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Leeds United supporters must have anticipated that the opening day fixture versus Portsmouth in the Championship was going to be a stroll in the park after Pascal Struijk tucked away an early penalty at Elland Road.

Instead, as is often the case with the Whites, things became suddenly tense and difficult out of nowhere, as Pompey raced into a 2-1 lead before the half-time break, courtesy of a Callum Lang long-range bullet.

In the end, it fell to Brenden Aaronson to be the hero of the day in West Yorkshire to clinch a last-gasp point, so Daniel Farke's men didn't feel humiliated by their newly promoted opponents, with John Mousinho's men somewhat fortunate to collect a share of the points in the barnstorming 3-3 contest.

Aug 2007

3-0 Loss

Dec 2010

3-3 Draw

Jan 2011

2-2 Draw

Oct 2011

1-0 Win

Feb 2012

0-0 Draw

Pompey only had four shots on target all game, compared to Leeds' superior ten, as Whites shot-stopper Ilian Meslier had an afternoon to forget.

Meslier's game vs Portsmouth in numbers

Meslier has long divided opinion amongst the hardened Elland Road masses, and the Frenchman will continue to be a divisive figure if he regularly puts in performances like the one served up against Portsmouth.

The towering 24-year-old only made one save all afternoon, as Pompey grew in confidence that they could catch the former Lorient 'keeper out from wherever they attempted a shot from.

That was seen in Lang's first of the exhilarating 3-3 draw somehow squirming in from distance after Meslier couldn't deal with a straightforward Elias Sørensen opener that was hit straight at him for the South Coast outfit to equalise.

The 6 foot 6 presence also looked uncomfortable at points with his distribution from the back, not helped by Joe Rodon in front of him also having an off-day with some wayward passing, with just two accurate long balls managed all afternoon, as Leeds had to make do with an unsatisfactory share of the points to start the new second tier season.

However, away from Rodon and Meslier not covering themselves in glory defensively, there was an even more underwhelming performer at the back in the form of Jayden Bogle, who struggled back in the thick of it in the Championship, after a promising set of pre-season performances.

Bogle's game vs Portsmouth in numbers

Bogle will just hope he's getting his dodgy displays out of his system early on this campaign, as the former Sheffield United man struggled to competently complete his defensive duties all match.

The brand-new Whites number two did shine going forward in patches, with two big chances created all of his own working, but the ex-Blades right-back gave away the penalty that nearly allowed Portsmouth to win 3-2, before Aaronson's last-gasp heroics.

Minutes played

90

Touches

69

Accurate passes completed

34/43 (79%)

Key passes

2

Big chances created

2

Successful dribbles completed

2/3

Duels won

9/19

Possession lost

15x

Bogle failed to impose himself into the contest as a strong and brave full-back, with only nine duels won from 19 attempted, alongside many lax passes going astray, with possession surrendered 15 times to allow Mousinho's outfit regular ways back into the exciting contest.

Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth dished out a low 4/10 rating to Bogle consequently, stating that he was 'bizarrely' positioned for Portsmouth's first strike amongst other faults in his game.

It will be interesting to see if Farke persists with his new capture here, when the Whites open their EFL Cup campaign versus Middlesbrough this mid-week, or if he chooses to start the likes of Sam Byram or other reserve defenders in his place after the 24-year-old really struggled back in competitive action. Perhaps Byram is the way to go mid-week.

There'll be many twists and turns to come this up-and-down Championship season, but Leeds fans will be worried that a slow start out of the blocks could be costly early on, on the way to promotion attempting to be sealed.

Lost the ball 18x: Farke signing just had one of his worst games for Leeds

Leeds drew 3-3 with Portsmouth on the opening weekend of the new EFL season.

1 ByMatt Dawson Aug 10, 2024

Bangladesh paid the price for dropping Karunaratne on 28, before debutant Shoriful Islam got him for 118

Mohammad Isam29-Apr-2021Stumps Centuries from Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne gave Sri Lanka full control of the first day of the second Test in Pallekele, as the home side ended at 291 for 1 at stumps. The pitch offered next to nothing to the Bangladesh bowlers, but the visitors were also guilty of sitting on defensive lengths and spread-out fields from quite early on.It allowed Karunaratne, fresh from his maiden double-century last weekend, and Thirimanne to dominate once they had managed to bat out the first couple of hours cautiously. The pair added 209, Sri Lanka’s first 200-plus opening stand since 2011, and the first in the country in 21 years. The partnership, which is also the pair’s third consecutive century stand, ended when Karunaratne was caught behind off Bangladesh’s debutant Shoriful Islam shortly after tea.Karunaratne made 118 off 190 balls, having struck 15 boundaries. During the course of the innings, he crossed 5,000 Test runs, apart from reaching his 12th Test century, the most by any active Sri Lanka batter. Thirimanne was the more circumspect of the two, as he reached his third Test century – the second this year – having piled up his fifth fifty-plus score in his last six innings.Thirimanne was unbeaten on 131 off 253 balls with 14 fours, alongside Oshada Fernando, who kept things calm after the long opening partnership. Fernando ended on 40 not out off 98 balls.Karunaratne and Thirimanne had begun the day slowly, adding just 66 runs in 27 overs in the first session. They had to ride out initial movement from Taskin Ahmed and Abu Jayed. Ahmed in particular was a real menace in his first two spells. He could have had an early success but Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped Karunaratne on 28 during the first session.Only Taskin and newcomer Shoriful looked penetrative over the length of their spells, but they too seemed to have gradually got tired. Jayed hardly tried anything other than a largely straight line and length, while the spinners Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled too quickly in most of their spells.Karunaratne largely focused on getting his boundaries through the range between wide third man and extra cover. Eleven out of his 15 boundaries came through this region, as he hardly scored through mid-off and mid-on. Thirimanne too got plenty of runs through point and cover, and also played some fascinating straight drives besides a couple through wide mid-on.The home side remains on course to put up a dominating first innings total, perhaps one that would be enough to keep Bangladesh out of contention for the rest of the game.

Russo made it five goals in four WSL games as the Gunners swept Aston Villa aside.

Arsenal made light work of Aston Villa and leapfrogged Manchester United to climb to third in the table with a 4-0 victory. The Gunners were hardly threatened by the visiting side and interim boss Renee Slegers will be pleased with the manner in which her side strolled to victory.

After a tight opening 10 minutes, Arsenal began to show their quality and it did not take long before Alessia Russo broke the deadlock after 17 minutes with a deft flick from a Kyra Cooney-Cross free-kick.

The Gunners continued to split the Villa defence time after time in the first half and the pressure eventually told seven minutes before half-time. Frida Maanum’s poke towards goal from a Mariona Caldentey cut-back bounced off the post and at the feet of Beth Mead who could not miss an open goal with Sabrina D’Angelo left stricken on the ground.

The second half saw the Gunners continue their dominance and add a third through substitute Stina Blackstenius after 70 minutes. The Swedish striker beat the Villa offside trap on the edge of the box to lift Katie McCabe’s ball over D’Angelo. Russo then rounded off a perfect afternoon for the Gunners with a stunning curling effort into the top corner after nice work from Lina Hurtig.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Daphne van Domselaar (5/10):

Not troubled by her former side and will be pleased with her clean sheet.

Emily Fox (6/10):

Set the tone early on with a number of strong challenges and put in a few crosses that troubled the Villa defence. Replaced at half-time.

Leah Williamson (6/10):

A composed display from the English defender captaining the side in Kim Little’s absence. Dealt with Ebony Salmon and Rachel Daly well.

Steph Catley (7/10):

Put in a fantastic block just before the hour mark from Chasity Grant to deny a certain goal and maintain the clean-sheet.

Katie McCabe (8/10):

Played a lovely through ball to Blackstenius for the third goal and looked just as comfortable on both the left and right of defence.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Kyra Cooney-Cross (8/10):

Her cross from a deep free-kick was swung in beautifully to find Russo for the opener. Key to maintaining the Gunners' dominance at the heart of the midfield.

Mariona Caldentey (7/10):

Pulled the strings from her deeper role in central midfield and her passing consistently stretched the Villa defence.

Frida Maanum (6/10):

Unlucky not to score the second but a typical box crashing run created the chance.

GettyAttack

Beth Mead (7/10):

The English winger will not score an easier goal this season after Maanum’s effort bounced kindly off the post.

Alessia Russo (9/10):

Russo continued her goalscoring run in the WSL making it four in four games with a spectacular flicked header and led the line impressively. A stunning effort in the last minute of injury time added a fourth.

Caitlin Foord (6/10):

A quiet day for the Australian but did her part in getting beyond the Villa defence and always posed a threat.

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Lotte Wubben-Moy (5/10):

Came on for Fox at half-time and did well to maintain Gunners' solidity.

Stina Blackstenius (7/10):

Caused danger for Villa the moment she stepped onto the pitch and took her goal superbly. Could have had three goals.

Laura Wienroither (5/10):

Received a warm welcome return after a difficult time away with injury.

Lina Hurtig (6/10):

Game was all but won when Hurtig came on but did well for Russo's second and Arsenal's fourth.

Kathrine Kuhl (N/A):

Saw out the closing stages in midfield, replacing the impressive Cooney Cross.

Renee Slegers (8/10):

Arsenal's interim coach will be delighted to have a comfortable afternoon in nasty conditions in north London.

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a promising start to the campaign, drawing away to Leicester City on the opening week before coolly dispatching Everton in north London.

Ange Postecoglou will be well aware that his squad made a blistering start to the 2023/24 season, however, and has strengthened throughout the summer to put Spurs in a better place to restore a spot in the Champions League and challenge for silverware.

The likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, elite teenage talents both, will hope to stake claims at No. 6 after arriving down north London, especially with something of an air of uncertainty surrounding Yves Bissouma.

What's going on with Yves Bissouma

He might have scored as Tottenham claimed their first victory of the season, but Bissouma has got plenty to prove if he is to establish himself as one of Postecoglou's instrumental players this season.

An immense, technically proficient player, the Malian ranks among the top 2% of central midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 6% for passes attempted, the top 12% for progressive passes, the top 4% for tackles and the top 10% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.

But last season he suffered a string of on-field disciplinary issues, receiving three separate suspensions in the Premier League, lacking composure and control.

As such, he cannot be trusted to thrive at the heart of the Spurs side throughout the duration of the campaign – especially with the return of Europa League football now looming.

As such, Tottenham are mulling over concluding their summer spending spree with one final piece to complete the engine room.

Spurs eyeing new midfielder

According to GIVEMESPORT earlier this week, Tottenham are keeping tabs on Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough, who is valued at about £25m.

The Championship side are unwilling to part with their prized midfielder before next week's deadline, but Spurs are persisting in their interest and are even willing to play the long game, should Boro's resolve prove unwavering.

However, with multiple top-flight outfits keen on a move, Tottenham might want to consider launching a move, especially given the need to strengthen the base of the midfield.

What Hayden Hackney would bring to Spurs

Last season, Hackney scored the winning goal as Middlesbrough defeated Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup. Sure, the Blues breezed into the final after confidently overturning the semi-final deficit in the second leg, but the Englishman's quality was illuminated.

It was the 22-year-old's first showcase of his talents against Premier League opposition, with his manager, Michael Carrick, hailing him for the "immense" performance.

Last season, in the Championship, Hackney played a key role in helping the Riversiders push toward the upper end of the table, ultimately falling short but coming on leaps and bounds and finishing eighth, four points off a promotion spot.

The fast-flowing style of football saw Boro rank fourth for progressive passes made throughout the campaign (2050), behind only the three sides relegated from the Premier League. Hackney, anchored at the base of the midfield, was essential to the success.

Indeed, as per FBref, he ranked among the top 13% of midfielders in England's second tier last year for pass completion, the top 2% for passes attempted, the top 1% for progressive passes and the top 13% for shot-creating actions per 90, emphasising the level of his ball-playing ability.

Matches (starts)

21 (20)

Goals

1

Assists

0

Touches*

90.0

Pass completion

88%

Key passes*

1.2

Dribbles*

0.8

Ball recoveries*

7.1

Tackles*

1.7

Total duels won*

4.1

He'd be a wonderful addition and one who could be integrated into a strong mix of players, allowing him to get to grips with life down N17 without feeling overburdened.

After all, Spurs know all about landing an exciting talent from the EFL and nurturing them to the fore – just ask Dele Alli.

Hayden Hackney could be Ange's own Dele Alli

Postecoglou could repeat Tottenham's Alli masterstroke by securing this deal, having welcomed the former wonderkid to the club in 2015, signing him from MK Dons for £5m and beating off fierce competition from clubs such as Liverpool.

The 28-year-old had posted 16 goals and 11 assists across all competitions during his final campaign in League One before making the leap right to the top of the pyramid, aged only 18.

He scored 67 goals and supplied 61 assists across 269 appearances for Tottenham, and though his output declined toward the end as he headed toward dark days, the England international performed at an obscene level at the start, notching 97 goal contributions over his opening three top-flight campaigns alone.

Jose Mourinho claimed that he would become "one of the world's best", and while external factors have led to a demise for the current Everton player, who has not played for the Toffees since the start of the 2022/23 season, there is hope that he will one day grace the Premier League pitch again.

He was crowned the PFA Premier League Young Player of the Year across both of his opening terms, very much highlighting the reward that can be found in plucking one of the finest talents from below England's topmost division.

Hackney might not be the potent attacking superstar that Alli proved to be throughout several blistering years of success as a Lilywhite, but he could be a most impactful signing from a lower division to replicate Mauricio Pochettino's success in the past.

Slotting him into the base of the midfield, Tottenham could well and truly hit the jackpot, replicating their masterful signing from nine years ago.

Scouts sent: Spurs target £15kp/w "engine" who has shades of Mousa Dembele

The special youngster has a very bright future.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 24, 2024

Leicester City are interested in completing the signing of an "outstanding" Premier League attacker before the summer transfer window ends, according to reliable journalist John Percy.

Leicester transfer news

It has been a solid summer in the transfer market for the Foxes, who knew the importance of strengthening their squad after trading the Championship for the Premier League. That being said, they have also had to spend wisely amid the threat of a potential points deduction due to breaches of profit and sustainability rules.

In terms of Leicester's most significant additions of the summer to date, midfielder Oliver Skipp represents a strong addition with plenty of experience to his name at one of the biggest clubs in the country, having been at Tottenham since his youth team days.

Meanwhile, Bilal El Khannouss represents an eye-catching addition for Belgian side Genk, providing more competition in attacking areas, and the same applies to Jordan Adew, who has come in from Crystal Palace. At the other end of the pitch, Caleb Okoli could be a strong signing from reigning Europa League winners Atalanta.

There will be some Leicester supporters who will be hoping to see the club strike some late transfer business on Friday, and it looks as though that may be happening.

Leicester "exploring" move for "outstanding" forward

According to the reliable Percy on X, Leicester are keen on signing Crystal Palace striker Odsonne Edouard before deadline day reaches its conclusion. The former Celtic man cost the Eagles an initial £14m when he joined in a loan-to-buy deal from Glasgow, but has never quite found his feet at Selhurst Park.

Additional firepower is sure to be something that Steve Cooper craves in his attack, given the difficulty of finding the net in the Premier League for newly-promoted sides, and Edouard could be a shrewd addition at the King Power Stadium.

The 26-year-old has 18 goals to his name in the Premier League, showing that he knows how to be a success in the division, and during his Celtic days, Neil Lennon had this to say about him: "What we have with Odsonne is an outstanding, talented player."

In fact, Edouard's record in a Hoops shirt further outlines his ability, with 87 goals scored in 179 matches, and he also has an incredible record at youth team level for France, scoring 43 times in just 51 caps.

France Under-21s

14

17

France Under-19s

13

5

France Under-18s

9

4

France Under-17s

15

17

At 26, the Frenchman is still young enough to improve further as a player, so there don't feel like many negatives to Leicester snapping him up, offering him a route out of Palace at the same time, where he isn't a regular starter.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: summer transfer window 2024

Find every incoming and outgoing for each 2024/25 Premier League club here.

ByStephan Georgiou Sep 18, 2024

Hosts lost four wickets in the third session, ending the day 458 behind visitors’ total

Danyal Rasool08-May-2021Stumps In a series in which Zimbabwe have offered little competition, this might be the nadir. On a turgid, attritional day for the hosts, Pakistan piled the runs up high with Abid Ali scoring an unbeaten double century on the second day of the second Test in Harare, combining for a 169-run partnership with No. 9 Nauman Ali, who scored a brisk 97 of his own.It allowed Pakistan to amass 510 before Babar Azam declared, leaving Zimbabwe with an uncomfortable final session to negotiate. But that they didn’t, with Brendan Taylor’s side losing four frontline batsmen in 30 overs and ending up trailing by 458 runs overnight.It might be easy to forget now but both sides claimed a share of the spoils in the morning session. At that point, the hosts kept their hopes of restricting Pakistan below 400 alive with wickets at regular intervals, and were just three strikes away from wrapping up the innings. Pakistan’s nightwatchman Sajid Khan frustrated Zimbabwe for the first hour, but saw his stay come to an end thanks to a splendid diving catch from Regis Chakabva, whose wicketkeeping has been under scrutiny at times on this tour.Mohammad Rizwan combined for an equally handy partnership with the ever-present Abid, while also speeding things up. There were a few whipped boundaries through the off side, and the pair might have carried through to lunch before Rizwan tried to target Tendai Chisoro over mid-on. A horrible miscue found the fielder, and tailender Hasan Ali nicked off to Luke Jongwe in the following over.Zimbabwe might have smelled blood then, but it was Pakistan who landed all the punches in the session that followed. After four attritional sessions of the hosts ensuring they stayed within touching distance of Pakistan, Abid and Nauman wrenched the game out of their hands in a middle session that devastated Zimbabwe’s chances. If they imagined they would come out after lunch and mop up the tail, the two batters put paid to such fanciful notions, hurtling through the gears as the total began to swell.With Zimbabwe supposedly well into the Pakistan tail, there was expectation that the more able batter in Abid would take a more progressive approach through the middle session, but it was Nauman who broke the shackles more regularly. He targeted the spinners from time to time, awaiting deliveries in the slot to launch over long-on as five of Pakistan’s six sixes came off his bat. Once he got to his half-century – with a boundary to square leg – he began to lay waste to the Zimbabwe attack.Jongwe was smashed for 17 in that over, before Milton Shumba found himself going for 18 in the following one. It seemed no sooner than Abid’s double century had come up that Nauman was eyeing three figures of his own. Blink and you would miss it, but by tea, the scorecard had Nauman single digits away from a hundred.It might be a tad unfair to say Abid didn’t adjust the tempo of his innings over five sessions, but he continued to prioritise solidity and assuredness over thrift. It is hard to fault the formula that has ground Zimbabwe into the dust for nearly two days, and when Abid pulled a long hop to cow corner to bring up 200, there was a sense of inevitability about it. He might have batted the whole Test without anyone being able to snare him, but when Nauman lazily lifted his foot up in the air just after tea, Chakabva cannily whipped off the bails to have him stumped, leaving the left-armer three short of a remarkable hundred.If Pakistan’s total suggested the pitch might be a decent one for the batters, Zimbabwe went about dispelling that notion effectively. The first wicket to fall was pure misfortune, with the umpire misjudging the line of a ball that was missing Tarisai Musakanda’s leg stump, giving Tabish Khan his first Test wicket. Tabish, whose debut was the focus of much scrutiny, was tidy overall without quite being penetrative, with that role taken up most effectively by Hasan.Zimbabwe looked to hunker down and shut shop for much of the first session, but Hasan was finding swing at pace, and one that seared back in off a length ripped past Kevin Kasuza and sent his stumps tumbling. He had hung around at the crease for 43 deliveries without looking up to much while managing just four runs.Taylor looked to take a more proactive approach, getting a couple of boundaries away early, but Zimbabwe needed a long-term survival strategy. When the Zimbabwe captain pushed at one from Shaheen Afridi from around the wicket, any hopes of him being the one to lead that resistance was extinguished.Zimbabwe were in freefall by now, and there was still time enough for Sajid to trap Milton Shumba in front as the noose began to tighten. Zimbabwe have been suffocated by now, and you would expect the knockout blow isn’t far away either.

Mario Lemina has denied starting a brawl with Jarrod Bowen and claimed that he shook hands with the West Ham captain after Wolves' latest defeat.

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West Ham beat Wolves 2-1Tempers flared between Bowen & Lemina at full-timeWolves captain offers his version of eventsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Drama unfolded immediately after the final whistle following West Ham's 2-1 win over Wolves, with Bowen, who scored the decisive goal for the Hammers, attempting to greet his opposite number. Lemina, however, appeared to ignore Bowen’s outstretched hand, walking past him. What followed was a physical altercation between the two captains, with both ending up wrestling on the ground.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

In the ensuing chaos, Lemina reportedly pushed teammates Nelson Semedo and Toti, who had tried to intervene and de-escalate the situation. He later squared up with Wolves’ first-team coach Shaun Derry, further fuelling tensions.

WHAT LEMINA SAID

Taking to Instagram to clarify his position, Lemina issued an apology to fans and the football community while denying he was responsible for the altercation.

“This morning. I write this message with great hindsight. And I really want to apologise to all the people who love this club and who love football," he wrote.

“I never wanted this to happen on the ground. I have always been a fair player, even in defeat. If something is said, make sure the truth comes out. I shook this player’s hand, like I always do. and I was grabbed by the shirt and thrown to the ground. I just reacted to a situation that I didn’t cause at all. I love my team, the staff and all the people who make up this club. We all gonna fight harder to overcome this situation. Shaun you already know. We’re gonna fight again and again.”

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DID YOU KNOW?

The defeat against West Ham has left Wolves languishing in 19th place in the Premier League table, four points adrift of safety. The team’s poor form has intensified speculation about potential changes in leadership, with head coach Gary O’Neil under mounting pressure to turn things around.

There was a lot of excitement heading into this season for Manchester United fans, as while their Premier League form was dreadful last year, the club had a busy summer in the transfer market.

Unfortunately, Erik ten Hag’s side have already burst that bubble of hope. After winning their first game against Fulham last month, they proceeded to lose back-to-back games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool.

There were plenty of poor performers in both games, but Casemiro was notably off the pace, as he was last season, and while Manuel Ugarte should hopefully be his long-term replacement, the manager has claimed he won’t be match fit for some time.

However, there might just be a solution to this problem: one of the club’s own should come in to replace the Brazilian for the game away to Southampton.

Casemiro's recent form

Casemiro’s tenure at Manchester United has been a strange one, as when he arrived from Real Madrid for £70m in the summer of 2022, there were already some doubts about his age.

That said, over the course of that season, the Brazilian was fantastic and proved his doubters wrong. In fact, he was even named the signing of the season by Gary Neville.

However, for whatever reason, the legendary midfielder suddenly and dramatically regressed at the start of last year, and instead of being a monstrous defensive midfielder able to stop attacks before they began, he became a cumbersome liability who regularly got his side into trouble.

It got so bad towards the end of the campaign that former defender Jamie Carragher gave him the now-famous advice to “leave the football before the football leaves you.”

Unfortunately for the five-time Champions League winner, and United for that matter, his calamitous form has continued into this season, and so far he’s made two errors leading to a goal in just three games.

Appearances

3

Shots

6

Shots on target

1

Crosses (Accurate)

3 (1)

Fouls

1

Offsides

2

Tackles (Succesful)

10 (6)

Duels Won

16

Duels Lost

11

Aerial Battles Won

3

Aerial Battles Lost

3

Errors Leading to a Goal

2

In all, it’s time the club moved on from the 32-year-old star, and while Ugarte will likely play in his place for most of the campaign, Ten Hag has a youngster in the squad ready to step up.

Why Toby Collyer should start vs Southampton

Yes, the youngster in question is 20-year-old Toby Collyer, who joined United from Brighton in March 2022.

By then, the then 18-year-old prospect had already captained England’s U16 and U17 sides and has since gone on to make 28 appearances for the Red Devils’ U21 side and three for their U18 side.

However, it was at the start of this month that the 5 foot 11 gem caught the attention of the wider footballing world as he made his Premier League debut, coming off the bench to replace Casemiro at half time against Liverpool.

It was a trial by fire for the inexperienced Worthing-born midfielder, and while he couldn’t help the team come out with any points, he did look more assured than the Brazilian veteran and was given a 6/10 by the Express’ Amos Murphy, while the 32-year-old got a brutal but fair 1/10.

Now, it’s hard to fully judge a young midfielder off of 45 minutes in a derby and half an hour in the Community Shield. Still, the early signs are encouraging, and those in the know are incredibly excited about his future prospects.

For example, in March 2022, former Brighton U18 coach Mark Beard described him as someone “who plays like two men” and said that managers would “want 11 of these type of players in the team.”

Lastly, while no game is easy in the Premier League, Southampton will probably be one of the weakest teams United play this season, so if Ten Hag wants to hand out more minutes to promising youngsters, then today is the day.

He's like De Jong: Man Utd have already sold their next Gomes for just £850k

The talented midfielder looks promising.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 12, 2024

Ultimately, fans should not expect the world from Collyer just yet, but with Ugarte supposedly not fully fit and Casemiro all out at sea, the 20-year-old deserves to start today.

For South Africa, no one apart from Quinton de Kock scored more than 20

Firdose Moonda01-Jul-2021West Indies defended 167 in the fourth T20I against South Africa to lock the five-match series at 2-2 and set up a decider for Saturday. Their big names all took responsibility: captain Kieron Pollard top-scored with 51*, Dwayne Bravo claimed career-best figures of 4 for 19, and Chris Gayle taking a wicket with his first ball to go with two catches were the icing on the cake.The home side scored 20 off their first over and 66 in the final four but their innings suffered a lull in between. They managed just 81 runs in the 15 overs from the second to the 17th as South Africa’s spinners put the brakes on. But their efforts were not enough for a batting line-up that lacks a finisher and remains over-reliant on Quinton de Kock.South Africa’s former captain scored a second successive half-century and a sixth T20I half-century in his last 15 matches, but had little support from the other end as no other South Africa batter scored more than 20. They last successfully chased a target above 160 in February 2018 when they beat India, and last won a T20I series in March 2019 against Sri Lanka, but will still have the chance to turn that around in two days’ time.Opening overload…
Aiden Markram, South Africa’s sixth bowler, was given the new ball and eyebrows would have been immediately raised over that choice. Lendl Simmons swept Markram’s first ball past short fine-leg for four, cut his third delivery, which was short and wide, for four more, and then took two sixes off the last three balls. The first was a sweep over fine leg and the second an audacious smack straight down the ground. West Indies scored 20 runs off that over, their most in the first over of a T20I and the most by any team batting first in this format. … and then the squeeze
But South Africa pulled things back impressively and took six wickets in the 15 overs that followed. As has been the case throughout the series, their spinners controlled the run rate and frustrated the West Indies line-up. George Linde was introduced after the powerplay and put in the most economical performance of his T20I career by conceding just 16 runs in four overs. He also brought up 100 wickets in the format – across both international and domestic matches – when Simmons was given out leg before after missing a sweep and being hit in front of middle and leg. Just before that, Linde had Shimron Hetmyer caught behind off an under-edge as well.Tabraiz Shamsi bowled overs in tandem with Linde initially – the pair gave away only 14 runs in five overs – and then returned for a second spell. Shamsi had Nicholas Pooran caught at deep backward square-leg off a top-edge and Andre Russell caught at short fine-leg after the latter top-edged a sweep. The left-arm wristspinner equalled his most miserly effort in T20Is with figures of 2 for 13, an identical analysis to the last match.Take it on the knee!
With West Indies on 101 for 6 after 16 overs and a par score looking distant, Pollard took matters into his own hands. He drilled the first ball of Anrich Nortje’s final over straight back to him and clattered him on the left knee. Nortje went down for several minutes, his face scrunched up in obvious pain. He received some treatment on field, got back up and bowled the remainder of his over before hobbling off for some rest to the applause of his team-mates.Dwayne Bravo finished with career-best figures of 4 for 19•AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Africa’s tight work unraveled in those last four overs, when they conceded 66 runs as Pollard and Fabian Allen took on the specialist quicks. The pair scored six sixes in that period compared to the West Indies’ five in the rest of the innings, and Pollard hit three in three balls off Kagiso Rabada, who bowled his most expensive T20 over. Rabada delivered the penultimate over of the innings, which was also the most expensive at 25 runs, and did not complete a full quota for the first time in T20Is since his debut in 2014. Also, Lungi Ngidi’s two death overs cost 30 runs as Pollard brought up a sixth T20I half-century and his highest score in seven innings.Too cool for (old) school
The combined age of West Indies’ opening bowling pair in this match was 80 years, with Fidel Edwards (39) in his second series since his Kolpak comeback and Gayle (41) sharing the new ball, though their youth appeared endless. Edwards gave little away until his last ball, but it was Gayle whose was on full display. He took on bowling duties complete with cap, sunglasses and earpiece on, lured Reeza Hendricks out of the crease, beat him on the drive and had him stumped, before cartwheeling in celebration. Gayle told the commentary team he had been dared to mimic Kevin Sinclair, who showed off some gymnastics moves earlier in the series.Take it on the shoulder now!
Nortje was not the only player to suffer an injury in the match. Allen jammed his right shoulder into the ground beyond the square-leg boundary when he tried to cut off a Temba Bavuma sweep. He didn’t save the boundary and his arm was put in a sling as he left the field before he could bowl, with what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder. Allen was the only specialist spinner in the West Indies XI. His overs were made up for by Pollard and Russell, who bowled his entire quota in a T20I for the first time since March last year.Bravo for West Indies
Allen’s absence was also mitigated by the performance of Bravo, who has been consistently excellent with the ball in this series and continued in that vein in this match. Bravo’s first spell straddled the powerplay and cost just eight runs before a second at the death was laced with slower balls. He collected 4 for 11 in 12 balls in the closing stages of the match to eventually finish with career-best figures of 4 for 19. Bravo had Linde caught at point off a slower ball, de Kock caught in the same position chasing a wide full toss, Shamsi skying a ball to Gayle at extra cover and Ngidi holing out to square leg, as he took 3 for 1 in the 18th over to shut South Africa out of the contest.

The latest project featuring Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds could involve a big-money takeover, a name change and a relocation for the team involved.

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Hollywood star has enjoyed success in WalesBoasts further stakes in Mexico & Formula 1Latest venture taking him to South AmericaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Hollywood superstar is, as part of the Tylis-Porter investment group, seeing a £12 million ($15m) deal for Colombian outfit La Equidad speculated on. An agreement is said to be close, with the relevant paperwork needing to be signed off, as Reynolds and Co expand their business empire.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Actress Eva Longoria, ex-Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil and baseball star Justin Verlander also form part of the Tylis-Porter family. They are said to have big plans for Equidad, having already invested in Mexican side Necaxa. Reynolds, meanwhile, forms part of another consortium that own a stake in the Alpine Formula 1 team.

DID YOU KNOW?

His latest venture promises to be a testing one, with Bogota-based Equidad battling with Club Deportivo Los Millonarios and Independiente Santa Fe for favour in a city of 7.9 million inhabitants. With that in mind, it is claimed that Reynolds and Co will look to tinker with the club’s name before moving them elsewhere.

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GettyWHAT COLOMBIAN REPORTER SAID

Colombian reporter Felipe Sierra has told of the proposals: "Not only is the name change being evaluated, but also the change of city. It is one of the alternatives, although the name is almost a fact. Next week the document has to be signed to make the transfer official."