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Bosch, promoted to No. 3, struggled with her strike-rate in challenging batting conditions while the spinners couldn’t exert control

Firdose Moonda07-Oct-20243:01

Takeaways: Kapp too low, Wyatt-Hodge in full glow

The Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 still needs a proper fire-starter but it got a slow-burner in the first almost-nail-biter, which asked more questions of the last edition’s losing finalists South Africa, than it did of the team they beat then, England.That says as much about the development of South Africa as it does about the expectation on them. They have lost 20 of the 25 T20Is they’ve played against England. But as a team that have progressed steadily since professionalisation in 2014, South Africa are now supposed to push the big three – England, Australia and India. Their falling short will be a cause for careful critique, especially as their search for a semi-final spot continues.The first question will come over the batting because despite setting the best first innings score in five games in Sharjah, South Africa still did not do enough. Their 124 looked around “10 to 20 runs short,” Laura Wolvaardt said at the post-match presser, especially after they started strongly with 31 runs from the first five overs. Tazmin Brits was dismissed on the first ball of the sixth over, trying to create a boundary opportunity by advancing against Linsey Smith. South Africa then stalled. Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch played out seven boundary-less overs after the powerplay, which raises concerns about South Africa’s approach.Related

• October 9 at T20 World Cup: SA look to get back to winning ways; Harmanpreet fit to play for India vs SL

• Senior pros put on a Sharjah show to extend England's unbeaten start

• Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone lead England to classy victory

The obvious one is why they chose to send in Bosch ahead of Marizanne Kapp, the player they have used at No. 3 for most of the build-up to the tournament. Wolvaardt suggested it was a management decision.”She’s traditionally batted three for us in the past but Annneke was striking it really well leading up to this and Marizanne obviously has quite a hectic workload as a seam-bowling all-rounder,” Wolvaardt said. “I think that’s something that our batting coach Baakier Abrahams here has been thinking about it for many hours in his room and I’m sure he has a reason behind the line-up as it is.” But Wolvaardt said she would, “definitely open to any changes.”If the coaching staff feel the same way, it is simply a change back to what seemed to be their pre-tournament plans, when Kapp herself embraced the prospect of batting higher up the order. If they don’t, that might be in keeping with some unusual tournament trends, which has seen other batters also coming in out of position, seemingly for workload reasons.Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, who had been promoted to No.5 in the pre-tournament series against South Africa, has returned to No.7. Asked on two occasions for the reasons behind that, she maintained it was a team decision but Sana’s ability for Pakistan (her 30 against Sri Lanka won them their opening game) is as clear as Kapp’s for South Africa and both should be batting higher up.Marizanne Kapp looked comfortable on a tough batting surface•ICC/Getty ImagesIn South Africa’s case that would also offer some cushioning to Bosch, who struggled with her strike-rate in challenging batting conditions. She had 14 scoring shots for her 18 runs and faced 12 dot balls which built pressure on the middle order when she was dismissed. Everyone from Bosch down had not batted in the opening game, and on surfaces like these, time in the middle is the best way to craft an approach. Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus and Nadine de Klerk will all want to be able to offer more in future fixtures.The other reason South Africa struggled to score was the efficacy of England’s spinners, who had the advantage of experience in Sharjah, on a slow pitch. Sophie Ecclestone was particularly difficult to get away and her stump-to-stump line produced 10 dot balls and had the best economy rate of the match: 3.75. Contrastingly, South Africa’s two left-arm spinners Nonkululeko Mlaba and Tryon conceded 47 runs in seven overs between them, the latter conceding 25 in three overs.”Our spinners just lacked a little bit of control in the middle,” Wolvaardt said. “I felt like their spinners didn’t leave the stumps at all and it was really difficult to get away. But in saying that, it is quite hard to bowl to batters where it seems like all of them have a lap and a reverse sweep and it’s hard to set fields for that.”That leaves South Africa with something of a conundrum because they went from a raft of resources against West Indies three days ago to looking as though they lacked a little something in Sharjah. Their options were to include an extra seamer in Tumi Sekhukhune, although an extra pacer did not seem like an immediately sensible option in Sharjah, or to take a punt on the 18-year old legspinner Seshnie Naidu, which may have felt like throwing her to the wolves. Either way, that would have come at the expense of a batter, likely Annerie Dercksen, whose 20 not out off 11 balls showed why South Africa could not afford to do that.Getting the team combination right in Sharjah is tricky, especially as South Africa had not even seen the venue before the game. Training sessions are held at the ICC Academy in Dubai so they came into this game blind on actual experience, even though they kept an eye on proceedings on the television. They may look back and think they did not get it quite right and can use this match to consider how to approach things if they find themselves back here.South Africa do not play any more group games in Sharjah and next face Scotland in a day game and Bangladesh in a night game in Dubai. They could, however, find themselves playing a semi-final in Sharjah and if they get there, will want to show they have learnt their lesson.

The good times keep rolling for Arsenal this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are flying in the Premier League, unbeaten in the Champions League and now through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

The North Londoners had the tough task of beating Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night, and they did so even with an almost entirely changed starting lineup.

There were impressive displays across the pitch for the hosts, including from Max Dowman, and if that wasn’t enough good news, Hale End is already brewing another version of the teenage sensation.

Dowman's performance against Brighton

Several Arsenal players shone against Brighton, from Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly to the centre-back pairing of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

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However, when it comes to the starter who got everyone talking and the fans on their feet the most, it’s impossible to ignore Dowman.

The 15-year-old became the youngest player to start a game in the club’s history, but you wouldn’t have guessed that from the way he played.

From the first minute until he was taken off, the Hale End gem gave the Seagulls’ backline hell, so much so that within no time at all, they were forced to double and triple team him.

Amazingly, that did little to stop him, and by the time he was taken off for Bukayo Saka in the 71st minute, he had completed five of nine dribbles – the most of anyone – played one key pass, won nine of 14 ground duels and won a foul.

Dowman’s game vs Brighton

Minutes

71′

Touches

34

Dribbles (Successful)

8 (5)

Fouls Won

4

Accurate Passes

14/16

Ball Recoveries

3

Ground Duels (Won)

14 (9)

Key Passes

1

All Stats via Sofascore

Described as a “certified worldie of a talent” by analyst Rohan Jivan, the young Englishman was utterly sensational on the night, but given his performances earlier this season and in the summer, it was hardly a surprise.

With all that said, Dowman is still just a child, and as such, Arteta and Co have to be incredibly careful with how they manage him. Therefore, it may be a couple of years before he starts playing games regularly.

However, by that time, there might be another unreal Hale End talent playing alongside him in the team.

Hale End's next Max Dowman

Now, it must be said that Dowman currently appears to be a genuinely generational talent, the kind of player who will regularly compete for Ballon d’Ors in the future.

Therefore, the likelihood of Arsenal producing another talent of equal calibre in the coming years is extremely low.

However, that doesn’t mean the club won’t have another young gem who could come into the side and make them far more dangerous in attack while having some of the same skills as the 15-year-old.

In fact, there are a few players in Hale End today who could do just that, but one of the ones who feels most likely to succeed and follow Dowman into the side is Ceadach O’Neill.

The extremely exciting Northern Irishman joined the club from Linfield on an initial trial in November 2023 and has been a star of the academy ever since.

O’Neill’s Versatility

Position

Games

G

A

Right Winger

11

2

3

Left Winger

7

3

1

Centre-Forward

5

4

1

Right Midfield

2

0

1

Left Midfield

1

0

0

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Like Dowman, the 17-year-old has already shown a great deal of positional versatility, as he’s played on both wings, up front and in wide midfield.

Moreover, he’s no stranger when it comes to chipping in with goal involvement, as in just ten appearances this season, he has already scored five goals and provided three assists.

Described as “brilliantly” talented by the Gunners’ U21 coach David Horseman, the Kilrea-born dynamo is also someone who could get the fans on their feet.

For example, one analyst has highlighted his “great technique, impressive ball striking and finishing with both feet,” which sounds quite a bit like the youngster who started on Wednesday night.

Ultimately, it’s still so early on in his career, but O’Neill looks like someone who could follow Dowman into the first team in the coming years and potentially form a brilliant partnership with him.

Related Supercomputer predicts if Arsenal will break Chelsea's defensive record

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Posts ByBen Goodwin Oct 30, 2025

There are set to be at least five seasons and it will be the first professional women’s cricket event in Saudi Arabia

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2025FairBreak and Saudi Cricket have announced a five-year partnership to host the Women’s World T20 Challenge in Saudi Arabia from 2026. It is set to be the first professional women’s cricket event in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Cricket and FairBreak said in a release that the competition will feature players from more than 35 countries.FairBreak is a private company founded in 2013 that aims to improve gender equality in sport and previously hosted the FairBreak Global Invitational T20 in 2022 and 2023 in Dubai and Hong Kong respectively. A third edition was planned in 2023 in the USA but it was initially postponed to 2024 and eventually didn’t come to fruition.The FairBreak Invitational was fully sanctioned by the ICC and had six teams. It featured international stars like Chamari Athapaththu, Sophie Ecclestone, Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp among others. However, the BCCI did not give No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the Indian players. It is also unclear as of now if any Indian players will feature in the new T20 tournament.The announcement said new T20 league is “in alignment with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030” and among its objectives are to develop women’s cricket talent through structured training programmes and pathways, to raise public awareness and inspire the next generation of players, to enhance international collaboration, and to bring in players from more than 35 countries.The Women’s World T20 Challenge will see Saudi Arabia increase its presence on the cricket map. The IPL auction was held in Jeddah in 2024 and the country was also poised to back a new Grand-Slam-style circuit of T20 tournaments. Saudi Arabia is also set to host some games in the future seasons of the ILT20.

Liverpool are reportedly considering leaving Mohamed Salah at home when they travel to Milan for their latest Champions League clash with Inter. Bosses at Anfield are said to be mulling over what to do with the Egyptian superstar following his explosive outburst in which he accused the club of throwing him “under the bus” and admitted to having no relationship with Reds manager Arne Slot.

• Bench duty: Salah named among the substitutes in three successive games

  The comments were made in the wake of a thrilling 3-3 draw at Leeds that saw Salah named among the substitutes for a third successive game. He failed to make it off the bench at Elland Road, with Slot favouring alternative options.

  Salah cut a frustrated figure throughout a disappointing evening in West Yorkshire that saw Liverpool collapse in spectacular fashion – having led 2-0 and 3-2 – to drop more precious Premier League points. Their superstar forward aired his frustration afterwards.

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• AFP
  

  Thrown under the bus: What Salah said in stunning rant

  Salah said: “The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I'm very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I'm sitting on the bench and I don't know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That's how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame. I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am in the bench for three games so I can't say they keep the promise.

  “I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don't have any relationship. I don't know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn't want me in the club. This club, I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much. I will always do. I called my mum yesterday – you guys didn't know if I would start or not, but I knew.

  “Yesterday I said to them, come to the Brighton game [on 13 December]. I don't know if I am going to play or not, but I am going to enjoy it. In my head, I'm going to enjoy that game because I don't know what is going to happen now. I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go to Africa Cup of Nations. I don't know what is going to happen when I am there.”

• Does Salah have a future at Liverpool? Transfer speculation

  The 33-year-old forward went on to say of his situation: “It is not acceptable for me. I don't know why this is happening to me. I don't get it. I think if this was somewhere else, every club would protect its player. How I see it now is like you throw Mo under the bus because he is the problem in the team now. But I don't think I am the problem. I have done so much for this club.

  “After what I have done for the club it really hurts. You can imagine, really. After going from home to the club and you don't know if you are starting. I know the club too well, I have been here many years. Tomorrow [Jamie] Carragher is going to go for me again and again and that's fine.”

  Quizzed on whether he has any future on Merseyside, having signed a two-year contract extension over the summer, Salah said: “I cannot say it is impossible, but from what I feel, I have done so much for the club, I love the fans and the club so much, but I don't know what is going to happen next.”

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  Left at home: Liverpool consider leaving Salah out of Inter clash

  The reports on how Liverpool are now “facing a decision” on Salah and their plans for a European trip to San Siro. The Reds are due to travel to Italy on Monday, with club chiefs “still deciding whether to punish” their superstar No.11. It is added by that Slot still has the club's backing despite this incident and another disappointing result against Leeds.

  The Reds are scheduled to train at 11.45am before flying to Milan. Slot and one first-team player are obliged to speak with the media at 6.30pm UK time. The stunning Salah situation will be addressed during that press conference.

  It may be that a man with 250 goals for Liverpool through 420 games is left behind and does not form part of Slot’s travelling party. He is yet to start a Champions League away game this season. Whoever Slot calls upon against Inter, he needs them to deliver as questions are being asked of his future – a matter of months out from landing the Premier League title – with just one win being secured through the Reds’ last six games in all competitions.

ACC president makes statement following a meeting with other Asian boards on Tuesday

Danyal Rasool01-Oct-2025

ACC president Mohsin Naqvi is insistent on handing over the Asia Cup to India in person•Associated Press

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi has doubled down on his refusal to give India, the winners of the Asia Cup, the trophy unless the team accepts it from him in person.”As ACC President, I was ready to hand over the trophy that very day and I am still ready now,” Naqvi said in a post on X. “If they truly want it, they are welcome to come to the ACC office and collect it from me.”Naqvi’s statement follows the most recent ACC meeting, which he chaired in Dubai on Tuesday. The BCCI, represented by vice-president Rajeev Shukla and former board treasurer Ashish Shelar, attended remotely. It is understood no resolution was reached on whether Suryakumar Yadav’s team would be handed the trophy and the winners’ medals.In the minutes following the Asia Cup final on Sunday, there was a standoff between the Indian team and Naqvi, who is also the PCB chairman and Pakistan’s interior minister, that delayed the presentation ceremony for more than an hour. The Indian captain and team refused to accept the trophy and medals from Naqvi, who had made his way on to the podium. Ultimately, Kuldeep Yadav, Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma received their individual awards from other dignitaries on stage, while the trophy was carried off by an ACC official. India ended up celebrating on stage, but without the trophy or winners’ medals.The standoff was the culmination of an acrimonious relationship between India and Pakistan throughout the Asia Cup. India refused to shake hands with any of the Pakistan players on the field, either before the toss or after the games – a stance Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha repeatedly criticised them for. After the first India-Pakistan game in the Asia Cup on September 14, India captain Suryakumar Yadav made comments that ended up costing him an ICC charge and 30% of his match fee.In the second game on September 21, Haris Rauf’s gestures to the crowd cost him a similar monetary fine. Following the second game, Suryakumar suggested that the lopsided win-loss record between the two sides meant it wasn’t a rivalry anymore, before India won a thrilling final against Pakistan – the first ever India-Pakistan clash in an Asia Cup final.With the Indian and Pakistani men’s teams having played in the Asia Cup on three successive Sundays, the women’s teams are set to face each other in the ongoing Women’s ODI World Cup in Colombo on October 5.

A wicketless powerplay at a shade under 10 an over allied with a Tanzid Hasan fifty gave Bangladesh the ideal platform, but Afghanistan’s death overs mastery restricted Bangladesh to 154 for 5 in Abu Dhabi.The spin twins of Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan were exemplary once again, the pair sharing four wickets between them, while going for just 49 runs in their combined eight overs.Related

• 'Belief is key' – Mushtaq rallies Bangladesh

• Why are Sri Lanka and Bangladesh so poor at T20I batting?

• For AM Ghazanfar, the future is now

Their impact meant Bangladesh struggled to effectively utilise the platform afforded them by a strong opening stand worth 63. Saif Hassan, drafted in for this game struck 30 off 28 balls, but it was Tanzid who really propelled the early stages.Of his first 12 deliveries, half went to the boundary or cleared it. He brought up his seventh T20I fifty off just 28 deliveries. At the halfway stage of the innings, Bangladesh were well set on 87 for 1. But the middle overs proved to be their downfall as the Afghanistan spinners took control of proceedings.Four wickets were lost for 65 runs through the middle overs period, while just 30 runs were mustered at the death.

All you need to know ahead of the IPL player retention deadline of October 31

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-20243:53

IPL 2025 player retention rules: All the big questions answered

First up, how many players can an IPL franchise retain?
Six players from their 2024 squad, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals – Indian or overseas – and two can be uncapped Indian players. Six players is the highest number of retentions permitted by the IPL ahead of a mega auction, to allow franchises to keep their core intact ahead.What does it cost a team to retain players?
Each team has a purse of INR 120 crore – a 20% increase from last year – with which to build their squad for IPL 2025. For the first player retained, a team will lose INR 18 crore from their purse, INR 14 crore for the second player, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore again for the fourth, and INR 14 crore again for the fifth player retained. For every uncapped Indian player retained, a team will lose INR 4 crore from the purse.So if a team retains five capped internationals, they will lose at least INR 75 crore from their purse of INR 120 crore.Related

Kohli, Patidar and Dayal to be retained by RCB

Punjab Kings to retain only two uncapped players

MI to retain their big four: Rohit, Hardik, Bumrah, Suryakumar

Samson, Jaiswal, Parag and Sandeep set to be retained by Rajasthan Royals

Dhoni set to be among CSK's five retained players ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction

Can the INR 75 crore be split among the five retained players as the franchise wishes?
Yes, the IPL has told franchises they can slice the INR 75-crore retention pot as they want if they are retaining five capped players. If the franchise spends more than INR 75 crore to keep five capped players then the higher amount will be deducted from the purse.If a team retains only one capped player, they will lose a minimum of INR 18 crore from their purse. For two capped players they will lose at least INR 32 crore (18+14) or the higher amount actually paid; for three capped players it is at least INR 43 crore (18+14+11); and for four capped players it is at least INR 61 crore (18+14+11+18).However, if a team retains five capped players, the INR 75 crore (18+14+11+18+14) that will be deducted from their purse can be divided among the players in any proportion. So while their first player may be retained at INR 23 crore, they could keep their fifth player at an amount lower than the stipulated deduction of INR 14 crore to stay within the INR 75 crore deduction, as long as the franchise can reach an agreement with the player.So what’s the buzz ahead of the IPL retention deadline?
Well, Sunrisers Hyderabad seem to have stirred the pot with their intention of retaining Heinrich Klaasen for a whopping INR 23 crore. That raises the issue of how a team like Mumbai Indians will slice the pie of INR 75 crore if they want to retain players like Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav. There are questions over whether captains like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer will be retained by their teams or want to enter the auction themselves. And whether some teams would prefer to retain just two or three players and use the right-to-match (RTM) option to buy back others at the mega auction.Right-to-match (RTM) … what’s that?
It’s another way for a team to get back their players during the mega auction, instead of retaining them beforehand. A team that retains fewer than six players on October 31 will have some RTM options available to them to buy back players at the mega auction. So if a team retains only three players on Thursday, they will have three RTM options to use at the mega auction. A franchise that retains no players will enter the mega auction with six RTM options. A team that retains six players will have no RTM options at the auction.Also, if a team has retained five capped players, they can use their remaining RTM option to buy back only an uncapped player. And if a team has already retained two uncapped players, they can’t use RTM options on another of their uncapped players at the auction.How does the RTM option work at the auction?
If a player has been bought by another franchise at the mega auction, the franchise that he was part of in IPL 2024 can step in at the end of the bidding process and buy back their player by matching the highest bid.But there’s a twist this time compared to when the RTM rule was last used at a mega auction in 2018. At the 2025 mega auction, if a team wants to buy back a player using the RTM option, the franchise that made the winning bid will be given another opportunity to raise their bid to whatever amount they wish. In that case, the player’s previous team will have to match the increased bid to buy back their player.Let’s take KKR captain Shreyas as a hypothetical example should he enter the auction. If two other teams bid for Shreyas and one of them wins the bid, then KKR can step in and use their RTM option to match the highest bid. But as per the modified RTM rule, franchise that placed the highest bid has the opportunity to raise their bid to any amount, which KKR will then have to match again if they want to buy back Shreyas using the RTM option.What’s this about MS Dhoni being in the uncapped player category this year?
Yes, the IPL has revived a rule it had scrapped in 2021, which allowed capped Indian players who retired or have not played international cricket in the last five years to be categorised as uncapped players. This means Chennai Super Kings can retain Dhoni as an uncapped player at a deduction of INR 4 crore from their purse, unless they pay him more of course.This rule also applies to players like Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Amit Mishra, Vijay Shankar, Mayank Markande, Karn Sharma and Rishi Dhawan among others, should their franchises wish to retain them as uncapped players.Can players refuse to be retained by their IPL team?
Yes, if a player doesn’t want to remain with a franchise, they can refuse a retention offer and enter the mega auction. Also, there are no player trades allowed between the retention deadline of October 31 and the start of 2025 season.When is the IPL 2025 mega auction?<br?There is no confirmed date yet but it likely to be in last week of November. Mega auctions usually take place over two days.

With the pressure growing on Arne Slot, Xabi Alonso has reportedly made his mind up on taking the Liverpool job if it becomes available at the same time that he potentially leaves Real Madrid.

For the first time in Slot’s Liverpool career, serious questions are being asked about his tenure. Last season’s Premier League title win has provided him with plenty of credit but, as Jamie Carragher pointed out on Monday Night Football, not everyone is still convinced that he’s still the man for the job.

After eight defeats in 11 games, the Dutchman simply has to turn things around. The Reds backed him by breaking their transfer record twice in the summer and spending over £400m, but are yet to see that investment pay off.

The most concerning aspect of Liverpool’s recent run is that nothing has changed. Slot has persisted with the same system, which only provided false dawns against Real Madrid and Aston Villa.

Now, with Alonso also under pressure at Madrid, Liverpool could be presented with a tempting opportunity to make a sensational change.

Xabi Alonso makes Liverpool decision

According to Football365, Alonso is now ready to take the Liverpool job if Real Madrid decide to sack him. The Spaniard has been put under increasing pressure by reports that Vinicius Junior has decided against signing a new deal whilst the manager is in charge.

As Real Madrid are forced to decide between their star man and their new manager, it’s Liverpool who could take full advantage.

For many, the big question has centred around who would replace Slot if Liverpool decided to sack the Dutchman. In Alonso, they’d have the perfect answer.

The Reds were interested in a reunion with the Spaniard before they hired Slot and could now get what they initially wanted over a year later.

Forget Leoni: 19-year-old academy star could end Konate's Liverpool career

Liverpool’s French centre-back has been abject in Slot’s system this season.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 24, 2025

Although a lot of pieces will need to fall into place, there’s little doubt that Alonso would be welcomed with open arms at Anfield.

"I'm told" – Romano shares what Slot thinks about his own Liverpool future

Bruno Fernandes has been accused of playing out of his usual position because he wants to do "too much" as Manchester United captain. Former United defender Patrice Evra said Fernandes had carried United on his back in recent years with the numbers of goals and assists he has contributed to the Red Devils but he believes he could do with exerting more control on the team.

• Fernandes having mixed season with Man Utd

  Fernandes rejected a highly-lucrative offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the summer to stay at United but has experienced mixed fortunes in a hit-and-miss season for the Red Devils. Fernandes has contributed to 10 of the team's 26 goals in the Premier League, scoring twice and getting an assist in their last game against Wolves. 

  The captain, however, has been blamed for United's inconsistent results such as losing at home to 10-man Everton and failing to beat a poor West Ham side in the last three weeks, having pulled off impressive wins over the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

  And former United left-back Evra said Fernandes' tendency to play all over the pitch rather than focus on his central midfield role is preventing him from controlling the team's play as he should.

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  Evra: Hard to tell where Fernandes is playing

  Evra told GOAL, via : "It’s always sensitive to talk about Bruno. It depends what people call a real captain. With a captain, sometimes you can have someone like Roy Keane or a different one. Bruno is giving assists and scoring goals, this has never been the issue. The issue for me is for him to control the team and the tempo when he gets the ball.

  "You couldn't tell me where he's playing because he's everywhere. So sometimes maybe as a captain, you want to do extra, you want to do too much. And at the end, you're not even at your right position. But United wouldn't be where they are in the table if Bruno wasn't playing."

• Evra: Maguire a better player since losing captaincy

  Evra said he has no issues with Fernandes being United's skipper. But he noted how Harry Maguire had a burden lifted from him when he had the captaincy taken off him by Erik ten Hag in 2023. Maguire – who is currently out injured – has changed the narrative around him in the last two seasons with much-improved performances in defence, proving well-suited to Amorim's back three. 

  He has scored six goals since the start of last season, including handing United their first victory at Anfield in 10 seasons and grabbing the famous last-gasp winner against Lyon in the Europa League. 

  Evra explained: "I don't question the fact about Bruno being a captain – he deserves to be captain because Amorim has chosen him. Look at what's happening to Maguire. They got rid of the armband and he now plays like a United player. You saw how people were bullying him on social media or whatever. But he said, I'm staying here."

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  United can't afford to not return to UCL

  United climbed into sixth place in the Premier League after beating Wolves and the challenge is to move into the top four and return to the Champions League after a two-year absence. Evra said United should have no excuse for not qualifying for Europe's top competition, which they did in all but one of his nine seasons at Old Trafford as a player.

  "Under the previous manager, we won the FA Cup and EFL Cup, but you lose a lot by not being in the Champions League," Evra said. "It’s going to be tough. You’ve got Arsenal, City, Chelsea and Aston Villa giving it a real go. If United do not finish in the top four then it’ll be a massive disappointment – a failure. 

  "When I played for United, the goal was winning four trophies per season and now we’re talking about qualifying for the Champions League. Our wages went down by 30 per cent if we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, but we never had that issue."

While the draw for the 2026 World Cup took centre-stage on Friday, all eyes were back on club football over the weekend as title races across Europe took yet more twists. The gap at the top of the Premier League has been reduced, which is in contrast to La Liga, where Barcelona stretched their lead over Real Madrid.

Bayern Munich remain in control of the Bundesliga title race, but things remain too close to call in both Serie A and Ligue 1 as we approach the midpoint of the campaign. There were also telling results in both Portugal and Scotland over the past couple of days that could prove key to the destination of the title in their respective top-flights.

But who were the biggest winners and losers of the weekend? GOAL has picked out 10 from around the continent…

Getty ImagesWINNER: Unai Emery

We begin in the Premier League, where despite claims to the contrary, there may be a title race about to break out. Having drawn two of their previous four games, leaders Arsenal suffered just their second league defeat of the campaign on Saturday as they lost out to Aston Villa following Emiliano Buendia's dramatic, stoppage-time strike. The result allowed Manchester City to close to within two points of the Gunners, while Villa themselves are now three points off the summit following a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes.

Following a frustrating summer on the transfer front, there was a concern that Unai Emery's squad had gone a little stale. Villa failed to score in any of their opening four league matches of the campaign, and didn't record their first victory until September 28. That win over Fulham, however, began a run of nine victories in 10 games, with only a defeat at Anfield keeping Villa from a perfect record in that time.

Such a run is testament to the work Emery continues to do at Villa Park. The Spaniard memorably took Villa from the relegation zone to the quarter-finals of the Champions League during his first two years at the club, and if they can maintain their current form for a few months longer, then fans might even start dreaming of making a genuine title challenge. For now, he the ex-Arsenal boss will just be thrilled to have once again got one over his former club, with Emery's record with Villa and Villarreal against the Gunners since departing now read as: Played eight, won four and lost just two.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Mohamed Salah & Liverpool

Liverpool's season has hit various low points already due to their disastrous Premier League title defence, and though they didn't suffer defeat to Leeds United on Saturday, the fallout from the thrilling 3-3 draw at Elland Road has the potential to rock the Merseysiders to their core.

For the third-straight game, Mohamed Salah was named among the substitutes by Arne Slot, and for the second successive time away from home, the 'Egyptian King' wasn't even called upon to make an impact from the bench. Salah, who has been criticised of late for not stepping up and speaking out during Liverpool's poor run, chose this moment to speak to reporters, though his comments rather exacerbated the problem.

"I can’t believe it, I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season," Salah said. "Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.

"I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club."

Salah's comments have been perceived by many as him suggesting that, if things do not change drastically, perhaps with Slot being sacked, then he sees no future for himself at Anfield. With Saudi clubs swirling, Salah's Liverpool exit may well end up being swifter and more upsetting than anyone previously thought possible.

Getty Images SportWINNER: Harry Kane

Salah wasn't the only superstar named among the substitutes on Saturday, but that was where the similarities between his afternoon and that of Harry Kane ended. Kane found himself on the bench for Bayern Munich's trip to Stuttgart, but was introduced after an hour and made sure to make the most of his short time on the pitch, scoring his second hat-trick of the season.

"It's something I'm not used to, but I did it a couple of times this season. The boss (Vincent Kompany) wanted to keep me fresh and save energy," Kane explained following his side's 5-0 win that maintained their eight-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga table. “I came on after 60 minutes with a couple of other guys and we were able to exploit the space and get the goals. We had a tough battle in the cup midweek and today we faced one of the best teams in the league away, but we looked stronger in the last half an hour and punished them."

Kane is now up to 17 goals in 13 league games so far this season, and 28 in 22 across all competitions for a Bayern team who continue to show themselves to be one of the best teams anywhere in Europe, in large part thanks to their outrageously good No.9.

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Getty Images SportWINNER: Ferran Torres

Kane's future is a hot topic in Barcelona right now, with the England captain reportedly on the Blaugrana's radar as they consider how to replace Robert Lewandowski. Ferran Torres, however, is keen to show the Catalan giants that they have their future No.9 already having continued his good recent form with a first-half hat-trick to take down Real Betis on Saturday.

Ferran had secured the match ball by the 40th minute in Seville as his goals helped seal a 5-3 win on the road for Hansi Flick's side, and the Spain international is now Barca's top scorer in all competitions this season with 13 goals to his name, six of which have come in his last four games.

"He is a very intelligent player. He knows how to read spaces very well, and today he did it fantastically," Flick said of Ferran post-match. "His mentality and confidence are excellent. This is the path to follow. He deserves to be in the starting 11. He is always there when he’s needed."

The task for Ferran now is to go from being a player who is 'always there when he's needed' to first choice at Camp Nou, and he will only do that if he is able to maintain consistent form in front of goal. Saturday, then, was a step in the right direction.