Tag Futebol

The details of the proposal Chelsea are willing to offer for FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen have now been revealed.

Robert Sanchez has received his fair share of criticism this season, with the goalkeeper being brandished an early red card in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United, but he has since returned to form, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.

Speaking after the match, Sanchez said: “I feel confident, I am fit and at my best. I have always felt settled because the club always told me I am No. 1.

“But on a personal level and my performance I have to say yes (this is the most settled he has been at Chelsea).”

However, the Blues continue to be linked with new goalkeepers, with it being revealed they were offered the opportunity to sign Barcelona’s Ter Stegen at the end of October, and there has now been a new update on their pursuit of the German.

Chelsea willing to submit proposal for Ter Stegen

According to a report from Spain, Chelsea are now willing to offer to pay 75% of the Barca shot-stopper’s salary to secure his signature in the coming days, although the loan move would have to wait until the January transfer window opens.

The La Liga club are willing to sanction a departure this winter, with the 33-year-old potentially set to join the Blues on an initial loan deal, before making a permanent move to Stamford Bridge for a fee of €10m (£9m) in the summer.

The veteran goalkeeper would welcome a move to a new club, given that he is keen to receive more game time ahead of the World Cup next summer, with the lack of opportunities at Barcelona jeopardising his chances of being Germany’s starting goalkeeper.

The 44-time Germany international has fallen down the pecking order at the Camp Nou and is yet to make an appearance this season, so it would be understandable if he decides to move on in January, ahead of what could be his final World Cup.

Having established himself at the top level, the £281k-a-week Barcelona man could also be an upgrade on Sanchez, with journalist Graeme Bailey saying: “Ter Stegen is world-class, and if there is a chance to bolster your ranks with a player of this calibre for the second half of the season, I think he is a fascinating option for a number of sides in January.”

The former Borussia Monchengladbach star is vastly experienced in Europe, having made 85 Champions League appearances, while he also knows what it takes to win major trophies, lifting 19 major honours with Barcelona.

As such, Ter Stegen could be a fantastic signing for Chelsea, who arguably need to bring in older players with experience of winning trophies if they are going to become title contenders.

Chelsea ready to bid for Vinicius Jr alongside Ter Stegen

Bid ready: What BlueCo think about bringing Vinícius Júnior to Chelsea

The Blues have identified the man they want to become the face of their Stamford Bridge project.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Nov 1, 2025

Abhishek Sharma’s 12-ball half-century is the joint-third-fastest in all men’s T20 cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2025Abhishek Sharma has smashed a 12-ball half-century, playing for Punjab against Bengal in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match in Hyderabad on Sunday. It is the joint-third-fastest fifty and joint-second-fastest by an Indian in men’s T20 cricket.Opening the batting with Prabhsimran Singh, Abhishek took apart a bowling attack headlined by Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep, scoring at well over 15 runs an over against both of them as well as Saksham Choudhary and Writtick Chatterjee. Abhishek hit five fours and five sixes to get to his fifty, conceding just one dot ball in the 12 balls he had faced to get to the landmark.Though he never really threatened to run the record for the fastest century in men’s T20s close – Chauhan’s, in 27 balls – Abhishek did get to the mark in 32 balls before finishing on 148 in 52, with eight fours and 16 sixes. Abhishek, however, already has the record for the joint-second-fastest T20 century, off 28 balls, the same as Urvil Patel, who scored it for Gujarat against Tripura, also in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, last season.Punjab finished with 310 for 5 in their 20 overs, Prabhsimran smashing 70 in 35 balls, but his innings put in the shade by his partner. Punjab’s total was the second highest in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, behind Baroda’s 349 for 5 against Sikkim in Indore in December 2024. They went on to win the game by 112 runs.The fastest fifty in men’s T20s was scored by Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee, against Mongolia during the Hangzhou Asian Games in September 2023. India’s Ashutosh Sharma is at No. 2 on the list for his 11-ball fifty for Railways against Arunachal Pradesh in the 2023-24 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Abhishek is now the fifth batter to record a 12-ball fifty in the format. Yuvraj Singh was the first, with his innings at the 2007 T20 World Cup against England, which included six sixes in an over against Stuart Broad. Chris Gayle achieved it in the BBL, for Melbourne Renegades against Adelaide Strikers in January 2016. In October 2018 then, Afghaniostan’s Hazratullah Zazai matched it playing for Kabul Zwanan against Balkh Legends, featuring Gayle, in an Afghanistan Premier League game in Sharjah.The last instance was when Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan got there against Cyprus in an international match in Episkopi on his way to an unbeaten 41-ball 144.

كشف الدولي البرازيلي رافينها، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، حقيقة رحيله إلى الدوري السعودي.

وينتهي عقد رافينها مع برشلونة في عام 2028، ومع ذلك فإن برشلونة يفكر في التوقيع معه عقد طويل الأمد.

كان برشلونة قد حقق فوزًا على ريال بيتيس، خلال مباراة الفريقين مساء أمس السبت، ببطولة الدوري الإسباني لموسم 2025-2026.

وتغلب برشلونة على ريال بيتيس بنتيجة 5-3، وقد سجل فيران توريس “هاتريك”، روني باردجي، ولامين يامال من ضربة جزاء.

وأصبح رصيد برشلونة 40 نقطة في صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني، بفارق 4 نقاط عن ريال مدريد لحين نهاية مباريات الجولة.

اقرأ أيضًا | برشلونة يحقق رقمًا قياسيًا بعد مباراة ريال بيتيس في الدوري الإسباني

ونشرت تقارير صحفية سابقة، أن المملكة العربية السعودية تسعى للحصول على خدمات رافينها وقدمت له عروضًا مغرية ومبالغ مالية طائلة، وترغب بتحويله لأحد أبرز لاعبي دوري روشن.

وذكر أحد مقدمي المحتوى عبر “تيك توك” أن رافينها يقترب من الرحيل إلى الدوري السعودي، وفي ضوء ذلك، قال عبر حسابه على “انستجرام”: “لا أعرف من أين يأتون بكل هذا الهراء حقًا، حسنًا هذا حيث تظهر الأخبار الكاذبة دائمًا، أمر رائع”.

وعلقت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” على رد رافينها حيث أوضحت أن البرازيلي ينفي هذه الأنباء، ويوضح بشكل قاطع أن نيته هي الاستمرار في النادي الكتالوني، الذي جدد معه الصيف الماضي حتى يونيو 2028.

Despite making only 160 for 7, Pakistan cruise to a 93-run win in their Asia Cup opener

Danyal Rasool12-Sep-20251:59

Jaffer: Looks like Haris has worked on his game

Mohammad Haris’ fifty and a bowling performance far too good for an outmatched Oman side helped Pakistan cruise to a 93-run win in their Asia Cup opener. Haris smashed 66 off 43 deliveries in an innings where none of his team-mates were quite able to match his power or timing with the bat as he helped Pakistan get up to 160.Oman received early encouragement when a ball that kept low trapped the dangerous Saim Ayub in front. Sahibzada Farhan’s off-colour form persisted in a scratchy innings as Pakistan stumbled along to 31 in the first five overs, and it was up to Haris to inject impetus into the innings.Related

'Confidence, backing is needed for any player' – Haris repays Hesson's faith

Sixteen came off the final powerplay over, and that was the start of the onslaught. Until then, Haris had 16 off 18. His next 25 balls produced 50 as Pakistan raced up close to eight runs per over, but once again, Oman pegged them back. Aamir Kaleem, the left-arm spinner, was the pick of the Oman bowlers as he had Haris drag on, before Salman Agha lapped a full toss off his first delivery to deep midwicket.It produced another barren spell for Pakistan and the boundaries dried up again. Fakhar Zaman struggled for timing and Hasan Nawaz, so often a hammer at the death, couldn’t get himself in and holed out off his 15th ball for nine runs. But a cameo from Mohammad Nawaz, who arrived in the 17th over, ensured Pakistan got past the 150-mark.Mohammad Nawaz contributed with both bat and ball•AFP/Getty Images

But Kaleem’s three wickets, and the overall assistance the Oman spinners got, suggested this might well end up being comfortably above par, especially in the face of Pakistan’s more accomplished spin options.And so it proved. A bright beginning for Oman’s batters was waylaid by a double strike from Saim Ayub in the powerplay. Nawaz and Pakistan’s two wristspinners Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed dried up the batters’ scoring options, and Oman began to bleed wickets. With the field spreading out and the asking rate rising, panic set in, and the innings began to capitulate. Oman slipped from 41 for 2 to 51 for 9 before being bowled out for 67; flashes of ability drowned under the gulf in quality Pakistan were able to bring to bear upon the contest.Haris takes chargeIt is knocks like these that keep Pakistan persisting with Haris through extended poor runs. He had scored just 54 runs in 11 innings before this game, but he was promoted up the order into the powerplay today. That is his strength, and having cut loose in the sixth over, he continued pumping the Oman bowlers, almost single-handedly maintaining Pakistan’s imposing run rate.2:11

Will Pakistan back this XI against India?

Farhan’s struggles at the other end threw Haris’ exploits into sharper relief. Even with the field spread out, Haris, having found his timing, continued to take on the boundary riders. His third six brought up just his second 50-plus score in the format, before a boundary the following ball saw him match his runs tally from the previous 11 innings. The 43 balls he faced for his 66 makes just this three deliveries short of his longest T20I innings in his 29-match career, and one that singlehandedly resurrected an innings that had begun to wobble.Pakistan spin lays waste to OmanSpecialist fast bowlers have dropped down the pecking order in T20I cricket under Mike Hesson, but playing just the one in Shaheen Shah Afridi still came as a bit of a surprise at the toss. Oman began the chase in a solid manner and were 32 for 2 by the end of the fifth over. But Saim Ayub had taken both those wickets, and Pakistan began to unleash the rest of their spinners on this line-up that may never had played against bowling of this quality.Abrar, Nawaz and Muqeem first asphyxiated them, and then the wickets began to fall. Muqeem took out Mohammad Nadeem to make it 41 for 3, and from thereon it was a procession. Nawaz got into the act before Muqeem doubled up the following over. Afridi and Faheem Ashraf helped themselves as Oman lost seven wickets for ten runs, imparting upon the scoreline a tinge of embarrassment Oman’s bowlers certainly did not deserve.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo conheceu seus adversários na Libertadores 2024, após sorteio realizado na segunda-feira (18), na sede da Conmebol, no Paraguai.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

➡️Com R$100, você pode faturar R$2000 na Lance! Betting com o futuro campeão da Libertadores 2024!

A maior probabilidade era de que o Glorioso cruzasse o caminho de outro time brasileiro na competição. Em apenas dois grupos a equipe treinada pelo interino Fábio Matias não enfrentaria alguma equipe do Brasil, e foi exatamente isso que o sorteio proporcionou.

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Presente no pote quatro por ter avançado na fase preliminar da Libertadores, o Botafogo caiu na chave com LDU (EQU), Junior Barranquilla (COL) e Universitario (PER).

A equipe equatoriana é a atual campeã da Sul-Americana, o Junior conquistou a vaga pelo título do Torneio Finalização da Colômbia e o Universitario levantou a taça do Campeonato Peruano em 2023.

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LOGÍSTICA

Com viagens a países distantes do Rio de Janeiro (Equador, Colômbia e Peru), o Botafogo é o brasileiro que enfrentará a maior quilometragem na Libertadores. Serão quase 27 mil km para percorrer, entre ida e volta.

DATAS

Os dias e horários exatos das partidas da Libertadores não foram divulgados, mas o Botafogo sabe que o primeiro adversário é o Junior Barranquilla, da Colômbia, em casa.

continua após a publicidade1ª rodada (2 a 4 de abril): Botafogo x Junior Barranquilla (Colômbia)2ª rodada (9 a 11 de abril): LDU (Equador) x Botafogo 3ª rodada (23 a 25 de abril): Botafogo x Universitario (PER)4ª rodada (7 a 9 de maio): Botafogo x LDU (Equador)5ª rodada (14 a 16 de maio): Universitario (PER) x Botafogo 6ª rodada (28 a 30 de maio): Junior Barranquilla (Colômbia) x Botafogo

Tudo sobre

BotafogoLibertadoresLibertadores 2024

Manchester United’s run of three wins in a row came to an end away to Nottingham Forest.

The Red Devils were held 2-2 by Sean Dyche’s side. A late goal ensured that Ruben Amorim’s side will travel back up to Manchester with a point.

It was the Red Devils who took the lead in the first half. United midfielder Casemiro got himself on the scoresheet for a second consecutive game, this time scoring a header from a corner, delivered by Bruno Fernandes.

Despite going into the break 1-0 up, United were soon trailing. Within five minutes of the restart, Forest took the lead. Morgan Gibbs-White headed home a cross from Rob Yates before Nicolo Savona got on the end of a scrap in the penalty box and tapped in from yards out.

It needed something special for United to find an equaliser, and luckily, that was provided to them by Amad. The Ivorian winger sweetly struck a volley from the edge of the area on his left foot, with his first-time effort nestling into the back of the net.

Despite the result, Casemiro’s performance will certainly please Amorim.

Casemiro's performance vs. Forest

Brazil international Casemiro has enjoyed a spectacular rejuvenation under Amorim. Once told to “leave the football before the football leaves you” by Jamie Carragher, United’s number 18 showed at the City Ground why he is such a key player.

After his goal and assist against Brighton last weekend, the experienced midfielder was back in the goals. His header came relatively unchallenged from Fernandes’ corner, although there is a debate as to whether or not a corner was the right decision. It is not clear that the ball went out.

His numbers across the game show how well he played. Casemiro completed 82% of his passes and created an impressive three chances. The former Real Madrid star also won 10 duels and three out of three tackles.

Steven Railston, Red Devils journalist for the Manchester Evening News, gave United’s midfield general a 6/0 for his efforts. He noted the “brilliant” goal and explained that it was his first 90 minutes of the season in the top flight.

Casemiro’s performance was certainly an impressive one. He has been able to turn his career under Amroim around and is now a key player.

However, he is not the only player in that mould who stood out at the City Ground.

Another Man Utd star has revived his career

There were certainly some strong performers in a United shirt despite the fact that they could only manage a draw in Nottingham. Casemiro was, of course, one of those players, and he ended up scoring a crucial goal.

At the other end of the pitch, it was another experienced player who stood out for the Red Devils. Luke Shaw has enjoyed a huge rejuvenation under Amorim this season, too, and his performance against Forest was commanding.

Operating in that left centre-back role once again, the England international was excellent off the ball, winning seven duels from nine attempted. As you would expect from a player with his technical quality, Shaw completed 61 out of 67 passes.

Touches

79

Pass accuracy

91%

Passes completed

61/67

Opposition half passes completed

26/31

Ground duels won

4/5

Aerial duels won

3/4

Tackles won

3/3

One person who saw how well Shaw played against the men in Garibaldi Red was United fan channel host Mark Goldbridge. He said the Red Devils’ number 23 was the “best player on the pitch” in the first half.

That certainly sums up how well the England defender performed at the City Ground. He was excellent off the ball and offered great progression when he had it. After a tough season with injury last year, the United defender has shone in 2025/26.

Shaw has certainly turned his career under Amorim around, becoming a key part of his back three. The game against Forest was a prime example of his class.

Amorim has homegrown Wharton in Man Utd star who had a "meteoric rise"

Manchester United may already have their own version of Adam Wharton at the club.

ByDan Emery Oct 31, 2025

أعلن المستشار أحمد عبد الحميد بودي، رئيس اللجنة القضائية المشرفة على الجمعية العمومية العادية لنادي الزمالك ونائب رئيس هيئة النيابة الإدارية، عن عدم اكتمال النصاب القانوني لصحة انعقاد الجمعية العمومية العادية المقامة اليوم بمقر القلعة البيضاء، بعد تسجيل 1128 عضوا.

وبناء عليه يكلف مجلس الزمالك بجميع الاختصاصات فيما عدا بند الميزانية، حيث يتم إرساله إلى الجهة الإدارية المختصة، لإرسالها للجهاز المركزي للمحاسبات.

وضمت اللجنة القضائية المشرفة على عملية التسجيل في الجمعية العمومية العادية لنادي الزمالك كلًا من: “المستشار محمد سامح – المستشار محمد يسري – المستشار حسن الغزاوي – المستشار هشام قطب”.

طالع | تشكيل الزمالك أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية في كأس الرابطة المصرية

وحرص الكابتن حسين لبيب رئيس مجلس إدارة النادي، على التواجد في الجمعية العمومية العادية للقلعة البيضاء، ومتابعة سير إجراءات التسجيل بالجمعية قبل غلقها في السابعة من مساء اليوم.

كما حرص على التواجد كل من المهندس هشام نصر نائب رئيس النادي، وحسين السيد وهاني شكري وهاني برزي وعمرو أدهم ومحمد طارق ورامي نصوحي وأحمد خالد حسانين أعضاء مجلس الإدارة.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vitória já tem um treinador definido para a próxima temporada. Em entrevista coletiva concedida à imprensa, no Barradão, o presidente Fábio Mota confirmou a permanência de Jair Ventura por mais um ano.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasVitóriaVitória tem temporada agonizante, se reinventa e fica na elite por um fioVitória09/12/2025VitóriaVeja artilheiro, garçom e números do Vitória na temporada 2025Vitória10/12/2025

✅ Clique aqui e siga o canal do Leão no WhatsApp para ficar por dentro das últimas notícias

— Peço desculpas pelos erros cometidos pela gestão, sempre foi tentando acertar. Mas vamos melhorar em 2026, já temos uma base montada. Por isso eu queria comunicar a todos que nós renovamos com o treinador Jair Ventura, que será nosso técnico por mais um ano. Esse era o principal objetivo dessa coletiva — declarou Mota antes mesmo do início das perguntas.

Contratado no final do mês de setembro para tentar salvar o time da zona de rebaixamento, Jair Ventura confirmou seu status de “bombeiro”, organizou a equipe e comandou a arrancada na reta final que manteve o Rubro-Negro na elite do futebol brasileiro. Depois da vitória contra o São Paulo no último domingo, a equipe fechou a Série A na 15ª posição, com 45 pontos.

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Jair Ventura fez 14 jogos à frente do Rubro-Negro, com sete vitórias, dois empates e cinco derrotas (54,7% de aproveitamento) e conseguiu, pela quarta vez na carreira, livrar uma equipe do rebaixamento. Ele já tinha passado por experiências similares no Sport, Juventude e Goiás.

➡️Veja artilheiro, garçom e números do Vitória na temporada 2025

Projeção para o Vitória em 2026

Agora Jair Ventura vai ter a oportunidade de não só apagar o “fogo”, como também conduzir um projeto a longo prazo no Vitória. A equipe estreia contra o Atlético de Alagoinhas no dia 10 ou 11 de janeiro, pela primeira rodada do Campeonato Baiano, no Barradão. A equipe ainda vai disputar a Copa do Nordeste, Copa do Brasil e Campeonato Brasileiro.

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— A ideia é que Rodrigo Chagas seja o treinador do Vitória no Baianão, usando alguns jogadores que vão voltar de empréstimo, como Pablo, que está no Guarani, José Breno e até mesmo Kauan, que não teve muita oportunidade no Vitória. Além de outros jogadores que também não tiveram chances no elenco. A nossa grande meta é o Campeonato Brasileiro — esclareceu Fábio Mota.

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BrasileirãoFutebol NacionalVitória

He scaled a peak in Newlands with technique, temperament, and heart in the right place

Firdose Moonda04-Jan-2025Kyle Verreynne has done what no other South African batter has managed this decade: score a fourth Test hundred.That isn’t the most impressive stat on a day where Ryan Rickelton became the first South African to score a double hundred at home in nine years and the second-highest individual score at Newlands but it speaks to two things just as important: consistency and confidence. Verreynne, who has scored three centuries this season, now has both. And it’s thanks to a change in attitude.”Towards the end of that first stint of Test career, I sort of got caught up in technique and what you guys are saying on Twitter,” Verreynne said afterwards. “Since then, I’ve deleted Twitter and now every time I go out there, the only thing I care about is getting runs. I don’t think I’m really scared to get out anymore. I think probably before I got left out, I really put a lot of emphasis on how I look and how I get out and stuff like that. Now I’m not too bothered.”Related

'I don't buy this thing about us beating nobody' – Conrad responds to Vaughan's criticism

Pakistan's paceship crashes in front of Table Mountain

Bavuma, Rickelton prove, in their own special ways, that they can and they will

Rickelton's marathon 259, Verreynne century thump hapless Pakistan

Stats – Verreynne emulates de Villiers; Rickelton follows Amla

The first stint he referred was 14 Tests long between June 2021 and January 2023, where Verreynne averaged 28.60 and was best remembered for a second innings 136* in New Zealand. Those runs were not enough to convince Test coach Shukri Conrad to keep Verreynne in the squad when he took over in February 2023. He put Verreynne on what the pair now refer to as a “sabbatical,” amid sweeping selection changes that also included dropping Lungi Ngidi and picking Temba Bavuma as captain over Dean Elgar.Conrad explained his reasoning to ESPNcricinfo before this Test: “I wanted to shake things up a bit, I wanted to see how people came back and I wanted to get a reaction. But I was also very clear in terms of how I wanted to play our cricket and I was always going to go with the devils I know. I didn’t really know Kyle Verreynne.”Conrad knew Heinrich Klaasen and preferred the instinctive way he went about his game and let Verreynne know that. “He was probably the first coach that I’ve had that explained his thinking to me thoroughly,” Verreynne said. “He explained exactly why I wasn’t playing. I went on an A tour to Sri Lanka (with Conrad) after that ever since then, I’ve just really felt backed by him. It was also an opportunity to sort of clear the mind and sort of get back to the way that I normally play.”While Verreynne did not score many runs on that A tour, he had the opportunity to get to know Conrad. After Klaasen only scored 56 runs in four innings against West Indies, it was a no-brainer to recall Verreynne. In the end, “it panned out okay,” Conrad joked. “Kyle has come back really nicely.”Kyle Verreynne played aggressor to Ryan Rickelton’s anchor•AFP/Getty ImagesSo nicely that Verreynne now feels he can play with freedom, as he did on a flat deck at Newlands on Saturday. There were nervy moments upfront, and he survived two Pakistan reviews for lbw when he was on 5 and then on 31; but against an exhausted attack and with almost no pressure on him, he cashed in. Notably, he struck a good balance between being watchful on the off side, especially when Pakistan put two short covers in place and offered width, attacking on the leg-side, where he hit all of his five sixes.Verreynne also played the aggressor role to Rickelton’s anchor to perfection and scored 100 of the 148 runs in his partnership with Rickelton. As an indicator of how quickly Verreynne moved through the gears, he was on 15 when Rickelton got to 200 and reached his century before Rickelton crossed 228.Though Verreynne said there was “no real plan to be aggressive,” he ended up playing that way because the conditions and the opposition allowed it. “When I came in, they had just taken the new ball, so it was quite challenging for that first period and then I got a short ball that I hit for six and that got me ticking a little bit,” he said. “For some reason, it just felt to me like they were going to go short. I premeditated a little bit and just tried to hit it because there’s also a short side of the field.”By lunch, he was on 74 and had started to think of three figures. “I was getting a bit emotional probably when I was on 70-odd. I had a feeling things were going well so I might get there,” he said. “And it’s the first time my mum’s been here to watch me get a Test hundred. Having my mom here and my brother was really, really special for me.”More so because of who was not here. Verreynne’s long-time domestic and current international batting coach Ashwell Prince’s seat in the changeroom was empty after his wife Melissa passed away last Sunday. Much of this week has been spent remembering Melissa and mourning with Ashwell and their three young sons, all of whom are close to Verreynne.”I lost my dad a few years ago (as an adult), so I probably can’t relate to exactly what the three kids are going through. Ashy P was someone who became a father figure to me and helped me through my life for the last couple of years. So, to see what he and the kids are going through is really, really difficult,” Verreynne said. “Every time you step into the changing room and you see that Ashwell’s not there, it’s really hard. We’re just trying to embrace it and do him proud and do that family proud. Hopefully we can get a Test win and sort of dedicate it to that family.”

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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  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.