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Rangers looked back to their best from an attacking perspective as they picked up a 4-2 win and Steven Gerrard’s side could and perhaps should have scored more.

Joe Aribo’s superb curling effort gave the Teddy Bears a first-half lead against Ross County at Victoria Park, before Connor Goldson’s powerful header from a corner made it 2-0.

Harrison Clarke halved the deficit shortly before half-time but in reality, Rangers were never in danger of losing this once they took the lead.

Alfredo Morelos’ precise finish made it 3-1 but Malky Mackay’s side didn’t give up and made it 3-2 thanks to Jordan White’s penalty after Calvin Bassey was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area.

However, Scott Arfield made an almost immediate impact from the bench and wrapped up the points with a tap in to make it 4-2, in a result which sees Rangers move level on points with their Old Firm rivals Celtic ahead of next weekend’s derby game.

One man who impressed in the win against the Staggies was James Tavernier.

As per SofaScore, the Rangers captain would earn an impressive 7.5/10 rating for his performance, which was only bettered by Connor Goldson (8.0) and Morelos (8.0) of all the players who featured in the game.

The former Wigan Athletic man registered an assist for Goldson’s goal and was a constant threat going forwards, contributing a hugely impressive six key passes during the game, which was the most of any player on the pitch.

Rangers fans will be used to seeing Tavernier get forward down the right-hand side and he was back to his best against Ross County after some less than impressive recent displays, notably against Dundee United and Malmo.

Whilst Morelos was in excellent form up front, where he got his customary goal, Tavernier’s performance from right-back once again emphasised how important he is in this Rangers side.

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The 29-year-old, who was labelled “unstoppable” by Gerrard last year, was accurate with his passing throughout and delivered a real captain’s performance for the Gers, which will surely delight fans as they prepare for a huge game at Ibrox next week.

And, in other news… Rangers look set to sign their next Morelos as Campbell drops transfer update

Newcastle United’s shocking start to the new season continued as they fell to an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Burnley in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

Steve Bruce’s side came into the game off the back of two successive defeats in the Premier League, and would have been hoping for a bit of respite at home to the Clarets.

Instead, the Magpies saw some big chances fail to go their way in normal time, before Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron saw their spot-kicks saved.

But while the duo will be gutted with their penalty misses, it was Dwight Gayle who arguably let his manager down the most.

The striker had the best opportunities of any Newcastle player on the pitch to give the Magpies the lead, but saw one effort come off the bar, and another denied by the Burnley goalkeeper.

Barring those shots on goal, Gayle was nowhere to be seen, putting in a rather anonymous display.

As per Sofascore, he had just 22 touches of the ball and made only 13 passes – both significantly less than even goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.

In what was a difficult night, he won just three of his seven duels, provided no key passes or crosses, and attempted no dribbles whatsoever – the fact he was taken off by Bruce with 15 minutes remaining and the possibility of penalties looming said it all.

And, writing in his player ratings for The Shields Gazette, Jordan Cronin gave him the team’s lowest score of a five, saying: “Denied a goal by the underside of the crossbar but apart from that, it was another quiet outing for Gayle.”

Those thoughts were echoed by The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder, who added: “Didn’t really get into the game until after the break. Struck the bar and had one effort saved by Hennessey. Needs to take his chances to stand a chance of Premier League starts.”

The £40k-a-week earning ace was given the chance to impress from the off, but failed to grab his opportunity. With Callum Wilson firmly established as the club’s starting number nine, it’s difficult to see how Gayle’s display on Wednesday night did anything to even remotely change that.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano claims Newcastle are interested in this star…

Ian Evatt’s Bolton side suffered their first competitive defeat of the 2021/22 campaign as they lost on penalties to Wigan in the League Cup on Tuesday night.

Wanderers won three of their first five matches in all competitions, along with two draws. However, they were unable to progress into the third round of the cup as they lost 5-4 on penalties to their League One rivals.

Nathan Deflouneso missed the crucial penalty for Bolton after Wigan goalkeeper Jamie Jones had scored for his side, but it was another player who let Evatt down with his performance on the pitch during the game itself.

Elias Kachunga, signed on a free transfer earlier this month, was given his full debut after five substitute appearances and failed to make the most of his opportunity. He has produced two assists in four cameo appearances in League One this season, but the attacker did not show off his quality from the start against Wigan.

The £720k-rated dud only managed 16 touches of the ball in 65 minutes on the pitch, compared to the 47 touches goalkeeper Matt Gilks managed between the posts for Bolton. He also lost the majority of his duels on the pitch and lost possession of the ball four times from his 16 touches.

Bolton News reporter Marc Iles handed him a score of 6/10 and suggested that he was not playing at full fitness. He wrote:

“Showed a feistiness that the Bolton fans will love – but clearly still feeling his way towards full fitness and was replaced by Doyle after an hour.”

This comment, along with his worrying statistics, suggests that he was, perhaps, not ready to start. He proved Evatt wrong after he put faith in him for this game, as Kachunga was seemingly not prepared to make an impact from the starting XI. At this point in the season, he may only be a viable option from the bench until he finds his rhythm and is able to be more involved in games.

Kachunga only attempted one shot in the match, which was blocked, and created zero chances for his teammates. Defensively, he made zero clearances, tackles, interceptions or blocks whilst being dribbled past once, showing that he did not do a great deal to impact the game.

It was a bit of a horror showing from the ex-Huddersfield man, one that he will be hoping to put behind him as quickly as possible.

He now needs to show Evatt, in training or by coming off the bench in the next match, that he does have the quality to make a big impact at this level and that this performance is not the standard he wants to set for himself.

JustJoe Football Show presenter Joe Wainman believes Niall Huggins move to Sunderland from Leeds United is best for both parties. 

The 20-year-old penned at permanent deal at the Stadium of Light this summer, joining the Black Cats on a free transfer but with a sell-on fee has been included in the deal [BBC Sport].

Huggins featured mainly for Leeds United’s U23 side, playing 18 games for them in the 2020/2021 season, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

The full-back did feature for the first-team last season, as he came off the substitutes’ bench for the Whites against Arsenal in the Premier League.

Wainman believes the move suits all parties, telling Transfer Tavern: “They get to a stage where they just need game time and Bielsa’s pretty fair in that respect, you know.

“If he can’t give them what they need and they’ve been in the under-23s for a year and they’re not close to the first team, it’s time to move on. So, I think it’s best for both parties and I hope Niall Huggins does well.”

Huggins became Lee Johnson’s sixth summer signing, with Alex Pritchard, Corry Evans, Callum Doyle, Dennis Cirkin, Frederik Alves, Nathan Broadhead also joining Stadium of Light. The Black Cats have started in good form as they have won three of their opening four matches and currently sit fourth in the League One table.

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge believes that Rangers are happy with their summer business and seem relatively settled.

Steven Gerrard signed four players this summer for the Rangers first-team, with Fashion Sakala, Nnamdi Ofoborh, John Lundstram and Juninho Bacuna all penning deals at Ibrox.

The Glasgow outfit also concluded deals for Charlie McCann, Juan Alegria and Greig Allen, all of whom will join up with the Rangers B team.

The reigning Scottish Premiership Champions have started the new season with three wins in their opening four matches. The only time the Gers have dropped points was on matchday two, when they lost to Dundee United, but they have since won back-to-back league games Ross County and also beat Celtic in the first Old Firm of the new campaign.

Bridge believes that Rangers will be happy with their summer business and the squad they have, telling Football FanCast: “I think, for the first time in goodness knows how many years, they seem relatively settled.”

Alongside bringing players in this summer, manager Steven Gerrard also managed to keep hold of key players such as Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Borna Barisic who were all linked with moves away from Ibrox.

Rangers will be hoping after last years success of winning the Scottish Premiership that their squad can gel and go on a long undefeated run, to give them every opportunity of defending their crown this season.

Leeds United have suffered an injury blow to Robin Koch ahead of their Premier League encounter with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

What’s the story?

The Germany international played the full 90 minutes in the Whites’ opening day clash against Manchester United, but has not been seen since due to injury.

Ahead of today’s game against Jurgen Klopp’s side, it has been confirmed by Marcelo Bielsa that the versatile centre-back has once again been ruled out of action.

A pelvic issue sidelined him out of the games against Everton and Burnley, and that appears to be the case once more.

Bielsa will now be worried

While the Whites can call upon options from the likes of Diego Llorente and Liam Cooper, this latest news on Koch is sure to have left Bielsa worried.

The German had a injury-hit debut campaign at Elland Road last season, playing just 17 times in the Premier League and missing a number of games with a knee problem between December and March.

It was quite telling that, in April, reports emerged that Bielsa thought the 25-year-old was too soft to be an elite Premier League player and felt that the likes of Llorente, Cooper and Pascal Struijk had all overtaken him in the pecking order.

That’s a far cry from what Vincenzo Grifo, Koch’s former teammate at Freiburg, told The Athletic, saying: “He’s very vocal at the back and he loves to have the game in front of him. He’s an outstanding organiser. His improvement is incredibly rapid, including in the national team, and he’s on a path to become a world-class player, a monster centre-back.”

Former Whites defender Tony Dorigo dubbed him a “rock” in Leeds’ central defence last year, but his injury history is now beginning to take a real toll on his chances of establishing himself in this side anytime soon.

The £8.5m-rated ace’s latest absence is sure to be a cause of concern now for Bielsa.

Meanwhile, Adam Pope has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has confirmed a major injury blow before tonight’s Premier League game against Leeds United at St James’ Park.

What’s the story?

The Magpies find themselves inside the relegation zone heading into tonight’s game against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, and Steve Bruce will be desperately hoping for a bit of respite.

However, they will have to do so once again without their main man up front, with the Newcastle boss confirming that while Callum Wilson has made good progress on his injury, he’s not quite ready to make an appearance just yet.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Bruce said of the 29-year-old: “We’re not going to put a time on it. He’s making good progress. Unfortunately, he’s not made it.”

Fans will be gutted

The former Bournemouth striker has been a rare shining light for Newcastle over the past year or so and marked his debut campaign for the Magpies last season with 12 goals in just 26 Premier League games despite struggling for consistent action through injury.

This season has also seen him start off well, netting twice in the opening three fixtures, and it’s no surprise that he’s the man on whom Newcastle rely to lead the line and score their goals. In fact, Joe Willock was the only other player in their squad to score more than four times in last season’s Premier League.

The £19.8m-rated Wilson has earned rave reviews in his time playing in the Premier League, with Eddie Howe, his former manager at Bournemouth, particularly fulsome in his praise of the centre-forward.

The ex-Cherries boss said: “He is an outstanding player with unique attributes for us. He has that ability to run in behind and he’s got the work ethic off the ball and, of course, he knows where the goal is.”

The fact that Wilson will once again be missing from action tonight is a body blow and big setback to Newcastle, and Magpies fans will surely be gutted at seeing him missing a game from which they desperately need a win to get their season going.

Meanwhile, Bruce must drop this player tonight…

Emiliano Martinez is in line to return to Aston Villa’s starting line-up for the clash with Everton on Saturday evening, according to Birmingham Live’s Ashley Preece. 

The lowdown

Villa were without the goalkeeper and his Argentina compatriot Emiliano Buendia last weekend for their trip to Chelsea, which ended in a 3-0 defeat. Jed Steer deputised for Martinez, making just his third Premier League appearance.

The Argentine pair have been seeing out a mandatory 10-quarantine after the international break in Croatia, where they underwent a training camp, and were due to return as late as Saturday morning (via Sky Sports).

Martinez is a key player for Dean Smith’s side. Last season, his tally of 15 clean sheets was bettered only by Ederson and Edouard Mendy in the Premier League and only Alphonse Areola ‘prevented’ more goals in the top flight.

The latest

In a fan Q&A for Birmingham Live ahead of this evening’s match, Preece was asked about the Argentine duo’s starting prospects.

He replied: “I believe Martinez will start with Buendia on the bench.”

The verdict

This is a game that Aston Villa should be winning – they’ll have ambitions of finishing above Everton – and it would be a huge boost if they could call upon Martinez.

While neither player has been able to partake in team training this week, that certainly feels like less of an issue for a goalkeeper.

It’ll now be interesting to see whether Villa end up in this position once more after the October international break, or whether a compromise can be reached to avoid a repeat of this month’s situation.

In other news, Alex McLeish offers his reaction to this Dean Smith rumour.

Aston Villa took to Twitter late on Thursday evening to share an injury update on summer signing Leon Bailey.

And, as to be expected, their official post led to a number of Villa fans giving their thoughts to the news.

Bailey made his first Villa Park appearance last weekend in a 3-0 win over Everton, netting his first goal for the club to seal an impressive cameo display.

The 24-year-old came on for Matt Targett after the hour mark but then had to be withdrawn 21 minutes for Ashley Young with a muscle injury.

Dean Smith has now confirmed that the Jamaican’s injury is now likely to keep him out of action until after the international break.

The Villa boss also added that midfielder Morgan Sanson is also set to be sidelined for a month after picking up a hamstring problem against Chelsea in the week.

Villa fans react

Villa posted the injury update on Bailey on their official Twitter page late on Thursday evening. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with many sharing their frustration.

“I give up”

Credit: @ThatAnt___

“you genuinely couldn’t write it”

Credit: @alicem_ill

“Absolute farce this season is for injuries. Something ain’t right”

Credit: @TheOriginal_Cat

“Shut up”

Credit: @AlexPickworth1

“Seriously, we have got to have the worst medical staff around….this needs looking into, season after season we are without key players for months”

Credit: @bradzAVFC80

“Never known a player get injured from shooting too hard while scoring. This could only happen to us.”

Credit: @jamsey55

In other news: Villa now eyeing ‘quality’ ace who is ‘going to the top’; same agency as Jacob Ramsey. 

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown of The Daily Star has dropped a West Ham United claim involving defender Issa Diop.

The Lowdown: Diop on the fringes…

Having played in just two matches in all competitions so far this season, it appears that the centre-back’s position under manager David Moyes is under threat.

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Indeed, having featured over a full 90 minutes in both the Carabao Cup and Europa League (WhoScored), the 24-year-old is yet to feature in the Premier League this term.

As Moyes has greater choice in defence, Diop could face a battle to earn back his place as one of the first names on West Ham’s team sheet.

The Latest: Brown drops Diop claim…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Daily Star reporter Brown has backed this belief that the former club record signing for £22m may face a battle in east London.

“I think it looks bad for Diop that Zouma is there now too,” he explained.

“He looked brilliant and formed a real wall in the European game against Dinamo Zagreb a couple of weeks ago. He has a lot of experience.

“In terms of the physique and talent level, he is very similar to Diop, but he’s been around and done it more often.

“He has Premier League and Champions League experience so it’s going to be hard for Diop to get back in.

“There’s no reason why he can’t but he has certainly got to show a lot more than he has over the last couple of seasons to do that.”

The Verdict: Tough road ahead…

The signing of Zouma, who often performed impressively for Chelsea last season, certainly comes as a mighty blow for Diop’s chances of playing regular Premier League football at the London Stadiun.

However, the gigantic 6 foot 4 powerhouse, who was once hailed as a “monster” by Jose Mourinho, could provide Moyes with very capable defensive backup off the bench and real steel when called upon, potentially improving West Ham’s chances of enjoying another stellar season.

If Diop bides his time and performs well when required, he could work his way back into the manager’s plans.

In other news: West Ham source: GSB set sights on signing ‘outstanding’ star for Moyes, talks already held…find out more here.