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The margins of defeat at Edgbaston and the Ageas Bowl will leave India wondering what could have been

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Sep-20180:55

As captain, I don’t see too many negatives for India in this game – Kohli

How Test cricket exposes you ruthlessly and swiftly if you take your foot off the pedal. India’s top-order batsmen forgot to stitch together partnerships. Their lower order failed to show the spine and mental strength displayed by Sam Curran for England with the bat. India’s leading spinner, the only one, failed to dominate England on wearing pitch with huge pockmarks.All the good things that India did collectively to win the Trent Bridge Test evaporated in the warm and balmy air in Southampton over the last few days. Virat Kohli tried to put a positive spin in the end, but India had lost the series 3-1.Kohli admitted that England deserved to win this Test, and the series, because Joe Root’s men were relentless, something India were not for extended period of times. Although Ashwin’s ineffectiveness remains a talking point, the more significant weakness for India this series has been the failure of their openers. Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul had shown application in Nottingham where they played out the first hour, thus allowing the middle order lead by Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to capitalise in both innings.Here Dhawan and Rahul failed twice after giving hope that they had turned the corner. Although Rahul was defeated by a grubber from Stuart Broad on the fourth day, in the first innings he had failed to counter Broad’s seaming in delivery, his Achilles heel for a while. Dhawan, too, would berate himself for playing shots at deliveries in both innings he could have played differently. In the second innings, the problems were compounded by Pujara being defeated by James Anderson’s inswing.Kohli agreed that the batting group’s failure to support Pujara and inflate the lead eventually hurt India badly. They did take a 27-run advantage, but that was too slender. That, Kohli said was a “big moment” his team lost. “It’s very difficult to recognise key moments in the first innings of a Test match,” Kohli said. “But they turn out to be very big moments in a Test match eventually in the course of the whole game.”Kohli, who made 46 in the first innings, chased a wide, fuller delivery from Curran and paid the price. “After I got out, I myself felt that had I batted for longer that day the lead could have been bigger. But even after that we thought we could get a couple of more partnerships and extend the lead if possible. Eventually Pujara had to play a blinder to get us to a lead of 30-odd. So that’s the only thing that I feel could have extended our lead a bit more in this first innings.”India’s top-three have failed miserably in the chases recently•ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland, despite the victory, have several of their own issues to contend with. Yet they came out on top and Kohli said that was because England were “brave” in “tougher” situations. Kohli said that was the difference between the two teams.Another significant difference between the two batting units has been the weaker contributions from India’s lower order, especially in the two closely-fought Tests here and at Edgbaston. Unlike Curran, who has two fifties, an average of 50 and is the third-highest run-scorer this series, despite having played three of the four Tests, India have failed to get similar returns from Hardik Pandya, their main allrounder. Pandya has one fifty so far, but has been poor otherwise. Kohli underlined that fact saying India need to learn from Curran, who has played “fearless” cricket.”It’s quite handy to have guys who can strike the ball well in those positions because you literally have nothing to lose and once you get a partnership going, it can get frustrating for the opposition. every team feels like that, when the lower order gets runs, you don’t likes seeing that. They have guys who are fearless down the order, they back their skills, they were braver in tough situations than us, they were more confident about what they wanted to do in tough situations, and that’s why they won this Test match. Those contributions lower down the order have been significant as far as this Test goes and the one Birmingham as well. I would like to congratulate Sam Curran. He has been a nice find for England.”Despite the series loss, Kohli felt India made England earn the victory and that is something he would tell his players to take forward in the final Test, which starts at The Oval on Friday. Asked if 3-1 was a fair reflection for the series, Kohli felt, it would be crude to measure the efforts put in by his team in terms of a “scorecard”.”You understand that cricket is not always defined by the scorecard – that’s just a thing to look at. You might be 3-0 up in a five match series, and the opposition manage to win the last two and say it’s a close series, but you know it’s actually not close. But when you’re going see-saw in every game apart from Lord’s, I would not count that, then you understand that it was a competitive and hard fought series victory for England. We definitely pushed England to earn a victory and they played better cricket than us for longer periods. That’s why they won the match.”However, in the end, Kohli did concede that India are yet to learn to “cross the line” which they failed to do at Edgbaston and here, losing by 31 and 60 runs respectively. “We can look at the scoreboard and say we were only 30 runs away or 50 runs away, but we have to recognise that when we are in the midst of the situation, and not later. We know that we have played good cricket, but we cannot say again and again to ourselves that we have competed. When you come so close, there is an art of crossing the line as well, which we will have to learn.”We have the ability and that is why we are getting close to a result, and we have belief in that ability. But when a pressure situation comes, how we react to it is something we have to work on a bit, something everyone is ready to work on that. We are not feeling that in the last Test we will not play with intensity. We still have one opportunity to improve our mistakes and to learn to capitalise during pressure situations.”

India seem to have accepted that they made an error when they played a second spinner in Kuldeep Yadav at Lord’s in dank, overcast conditions last week.Kuldeep and R Ashwin went wicketless as Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes took advantage of the only dry day in the match to flatten India’s resolve after they were bowled out in virtually one session for 107.After India’s training session in Nottingham on Thursday, Ravi Shastri, the India head coach, said of the decision to play Kuldeep: “In hindsight, it was an error. Seeing the conditions, we could have gone with an extra seamer. That might have helped.”But, just like India captain Virat Kohli, Shastri tried to defend the move. “Then again, you didn’t know how much it would rain,” he said. “Whether a match could go into the final day where, just in case a spinner is needed and the ball started to turn, would we have needed him? But in hindsight, the way things panned out, the amount it rained, the amount of time we lost, a seamer could have been a better option.”Shastri isn’t one to brood too long, though. He has clearly moved on, the priority now being rejuvenating India’s batting after the miserable failures in the face of the swing and seam unleashed by James Anderson and Co. Kohli aside, none of the India batsmen have shown the resolve or the nous to find a way out. No specialist India batsmen has even made a fifty across four innings apart from Kohli. The only other resolve has come from the lower-middle order – Hardik Pandya and Ashwin, second and third on India’s batting charts in terms of runs.Apart from the 50-run stand M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan put on in India’s first innings in the first Test, the openers have failed to find the answers. Even the experienced Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have struggled. Rahane, who has the best average overseas among this lot, has fallen away after solid starts, out caught in the slips in all four innings. Questions persist over his form, but Rahane has Shastri’s full support it seems.”He is one of our pillars, he will remain one of our pillars,” Shastri said. But if the batting unit is to bounce back, he said, the batsmen have to show mental strength. “Conditions have been tough, as you have seen right through this series. But that’s where character comes into play and mental discipline comes into play. The resolve to know where your off stump is, to leave a lot of balls, to be prepared to look ugly and dirty and show some grit [is needed].”

Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided some new information regarding Chelsea's potential move for a star striker in 2024.

Will Chelsea sign a new striker?

The Blues have made a disastrous start to their Premier League season, having gone into the new campaign with hope that last year's woes would be forgotten about. The appointment of Mauricio Pochettino hasn't yet gone to plan, however, with both results and performances severely lacking.

After six league games so far this season, Chelsea are 14th in the table and have only won one match to date, at home to newly-promoted Luton Town, and there is increasing pressure on them to stay in the top four hunt even this early in the season.

One of the Blues' biggest issues has been a lack of firepower in attack, with only five league goals scored to date in 2023/24, with Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson netting four of those combined. It has highlighted the need for more options to arrive in the coming transfer windows, with a lack of depth at Pochettino's disposal right now.

Mykhailo Mudryk is continuing to struggle and Jackson is still a young player learning his trade, so failure to bring in reinforcements could be a fatal error in January.

Which striker is on Chelsea's radar?

Taking to X, Romano provided an update on Chelsea's pursuit of Brentford striker Ivan Toney, saying he could join for different prices depending on if the move happens in January or next summer:

"Ivan Toney plan remains clear: try new, different opportunity in 2024 as he signed with new agents, represented by Stellar. Arsenal and Chelsea are both informed on potential conditions of the deal for January or summer, different price. Race still open."

Toney is currently suspended for betting offences, so won't be available to play until January, but he could be a fantastic option for Chelsea moving forward, having made a seamless jump from the Championship to the Premier League.

The 27-year-old is clearly adored by Brentford manager Thomas Frank, who has described him as a "remarkable" player, and he is someone currently at his peak, and who could remain in that period of his career for another four or five years.

Last season, Toney scored 20 goals in the Premier League, which is a superb effort for a player not representing one of the big clubs, and his overall tally for the Bees stands at 68 in just 124 appearances.

The threat of Arsenal is obvious, considering what an attractive proposition they are these days, but the Englishman could be promised more regular playing time in a Chelsea shirt, which could sway his thinking. Whether it is January that sees the Blues make a move for him remains to be seen, but they could do with him then rather next summer, even if his price tag is more expensive at that point.

Some may feel that Toney isn't at the level required for Pochettino's men, but that is a lazy assumption because he is playing for a fairly unfashionable club, and he has the ability to make a world of difference in the west Londoners' attack.

Matchday tickets to watch live football appear to be going up with every passing season, pricing out the regular punters who have supported their teams for years.

In time, the working class won’t be able to afford to go to games anymore. Not only due to the rising costs of ticket prices alone, but also public transport and food costs.

Of course, this has a bigger impact higher up the pyramid, with Premier League clubs charging the most for single tickets.

Liverpool are a club that are treating their fans the correct way. The Anfield side are freezing all general and season ticket prices for the 2025/26 campaign. This comes despite the increase in matchday and operating costs at the club.

While not every club might be able to do this depending on their financial situation, the Merseyside outfit are rewarding those who have made this season such a success.

Who knows, perhaps a few other top-flight teams might follow in their footsteps and freeze prices for next season.

All 20 Premier League clubs ranked by their 2024/25 wage bill

We’ve taken a detailed look at all 2024/25 Premier League teams and their salary bills, as per Capology.

ByCharlie Smith Feb 8, 2025

With this in mind, we have taken a look at ticket prices for every Premier League side for the 2024/25 campaign.

Club

Cheapest

Average

Highest

Fulham

£50

£105

£160

Arsenal

£30

£85.50

£141

Tottenham Hotspur

£38

£73.50

£109

West Ham

£30

£67.50

£105

Aston Villa

£44.50

£68

£92

Brighton

£33

£55.50

£78

Chelsea

£53

£64

£75

Leicester City

£33

£52.50

£72

Wolves

£26

£48.50

£71

Newcastle United

£32

£51

£70

Southampton

£25

£47.50

£70

Manchester City

£43

£55

£67

Manchester Utd

£66

£66

£66

Brentford

£30

£47.50

£65

Liverpool

£39

£50

£61

Nottingham Forest

£45

£52.50

£60

Crystal Palace

£48

£53

£58

Everton

£55

£55

£55

Bournemouth

£30

£39.50

£49

Ipswich Town

£32

£40

£48

20 Ipswich Town Most expensive matchday ticket: £48

Ipswich Town are playing their first season in the Premier League since the 2001/02 campaign.

Kieran McKenna led the Tractor Boys to automatic promotion from the Championship last year, and while they currently occupy 18th spot in the table, they still have a great chance of surviving.

Ipswich currently have the least expensive matchday ticket in the Premier League, costing £48.

19 Bournemouth Most expensive matchday ticket: £49

Bournemouth are enjoying their finest Premier League season as the Cherries look set to qualify for Europe.

At £49 for a ticket, they are the second-cheapest club on this list. While it costs £3.50 for a programme at the Vitality Stadium, these prices may well go up should they qualify for Europe this term.

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1 ByRoss Kilvington Feb 10, 2025 18 Everton Most expensive matchday ticket: £55

It is looking like Everton will retain their Premier League status ahead of next season, and it is all thanks to David Moyes. The Scot has rejuvenated the Toffees since joining a few weeks ago.

They are moving to their new stadium for the 2025/26 season, but their most expensive ticket at the time of writing is £55. Whether this will increase due to their new surroundings remains to be seen.

17 Crystal Palace Most expensive matchday ticket: £58

Crystal Palace’s most expensive matchday ticket is currently priced at £58. They did garner controversy back in 2015 when it was revealed that a pie at Selhurst Park would cost the supporter a staggering £4, more than any other team in the league.

The Eagles are on course to remain in the Premier League next year under the leadership of Oliver Glasner, sitting comfortably in mid-table.

There is not much variation in the club’s ticket prices, as the cheapest matchday ticket to watch Premier League football at Selhurst Park is £48, just £10 less than the most expensive option.

16 Nottingham Forest Most expensive matchday ticket: £60

Nottingham Forest’s most expensive matchday costs £60, but might this increase next season? The club have been wonderful throughout the current campaign, as Nuno Espírito Santo has led them to the heights of third in the Premier League table.

The next few weeks will be the most crucial of their season as they face Newcastle United, Arsenal and Manchester City in successive matches in the top flight.

If Champions League qualification is secured, expect a rise in ticket prices, especially concerning the cheapest option, which currently stands at £48.

15 Liverpool Most expensive matchday ticket: £61

Considering Liverpool’s success domestically and in Europe, it is admirable that their most expensive matchday ticket is £61, which ranks them relatively low on this list.

As mentioned earlier, the club have frozen all ticket prices for the 2025/26 season, which is great news for supporters, especially those who are feeling the pinch in these uncertain times.

The Anfield side also ranks around mid-table out of all the top flight teams regarding their cheapest ticket, with this coming in around £39, not bad indeed.

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ByLewis Thompson Sep 5, 2025 14 Brentford Most expensive matchday ticket: £65

Brentford are now an established Premier League side, having secured promotion to the top flight back in 2021.

Under Thomas Frank, they have never finished lower than 16th in the table, which occurred last term. They get their recruitment spot-on and will be playing in the top flight once again next season amid another solid campaign in 2024/25.

The most expensive matchday ticket at the club currently is £65, and it remains to be seen whether this will increase for 2025/26, especially if they secure a top-half finish or even a European place.

13 Manchester United Most expensive matchday ticket: £66

Manchester United are enduring a dreadful season, to say the least. With just 29 points from their opening 25 matches, the Old Trafford side occupy 15th place in the table. Ruben Amorim will be hoping he can get rid of the deadwood this summer to bring in his own players.

For the 2024/25 season, United’s most expensive matchday ticket currently stands at £66 across the board. The club recently came under fire for the decision, which has also done away with concessions for younger and older supporters.

With the standard of football on show and their lowly league position, it is no wonder this is seen as extortionate, and it shows no sign of coming down.

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ByRoss Kilvington Jan 24, 2025 12 Manchester City Most expensive matchday ticket: £67

Manchester City may be going through their roughest spell since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016, but compared to other clubs, their most expensive matchday ticket costs £67, ranking them around mid-table.

They may not win a trophy this term, but the Spaniard will be keen to use the summer to further revitalise his stagnating squad.

At £43 for the cheapest ticket at the Etihad, City fans can also get some decent value for seeing their team perform in the Premier League. Given they are four-time defending champions, this figure isn’t too steep.

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ByBarney Lane Jan 28, 2025 11 Southampton Most expensive matchday ticket: £70

Southampton sit bottom of the league table having amassed just nine points all season, securing only two wins in 25 matches.

The football has been poor, and despite the club being destined for Championship football once again, the most expensive ticket at St Mary’s costs £70. This figure might not change in the second tier, either.

Despite placing joint-10th for the most expensive ticket price in the league, Southampton actually offer the cheapest matchday ticket in the division, coming in at just £25.

The 2017 edition of the tournament allowed team to play five overseas players in their XI, but the next edition will go back to the original rule

Mohammad Isam18-Apr-2018The Bangladesh Premier League will go back to having a maximum of four overseas players in a playing XI for the 2018 edition, down from the five in 2017. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also ratified the BPL governing council’s decision that each franchise can retain up to four (overseas and/or local) players from their 2017 roster.Having a maximum of four overseas players per playing XI was the rule in the 2015 and 2016 editions, while the 2012, 2013 and 2017 BPL allowed five. Questions were raised about it last year, with some franchises not supporting the governing council’s decision.”We decided that any franchise can retain four players, be it local or foreign,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan said. “Basically, it can be any combination of local or foreign players, but a maximum of four. We have also decided that only four foreign players can play at a time in a match in the next edition.”The decision around player retention is also a hot topic among franchise owners and officials, although the BCB clarifying it five months ahead of the tournament may make squad-building easier for them. However, Hassan didn’t clarify whether the rest of the squads will be picked from an auction or a draft, or if the franchises have a free reign to contract the players outside of those processes.Meanwhile, the 2018 BPL is likely to begin from either October 1 or 5, and the final is slated for mid-November so that the tournament doesn’t clash with general elections in the country.

West Ham United have not always had the best of luck, or judgement perhaps, with their dealings in the transfer market over the years.

Who are West Ham's biggest signings?

The Hammers have not been afraid to splash out the cash to bolster their squad, particularly over the last five years or so, in an attempt to push on in the Premier League.

Player

Fee paid

Sebastien Haller

£43m

Mohammed Kudus

£37m

Lucas Paqueta

£37m

Edson Alvarez

£32.7m

Felipe Anderson

£32.7m

Fees via Transfermarkt.

Haller and Anderson, of the five most-expensive signings in the club's history as shown above, did not enjoy the best of times at the London Stadium and David Moyes could be on course to oversee another expensive disaster with Pablo Fornals.

The former Villarreal whiz, Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal, Michail Antonio, and Aaron Cresswell are among the players who are out of contract next summer and will be free to leave for £0.

What's the latest on Pablo Fornals' future?

It was recently reported that Spanish side Sevilla are eyeing up a swoop to sign Fornals from the Hammers as their sporting director Victor Orta, who was previously at Leeds United in England, is keen to secure a deal for him in 2024.

The report stated that the attacking midfielder is free to speak with other clubs from January onwards and that a move to Sevilla would be among his preferences if the option arises.

He is allowed to sign a pre-contract with another team in January ahead of a free transfer next summer due to his expiring contract, which is why West Ham must get him to put pen to paper on an extension.

Football Insider claimed, prior to the news of Sevilla's interest, that the Hammers are planning to sit down with Fornals, along with Coufal and Soucek, to discuss a possible contract extension.

They also revealed that teams from Saudi Arabia were showing an interest in the ace, although nothing came of that before the Saudi Pro League transfer deadline earlier this month.

How much did West Ham pay for Pablo Fornals?

In the summer of 2019, West Ham completed the signing of the then-23-year-old wizard from Spanish side Villarreal for a reported fee of £24m, which made him the second-most expensive player in the club's history – behind Felipe Anderson at £33.5m – at the time.

Fornals arrived at the London Stadium after two impressive campaigns in LaLiga, following on from his move to the club from Malaga in 2017.

The creative Spaniard enjoyed a fantastic 2017/18 campaign with Villarreal as he racked up an outstanding 12 assists and created 15 'big chances' for his teammates across 30 league starts, to go along with three goals, as per Sofascore.

His teammates then let him down throughout the 2018/19 season as the technical ace produced ten 'big chances' for his fellow attackers over 28 LaLiga starts and was only rewarded with three assists. This suggests that his teammates did not make the most of the opportunities that he created for them.

The talented whiz's performances were impressive enough to convince West Ham and then-manager Manuel Pellegrini to splash out £24m to secure his services.

How well has Fornals performed for West Ham?

Fornals has been a solid performer for the Hammers over the years as he has racked up 184 appearances in all competitions and played 141 times in the Premier League to date.

He has featured in at least 32 top-flight matches in all four of his seasons with the club so far, which speaks to his reliability in terms of his performance level and durability. Managers have rarely not selected him to play, whether that is from the bench or within the starting XI, and he has not had any major injury lay-offs.

His best season in a West Ham shirt to date arguably came during the 2021/22 campaign. The Spanish maestro provided a consistent creative threat and added goals to his game as he delivered brilliant Premier League performers week-in-week-out.

Fornals averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 6.94 across 36 league appearances for the club and contributed with six goals and ten 'big chances' created from midfield. He also showcased his defensive quality with 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game to win the ball back for his side.

The former Villarreal star, who was once dubbed "unbelievable" by journalist Karl Matchett, was the team's outstanding creator as he averaged 1.3 key passes per match throughout the season, which none of his teammates were able to better.

More recently, Fornals caught the eye in the Europa Conference League last term as the club went on to win the competition. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.13 over 12 appearances as he scored three goals and created two 'big chances' from the middle of the park.

What's next for Fornals?

The report of Sevilla's interest and the player potentially being keen on the move is worrying for West Ham as it suggests that there is chance that he will sign a pre-contract with the Spanish team to join them for nothing next summer.

This would mean that the Hammers would not get back a single penny of the £24m that they initially paid to secure his signature back in 2019, which would be a disaster when you consider that he will be 28 and in his prime years ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

FootballTransfers currently has his Expected Transfer Value at €22.2m (£19.1m) and this is an indication of the kind of fee that the club are set to miss out on if they do not tie him down to an extension.

Moyes and West Ham have allowed him to enter the final 12 months of his contract before sitting down to have talks over a new deal, as per the aforementioned Football Insider report, and this has allowed Sevilla, and potentially other teams, to show an interest and possibly sway Fornals' thinking.

The situation should have been dealt with before the recent summer transfer window as they could have been able to cash in on him this year if he refused to put pen to paper on an extension.

Therefore, the Hammers are currently on course for a howler with the Spanish magician unless they are able to convince him to turn down Sevilla and remain at the London Stadium beyond the end of this season.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA shattering spell of reverse swing by Tom Curran foiled Australia’s chase of a modest England total and in turn silenced a West Australian record crowd of 53,781 in the first ODI to be played at Perth’s new stadium. A trio of players from out west – Mitchell Marsh, AJ Tye and Marcus Stoinis – had prospered earlier in the match, but it was the effervescent Curran who had the final say, years after he had been childhood friends with Marsh when growing up in Zimbabwe.Australia seemed to be travelling comfortably in pursuit of 260 for victory, after England’s batsmen had squandered a series of starts, when Stoinis fell within sight of a hundred upon his promotion to No. 3 in the home side’s batting order. Having earlier ended a poor series for David Warner with a lively yorker, Curran was called back by Eoin Morgan and had his second ball curling back to confound the recalled Glenn Maxwell.Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa and Tim Paine followed, leaving England 4-1 victors in the 50-over series and underlining the fact that Australia are currently a long way from putting together a strong limited overs combination, less than 18 months away from next year’s World Cup. England were also well served by David Willey, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, while Jake Ball overcame considerable physical distress to complete his 10 overs. Winning the match without Mark Wood, Chris Woakes or Liam Plunkett was testament to the depth of the England ODI squad.The visitors had seemed headed for a tall total when Jason Roy was hitting the ball with plenty of power early on, but he, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales all failed to go on from promising starts to leave Joe Root more or less stranded with the England tail. In the game after taking his first international wickets, Tye used his vast array of pace variations to scoop five, reaping the rewards of some earlier good work by Marsh and also Zampa, who delivered his best spell of the series.Warner again departed cheaply, but his exit provided the chance for Stoinis to demonstrate his combination of poise and power in a way that will put him very much in the mix to be a more permanent fixture at No. 3. A promising stand with Travis Head, again looking comfortable as an opener, was ended by Morgan’s direct hit run out, which found the left-hander to be fractionally short of his ground.Smith has looked out of sorts all series, and did little to change that impression by being nearly stumped off Rashid and then comfortably stumped off Moeen, who drifted one away from Australia’s captain before sliding it past the outside edge and into Buttler’s gloves. Marsh was victim to a simply outstanding return catch from Moeen, who thrust out his right hand and plucked a fiercely struck straight drive just as the umpire was ducking for cover.For a time it appeared that Stoinis and Maxwell would take the Australians home, leaving the hosts needing just 70 from 97 balls with six wickets in hand. But when Stoinis failed to clear long-on when electing to loft Rashid, he opened up an end for Curran, who made the most of it, turning figures of 1 for 23 after five overs into a match-winning 5 for 35 after 9.2.Smith admitted that his decision to bowl first was based largely on unknowns about the stadium’s drop-in pitch, which offered an odd-looking mosaic of dry grass and greener areas. But it played well from the moment Roy flicked Starc’s first ball of the match through square leg, the vast square boundaries for a stadium devised primarily for football matches allowing an all-run four.Having begun the series with a whirlwind 180 at the MCG, Roy seemed intent on ending it in a similar manner, driving powerfully down the ground and through cover across a fast outfield. The ball after hitting Starc back over his head for six, he edged a ball angling across him through to Paine, only to be reprieved by the detection of a no-ball on replays after the event. Starc beat Roy for pace with the subsequent free-hit, but the no-ball looked likely to be costly as England strode to 44 in the first five overs.Some tighter bowling from the West Australian duo of Marsh and Tye forced Roy’s scoring rate to slacken, and ultimately drew his wicket when trying to force the pace once more – beaten by one of Tye’s slower ball variations and skying to mid-on. Bairstow then took it upon himself to drive the scoreboard forward, but he too was dismissed after making a start, dragging an indeterminate prod at Starc onto the stumps after Smith brought back his No. 1 strike bowler.Marsh, who bowled with notable economy, also ensured Hales would not go on from his own start by coaxing a top edge from a short ball, and Morgan swiped unsuccessfully at another ball banged into the pitch, taken by Stoinis running in from deep point. Buttler briefly threatened to go on the offensive before he too was fooled by Tye’s subtle changes in pace, leaving Root to try to lift the tally with the bowlers.He paid a price in pain when one of Tye’s deliveries came through slower than expected, Root through the shot and struck a painful blow in the ribs that he took some time to recover from. None of Moeen, Rashid or Willey could endure, and when Root found Warner at long on, the end was Tye’s. Australia went to the interval with confidence, but they were to be humbugged by Curran, much as they have been by a more focused and tactically alert England throughout this series.

The third round of Premier League fixtures this season will see newly promoted Sheffield United welcome Manchester City to Bramall Lane on Sunday 27th August at 2pm GMT. So, we at Football FanCast have taken a look at everything that has ever gone on between the two clubs.

With two games on the board, a clear gap is already opening up between this duo as City are on 6 points and the Blades are yet to get off of the mark.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City got their title defence underway with a 3-0 victory over Burnley, a game that saw Erling Haaland pick up where he left off in front of goal, scoring a brace.

This was then followed up with a narrow win over Newcastle United, the only goal of the game coming from Julian Alvarez.

Sheffield United on the other hand have been on the receiving end of a pair of one-goal deficit defeats.

First it was against Crystal Palace on home soil and then a late Chris Wood header secured all three points for Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

It has to be said though, United’s goal in that game was a thing of beauty from debutant Gustavo Hamer, following his move over from Coventry City.

Sheffield United vs Manchester City: Who has the better head-to-head record?

As will be regularly mentioned, Manchester City are the dominant force in English football currently, but that hasn’t always been the case.

Sheffield United won the First Division title at the tail end of the 1800s, pointing towards the historic aurora that has always surrounded the club. Whilst City have won more of these fixtures than the Blades, it is closer than one would originally think.

Sheffield United wins

Draws

Manchester City wins

37

34

51

Sheffield United vs Manchester City: Who has more wins at Bramall Lane?

United just about take it when it comes to games taking place on their own patch, which has always been Bramall Lane. It is a stadium steeped in history and is the oldest major sports ground anywhere in the world.

Sheffield United wins Draws Manchester City wins 23 19 19 Sheffield United vs Manchester City: Who has more wins at Maine Road/the Etihad?

Manchester City’s story of their home ground is very different having played their games at Maine Road up until the early 2000s. City were there for 80 years and prior to that it was Hyde Road Football Stadium which they left partly due to a fire in the main stand.

More recently of course, the Etihad is the home of the European champions and it has seen so many iconic moments, most notably that Sergio Aguero goal against Queens’ Park Rangers.

Sheffield United wins Draws Manchester City wins 13 15 31 Sheffield United vs Manchester City: Who has the better cup record?

Despite these being two teams have been around for years and years, their fates in the English cup competitions have only crossed paths eight times. Sheffield United have won half of them although the last time they met, a game which will be spoken about further down the line, went the way of the Manchester club.

Sheffield United wins Draws Manchester City wins 4 2 2 Sheffield United vs Manchester City: How have the last 5 meetings played out?

It isn’t all that surprising to see that Manchester City’s recent dominance stretches into their clashes with Sheffield United. 4 of these 5 games came in the Premier League and all went the way of the Citizens, as did their huge FA Cup battle.

22nd April 2023- Manchester City 3-0 Sheffield United:

The most recent meeting between these two was a major one as they crossed paths in the FA Cup semi-final, even though the Blades were a Championship side at the time. This will be delved into further in the famous fixtures section but given Manchester City’s treble-winning exploits last season, it is no surprise how this game went.

30th January 2021- Manchester City 1-0 Sheffield United:

A pattern is appearing in these last five games of Sheffield United failing to score but one has to give them their credit that three of the defeats were by a single goal. Gabriel Jesus, now of Arsenal, scored the only goal of the game at the Etihad en route to another top-flight title.

31st October 2020- Sheffield United 0-1 Manchester City:

The reverse fixture in that season ended with the same scoreline. Spoiler alert but this time around it was a former Blade Kyle Walker who fired home the decisive strike up in Sheffield.

21st January 2020- Sheffield United 0-1 Manchester City:

For large parts of the game, Sheffield United looked as if they could hold Pep Guardiola’s side to a goalless draw but an inevitable duo popped up and changed that. Kevin De Bruyne played in Sergio Aguero who made no mistake in finishing beyond the reaches of Dean Henderson after Jesus had missed a first-half penalty, breaking blades hearts.

29th December 2019- Manchester City 2-0 Sheffield United:

This is the only Premier League meeting in the last 5 games that saw more than one goal scored and it was only two, both of which going the way of the hosts at the Etihad. The aforementioned duo came to the fore again with second-half strikes from Aguero and De Bruyne securing three points for City against Chris Wilder.

Who has played for both Sheffield United and Manchester City?

Tommy Doyle (Manchester City 2019-current; Sheffield United 2022-2023)

A few players have played for both Manchester City and Sheffield United recently with a pair of them returning to the former after loan spells in the Steel City last year. The first of those two is midfielder Tommy Doyle, who was also a part of the England U21s side that tasted European glory earlier this summer.

After nearly a decade in the youth academy, Doyle graduated into the City first-team where he made one appearance for going out on his first loan. He went to Hamburger SV and Cardiff City before then landing at Bramall Lane where he of course gained promotion back to the top-flight.

James McAtee (Manchester City 2021-current; Sheffield United 2022-2023)

One year his junior at 20 years of age is James McAtee who was even more influential under the stewardship of Paul Heckingbottom. He made 37 league appearances and contributed 9 goals and three assists at a rate of one every 158 minutes which is hugely impressive.

This was McAtee’s first loan spell away from the Etihad and since returning, he made a brief cameo in the win over Burnley on the opening night of the season. He certainly has a very bright future ahead of him in the sky-blue shirt.

Kyle Walker (Sheffield United 2008-2009 and 2009-2010; Manchester City 2017-current)

Finally to a Manchester City stalwart who was formerly a Blade, Kyle Walker. He was born in Sheffield and came through their academy with immense pride. After just one year as a pro there he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur, although his first year as a Spurs player saw him loaned back to his hometown team.

Walker rose to prominence in a Tottenham shirt and since arriving in Manchester in 2017, has won all there is to win in the game for your club, the icing on top of course being last year’s Champions League success. Walker’s time with Sheffield United was one year away from crossing paths with that of the now former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire.

What is Sheffield United’s biggest victory over Manchester City?

26th October 1925: Sheffield United 8-3 Manchester City

The centenary of Sheffield United’s biggest win over Manchester City is nearly upon us and it is very unlikely that they will break this record in the next two years.

In 1925 with Halloween just around the corner in post-war England, the Blades romped to an 8-3 victory. Harry Johnson found the back of the net four times whilst his namesake Tommy was also on the score sheet for Man City. Meanwhile, Fred Tunstall chipped in with a Blades’ brace, one of which came from the penalty spot.

What is Manchester City’s biggest victory over Sheffield United?

21st August 1999: Manchester City 6-0 Sheffield United

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Manchester City’s largest win over Sheffield United came a lot more recently with the turn of the century just months away.

This clash actually took place in the Championship and a pair of legendary City names were amongst the goals. Paul Dickov and Shaun Goater are the two in question with Kevin Horlock also adding two first-half penalties in a 6-0 thumping at Maine Road, made all the more easy by United’s goalkeeper Simon Tracey’s sending off.

Sheffield United vs Manchester City: Key stats This will be the 11th league meeting between the two clubs in the Premier League era Manchester City haven’t lost to Sheffield United in their last five meetings Sheffield United haven’t scored in three straight home fixtures Sheffield United vs Manchester City: Famous fixtures

22nd April 2023 – Manchester City 3-0 Sheffield United:

As has been alluded too previously, Manchester City disposed of Sheffield United on the way to their FA Cup glory last season. Remarkably, it was the now departed Riyad Mahrez who scored all three goals under the Wembley arch, booking City’s spot in the final to face their Manchester rivals.

19th March 1994 – Manchester City 0-0 Sheffield United:

The other famous fixture deserves notability for very different reasons. With both teams on the verge of being relegated from the newly formed Premier League table, City and United met at Maine Road in a true six-pointer. It ended goalless which favoured blue more than red and this shone through at the end of the season as Man City stayed up whilst Sheffield United went down.

Tottenham Hotspur are now "betting heavily" on FC Porto striker Mehdi Taremi as a replacement for Harry Kane, having already tabled an offer of €24m (£21m), however the Portuguese side are holding out for €30m (£26m), according to reports.

What's the latest on Harry Kane's future?

Bayern Munich have seen another offer rejected for Kane, so time may be running out for the German champions to sign the striker, as he wants to have his future sorted before Tottenham's Premier League opener against Brentford on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou has recently told the media that he also wants a decision to be made sooner rather than later, in order to have clarity about where he needs to strengthen his squad ahead of the new season, but the striker's future remains up in the air.

The Lilywhites can now sit patiently and see if Bayern were being genuine about their third offer being the final one, though they will of course need to line up potential replacements in case the Bavarians come back and meet the price tag all of a sudden.

Read The Latest Tottenham Transfer News HERE

As such, the Lilywhites haveallegedly now made an offer of €24m (£21m) for Taremi, just shy of Porto's asking price of €30m (£26m), according to reports from Portugal (via Sport Witness).

The striker has "always" desired to play in England, but Porto will not make his departure easy, and he is protected by the €60m (£52m) release clause included in his contract, although his deal is due to expire next year.

Jorge Mendes is intermediating the talks between Tottenham and Porto, delivering the first bid, and it seems as though the north Londoners only need to increase their offer by £5m to secure the Iranian's signature.

Who is Mehdi Taremi?

The 31-year-old forward started out in his homeland of Iran, but it is with Porto where he has started to make a real name for himself, weighing in with an outstanding 31 goals and ten assists for the Portuguese side in all competitions last season.

Seven of those goal contributions came in the Champions League, indicating the Iran international, who has 33 goals for his country, is very much capable of competing at the highest level, and he has received high praise from members of the media.

Back in March, journalist Zach Lowy claimed the 6 foot 1 striker could be "the best Asian player in football right now", as a result of Heung-Min Son's poor form last season, and he could be a very good signing at around £26m, despite his age.

That said, Taremi is unlikely to be a long-term replacement for Kane, and there may be some concerns over the fact that he is still yet to play in one of Europe's "top five" leagues at this stage of his career.

If Spurs do lose their captain this summer, it is important they re-invest the money they receive on another top striker, and it is unclear whether the FC Porto striker is truly in that bracket.

تحدث مارسيل كولر المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي عن مواجهة الإسماعيلي التي نجح المارد الأحمر في الفوز بها بهدفين مقابل هدف.

واحتضن ملعب استاد الجيش ببرج العرب مباراة الأهلي والإسماعيلي ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ20 من عمر الدوري المصري الممتاز “النيل”. 

وقال كولر في المؤتمر الصحفي الذي عقد عقب المباراة: “الأهلي قدم مباراة قوية أمام الإسماعيلي وخلق فرصًا عديدة وكان بإمكانه تسجيل المزيد من الأهداف، خلال الشوط الأول”.

فيديو | ثنائية تاو وعاشور تقود الأهلي لفوز مثير على الإسماعيلي في الدوري

وأضاف: “مصطفى شوبير تمكن من إنقاذ فرصة محققة، ولكننا لم ندخل الشوط الثاني بالشكل الأفضل واستسهل اللاعبون المباراة”.

وواصل: “أدخلنا المنافس في المباراة مرة ثانية بضربة الجزاء، مواقف بدون داعي تتسبب في زيادة المشاكل وصعوبات اللقاء”.

واستكمل: “المنافس دخل المباراة بعد ضربة الجزاء واللقاء (تكهرب)، دروس يجب أن نستفيد منها ولكن الحمد لله المباراة خرجت لبر الأمان”.

واستطرد: “سعيد بعودة عدد من اللاعبين بعد غياب، وهو ما يزيد من التنافس بين الجميع”.

موعد مباراة الأهلي القادمة بعد الفوز على الإسماعيلي في الدوري

واستأنف: “لم أر مثل كل الناس الذين يتحدثون عن موديست بشكل سلبي، هو فعل أشياء جيدة نطلبها منه في أرض الملعب، شارك اليوم لوقت قليل، والمباراة بعد ذلك زادت صعوبتها وكانت هناك حالة تسرع ولم يكن لدينا فرصة أن نقيمه بشكل جيد، هو كان له بعض المباريات الجيدة حتى لو الناس لم يروا ذلك”.

وآتم: “أغلقنا ملف مباراة الإسماعيلي، وتركيزنا كبير على مواجهة الجونة التي تمثل لنا أهمية كبيرة في الوقت الراهن”.