David Moyes returned to Everton in January, replacing a rather beleaguered Sean Dyche at the helm.

We all know this, but few foresaw the impact that the Scotsman would have on a tired outfit routinely threatened by relegation from the Premier League. Everton in fact did not finish the 2024/25 campaign in an imperilled position, but comfortably in mid-table, bouncing up and up across the second half of the term.

Now, after a summer exodus and a wave of fresh talent – Jack Grealish, looking at you – the Toffees are ready to compete for a top-half-of-the-table finish.

Grealish is the talisman, but Everton are built on a range of industrious players all working toward a shared goal. It’s what Moyes knows, with his previous tenure on Merseyside laden with unsung heroes who played important roles.

Moyes' unsung heroes at Everton

With Moyes at the helm across the noughties, Everton were a stable and competitive club. From 2006/07, seven times in succession did the manager and his squad maintain top-half finishes in the Premier League, with many under-the-radar stars pulling their weight alongside some more prominent peers.

Leon Osman would be a case in point, the retired midfielder spending almost all of his career at Goodison Park, racking up 433 appearances for the club. The lion’s share came in Moyes’ system. He didn’t boast the skill or the technical range to reach superstardom in the Premier League, but he worked tirelessly and was as tenacious as they get.

Moyes’s Most-used Players Ever (all clubs)
Player	Club	Apps
Leon Osman	Everton	345
Tim Howard	Everton	310
Phil Neville	Everton	303
Tony Hibbert	Everton	303
Tim Cahill	Everton	278
Data via Transfermarkt

Tony Hibbert and Phil Neville also played immense stretches of their careers with Moyes’ Everton, always willing to do the hard yards and let the likes of Tim Cahill reap the praises with fine finishes and leaping headers.

Similarly, Mikel Arteta was a workhorse under Moyes’ wing. However, the now Arsenal manager was endowed with a footballing intellect and breadth of passing qualities that led the tactician to call his protege “head and shoulders” above the rest.

It’s a shame, with all this in mind, that Everton parted ways with Alex Iwobi a few years back, with the versatile Nigerian seemingly perfect for a dynamic role in Moyes’ Everton team.

Why Iwobi would be perfect for Everton

Everton signed a young Iwobi from Arsenal back in 2018, and he didn’t come cheap.

The Hale End winger arrived in a £34m deal, and he would play 140 times for Everton across five seasons, and he would ebb and flow, finishing his time at a club on a high, though, refashioned into a robust and versatile midfielder, pulled away from the attacking flank berth that had failed to yield prolific returns.

Now 29 years old, Iwobi is certainly something of an unsung hero in the Premier League himself, with journalist Daniel Storey hailing him as “one of the most underrated midfielders in the country” on the Totally Football Show this week.

Iwobi’s impressive – and, crucially, consistent – performances lend credence to that claim, with data-led platform FBref recording him to have ranked among the top 12% of positional peers in the Premier League last season for passes attempted, the top 6% for progressive passes and the top 5% for carries into the final third

Moyes would have loved him, deploying this slick and athletic distributor centrally and out wide, as he did with Arteta way back when.

Iwobi scored nine goals and supplied six assists in the Premier League last year. He created 12 big chances and won 1.2 tackles and 3.1 duels per game.

And this season, he’s started strongly, with a goal and two assists across five appearances under Marco Silva’s wing. Curiously, Silva was the man who welcomed him to Goodison Park.

Trust is a valuable thing in football, with this symbiotic relationship working well for a Fulham side well settled in the top flight after years of inconsistency.

Everton have a range of talented options right now, but Iwobi is an extremely underrated player, and it’s interesting to consider whether he would have stayed put had he known Moyes was heading back to Liverpool.

Everton must rue losing homegrown Dibling with "unbelievably high ceiling"

Everton once released a star for nothing when he could have been a homegrown Tyler Dibling.

By
Dan Emery

Sep 25, 2025

West Ham United boss Nuno Espírito Santo is already having a major say on the club’s incomings and outgoings, with the tactician making his mark yet again following a key transfer decision.

Nuno set to spearhead West Ham overhaul in East London

Almost immediately after replacing Graham Potter in late September, Nuno wasted no time at all in dropping his predecessor’s vice-captain, James Ward-Prowse, from the Portuguese’s first ever Hammers matchday squad to face Everton.

Nuno’s decision to exclude Ward-Prowse from West Ham’s first-team raised eyebrows, but it was clear that the midfielder, despite being a mainstay figure in Potter’s engine room, wasn’t part of his long-term plans.

The 51-year-old had already axed Ward-Prowse once before, during the Englishman’s loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season, where he sent him back to Rush Green midway through the campaign.

While the exact reasons behind his exclusion remain a mystery, it’s claimed that Nuno wants to prioritise energetic midfielders who can get about the pitch more tenaciously, with summer arrival Soungoutou Magassa immediately jumping into Ward-Prowse’s place.

More key calls that Nuno will be forced to make surround the long-term future of Niclas Füllkrug and West Ham’s striker options.

Fullkrug’s recently sustained thigh problem is expected to keep him out for several weeks, and the German’s injury woes are nothing new.

Brentford (home)

October 20

Leeds United (away)

October 24

Newcastle United (home)

November 2

Burnley (home)

November 8

Since joining West Ham, he has struggled with recurring fitness problems — missing 28 games for West Ham and Germany combined last season alone. His return to the treatment table piles pressure on Nuno’s available attacking options, but January could come as a lifeline.

In light of Fullkrug’s latest absence, there is growing speculation that West Ham will look to bring in a new striker during the winter window, and it is believed that the Hammers are targeting Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee as a potential option.

Interestingly, it is reported that Nuno could even solve their centre-forward crisis before the window reopens.

West Ham have apparently been offered the chance to sign former Forest striker Emmanuel Dennis by representatives (Hammers News), and according to The Mail, there’s been tentative interest from their side too.

Nuno makes final decision on signing Emmanuel Dennis for West Ham

However, the outlet also reports that Nuno has blocked any West Ham move for Dennis, with the manager personally stepping in to stop the Nigerian from sealing a free transfer to the London Stadium.

The 27-year-old, who bagged 10 goals and six assists in 33 Premier League outings for Watford in 2021/2022, has failed to recapture that form ever since.

Dennis was on the books during Nuno’s tenure at Forest, but was never used — instead being sent out on loan to Istanbul Basaksehir, Watford and Blackburn Rovers until his contract was terminated by mutual consent in August.

Orel Mangala called his ex-City Ground teammate a “magician” during their time together at the City Ground, but this opinion definitely isn’t shared by Nuno, who’d rather wait until January to bring in a more elite-level number nine.

This is definitely the right call, and Irons supporters would arguably much rather see highly-promising young striker Callum Marshall get a good run out.

The Northern Irishman, who’s made just two senior appearances for West Ham, scored for fun at youth level and already boasts 13 senior caps for his country.

The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at Huddersfield, where he bagged 10 goals in all competitions, and now could be Marshall’s baptism of fire.

Travis Head says Australia are ‘prepared for anything’ in Barbados in their first Test in seven years without either Smith or Labuschagne in the XI

Andrew McGlashan23-Jun-20251:10

Head not fazed by big-name absences

There are only four members of the Australia squad in the West Indies who were part of their previous Test series here in 2015, and one of those, Steven Smith, is currently recuperating from a finger injury in New York. So it’s perhaps not surprising that there is an element of uncertainty over what conditions they will be confronted with for the opening match in Barbados.Their first training session of the tour at Kensington Oval, an optional one where all the batters attended but all the bowlers sat out bar Matt Kuhnemann, was interrupted by showers on a blustery day with the Test pitch uncovered only briefly. The batters made use of what time was available on the adjacent surfaces but the players have kept an open mind, with the Dukes ball used in the Caribbean – a variant on the English version – adding another layer of intrigue.”I think we’re prepared for anything, really, and prepared for maybe both [seam and spin] in the same game,” Travis Head said. “We could be starting the game and then it could shift into different modes and plans of attack. So, as a batter, you’re just sort of planning for anything at the moment. And then once you get a look at the lay of the land, come up with a plan, and try to cover all bases.”Related

Plenty left in the tank: Khawaja eyes more Ashes glory and mentoring role for Konstas

'Emotions got to me' – Konstas keen to settle into Test cricket

'Good enough to play that role' – Voges backs Inglis as top-four Test batter

Marnus Labuschagne dropped, Steven Smith ruled out of first West Indies Test

Australia's batting issues: questions surround Khawaja, Labuschagne, Konstas and Green

Since the 2015-16 tour, Australia’s only visits to the West Indies have been for the Covid-time white-ball tour in 2021 – where Barbados staged the three ODIs – and then last year’s T20 World Cup of which Head was a part. “They [the pitches] spun a little bit here,” he recalled. “They were pretty slow, but I’ve heard different things, especially with the Dukes and what that brings.”Australia will have a deficit of 14,570 Test runs in their top order compared to the previous outing at Lord’s against South Africa owing to Smith’s injury and Marnus Labuschagne’s axing, with Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis replacing them. While Smith may return for the second Test in Grenada (and Labuschagne is only one injury away from getting back as the lone spare batter currently in the squad) it is certainly a chance to have an early look at the “reset” that Pat Cummins spoke about after the World Test Championship final.It will be the first time since 2018, when they played India at the MCG, that an Australia Test XI will not feature Smith and/or Labuschagne. The latter was recalled for the final match of that series and Smith returned from his ban for the start of the 2019 Ashes with the pair becoming fixtures together by the Old Trafford Test.”When we get into the game, it’ll be a little bit new look,” Head said. “But guys have already played, so [they have] experience already in a short amount of Test cricket. There’s some guys there that have been a part of the group for a long time now, so it shouldn’t feel too much different.”The batting order has yet to be confirmed, but while coach Andrew McDonald had previously left the door ajar for Head to open should conditions resemble those of the subcontinent, Head considered that an unlikely option with Konstas expected to get three games at the top to settle in alongside Usman Khawaja with an eye on some stability for the Ashes.Sam Konstas is set to open in Barbados•ICC via Getty Images

There is a school of thought that as a senior player, Head could move up to No. 4 in Smith’s absence, but it may be that Inglis, who scored a century on debut against Sri Lanka, gets that role in what could be a one-off outing if Smith recovers for the second Test. However, should Inglis take his opportunity as he did in Sri Lanka, then it would certainly put pressure on the selectors to find him a regular home in the batting order.”He can cover so many bases,” Head said of Inglis. “[He’s had] limited opportunity in a long time being in the squad. It feels like he’s played a lot more than he has for Australia. Once he gets his extended stay in the team, I think he’ll excel. He’s already showed great application in Sri Lanka. He’s [been] in some tough roles as well… I think he’s well-adapted and ready to go. He’s been waiting for a long time.”Whereas two years ago Australia went straight into an Ashes series on the back of beating India in the World Test Championship final, this time they have had to reflect on the loss to South Africa, which came after they had the game for the taking on the second day.”It’s unfortunate we put two years of hard work into one week and [it] didn’t quite go to plan,” Head said. “Fair play, the opposition played really, really well.”We’ve got two more years to build, and this is a first look at it. I think if you dwell on it for too long, or if you look back, you forget about what’s moving forward. Of course, we care and, of course, it’s not ideal. But at the end of the day you can’t change it. You have to move on. You have to get back on the horse.”

Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White has hailed Ruben Amorim for masterminding an "incredible" Manchester United resurgence ahead of a crucial Premier League showdown at City Ground. At the end of September, United were being written off as a sinking ship. A humiliating 3-1 loss to Brentford left Amorim’s side stranded in 14th place and seemingly spiralling toward another season of disappointment. But after a sensational October, the narrative has flipped on its head.

• AFP
  

  Amorim’s stunning turnaround

  Amorim’s United have roared back to life after putting in a series of performances that have propelled them to sixth in the Premier League standings. They started October with a gritty 2-0 win over high-flying Sunderland. Many feared that the two-week international break would dent their momentum, but the Red Devils shocked their critics after churning out a historic 2-1 victory at Anfield to end a nine-year jinx. The squad started to believe, and then riding on the bright form, they dispatched Brighton 4-2 in a pulsating encounter at Old Trafford on Saturday. Suddenly, the Red Devils are back in the European mix and are just six points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Gibbs-White wary of United threat

  Gibbs-White has admitted he is an admirer of Amorim’s transformation job. Speaking to , the Forest playmaker was full of praise for how United have rediscovered their identity.

  "It’s been incredible to see, obviously they’ve been going through a tough time in the past couple of years," he said. "But they’ve stuck with the gaffer [Amorim] and the past four or five games, you’re really starting to see how Man United should be playing, that grit and that determination to want to play for the badge. I feel like it’s been incredible to see, it’s something I feel like the league has missed."

  However, while Gibbs-White respects United’s resurgence, he has warned that Forest must not get drawn into the hype.

  "All we can do is focus on ourselves, we can’t focus on how Man United are doing and how their performances are because if we do that, we’re just almost bowing down to them," he added. "We’ve got to focus on what we want to do and how we can win the game. I feel like this week we’ve already started to implement some ideas, and obviously we’ve still got a few more days until the game, so I’m sure the gaffer [Sean Dyche] will have more ideas of how we can beat them."

• Amorim's tactical evolution at Man Utd

  A major reason for United’s revival lies in Amorim’s subtle but significant tactical tweaks. Early-season criticism was fierce, with fans tearing into his rigid 3-4-3 formation, accusing him of being too stubborn and naive in the Premier League. But instead of abandoning his philosophy, Amorim refined it. Without the ball, United now defend in a compact 5-4-1 shape, with Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro forming a disciplined midfield block. They get additional help from Luke Shaw, who has been instructed to step into midfield when out of possession, creating an extra body in the press. The changes have made United harder to break down, and the results are there for everyone to see. 

  Club legend Rio Ferdinand, who lifted 14 trophies in his 12 glittering years at Old Trafford, is among those who has been pleased with the recent changes. On he hailed the manager's flexibility to tweak his ideas to suit the players. 

  "I admire it to a certain extent. But like I said, I think he was playing Russian Roulette with his job. I don't think he's changed drastically; he's just tweaked," he said. "That's what a lot of fans were asking for. Just tweak what you've got. Maybe don't be so much on the front foot, maybe be a bit more conservative at times when we haven't got the ball. You can't press, press, press for 90 minutes, unless you're an absolute beast of a team. PSG do it. This manager couldn't do that with this squad."

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• Getty
  

  A fourth victory on the trot at Forest?

  While United climb the table with renewed purpose, Forest find themselves in dire straits. Ange Postecoglou has been shown the door after a disastrous spell, and Sean Dyche’s first Premier League game in charge ended in a sobering 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth, leaving Forest 18th with just one win from nine matches. A rejuvenated United side, brimming with confidence, might be licking their lips at the opportunity to register a fourth straight Premier League victory. This would mark United’s best run since February 2024 and indicate a genuine transformation from an early-season disarray to a top-four contender. However, Gibbs-White will be out to try and spoil the party.

MatériaMais Notícias

Se tem algo que não vem funcionando muito bem no Palmeiras de Abel Ferreira nos últimos jogos, este setor sem dúvidas é o ataque.

RelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras inicia trabalhos com foco total no duelo contra o Boca JuniorsPalmeiras24/09/2023PalmeirasFalta de pontaria impede Palmeiras de colar na liderança do BrasileirãoPalmeiras24/09/2023PalmeirasRaphael Veiga, do Palmeiras, é convocado para a Seleção Brasileira novamentePalmeiras23/09/2023

+ Lance! Betting vai sortear ingressos para a final da Libertadores no Maraca! Vem conferir!

+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Com apenas dois gols nos últimos cinco jogos, a torcida alviverde vê os principais artilheiros do time vivendo uma grande seca e a falta de eficácia da equipe após a lesão de Dudu preocupa todos os palestrinos.

continua após a publicidade

Mas se o desempenho ofensivo do Verdão é um problema no Brasileiro, na Libertadores a história é bem diferente.

Com 21 gols marcados, o Palmeiras é disparado o melhor ataque desta Libertadores 2023.

O Verdão tem 10 gols a mais do que o Boca Juniors na competição, e somente o trio Artur (5 gols), Rony (4) e Raphael Veiga (3) possuem mais gols do que o oponente do Palmeiras na semifinal do torneio mais importante do continente.

Outro fator importante e que o torcedor alviverde pode se apegar para bater o Boca Juniors é a força que o Verdão tem como visitante nesses últimos anos de Libertadores.

continua após a publicidade

+Raphael Veiga, do Palmeiras, é convocado para a Seleção Brasileira novamente

Só nesta edição já foram quatro vitórias longe de casa, sendo duas na fase de mata-mata, diante de Atlético-MG e Deportivo Pereira.

+ Tem promoção exclusiva de boas-vindas pra você! Aposte apartir de R$10 e receba até R$200 de bônus na Lance! Betting

+ Olha ele aí! Aposte R$10 e ganhe mais de R$55 com Payet e o Vasco no Brasileirão

+ Lance! Betting vai sortear ingressos para a final da Libertadores no Maraca! Vem conferir!

Chelsea are prepared to make another move for a “fantastic” BlueCo target after already seeing an offer rejected, according to a new report.

Chelsea enjoy big spending summer but still lack in key areas

Last summer, Enzo Maresca’s side marked themselves out as the Premier League’s second-biggest spenders behind champions Liverpool — splashing north of £280 million on new recruits.

Chelsea balanced out this major squad investment by agreeing a plethora of player sales over the course of the window, so much so that they actually a registered a negative net spend and made a small profit.

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

From a purely business perspective, the summer was an undoubted success, and Maresca watched the likes of teenage sensation Estevao – who just scored a winner against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge – Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho all come in to bolster his attacking options.

However, bar the signing of young defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax, Chelsea finished the window short of new options for their backline.

After Levi Colwill’s ACL injury, which is expected to keep him out for most of 2025/2026, Maresca was clear that he wanted another centre-back and publicly urged the club to sign one before deadline day on September 1.

This wasn’t to be, leaving the west Londoners pretty short of quality in a key area, while Chelsea’s attempts to sign another goalkeeper also faltered.

Maresca is believed to be unhappy with his current Chelsea squad (Simon Phillips), but reports suggest that they’re set to try and back the Italian with a proven defender in January (Pete O’Rourke).

Meanwhile, given Delap will take a while to get back up to speed once he returns from injury, Chelsea are also looking at new striker options for the winter market — who’d come in for a cheap fee, on loan or are possibly already owned by BlueCo (Simon Phillips).

Chelsea could even choose to bring in another winger, specifically Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz.

Chelsea to make second Kenan Yildz approach after rejected £61m offer

Fabrizio Romano has already confirmed that Chelsea are “very interested” in Yildiz, and now a report from Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has shed more light on the situation.

According to their information, Chelsea had a £61m million bid rejected for the Turkey international rejected last summer, but Maresca’s side aren’t resigned to giving up on his signing just yet.

It is believed that Chelsea will make a second approach for Yildiz, with the Old Lady running into some delay regarding his new contract and the Stamford Bridge side sensing an opportunity to take him from Turin.

The 20-year-old was Juve’s star forward last season, racking up 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions, totalling 21 contributions, and he averaged the highest Serie A match rating out of all of his teammates with more than 15 starts (WhoScored).

He’s started this campaign in equally imperious fashion, averaging more shots and key passes per 90 than any other Juve player in the top flight (WhoScored), but Romano says that the Premier League isn’t that tempting for him right now amid renewal talks.

كشفت تقارير صحفية احتمالية وجود خلاف بين حسام حسن، المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم ومحمد صلاح، نجم ليفربول بسبب المعسكر الاستعدادي لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا.

يخوض منتخب مصر معسكرًا تدريبيًا ومباراة ودية أمام نيجيريا على استاد القاهرة الدولي خلال المعسكر الذي سيبدأ يوم 8 ديسمبر استعدادًا لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا بالمغرب.

وبدأ محمد صلاح، في استعادة مستواه شيئًا فشيئًا إذ سجل هدفًا رائعًا أمام برينتفورد في الدوري الإنجليزي كما سجل أمام أستون فيلا وتألق في مباراة ريال مدريد الأخيرة في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ووفقًا لصحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية، فإنه من المقرر أن يعقد محمد صلاح اجتماعًا حاسمًا مع مدرب منتخب مصر حسام حسن الأسبوع المقبل لتجنب حدوث أي خلافات بين النادي والمنتخب قبل انطلاق كأس الأمم الإفريقية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | المرشحون لجائزة أفضل هدف بشهر أكتوبر في ليفربول.. موقف محمد صلاح

خلال تلك الفترة، يلعب ليفربول ضد إنتر ميلان خارج أرضه في دوري أبطال أوروبا، ثم ضد برايتون على أرضه في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز في هذا الأسبوع ويريد النادي الاحتفاظ بقائد منتخب مصر في تلك المواجهات المهمة والحاسمة.

وبحسب ما أفادت الصحيفة البريطانية، يبدو أن صلاح يفضل أيضًا البقاء والمشاركة في تلك المباريات المهمة مع ليفربول.

ومن المقرر أن يجري اللاعب البالغ من العمر 33 عامًا حديثًا مع حسام حسن الأسبوع المقبل خلال فترة التوقف الدولي إذ يستعد المنتخب المصري لمواجهة الجزائر وأوزبكستان في مباراتين وديتين.

Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association suspends the coach in question, says “we will want to investigate this as quickly as possible”

Mohammad Isam08-Jun-2025Sikandar Raza has lodged a complaint with the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association (HMCA), accusing a local coach – Blessing Mafuwa – of racial abuse during a Vigne Cup game on June 1.Raza was playing for Old Hararians against Rainbow Cricket Club at the Old Hararians Sports Club when the alleged incident took place. ESPNcricinfo has seen the complaint Raza has filed. He alleged that Mafuwa made derogatory comments towards him when he was walking off the field.While Raza didn’t name Mafuwa, HMCA chairperson Tafadzwa Madoro did*.Responding to a query on the matter from ESPNcricinfo, Madoro said on late Sunday night, “We received a report of racial abuse that our T20 captain [Raza] suffered, last week. We are in the process of investigating. Blessing Mafuwa will attend a hearing this coming Tuesday. He will answer charges from the report. In the interim, he is suspended from all activities in the HMCA.”We don’t take racism allegations lightly. We don’t condone any racial abuse in HMCA. We will want to investigate this as quickly as possible.”Speaking to ESPNcricinfo on Sunday evening, Raza had said he expected “a full investigation” of the incident. “If found guilty, an example should be made out of him so that stuff like this never happens again to this and future generations,” Raza said.During the match, Raza struck 78 off 56 balls as his club made 402 for 9 in 50 overs. In reply, Rainbow made 225 for 8 in 39 overs, losing the game by 142 runs via the DLS method.Raza recently won the PSL 2025 title with Lahore Qalandars, hitting the winning runs in a dramatic final in Lahore. This was Raza’s second T20 franchise trophy in 2025 after the ILT20.

In the battle of North Wales versus South Wales, Wrexham fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, with the latter advancing to the quarter-finals. A 71st-minute strike from former Manchester United defender Will Fish made the difference in the end, after Red Dragons substitute Kieffer Moore had earlier cancelled out Yousef Salech's opener for the Bluebirds.

Cardiff dominate all-Welsh cup tie

For the first time since 2000-01, Wrexham came into a season in a higher division than Cardiff. But with the Red Dragons treading water in the lower reaches of the Championship after seeing the momentum of recent years slow down and the Bluebirds a dominant big fish in League One so far, there was less between the teams than leagues alone suggest.

With Wrexham struggling to create beyond a good Nathan Broadhead chance, Cardiff took a deserved early lead after winning the ball deep in home territory. Rubin Colwill picked up the loose pass from under pressure centre-back George Thomasen, with Callum Burton pulling off a save to initially deny Chelsea loanee Omari Kellyman but then powerless to prevent Salech gobbling up the close-range rebound. Colwill soon smacked the bar with a dipping free-kick and Wrexham had barely laid a glove on the visitors when the half-time whistle sounded.

The half-time introduction of Moore, once of Cardiff, made a difference and the Wales international brought Wrexham back level seven minutes after the restart. Ryan Longman's deflected cross from the left looped into the six-yard box and Moore leapt highest to power in a header. Still, Cardiff continued to dominate and were good value for their go-ahead second goal from Fish, whose back post volley from a narrow angle squeezed its way past Burton.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe MVP

Credit goes to Will Fish, whose goal ultimately decided it and late block preserved the lead he had given his team, but Rubin Colwill was the player who really set the tone for the dominant nature of Cardiff's performance and win. The 23-year-old is south Wales through and through, a Cardiff player since the age of eight and a full international. He pulled the creative strings for the visiting Bluebirds, created chances for his team-mates and even struck the woodwork with a sweet knuckleball of a free-kick. Colwill is too good for League One, but he'll be hoping that it's Cardiff who can provide a higher level.

Getty Images SportThe big loser

Wrexham had the first big sight of goal of the night when Nathan Broadhead missed the target from a promising position 12 minutes in. The £10 million ($13m) club-record summer signing was playing Premier League football for Ipswich Town last season and needed to be more clinical. Not long afterwards, Cardiff were ahead and he barely got another sniff. In 45 minutes, Broadhead touched the ball just 17 times and that miss was his sole attempt. Strike partner Sam Smith was no better. Kieffer Moore and Josh Windass replaced the pair at half-time and did much more in the second half.

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Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yet another disappointing result for Manchester City.

On Wednesday night, the Sky Blues were held to a 2-2 by Monaco at Stade Louis II in the Champions League, despite leading twice, only to concede a penalty in the final minute.

Let’s start with the positives for the Citizens, namely Erling Braut Håland, who scored two magnificent goals in the Principality, taking his tally to 52 goals in just 50 Champions League appearances.

He has reached that landmark so quickly that, as noted by BBC Match of the Day, he has to be compared to clubs, not players, having scored more goals in his first 50 Champions League outings than Panathinaikos, CSKA Moscow, Celtic, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Club Brugge, Lille, Anderlecht and Dinamo Zagreb… we could go on!

Despite these exploits, dating back to last season, Pep Guardiola’s team have now won only four of ten league phase fixtures, despite winning 28 of 36 group stage games beforehand.

A few donning all black on Wednesday night did not cover themselves in glory, giving Guardiola some big selection decisions ahead of Sunday’s tricky trip to Brentford, so should he leave out arguably his most trusted lieutenant?

Nico González's difficult night in Monaco

Just as Manchester City were seemingly set to pick up all three points, les Monégasques were gifted a route back into the game.

As the clock was about to hit 90, a Monaco free-kick played into the box found Eric Dier but, as he headed the ball towards goal, Nico González came charging in and kicked the England defender in the face.

After a very long VAR consultation, referee Jesús Gil Manzano pointed to the spot and, to the surprise of many, Dier himself stepped up, sending Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way and ensuring it finished 2-2.

More broadly, since arriving from Porto on deadline day in the winter for £50m, Nico has struggled to make an impact in sky blue.

Chalkboard

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

Despite his compatriot Rodri’s continued injury issues, the la Masia academy graduate has started only 13 Premier League or Champions League games since debuting in February, deputising at Wolves on the opening day and against Burnley on Saturday.

Nevertheless, for someone who arrived for such a huge amount of money, and with impressive pedigree behind him, he is yet to consistently deliver, his only league goal for the club coming against Bournemouth in May, not that this is what he’s in the team for.

In summary, Nico is in danger of becoming the next Kalvin Phillips, signed for £50m to alleviate the burden on Rodri, before being cast aside and forgotten about, but there is another Manchester City player, who has made over 400 appearances for the club, who is at risk of losing his place in the team.

Pep must consider benching 'world class' Man City star

The Citizens’ trip to Stade Louis II this week evoked memories of their only previous visit to the Principality in March 2017, dumped out on away goals after a thrilling 6-6 aggregate draw.

That Monaco team, who would go on to reach the Champions League semi-finals and win the club’s only Ligue 1 title since 2000, contained Kylian Mbappé, Radamel Falcao, Fabinho, Benjamin Mendy, João Moutinho, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Thomas Lemar and a certain Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese winger moved to Manchester for £43.5m the following summer, making 415 appearances for the club to date, winning 17 major honours to date, but he did not enjoy a happy return to the French Riviera.

The table below documents his statistics from Wednesday night’s draw.

Bernardo vs Monaco
Statistics	Silva	Match rank
Touches	70	8th
Shots on target	1	7th
xG	0.07	10th
Accurate passes	49	9th
Key passes	1	13th
Duels contested	6	14th
Duels won	1	26th
Possession lost	12	4th
Sofascore rating	6.0	29th
Stats via Sofascore

As the table notes, despite registering plenty of touches, Silva did not do a lot with the ball.

He lost possession on 12 occasions, only Phil Foden of Man City players did so more, also losing five of the six duels he contested, meaning he still has no goals and just one assist to his name this season.

Speaking on Sky Sports News in 2023, one content creator labelled Silva “world class”, while Ben Littlemore of Transfermarkt argued last year that he was Man City’s most important player.

In Guardiola’s managerial career, Silva is the player he has picked most, 34 times above Kevin De Bruyne who is second on the list, but now might be time to start phasing out the 31-year-old.

On the bench on Wednesday, the Citizens had both Oscar Bobb and Savinho, with Jérémy Doku starting on the opposite flank, all of whom offer a lot more dynamism and direct attacking play than Silva, emphasising why two of that trio should be in the team to take on Brentford come Sunday afternoon.

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Man City could have solved lots of issues if they’d kept this star.

By
Joe Nuttall

Sep 27, 2025