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The Reds live to see another day in the National League wild-card race. Cincinnati escaped with a win over the rival Pirates on Thursday, thanks to some late defensive heroics from Noelvi Marte, who reached over the wall to rob a Pittsburgh home run in the ninth inning.

Marte, who was the Reds' top prospect and played in the infield throughout his time in the minor leagues, recently moved to the outfield in order to stay in the everyday lineup. He's played a total of 50 games in the outfield in his career, all of which came this season. But with the season potentially on the line, the 23-year-old made an incredibly difficult and important catch in order to help secure the win.

Marte's defensive highlight came with one out in the ninth inning. A home run from Brian Reynolds would've tied the game, and potentially forced extra innings for the second consecutive night. Fortunately, Marte was there to make a sensational play.

Following Thursday's win, Cincinnati now sits just one-half game behind the Mets in the wild-card race. New York is set to play the Cubs in the evening, with first pitch slated for 7:40 p.m. ET. A Mets loss would see the Reds take control of the final wild-card spot with just three games left to play.

Justin Greaves called it a “special, special day” for him and the team as he and Kemar Roach helped West Indies pull off an epic draw against New Zealand in the first Test at the Hagley Oval.After New Zealand set a never-chased-before target of 531, Greaves and Roach added 180 in 68.1 overs in an unbroken stand for the seventh wicket. Greaves scored 202 not out off 388 balls and Roach 58 not out off 233 as West Indies batted out 163.3 overs. Their 457 for 6 was the second-highest fourth-innings total in Test cricket, behind only England’s 654 for 5 in the timeless Test against South Africa in Durban in 1939.”[It was] just pretty much being resilient – the word we’ve thrown around in the dressing room a lot,” said Greaves, who also battled cramps towards the end of his innings. “So for me, to be there at the end was really important. So anything for the team at the end of the day.Related

• Justin Greaves: 'Test cricket a massive step up from first-class cricket in Caribbean'

• Blundell, Smith, Henry sustain injuries

• Stats – Greaves' fourth-innings double and West Indies' marathon

• Greaves 202*, Roach 58* anchor West Indies to epic draw

“I had a really long chat with coach Floyd Reifer. And he was saying, once you get in, stay in; it’s a good pitch. Rachin [Ravindra] and [Tom] Latham showed us in the second innings. So it was just for us to go out there and play ourselves.”It was not only Greaves’ highest Test score but also his best in first-class cricket. He became only the seventh batter to make a double-hundred in the fourth innings of a Test. Roach, who went 72 balls without scoring a run at one point, also registered his first-class best.”Special, special day for me; special day for the team,” Greaves said. “We were pretty much up against it. So, to come out here, batting the whole day after losing Shai [Hope]… We thought we would have probably pushed for a win. But then Kemar, the senior pro, guided me all the way. So pretty much happy for him being there at the end as well.”To be a part of history is ecstatic. But for me, one day at a time, continue to enjoy it. Probably it hasn’t sunk in just yet. Hopefully, over the next couple of days, it can.”West Indies were 72 for 4 at one point, before Shai Hope, who scored 140, and Greaves revived the innings. Hope and Tevin Imlach’s wickets in quick succession left them on 277 for 6, but when they entered the final session, needing 132 from a minimum of 33 overs, a win was not out of the realm of possibility. Eventually, they did not go for it.1:01

Chase: Roach is a modern-day legend

“For us, it was just about getting to the last session,” Greaves said. “We always spoke about 100 runs in the last session, probably with a few more wickets in hand. Obviously, losing Shai and then losing Imlach shortly after was a big thing. But I think we did really well in the end to come up with a draw.”West Indies captain Roston Chase later revealed that they took the final call when the last hour commenced, when West Indies needed 96 from 15 overs.”Going back at tea, the guys wanted to see if they could push for the runs,” Chase said. “But it didn’t quite work out the way they wanted. When the last hour came, when they came off for the water break, we had a discussion. They said they would just play out. And we didn’t think that was a bad idea at that time. So we were happy for them to just straight up play out and that’s what they did.”While West Indies put in an admirable effort, they were helped by the fact that New Zealand had lost Matt Henry and Nathan Smith to injuries. Henry bowled just 11 overs in the second innings and Smith none at all.”It was a Test match that sort of had it all, really,” New Zealand captain Tom Latham said. “I think the way we were able to put ourselves in a position to win a Test match was what we were after and for it to head down to the final hour with kind of all three [four] results on the cards.”When you have two of your seamers go down during a Test match, it’s never ideal. I think the way the work that especially Zak [Foulkes] and Jacob [Duffy] put in throughout that innings, the amount of overs that they bowled, the way they kept coming, certainly never complained and just got on with it and threw everything that they could at West Indies. And also Michael Bracewell bowling 50-odd [55] overs.”We managed to create some opportunities, which is obviously what you want to do, but we couldn’t take them, unfortunately. Sometimes you have to give a little bit of credit where credit’s due, and the way that West Indies played in this fourth innings was pretty outstanding.”New Zealand dropped Roach twice off Bracewell. Still, Bracewell should have dismissed twice more – first lbw and then caught behind. On both occasions, the on-field umpire ruled it not out. Had New Zealand not burnt their reviews, they could have got those decisions overturned.”I guess [it was] one of those things that you have to deal with,” Latham said. “You look at many times before you’ve finished a game, and you’ve had lots of reviews left. You see your way out, what you think the best option is, and I guess at the time that’s what we thought was the best option.”

Chelsea are now “crazy” about signing RB Leipzig midfielder Assan Ouedraogo, but they will have to do battle for his signature with one of their Premier League rivals.

Courtesy of a 2-0 victory against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, the Blues have now moved up to second in the Premier League table, but Gary Neville believes they are still some way off being genuine contenders for the title.

The Sky Sports pundit said: “They’ve got a lot of young players, spent a fortune, it’s probably not happening as quickly as they want,(and) I don’t think they’re anywhere near a team that can win the league to be honest. When I look at them, they look well short in a number of areas.”

As pointed out by Neville, the Blues have relied on youngsters a lot in the BlueCo era, breaking the record for the youngest average starting XI in the Premier League last season.

However, the west Londoners are yet to alter their recruitment policy, and they have now joined the race for another young midfielder.

Chelsea "crazy" about signing Assan Ouedraogo

In a new update from Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, it has been revealed that Chelsea are one of the Premier League clubs “crazy” about signing RB Leipzig midfielder Ouedraogo, alongside Man United.

Both English sides are now scouting the 19-year-old, who remains under contract at the Bundesliga club until 2029, and his main ambition is to secure a place in Germany’s 2026 World Cup squad.

The central midfielder remains under contract until 2029, and there is no release clause, meaning it is unclear how much the Blues will have to pay for the youngster, who is being targeted for next summer.

The German starlet may stand a chance of going to the World Cup next year, considering he impressed on his debut for his country, scoring in a 6-0 victory against Slovakia in the recent international break.

Not only that, but the Leipzig star would be a versatile option for Julian Nagelsmann, given that he is capable of playing in five positions, namely on both wings, central midfield, attacking midfield and even centre-forward.

The former Schalke man is off to an impressive start to the season in the Bundesliga, chipping in with three goals and three assists in 11 outings, and he has performed very well on some key attacking metrics over the past year.

Assan Ouedraogo’s key statistics (past year)

Average per 90

Non-penalty goals

0.48 (99th percentile)

Assists

0.48 (99th percentile)

Progressive carries

2.58 (94th percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.77 (99th percentile)

As such, Ouedraogo could be an excellent addition for Chelsea next summer, and they should continue to monitor his development between now and the end of the season.

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Posts ByDan Emery Nov 17, 2025

When it became clear that Liverpool would be crowned Premier League champions in Arne Slot’s first season at the club, well before the title was rubber-stamped and sealed, sporting director Richard Hughes suggested the summer transfer window would be significant.

After all, it was clear that Trent Alexander-Arnold was going to join Real Madrid at the end of his contract, and the likes of Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz were being linked with a move away. Liverpool needed a left-back.

And Liverpool have welcomed a sweeping array of new talent, shattering financial records as FSG added layers to Slot’s title-winning team.

But you’ll need no telling that the Reds have lost nine of their past 12 matches in 2025/26, thrashed in consecutive appearances at Anfield against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.

The balance is all wrong, and the squad have been shorn of confidence. It’s hardly surprising that Hughes is gearing up for a return to the transfer market.

Liverpool's winter transfer plans

Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher has been among those advocating for FSG to pull their purses out and sign a centre-back this January. However, Ibrahima Konate’s wretched form has seen Real Madrid cool their interest, and talks are ongoing regarding the France star’s renewal on Merseyside.

The need for an out-and-out winger is more pressing, with Diaz not replaced when sold to Bayern Munich in August.

That’s why Liverpool have set their sights on Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, who has been in fine fettle in the Premier League this season and is considered to be a top target on Merseyside, with his £65m release becoming active in January.

However, Hughes has compiled a list of multiple targets, and in Rafael Leao, Liverpool might even have an alternative who would prove a better pick, with stylistic similarities to the Ghana international.

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are ready to rekindle their long-standing interest in AC Milan star Leao and place a formal winter offer worth €120m (about £105m).

This would be a significant outlay for Liverpool after their summer of spending, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Cody Gakpo has not looked convincing on the left wing.

Why Liverpool should sign Rafael Leao

Leao, 26, is among the finest wide forwards in the world.

This season, he has enjoyed a clinical start, scoring five goals and providing one assist across all competitions. In Serie A, he hasn’t been as dynamic as in recent years, though he has been championing Maximiliano Allegri’s simplistic playing style, serving as a clinical outlet in the final third.

At Liverpool, Leao would probably be utilised in a different way, with Slot requiring more width and multi-facetedness on the flank to restore balance to his ailing frontline.

Among the most clinical wingers in Serie A this season, Leao is also maintaining such athleticism and creativity in his play. Gakpo, conversely, has consistently faced criticism for being overly one-dimensional,

Goals scored

0.67

0.29

Assists

0.17

0.20

Shots taken

2.17

2.94

Pass completion (%)

75.8

71.3

Goal-creating actions

0.50

0.39

Progressive passes

3.01

3.43

Through balls

0.84

0.39

Progressive carries

3.35

4.41

Successful take-ons

0.84

1.47

Ball recoveries

2.17

3.13

Aerials won

1.17

1.86

It is curious that Gakpo has been a bit more active in duelling situations than Leao, while also running more frequently with the ball. However, this season stands as an outlier for the Portuguese winger, as far as ball-carrying metrics are concerned.

Indeed, as well as being hailed as “one of the best left wingers in the world” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Leao has also been described as being “unstoppable” when on the ball by journalist Zach Lowy.

Gakpo might be running a fair bit in the Premier League this season, and his defensive metrics are impressive too, but he’s flattered to deceive in combination with left-back Milos Kerkez, who joined Liverpool from Bournemouth for £40m this summer.

The Dutchman, moreover, ranks among the bottom 39% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for take-on success rate.

In and of itself, this is not an egregious tactical sin, but Gakpo’s lack of dynamism has certainly been exposed since Diaz left Liverpool, amplified even more so by the 33-year-old Mohamed Salah’s deterioration on the alternate wing.

Given that Gakpo has only posted four goals and three assists across 18 matches in all competitions this season too, it’s clear that Liverpool need to make this move – for Leao or Semenyo – and add a dimension to their frontline.

There was a feeling that Liverpool opted against signing a like-for-like Diaz replacement in the summer due to the excitement around Rio Ngumoha, who became one of the youngest scorers in Premier League history when scoring the winner at Newcastle in August, but Slot has since used the 17-year-old sparingly.

1

James Vaughan

16 yrs, 8 months, 27 days

2

James Milner

16 yrs, 11 months, 22 days

3

Wayne Rooney

16 yrs, 11 months, 25 days

4

Rio Ngumoha

16 yrs, 11 months, 26 days

5

Cesc Fabregas

17 yrs, 3 months, 21 days

Also dubbed “world-class” by Mattinson, Leao’s fleet-footed and ferocious style of play is exactly what Liverpool need going forward. He fits the same mould that has been sculpted for Semenyo by the powers that be at FSG.

It’s clear that Leao, in his finest form, would nail down a starting berth at Anfield, and Hughes must now make it happen.

Better than Isak: Liverpool join race for "one of the best RWs in the world"

Arne Slot’s Liverpool tenure is crumbling before him, and FSG are considering changes.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 28, 2025

Visitors were wobbling at 96 for 7, still in arrears, before eighth-wicket pair come to rescue

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025

Ben Raine helped Durham grit their way to a draw•Getty Images

A stoic rearguard action from Durham eighth-wicket pair of Ben Raine and Matthew Potts, coupled with an untimely heavy thunderstorm, essentially ended Essex hopes of pulling off a stunning last-day Rothesay County Championship victory.Raine and Potts came together at 96 for 7 with Durham still requiring 28 runs to make Essex bat again. When a bolt of lightning forced the players from the field 14 minutes before the scheduled tea interval, the deficit had been turned into a narrow 19-run advantage courtesy of the biggest partnership of an otherwise dismal batting performance. When the players came back for the remaining 9.5 overs in the evening, 4.1 actually being possible before the rain returned, Raine took advantage of spread-out fields to reach 42 not out.Before the rains came, it looked like the old firm of Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer were rolling back the years to pull off a win that had looked unlikely at the start of the day. The seam-and-spin double act combined to rip through Durham’s fragile batting with Porter ending on 3 for 36 and Harmer 3 for 64.Essex had thrown down the gauntlet by declaring on their overnight score of 457 for 8, which gave them a 124-run lead. Before Raine and Potts joined forces in an unbroken stand of 77 out of 173 for 7, it appeared a prescient decision.The 14 points Essex collected from the draw eased their relegation concerns while Durham’s dozen keeps them in serious danger with two games to play.In the end Essex were close to a third Championship win of an underwhelming season with an attack that was already without Sam Cook, nursing a broken thumb, and Shane Snater, who tweaked a calf while bowling during Durham’s first innings. It heaped a lot of responsibility on to the shoulders of Porter, but he responded immediately and emphatically.Porter needed just 14 balls to make the initial breakthrough, Alex Lees beaten for pace. Six balls later Emilio Gay followed, also lbw and also all at sea.Ben McKinney, who scored a well-judged century first time around, was another who struggled against Porter, taking 15 balls to get off the mark. He had only 11 to his name 49 balls later when he inexplicably left alone a ball from Harmer that went straight on and knocked back off stump.Durham tried to settle into full survival mode, but the pressure got to them. David Bedingham, for instance, faced 60 balls for 16 that included a six over long leg three balls before he top-edged a hook to deep fine leg off Noah Thain.Colin Ackermann, in turn, took 19 balls to score his first run. But three overs into the post-lunch session, and with a guard outside off stump, he went to give himself room to cut Harmer and ended up edging to Dean Elgar at slip.Durham were still 32 runs adrift of making Essex bat again when Porter snapped up his third wicket, rapping Graham Clark on his back pad. And four runs later, Ollie Robinson’s 21 from 55 balls ended when he attempted to slash Harmer past point and was caught behind.Raine and Potts then took Durham past Essex’s total 57 overs into their innings. And the pair had been together for exactly an hour when the players were taken off the pitch as the first flash of lightning lit up the darkening sky.The players came back nearly two hours later, having already lost 24 overs. Essex had seven men around the bat when Harmer wheeled in, but could only watch as Raine thrashed a couple of boundaries and a six over long-on. But it wasn’t long before handshakes were exchanged.

Manchester City cruise through to yet another Carabao Cup quarter-final.

On Wednesday night, despite actually falling behind early in South Wales, the Citizens ultimately swatted aside Swansea City 3-1, thanks to goals from Jérémy Doku, Omar Marmoush and then Rayan Cherki.

This is the 11th time in 19 seasons that the Citizens have reached the quarter-finals, hoisting the trophy aloft on six occasions since 2014, firm favourites to beat Brentford at home in the last eight just before Christmas.

As Manchester City, largely, motor on impressively this season, has Pep Guardiola found his new Lionel Messi, but it is not someone who caught the eye at the Swansea.com Stadium?

Rayan Cherki's importance

Having sat out eight matches due to a thigh issue, Rayan Cherki started for the first time since August on Wednesday night, putting in a sparkling, man of the match display, capped off by firing home the clinching third.

The table below documents just how impressive the Frenchman was in the EFL Cup.

Goals

1

1st

Assists

1

1st

Shots on target

1

1st

Shots off target

4

1st

Attempted dribbles

4

2nd

Accurate passes

74

3rd

Key passes

6

1st

Ground duels won

5

5th

Possession lost

31

1st

Touches

119

2nd

As the table highlights, Cherki was the outstanding player on the pitch in mid-week.

He ranked first for shots and second for attempted dribbles, behind only Jérémy Doku, while his tally of six key passes is off the scale; normally a player would not register that many in a month!

The Frenchman did lose possession on 31 occasions, almost twice as often as anyone else, which obviously isn’t ideal, but underlines that he is always trying to make something happen.

The 22-year-old arrived from Olympique Lyonnais for £34m too much excitement, given that Lyon teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles labelled him “the best natural talent I’ve ever seen. An absolute master, a wizard with the ball”.

Upon his arrival in Manchester, Guardiola said that Cherki “is one of the most talented players I have ever seen in my career”, high praise from a manager who has coached Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, Thierry Henry, Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben, Thiago Alcântara, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, oh and a certain Lionel Messi.

Despite their stylistic similarities, Cherki is not the new Messi in this Manchester City side, that acclaim goes to a rather more high-profile “monster”.

Guardiola's new Lionel Messi at Man City

By scoring twice against Nashville in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night in round one of the MLS Cup play-offs, Messi has taken his tally to 891 senior goals for club and country.

Of these, 672 were scored for Barcelona, with 211 coming during Pep Guardiola’s reign, most notably bagging 91 goals in just 69 appearances for club and country in 2012, featuring hat-tricks against Switzerland, Brazil, Bayer Leverkusen, Málaga twice, Valencia, Granada, Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruña.

This is surely a calendar year record that will never be beaten but, if there is one player who could come close, it is of course Erling Braut Håland.

Already this season, the Norwegian striker has scored 15 goals for Man City, which accounts for 65% of all goals they have managed across the Premier League and Champions League.

Former Bayern Munich striker Mario Gómez labelled Håland a “monster”, adding “I think every team on the planet has to fear” him, while Barney Ronay of the Guardian describes him as “the complete centre-forward” who is more than just a goal machine.

Nevertheless, right now, Håland’s goals are perhaps masking Manchester City’s issues, over-reliant on him to score in every game, but if you’re going to be over-reliant on someone, he isn’t a bad choice!

In 2025 so far, he has scored 43 goals for club and country, while his most productive year was 2023, netting 50 times overall, four more than he managed in 2022.

This merely underlines how mind-boggling it is that Messi reached 91 in 2012, but with Norway almost guaranteed to return to the World Cup next summer, their first appearance since France ’98, an injury-free Håland could trouble that record in 2026.

Back in 2010/11, when Guardiola’s Barcelona won La Liga and the Champions League, Messi scored 53 goals across all competitions, just one fewer than Barça’s next three highest scorers that season combined, namely David Villa, Pedro and Iniesta.

Well, considering Håland has 15 goals this season, while Man City’s second-highest scorers, namely Cherki and Doku, have just two goals, the Sky Blues are even more reliant on their superstar forward than Guardiola ever was in Catalonia.

Nevertheless, this is a recipe that has proved fruitful before, if Guardiola has the right ingredients of course, so Håland could well fire the Sky Blues to the game’s biggest trophies pretty much all by himself.

The Norwegian requires another 72 goals to become the highest scorer under Guardiola, a record held by Messi of course, but one that he could break in double quick time.

​​​​​​​

Not just Doku: Man City star who was "streets ahead" is now undroppable

Manchester City survived an early scare away at Swansea City to clinch a 3-1 victory in the EFL Cup.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 30, 2025

Track the squads ahead of the new seasons as clubs build their lists

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2025 • Updated on 25-Aug-2025Adelaide StrikersMen: Hasan Ali (Pak), Cameron Boyce, Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Mackenzie Harvey, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton (Eng), Lloyd Pope, Alex Ross, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Luke Wood (Eng)
In Jason Sangha (Thunder), Mackenzie Harvey (Renegades)
Out Brendan Doggett (Renegades), Jake Weatherald (Hurricanes)Women: Jemma Barsby, Tammy Beaumont (Eng), Darcie Brown, Sophie Ecclestone (Eng), Anesu Mushangwe, Tahlia McGrath, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Wolvaardt (SA)
In
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In Jake Weatherald (Strikers), Beau Webster (Stars)
Out Caleb Jewell (Renegades)Women: Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Nat Sciver-Brunt (Eng), Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Linsey Smith (Eng), Molly Strano, Elyse Villani, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
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In Jason Behrendorff (Scorchers), Brendan Doggett (Strikers), Caleb Jewell (Hurricanes)
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In Liam Hatcher (Thunder), Mitch Swepson (Heat)
Out Beau Webster (Hurricanes), Joel Paris (Scorchers)Women: Sophie Day, Kim Garth, Dani Gibson (Eng), Ella Hayward, Amy Jones (Eng), Marizanne Kapp (RSA), Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Ines McKeon, Georgia Prestwidge, Sophie Reid, Annabel Sutherland
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In Kane Richardson
OutWomen: Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Sophia Dunkley (Eng), Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Elsa Hunter, Amelia Kerr (NZ), Ellyse Perry, Courtney Sippel, Mady Villiers
In Elsa Hunter
Out TBCSydney ThunderMen: R Ashwin (Ind), Tom Andrews, Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings (Eng), Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson (NZ), Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Shadab Khan (Pak), Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner
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Out Liam Hatcher (Stars), Jason Sangha (Strikers), Hugh Weibgen (Heat)Women: Chamari Athapaththu (SL), Samantha Bates, Ella Briscoe, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Hasrat Gill, Laura Harris, Shabnim Ismail (SA), Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson
In Laura Harris (Heat), Hasrat Gill (Stars)
Out Sammy Jo-Johnson (retired)

Sean Dyche had to pull out of a community event which had named him as their guest of honour following his appointment as Nottingham Forest manager. The 54-year-old was scheduled to make a special appearance in his home town of Kettering but was forced to cancel after making an emotional return to the City Ground following Ange Postecoglou’s sacking.

Dyche is Forest's third manager of the season after Ange and Nuno sackings

It has been a busy couple of days for Dyche since succeeding Postecoglou in the Forest dugout on Tuesday. The former Everton and Burnley boss took over the reins after his Australian counterpart was dismissed following a 3-0 defeat against Chelsea which ensured they failed to win any of their eight games under his stewardship. Former Tottenham head coach Postecoglou was Forest’s second manager of the season after Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked just three games into the campaign.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEx-Everton and Burnley boss made perfect start with Porto victory in midweek

But despite having just a few days to work with his new players, Dyche led Forest to an impressive 2-0 victory over Portuguese giants Porto in the Europa League on Thursday evening. Goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus handed the club their first victory since the opening weekend of the Premier League season, when they defeated Brentford 3-1 on home soil.

New Forest manager was forced to pull out of local event following appointment

And while Dyche, a Forest academy graduate, has quickly felt the love from supporters following Thursday’s victory, he has been forced to disappoint one or two fans in his home town since taking the job. In a report from the Dyche was pencilled in to appear at the opening ceremony for the Poppies Community Centre in Kettering – where he was born – but texted to say he would no longer be able to make it.

However, in an interview with Paula Conde-Sharpe – from the community group – insisted there was no hard feelings, saying she had hoped Dyche was appointed as Forest’s new manager.

"He really selfishly got the Nottingham job, so he's not available,” joked Ms Conde-Sharpe.

"He's a great Kettering lad. He never forgets his roots. He's done so much for Kettering Football Club, he never charges the club for appearances."

Detailing how the centre was ready to open after local volunteers spent 16 years transforming the old Maplefields school, Ms Conde-Sharpe added: "It's been a long, long time to get this over the line. The school was very sad, tired – there were even trees growing inside, it had been neglected for so long.”

Ms Conde-Sharpe is not worried about Dyche’s absence ahead Sunday's opening, saying ”plenty of exciting guests are coming", including former Kettering Town midfielder Brett Solkhon.

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Dyche also had to cancel a commitment with a credit card company

Speaking before his side’s clash with Porto, Dyche confirmed he also had to cancel a commitment with credit card company Aqua Credit in order to attend his maiden press conference as Forest manager.

“Well, the briefing I was meant to be doing today was actually for Aqua Credit because I did an online advert for them," said Dyche. "That was planned for today. Needless to say I had to cancel that!

“No, it’s true. I had to let them know that I wouldn’t be available for that, so I’m pleased to say that I am available to be Nottingham Forest football manager and be here today.”

DC need to win all three of their remaining games to qualify without needing to depend on other results

Alagappan Muthu17-May-20252:48

Cricinformed: A tale of contrasting top orders

Big picture: It’s fun to be normal againIt feels like a whole new tournament. Since IPL 2025 paused last week, the people it is built on knew nothing but uncertainty. The players left for their own safety. Some returned. Others didn’t. Some coaches were about to leave but then they heard about the ceasefire and changed their minds. The resumption was supposed to take place in Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, but that’s not how it’s panned out. So just a normal day where they could pick up a bat or grab a ball and go full-tilt without anything else to worry about must feel so good.Gujarat Titans (GT) are only one win away from the playoffs. Their style of play is risk-free and replicable. Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan go out there and put a high price on their wicket and figure out what kind of total their bowling attack will be able to defend. Plus, they had almost all of their players still on-site and were among the first teams to get back into training.Related

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Mustafizur cleared to join DC for remaining league games

Delhi Capitals (DC) resume their season without Mitchell Starc. He had already bailed one match out of the fire for them and his big-game form is almost always on point, so he will be a big miss. DC are coping with that by bringing in another left-arm quick who does some of his best work at the death, Mustafizur Rahman – though it’s unlikely he’ll feature on Sunday, less than 24 hours after being part of Bangladesh’s team in a T20I in Sharjah. A batting line-up that seemed to dovetail perfectly started to hit snags – DC were ahead in a chase of 210 against Kolkata Knight Riders before crumbling to Sunil Narine and they made only 133 for 7 in their last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which was rained out before a result could be achieved – so it will be interesting to see how they go about things on Sunday.3:01

Can MI still miss out of the playoffs?

Form guideDelhi Capitals: LLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Titans: WWLWWIn the spotlight: Shubman Gill and Kuldeep YadavShubman Gill, when we last saw him, was just a cog in the machine. Now he appears to be India’s Test captain in waiting. The merits of that decision aside, it is a huge moment in the life of a 25-year-old. How does he focus on the task at hand right now – leading GT – when there is something so big right on the horizon? Gill is set to become the second-fastest Indian to 5000 T20 runs – he’s 21 short after 153 innings – behind KL Rahul (143 innings).Having picked up at least one wicket in every match he’d played this season, Kuldeep Yadav has got nothing to show for his work over the last three games. He still remains hard to hit, his last 11 overs costing just 88 runs. His overall economy rate of 7.1 is second only to Varun Chakravarthy (7.0) among spinners who have bowled at least 20 overs this season. Kuldeep needs one more wicket to hit 100 in the IPL.Time is running out for Delhi Capitals•BCCI

Team news and probable XIIsGT might need to start putting contingencies in place for when Jos Buttler leaves them ahead of the playoffs. They have three games left. They only need to win one. They have an opportunity to test their middle order out a bit.Gujarat Titans (probable): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Kagiso Rabada/Gerald Coetzee, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Arshad Khan, 12 R Sai Kishore.The IPL’s reschedule has hit DC hard. Starc’s out and Tristan Stubbs will be packing his bags and leaving on May 30 with his attention shifting to the World Test Championship final. DC need to win all three of their remaining matches to confirm a spot in the playoffs without depending on other results. With Mustafizur unlikely to feature, they may only field three overseas players.Delhi Capitals (probable): 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Abhishek Porel, 3 Karun Nair, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Axar Patel (capt), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Ashutosh Sharma, 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Mohit Sharma/Mukesh Kumar, 12 T NatarajanThe big questionDC began the season with four wins in four. But now they’re on a downward trend, with only two wins in seven.Pitch and conditionsThree of the four matches played in Delhi have produced totals above 185. Spin bowlers (26 wickets, 24.07 average, 8.23 economy) have done significantly better than fast bowlers (19 wickets, 44.84 average, 10.45 economy) here. A searing day is expected with temperatures up around 40 degrees Celsius.Stats and trivia KL Rahul is 33 runs short of 8000 in T20s. Considering he will be playing his 214th innings on Sunday, he has a chance to become the third-fastest player to that mark in the format. Virat Kohli’s record (243 innings) is under threat. GT could play spoilsport, though, because Rashid Khan has a tasty match-up against Rahul in the IPL: 40 runs in 47 balls for three dismissals. DC could mitigate that by making sure Axar Patel is out there for a longer period of time. Both the GT spinners will turn their stock balls into him, and Axar has played spin like a boss this season, striking at 192.85. Among those with at least 100 runs against spin this IPL, only Nicholas Pooran has done better (SR 264). GT’s top three have played an average of 88 balls per innings between them this season. They’ve dominated games, but that’s also resulted in a situation where Nos 4 to 11 have only faced an average of 28 balls per innings, and that could come back to bite them in the knockout stages.

MatériaMais Notícias

A janela de transferências vem movimentando bastante a semana do Palmeiras. O Verdão segue em busca de contratar jogadores, como Aníbal Moreno, do Racing-ARG, mas enquanto não se reforça, está com o alerta ligado para interesses de estrangeiros em atletas de seu elenco. Nesta quinta-feira (20), recebeu uma proposta pelo zagueiro Luan. Diante à má fase do time e a dificuldade para contratar peças de reposição, Anderson Barros tem sido o principal alvo da torcida palmeirense. Confira as principais notícias do dia abaixo:

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras segue política de segurar jogadores e recusa proposta russa por LuanPalmeiras20/07/2023PalmeirasWeverton recebe homenagem do Palmeiras e comemora Top 30 na história do clube: ‘Realizado e satisfeito’Palmeiras20/07/2023PalmeirasFora, Barros? Diretor de futebol vive maior pressão por queda em quatro anos de PalmeirasPalmeiras20/07/2023

PROPOSTA DO KRASNODAR PELO ZAGUEIRO LUAN

Nesta quinta-feira (20), o Palmeiras recebeu uma proposta pelo zagueiro Luan, que interessa ao Krasnodar-RUS. Embora a oportunidade fosse do agrado do jogador, a diretoria se manteve firme em sua política de segurar suas principais peças e já deu sua resposta aos russos: não irá vender o zagueiro. As cifras envolvidas no negócio não foram reveladas pela reportagem, mas fato é que o Verdão não tem a intenção de fazer acordo.

+ Palmeiras segue política de segurar jogadores e recusa proposta russa por Luan

MAIS UMA OFERTA PELO VOLANTE ANÍBAL MORENO

O Palmeiras fez mais uma investida para contar com o volante Aníbal Moreno, do Racing-ARG, mas novamente o clube argentino recusou os valores. A nova proposta foi de 7,5 milhões de dólares (R$ 36 milhões na cotação atual), mas ela ainda não convenceu a diretoria da agremiação argentina, que já avisou quanto quer para prosseguir na negociação: 10 milhões de dólares livres de impostos (R$ 48 milhões). O valor está fora do orçamento do Verdão, mas as negociações seguem ativas e devem ter novidades nos próximos dias.

continua após a publicidade

+ Palmeiras tem mais uma oferta recusada pelo Racing, mas já sabe quanto precisa pagar por Aníbal Moreno

ANDERSON BARROS CADA VEZ MAIS PRESSIONADO

A torcida do Palmeiras parece que já elegeu um culpado pela má fase do time, eliminado da Copa do Brasil e sofrendo para contratar peças de reposição pensando no fortalecimento do elenco para a disputa da fase final da Libertadores. Trata-se do diretor de futebol, Anderson Barros, o atual alvo principal da sempre exigente torcida alviverde, que vê no dirigente um perfil de pouca agressividade e tato com negociações quando o assunto é reforços para o elenco. Muitos palmeirenses vêm pedindo a sua demissão nas redes sociais.

+ Fora, Barros? Diretor de futebol vive maior pressão por queda em quatro anos de Palmeiras

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