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The Gunners have come agonisingly close to landing the Premier League in the last three years and Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has pointed the finger of blame at the fans for boasting about winning the title too early in the season. The Gunners have finished second three times on the bounce, but the fans have been starting to crow again with boss Mikel Arteta’s side at the top of the table, and Evra has a message for them.

Can Gunners ditch 'also-rans' smear?

It’s been a story of what might have been for Arsenal over the previous three seasons, mounting strong Premier League title challenges but ultimately finishing as runners-up on each occasion under Arteta. In the 2022-23 season, Arsenal held a substantial lead for much of the campaign, but a late dip in form allowed Man City to overtake them and lose the title by five points. The 2023-24 season saw an even closer title race, going down to the final day. Arsenal amassed 89 points, their second-highest ever Premier League tally, but still finished second, a mere two points behind champions City. And most recently, the 2024-25 season saw another second-place finish, this time behind Liverpool, who secured the title by a margin of ten points after Arsenal could only manage 74 points. This makes Arsenal the first team to finish as runners-up three seasons in a row in the Premier League era.  

And while the Gunners have sat at the top of the table for the vast majority of this season, their lead has been significantly reduced after dropping points in recent matches to Sunderland, Chelsea and Aston Villa and Evra has issued a word of warning for the fans. 

AdvertisementAFPEvra: 'They need to chill'

United legend Evra told Stake: "I don't know if Arsenal can handle the pressure. I always loved Arteta as a player and I know he’s a great manager. But at the end of the day, Arsenal fans are the problem. They are the ones every time saying, 'this year we're going to win'. They need to chill. It’s the same when England fans say 'it’s coming home'."  

He added: "They just have to chill, to not be too noisy because that's why they get that banter and this backlash because they’ll say they are the best team in the world and better than this team and so on. But we never know, if they bottle the league again this year, imagine them winning the Champions League? Anything can happen with Arsenal. But I just feel like the winning mindset is missing at Arsenal."

Scholes joins list of Arsenal doubters

Another Old Trafford hero, Paul Scholes, believes Arsenal’s title bid will falter once again unless Arteta finds a way to improve his team's record in the Premier League’s biggest fixtures. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes said: "Until they start winning big games they’ve got no chance of winning the league," he said. "They lost to Liverpool, they couldn’t beat Man City at home when they were struggling. Aston Villa are a good team, don’t get me wrong, but Arsenal just can’t win big games. They couldn’t beat Chelsea after they went down to ten men. If you’re going to win the league you’ve got to start winning some big games, you’ve got to beat your rivals, and they can’t do it. Historically Man City always get better after January. They were in the Club World Cup so they didn’t really have a pre-season."  

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Getty Images SportGunners face Wolves test 

Arsenal are in action in Europe on Wednesday evening, away in Belgium to face Club Brugge, but will be hoping to get back to winning ways at the weekend with a Premier League clash against bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers. And it’s a good time to be playing Wolves, who remain winless in all 15 Premier League games this season, with only QPR in 2012-13  with 16 games and Sheffield United in 2020-21 with an incredible 17 games having longer runs from the start of a campaign.   

The legspinner played seven T20Is in 2023, including taking four wickets on debut, but hasn’t played since

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2025

Legspinner Tanveer Sangha has been called into Australia’s squad for the T20Is against India with Adam Zampa unavailable for the start of the series due to personal reasons.Zampa’s wife Harriet is expecting their second child. He missed the first ODI in Perth due to travel distances involved before featuring in Adelaide, where he was Player of the Match, and Sydney. He is Australia’s leading wicket-taker in men’s T20Is.Sangha, 23, who plays for Sydney Thunder in the BBL, has seven T20I caps but has not played since 2023. He took 4 for 31 on his debut against South Africa.He took seven wickets in the three one-day matches for Australia A against India A on the recent tour and is currently the leading wicket-taker in the One-Day Cup with 10 wickets in four matches for New South Wales.If conditions warrant, Sangha could form a twin spin attack with left-armer Matt Kuhnemann.Australia have various moving parts in their T20I squad with multi-format players at various stages of their Ashes preparation. Josh Hazlewood will drop out after the first two matches in Canberra and Sydney while Sean Abbott will exit after the third game in Hobart.Mahli Beardman, the 20-year Western Australia and Perth Scorchers quick, who has yet to play a first-class match could make his T20I debut later in the series when he joins the squad from the third game onwards.

Will Arsenal have any of their injured attackers back?

Ahead of Sunday’s North London derby, as well as star centre-back Gabriel, Gooners fear that as many as six forward players could remain on the sidelines.

Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke have all been out long-term, with Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres and Martin Ødegaard joining them in the treatment room more recently.

So, if none are back, Mikel Arteta remains very short of forward options, which isn’t ideal considering games against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea are up next, meaning Mikel Merino could once again be thrust into the emergency centre-forward role.

With Ødegaard out, the Spaniard will have Eberechi Eze behind him, although the England international will need to improve upon his recent displays.

He did find the net for Thomas Tuchel’s side last week but hasn’t had much to cheer about in recent weeks beyond that.

Eberechi Eze's start to life at Arsenal

Eze’s move from Crystal Palace is the most excited the Arsenal fan base have been about a signing since Mesut Özil’s deadline day move from Real Madrid in 2013.

That’s not just because he is such an enthralling player, but the fact that he appeared destined to join Spurs, before a last-minute U-turn.

His presentation on the pitch prior to the first home game of the season against Leeds was genuinely a spine-tingling moment, but now the dust has settled, the discussion is around Eze’s performances.

Many suggested the England international had been signed to play on the left wing but, in the absence of Ødegaard, he has started the last eight Premier League and Champions League games in a more central role.

Well, so far, Eze has scored two goals and registered three assists, lashing in a spectacular scissor-kick against, who else, former club Crystal Palace in a 1-0 victory last month.

Nevertheless, supporters would like to see a little bit more end-product from their high-profile new addition, considering all the numerous absentees, aiming to add to his tally against Tottenham on Sunday; should he manage it, the roof might just come off.

Considering all their sidelined stars, determined not to allow another campaign to be derailed by injuries, could Andrea Berta and Arteta enter the transfer market in January, which opens in just 42 days, and attempt to bring “one of the best wingers in the world” to North London?

Arsenal targeting a world-class Eze upgrade

It was one of the sagas of the summer, but we’re back here again!

According to reports over recent days, Arsenal are willing to spend as much as £80m to sign Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, with further claims stipulating that Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester City have registered official offers for the player.

The 24-year-old has started just three times for los Blancos this season, included in Xabi Alonso’s lineup for just one of the last ten La Liga games, yet to score this season.

Despite this, Rodrygo did start both of Brazil’s friendlies during the international break, these against Senegal in North London and Tunisia in Lille, still very much trusted by Seleção boss Carlo Ancelotti, but could he push for a January move away from the Bernabéu to increase his chances of featuring prominently at the World Cup?

Thus, other reports in Spain claim that President Florentino Pérez would sanction a sale in January should a Premier League club bid £70m or more.

So would the winger be worth such heavy investment? Let’s compare his statistics last season to Eze to help answer that question.

Appearances

54

43

Minutes

3,453

3,303

Goals

14

14

Assists

11

11

Big chances missed

6

8

Shooting accuracy

53%

48%

Chances created per 90

2.3

2

Big chances created

9

11

Dribbles success %

58%

51.9%

Possession lost per 90

12.5

15.2

Touches per 90

67.1

54.9

As the table documents, the duo’s statistics were remarkably similar last season; the Brazilian played only 150 more minutes across all competitions, with Rodrygo and Eze both scoring 14 goals and registering exactly 11 assists apiece.

When looking at the underlying numbers though is where the difference is made apparent, with the Brazilian coming out on top when it comes to chances created, dribbling and touches per 90.

Spencer Mossman labels him “one of the best wingers in the world”, while Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham asserted that Rodrygo is “the most gifted player in the squad”, adding that he is “underrated” and “does a lot for the team”, something Arteta would certainly appreciate.

Thus, it is clear that Rodrygo and Eze are very different players, with the Englishman more of a chance creator, while the Brazilian is a direct winger who boasts blistering pace and the ability to take on and glide past defenders.

Right now, particularly with Martinelli, Madueke and Gyökeres in the treatment room, the Gunners would certainly benefit from adding someone with Rodrygo’s talent, skillset and quality, so could he be the final piece in the jigsaw as they chase that elusive first Premier League title for 22 years?

Arteta can fix Gabriel injury blow by unleashing Arsenal's £45m "beast"

After both Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori picked up injuries on international duty, Mikel Arteta must unleash Arsenal’s “physical” defender vs Spurs.

ByBen Gray Nov 16, 2025

Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves hat-tricks helped a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Portugal qualify for the 2026 World Cup with an emphatic 9-1 win over Armenia on Sunday. The Seleccao were without their iconic forward following his red card against Ireland, but virtuoso displays from Fernandes and Neves ensured they topped UEFA Group F thanks to a thumping victory.

After their shock loss to Ireland in midweek, Portugal seemed determined to right the wrongs of what happened in Dublin, and it took just seven minutes to ease fans' nerves when Fernandes' free-kick was pushed onto the post by Armenia goalkeeper Henry Avagyan, and Renato Veiga was on hand to head into the empty net. Boos were soon ringing around Sporting CP's stadium, however, when Eduard Sperstian bundled the ball home from close range after the Portuguese defence was cut open in the 18th minute. 

Not long after supporters held a minute's applause for the late Diogo Jota, Goncalo Ramos pounced on a poor back pass by Artur Serobyan to restore the home side's advantage, and less than 90 seconds later, Neves smashed in a first-time beauty from the edge of the box on the half-hour mark. Hopes of a comeback were well and truly over when Neves bent a brilliant curling free-kick in off the bar from 25 yards out to make it 4-1 four minutes before half-time, and moments after Joao Cancelo's effort was deflected onto the post, Portugal were awarded a penalty when Ruben Dias was hauled down in the box, and Fernandes duly dispatched the subsequent spot-kick in first-half stoppage time.

Portugal's relentless march forward continued when Fernandes swept home his side's sixth in the 51st minute after good, determined work from Ramos, and the Manchester United captain had his third goal of the day when he scored his second penalty after substitute Carlos Forbs was felled in the area. The 104th-ranked side in the world, Armenia seemed ready to put this game behind them when Neves grabbed his hat-trick with an acrobatic finish nine minutes from the end, and substitute Francisco Conceicao made it 9-1 at the death.

GOAL rates Portugal's players from Estadio do Dragao…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Diogo Costa (6/10):

  Was a virtual spectator for the majority of the contest, other than picking the ball out of his net for Armenia's goal. 

  Nelson Semedo (6/10):

  Was guilty of losing his man for Armenia's shock equaliser as he switched off at the crucial moment.

  Ruben Dias (7/10):

  Won his side a penalty just before the interval and led a defence that never really looked troubled, apart from the odd opening. 

  Renato Veiga (7/10):

  Was in the right place at the right time as he calmly headed Portugal into the lead. Will need to face stronger opposition to be a guaranteed starter, though.

  Joao Cancelo (5/10):

  The former Manchester City man was shrugged off too easily for Armenia's equaliser and also made some rash challenges. May need to improve to tie down a World Cup starting spot.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Midfield

  Joao Neves (10/10):

  Rifled in a terrific strike from 18 yards out to give Portugal a two-goal cushion and then backed that up with an even better goal, this time with a sumptuous free-kick. Scored a classy third for one of the best hat-tricks you are likely to see.

  Vitinha (8/10):

  The Paris Saint-Germain talisman ran the show in midfield. He danced past would-be tacklers with ease and looked so calm on the ball.

  Bruno Fernandes (9/10):

  Fired in a dangerous free-kick that directly led to Portugal's early opener and took his penalties well with a stuttering run-up. Executed a first-time finish with aplomb for his second, and could have had five goals rather than three.

• AFP
  

  Attack

  Bernardo Silva (6/10):

  Linked up nicely with his team-mates but left others to rip apart their overpowered opponents. 

  Goncalo Ramos (8/10):

  The striker showed good anticipation and clarity of thought to make it 2-1 with his interception goal and neatly assisted Fernandes as Portugal ran riot.

  Rafael Leao (6/10):

  His pace and power caused Armenia trouble, but he didn't get that many clear-cut chances during his 55-minute outing.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Carlos Forbs (7/10):

  Won his side a penalty not long after being introduced, as his speed and agility came to the fore.

  Francisco Conceicao (8/10):

  Was full of purpose and was a proper livewire off the bench. Worked hard for his goal, which he took very well, to make it 9-1 at the death.

  Joao Felix (5/10):

  Came on for his 50th Portugal cap but didn't do a great deal right.

  Ruben Neves (N/A):

  Didn't have much of the ball.

  Matheus Nunes (N/A):

  Had too little time to make an impression on the game.

  Roberto Martinez (7/10):

  Would not have been pleased with how his team conceded but was clearly delighted by the margin and manner of the victory. His substitutes had a positive impact, too.

Last season, Celtic reached the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in 12 years, agonisingly ousted by Bayern Munich, but now their hopes of Europa League progression are already in the balance.

After two league phase fixtures, Brendan Rodgers’ side have just a solitary point on the board, with Kelechi Iheanacho on target during a 1-1 draw with Crvena zvezda in Belgrade, before Braga prevailed 2-0 at Parkhead eight days later.

On Thursday night, Austrian champions Sturm Graz will be the latest visitors to Glasgow’s East End, fresh from beating Rangers 2-1 at Liebenauer Stadium earlier this month.

After this, the Celts’ remaining fixtures at Midtjylland (A), Feyenoord (A), Roma (H), Bologna (A) and Utrecht (H), none of which will be easy, underlining the importance of getting their European campaign up and running against die Schwoazn.

If the Hoops are to claim a first European win of the season, at the fifth attempt, Rodgers must make changes to his attack.

Why Yang Hyun-jun needs to be dropped

On Sunday, Celtic suffered their first domestic defeat of the season, beaten 2-0 by Dundee at Dens Park, both goals coming in the first 45.

Thus, at half-time, a clearly frustrated Rodgers made a double substitution, one which saw Yang Hyun-jun replaced by James Forrest.

The South Korean international registered just 25 touches and attempted zero dribbles, leading to Chris Sutton, speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage at the break, exclaiming “just get him off”, asserting that he’d offered absolutely nothing.

In total, since arriving from Gangwon FC in July 2023, Yang has scored just eight goals and accumulated only nine assists in 74 Celtic appearances, his sole strike of this season coming against Partick Thistle in the League Cup at Firhill.

With star attacker Daizen Maeda still sidelined, there is a void to fill in the Celtic forward line, but Rodgers must look elsewhere and make a change on Thursday night.

Rodgers must start Celtic's "terrific talent" vs Sturm Graz

As mentioned, it was Forrest who replaced Yang at the interval at Dens, with Michel-Ange Balikwisha not introduced until the 64th minute.

Despite limited minutes, he registered a shot on target and accumulated 20 touches, only one fewer than Iheanacho, who played the full 90 minutes, showing glimpses of what he’s capable of so far, certainly enough to warrant a start.

During his time at previous club Royal Antwerp, Balikwisha scored 30 goals and registered 17 assists in 145 games, at his best during the 2023/24 Jupiler Pro League season, his most recent campaign blighted by injuries, as the table below documents.

Goals

7

25th

Assists

6

13th

Progressive carries

85

10th

Shot-creating actions

69

30th

Goal-creating actions

10

13th

Big chances created

6

40th

Key passes

51

20th

Accurate crosses

33

18th

As the statistics outline, Balikwisha is a high-volume dribbler who is also capable of producing end-product, highlighted by the fact he ranked highly when it came to goal-creating actions, key passes and accurate crosses in the Belgian top-flight.

Journalist António Mango was certainly impressed, labelling him a “terrific talent”, while former Celtic player and manager Neil Lennon is “looking forward to seeing” what he can produce, optimistic he could be the club’s next “really good winger”.

Meantime, upon his arrival in Glasgow, Rodgers described him as a “really talented, exciting player” who “will be an important player for us moving forward”, noting that he “can play both sides of the pitch”, which makes him extra useful.

So, ahead of a pivotal fortnight of fixtures, in the absence of Maeda, Iheanacho will be the first-choice centre-forward, while fellow new recruit Sebastian Tounekti has cemented his spot in the starting lineup, impressing since arriving from Hammarby.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

This leaves one position up for grabs and Balikwisha definitely deserves the opportunity to stake a claim, likely to get the nod on the right, with Yang and veteran Forrest the alternative options, so the Belgian surely has to be in the XI come Thursday’s must win match.

Not just Yang & Scales: 18-touch Celtic dud must be dropped by Rodgers

Celtic suffered their first Premiership defeat of the season at Dundee on Sunday, and one flop, not Liam Scales or Yang Hyun-Jun, must be dropped.

ByBen Gray Oct 20, 2025

أسفرت قرعة دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية للموسم الحالي، 2025-2026، عن تواجد ممثلي مصر، الزمالك والمصري في مجموعة واحدة.

وأقيمت اليوم الإثنين، مراسم قرعة كأس الكونفدرالية، في العاصمة الجنوب إفريقية جوهانسبرج، لتحديد مجموعات بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

وجاء نادي الزمالك مع المصري، في المجموعة الرابعة في كأس الكونفدرالية بجانب أندية كايزر تشيفز الجنوب أفريقي وزيسكو يونايتد الزامبي.

ومن المقرر أن تكون مواجهة الزمالك ضد المصري في الجولتين الثالثة والرابعة من منافسات المجموعة الرابعة لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

طالع | نتائج قرعة كأس الكونفدرالية 2025-2026.. مجموعة نارية لـ الزمالك والمصري مواعيد مباريات المصري في كأس الكونفدرالية

الجولة الأولى: المصري أمام كايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي يوم 23 نوفمبر 2025 في مصر.

الجولة الثانية: زيسكو يونايتد الزامبي أمام المصري يوم 30 نوفمبر 2025 في زامبيا.

الجولة الثالثة: الزمالك أمام المصري يوم 25 يناير 2026 (مباراة الزمالك).

الجولة الرابعة: المصري أمام الزمالك يوم 1 فبراير 2026 (مباراة المصري).

الجولة الخامسة: كايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي أمام المصري يوم 8 فبراير 2026 في جنوب إفريقيا.

الجولة السادسة: المصري أمام زيسكو يونايتد الزامبي يوم 15 فبراير 2026 في مصر.

Hampshire 215 for 3 (Bouchier 92, McCaughan 68) beat Essex 190 for 7 (Winfield-Hill 69, Tyson 3-40) by 25 runsMaia Bouchier and Ella McCaughan pulverised 158 runs together as Hampshire recorded the fifth-highest T20 score in Utilita Bowl history to thrash Essex in the Women’s Vitality Blast.Bouchier hammered 92 off 53 balls, and McCaughan 68 in 39 in a brutal batting display on a stunning batting track.The 215 that Hampshire racked up was only bettered by three Hampshire Men scores and Australia Men at Utilita Bowl, and eclipsed the previous 197-run high in women’s matches at the ground.Lauren Winfield-Hill, on loan from Yorkshire, thumped 69 but couldn’t prevent Essex from falling to a 25-run defeat in front of 4378 spectators – a highest for a non-Hundred or international women’s match at the ground.Having been stuck in by Essex, it took four balls for the first boundary – McCaughan tickling around the corner – and for the following 19.2 overs the ball barely left the perimeter.Hampshire were without overseas Charli Knott due to visa issues, having left the country after the first Metro Bank One-Day Cup block.McCaughan was the initial trailblazer for the innings, with her off-side timing particularly strong, as Bouchier rotated the strike. But Bouchier ended the 78-run powerplay with three fours off both Kate Coppack and Eva Gray. Bouchier and McCaughan had strike-rates over 200 from the first six overs.Maddie Penna and Grace Scrivens slowed things for the two overs out of the powerplay, but only temporarily as the batters prioritised pushing runs over boundaries.Bouchier reached her half-century first in 31 balls, her 11th in T20s, before McCaughan reached the milestone for the second time in 28 deliveries.Bouchier then turned up the power. Boundaries flowed off her bat in 360 degrees, including a rarely seen switch hit. In her innings, she had more fours than dots, before adding to a huge six over the long midwicket rope.The first-wicket reached 158 runs, higher than any partnership during the Charlotte Edwards Cup era, before McCaughan was undone by a slower ball from Esmae MacGregor for a career-best 68.Bouchier fell one shy of her best of 93 when Scrivens bowled her, but the last four overs didn’t see a massive slowdown, as Freya Kemp’s first appearance of the summer returned 20 off 13, with Georgia Adams 22 off 13.Winfield-Hill copied Bouchier and McCaughan’s approach by thrashing a fifty in 26 balls but it couldn’t keep up with the required rate. Wickets fell regularly at the other end. Scrivens skied to mid-on, Lissy MacLeod pinged to long-on and Cordelia Griffiths picked out deep midwicket.Winfield-Hill was starved of boundaries out of the powerplay, and scored just one after reaching her half-century. The frustration caught up with her as she was excellently caught at short fine leg for 69.Australian Penna whacked a quartet of sixes over square in a scintillating 17-ball 38 but it wasn’t enough as she and Jo Gardner fell in the death overs, with Bex Tyson picking up 3 for 40.

MatériaMais Notícias

O lateral-direito Nathan, do Santos, é disputado por dois clubes portugueses. Um deles é o Famalicão, que é o mais próximo de ‘vencer’ a corrida pelo empréstimo de um ano pelo jogador. O Alvinegro já recebeu as propostas e deu o aval para que o negócio avance.

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Nathan está afastado do Peixe após um episódio de indisciplina. Na ocasião, o atleta foi cercado por torcedores do Peixe na saída de uma balada, em São Paulo, horas antes do treinamento no período da manhã, que aconteceria no CT Rei Pelé, na Baixada Santista. 

+ Já atualizou sua camisa de 2023? Confira os novos uniformes do Peixe!

O lateral-esquerdo Lucas Pires estava junto com o companheiro e também recebeu a punição da diretoria. O jogador teve o mesmo destino e foi emprestado, mas para o Cádiz, da Espanha.

Agora, a decisão da escolha para onde ir está nas mãos de Nathan. A tendência é que ela seja tomada em breve, ainda nesta semana. A tendência é que o vínculo tenha opção de compra, assim como o de Pires com o clube espanhol. 

Não será a primeira vez que Nathan jogará no futebol português. Antes de defender o Santos, o atleta atuava pelo Boavista. O lateral chegou ao Peixe no ano passado, com o Alvinegro Praiano assumindo uma dívida de R$ 7 milhões que o Boavista tinha com o Vasco, time que revelou o jogador. Os cariocas, inclusive, cobram a quantia da equipe santista. A situação está na Câmara Nacional de Resolução de Disputas (CNRD), órgão vinculado à CBF.

Nathan disputou 33 jogos com a camisa santista, sendo 24 deles nesta temporada. Em nenhum momento ele se firmou como dono da posição. No ano passado, ele dividia as atuações com Madson, que não teve contrato renovado. Já em 2023, a atlernância primeiro foi com João Lucas, depois com Gabriel Inocêncio.

They posted 217 and defended it with aplomb in dew-free conditions in Ahmedabad despite a fighting fifty from Hetmyer

Hemant Brar09-Apr-20253:43

Are GT contenders for the playoffs already?

B Sai Sudharsan and Prasidh Krishna once again stood up for Gujarat Titans (GT) as they beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 58 runs in Ahmedabad. This was GT’s fourth successive win in IPL 2025 and it took them to the top of the points table.After RR opted to bowl on a red-soil pitch, Sai Sudharsan’s 82 off 53 balls, his third half-century of the season, steered GT to 217 for 6. With no dew in the second innings, it proved way too steep for RR to chase down. Mohammed Siraj and Arshad Khan struck in the powerplay before Prasidh picked up 3 for 24 in the middle overs to keep RR on the back foot. Despite Shimron Hetmyer’s fighting fifty, RR were all out for 159 in 19.2 overs.Related

Team combination continues to be a problem for Royals

Prasidh, the silent superstar in Titans' mix-and-match attack

Samson fined INR 24 lakh for RR's second over-rate offence

Samson: 'We just went off the plan in the death overs'

Archer breathes fire againJofra Archer didn’t have a great start to IPL 2025. In his first two games, he conceded 109 from 6.3 wicketless overs. But he bounced back in his next two with a combined 4 for 38 from seven overs. He breathed fire tonight as well. In his first over, he rushed Sai Sudharsan with a 152.3kph bouncer. In his second, he got one to move in at 147.7kph and pegged back Shubman Gill’s off stump. His match-up against Gill in T20 cricket now reads: 15 balls, ten runs, three dismissals.For his former captain Jos Buttler, Archer had two slips, a short leg and a catching square leg, and welcomed him with a menacing bouncer that Buttler did well to evade. Buttler inside-edged the next ball just wide of short leg, and then pushed Archer through the covers for four.Sai Sudharsan continues his dream runSai Sudharsan generally takes time to get going. Here, he attacked right from the start. He ramped, scooped, drove and cut, and took his side to 50 in 5.1 overs. By the end of the powerplay, he had 39 against his name, off 22 balls. Only Wriddhiman Saha (54 vs Lucknow Super Giants in 2023) has scored more runs in an innings for GT in that phase.Buttler was on 12 off 13 at one point but hit four fours in his next six balls to move to 31 off 19. He and Sai Sudharsan added 80 off 46 balls before Maheesh Theekshana trapped Buttler lbw. After a brief dip in the scoring rate, M Shahrukh Khan opened up and smashed 36 off 20 to re-inject momentum.Sudharsan was dropped on 81 by Shubham Dubey off Archer in the 18th over, but he only added one more to his tally. Then Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan ransacked 30 in the last two overs to take GT past 200.1:36

What’s working for Prasidh Krishna this season?

Siraj, Arshad strike earlyRR did not have a great start. Yashasvi Jaiswal slashed Arshad to deep third in the second over of the chase and Nitish Rana did the same against Siraj in the next. Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag counter-attacked and added 48 off 26 balls for the third wicket. The stand was broken when Impact Sub Kulwant Khejroliya had Parag caught behind in the seventh over. Parag immediately reviewed the decision, confident that his bat had only hit the ground, but the third umpire thought otherwise, with Ultra Edge also bringing up a second spike when the ball passed the bat.Rashid into the actComing into this game, Rashid had picked up just one wicket in four outings. Tonight, he struck in his first over. It was a shortish ball that didn’t bounce as much as Dhruv Jurel expected, and Sai Sudharsan at deep midwicket gobbled up the mistimed pull.Rashid enjoys a favourable match-up against Hetmyer, having dismissed him six times in 63 balls for 79 runs before this game. He almost had Hetmyer lbw for a first-ball duck but the ball had pitched fractionally outside leg stump. From there on, Hetmyer dominated Rashid and hit him for 26 runs off 12 balls with the help of two fours and two sixes. However, Rashid was too good for RR’s Impact Sub Shubham Dubey and had him lbw for 1.Prasidh lands decisive blowsPrasidh is GT’s enforcer in the middle overs and he was at it once again. Just before Rashid snared Dubey, he had provided his side a crucial wicket. Samson and Hetmyer had taken RR to 115 for 4 in 12 overs, leaving them needing 103 off 48. Prasidh then dug one into the pitch. Samson went airborne to try and ride the bounce and steer it behind point, but ended up guiding it straight to short third.In his final over, the 16th over of the innings, Prasidh had Archer caught at mid-off and Hetmyer at deep-backward square-leg, both off short balls. With RR 145 for 8 after 16 overs, the result was sealed. They dragged their innings into the final over but that did little to reduce the margin of their defeat.

Hugo Ekitike has not been fined by Liverpool for a "stupid" red card as Arne Slot claimed that the striker is "allowed to make a mistake". The French forward, who came off the bench to score the decisive goal in Tuesday's 2-1 win against Southampton, was sent off just moments after taking off his shirt in celebration, earning a second booking having already picked up a yellow card.

• Red card chaos at Anfield

  Ekitike entered the Carabao Cup tie as a substitute for Alexander Isak in the second half. Within eight minutes, he was booked for punching the ball away after referee Thomas Bramall awarded Southampton a free-kick. The French striker redeemed himself in the 85th minute, tapping in a precise pass from Federico Federico Chiesa to put Liverpool ahead 2-1. In the heat of the moment, Ekitike removed his shirt to celebrate in front of the home fans, a decision that proved costly. The second yellow card came swiftly, and he was forced to walk down the tunnel, leaving Slot fuming.

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  Slot steps in to defend Ekitike

  Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace, Slot addressed rumours that Ekitike had been handed a two-week wage fine. The manager dismissed the claims and offered full backing for the striker.

  "Disciplined means a fine, which he didn’t get. I spoke to him," he said. "He said sorry straight away to his team-mates, he is young and players of all ages make mistakes and you are allowed at this club to make a mistake without getting fined."

• Lesson learnt by young striker

  Slot went on to praise Ekitike’s character, noting his warmth and professionalism off the pitch. "A fantastic human being. If you asked staff for top three warmest and polite players, he would be in there. So he can make a mistake," Slot said.

  "It wasn’t smart, it didn’t hurt us. It might hurt a bit more tomorrow but Chiesa is showing himself and a chance for him to play tomorrow off the bench."

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  Champions League test awaits Ekitike next

  Ekitike will be missing out on the trip to Crystal Palace due to suspension, but is set to return for Liverpool’s Champions League clash in Istanbul against Galatasaray next Tuesday. With a European showdown in midweek, the striker has the perfect opportunity to bounce back and show that the rash moment was simply a blip in the matrix.