All posts by h716a5.icu

Kumar Sangakkara will captain MCC team in matches against PSL opposition next month

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2020Former England allrounder Ravi Bopara has been named as part of a 12-man MCC squad to tour Pakistan in February. The team will be captained by Sri Lanka great, and current MCC president, Kumar Sangakkara, and coached by former England quick Ajmal Shahzad.Also included in the touring party are Scotland’s Safyaan Sharif and Michael Leask, Netherlands duo Roelof van der Merwe and Fred Klaassen, along with county players from Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Kent and Worcestershire. England internationals Samit Patel and Liam Dawson, as well as Sussex’s Phil Salt, will each feature in one match, as part of a link up with the Pakistan Super League.MCC are set to play games against two PSL teams, Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, as well as Pakistan’s domestic T20 champions, Northerns. The tour is aimed at encouraging support for international teams returning to play in Pakistan, more than a decade after the 2009 terrorist attacks.The MCC’s chief executive, Guy Lavender, will take on the role of team manager, supported by MCC assistant secretary (cricket) and former England, Essex and Hampshire allrounder John Stephenson.”We are thrilled to be able to name a strong squad for this tour, which blends youth and experience for a strong side of high quality,” Stephenson said. “We have really appreciated the collaborative approach from the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan Super League, which has enabled us to arrange fixtures against sides preparing for this year’s PSL tournament as well as to secure the services of some of those participating.”As a club, we share the PCB’s wish in wanting to see international teams returning to play in Pakistan on a regular basis and we hope that this tour contributes to those objectives.”MCC squad:Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Ravi Bopara, Michael Burgess, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Fred Klaassen, Michael Leask, Arron Lilley, Imran Qayyum, Will Rhodes, Safyaan Sharif, Roelof van der Merwe, Ross Whiteley

Arsenal look to be back on track following their fifth Premier League win on the bounce away to Burnley.

Mikel Arteta has guided his side out of their festive period slump and right back into this season's title race courtesy of a frontline who now seem well and truly back to their best.

The club have found themselves in this position after a few years of generally clever and successful signings, with the likes of Martin Odegaard, Ben White, and Declan Rice having been solid additions.

However, while the North Londoners have been effective in recent transfer windows, there is one player who joined for free in 2020 who really should've been moved on by now.

An underwhelming loan move

In January 2020, Arteta needed cover at right-back following injuries to Hector Bellerin and Calum Chambers, so instead of spending more than the club would've liked on a pricey permanent deal, he opted to sign Cedric Soares on a six-month loan deal.

The Southampton full-back had been a reliable Premier League defender for a few seasons at that point, and with his contract set to expire in the summer, it made perfect sense to bring him in as cover.

However, in a situation reminiscent of the loan move for Swedish international Kim Kallstrom in 2014, Soares arrived at Arsenal with a knee injury and remained out of action for 41 days, missing 11 games in that period.

He ultimately made his debut for the team in the 32nd game of the season, although he would make just four more appearances for the remainder of the campaign and play a grand total of 250 minutes.

Arsenal decided to sign him on a permanent deal upon the expiration of his loan, anyway, and handed him a four-year contract.

So, was it a value-for-money move?

How much Soares has cost Arsenal

Well, for the 21 weeks that he spent on loan with Arsenal in the second half of the 2019/20 season, he was reportedly on a wage of £65,000-a-week, which would've been paid by the Gunners at a cost of around £1.3m.

Upon signing for the club officially in July 2020, his pay increased to £75,000-a-week, which, when taking into account the 21 weeks he spent on loan at Fulham last season – who paid his wages – means that the Gunners have paid out an additional £13.8m in wages since Soares became a permanent figure.

Per Week

Number of Weeks

Bonus

Total

£65k

21

N/A

£1.3m

£75k

52

£1.3m

£5.2m

£75k

52

£1.3m

£5.2m

£75k

31

£1.3m

£3.6m

£75k

52

£1.3m

£5.2m

£20.5m

However, that's just his wages and Capology has also reported that the former Portuguese international earns another £1.3m a year in bonuses.

Therefore, if you exclude half of his bonus from last season for the time he spent at Craven Cottage and refrain from adding his final bonus for this year, Arsenal have spent around a whopping £17m on Cedric since he joined.

However, once his contract is completed, with his final bonus and 19 weeks of wages paid, he will have cost the Gunners around £20m, and while he has not been dreadful, it would be hard to argue that he's been anything like value for money either.

Now

By the end of his contract

£270k

£317k

£4144

£4875

£8.5m

£10m

£3.4m

£4m

£2.4m

£2.8m

In total, Soares has made just 63 appearances for Arsenal during his four years at the club, which equates to about £270k a game, and unless he plays again before his deal expires in the summer, he'll leave N5 having cost the club about £317k for each appearance, which, for a defender who "scared the life out of" club legend Tony Adams with his performance against Manchester United in 2022, is hardly a great deal.

Arsenal fumbled their own dream homegrown Rice partner for £0

The 21-year-old has been impressing on the continent in recent years.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 19, 2024

Ultimately, the "forgotten" full-back, as described by journalist Paul Brown, will not make it into the list of the ten worst signings in Arsenal history – he'd have to do something spectacular for that – but for the money the Gunners spent over the four years, it is hard to say he's been anything other than disappointing.

KL Rahul’s fourth ODI century goes in vain as New Zealand romp home by five wickets

The Report by Sidharth Monga11-Feb-2020
New Zealand consigned India to their first bilateral ODI whitewash in more than 22 years*, riding on the efforts of a second-string attack missing Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry. Hamish Bennett’s four-for and some tight bowling around him made sure India managed only 296 despite their biggest gain of the series: a middle-order core of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer.The New Zealand players pose with the trophy•Getty ImagesNew Zealand made the chase seem more difficult than it should have been after a 106-run opening stand between Henry Nicholls and Martin Guptill. Regular wickets, though, brought back memories of the T20I series debacle, but Tom Latham and a charmed Colin de Grandhomme saw them through from 220 for 5.India might have lost the ODI series, but in Rahul they have solidified a No. 5 to fill the hole left by Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni. Rahul had already shown he could hit hard, hit from ball one and hit for a long time, but on Tuesday, he rescued India from 62 for 3 to score his fourth ODI century. And he did so without eating up balls at the start of his 113-ball 112. Rahul stayed at the wicket for 34.3 overs during which time India scored 207 for 2. Around that stay, though, New Zealand – not great in the field, mind you – managed to cause enough damage to restrict India to 296 for 7 despite the score reading 269 for 4 in the 47th over.If the similarities were not enough already, Rahul joined Rahul Dravid as the only India wicketkeeper with an ODI century outside Asia. Both were naturalised wicketkeepers who batted below their preferred position to suit the team’s needs. Incidentally, the last time an India batsman scored a hundred from No. 5 or lower was when Dhoni and Yuvraj were batting together, in January 2017 against England. That Cuttack ODI was also the last time India had crossed 290 with the top three’s contribution being under 20%. Not just Rahul, Nos. 4 and 6 around him played their role: Iyer scored a near-run-a-ball 62, and Manish Pandey made sure the runs kept coming with his 42 off 48 from 162 for 4.The day, though belonged to the New Zealand bowlers. Kyle Jamieson continued his impressive beginning by bowling Mayank Agarwal early, beating the outside edge after having gone past the inside one in the previous game. Virat Kohli played an uncharacteristic innings, getting beaten by wide deliveries early before hitting out to only the seventh ball he faced. This was the earliest he had hit a six in India’s innings. Kohli’s innings didn’t continue for long, though, as he cut Bennett straight to third man. Prithvi Shaw, looking in great touch once again, gave it away by running himself out, bringing in Rahul to join Iyer.During their last partnership, in the first ODI of this series, Rahul had sort of carried Iyer, but here Iyer was in better touch. He still kept hitting the ball in the air but never fell too far behind the 100 strike rate. Rahul looked imperious from the time he walked in, square-driving the second ball he faced for four. New Zealand turned to de Grandhomme and James Neesham soon after the early exchanges just like they had done in the first ODI. Runs kept trickling with a Neesham short delivery stopped at Iyer, who could only pop up a catch to short midwicket. The two added 100 in 110 deliveries.Mitchell Santner missed a run-out of Rahul on 64, and Pandey on 35 but did a good job of keeping a lid on the scoring. From the 39th to the 46th over, India hit only one boundary. There was a slightly strange element of risk aversion for a side only four down.When Rahul took the risk in the 47th over, Jamieson dropped him at long-off. Bennett, though, got his due reward with a similar chance next ball, with Jamieson hanging on this time. Pandey chose the next ball to try to hit a six, and even he could go only as far as long-on. Bennett’s mix of wide lines, hard lengths and knuckle balls worked well and only 86 came in the last 12 overs.It took New Zealand a little over 12 overs at the start to score those 86. Guptill took apart Navdeep Saini and also took a ten-run over off Jasprit Bumrah, who went wicketless in the series. It was eventually the legspin of Yuzvednra Chahal that dragged India back into the contest. Guptill fell to a ripper, but Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor chipped up soft catches to give India a look-in. Nicholls, consistently impressive as a naturalised opener, failed to convert yet again and fell 20 short of a hundred. Neesham took a fair go at a half-volley from Chahal but found Kohli at midwicket. Against the run of play, it was 77 runs required with the last recognised pair in.With Latham rock solid at one end, de Grandhomme chanced his arm as soon as he came in. A mis-hit fell short of a deep fielder, two less-than-ideal hits just about cleared the fence, and New Zealand were off again. Latham remained unbeaten on a soothing 32 off 34.

Of all factors explaining the chasm between Manchester United and Liverpool right now, not one can compare with the differing approaches to appoint their latest managers. Liverpool were compelled to hire Arne Slot after consulting a highly sophisticated data model developed by a Harvard-educated physicist. United, meanwhile, recruited Ruben Amorim largely because of the vibes.

United love a good narrative, and the way that Amorim had revived Sporting CP's fortunes by delivering a first league title in 19 years was highly appealing to a club at a loss as to how to rise again after more than a decade of decline after Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. The club's main decision-makers, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Omar Berrada, wanted a young charismatic coach on the rise and in Amorim they saw shades of Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola. 

Every time Ratcliffe has discussed Amorim, he has lauded his personality, describing the Portuguese as "intelligent" and "thoughtful" while speaking fondly of their chats over coffee at the Carrington training ground, where the co-owner tells the coach "where it’s going wrong, and he tells me to f*ck off." 

What was lacking in United's thought process when they hired Amorim, however, was a thorough analysis of the most intriguing thing about him: his loyalty to the 3-4-3 system. Liverpool, by contrast, saw Amorim's formation fixation as a massive red flag and turned away from him and towards Slot.

Slot might be enduring his most difficult period as Liverpool boss as his side prepare to welcome their arch rivals to Anfield on Sunday after three successive defeats, but overall he has proved to be a brilliant hire. Quite unlike Amorim, who has created an even bigger mess than the one he inherited when he took charge of the Red Devils 11 months ago.

Getty Images SportContrasting processes & results

Amorim's favoured formation was questioned when he took the United job because United's squad had been built over the last few years with the idea of playing a back four. But according to Amorim, it was a short conversation. He explained in August: "They asked me before I arrived here: 'Can you play this system?' I said 'I will do my system no matter what'." And that, bizarrely, was enough to convince United he was the right man. They spoke to no other candidates before offering him the job.

Liverpool had previously considered Amorim as Jurgen Klopp's successor, but they saw the coach's tactics as a real obstacle to him succeeding at Anfield, where the squad had also been constructed with a view to playing four defenders. To Liverpool's lead data scientist Will Spearman and sporting director Richard Hughes, hiring Amorim would have represented a massive change from what the club had been working towards for almost a decade under Klopp. Thus, instead of ripping up their plans, they sought a smooth transition and their data model told them that Slot's Feyenoord were the team that bore the closest resemblance to Klopp's Liverpool.

Liverpool racing to the title in Slot's first season to equal United's record of 20 English league triumphes vindicated their decision to hire the Dutchman over Amorim. In his first campaign, the Portuguese oversaw United's worst league finish, goal count and points total in 51 years, and failed to qualify the team for Europe for the first time in 11 years. In the early weeks of his second season, Amorim has lost three of his opening seven league games while the team were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town in United's first-ever defeat to a team from England's fourth division. 

AdvertisementGettyChoosing charisma first

There was reported to be one dissenting voice among United's top brass around Amorim's appointment: the newly-hired sporting director Dan Ashworth. According to , the man who had been headhunted from Newcastle envisaged 'mass disruption' in appointing Amorim and instead petitioned for the club to move for Brentford's Thomas Frank. But among other members of the United hierarchy there was 'a desperation for charisma, and the strong belief was that Amorim could be a tactician to define the next generation'.

According to , Ashworth had also suggested the club copy Liverpool's analytical approach and sub-contract a data firm to compile the most suitable candidates to replace Erik ten Hag. Ratcliffe rejected that idea out of hand because he felt Ashworth should have already known who the best candidates were. He was also reluctant to spend more money at a time when he was slashing costs across the board.

Little more than one month after United appointed Amorim, they sacked Ashworth, paying a total of £4.1 million in hiring and firing fees for him to work for the club for just five months. Strangely, having rebuffed Ashworth's push to use a data-led approach to hiring the new manager, Ratcliffe later decried the state of club's data department, telling : "We must have the best recruitment in the world. Data analysis comes alongside recruitment. It doesn’t really exist here. We’re still in the last century on data analysis here. There’s an immense amount of useful data that we can get from data analysis and we’re in the 'very poor' bracket with data analysis here."

AFPGuided by the data

Liverpool have long prided themselves on being at the cutting edge when it comes to data. The Reds begun taking data seriously in 2012, when they hired Ian Graham as director of research, and he helped the club develop an in-house analytics department. It led to, among other things, the creation of the 'possession value' model, which calculates how much each player improves their team's chances of scoring with each touch. The model led to Liverpool signing Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah while walking away from potential deals for Julian Brandt and Mario Gotze, whom Klopp had initially favoured.

Data also led to Liverpool making their best-ever recruitment decision: hiring Klopp in 2015. The energetic German was one of the most admired coaches due to winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund and taking them to the Champions League final in 2013, but his last season with Dortmund damaged his reputation, as his team finished seventh while losing 14 of their 34 games. 

Graham and his team could see, however, that Dortmund had been unlucky in many games and had just failed to take their chances. Graham explained this to Klopp when he met him and the coach was impressed that he had watched so many Dortmund games. Graham responded that he had not watched any of the matches, but had merely looked at the data. 

GettyEnormous gap in goals

Liverpool's data-driven approach has not led to a perfect transfer policy, and while Salah and Mane proved to be incredible buys, there have been some big disappointments, namely £64m ($85m) striker Darwin Nunez. But the Uruguayan, who scored 40 times in three seasons with the Reds, is the exception that proves the rule over the last few years.

In the same era, United have an endless list of expensive attacking flops, from Antony to Jadon Sancho to Rasmus Hojlund. Liverpool's impressive list of forwards signed over the past decade, meanwhile puts United's inconsistent rabble of attackers to shame: Salah has scored 248 goals and provided 116 assists in 411 games; Mane contributed to 166 goals in 269 games; Roberto Firmino notched 187 combined goals and assists in eight seasons; the late Diogo Jota averaged a goal or an assist every two games; Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo played huge roles in last season's title win. 

Liverpool's top five scorers over the past decade (Salah, Mane, Firmino, Jota and Diaz) found the net a combined 434 times in the Premier League. United's most prolific players in the same period (Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku) netted a combined 268 goals, a deficit of 166.

It's been a rollercoaster of a season for Crystal Palace fans this year.

The Eagles have picked up some impressive results in the Premier League, such as their 2-2 draw away to Manchester City, but they've also looked abysmal at points, such as in their 4-1 defeat to bitter rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.

Unfortunately, there has been more of the latter than the former so far, which resulted in the sacking of Roy Hodgson and the hiring of the exciting Austrian coach, Oliver Glasner, earlier this month.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt boss has already seen his side pick up four points in two games, and while there's a lot of work to be done, one thing he should do is make sure the club don't offer another contract to one of their senior players in the summer, a player who somehow earns more than Marc Guehi.

Marc Guehi's time at Crystal Palace

Guehi has been out of action since the club's embarrassing defeat to Brighton earlier this month, and while there was hope he might be back in action soon, it was confirmed earlier today that he's going to miss at least another two months following knee surgery.

The nine-capped Englishman was signed for a fee of £18m from Chelsea in July 2021 after spending an impressive season and a half on loan with Swansea City in the Championship, and has since become an integral cog in the Eagles' machine.

In his first season in south London, he made 42 appearances for the club and chipped in at both ends of the pitch, scoring four goals and providing one assist alongside his impressive defensive displays.

He would make another 40 appearances the following season, and even with his current injury problems, he already has 26 this year.

Season

Appearances

Goals

Assists

2021/22

42

4

1

2022/23

40

1

0

2023/24

26

0

1

Total

108

5

2

Alongside his defensive abilities, the Abidjan-born monster has become one of Palace's most prominent leaders and was named captain for the first time in a game against Watford in February 2022, something he described as a "huge honour."

Since then, he has pulled on the armband many more times in the absence of Joel Ward, and he has rarely, if ever, looked out of place doing so.

With all that in mind, you might expect the "top-class" centre-back, as he was described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, to be one of the club's top earners. Yet, his £50k-per-week wage is not even in the top five, and he sits comfortably behind a senior player who is undoubtedly less crucial to the side.

Nathaniel Clyne's wage at Crystal Palace

Yes, the highly-rated and incredibly impressive Guehi earns significantly less – £30k-per-week, to be exact – than right-back Nathaniel Clyne at Selhurst Park.

Now, the first thing to say is that while there might still be some value in keeping the 32-year-old around in terms of experience and squad depth, his number of performances combined with his woeful output makes it a hard case to push.

Season

Appearances

Goals

Assists

2020/21

16

0

1

2021/22

22

0

1

2022/23

25

0

0

2023/24

14

0

0

Total

77

5

2

For example, in the four seasons he has spent at the club since his return in October 2020, the former Liverpool full-back has made just 77 appearances, scored five goals and provided two assists, which is a worse offensive output than Guehi, which just isn't good enough for a modern-day right-back.

Moreover, the "poor" defender, as described by journalist Josh Bunting, is currently earning £80k-per-week, equating to about £4.1m-per-year and making him the joint third-highest earner at the club.​​​​​​​

Player

Weekly Wage

Annual Wage

Michael Olise

£100kp/w

£5.20m

Dean Henderson

£100kp/w

£5.20m

Eberechi Eze

£100kp/w

£5.20m

Odsonne Edouard

£90kp/w

£4.68m

Nathaniel Clyne

£80kp/w

£4.16m

Joachim Andersen

£80kp/w

£4.16m

With the recent arrival of Daniel Munoz and the progressive mentality of Glasner, it seems impossible to justify the wages that Clyne is currently earning, and while he might be a great professional, the club cannot offer to renew his deal this summer.

A round-up of the Under-19 World Cup matches on January 27, 2020

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2020
ScorecardA century from Ravindu Rasantha and five wickets for Dilshan Madushanka were the highlights of Sri Lanka’s 223-run victory over Nigeria in Potchefstroom. After being put in to bat, Rasantha found himself in the middle as early as the fourth over and batted through the innings, completing his century in the 50th over and staying unbeaten on 102 off 111 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Sri Lanka racked up 306 for 7 thanks also to excellent supporting hands with opener Mohamed Shamaz scoring a half-century and the No. 6 Sonal Dinusha providing the finishing kick with 43 off only 36 balls.Nigeria got off to a terrible start, losing two wickets before they even had a run on the board. They had only one batsman reach double-digits, Abdulrahman Jimoh who made 15 off 20. Madushanka picked up the first three wickets to fall – dismissing two batsmen for ducks – and then came back to finish the innings off and complete his five-for. He bowled four opposition batsmen, had another lbw, and walked away with figures of 7.3-1-36-5.Dan Mousley showed off his range of shots•ICC via Getty
ScorecardScott Currie and Hamidullah Qadri produced match-defining spells of bowling, picking up six wickets between them to bowl Japan out for 93 in the Plate group Quarter-final match at the Under-19 World Cup. The two England bowlers conceded only 32 runs between them in 16.4 overs and were responsible for four of the five ducks in the Japan innings. Having been put in to bat, Japan would have hoped for many more considering they were 49 for 1 at one point. The chase proved quite straightforward with opener Dan Mousley hitting a half-century and finishing unbeaten on 57 off only 36 balls with seven fours and two sixes.

Blue cards and 10-minute sin bins could be making an introduction to the Premier League in the near future after they were successfully trialled at grassroots level. The measure is aimed at preventing referees from abuse as it will be used as a punishment for dissent but FA chief executive Mark Bullingham also claimed they're looking at extending the protocol to other areas, such as tactical fouls.

Most recently, the plans have led to public outcry, with FIFA even recently intervening to insist that its rolling-out at all levels is not as imminent as had been reported. However, it is set to be discussed at the next AGM with lawmakers IFAB next month.

Football FanCast has taken a look at ten of the most cynical tactical fouls that may have warranted a blue card. Without further ado, here is our list…

10 Antony hacks down Bissouma 19th August 2023, Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Manchester United

Antony was shown a yellow card by referee Michael Oliver earlier this season for his cynical foul on Yves Bissouma that stopped the midfielder from breaking. On second viewing, there were slight question marks that the Brazillian may have touched the ball but had he not, the proposed sin bin ruling could have been applied in this instance. Coincidently, Bruno Fernandes was also booked for dissent, so could Manchester United have been reduced to nine men, here? We'll let you decide…You can watch the incident here.

#

Player

Left

Date

Fee

1

Paul Pogba

Juventus

August 2016

£93.2m

2

Antony

Ajax

September 2022

£86m

3

Harry Maguire

Leicester City

August 2019

£80m

4

Jadon Sancho

Borussia Dortmund

July 2021

£73m

5

Romelu Lukaku

Everton

July 2017

£75m

9 Lockyer trips Eze 25th November 2023, Luton Town 2-1 Crystal Palace

Luton Town's Tom Lockyer may well have been on the receiving end of a blue card earlier this season for his trip on the speedy Eberechi Eze, who was bearing down on goal. The Wales international was subsequently booked but could have faced a 10-minute absence from the action, leaving the hosts with 10 men. The foul was committed just before half-time, so the Hatters would've had to begin the second interval with a significant disadvantage. Could Palace have capitalised?

It's certainly going to be fascinating to see how detrimental these sin bins may be, should the rule materialise of course. Rob Edwards' side ultimately came away 2-1 victors and now reside four points clear of the drop zone whilst Palace languish in 13th, having won one of their last six games. You can watch the incident here.

8 Emerson brings down Semenyo 12th August 2023, Bournemouth 1-1 West Ham United

Antoine Semenyo pounced on Jarrod Bowen's lose pass and was beginning to surge forward before being hauled down by West Ham United left-back Emerson. The former Chelsea defender cynically tripped Semenyo inside his own half and was rightly shown a yellow card, though, a 10-minute absence from the field would've likely been his punishment had it happened under the new potential rulings. Emerson, who committed the foul with three minutes of normal time remaining, would've endured a nervy 10 minutes in the dugout, with his side likely backed up against the wall and clawing onto the 1-1 scoreline. You can watch the incident here.

7 Xhaka swipes at Barrow 15th October 2016, Arsenal 3-2 Swansea City

Arsenal's Granit Xhaka was sent off for his petulant trip on Modou Barrow, who was racing away from the Switzerland international. But would the new ruling have seen a sin-bin awarded rather than a red card? Either way, referee Jon Moss, in this case, gave the midfielder his marching orders. There is certainly an argument for it to have only been a yellow, so perhaps a blue would've been the ideal punishment.

Appearances

297

Goals

23

Assists

29

Yellow cards

76

Red cards

5

6 Jones lunges at McMahon 14th May 1988, Liverpool 0-1 Wimbledon

Wimbledon produced one of the greatest FA Cup shocks ever when they defeated the recently crowned top-flight champions Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.

The top 10 FA Cup finals of all time – ranked

Some finals fail to live up to the billing, but sometimes the magic of the FA Cup shines through.

1 ByAlex Caple May 25, 2024

We'll be focusing on Vinnie Jones' lunging challenge on Steve McMahon, though, as it would've certainly resulted in a sin bin at the very least. In fact, a tackle like that nowadays could've seen Jones shown a straight red card due to the forceful and reckless nature of it, but thankfully for the Dons, the physical defender was only booked.

5 Belletti lashes out at Ronaldo 11th January 2009, Manchester United 3-0 Chelsea

Juliano Belletti completely lashed out at Manchester United's fleet-footed winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who skipped past the Brazillian fullback, riding a kick on the way, before being forcefully hauled down by a high challenge. Having done Belletti for trickery, Ronaldo was making a surge for the penalty area for what could've resulted in a third goal for the hosts. Coincidentally, the resulting free-kick ended up in the back of the net anyhow, with Dimitar Berbatov volleying home Ronaldo's well-struck cross.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Premier League

33

18

7

Champions League

12

4

3

EFL Cup

4

2

0

Club World Cup

2

1

1

FA Cup

2

1

1

4 Chiellini hauls down Saka 11th July 2021, Italy 1-1 England

England met Italy in the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium, with the tournament hosts hoping to end their 55-year trophy drought. Having led for much of the game following Luke Shaw's well-struck opener inside the first two minutes, Leonardo Bonucci tapped home the leveller in the second half.

A moment of madness ensued not long after when veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini dragged down Bukayo Saka by the neck of his shirt but the referee only produced a booking. The foul warranted a much harsher punishment, which is where the proposed blue card would've really provided justice in this scenario. Chiellini certainly got away with one, as the jet-heeled Saka was set to blitz down the line to provide a real threat with the score level.

Ultimately, the final ended in heartbreak for the Three Lions as they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Gli Azzurri on penalties.

3 Ramos stops Atleti's break 28th May 2016, Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid lined up against their city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final, two years on from the 2014 finale which saw Los Blancos defeat Diego Simeone's men in extra-time. And the same outcome unfolded once again this time, as Madrid won 5-3 on penalties to become champions of Europe for the 11th time in their history.

Perhaps one of the most important moments of the fiery encounter was when Sergio Ramos put a halt to a dangerous stoppage time Atleti counterattack, bringing down the speedy Yannick Carrasco. Ramos was shown a yellow card by referee Mark Clattenburg and the tie ultimately went to extra-time. The Spaniard likely would've thought twice if the sin bin ruling was in place…

#

Team

Titles

1

Real Madrid

14

2

AC Milan

7

3

Liverpool

6

4

Bayern Munich

6

5

Barcelona

5

2 Ter Stegen throws second ball on pitch 27th November 2016, Real Sociedad 1-1 Real Madrid

Barcelona shot-stopper Marc-André ter Stegen was shown a yellow card for throwing a second ball onto the field of play, thus halting Real Sociedad's impending corner kick. A 10-minute sin bin could've been issued in this instance and a backup goalkeeper would've surely had to enter the fray, replacing an outfield player. Had that scenario loomed, it's unlikely that the German would've committed the offence and the visitors may have capitalised on a legitimate error.

1 Ramos drags down Salah 28th May 2018, Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool

Real Madrid triumphed over Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool in the Champions League final, with former Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale stealing most of the headlines. The Welshman netted a brace and his first effort was quite possibly the greatest goal of all time, producing a spectacular bicycle kick that soared past the helpless Loris Karius in the net.

The Reds were dealt a major blow when their talisman Mohamed Salah came off in the 30th minute with a shoulder injury after Ramos hauled him down by his arm before landing on it awkwardly. There will be debate whether it was a tactical foul, but some cynics believe it was a deliberate attempt to injure Liverpool's biggest threat.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Premier League

36

32

11

Champions League

13

10

5

Champions League qualifying

2

1

0

FA Cup

1

1

0

Cardiff City legend Sol Bamba has been honoured with a new mural in Grangetown, unveiled less than a year after his tragic death at the age of 39. His widow, Chloe, delivered a heartfelt tribute at the ceremony, admitting she will “never be OK” with how her husband was taken but expressing gratitude for the love and support shown by the community.

Bamba's tragic battle with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Bamba, who played a key role at Cardiff City and later returned as assistant coach, passed away in August 2024 after a long battle with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The defender had been declared cancer-free in 2021, but the illness cruelly returned and claimed his life just a month after he was appointed Adanaspor head coach. On Wednesday, a three-storey mural of Bamba was unveiled in Grangetown, ensuring his legacy lives on.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportChloe Bamba's emotional speech at the mural unveiling

Speaking at the unveiling, Chloe said, "If you were ever lucky enough to meet Sol, you'd agree that he was larger than life. So to see him memorialised on a three-storey building is just perfect – absolutely perfect!"

Her voice then faltered as she added, "I will never be OK with the way that we lost Sol, ever. But what I love is that we can come together and celebrate him, and we have honoured him."

Reflecting on his battle with illness, she continued: "The illness — the fact he had to fight so hard for the last few years of his life — he didn't deserve it. No one going through that deserved it. It felt incredibly unfair, because he had so much more to do and achieve in his life, and I know that he would have."

Bamba leaves behind his legacy with his three children

Bamba’s death sent shockwaves through Cardiff and the wider football community, robbing the game of a player and coach admired for his charisma, resilience and strength. His wife Chloe and their three children continue to speak openly about his memory, making sure his presence remains alive in their daily lives. Chloe added, "They [the children] are doing so well. His daughters have his strength. We spend a lot of time talking about him. He is not a taboo subject at all. We talk about him all the time, and we do things he would have loved, we play Uno together and share stories. We remember the joy."

She went on: "Every day, I miss him. I have my moments, but I focus on him and his character. One word that would sum Sol up would be strength, so I try to weave that into my daily life. To see the community come together and do something like this to commemorate him means the world to me."

Getty Images SportChloe says she will always support Cardiff City

Cardiff City and their fans will continue to celebrate Sol Bamba’s life, keeping his legacy alive both on and off the pitch. Chloe has vowed to carry on supporting the Bluebirds, honouring the club that gave her husband so much joy. For the Bamba family and community, the focus will remain on remembering the joy and strength that Sol embodied every day.

The January transfer window is due to slam shut on Thursday night and Leeds United are yet to make an addition to Daniel Farke's playing squad.

They are vying to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League and may be looking at possible signings to bolster their chances of doing so.

However, they should also be open to long-term projects and one move that could bring future benefits is the signing of Liverpool forward Mateusz Musialowski.

Football Insider reported earlier this month that Leeds have registered an interest in the Polish youngster, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

Farke could unearth his next Todd Cantwell over the years to come if the Whites secure a late swoop to sign the talented gem before the deadline.

Todd Cantwell's Championship form for Farke

The versatile attacker, who played in midfield or out wide, made his first-team breakthrough at Norwich City under the German head coach – as the likes of Ben Godfrey, Jamal Lewis, and Max Aarons did – and thrived.

Cantwell started 18 matches in the Championship during the 2018/19 campaign – his first season as a regular for the Canaries – as the Norfolk-based side romped their way to the league title.

He contributed with one goal, two assists, and six 'big chances' created for his side before enjoying a fantastic season in the top-flight with six goals in 30 Premier League starts.

Norwich were relegated at the end of the 2019/20 campaign and Cantwell – under Farke's management – excelled in the second tier with six goals, six assists, and seven 'big chances' created in 30 Championship starts as the Yellows won another league title.

Why Musialowski could be Cantwell 2.0 for Farke

The Leeds head coach could work his magic once again by helping Musialowski to make a breakthrough in first-team football, as he did with Cantwell – who was also a goalscoring attacking midfielder and winger.

He is yet to make a senior club appearance in his career but his form for Liverpool at youth level suggests that the potential is there for Farke to unearth another gem.

Appearances

Four

Sofascore rating

7.15

Goals

Three

Assists

One

Key passes per game

1.5

As you can see in the table above, the 20-year-old gem has played against senior teams in the EFL Trophy – against Blackpool, Morecambe, Barrow, and Bradford – and caught the eye at the top end of the pitch.

He has also produced three goals and one assist in seven Premier League 2 outings for Liverpool's U23s this season, which means that the Leeds target has racked up six goals and two assists in 11 appearances in all competitions.

The 5 foot 8 whiz, who was hailed as "very special" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, made the step up to the U23s after an incredible return of 18 goals and four assists in 31 U18 games for the top-flight giants.

Musialowski is a goalscoring midfielder, who can play centrally or out wide, like Cantwell, and could develop into a lethal option for Leeds if Farke is given the time to work with him over the coming months and years, which is why he could be an excellent long-term signing for the club.

Son Heung-Min shared his experience participating in LAFC's player-run fantasy football league despite his complete unfamiliarity with American football. The South Korean superstar admitted virtually no understanding of the sport or its fantasy counterpart.

Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

The South Korean forward, who joined the club in early August, explained how his American teammates insisted he join their league. Despite his confusion, Son's teammates have embraced his participation, with several players reportedly offering contradictory advice to further complicate his fantasy decision-making process.

“That’s a great question,” Son told . “I’m in the fantasy league, so we’re competing, but still, I have no idea what’s going on. But I’m still fond of it, I think it’s great to have a social life with the teammates, it’s a great idea to and they invite me, and obviously I’ve enjoyed every single moment talking with the players.

“And obviously, Aaron [Long] and Ryan [Hollingshead] are sending us some bad trades, they tried something bad on me, but I was strong, I stuck with my team.”

AdvertisementOn his first pitch at a Dodgers game

The former Tottenham superstar was also asked whether he was more nervous for his MLS debut with LAFC or throwing out the first pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I think it’s an easy answer, the Dodgers," Son explained. "The first pitch was, oh my god. I was so nervous that I think it’s one of the most I’ve been. I was so nervous, but yeah, I mean here now to play soccer, I mean football, so now I can concentrate.”

The race for the playoffs

currently sit in fifth place on the Western Conference table after 27 league games following their 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. They sit 12 points behind conference leaders San Diego FC but are only five points behind third-place Vancouver Whitecaps.

Getty Images SportA tough road ahead

Following their win over the San Jose Earthquakes, LAFC face back-to-back games against Real Salt Lake on Sept. 21 and Sept. 27, which is followed by a home game against Atlanta United on Oct. 5.