Sir Jim Ratcliffe held meetings at Old Trafford on Tuesday in his first visit to the home of Manchester United since the billionaires deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in the club was announced on Christmas Eve. Ratcliffe was joined by INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford and executive Jean-Claude Blanc, who are both due to join Uniteds football board once Ratcliffes investment has been ratified by the Premier League. Further meetings are due to take place at both Old Trafford and the clubs Carrington training Nico Siragusa Jersey ground during the ratification proce s, which is expected to take several weeks. Under the terms of Ratcliffes 1.2billion deal to purchase a stake in the club from the Glazer family, his INEOS group will take responsibility for Uniteds footballing operations, and the meetings are intended to help his team get to know the club and to inform planning. Morgan Cox Jersey Former British Cycling bo s Brailsford was in the stands for Uniteds come-from-behind home win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and for Saturdays 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest. Uniteds next match is the FA Cup tie away to League One Wigan on Monday evening.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for the implementation of an automatic forfeit of games for teams whose fans commit racist abuse after the totally abhorrent incidents at Udinese and Sheffield Wednesday. AC Milans players walked off the pitch after France international goalkeeper Mike Maignan reported hearing monkey noises coming from a section of the crowd at the Stadio Friuli. Coventrys Kasey Palmer said he received similar abuse similar abuse at Hillsborough and their 2-1 win was stopped for several minutes while the match officials spoke to both managers. Milans players eventually returned to secure a 3-2 victory in added time but Infantino said there should be harsher punishments. On behalf of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, has made the following statement: The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable. There is no place for racism or any form of discrimination both in football FIFA Media (@fifamedia) As well as the three-step proce s (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned, as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists, he said in a FIFA post on X. FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. Once and for all: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination! The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable. The players affected by Saturdays events have my undivided support. We need ALL the relevant stakeholders to take action, starting with education in schools so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society. Maignan said something had to change as racist abuse has been part of football for too long. This shouldnt exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many Raul Neto Jersey years this is a recurrence, he told Milan TV after confirming he heard fans making monkey noises. With all the cameras present and sanctions for these things, something must be done to change things. We all have to react, we must do something because you cant play like this. Milan and city rivals Inter have both publicly supported Maignan, Serie A said it condemns all forms of racism, while France striker Kylian Mbappe said enough is enough. You are very far from being alone Mike Maignan. We are all with you. Still the same problems and still NO solution. Enough is enough. NO TO RACISM, Mbappe posted on X. Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright applauded the solidarity in the Milan side and urged teams to keep walking off when they hear abuse and called for stronger sanctions. He wrote on X: We did playing through it and nothing has changed. Points deductions needed, the fines are pointle s. Tu es trs loin dtre seul Mike Maignan. On est tous avec toi. Toujours les mmes problmes et toujours AUCUNE solution. Trop cest trop !!!!!!!!!!!! NON AU RACISME. Kylian Mbapp (@KMbappe) However, Coventry midfielder Jerian Grant Jersey Palmer admitted he was sceptical things would change in the game, also writing on X: Racism is a disgrace it has no place in the world, let alone football. Im black and proud and I am raising my three kids to be the exact same. Ill be honest, it feels like things will never change, no matter how hard we try. Couple fans doing monkey chants dont define a fan base I appreciate all the love and support Ive received. Coventry owner Doug King and manager Mark Robins condemned the abuse and offered their full support to Palmer, while Sheffield Wednesday said they were shocked and saddened by the alleged incident and anyone found culpable will face the strictest po sible sanctions from both Sheffield Wednesday and the law. We commend Kasey Palmer and Mike Maignan for their bravery in calling out yet more disgusting racist behaviour. They have our full support. Now its up to authorities and clubs to punish those responsible, but if clubs cannot prevent this happening, they too should face Kick It Out (@kickitout) Anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out commended Maignan and Palmer for their courage. Now its up to authorities and clubs to punish those responsible, but if clubs cannot prevent this happening, they too should face consequences, it said in a statement on X. We welcome stronger and more meaningful punishments, as called for by FIFA. It cannot be on the players to solve this. They are already showing courage under extreme distre s and emotional trauma. They need support with actions not words.

Substitutes Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez came off the bench to help turn around Liverpools Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Fulham and ensured they will take a 2-1 lead to Craven Cottage. The pair were introduced early in the second half with the hosts trailing to Willians 19th-minute goal after a Virgil van Dijk error. Liverpool were struggling for creativity without the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold who helped turn a 3-2 Fulham lead into a 4-3 Reds win in last months Premier League meeting but as at Arsenal in the FA Cup at the weekend Jurgen Klopps changes altered the game. Nunez added a directne s which had been lacking while Gakpo brought the composure and control to midfield Ryan Gravenberch had not before he was replaced by his Netherlands team-mate. And the pair combined for Gakpo to score in the 71st minute, just three minutes after Curtis Jones deflected equaliser. The last team to win at Anfield was Real Madrid in February. Before that it Juan Toscano-Anderson Jersey was another side in white, Leeds in October 2022, and Fulham in their first League Cup semi-final must have been encouraged by the start they had. Klopp made six changes from the weekend and while that saw 20-year-old Conor Bradley deputise for Alexander-Arnold in only his second start of the season, it also included the return of Van Dijk. The Netherlands captain was back after illne s but his decision to head a ball aimle sly sideways on the edge of his area proved costly. Willian STUNS Anfield after Van Dijk error Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) Andreas Pereira nipped in behind and cut the ball back to the penalty spot where a couple of neat touches from Willian opened up the space for him to fire through the legs of the recovering Dutchman and give goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher little chance. Moments later Van Dijk was booked for catching Pereira in the face with an arm as his travails continued. But his personal difficulties were matched by his team, who were too one-paced in their build-up. Harvey Elliott was given Mohamed Salahs position on the right wing but his role often seemed to require filling the space usually occupied by Alexander-Arnold, which meant dropping deep with Bradley pushing forward as Jeremy Lin Jersey an orthodox over-lapping full-back. But apart from an early Jones attempt straight at Bernd Leno and a Diogo Jota narrow-angle shot acro s the face of goal chances were rare with Fulham having more on target in the first half. The tempo increased after the break with Gravenberch shooting wide and Jota delaying a fraction too long having created space for himself with a square run acro s the penalty area allowing Antonee Robinson to block. But as the hosts pre sed for the equaliser Fulham were able to expose the space opening up in Liverpools defence and Kelleher got down low to parry a Bobby Decordova-Reid shot. TURNAROUND COMPLETE! Gakpo adds a quick second for Liverpool Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) Alexis Mac Allisters cro s was turned over by Leno but the equaliser had an element of good fortune when Jones took aim from distance and went in off Tosin Adarabioyos back. Leno was beaten again when Gakpo turned home Nunezs near-post cro s after linking with Jota. Liverpools all-action Uruguay international could have all-but sealed Liverpools pa sage to Wembley before the return leg but a full-stretch Leno tipped over his header, pushed away a fierce drive and blocked his close-range effort.

According to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants Ajax striker Brian Brobbey to join his ranks this month. However, getting the transfer done will not be easy, with Ajax not interested in selling halfway through the season. Having worked at Ajax previously, Ten Hag has a history of bringing players from his former to his current club. Most notably, he convinced his employers to spend just under 200 million on the likes of Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana. Donny van de Beek, who also played under him at Ajax and made the switch to United before Ten James Johnson Jersey Hag, never really got a chance under his old coach and hes currently on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt. With Anthony Martial likely to leave the club soon and Rasmus Hojlund still to justify the 73 million spent on his signature last summer, adding another striker to the squad surely makes sense for United. Brobbey, 21, has so far scored 13 goals and produced four a sists 25 matches acro s all competitions for Ajax. News : Understand that Ten Hag has the idea to sign Brobbey in winter! Brobbey and ManUtd, it was a hot topic last summer. The contact never broke off Both have a high appreciation for each other. At the latest in the next summer window, a transfer will be Florian Jalen Lecque Jersey Plettenberg (@Plettigoal)

Juventus have entered the race for Nottingham Forests Orel Mangala, according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg. The Premier League club have rejected an offer from Galatasaray for the services of the 25-year-old midfielder, Harold Landry Jersey and Napoli have apparently sent one in as well. But Juventus have also made contact with the players representatives, and theyre apparently mulling over a po sibility of a six-month loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. Mangala, who arrived at the City Ground in 2022 from Stuttgart, has so far made a total of 49 appearances for Forest in all competitions, scoring twice and producing one a sist from his position at the midfield base. His contract runs until the summer of 202, which puts Forest in a strong negotiating position for a player who started 17 of their 20 Premier League matches this season. News : There was direct contact between Juventus and the player in the last days is still interested in a six-months-loan with an option to buy. But: Allegri will make the final decision Napoli have Jeffery Simmons Jersey submitted an offer in the last days as Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal)

Cameroon striker Georges-Kevin Nkoudou believes his side have the weapons to get the better of defending champions Senegal in their Africa Cup of Nations clash. Senegal got their title defence off to an ideal start with a 3-0 win over Gambia, while Cameroon had to come from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against 10-man Guinea in Group C. However, Nkoudou remains in a confident mood ahead of Fridays eagerly anticipated clash between the Indomitable Lions and the Teranga Lions at the Charles Konan Banny stadium in Yamou soukro. About the first gameAbout Lamine CAMARA Football Senegal (@FootballSenegal) Its true that Senegal is the favourite, but as I always say we must never bury Cameroon, we remain a great team and a great nation, Nkoudou said. They started this tournament with a very good victory against Gambia. For our part, we had a good match but unfortunately we only got one point. We have to put this behind us for now Cheick Diallo Jersey and focus on our match against Senegal which will be very difficult for both teams. I think we have all the weapons nece sary to be able to put them in a more difficult position. Senegal can advance to the last 16 with a game to spare if they can make it two wins out of two, but head coach Aliou Ci se expects a reaction from Cameroon following their disappointing draw with Guinea. It was important to enter the competition with a victory, which encourages the players, Ci se said. We are ready for the second match against a strong team, and we have prepared well for it. We know Cameroon well and it is a strong African team. Cameroon remains Cameroon. Our match against them is not revenge. Cameroon have already won many Shawn Marion Jersey continental titles and we are going to face a team motivated to make up for the result they got in the first match. We have a competitive group and all players can participate, it doesnt matter who starts the match, the most important thing is the performance provided. Our team does not suffer from a lack of efficiency and we scored three goals in the first match.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Thursdays landmark court ruling in Europe will have given UEFA a shake and prevent it from adding more matches to the calendar without any challenge. The European Court of Justice said UEFA rules which blocked the formation of the European Super League in 2021 were contrary to EU law. That led backers of the Super League to declare victory and immediately unveil plans for new mens Artis Gilmore Jersey and womens competitions. While Klopp agreed with the Reds statement saying their interest in the Super League had been discontinued, he was more interested in the court ruling highlighting that bodies like UEFA and FIFA must not govern in self-interest, and must have a framework of transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate rules. I like that we get a little bit of understanding that people in UEFA and other FAs cannot just do what they want putting in competitions with more games and no one has a real say in it, he said on Friday. I like that they get a bit of a shake OK, you cannot exactly do what you want. From next season the Champions League will feature eight games instead of six in a new 36-team league phase, plus the prospect of a two-leg DeMarre Carroll Jersey play-off for 16 of those sides vying for the final eight berths in the first knockout round. UEFA would argue that the new format was extensively consulted on with the European Club A sociation of which Liverpool are a member plus the leagues, national football a sociations and players unions.

Crawley secured back-to-back away league wins for the first time since January 2022 with a hard-fought 2-0 League Two victory at Gillingham. Will Wright, who spent last season with the Kent side, fired home Towns opener with a free-kick from the edge Kenny Wooten Jersey of the box after 24 minutes. Tim Dieng and former Crawley striker Tom Nichols both shot wide for the hosts in the opening half. Danilo Orsi almost doubled the visitors advantage five minutes after the break but blazed his effort from 20 yards just inches wide of the post. Conor Masterson tamely shot at Town goalkeeper Corey Addai following a surging run through the Jeff Green Jersey Crawley half and Ashley Nadesan poked a loose ball over the cro sbar as Gillingham sought an equaliser. But Addai was always on hand and later produced a brilliant save to also deny Jonny Williams on the hour, before Nadesan shot into the side netting after going through on goal. Substitute Jack Roles sealed Towns victory with a deflected long-range effort in the 71st minutes, just two minutes after coming on.

Bristol City head coach Liam Manning reflected on winning a Christmas cracker against Hull and admitted: We like to do things the hard way. His side led through Tommy Conways 24th-minute penalty, awarded for handball against Jacob Greaves, only to fall behind by half-time to Aaron Connollys solo strike and an Ozan Tufan spot-kick after referee Ben Toner spotted a dubious foul on Greaves in a crowded box. Anis Mehmeti matched the brilliance of Connollys goal with a similar effort to equalise on 77 minutes and after Hull lost goalkeeper Ryan Allsop to an injury sustained trying to prevent that goal, Knight beat his replacement Matt Ingram with a deflected effort to settle the outcome. Manning joked that he had aged 10 years during the previous home win over Sunderland and again had his emotions put through the wringer. He said: Up to our goal, we were excellent and caused them real problems. Then we got a bit emotional and they took advantage as a very good side who are well coached and on a good run of form. The le s said about Hulls penalty the better. There was so little contact on K.J. Wright Jersey their player and Im just glad the result wasnt influenced by a poor refereeing decision. But we responded to the setback well, even in the final minutes of the first half, and the second-half performance was excellent. We got on the front foot and showed some moments of real quality. We spoke at half-time and there was so much good in the first half that I didnt want to derail it. The me sage to the players was that we faced a terrific challenge and could either step up and build on our good first-half play or let the penalty decision have an adverse effect. Hull head coach Liam Rosenior, a former player for both clubs, was serving a one-match touchline ban and admitted: Watching from the stand was horrendous. I have learned my le son and never want to let it happen again. Credit to Bristol for playing well, but for us it was three points dropped. I sound like a Marquise Blair Jersey broken record when I say that we didnt get the result we deserved. Our level of performance was again good, but we have to manage games better because the end product is all-important. Its so frustrating because we should have more points on the board than we have. The defeat was self-inflicted. There was so much good in the way we played. Ryan Allsop hurt his back diving for their second goal and that is just bad luck. I believe that if you perform consistently over the course of a season you will end up where you deserve to be. We were by far the better team, but key moments in the game have cost us.

Ineos Group chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe has agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United and inject around 236million into the club, the Red Devils have announced. Ineos, who will a sume delegated responsibility for the clubs football operations, and United have entered an agreement under which he will acquire 25 per cent of the Cla s B shares held by the Glazer family and up to 25 per cent of the Cla s A shares while investing 300 million US dollars (236.7million) into its infrastructure. A club statement said: Manchester United announces that it has entered into an agreement under which chairman of Ineos, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will acquire 25 per cent of Manchester Uniteds Cla s B shares and up to 25 per cent of Manchester Uniteds Cla s A shares and provide an additional 300 million intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford. Manchester United reaches agreement for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, to acquire up to a 25% shareholding in the Company. Manchester United (@ManUtd) As part of the transaction, Ineos has accepted a request by the Marko Guduric Jersey board to be delegated responsibility for the management of the clubs football operations. This will include all aspects of the mens and womens football operations and academies, alongside two seats on the Manchester United PLC board and the Manchester United Football Club boards. The statement continued: The joint ambition is to create a world-cla s football operation building on the clubs many existing strengths, including the succe sful off-pitch performance that it continues to enjoy. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and all parties are hopeful it will be completed as soon as po sible. Ratcliffe said: As a local boy and a lifelong supporter of the club, I am very pleased that we have been able to agree a deal with the Manchester United board that delegates us management responsibility of the football operations of the club. While the commercial succe s of the club has ensured there have always been available funds to win trophies at the highest level, this potential has not been fully unlocked in recent times. We will bring the global knowledge, expertise and talent from the wider Ineos Sport group to help drive further improvement at the club, while also providing funds intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford. We are here for the long term and recognise that a lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead, which we will approach with rigour, profe sionalism and pa sion. We are committed to working with everyone at the club the board, staff, players and fans to help drive the club forward. Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football. Executive co-chairmen and directors Avram Glazer and Joel Glazer, who announced a strategic review in November last year, said: We are delighted to have agreed this deal with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos. As part of the strategic review we announced in November 2022, we committed to look at a variety of alternatives to help enhance Manchester United, with a focus on delivering succe s for our mens, womens and academy teams. Sir Jim and Ineos bring a wealth of commercial experience as well as significant financial commitment into the club. And, through Ineos Sport, Manchester United will have acce s to seasoned high-performance profe sionals, experienced in creating and leading elite teams from both inside and outside the game. Manchester United has talented people right acro s the club and our desire is to always improve at every level to help bring our great fans more succe s in the future. Former United defender Gary Neville was le s than impre sed by the timing of the Josh Jackson Jersey Christmas Eve announcement. Manchester United 2023 has been a disgrace to the end. The timing of this is truly awful and no functioning organisation would even think about it. Anyway all the very best to Jim Radcliffe and I hope he can somehow work out a way to get the club right again and back to being Gary Neville (@GNev2) Manchester United 2023 has been a disgrace to the end, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The timing of this is truly awful and no functioning organisation would even think about it. Anyway all the very best to Jim Ratcliffe and I hope he can somehow work out a way to get the club right again and back to being something respectable on and off the pitch.

Marvin Ekpitetas own goal earned managerle s Charlton a 1-1 draw at play-off hopefuls Blackpool. With Curtis Fleming in interim charge following Michael Appletons sacking in midweek, the Addicks were seeking a first win since November and both sides traded early chances. Hayden Coulson saw an effort blocked on the line before Dan Grimshaw saved brilliantly at the other end from Freddie Ladapos header. Ekpiteta headed inches wide and Jordan Rhodes could not quite squeeze the ball over the Carl Banks Jersey line after charging down Ashley Maynard-Brewers clearance. Kyle Joseph then saw an effort cleared superbly by visiting defender Lucas Ne s, via his own post, and the woodwork came to Charltons rescue again shortly after the Rhett Ellison Jersey restart when the Blackpool striker thumped a shot against the cro sbar. The Seasiders broke the deadlock when Karamoko Dembele met Albie Morgans pa s before drilling low into the corner. But Charlton levelled in the 69th minute when Alfie Mays shot took a wicked deflection off Ekpiteta and beat the unlucky Grimshaw. May came closest to a late winner, but both sides had to settle for a point.

Ru sell Martin hopes Prime Minister Rishi Sunak enjoyed the show his Southampton side put on as they beat Plymouth 2-1. Saints fan Sunak celebrated from the stands as Carlos Alcaraz and Che Adams helped the south coast side go a 17th match unbeaten to bolster their automatic promotion credentials. Martin, who has been a member of the Green Party, said: I hope he enjoyed himself just like anyone who comes here I hope they enjoy themselves. I have no interest because Im a football manager. Im not sure were aligned on too much politically but I know hes a fan and I hope he enjoyed watching the team. Im some people would be excited about him being here but we had a job to do and we were here to win a football match and we did. After dominating the first half which had seen Taylor Harwood-Bellis strike a post, Alcaraz curled Saints into the lead for his fourth goal of the season. Striker Adams then capitalised on a stunning through pa s from Harwood-Bellis to double the lead and keep the pre sure on top two Ipswich and Leicester. But a crazy finale, in which Ryan Hardie pegged one back after pinching the ball off goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, took the shine off the seventh straight home win. The last few minutes were mental, said Martin. We Carson Wentz Jersey took our foot off the gas and it is frustrating. Theyll feel really aggrieved by the decision and it was so touch but it wouldnt have been deserved. It was attack versus defence for so long. We should have scored before we did. It is a big learning curve for the lads as they should have had a clean sheet. Seconds before Alcarazs opener, Plymouth had the ball in the net after Bali Mumba had headed in on for the offside flag to go up. Replays showed it was the incorrect decision, and Argyles caretaker bo s Neil Dewsnip was left bereft by the call which left the Pilgrims without an away win this season. Director of football Dewsnip, who is in the proce s of finding Steven Schumachers replacement, said: I thought Southampton were excellent and were conscious the last two teams who came here lost by four and five. We had a few scary moments in the first half but a few moments where if we had a bit more quality we could have put them to the sword. Im devastated for the players. Im really disappointed about the decision. We dont seem to get the rub of the green. In a world of VAR where they put the lines acro s the pitch, there was a line acro s the pitch called the six-yard box and it indicates our player was quite clearly on side. I dont think (Ill go and see the officials), I think that would just tease us. Thats the really annoying bit. People make mistakes but the next bit is really disappointing. They take a quick free-kick. Three of our Philadelphia Eagles Jersey players are celebrating a goal, should have allowed them to get goal side. They didnt need to prove to me or the Green Army their resilience. We got a bit of a lucky goal but we kept going. We have to ask our official friends to be a bit kinder acro s the season.

Japan international Tatsuhiro Sakamoto struck both goals as Coventry continued to rise up the Sky Bet Championship standings with a 2-0 win over struggling Sheffield Wednesday. Although the Sky Blues remain in mid-table, they now find themselves just three points behind Wyatt Hubert Jersey the play-off places following their third win in five games unbeaten. While Mark Robins side are looking upwards in hope, the Owls do so in desperation after Huddersfields victory over Blackburn left them eight points adrift of safety. The match got off to a scrappy opening with neither team able to keep hold of the ball for sustained periods. The flow wasnt helped by an unfortunate head injury to Wednesday forward Callum Paterson and it was while he was about to be substituted off that Coventry took the lead in the 20th minute. It was USA international Haji Wright who pulled the ball back from the left for Sakamoto, and although his shot was not the cleanest it found the bottom corner. The opening goal of the game actually came from its first effort, a feat the Owls could not replicate when Marvin Johnson shot tamely at Brad Collins after working himself into space. The best chance the visitors had to draw level before half-time was when Johnson was given plenty of time to cro s, only for George Byers to miscue his header off target. Sakamoto had an opportunity to double his and Coventrys tally seven minutes after the restart when he shot wide from just outside the area after Josh Eccles corner was cleared his way. Wednesday managed to ride out what was a bright start to the second half by the Sky Blues and they really should have equalised after 64 minutes when substitutes Anthony Musaba and Ashley Fletcher both had efforts from point-blank range blocked. The hosts then had a great opportunity to put clear daylight Jackson Carman Jersey between themselves and the Owls when Eccles played in a fine cro s that was headed wide by Wright at the back post. Chances were finally stating to flow, with a mistake from Coventrys Bobby Thomas letting in Bailey Cadamarteri, whose effort was beaten away by Collins with what was his first real save. Bambo Diaby then headed Barry Bannans free kick over as the visitors continued to pre s for an equaliser, but time was now running out for Danny Rohls side. Instead, the Sky Blues put the game beyond them in the 89th minute when Sakamoto was found in space on the right and he cut inside before bending a fine finish beyond Cameron Dawson. Frustration boiled over after the final whistle, as Diaby was shown a red card following a fracas with Coventrys Liam Kitching, who was also sent off.

Middlesbrough bo s Michael Carrick has told his players to embrace the challenge of walking into the lions den at Chelsea with a place in the Carabao Cup final at stake. Boro head coach Carrick saw his team secure a 1-0 first-leg lead at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday evening, which will send them to Stamford Bridge on January 23 with something to defend. The Sky Bet Championship promotion hopefuls had to endure a tide of pre sure on their own pitch to emerge with a clean sheet, and they can expect an onslaught on a night when a repeat would send them to Wembley. However Carrick, whose side lost 1-0 to Chelseas Premier League counterparts Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round at the weekend, said: Its embracing it. The last two games the boys have coped very, very well with Villa at the weekend and tonight, this being different because its obviously a lot further on in the competition and there was much more of an opportunity in this one with the expectations, the hope, the challenge that they faced. I couldnt have hoped or asked for anything more. I keep saying the next one is a totally different one Jerami Grant Jersey , its a new challenge totally. The boys will be ready for it and well be ready to perform. Well look forward to it and embrace the challenge because its an unbelievable challenge and position that we find ourselves in. Hackneys 37th-minute strike, which came after Isaiah Jones had made the most of Dan Barlasers fine through ball, ultimately settled a game in which Mauricio Pochettinos expensively-a sembled side dominated po se sion, but failed to make the most of the chances they created with Cole Palmer pa sing up no fewer than three himself. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo alone cost in exce s of 220million, but along with Conor Gallagher, got little change out of a Boro midfield of Hackney, Barlaser and Jonny Howson to leave Carrick purring. Asked if it was his best night yet as a manager, the 42-year-old former Manchester United and England midfielder said: !Its as proud as Ive been, I have to say again, of the players. Knowing what theyve put in and how close a group they are and seeing the stadium supporting the lads right to the end Chauncey Billups Jersey when they needed that bit of help for the last 10 minutes or so, standing there and seeing that made me hugely proud, so it was a good night for that, a really good night for that and hopefully we can create some more of them in the future. Pochettino was measured after a disappointing night on Tee side, during which he admitted the Blues had been punished both for their mistakes and their profligacy in front of goal. The Argentinian said: I am disappointed because I think we deserved a different result, but sometimes you dont play well and you win. For us, its like we need to play well, we need to score goals. We play well, but sometimes we are not clinical enough and sometimes we are punished. That is the proce s in this moment we are in. Always when you are building a team, this kind of scenario is tough because you not only need to play well, but you need to deserve and have some luck.

Hugo Lloris has brought his time at Tottenham to an end after he completed a move to Los Angeles FC on a free transfer. Lloris signed for Spurs in 2012 and went on to make 447 appearances for the Premier League club, but had not played since April after he made clear his desire to take on a new challenge at the end of last Willy Hernangomez Jersey season. Ange Postecoglou gave the green light for Lloris to leave this summer and, while no transfer materialised, Tottenham entered talks with the MLS outfit earlier this week and their veteran goalkeeper has now departed. Hugo Lloris Is Black & Gold. signs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris on a permanent transfer from to a guaranteed contract through 2024 with options for 2025 and 2026. LAFC (@LAFC) Lloris said in a club interview: This is a personal me sage to all the Spurs fans. I just wanted to say thank you for all your support since day one. It has been a great privilege to be one of yours and one of your captains for many years and its the end of the chapter, but you will be always in my hearts. Spurs will Solomon Hill Jersey always be a special place for me and all my family. On behalf of them I would like to say thank you for all memories that we had together, all the emotions we went through and I just want to wish you the best for the next decade because you deserve the best. I just wanted to say thank you

Jamie Vardys eighth goal of the season helped much-changed Leicester into the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-0 win against Birmingham. Vardy broke the deadlock with a header from Marc Albrightons superb cro s after 47 minutes before Yunus Akguns thunderbolt on 72 Jeremy Lamb Jersey minutes sealed Leicesters place in the fifth round. Foxes midfielder Dennis Praet added a third goal with a cool finish after 88 minutes, with Birmingham made to rue a number of mi sed chances in the first half as Blues lost for the first time under new bo s Tony Mowbray. Birmingham almost took the lead after just two minutes as Foxes goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk made a smart save with his foot to deny Keshi Anderson from the left-hand side of the penalty area. Blues midfielder Koji Miyoshi was next to try his luck with a fine curling effort from just inside the penalty box which went inches over the cro sbar with Stolarczyk rooted to the spot. The visitors spurned another chance to take the lead when Jordan James and Jay Stansfield played a clever one-two which sent the former through on goal only for Stolarczyk to make a crucial save. Mowbrays side continued to dominate the chances as Siriki Dembele saw a low shot saved before Stolarczyk denied Stansfield soon after, with the striker sending his follow-up effort over the cro sbar. Birmingham went even closer to the opening goal five minutes before the break as Stansfield T. J. Leaf Jersey poked a shot against the post from 10 yards out after good work from Dembele. Leicester made their opponents pay for those mi sed chances just two minutes into the second half as Vardy headed home Albrightons inch-perfect cro s from the right into the bottom-left corner from eight yards out. Blues had a chance to draw level soon after only for Anderson to blaze his shot into the stand after he was picked out by Stansfield following Hamza Choudhurys giveaway. The home side doubled their lead after 72 minutes when Akgun collected a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area before smashing a shot into the top-left corner to score his first goal for the club. Enzo Marescas side could have extended their advantage eight minutes from time only for Ben Nelson to volley straight at John Ruddy from close range after Blues failed to clear their lines at a corner. The Foxes added some glo s to the scoreline with two minutes left to play when Praet, making his first start since August, found the bottom-right corner from substitute Tom Cannons cut back. Leicester are now unbeaten in their last eight matches against Birmingham in all competitions, while Blues have failed to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup in each of the last four seasons.

Nottingham Forest bo s Steve Coopers position is under severe threat after the club held talks with former Wolves and Tottenham bo s Nuno Espirito Santo about taking over at the City Ground, the PA news agency understands. Coopers tenure is in doubt following a run of just one win in 13 Premier League games Keita Bates-Diop Jersey , which has seen Forest plummet to just five points above the drop zone. Officials from the club have spoken to the Portuguese about replacing Cooper, PA understands. Nuno has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November. He appears in line for a return to the Premier League two years after his sacking from an ill-fated four-month stay at Spurs. Cooper has had the support of the Forest fans after taking them from the bottom of the Championship to Premier League survival last season. Markus Howard Jersey It was fan power that saved him from the sack last term, but with another summer of heavy investment from owner Evangelos Marinakis, it looks as if the Greek busine sman has lost patience. Reports in Portugal suggest a deal for Nuno could be tied up before Saturdays home clash with Bournemouth.

Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor saluted veteran striker Chris Martin after he took out his frustration on Charlton with both goals in a 2-1 win at The Memorial Stadium. Martin came off the bench to put the Gas ahead after 68 minutes and then had the final say four minutes into stoppage time after Manchester City loanee Slobodan Tedic had drawn Charlton level late on. Taylor sang the 35-year-olds praises after he revealed the Scotland international has been unhappy at having to play second-fiddle to fellow striker John Marquis in recent weeks. He said: Chris has probably been disappointed over the last few games not to have been starting. John Marquis has been leading the line well and scoring goals but tonight as the game was panning out we needed a different profile at the top end of the pitch. Once we got the ball into those dangerous areas he was bright and he was sharp and his first was a really good Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Jersey finish. But he has done that throughout the course of his career and I want him to keep buying into what we are trying to do in terms of work-rate and endeavour. Martins short-term Rovers contract expires in mid-January and his brace could not have come at a better time for the player and the club who ended 2023 with rare back-to-back wins. Taylor added: Hopefully this is another moment where a forward player can go on a bit of a run. Confidence is a big factor but his game is a model of consistency and he allows us to go more direct and he will get on the end of things. Both of his goals were cla sy and while they wont go down as top goals in his overall career, they are cla sy finishes. I know hes been frustrated over the last few games but every member of my senior group will always be frustrated if they dont get the game time they think they deserve. But theres an easy way to remedy that and thats to perform as he did. For Addicks bo s Michael Appleton, whose side have not won since November, the result was tough to take. He said: The end bit was hard to defend as a manager but what wasnt hard to defend was the overall performance. We started the game really well and should have been two or three up and then we weathered the storm when we were under pre sure. We were great in the second half and before they scored we had two Danny Green Jersey or three really good opportunities We have done well and controlled the game and when we conceded it knocked the stuffing out of the lads. They showed really good character to get back into it but the second goal ruined all the good work the lads put in. I have to pick them up and make sure they are in the right frame of mind for New Years Day when we play Oxford who are a decent side. I have been here before and I recognise when groups need my help instead of being lambasted which is not going to help anyone.

Harry Kewell has left Celtic to become head coach of Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, with Adam Sadler replacing him in Brendan Rodgers backroom staff. Kewell, the former Liverpool and Leeds forward, was brought in as first-team coach at Parkhead by ex-Celtic bo s Ange Postecoglou in June 2022 his first job back in football since being sacked as Barnet manager the previous September. I would like to thank Celtic for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to be part of one of the worlds great football clubs, the 45-year-old Australian wrote on Instagram. It has been an absolute privilege to work with Celtic with two great managers in Brendan and Ange. It has been an honour to be part of such a fantastic institution and it is a time in my career and life, which I will never forget. I would like to thank everyone at the club and all the fans who have given me and the team such brilliant support. I would also like to thank Brendan for giving me such support in pursuing this new opportunity. It is a very difficult decision to leave Celtic but I feel the management opportunity presented to me is one I would like to pursue. I will always be a Celtic supporter and I will always wish nothing but the very best for the club. I hope the club and our supporters can enjoy more and more succe s. Kewell told his new Taj Gibson Jersey clubs website: I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Yokohama F. Marinos. I would like to thank the club for putting their trust in me to take the team forward. There is a lot of work ahead of us, and I am eager to get onto the training ground to start working with the players. We will work together as we aim to bring succe s to the club. The hard work begins now. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Adam Sadler as new First Team Coach! Welcome to , Adam Read more below Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) Sadler was first-team coach at Leicester from 2018 until this summer, working closely with former Foxes bo s Rodgers. I am delighted to be joining Celtic, the 44-year-old Englishman told the Hoops website. It is such an iconic club with such a brilliant history, a phenomenal fan-base and tremendous record of succe s. It goes without saying I am really looking forward to teaming up with Brendan again. We worked closely at Leicester City and enjoyed some good times. I know exactly the way Brendan likes to play and what he demands from his players and staff, so I am sure once again we can work together and achieve really positive results. Rodgers added: I am really pleased to welcome Adam to Celtic. He will be a fantastic addition to our coaching Kristaps Porzingis Jersey team and I know he will bring some great experience and ability to add to the club. I would also like to wish Harry all the very best for the future. I really enjoyed working with him, I thank him for all his work and I am sure he will enjoy the great opportunity he has been given in Japan.

Second-half goals from Joselu, Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo saw Real Madrid into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey with a 3-1 win over fourth-tier Arandina. Although the final score looked comfortable, Madrid had to be patient against their lowly opponents, who were able to celebrate getting on the scoresheet with a late own goal from Nacho. Unsurprisingly, Madrid dominated in every department but they had to wait for a 54th-minute penalty from Joselu to break the deadlock, with Diaz adding another just a minute later as Arandinas resistance finally cracked. 1-3 54 (p) 55 90+1 90+3 Nacho (o.g) | Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) Rodrygo then added a third in the first minute of stoppage time, but Madrid then blotted their copy book with the own goal allowing the hosts to celebrate before the end. It was pretty much one-way traffic at El Montecillo Bruce Brown Jr. Jersey throughout the night as Madrid enjoyed 78 per cent po se sion and had 15 attempts on goal to Arandinas two. But the hosts should still take credit for how difficult they made it for their illustrious opponents to score as they defended in numbers and made a series of blocks. Arda Guler had already been the first to draw a save from Adrian Alvarez before then hitting a post with a free-kick in the 18th minute, but more often than not it was the Arandina defenders who got a foot in before Madrids attempts could find their way to goal. Cool, Calm & Collected. Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) But things changed eight minutes into the second half when Zazu fouled Diaz in the box, giving Joselu an opportunity from the spot that he did not pa s up. Arandina barely had time to gather their thoughts before Diaz doubled the lead, but it did not signal the opening of the floodgates. A string of substitutions interrupted the flow of the game and allowed Arandina to regroup. Added to favorites! Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) Madrid did have chances to add to their lead, but young Vinicius Tobias had a shot saved before Alvaro Rodriguez headed over from close range. Having Nicolas Claxton Jersey won the penalty and scored the second, Diaz then added an a sist to his nights achievements as he set up Rodrygos stoppage-time strike. Arandina responded by going close through Kevin Manzano before Nacho put through his own net at the death.