but there will be a time when I will have to finish games on my own. I am prepared and waiting for that time.”
Holding, Waqar, Nehra, Donald and Mahmood debate pros and cons
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2020 Not allowing sweat or saliva, murdering the bowlers: Ashish Nehra What is ball-tampering? When you scratch the ball on one side with your nail, bottle cap, with your spikes or any other means. But that does not make the ball reverse. You have to use saliva, sweat, murray mints etc. to not just shine the ball, but also make the other side heavy. That is how you traditionally get reverse swing.The other significant thing to keep in mind is fast bowlers need to practise using the artificial substances that will be permitted during a match under the umpire’s supervision. You can’t just expect fast bowlers to arrive at a Test match and suddenly start swinging the ball even conventionally.Bowlers need to have the experience of using these artificial substances, like wax or shoe polish, you are talking about to shine ball and understand its behaviour. Also different balls – Kookaburra, SG Test, Dukes – will behave differently on different surfaces. So there are plenty of unknowns as far as I am concerned.How many times am I allowed to approach the umpire to use the artificial substance to shine the ball? When we put saliva, at times I would rub that after every second or third delivery. There are different ways to shine the ball. Sometimes you don’t shine the other side completely, especially if your ball has landed on the seam. Sometimes the ball goes to boundary or into the stands and comes back damaged, then you shine the ball in a different way.You shine a Kookaburra in a different way, a Dukes in a different way and you shine SG Test in a different way. You shine a new ball differently. When the ball is old and it is reversing. sometimes you put more sweat. When the ball is not reversing you are only using spit. When there is a new ball you only put very, very little spit wherever there is a scratch. What I’m trying to say is there are several different ways of shining the ball.Let’s say a Test match is on and the ball, SG Test, is semi-new, about 25 overs old. But it is not reversing and the ball has become a bit soft. Umpire is refusing to replace the ball. Now if you put too much spit on SG Test the ball gets more and more softer. Then you don’t get the zip as a fast bowler or even as a spinner.Also you have to make sure that your team-mates are not using too much sweat or spit in such a scenario. I was told by [Javagal] Srinath when I was young when to shine and not to and similarly I passed the tips to other youngsters – that it is better to keep the run-rate tight and once the ball starts to reverse when it is a bit more old then we can apply sweat or spit to facilitate further swing.So legalising use of some artificial substances to shine the ball under supervision is not suddenly going to help swing the ball. Because you are used to working on the ball naturally using spit and sweat at different points on different balls in different conditions on different surfaces.I feel a better choice could be to allow a team to pick one player who will be specifically in charge of using saliva on the ball when there is a need to shine. That is a much better alternative because that way we can continue to naturally work on the ball.By permitting artificial substances to aid swing, the ICC is going back on its own rules. But as far as I am concerned allowing wax, vaseline etc on the ball is not exactly equivalent to ball-tampering. If it actually says go ahead and rough the ball from the other side, then probably the bowlers will welcome the move. Because with a bit of practice, the bowlers will dominate the batsmen, who are bound to say it is unfair. But if you are saying the artificial substance is allowed to be used only on the shiny side and the other side cannot be touched, then you might see more instances of teams piling huge totals.Personally I feel not allowing the use of sweat or saliva is once again murdering the bowlers. Bipin PatelI don’t understand the logic: Michael Holding I have read that ICC is contemplating preventing people from using saliva on the ball due to Covid-19 and allowing them to use foreign substances on the ball to keep the shine on but in front of the umpire. I don’t understand the logic behind that.Before they got to that point they said, if they restart cricket, it has to be played in a bio-secure environment. They were saying cricketers, for instance, would have to isolate themselves for two weeks to make sure that everything was fine for when they got to the venue before the match started. And everyone involved (with the match) will have to do the same thing.Now if you are saying everyone is in the bio-secure environment, you are staying in the same hotel, you are not moving for the length of time you are playing the matches, if that is the case, why are you worried about someone’s saliva? That person, according to what you are doing, should be free of Covid-19. If the ICC thinks that the two-week period to prove that you are free of Covid-19 is not foolproof, then that means you are putting everyone in that environment in jeopardy? Why would you want to play cricket under those circumstances? It’s either safe or it’s not. No guessing, please.
Not possible to prevent a bowler using his sweat or saliva – Waqar Younis As a fast bowler, I reject this because this [using saliva and sweat] is a natural process. A ball exchanges hands all day. You run in, huffing and puffing, so you sweat and that gets on the ball. Also, using saliva is natural rather than on intent. It’s a habit and you just can’t control this aspect.I don’t know how this discussion came up, but I feel people who want the game to be played are frustrated with the lockdown. They are overthinking it. I doubt this new idea of using (artificial) substance instead of saliva is a solution. You can make a bowler use a predefined substance on the ball, but at the same time, practically it’s not possible to prevent a bowler using his sweat or saliva. AFPInterested to hear what big-name batsmen have to say – Allan Donald I absolutely agree with legalising ball-tampering. I said so in an article sometime in the 2000s. It happens anyway. We see guys throwing the ball on the ground and umpires say to throw it up and it’s pretty obvious what they are doing.It could work if it is well-monitored. There’s no reason why, if you are really struggling at the SCG and you are looking for reverse swing, you shouldn’t be able to try and get some by working the ball. It evens the game out.I don’t mean you should be able to bring bottle tops onto the field or bite the ball, but I genuinely think there is scope for working on the ball, if it is well controlled. For example, maybe you could throw the ball into the ground for a period of time and that that time elapses. I had never thought of shoe polish. I suppose you’d take a whole box out there and get buffing.When I first started, I had a chat with the great Imran Khan and he told me they used to wet one side of the ball a lot, with moisture, with sweat and get it heavy and keep the other side shiny. It was hard work and it took a long time, so if there’s another way, that might also work. We know in baseball they use something, I think it’s still a mystery, to get the ball to swing in and dip.I’m quite surprised to hear this is being considered. It’s quite enlightening. I’d be interested to hear what the big-name batsmen have to say about this because I am sure there will be a few comments. But I say if there’s anything that can work, we might as well give it a crack. How will they monitor what substance to be used – Azhar Mahmood I don’t mind such a move although I am more interested in how they will monitor what the substance to be used is. I think the ball manufacturers could have a big role to play in what is used, as they will know best what kind of substance is best suited to the leather that is being used on the ball. It could be that bowlers are allowed to use a small bottle, like a hand sanitiser bottle, of the substance to use as shine on the ball.”
New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz wants to pitch in the World Baseball Classic again. Diaz pitched for Puerto Rico in 2023, but his first appearance in the WBC came to an abrupt end when he tore his patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating Puerto Rico's victory over the Dominican Republic.
One could understand, then, if Diaz was feeling a bit leery about pitching in the event in 2026. But that's not the case at all.
"As of now I would play if I had the chance," Diaz said last week according to the . “I didn’t get hurt pitching. That’s something that could happen at my house or wherever. If I was pitching maybe I’d be a little bit scared—but I just want to go and represent my country and have fun."
While it's true that Diaz's injury did not occur while he was pitching, it's likely that the Mets aren't too keen about seeing their closer taking part in the WBC again, if Diaz picks up his contract option and returns to New York in '26.
Diaz, a three-time All-Star, has pitched to a 1.55 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings piched for New York in 2025. The Puerto Rican team is headlined by Diaz's Mets teammate Francisco Lindor, who is the club's captain. The WBC begins on March 5 next year.
Chelsea are now believed to be at the front of the queue to sign a Liverpool transfer target in January, and one who Man United have also rated very highly in the past.
Chelsea prepare for Leeds United battle after 1-1 Arsenal draw
Chelsea travel to Elland Road on Wednesday evening seeking to build momentum after their hard-fought 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, where Enzo Maresca’s side demonstrated remarkable resilience despite playing almost an hour with 10 men.
The Blues dominated proceedings during the opening half-hour before Moises Caicedo’s reckless studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino resulted in a straight red card following VAR intervention.
The Ecuadorian midfielder’s dismissal represented Chelsea’s fourth sending-off across just thirteen league fixtures this season – twice as many as any other Premier League side.
Chelsea responded defiantly, though.
Trevoh Chalobah glanced home Reece James’ near-post corner to open the scoring just after halftime, rewarding the hosts’ dogged display, but Arsenal eventually equalised through Merino’s header before the hour mark.
It was a promising display overall from Chelsea, who are still firmly in the title race and must now come away from Yorkshire with all three points to keep pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side.
Daniel Farke’s relegation-threatened side have endured difficult recent form, collecting just three points from their last five league games.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are having to watch their injury situation closely, with Dario Essugo suffering a setback and Maresca carefully easing Cole Palmer back into the team following his return from a groin problem.
Away from the pitch, Chelsea have been tipped to potentially sign a new centre-back in January, and RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba is emerging as a prime contender.
Chelsea favourites to sign Castello Lukeba in January
That is according to CaughtOffside, who report that Chelsea are leading the winter chase to sign him next month, ahead of Liverpool, who are also keen on a move for the Frenchman.
Lukeba, who’s started nearly every game as a mainstay for Leipzig this season, is currently their best-performing player in the Bundesliga behind David Raum, going by average match rating per 90 (WhoScored).
The 22-year-old’s deal includes a release clause which will drop to around £70 million in the summer, but CaughtOffside state that Leipzig could be willing to sell Lukeba to Chelsea for much less at £53 million.
Lukeba, interestingly, was highly recommended to Man United by an unnamed recruitment chief in 2023, according to Football Insider, who told the Red Devils that he’s a ‘generational’ talent.
Chelsea will be without Levi Colwill until midway through next year after the Cobham graduate’s ACL injury in pre-season, but Chalobah and Wesley Fofana seriously impressed against Arsenal.
Some believe the pair might be one of England’s best centre-back pairings right now, so the need for another defender is nowhere near as critical as it was back in October.
In any case, Maresca publicly demanded another centre-half in the summer, so it could still be one worth monitoring.
Manchester City are now leading the race to sign Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, amid a major new update on the forward’s future at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Man City’s interest in upgrading their forward line comes amid an overreliance on Erling Haaland, with the Norwegian striker their only player to have scored more than one Premier League goal so far this season.
The 25-year-old has been in incredible form, having already scored 14 league goals, but the lack of contributions from elsewhere raises concern about how Pep Guardiola’s side will be able to cope if their talisman suffers an injury.
Jeremy Doku put in a top performance against Liverpool, scoring the third in the 3-0 rout, while Phil Foden is showing signs he may be rediscovering his best form, having amassed seven goal contributions in 14 matches in all competitions.
However, in order to strengthen his side’s Premier League title push, Guardiola remains keen on adding another forward to his ranks, and there has been a positive development in the pursuit of a Real Madrid star.
Man City now leading race for Rodrygo
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Man City are now frontrunners in the race for Rodrygo’s signature, with it emerging the Brazilian’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu is now in major doubt, and he is on the brink of leaving in the January transfer window.
The 24-year-old has been unable to force his way into Xabi Alonso’s plans, given that Madrid have a breadth of top-quality options in attacking areas, and a winter move could now be on the cards.
Guardiola views the former Santos man as ideal, given his versatility, and City are ready to trigger a deal, which could amount to €60m – €80m (£53m – £70m).
Hailed as “world-class” by legendary midfielder Luka Modric, the 35-time Brazil international has been a reliable source of goals and assists right across his career, impressing at Santos from a very young age before going on to play a major role in Real Madrid’s success.
Club
Rodrygo’s combined goals and assists
Santos (80 apps)
25
Real Madrid (283 apps)
121
Although the Osasco-born forward has predominantly featured as a winger throughout his career to date, scout Ben Mattinson has suggested he could be better-suited to playing in a central role, given his dribbling and shooting ability.
As such, should Haaland pick up an injury, Rodrygo could be a solid replacement, while the Real Madrid man’s experience playing out wide means he should also be able to challenge the likes of Doku and Rayan Cherki for a starting spot.
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Matthew Breetzke had not been born when South Africa last won a bilateral ODI series in England. By extending a remarkable start to his career in the format, he helped them clinch this one with a match to spare. On his return from a hamstring injury, Breetzke hit 85 to underpin South Africa’s total of 330, before their bowlers closed out a tense win under the floodlights.Breetzke, 26, was born five-and-a-half months after South Africa’s 2-1 triumph in the 1998 Texaco Trophy but will now lift the series trophy in Southampton on Sunday after his team took an unassailable 2-0 lead at Lord’s. Unlike in Leeds, England at least competed but none of their three half-centurions – Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler – kicked on past 61.The chase went down to the final ball, which Jofra Archer needed to hit for six to take the game into a Super Over. But his inside-edged hoick off Senuran Muthusamy brought only a single and South Africa were deserving winners, backing up the thrashing they inflicted on Tuesday with a clinical, calculated performance.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
This was an eighth defeat in 11 ODIs for England in 2025, and their captain Harry Brook refused to blame fatigue after an exhausting summer. “In my eyes that’s just an excuse,” he said. We’re good enough and fit enough to be able to keep playing for the time being… Chasing 6.5 an over from ball one is a tough task. But that’s exactly why we’ve picked this side: we’ve a long batting order. To get within one blow of that score is a really good effort.”South Africa had been stuttering at 93 for 3 after 19 overs when Tristan Stubbs joined Breetzke, but a fourth-wicket partnership of 147 off 126 balls laid a strong foundation before Dewald Brevis’ cameo launched them towards 300. They fell four runs short of the record ODI total at Lord’s, which has stood since the 1975 World Cup, but this was clearly a fighting effort.Breetzke’s innings was the highest by a South African in an ODI at Lord’s, and he achieved the unprecedented feat of passing 50 in each of his first five innings in the format. By the time he fell 15 runs short of a second hundred, he had taken his ODI aggregate to 463 and executed South Africa’s clear plan to put England’s part-time spinners under severe pressure.England got away with picking only four frontline bowlers in their 3-0 win against West Indies in June, but South Africa were merciless in targeting Bethell and Will Jacks; with Root curiously unused, they returned combined figures of 1 for 112 from their 10 overs. Brevis was particularly severe on Bethell, hitting him for consecutive sixes, while Stubbs laid into Jacks.The margin of victory obscured the fact South Africa were ahead of the game from the moment Nandre Burger had Jamie Smith caught behind off the first ball of the chase. Root dominated the scoring in a second-wicket stand of 66, with Ben Duckett desperately out of form at the other end; his dismissal for 14 off 33, bowled reverse-sweeping Keshav Maharaj, was a mercy kill.Jofra Archer nearly took England over the line•AFP/Getty Images
Where Duckett looked exhausted by his non-stop summer, Bethell had been short on time in the middle and was pushed up to No. 4 to take on South Africa’s two left-arm spinners. Temba Bavuma responded by bringing on Aiden Markram’s offspin, but Bethell slog-swept and pulled sixes as his two overs cost 27 runs.He brought up a 28-ball half-century by launching Burger over mid-on, five balls after Root had cruised to his own off 57. But they fell in quick succession, too: Bethell sliced the relentless Corbin Bosch to backward point, and Root was beaten in the flight by Maharaj to be stumped in an ODI for the first time in a decade.Brook and Buttler added 69 for the fifth wicket, launching sixes off Bosch and Muthusamy respectively. But Muthusamy found extra bounce to have Brook chipping to cover, and despite Buttler’s outrageous reverse-slap for six on his way to 50 – a landmark he celebrated with a look to the skies after his father’s recent passing – the required rate climbed past nine an over.Lungi Ngidi got the big wicket of Jos Buttler at the death•AFP/Getty Images
The game looked as good as won when Lungi Ngidi flummoxed Buttler with a dipping slower ball, and Burger removed Jacks and Brydon Carse in the same over to leave 40 required off the last three. Despite Archer’s best efforts – with two lusty sixes and a pair of reverse-slaps for four – they always looked like falling short.It looked like an important toss when Brook put South Africa into bat, with the start delayed by 15 minutes after a morning of heavy showers. Archer and Saqib Mahmood – recalled at Sonny Baker’s expense – both found extravagant seam movement early on, but Markram and Ryan Rickelton were equal to it, adding 73 for the first wicket.Rickelton fell for 35, top-edging Archer behind to Buttler, before Adil Rashid struck twice in quick succession, with Bavuma done on the outside edge and Markram furious with himself after chipping back a return catch on 49. But that only brought Breetzke and Stubbs together, whose partnership took the game away from England – and they never quite recovered.
Reading too much into one albeit statement performance would be folly, although there were telling signs in Manchester United’s richly deserved 2-1 win away at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
In many ways, that victory marked a tale of the new signings, with there having been deeply different fortunes on either side.
In the case of Liverpool, Alexander Isak’s wait for a first Premier League goal for his new side continued, while fellow marquee arrival Florian Wirtz wasn’t even in the starting lineup.
At full-back, Miloz Kerkez was given a torrid time by the dynamic duo of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, with stand-in stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili also unable to prevent the visitors’ opener.
That might be a cynical view, although it’s difficult to ignore the contrast to Ruben Amorim’s new men, with Mbeumo opening the scoring inside 63 seconds, while Matheus Cunha also led the line impressively alongside him.
Although £74 striker Benjamin Sesko was a late arrival into the fray from the bench, goalkeeper Senne Lammens put in another assured performance, with the early signs suggesting that INEOS have finally worked their magic in the market.
Ranking every INEOS signing at Manchester United
There already looks to be a stark difference in quality between those acquired this summer and those brought in during the first window under the new regime a year ago, with the summer of 2024 having been particularly mixed on reflection.
While Matthijs de Ligt is an early contender for Player of the Season this time around – with Leny Yoro also likely to be a mainstay for the long-term at Old Trafford – both Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte have slipped into the periphery under Amorim.
With just seven goals in 53 games for the club to date, Zirkzee – who has made just three league appearances in 2025/26 – looks destined to depart in 2026, while Ugarte’s diminishing status was evident in his role as an unused substitute in the Europa League final.
Rounding off that summer spree was £13m man, Noussair Mazraoui, a deal that still represents an undoubted bargain, even if the Moroccan international has been hampered by injury this season.
Heading into January then, the £1m dished out for Arsenal’s Ayden Heaven still appears another piece of astute business, even if the 19-year-old hasn’t featured since Grimsby, although the jury is out on the £30m signing of Patrick Dorgu, with the left-footer even ousted by Diogo Dalot on the left flank in recent outings.
Ranking every INEOS signing
Rank
Player
1.
Bryan Mbeumo
2.
Matthijs de Ligt
3.
Noussair Mazraoui
4.
Matheus Cunha
5.
Leny Yoro
6.
Senne Lammens
7.
Benjamin Sesko
8.
Ayden Heaven
9.
Joshua Zirkzee
10.
Patrick Dorgu
11.
Manuel Ugarte
12.
Diego Leon*
*yet to feature
Having looked abroad last summer, before turning to youth in the winter, the approach was far more sensible this time around, snapping up two Premier League-proven figures in Cunha and Mbeumo, after the pair netted 35 top-flight goals between them last term.
Sesko, at 22, is an expensive gamble, although with two goals in two games ahead of the Anfield trip, the early signs are promising, while, as for Lammens, he could quietly prove to be the pick of the bunch.
Man Utd could soon have "one of the best in the world"
Not every player has to arrive and explode instantly, with it perhaps more important not to make a bad first impression, than necessarily making a wholly positive, standout one.
Indeed, Lammens’ predecessor, Andre Onana, never truly recovered from his shaky showings from the off, having memorably been lobbed against Lens in pre-season in July 2023, left tangled in his own net on what was the Cameroonian’s first Old Trafford outing.
The ex-Inter man then escaped punishment for a last-gasp foul against Wolverhampton Wanderers on his competitive debut, while his third league appearance witnessed that comical dive to try and keep out Taiwo Awoniyi’s early strike. The list goes on…
To make matters worse, his deputy – Altay Bayindir – has fared little better over the last two years or so, producing a desperately tame punch to tee up Riccardo Calafiori’s decisive goal on the opening weekend this season.
The nervousness of both men was no good to those ahead of them, or those watching on from the stands, with both players and supporters alike having readily welcomed the quiet calm that Lammens has brought to the table so far.
A clean sheet on debut against Sunderland saw the young Belgian only forced into making three saves, although they were all decisive, having been met with audible cheers when plucking the ball out of the sky late in the first half.
There is a willingness for the 23-year-old to succeed, after such turmoil in United’s goalkeeping department in recent years, with Lammens’ outing again another reason for positivity.
Smart enough not to attempt to play out from the back needlessly – with 45 of his 46 passes having gone long – the ex-Royal Antwerp man did what was needed when called upon too, keeping out Isak’s strike from the angle in the first-half.
Having also narrowed the angle for Mo Salah’s wayward, near-post attempt – while plucking another ball from the air at one stage – United’s number 31 did everything that was asked of him.
There were no theatrics, no unnecessary Cruyff turns or errant passes. The new man – as a goalkeeper largely should do – almost went unnoticed for his all-round display.
It is of course far too soon to be popping any corks in celebration at such a signing, but for a fee of just £18m, the INEOS hierarchy might yet have pulled off another transfer bargain.
As journalist Steven Railston has relayed, one of Lammens’ former coaches, Hayk Milkon, believes that he can “become the best in the world” in his position, having already received the approval of his legendary compatriot, Thibaut Courtois.
Having been forced to witness the hapless chaos of Onana, Bayindir and even late-stage David De Gea in recent years, United could well do with a calming presence in the sticks again.
Hopefully, Lammens can be just that in the years to come.
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