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Liverpool boss Arne Slot says it was wrong to rule out Virgil Van Dijk’s equaliser against Manchester City in their 3-0 loss on Sunday. The Reds’ captain thought he had found the back of the net after beating Gianluigi Donnarumma with a powerful header. But the celebrations were cut short quickly, with Andy Robertson judged to have interfered with play from an offside position.

• Van Dijk's header ruled out by VAR

  Liverpool fell behind to an Erling Haaland opener after the Norwegian had earlier had his penalty saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili. The striker’s looped header lofted over the Georgian in the Reds’ net and handed the hosts a deserved lead.

  Liverpool did respond to going behind, with Van Dijk appearing to level proceedings in the 38th minute. Mohamed Salah drilled across a corner towards the back of the City box and the ball was met by a thunderous header by the centre-half, which flew into the bottom right corner. The Liverpool captain wheeled away in celebration to the corner flag, believing he had equalised.

  VAR would soon intervene and spoil the Liverpool fans' cheers, though. Andy Robertson, standing three yards offside, ducked under the flight of the ball, but the officials judged him to be interfering with play. It was a contentious decision, given Donnarumma had seen the direction the ball was travelling in, and Robertson was not obscuring his vision.

  The Liverpool fans and Slot were justifiably a little miffed.

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• AFP
  

  Slot slams the decision

  Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Slot said: “I think it's obvious and clear that the wrong decision has been made, at least in my opinion. Because he [Robertson] didn't interfere at all with what the goalkeeper could do.

  “Immediately after the game someone showed me the goal that the same referee allowed City against Wolves last season [John Stones’ last minute winner]. So, it took the linesman 13 seconds to raise his flag to say it's offside. So, there was clearly communication.

  “That could have influenced the game in a positive way for us because in the first half we were so poor.

  “We would have been lucky going 1-0 down at half-time, let alone if it was 1-1 or 2-1 down. So it has been an influential decision, which is not to say that we then would have had a result over here because you cannot predict how the second half would have gone.”

• City run out deserved winners

  Regardless of the decision, Liverpool were not good enough and clearly deserved to lose the clash against their title rivals. Jeremy Doku was the standout performer for the hosts and the Reds struggled to contain the lively Belgian who put the game beyond doubt when he scored City’s third.

  Earlier, Haaland and Nico Gonzalez had made it 2-0 to the hosts and prompted furious criticism of the Reds by Sky Sports’ pundits. Gary Neville claimed that Liverpool had been “asking to be beaten” by Pep Guardiola’s team and Roy Keane had labelled the Reds’ performance a “disgrace”.

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  City announce their intentions

  City were the standout side, and their performance demonstrated why they are still one of Europe’s best sides. With Haaland in some of the best form of his career so far, it would be daft to write off City for any of the major honours.

  Speaking after the game, Ruben Dias sent a warning shot towards league leaders Arsenal and claimed that his team were performing at the highest level. The defender added that “there are new faces because of the ones that left, but that quality stays the same, and we keep on pushing,” in a potential sly dig at the Reds.

  Guardiola’s team have now moved within just four points of Arsenal, after the Gunners dropped two costly points late against Sunderland on Saturday. The victory also confined Liverpool to eighth spot in the Premier League, behind rivals Manchester United and eight points behind the Gunners at the top of the table.

  There is a long way to go in the Premier League campaign, but Liverpool must start turning their fortunes around sooner rather than later.

Liverpool scouts have just been spotted keeping an eye on a defensive star in the Champions League, according to recent reports, as they set their sights on a transfer battle against Arsenal.

The Reds’ defensive frailties were on show once again against Manchester City at the Etihad, and they’re fortunate that it’s Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed goal which has stolen the headlines. For the umpteenth time this season, the champions came undone all too easily as Pep Guardiola eased to a 3-0 victory in his 1000th game as a manager.

Arne Slot, whilst reflecting on the defeat, took the time to have his say on Van Dijk’s disallowed header – telling reporters that he believes Andy Robertson was not interfering with Gianluigi Donnarumma’s view.

PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb has since issued a response to Liverpool’s complaints, saying that it was “not unreasonable” to rule Van Dijk’s effort out on Sunday afternoon.

Alas, as the argument continues, Liverpool remain in a difficult position and as low as eighth in the Premier League. No one saw it coming from a side who comfortably strode towards the title last season, but Slot must now find a permanent solution.

Related Not Wirtz or Isak: Liverpool's "nervous wreck" at risk of becoming Nunez 2.0

Liverpool have fallen by the wayside under Arne Slot’s leadership this season.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Nov 12, 2025

Whether that means returning to the transfer market is the big question, especially in search of defensive reinforcements.

Liverpool and Arsenal scouts watching Wilfried Singo

As reported by Turkish outlet Sabah, Liverpool scouts were spotted watching Singo in Galatasaray’s dominant 3-0 win against Ajax in the Champions League last week.

The Gunners also had officials present to check on the right-back’s progress as they seek support for Jurrien Timber, with Ben White’s injury issues making him an unreliable deputy for the Dutchman.

And the Ivorian played his part as his side kept a clean sheet and made it three wins from four Champions League games, in a run of form that includes a win against Liverpool.

The Reds felt Singo’s quality in full as he kept Cody Gakpo quiet down their left-hand side and Galatasaray held on to secure a famous 1-0 victory at the end of September.

Singo enjoyed an excellent game against the Reds, losing possession just once, making four recoveries and winning over half of his aerial duels. Gakpo, meanwhile, was limited to just three touches in the Galatasaray box and made just one pass into the final third.

The 24-year-old has been on the rise for a few years now and interest from both Arsenal and Liverpool should come as little surprise. Described as “intelligent” by former AS Monaco teammate Thilo Kehrer, Singo could be destined for the Premier League in 2026 in what would be the biggest move of his career so far.

Liverpool's "generational" Doku regen is destined to take the #11 from Salah

DETROIT — One game. One pitcher. One legacy. As if using a geodetic coordinate system, the American League division series between the Tigers and Mariners has arrived at a pinpoint of a place. Game 5 Friday in Seattle is about Tarik Skubal.

The Tigers ace has made his case over the past two and a half years that he is the best pitcher on the planet. Great. But it’s not enough.

Now, for the second time in 363 days, he will have the ball in his hands in a winner-take-all game. The last time was a bust.

Given a 1–0 lead in the fifth inning against Cleveland in Game 5 of the 2024 ALDS, Skubal coughed up the game in a horrific six-batter sequence: single, strikeout, single, single, hit by pitch, grand slam. Five runs. Lead and game gone in 18 pitches. Drive home safely.

His teammates rustled up a mulligan for him with a syzygy of a rally in ALDS Game 4 against the Mariners Wednesday. Just when the Tigers appeared dead, looking at a 3–0 deficit and staring at the last 15 outs of their season, they came together as weirdly and powerfully as an alignment of celestial bodies. Out of nowhere, they ran off nine unanswered runs to win, 9–3.

Skubal could join sudden death legends

Game 5 is a career-defining game for Skubal, given his loss last season and that his team is 0–3 this year when he faces Seattle. It’s no longer about “pitching well” or “keeping my team in the game.” It’s about going all Jack Morris on Seattle. On the night Morris’s Twins won Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, Morris, the Game 7 starter, walked into the interview room and announced, “In the immortal words of the late, great Marvin Gaye, let’s get it on!” The following night, Morris put the team on his back, throwing 10 shutout innings while refusing to come out of the game.

It was an all-time double elimination pitching performance by a future Hall of Famer. In more recent years, pitching greats who have risen to greater heights in sudden death games include Justin Verlander (2012 and '13 ALDS), Madison Bumgarner ('14 NLWC and World Series, '16 NLWC) and Gerrit Cole ('19 ALDS). This is Skubal’s moment.

Skubal played the preamble to his statement game much differently than did Morris. He walked into the interview room after Game 4 and swatted away a question about personal redemption as if it were an annoying fly.

“I'll let you guys create the narrative,” Skubal said. “I'm just going to do what I do best, and that's play baseball and create pitches. The game is still the game. I'll let you guys write the stories and do your jobs, but you're not going to get anything from me.”

Every game, he said, presents him with an opportunity to compete at his best, no more in Game 5 than it did in the Mariners’ 3–2 win against him in Game 2.

“But the game stays the game, and that’s kind of what you’re going to hear me reiterate,” he said, “[that] is I just need to be focused on pitch by pitch and execute the game plan that we will create. So that’s all I’ve got for you.”

Skubal’s Seattle ties deepen stakes

Another delicious layer to this start is that in happens in Seattle, where a kid from Kingman, Ariz.—a small town in the northwest corner of the state better known for its turquoise lode and its kitschy status as the heart of Route 66 than as a baseball factory—took his 80-something mile per hour fastball to Seattle University, the only school to offer him a scholarship.

“Dad, I'm not going to school there,” he said to his father.

“No, you need to call them, son,” his father replied.

Said Skubal, “And I was like, ‘All right.’ I called them. I committed two weeks later. And the rest is history.”

When he pitched in Seattle in ALDS Game 2, he bought tickets for all 34 players of the Seattle University baseball team and talked to them about following their dreams.

“It’s not a fantasy,” he said. “You can actually accomplish what you put your mind to.”

No, this is not another game, not with what’s at stake and where it is. Skubal may treat it as such from his uber-competitive mind. How, he reasons, can I possibly care or try more than my very best? But the stakes are higher. The venue is more meaningful. The reputation on the line more epic.

“I think it means the world to him,” said pitching coach Chris Fetter. “Especially going back to a place where he went to school and that environment. Yeah, I think it's going to be pretty special. And you're going to see a competitive, fiery guy out there and that’s what we need. And he's going to compete his ass off.”

Said Detroit first baseman Spencer Torkelson, “I don’t have the words. My vocabulary doesn’t have the words to tell you how much this opportunity means to him. If you have one game to win, there’s nobody I’d rather have than Tarik. And if you asked most guys around baseball, not just in this clubhouse, you’d probably get the same answer.”

Skubal made two mistakes in Game 2: two center-cut pitches to Jorge Polanco, who blasted both for home runs. It seems unfathomable that the Tigers could lose four games in one year to the same team with Skubal on the mound. But that is what is at stake.

“I think at the end of the day, he's going to be himself,” Fetter said. “You know, most of the time we're going to go to his strengths as opposed to trying to dissect it too much or overthinking too much. Yeah. Go out and be himself.

 ”And that’s where we talk about not trying to overthink. If you go execute, be yourself, at the end of the day we’re good.”

Skubal wound up at Seattle University only after other schools dropped interest in him after a poor showcase performance on a Saturday morning. They didn’t know that Skubal had played center in a football game Friday night and drove three hours to the Phoenix area the next morning to get on the mound and throw in front of coaches. His velocity dipped to an unappealing 84 mph.

Now Skubal throws a hundred. He has hit 100 mph 43 times this year. Every other lefthanded starter combined has done so eight times. His changeup is the single best pitch in baseball as determined by run value. There is nobody like him. That is not in dispute.

What is in the balance now is whether Skubal can deliver a season-saving, career-defining game. It should require Skubal pushing himself like never before.

Skubal has pitched in 142 major league games, including five in the postseason. Incredibly, he has never thrown more than 108 pitches in a game. His postseason high is 107, in wild-card Game 1 this year. In Game 2 of this series, Skubal threw 97 pitches over seven innings before indicating he was just about done. So, manager A.J. Hinch handed the ball to Kyle Finnegan for the eighth. The Mariners scored three batters later to win, 3–2.

In 1995, in Seattle, a lefthanded, soon-to-be Cy Young Award winner took the ball with his team facing elimination in his first postseason game. Randy Johnson of the Mariners threw 117 pitches over seven innings to beat the Yankees in ALDS Game 3. After one day of rest, he came out of the bullpen in Game 5 to throw three innings and another 44 pitches to win that game, too. It was legendary stuff. They still talk about it today.

Now, 30 years later in the same city, the best lefthander in the game has the ball in his hands for a winner-take-all game. To save the Tigers’ season and to lessen the pain of the last time he found himself at these coordinates, Skubal may have to give more than he’s ever given.

Alick Athanaze credited West Indies’ bowlers for rescuing the team after another night of unforced errors in Chattogram with the bat and in the field, as they sealed their first T20I series win in 14 months.The opener’s fifty and 105-run stand with Shai Hope set up a strong platform, but West Indies collapsed from 106 for 1, losing 8 for 43 and leaving Bangladesh chasing a modest total. Four dropped catches made matters worse, yet the bowlers bailed West Indies out. The 150 that Bangladesh fell short of was lowest target they had ever failed to chase in Chattogram. Athanaze said West Indies’ bowlers controlled the scoring in the powerplay, which helped them build run-rate pressure on Bangladesh.”Our bowlers showed their class again,” Athanaze said. “We bowled very well. They showed why we are one of the best T20 sides in the world.”I felt the pitch got better. The dew has a lot of effect on the pitch. We took the total in our stride. We wanted to make a good start with the ball. We weren’t the best in the field, but the bowlers showed their class. They picked up wickets and restricted them.Related

• Tanzid's 61 in vain as West Indies seal T20I series win

“Once you control the powerplay, it gets difficult (to score) when the field is spread. We tried our best to utilise our bowlers. We know they are not big power-hitters down the ground, so we tried our best to plan for them.”Tanzid Hasan, who also scored a fifty, felt Bangladesh should have chased down their target. He said the batters would themselves have to find a way out of the run-scoring struggle that they’ve now endured for a considerable length of time.”I thought regardless of the wicket, we should have chased 150,” Tanzid said. “It was the batters’ failure. We couldn’t take responsibility. I think it was a bad day for the batters. I think we have to find a way to minimise playing dot balls. We haven’t achieved consistency of late. The batting is not clicking. We have to find ways to rotate strike and play bigger knocks. The batters have to find a way out of this.”Tanzid Hasan played a crucial hand in the first half of Bangladesh’s chase•AFP/Getty Images

Many of Bangladesh’s batters in this game looked to be caught in two minds. Jaker Ali’s return to the side was riddled with questions given his form. He made 17 off 18 balls at a stage when the asking run-rate was rapidly rising. Tanzid said he tried to remind Jaker about his Player-of-the-Match performance in the third T20I in Kingstown last year.”Jaker helped us win in the West Indies,” Tanzid said. “I told him that he had won us a game against West Indies, so he can do it again. I told him that if we stuck together as a pair, we could have won the game. I think I had the bigger responsibility, but I couldn’t perform up to expectations.”We have a world-class bowling department. They usually restrict the opposition on any wicket. The batters must follow how the bowlers have helped the team and taken the team forward. Responsibility is for everyone in the team. We have to do well as a batting unit.”Athanaze also praised the Bangladesh bowling attack and fielding.”You have to give credit to the Bangladeshi bowlers,” he said. “A lot of emphasis is on us not batting well but I felt they bowled really well. They spun the ball and bowled slower. In his first and second spells, Rishad Hossain understood how to bowl on this wicket. It also gave us the indication how to bowl as well. They bowled very well in the back end. They caught very well too.”The final T20I of the series is in Chattogram on Friday.

Thomas Tuchel has warned his England players to avoid a Cristiano Ronaldo situation and receive their marching orders against Albania on Sunday. Ronaldo was sent off in Portugal's 2-0 loss to Ireland earlier this week and will miss their final World Cup qualifying meeting with Armenia. The Al-Nassr forward will also sit out Portugal's World Cup opener should they make the 2026 showpiece.

Getty Images SportTuchel warns plays not to do anything silly

Portugal still top Group F despite defeat to Ireland last week, but are now just two points clear of Hungary in second ahead of the final group games. The Selecao take on Armenia in Porto today and need to win to guarantee top spot, a match that Ronaldo won't be in attendance for having been sent home from the national team.

England don't face the same problem having already guaranteed first in Group K ahead of their game against Albania this evening. The Three Lions have won all seven matches in World Cup qualifying and will fancy their chances of rounding off their own campaign with a 100% record.

However, Tuchel has revealed that he will warn his players not to do anything silly when they travel to Albania, who are guaranteed a play-off spot, for their final group game.

Advertisement'No red cards please'

Ahead of the game against Albania, Tuchel said: "It is important, I'm aware of it and we will talk about it. No red cards please. If we have a doubt then, because we are through and we are in a position with last man then the player holds the shirt he gets the red card. If there's a doubt then it would be smarter not to do it.

"If he goes in the last man example and if we can avoid it no red card of course but I don't want to make it too big a subject because then you have a cloud above you. But if you have the choice: don't do it."

Tuchel will be forced into at least one change for the game against Albania, with Ezri Konsa absent after suffering a calf strain against Serbia. The Aston Villa man may have played the full 90, but has since returned to his club side.

"Ezri is not with us, he has a tight calf and got assessed in the afternoon and didn’t take the risk so we didn't take him," Tuchel added. "Everyone else is ready to go. He has had a lot of matches for Aston Villa so was a candidate to have a rest."

Getty Images SportTuchel 'didn't like' Frank snub by Spence

Tuchel also revealed that he has scolded defender Djed Spence for his Tottenham behaviour. The full-back snubbed Thomas Frank after Spurs' recent 1-0 loss to rivals Chelsea, storming down the tunnel alongside Micky van de Ven as the north London side put in a poor showing against the Blues.

And while Tuchel didn't consider leaving Spence out of the England squad as a result, the German has made it clear that he did not like that the 25-year-old ignored his manager.

"Yeah, I didn't like it," the Three Lions boss said of the incident. "Because the players know they are not only national players when they are the 10 days in camp, they are always national players and the standard of behaviour is always important."

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Bellingham, Foden & Eze all pushing to start

With qualification wrapped up and just a 100% record to play for, Tuchel may make some changes to the side that started against Serbia. Spence is among those who could start at full-back, while Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah and Trevoh Chalobah are competing to deputise for Konsa at the back.

Adam Wharton, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze are also hoping to feature from the outset in Tirana, the latter trio all replacing Morgan Rogers, Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, respectively, on the hour mark against Serbia on Thursday.

And it was Bellingham, Foden and Eze who linked up well for the latter's late strike to wrap up the three points after Bukayo Saka had put England ahead in the first half.

Century stand between Ollie Price and Ben Charlesworth proves decisive before Jack Taylor secures win with unbeaten 50

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Aug-2025

Ollie Price top scored with 66•Getty Images

Gloucestershire 240 for 4 (Price 66, Taylor 50*, Charlesworth 50) beat Worcestershire 237 for 8 (Kashif 36, Cullen 35, Ahmed 2-21) by six wicketsGloucestershire maintained their 100 percent record in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a powerful six-wicket derby victory over Worcestershire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Jack Taylor’s side ended their opponents’ unbeaten record after restricting them to 237 for 8 with an excellent display with the ball. Josh Shaw set the tone with an opening spell of 6-3-6-0 on his way to 10-3-27-1 as six Rapids batters reached 25 but none made it to 40.As the pitch eased for batting, Gloucestershire advanced comfortably to 240 for 4 with 43 balls to spare. The only century stand of the match, from Oliver Price (66) and Ben Charlesworth (50), proved decisive before skipper Taylor saw his side to victory with an unbeaten 50 off 36 balls, posting his half-century with the winning runs.Gloucestershire chose to bowl and did so impressively with the new ball, led by Shaw’s superb opening spell. On a pitch assisting the seamers, Worcestershire weathered the new ball unscathed but then lost three wickets for 18 runs in 22 balls as they sought to accelerate.Daaryoush Ahmed, on only his second List A appearance, had Isaac Mohammed caught at deep midwicket and trapped the in-form Jake Libby lbw. Brett D’Oliveira struck the first six of the match but edged Craig Miles to wicketkeeper James Bracey in the next over.Kashif Ali (36) and Ethan Brookes (31) added 62 in 13 overs before falling in successive overs. Kashif edged Graeme van Buuren to Bracey and Brookes hoisted Shaw to deep midwicket where Tommy Boorman took a brilliant catch.The pattern of batters getting in then getting out continued. Henry Cullen (35) edged Miles behind, Matthew Waite (28) drilled a low return catch to van Buuren and Tom Taylor (25) was caught right on the deep midwicket boundary off Matt Taylor. It was sharp, strong work in the field from Gloucestershire, though Fateh Singh finished the innings with a flourish when he struck the last two balls, from Miles, for six.Gloucestershire lost Bracey, who edged Khurram Shahzad behind, in the sixth over, and Cameron Bancroft was run out by Libby when he was slow to respond to Price’s call for a single, but Price and Charlesworth produced the day’s most fluent batting. They added 105 in 16 overs before departing in the space of six balls. Price nicked a pull at Shahzad to wicketkeeper Cullen and Charlesworth pulled Waite to deep midwicket.With 80 still needed and two new batters in, the Rapids had a glimmer of hope but those new batters were the vastly experienced Jack Taylor and van Buuren. With the home attack unable to call upon Brookes due to a back niggle, the fifth-wicket pair added an unbroken 82 in 60 balls to take their side to a fifth win out of five and the brink of qualification with three games still to go.

West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has made an admission about his future at the club amid repeated suggestions he could leave in January.

Paqueta’s time at West Ham has been intriguing to say the least, and fresh speculation has emerged recently about a potential winter exit from the London Stadium.

West Ham paid £51 million to secure his services in a club-record deal from Lyon three years ago, with the Brazilian quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s most technically gifted playmakers in his debut season under David Moyes.

Paqueta helped the Hammers to a glorious Conference League triumph that year, their first major trophy since 1980 and first European trophy since 1965, but a spot-fixing scandal then began to overshadow his time at the London Stadium.

The 28-year-old was charged with four alleged breaches of FA rule E5.1 in May 2024, relating to matches involving West Ham, with allegations that he directly sought to influence matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for influence of the betting market.

The investigation, which began in August 2023, cast a dark cloud over his future, with the FA once seeking a lifetime ban for him. Throughout the ordeal, West Ham stood firmly by their star man, and in July this year, he was finally cleared.

With that uncertain point of his career finally over, Paqueta got back to focusing on the pitch, and clubs also started taking an interest in the £150,000-per-week star.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

Aston Villa tried to sign Paqueta in the summer, but he ultimately chose to stay put and show loyalty to a side who backed him off the field.

However, credible reports are indicating that his long-term future could be away from Rush Green. The Times recently reported that Paqueta is keen to leave West Ham as early as next month, with Fabrizio Romano also backing up that the ex-Ligue 1 star’s exit is a realistic possibility.

Lucas Paqueta makes West Ham transfer admission and expects move to happen

Now, the player himself has come out to make a revelation of his own.

Speaking to Brazilian outlet Globo, as translated by Standard Sport, Paqueta says that he had a desire to return to Flamengo in the most recent summer window, and he expects that transfer to happen eventually due to his close ties with the club.

Paqueta’s current deal expires in 2027, and while Nuno Espirito Santo won’t want to lose him in January, a summer transfer certainly appears on the cards next year.

Unfortunately for chairman David Sullivan, by that point, the Irons wouldn’t be in a position to demand big money for the player with just one year remaining on his contract.

Flamengo’s best opportunity to strike a reunion could be next year, if a more illustrious European or Premier League big-hitter don’t move to entice him first.

Travis Head’s remarkable century in Perth, and his comments that it’s a role he has talked about doing, is posing a tough call for selectors

Andrew McGlashan28-Nov-20252:24

Head innings should not give England an ‘out’

Khawaja – the argument forIf Khawaja was one of the best two opening options before the first Test, then, if he has overcome the back problems, surely he still is a few days later. It was unfortunate timing to get a bad back, but he’s not the first player to suffer that. He got a very good ball from Brydon Carse in the first innings in Perth, which he could only feather to the wicketkeeper.Related

Head 'happy' to keep opening amid Khawaja debate

Cricket Australia to ask Khawaja for explanation of 's***' pitch comments

Khawaja's back to be examined as Australia float flexible order

Head feared riling England's quicks during Perth onslaught

England are not panicking – yet

Could this be a case of being careful what you wish for? There was a clamour to move David Warner aside before he left the Test stage in early 2024, and since then, Australia have been on a merry-go-round of openers. Clearly, Khawaja does not have masses of time left as a Test cricketer, but you need to be sure before jettisoning his experience: 6055 Test runs at an average of 43.56.Since the 2023 Ashes, it has been more of a struggle for Khawaja. He averages 31.84 in this period, but he’s doing the toughest role in Test cricket. While the runs may not have flowed freely – and let’s not erase that 232 against Sri Lanka from his record, otherwise a lot of players’ performances need to be questioned – he has still been able to soak up valuable time in the middle.For example, in the West Indies earlier this year, he faced over 300 balls – and only two batters survived more in the series. If part of the aim of the top order is to take the sting out of the new ball, start to tire England’s bowlers, and lay a base for the likes of Travis Head to flourish, there’s a role Khawaja can still play.Usman Khawaja averages 50.08 in first-class cricket at the Gabba•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesIt wasn’t as though he had come into the series in poor domestic form: his scores for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield were 69, 46, 0 and 87. Another factor to consider is Khawaja has an excellent record at the Gabba, where he averages 50.08 in first-class cricket at his home ground, and, significantly, 50.20 against the pink ball.It’s also one thing playing the way Head did when there’s a final target to focus on, rather than setting up a Test on the first day or in the first innings. There is also no doubt about Head’s destructive and match-winning abilities at No. 5.There is a middle ground to this. Head could move up to open, and Khawaja could slot in at No. 5, the spot where he returned to Test cricket with twin hundreds against England at the SCG in early 2022. There is also the notion of the flexible batting order, where, for example, Khawaja could open in the first innings but perhaps not in the second, depending on the game situation.Khawaja – the argument againstSometimes there is a course of events that makes an irresistible case. You could easily say that happened with Head’s innings in Perth, especially when the man himself said he had been offering to take up the role since Warner’s retirement.While Head’s innings finished in a flurry of shots, some verging on outrageous, it was the early stages that set things up for him, and suggested he has the game to do it for the longer term. Head was on 3 off 14 balls at one stage, before whipping Gus Atkinson through midwicket for the first of his 16 fours; his first really adventurous shot came when he ramped Carse over the slips in the eighth over. He hadn’t just come out swinging from ball one.Travis Head flourished with a century as opener in the Perth Test•Getty ImagesThere are currently more viable candidates for middle-order roles in the Australia Test side than there are for opening. Two of them, Beau Webster and Josh Inglis, are in this squad – one who was very unlucky to lose his place in the first place, and another who has just scored a rapid century against England Lions. You can throw Mitchell Marsh into the mix as well, even before delving deeper into the Sheffield Shield.So moving Head up to the top does not have to be a case of weakening a strength to strengthen a weakness. Arguably, it is creating an opening where there are stronger options to choose from. Khawaja’s form has left the door ajar, too: one century in 45 Test innings, even when it is a double hundred, is a questionable record.The notion of Khawaja moving to the middle order? That could be seen as kicking the can down the road. Only a few weeks ago, Steve Waugh had criticised selection chair George Bailey for not taking the tough decisions.Khawaja himself knows how sliding-door moments can play out. His window to return to the Test side came when Head caught Covid-19 before the SCG Test in the 2021-22 Ashes. On that occasion, Khawaja made such a compelling case that Australia found a way to keep him in the side. Marcus Harris, who opened at the SCG and made 76 on a tough MCG pitch the game before, has not played a Test since.

Diego Simeone reignited speculation about a future at Inter after admitting "he could imagine" coaching the Serie A giants one day and then beating them 2-1 in the Champions League. However, club president Beppe Marotta has moved quickly to cool the noise, publicly backing Christian Chivu to stay long-term despite back-to-back defeats for the Nerazzurri.

Simeone’s admission fuels Inter talk after dramatic Atletico win

Atletico’s 2-1 victory over Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday sent the Metropolitano into chaos and reignited one of European football’s most persistent storylines. The result, sealed by a 93rd-minute header from Jose Maria Gimenez, keeps Atleti's knockout hopes alive amid talk about Simeone's long-term future.

The Argentine coach sparked headlines even before the match kicked off. During his pre-game media duties, Simeone revisited the emotional bond he shares with the Nerazzurri, a club he represented as a player between 1997 and 1999. His comments immediately resonated across Italy, especially given the timing: Inter had just fallen to a derby defeat against AC Milan and were hoping to maintain their perfect Champions League record.

Complicating matters further is Simeone’s enormous salary, close to a reported €15 million net per season, a figure almost impossible for any Serie A club to match. Yet, romantically and symbolically, the idea of Cholo returning to San Siro refuses to disappear. After the match, Simeone doubled down on his admiration for Inter, calling them Europe’s “strongest team”. That only added fuel to a story that had already taken over the night. With the speculation swirling, it set the stage for the post-match reaction, especially from Simeone himself.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesSimeone speaks openly about his Inter dream

Before the match, the Argentine had been asked directly about rumours linking him to Inter. He responded with unusual clarity, and the comments quickly became the headline of the night. “It doesn’t depend on just me, but in my coaching career I can imagine myself managing Inter one day. I think it will happen one day,” he said, expressing publicly a dream he has carried privately for years.

Simeone then spoke with equal conviction after the win, choosing to highlight the strength of his opponents. “There’s no doubt about it. Inter are the strongest team in the Champions League right now.”

The remarks arrived at a moment when the Italian giants were navigating their most difficult spell of the season and inevitably intensified speculation about whether Simeone could eventually return to his former club.

Inter president Marotta shuts down rumours and backs Chivu

As speculation accelerated across Europe, Inter president Marotta moved swiftly to restore calm. Speaking shortly after the defeat, he addressed the Simeone talk directly while offering full backing to current boss Chivu.

Before delivering his message of support, Marotta framed Simeone’s comments as admiration, not intention. He then made his stance absolutely clear: “Simeone's candidacy? I see it as admiration for a club he knows well and is at the forefront of Europe,” he said to . “We have a young coach like Chivu, and I hope he stays at Inter for many years because he fits the profile we were looking for. The profile is what we were looking for, we're happy with him, and I'm convinced he can stay at Inter for many years.”

Inter’s defeat was their second in a row after losing the Milan derby, and they now find themselves in a tightly packed Champions League group at the top of the table, level on 12 points with Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and three behind leaders Arsenal.

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Getty Images SportInter seek stability as Atletico revive European hopes

The Nerazzurri now enter a decisive stretch that will test both their mentality and Chivu’s leadership. Their next match, a trip to Pisa on Sunday becomes a must-win in order to halt their losing streak before it spreads further across competitions. Los Rojiblancos, meanwhile, breathe new life into a turbulent European campaign. Their late win lifts them to nine points, keeping their knockout-stage hopes alive after an inconsistent start marked by big highs and damaging losses to Liverpool and Arsenal.

Simeone will turn his attention to domestic matters next, as Atleti return to La Liga action with a home fixture against Real Oviedo on Saturday. With momentum back on their side, the victory over Inter could prove a turning point in their season even as the questions about Simeone’s future refuse to disappear.

Leeds United are ready to sell a first-team player in the January transfer window, and there is now interest from a Champions League giant.

Pressure on Farke ahead of Leeds vs Aston Villa

Daniel Farke arguably appears to be the Premier League manager under the most pressure as club football prepares to make a return.

The Whites go into Sunday’s clash at home to Elland Road off the back of two disappointing away defeats to Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

Leeds’ upcoming fixtures

Date

Aston Villa (h)

November 23rd

Manchester City (a)

November 29th

Chelsea (h)

December 3rd

Liverpool (h)

December 6th

Brentford (a)

December 14th

Crystal Palace (h)

December 21st

Sunderland (a)

December 28th

Now just a point above the relegation zone, Farke insisted that his side aren’t panicking.

Leeds have already been linked with numerous managers to replace Farke in Yorkshire, including former RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose and ex-Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou, both of whom are currently out of work.

However, the 49ers Enterprises are ready to give Farke until January to turn things around, and in the winter transfer market, one player exit could materialise.

Inter Milan keen to sign Leeds goalkeeper Meslier

According to reports in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Inter Milan are interested in signing Illan Meslier in 2026.

Leeds are ready to sell the goalkeeper in the January transfer window with his contract up at the end of the season, however, Inter, as well as rivals AC Milan, have their eyes on a free transfer in the summer.

Both Milan sides have a good relationship with Meslier’s agent Pini Zahavi, who is looking to find the Frenchman a new permanent home with the goalkeeper failing to make an appearance for Leeds in 2025/26, being preferred to new signing Lucas Perri and Wales number one Karl Darlow.

Of course, should Meslier’s situation remain the same, he’ll be able to pen a pre-contract agreement with Inter or AC Milan in the New Year.

The 49ers may find it tough to recoup the £5m they spent on Meslier back in 2020, which is something that would’ve been hard to believe a few years ago when the ‘keeper was once valued at £50m at Elland Road.

Inter are currently joint-top of the Champions League group with four wins from a possible four, conceding just once during that time.

They have Yann Sommer (36), Raffaele Di Gennaro (32) and Josep Martinez (27) as their current goalkeeping options heading into 2026, and by the looks of it, Meslier could join or replace one of the trio.

Academy star who's never played a senior minute for Leeds could replace Bijol