Incumbent Australia Test opener Sam Konstas is set to face another stern examination from Scott Boland this week when New South Wales face Victoria at the Junction Oval with the selection of the Ashes first Test squad just three weeks away.Nathan Lyon has also been named for NSW despite a thought during the pre-season that he might miss the clash at the Junction. It’s understood he is keen for some more overs after bowling just 31.5 across two innings against Western Australia at the WACA ground last week.Australia A allrounders Jack Edwards and Will Sutherland will return to captain their respective states while Sean Abbott will play his first red-ball game of the season to push his case to be considered for the Ashes after being left out of Australia’s ODI squad. Australia A spinners Todd Murphy and Tanveer Sangha have also been named in their first Shield squads of the season.Related

• Ashes tracker: Labuschagne shines as Konstas stumbles

• Who will be the spear to Usman Khawaja's shield for Australia?

• Zampa, Inglis to miss Perth ODI against India, Kuhnemann, Philippe called up

However, Josh Philippe is unavailable for the Blues after being called into Australia’s ODI squad to replace the injured Josh Inglis while Alex Carey has been sent to play for South Australia against Queensland as part of his Ashes preparation.Usman Khawaja has been named for Queensland while Marnus Labuschagne is expected to remain at No. 3 for Queensland with Angus Lovell set to open alongside Khawaja in place of Matt Renshaw who is away with Australia’s ODI team.South Australia will be without Brendan Doggett for a second straight Shield match due to his minor hamstring issue but he is expected to return for round three. Nathan McAndrew will return after missing the opening the Shield round following his five-wicket haul in the One-Day Cup match against Victoria.Elsewhere, Beau Webster will miss a second straight match for Tasmania due to the ankle injury he suffered at training prior to the opening round against Queensland, but he is expected to return for round three. WA will be without Cameron Green who is playing in Australia’s ODI team while Joel Paris is missing with a hamstring injury.Boland is set to back up for Victoria after bowling 35 overs in Victoria’s opening round win over South Australia in Adelaide. Konstas is coming off scores of 4 and 14 at the WACA in New South Wales win over Western Australia but Lyon said that those performances should be disregarded because of the pitch.”I wouldn’t look too much into that,” Lyon said on Monday. “It was a very naughty wicket. “It was wet, there were some big divots and it was quite challenging, even though I got 40 runs on it. There are [two] more games to play out before the Test side gets picked.”Konstas did make an enterprising 40 off 28 in the One-Day Cup match on a better WACA surface last Thursday. But Boland will be a significant test for the 20-year-old opener. He has dismissed Konstas four times in Shield cricket, the most of any first-class bowler Konstas has faced, including twice in their last meeting at the SCG in February when Konstas was bowled trying to paddle scoop off the 13th ball of the match.The return of Sutherland and Murphy alongside Boland and Fergus O’Neill will give Konstas a chance to make a statement against an attack with two Test and two Australia A bowlers in it.Meanwhile, Abbott has the chance to push his case to be next Test fast bowling option for the Ashes behind Boland. Victoria will add Harry Dixon back in from Australia A duty at the top of the order alongside Campbell Kellaway with Marcus Harris to remain at No. 3 ahead of in-form middle-order duo of Peter Handscomb and Oliver Peake.New South Wales squad: Jack Edwards (capt), Sean Abbott, Ollie Davies, Matt Gilkes, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Nathan Lyon, Blake Nikitaras, Kurtis Patterson, Will Salzmann, Tanveer Sangha, Charlie StoboVictoria squad: Will Sutherland (capt), Scott Boland, Harry Dixon, Marcus Harris, Sam Harper, Peter Handscomb, Campbell Kellaway, Blake Macdonald, David Moody, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Mitch PerrySouth Australia squad: Henry Hunt, Conor McInerney, Nathan McSweeney (capt), Jason Sangha, Alex Carey (wk), Jake Lehmann, Liam Scott, Nathan McAndrew, Wes Agar, Lloyd Pope, Jordan Buckingham, Hanno JacobsQueensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Lachlan Hearne, Usman Khawaja, Angus Lovell, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Jack Sinfield, Tom Straker, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen. Jack WildermuthWestern Australia squad: Sam Whiteman (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Joel Curtis, Albert Esterhuysen, Sam Fanning, Aaron Hardie, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Liam Haskett, Matt Kelly, Corey RocchiccioliTasmania squad: Jordan Silk (capt), Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Nikhil Chaudhary, Jake Doran, Kieran Elliott, Bradley Hope, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Nivethan Radhakrishnan, Tim Ward, Jake Weatherald

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras enfrenta o Internacional nesta quarta-feira (17), na Arena Barueri, em jogo válido pela 2ª rodada do Brasileirão 2024.

RelacionadasMercado do EsporteQuanto vale Felipe Anderson? Veja evolução do valor de mercado do reforço do PalmeirasMercado do Esporte17/04/2024PalmeirasPalmeiras volta para Barueri invicto há sete jogos e com ótimo aproveitamento em 2024Palmeiras17/04/2024Onde AssistirPalmeiras x Internacional: onde assistir, escalações e horário do jogo do BrasileirãoOnde Assistir17/04/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! Palmeiras no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Verdão

Buscando a sua segunda vitória na competição, o time de Abel Ferreira deve reencontrar velhos conhecidos que hoje defendem o Colorado. Ao todo, seis jogadores do atual elenco do Inter já passaram pelo Palmeiras, porém apenas três podem ser titulares hoje.

continua após a publicidade

O volante Bruno Henrique, capitão do Deca Brasileiro do Verdão, e também as duas crias da Academia, Vitão e Wesley, brigam por uma vaga entre os 11 do time de Eduardo Coudet.

Alan Patrick e Hyoran, outros dois jogadores que passaram pelo Palmeiras, estão no departamento médico e não enfrentam o atual bicampeão brasileiro.

continua após a publicidade

Enquanto o Inter está recheado de jogadores em seu elenco que já vestiram o manto do Maior Campeão do Brasil, no Palmeiras, apenas o goleiro reserva Marcelo Lomba tem passagem pelo Colorado.

O provável Internacional para pegar o Palmeiras é: Rochet; Bustos, Vitão, Mercado e Renê; Thiago Maia, Bruno Gomes (Bruno Henrique) e Mauricio; Wesley, Wanderson e Borré.

continua após a publicidade

➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

Invicto no ano com o time titular, o Inter só tem uma derrota nesta temporada (assim como o Palmeiras) e também estreou com vitória no Brasileirão, quando bateu o Bahia no Beira-Rio por 2 a 1.

Was the pitch a bit too much in favour of Bangladesh’s spinners? Possibly, but that’s to be expected with ODI World Cup qualification on the line

Mohammad Isam19-Oct-2025

Home conditions typically translate to home advantage in cricket. And teams sometimes take different, even extreme, measures to ensure their strength gets support from the pitches. There is often a tacit association between the home team’s decision-makers and the curators too. But the relationship cannot be too obvious. Visiting teams are aware of what awaits them.Bangladesh are no different as hosts. On Saturday, they beat West Indies in the first ODI by 74 runs. It is a bit of a turnaround after their 3-0 bashing at the hands of Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi last week. The win also came on the back of abuse and harassment when the team returned from the UAE on Wednesday.The first ODI was played on a rather dark-looking pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Usually, a dark surface in this part of the world suggests the ball is most likely to stick on the surface, which allows spinners to get the ball to break more. It has been a few years since this colour has been seen here – a layer of cut grass usually gives it a grey-green look.Related

Rage against the pitch – it's Bangladesh vs West Indies vs the surface in series decider

Bangladesh target 2-0 while West Indies look for batting lift

Rishad's six-for wrecks WI as Bangladesh take 1-0 lead

Bangladesh nowadays have a strong pace-bowling unit, but the team management often resorts to spin-favouring pitches. In this case, not unusual if you have just lost 3-0 to Afghanistan. It has been Bangladesh’s go-to home strategy particularly since 2016. It is a bit of a shortcut to success, though visiting spinners like Rashid Khan, Nathan Lyon, Sajid Khan and Rahkeem Cornwall have also been match-winners here.On Saturday, spin accounted for 11 of the 20 wickets to fall. Rishad Hossain picked up career-best figures of 6 for 35, becoming only the second legspinner to take the opposition’s first five wickets in an ODI. The fast bowlers took eight wickets.But what does winning with this sort of tailored home advantage mean?Among the plethora of pitch-related questions at the post-match press conference, one seemed to bother Rishad, the Player of the Match. He was asked if he preferred a six-for on a pitch that helped him, or fewer wickets on a “sporting track”. In this case, only 340 runs were scored across two innings.Rishad referred to “a Guyana pitch”, which he said was worse than the one in Dhaka on Saturday. He was probably referreing to the surfaces used during the West Indies-Bangladesh ODI series in 2022. “The [Dhaka] wicket was same for both teams,” he said, meaning it didn’t change character during the course of the match. “We have encountered an even worse pitch in Guyana. We adjusted to those conditions. It was the same condition for both sides.”To an earlier query on the pitch, Rishad had said the Bangladesh batters had had a better plan to tackle the conditions than their West Indian counterparts. “Our batters could read the wicket better. They figured out that if they start slowly, they can finish well with wickets in hand,” he said. “I think they were just carrying out their plans to the best of their ability.”The pitch debate overshadowed Rishad’s impressive all-round show. He struck a breezy 13-ball 26 with two sixes, which took Bangladesh close to the 200-run mark before he fell in the 49th over. Those were two of only three sixes in the innings. Then, with the ball, he sparked a collapse from 79 for 1 to 133 all out.Rishad Hossain finished with career-best figures of 6 for 35•AFP/Getty Images

“I stuck to my process. I had to adjust in the first couple of overs, but then I could make up quickly,” he said. “I always try to contribute in all three departments. I believe that Allah will always find me a way to do always something for the team.”I always try to contribute something extra with the bat for the team. I think if my contribution takes the team from 180 to 210 or 215, that’s great. I am aware of what the team is looking from me as a batter.”Bangladesh are trying to get back on track in ODIs after an impressive recovery in T20Is in 2025. Good results in ODIs are necessary to ensure automatic qualification to the 2027 ODI World Cup. For that, on this evidence, home pitches in bilateral series will be prepared according to their strengths.True, Bangladesh’s fast bowlers are also match-winners. Truer surfaces will also help the batters stay in touch with playing on livelier pitches for series elsewhere. For now, though, this is an ODI series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium that Bangladesh need to win. The batters have to rein themselves in, and the fast bowlers may feel redundant. The spinners will be licking their lips.

The Chicago White Sox have been quick to claim Pope Leo XIV as their own.

Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, was quickly discovered to be a White Sox fan after his elevation to head of the Catholic Church earlier this year. The team has leaned in, with murals of Leo adorning the stadium and fans often showing up to games dressed as His Holiness.

But a recent message from Leo gave fans from the rest of MLB the chance to clown on the White Sox and their new most famous fan a bit. On Sunday, a message on the role of sports in society was shared by the @Pontifex account.

“In our competitive society, where it seems that only the strong and winners deserve to live, sport also teaches us how to lose,” Leo wrote. “It forces us, in learning the art of losing, to confront our fragility, our limitations and our imperfections. It is through the experience of these limits that we open our hearts to hope. Athletes who never make mistakes, who never lose, do not exist.”

On its face, this is a thoughtful message about what we can all learn from sports, win or lose. But baseball fans reading between the lines knew what the Pope was really saying. Learning about how to lose? Sports teaching us about our imperfections? Oh yeah, this guy is a White Sox fan.

The inevitability of losing in sports is a reality that all sports fans are familiar with, but White Sox fans might be a bit more in touch with their feelings on the matter.

In related news, the White Sox lost to the Texas Rangers on Sunday by a score of 2–1.

Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2.

At Rate Field in Chicago, that is the papal seat—the seat in which a priest by the name of Father Robert Prevost watched the Chicago White Sox win Game 1 of the World Series 5–3 over the Houston Astros on Oct. 22, 2005.

Prevost, who appeared briefly in a crowd shot during Fox's broadcast of that game, became Cardinal Robert Prevost in 2023. Two years later, on May 8, he was elected Pope Leo XIV—immediately making the White Sox unexpected preservationists of a historical moment that still seems unreal.

On Monday, Chicago unveiled artwork commemorating the first American Supreme Pontiff's visit. Fans at Rate Field can now see a rendering of the pope on a pillar outside Section 140—along with a No. 14 "Pope Leo" jersey.

In a development befitting the pope's South Side roots, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Sunday it would host a celebration and Mass at Rate Field in his honor.

Now if only the team could get back on track…

Newcastle United have been a nightmarishly difficult team to predict this season.

One week they might look like one of the best teams in the country, and then the next they’ll struggle to win a match they’re favourites for.

Fortunately, Eddie Howe’s side showed the positive side of themselves on Saturday afternoon, demolishing Everton 4-1 away from home.

There were sensational performances across the board for Newcastle, particularly from Malick Thaw and another starter who is starting to prove he is one of the best in the Premier League in his position.

Newcastle's best performers against Everton

While it is hard to single out players following their performance on Saturday night, there are a few who stood out just that little bit more, like Lewis Miley.

Chalkboard

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

The academy graduate made just his fifth start of the season against the Toffees, and even though he’s still just 19 years old, he looked like a seasoned veteran.

Practically everything he tried came off, and on top of providing an assist, he scored his first goal of the season just 25 minutes into the match.

Speaking of goalscorers, summer signing Nick Woltemade was back in amongst it.

He got the Magpies’ third on the night with an audacious chip from close range and then could have had another were it not for a good save from Jordan Pickford in the second 45.

However, when it comes to the man of the match, it’s hard to look past Thiaw.

The German defender was monstrous at the back and more than made his mark going forward as well, scoring in the first minute to get things underway, and then grabbing a second in the second half.

Unsurprisingly, the five-capped international left quite the impression on the watching press, with Chronicle Live’s Lee Ryder awarding him a 10/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘Rose like Shearer twice.’

Yet, there was another starter who put in a performance that, like Thiaw, shows he should be considered among the best in his position in the Premier League.

Not just Thiaw: Newcastle star has become one of the league's best

On top of those already mentioned, the Newcastle starter who deserves immense credit for his performance against Everton and has to be considered among the best in the league is Lewis Hall.

The former Chelsea gem was incredible on Saturday night and practically flawless in every aspect of the game, be that attacking or defending.

For example, it was his cross in the 56th minute that led to Thiaw’s second strike, and he certainly wasn’t to blame for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s consolation goal.

The Chronicle’s Ryder was just as impressed with the full-back, writing that he ‘oozed class down the left’ and awarded him a 9/10 match rating at full-time.

While that might sound a little hyperbolic, it certainly isn’t, and the 21-year-old’s statistics prove as much.

In his 89 minutes of action, he produced an expected assists figure of 0.49, won 100% of his tackles, blocked one shot, recovered the ball twice, created two big chances, completed 50 passes, took 87 touches, completed three dribbles, and took one shot.

It was the sort of performance that lends real credence to talent scout Jacek Kulig’s claim that the Englishman is “one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.”

However, while the wider league might only be waking up to that fact now, the Toon faithful have known this to be the case for some time.

After all, the team haven’t lost a game in which he has started this season, and it could be argued that he’s not even back to his very best yet after suffering from a hamstring injury earlier in the campaign.

Ultimately, he is still young, but there is no denying that Hall is an extraordinarily talented footballer, and so long as he keeps performing as he did on Saturday, it’ll become increasingly difficult to deny that he is one of the best full-backs in the Premier League.

“Special" Newcastle signing is now becoming the biggest disaster since Wood

Newcastle may have got this one wrong in the summer transfer market.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 29, 2025

تحدث الدنماركي ييس توروب المدير الفني لفريق الأهلي، عن تعادل فريقه مع الجيش الملكي، في دور المجموعات من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا. 

وتعادل الأهلي مع الجيش الملكي بهدف لكل فريق، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، مساء اليوم، في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا. 

طالع.. عبد العزيز بنيج: الجيش الملكي قدم مباراة شجاعة أمام الأهلي.. والتحكيم كان عادلًا

وقال توروب في تصريحات للمركز الإعلامي عقب المباراة: “ذكرت أمس أن المباراة ستكون صعبة، وكنا ندرك تمامًا حجم التحدي هنا في الرباط، كان بإمكان الفريقين تحقيق الفوز؛ المنافس حصل على فرص، ونحن أيضًا كانت لدينا فرص واضحة، وفي النهاية خرج اللقاء بالتعادل”.

وأضاف: “لم يخطر ببالنا أن تُحتسب ضدنا ركلة جزاء، لأنها لم تكن موجودة من الأساس، كذلك كان هناك دخول مبكر من بعض اللاعبين إلى منطقة الجزاء، وهذا خطأ واضح عدم وجود تقنية الفار، أمر تحدثت عنه أمس، وهو شيء مؤثر جدًّا، لا أريد الحديث عن التحكيم، لكن هناك خطأين واضحين كلّفا الفريق الكثير”.

وتابع: “الأداء كان أفضل كثيرًا في الشوط الثاني، وكنا قريبين من الفوز رغم صعوبة الأجواء، والمنافس قد يحقق نتائج كبيرة على أرضه بسبب الدعم الهائل من جماهيره، الملعب كان رائعًا، والأجواء عظيمة، لكن لم يعجبني إلقاء الزجاجات داخل الملعب، هذه الأمور تُفسد مشهدًا رائعًا، ولا يجب أن تحدث”.

وشدد على أنه جاء إلى المغرب بحثًا عن الفوز وليس التعادل، مضيفًا: “حضرت من أجل الفوز، لكن في بعض الأحيان تكون الظروف حولك صعبة وتفرض عليك قبول نقطة خارج ملعبك، المهم أننا لم نخرج خاسرين”.

وأشاد المدير الفني بالأجواء خارج الملعب والتنظيم، قائلًا: “هذه أول زيارة لي إلى المغرب، وأنا معجب جدًّا بحسن الاستقبال وجودة الإقامة وروعة الملعب، الشعب المغربي مضياف، وكل شيء كان مثاليًّا”.

واختتم بالتأكيد على صعوبة المجموعة: “مجموعتنا من أصعب المجموعات في السنوات الأخيرة، وأي فريق سيأتي إلى هنا سيواجه نفس الصعوبات، تركيزي الآن منصب على تطوير أداء الفريق والاستعداد بقوة للجولات المقبلة”.

Well, given the circumstances, that was an exceptional result for Chelsea.

Sure, Enzo Maresca’s side would have gone out there looking for a win, but considering Arsenal are the Premier League leaders, a point is not bad and has kept them within touching distance.

Moreover, when Moises Caicedo got himself sent off in the first half, it felt like only a matter of when, not if, the Gunners would take the lead.

There were sensational displays across the pitch for the hosts, including one monster that saved the Ecuadorian international from becoming the talking point.

Chelsea's standout stars

One of Chelsea’s best players this evening, and all season for that matter, was Robert Sanchez.

Chalkboard

The Spanish shot-stopper has come in for some harsh criticism over recent years, but against the Gunners, he was superb.

On top of his passing generally being on point and his collection of crosses being efficient, he also made several top-quality stops, like the one from Gabriel Martinelli’s shot in the first half.

Another hugely important player for the Blues was captain fantastic, Reece James.

The Englishman once again started the game in the middle of the park and was, in the words of presenter Olivia Buzaglo, “gargantuan.”

In his 94 minutes of action, he provided an assist, played two key passes, won 100% of his tackles, won 11 of 12 duels, didn’t get dribbled past at all, recovered the ball twice, and completed 100% of his dribbles.

It was just the sort of performance the team needed from their captain after Caicedo was sent off in the first half.

However, there was another starter who was just as vital to the win, and truly saved the Ecuadorian’s blushes.

The Chelsea player who saved Caicedo

Once Caicedo was sent off, there was an expectation that Arsenal would eventually wrestle control back from Chelsea and stamp their authority over proceedings.

However, the Blues clearly had other ideas.

Just three minutes into the second 45, James delivered an incredible corner into the Gunners’ penalty area, and Trevoh Chalobah rose to meet it and head it home.

It was a well-worked set-piece and a brilliant header that seemed to shock the visitors and gave the Stamford Bridge faithful something to cheer about and take their minds off the red card.

However, while that was the most memorable moment of his game, Chalobah did far more than just score, as he was superb at the back and showed some great on-the-ball skill, coming out from the back on multiple occasions.

He unsurprisingly made quite the impression on the watching press as well, with the Standard’s Dom Smith awarding him an 8/10 match rating at full-time.

The 26-year-old’s statistics more than justify such a rating as well.

Minutes

94′

Goals

1

Tackles (Won)

1 (1)

Clearances

6

Recoveries

4

Ground Duels (Won)

2 (1)

Aerial Duels (Won)

5 (4)

Dribbled Past

0

Touches

52

Shots

1

Fouls Won

1

In his 94 minutes of hard-fought action, the academy graduate won 100% of his tackles, made six clearances, recovered the ball four times, won five of seven duels, didn’t get dribbled past, took 52 touches and won one foul.

It was another performance from the Englishman that proves he’s more than just a stopgap until the club splashes the cash on a new defender.

Or, as Gary Cahill said in an interview that came out a few hours before the game, he is “the most underappreciated player at Chelsea.”

Ultimately, they might not have won, but Chelsea put in a sensational performance to claim a point against Arsenal, and alongside the likes of Sanchez and James, Chalobah saved Caicedo from becoming the talking point.

Chelsea have already signed their own Saka & he's "just like Estevao"

Chelsea are building a team of young superstars, and they have their latest talent waiting in the wings.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 29, 2025

Manchester United and Ruben Amorim could now be without one Red Devils star for their next five Premier League games.

Man Utd injury latest on Martinez, Mainoo, Maguire

The Red Devils have been without Lisandro Martinez for the majority of 2025 due to an ACL injury, however, the Argentine defender appears to be closing in on a return.

Back in full team training, Martinez wanted to travel with the side for the draw against Nottingham Forest and has since been training with his national side during the international break.

Meanwhile, Kobbie Mainoo missed the 2-2 draw with Tottenham last time out, whereas Harry Maguire was replaced with a hamstring issue, however, both could return in time as Man Utd host Everton at Old Trafford on Monday.

Summer signing Benjamin Sesko also joined the injury list prior to the international break after being replaced late on against Spurs. Amorim admitted that he was “concerned” with Sesko’s injury and not his form.

“That [his recent form] is not the biggest concern now. I’m concerned with an injury, because it is in the knee, and I don’t know. We need Ben [Sesko] to be a better team. We have to check. He has something in his knee. Let’s see.”

Now, Amorim has found out how long the Slovenian will be missing for.

Man Utd handed Sesko injury update

As reported by Sky Sports, Sesko has avoided a major knee injury after further scans.

The forward will now undergo a period of rehab running into December and is expected to be sidelined for a month.

Should that prove accurate, Sesko will miss United’s next five Premier League fixtures and could return just before Christmas against Aston Villa on December 21.

Man Utd vs Everton

November 24

Crystal Palace vs Man Utd

November 30

Man Utd vs West Ham

December 4

Wolves vs Man Utd

December 8

Man Utd vs Bournemouth

December 15

This will come as a blow to Amorim, who hailed the £160,000-a-week striker following his performance and goal in the 2-0 win over Sunderland.

“He has time, he’s going to stay here for a lot of years. The media puts a lot of pressure on the goals for the striker but for me it’s the effort that is the most important thing. Every time we kick the ball he’s fighting for it, that’s massive for us. To win the second ball and give us time to breathe. I’m really happy with that.”

Now, Amorim will have to find a way to cope without the towering striker, whether that be by bringing back someone like Joshua Zirkzee or using Matheus Cunha as a forward with captain Bruno Fernandes playing in a more advanced midfield role.

Forget Bruno and De Ligt: Man Utd "monster" is looking like a new captain

Sky Sports presenter Dan Bardell has now shed light on a “sneaky” Leeds United moment against Aston Villa, which VAR may have missed in Unai Emery’s side’s 2-1 win at Elland Road.

Morgan Rogers’ second-half double sealed Aston Villa a 2-1 win at Leeds and lifted his side into the Premier League’s top four. The England forward cancelled out Lukas Nmecha’s early opener for Leeds soon after the interval before his exquisite free-kick secured Villa a sixth win from their last seven league games.

A fifth defeat in six league matches was a bitter pill to swallow for Leeds, who remain in the relegation zone and had nothing to show for a spirited display, which saw them match their opponents for long periods.

Leeds dropped into the bottom three for the first time this season after Saturday’s results and a second home league defeat of the season heaped further pressure on head coach Daniel Farke.

Eight of Leeds’ 11 points prior to kick-off this season had been won at Elland Road and they made the ideal start, taking an eighth-minute lead after a lengthy VAR decision.

Sean Longstaff’s free-kick was hooked back across goal by Gabriel Gudmundsson and after Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez dropped the ball under pressure from Anton Stach, Ezri Konsa’s attempted clearance rebounded off Nmecha and into the net.

VAR Paul Tierney concluded after a lengthy check that neither Gudmundsson or Stach had been offside.

"Sneaky" moment VAR may have missed in Leeds v Aston Villa

Nmecha’s third goal of the season was confirmed after a lengthy VAR check for offside. There will have also been some fears that a foul could’ve been given, something which may not have been checked in great detail.

Taking to X during the first half, Sky Sports man Bardell suggested the goal shouldn’t have stood due to a “sneaky nudge”, despite the fact Martinez should’ve done a lot better, saying: “Could be disallowed for a couple of things there, but not great from Martinez, although I do think there was a sneaky nudge too. Not ideal.”

Ultimately, regardless of whether there was meaningful contact, the Argentinian should’ve done a lot better, considering he is still regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

That said, Villa managed to force their way back into the game regardless, with Rogers putting in a fantastic second-half display, bagging a brace, which ensured his side moved up to fourth in the Premier League table.

Leeds looking to boost survival chances by submitting imminent bid for Real Madrid star Related Leeds set to make imminent bid for Real Madrid ace after Farke convinces 49ers

The Whites are looking to bring in a new forward, having not scored enough goals so far this season.

Posts ByDominic Lund Nov 21, 2025