وجه داني أولمو لاعب خط وسط برشلونة، رسالة لجماهير الفريق، بعد أن قدم أداءً رائعًا خلال الفوز ضد أتلتيكو مدريد، بثلاثية لهدف، في الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.
وتعرض داني أولمو نجم لايبزيج السابق، لإصابة جديدة ستبعده عن الملاعب لمدة شهر على الأقل، ليتلقى برشلونة ضربة موجعة بشأن اللاعب الذي عانى من سلسلة من الإصابات المتكررة.
ولم يظهر داني أولمو استسلامه بعد، حيث وجه رسالة لجماهير فريقه وزملائه عبر مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي.
ووجه أولمو رسالة شكر لجماهيره، حيث أكد أن الإصابة لن تمنعه من مواصلة الكفاح والقتال من أجل الفريق.
وكتب داني أولمو عبر صفحته الرسمية: “لن يوقفني شيئًا، شكرًا لدعمكم، ما تعرضت له سيزيدني قوة، الرغبة والحماس لا يزالان قائمين، نواصل معًا في هذه المرحلة الأخيرة من العام”.
ومن المقرر أن يغيب أولمو عن عدد من المباريات الحاسمة لبرشلونة ومن ضمنها لقاء آينتراخت فرانكفورت على ملعب الكامب نو.
An epic series will be decided at The Oval. England lead 2-1 after 20 tense days of Test cricket but were denied a decisive win by five sessions of doughty, determined batting in which India lost only two wickets. Not even Ben Stokes, battling cramp and a shoulder injury, could pull this one off, and was forced to settle for only the second draw of his captaincy tenure.India were 1 for 2 at lunch on the fourth day, frazzled after more than 150 overs in the field, and still trailing by over 300 runs. But Shubman Gill’s new-look side underlined their character with two mammoth, match-saving partnerships – Gill put on 188 with KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja put on an unbroken 203 – to ensure India escaped with a draw.Related
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They can no longer win the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but will travel down to London on Monday battered, bruised and bullish. India’s batters not only saved this match, but ground England’s bowlers down: they spent 257.1 overs in the field in Manchester, including 143 in the second innings, and now face a three-day turnaround before Thursday’s fifth Test.The finale was farcical: Stokes offered a draw at the start of the last hour but Gill had no interest, instead allowing his two allrounders to complete their centuries. England were incensed, serving up some 35mph/56kmph lobs, but India’s players celebrated on the balcony as their batters filled their boots.”It’s going to happen in a flurry, lads,” Ben Duckett had promised his team-mates during the second session. In fact, it never happened at all. It was long established that no captain had ever won a Test match at Old Trafford after winning the toss and choosing to bowl; Stokes asked his team to defy history, but they could not.It was Gill who had walked in to face a hat-trick ball in the first over of India’s second innings shortly before lunch on the fourth day. When he walked back off just over 24 hours later, he had become only the third man to score four hundreds in a Test series as captain, going past 700 runs for the tour. Every time he has reached 20, he has gone on to score a century.1:19
Harmison: ‘A little bit farcical towards the end’
He was supported by two marathon efforts from his spin-bowling allrounders. Washington batted at No. 8 in the first innings but was promoted to No. 5 after Rishabh Pant’s injury, and made his maiden Test hundred, while Jadeja capped his stellar series with the bat. Much as it frustrated England, both players deserved centuries, and had earned the right to make them.Stokes’ bowling fitness was uncertain overnight: he did not bowl at all on the fourth day after a heavy workload in the series – and a five-wicket haul in the first innings – having retired hurt during his century. But he shared the old ball with Liam Dawson early in the day and threatened to break the game open, creating two early chances in an eight-over spell.He grimaced after every ball he bowled and repeatedly stretched out his right shoulder, but Stokes bowled with good pace and found variable bounce on a good length outside the right-handers’ off stump. He had Gill dropped early on, Ollie Pope failing to cling on to a stinger at short cover, but then trapped Rahul on the back pad to have him lbw for 90.It was a brilliant spell, one which exposed just how much England had missed his bowling on the fourth evening. Stokes was in pain, then inflicted some on his opposite number: he found some steep bounce to strike Gill on the helmet – via the glove – with a lifter which exploded from a good length.3:12
‘Would they have walked off?’ – Gambhir on Stokes’ draw offer
But Gill pressed on, steering Chris Woakes through the off side then yelping in celebration as he brought up his fourth century of the tour. His dismissal, edging Jofra Archer behind, represented an opening, not least when Jadeja edged his first ball to first slip. But Joe Root put the catch down, and England hardly created another chance all day.Dawson wheeled away for 47 overs in the second innings and bowled tightly, but rarely threatened the edge, and the seamers had nothing to work with: Archer exchanged tense words with his captain over a field change, Woakes bowled slower balls into the rough, Brydon Carse was hardly seen, and Stokes bowled only three overs after lunch.Jadeja and Washington had 89 and 80, respectively, when Stokes offered a draw, but Gill looked out steadfastly through the dressing-room window. It prompted Brook to bowl some filth, and both batters reached three figures off his bowling: Jadeja roared in celebration on reaching his by lofting a straight six, while Washington raised his arms as he sauntered back for two.It made for a strange end to a compelling Test match. Only 24 wickets fell across the five days, and the finish was an anti-climax. But the fraying tempers were the result of India’s resistance across five sessions of determined batting. It seemed unfathomable on Saturday afternoon, but they will head to The Oval believing that they can snatch a series draw.
Club’s first List A title since 1994 comes a year on from the death of young spinner, Josh Baker
Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Sep-2025The waiting. The uncertainty. The fear. All of it made Worcestershire’s victory that much sweeter.Faced with a rank forecast above Trent Bridge, neither team knew if matters would be settled on the weekend, never mind Saturday. Worcestershire had restricted Hampshire to 237 for 7, then found out they’d be chasing a re-jigged 251 from 45 overs. That ended up being 188 from 27.The final pursuit began just 21 minutes before the 5:36pm cut-off for the minimum required 20-over chase. Such were the unknowns, even the ECB’s unofficial word on protocol (had the rain returned prior to the 5:15pm start) was refreshingly honest. How much play would spill into Sunday if a shorter second innings had been rubber-stamped the day before? They would broach that when it arrived, which was hopefully never.”At the halfway stage, I quite fancied the longer chase,” Jake Libby, Worcestershire’s captain, said afterwards, and understandably so, having entered this final with 50 overs in mind. Some in the Worcestershire dressing-room were anxious during the hours of hold-up. Ethan Brookes, who all but won the match with 57 off 34, spent most of it asleep.Both Libby and Brookes succumbed to Hampshire’s own unknown. Released from an England squad, having travelled overnight from Ireland, Scotland international Scott Currie dropped into Nottingham for his second Metro Bank appearance this season to take a maiden List A five-wicket haul.Libby’s nick through to Ben Brown swung the game back Hampshire’s way. Brookes’ top-edge, if not the end, was seemingly the start of it, as the first of three to fall to Currie in the innings’ penultimate over.Could Brookes have come in earlier? His penchant for a boundary – he has struck one every 5.25 balls this campaign – looked a necessity. As Libby and Kashif Ali were taking time to erect a platform with their less-than-a-run-a-ball stand of 62, you wondered where the meaningful strikes would come from. Brookes’ arrival, with 93 required from 61 balls, felt overdue.Matthew Waite and Henry Cullen produced the winning flourish for Worcestershire•Getty ImagesHis five fours and four sixes ensured it was just in the nick of time. Moreover, his calculations were spot on. Currie’s hugging of the wide line from the Radcliffe Road End made it “pretty much impossible” for Brookes to access his natural hitting arc to the shorter leg side. So, Brookes remained patient, as much for other bowlers to target as the deliveries they would send his way.”Abbott and Fuller, I think it was?” Brookes asked, mind still mush from the battle. “Uh, I can’t remember, this is all a bit of a blur… but I knew that they were going to go off-pace, because that’s what the wicket suited.” Brookes ensured the last overs of Abbott (25th) and Fuller (22nd) were taken for 15 and 16, respectively.As Libby recalled: “Ethan came out to me and, I remember, the sentence he said to me was: ‘I’m gonna try and do something special here’.” Such was Brookes’ flow state, he was able to buy back a few chances for Worcestershire to use when he had left. He also recouped time to lament his dismissal without missing the final throes, including Matthew Waite’s first-ball six over wide long on. The allrounder eventually finished unbeaten with 16 off five.”I literally took my emotion out in the dressing-room and then was like, right, there’s a game to watch still here,” Brookes said. “We know what we can do at the back end. He (Waite) has played a special knock as well there. People should not forget that.”Don’t worry, they won’t. Not the moment of glory, which took an age for the television umpire to confirm, not that anyone by this point was in a rush. Aside from Henry Cullen, who had gone from fearing his pull shot off Brad Wheal had been caught at backward square leg, to being adamant he had found the winning strike, based on Abbott’s subdued reaction having butted the boundary sponge.Libby did not celebrate to begin with. Stoic throughout this campaign, Worcestershire’s 50-over skipper ceded that his exact thoughts at the time remain hazy. The product, perhaps, of “a few elbows to the head” in the ensuing limbs.Josh Baker died in May last year at the age of 20•Stu Forster/Getty ImagesNot since 1994 have Worcestershire experienced List A glory, back when it was a 60-over competition. Their previous silverware, 2018’s Vitality Blast, was achieved with an entirely different XI. The only potential survivor, Brett D’Oliveira, rolled his ankle on Thursday in the dregs of a County Championship match against Durham that confirmed the club’s relegation back to Division Two.D’Oliveira had been Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer in the Metro Bank. He is also a totem of an organisation admired across the country for its family feel. A compliment, even as the English game careers towards a less emotive state.Brett and his lineage – from his trailblazing grandfather Basil, to his much-loved father, Damian, whose loss in 2014 was an emotional body blow – embody the soul of New Road. As such, there was no better person to be holding Josh Baker’s shirt as the trophy was lifted than Brett, having laid down his crutches.Baker’s death in May of last year at the age of 20 rocked the club. Hampshire captain Nick Gubbins highlighted how much of that tragedy reverberated beyond New Road. “Some things are bigger than cricket,” Gubbins said. “If there’s one team I would be happy to lose to, or as happy as you can be, it would be Worcestershire.”The logo of the JB33 foundation, set up in Baker’s honour by his parents, Lisa and Paul, adorns Worcestershire’s playing shirts. They carry him forward on both sides of their chest. On Saturday night, a squad, a supporter base and a family used the stage of a final to honour him.”This means a lot to a lot of people at the club,” Libby said. “Players, coaches, supporters, families, friends… and of course, Josh Baker, who we’ve worn proudly on the front of our shirts this season. And he is still very much in our thoughts.”Ironically, it was Libby who kept his teammates waiting at the end, as they lined up behind the trophy, waiting for their leader to finish a long post-match debrief on Sky. There was more waiting as the players queued to embrace Baker’s parents as their own, pushed to the front of the stand teeming with Worcestershire support.”It was very difficult,” said Brookes. “[It’s] heartbreaking what’s happened and… to share a really special memory with his parents in honour of Josh. It’s… yeah, it will definitely be a highlight of my career.”Related
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If there was one regret, it was that Worcestershire’s club journalist, John Curtis, was not there to witness the scenes. Curtis, who passed in April, was a beloved figure in the New Road press box, and every other he walked into. And these were not so much the days that made his job worthwhile – he truly loved them all – but what he wished for a team and group of players he never tired of championing. An avid chronicler of the county, this latest entry into their history books will carry his honour, too.Even without this victory, Worcestershire were the standout 50-over side of the 2025 season. Consistency of selection despite the Hundred – only Adam Hose graced that tournament for Trent Rockets before his horrific leg injury – saw them lose just once. For all the feeling associated with this success, it is no less than their cricket has deserved.It is also important to state that Saturday was third on Hampshire’s list of priorities, even if this is now a second defeat at this stage in the last three seasons, in a competition that has proved an effective schooling for their prodigious young talents. Having also lost in the Vitality Blast final last weekend, they now head into the final round of the County Championship fighting for their own Division One survival.Therein lies modern county cricket in a nutshell. Constantly vying with itself for relevance – be it status or simply a reason to be. Even a club of Hampshire’s stature, and all their freshly enhanced financial might, are not immune from that struggle.But on Saturday, in a competition that time is starting to forget, amid great uncertainty around the future relevance of the English county game, Worcestershire and all whom they hold dear were able to rise above it all for their own, deserved moment.
Australia’s attack takes advantage of a timid batting display, but could we have expected different?
Andrew Miller11-Jun-20252:55
Hayden: Australia won day one because of SA batters’ lack of intent
The agony was palpable as Wiaan Mulder and Temba Bavuma ground their way through a third-wicket stand of six that spanned 40 interminably accurate balls.Hard length on off stump… nip, bounce, rinse, repeat. Some balls were stared down, and patted straight back whence they came. Others seared past the splice, to the oohs of a stacked cordon and the groans of a packed South Africa contingent in the stands, whose previous sense of a day well dominated was retreating with every non-shot.Despite facing 132 balls in a fraught evening session, close to 50% of South Africa’s 43 runs came from exactly five scoring shots – a trio of driven boundaries from Ryan Rickelton at the top of the order, then two more fours in consecutive deliveries at the absolute close of play, as Pat Cummins over-reached in his bid for an inswinging yorker, and gifted David Bedingham a brace of leg-stump freebies.Related
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Yes, there was a certain dignity in South Africa’s strokeless defiance, most particularly from the captain Bavuma, who will resume on 3 not out from 37 balls on Thursday morning with another vast burden to shoulder. And yet, in between whiles, there were four very emphatic wickets – three of them bowled, and the fourth snicked to first slip – as Australia’s magnificent seam attack, all 955 Test wickets between them before the start of the WTC final, accepted the invitation to come at their opponents and bowl their best balls without any real threat of retaliation.”I thought the guys bowled pretty well, to be fair,” Steven Smith said at the close. “It wasn’t the easiest surface to come out and wallop it. The couple of times they went at it and tried to drive the ball, we got the edges. A couple [of them] played nicely when they were late and defending under their eyes. They were difficult to get out. It’s the kind of wicket you’ve got to be solid in defence and, when you get a loose ball, you pounce on it.”Smith’s logic was sound enough, and earlier in the day, it had been borne out in his own performance – a vital 66 from 112 balls that was as composed in its compilation as Beau Webster’s 72 had been neurotic: “for his first 30 balls, it didn’t look like he could spell ‘bat’,” as Smith evocatively put it at the close. As Kagiso Rabada proved with his own magnificent five-for, this pitch has plenty to offer to the very best in the business.1:45
‘Pretty cool to have it in the home changeroom’ – Rabada on his five-for
Even so, it was an atypical day of Test cricket for the many neutrals in the stands – in other words, the regular Lord’s clientele who have got used to watching England take a radically different approach to batting in recent seasons. And there were doubtless some conflicting emotions at play as a consequence.On the one hand, it’s fair to assume that most of those neutrals would have been urging South Africa to start giving it some welly (because, let’s face it, everyone loves an underdog in these parts, especially when they aren’t Australian). But also, for those with memories that stretch back longer than three years, there might also have been a ghastly realisation: yikes, this was us once.Whether or not Bazball is an actual thing that Australians acknowledge as a tactic, Cummins’ team saw the whites of its eyes on this ground two years ago. In the 2023 Ashes, England served up perhaps the diametrically opposite performance to today’s fare, particularly, in a first innings of such self-immolating recklessness that they wrecked their own chances of victory by swinging too high, too hard, and too often. Alex Carey’s instincts in the second innings may have ignited a furious final act, but the match – and the Ashes – were lost in that blizzard of over-eager aggression.Even so, the manner of that defeat was infinitely preferable to – and, in fact, a direct consequence of – the experience England had endured in their previous encounter with the Australians in 2021-22: a trial by paralysis, of precisely the type that South Africa experienced today.The Wiaan Mulder experiment at No. 3 didn’t come off•Getty ImagesThe nadir of that series was reached in the third Test in Melbourne – a strokeless surrender in which Haseeb Hameed, not unlike Mulder today, batted to the absolute limit of his brief in making seven runs from 41 balls across two innings, as Scott Boland served up the ridiculous second-innings figures of 6 for 7.And if England, in that moment, declared “never again”, and vowed to find a different way to shape their narrative, then it needs also to be acknowledged that they did so from a position of privilege: as a Big Three nation, with the financial clout to schedule 22 Tests in a WTC cycle, compared to South Africa’s 12, and with the certainty of selection that allows their players to chase their shots with impunity. Zak Crawley’s entire Test career has been built on the premise that one false move will not bring down either his ambitions, or those of the men around them.It’s not so simple for South Africa at this delicate juncture of their evolution. Win this Test, and the team’s development might yet be self-perpetuating – amid the interest and accolades that come from being world champions. Lose, however, and maybe it’ll be back to the square minus-one that they faced at the start of this cycle, when Neil Brand (remember him?) led a scratch first-class squad to get crushed in two Tests in New Zealand, while the main characters got stuck into the first season of the SA20.So, it’s hard to argue that South Africa played their cards wrong today. “One does not simply walk into Mordor and Bazball,” as that Boromir meme might have put it, not even when you’ve recruited one of the concept’s chief architects, Stuart Broad, to impart some mindset gems.1:28
Steyn: Doing it in big games has become a habit for Starc
But what’s a team to do when faced with one of the very best attacks in Test history, on a pitch which, as Smith put it, was “doing enough all day… [with] a bit of variable bounce and a bit of sideways movement”?More of the same, presumably, when Bavuma and Bedingham resume on the second morning, with brighter sunshine in prospect, but with a dry surface already itching to bring the spinners into play – if and when they are required. For Smith didn’t anticipate any significant deterioration in the ball’s hardness until the 40th over, which was when Webster’s first-innings effort had been able to escape the pressure and develop into something meaningful.But for that to transpire in the current conditions, South Africa’s remaining batters will need to endure for the best part of the morning session without further error – and even then, as Carey showed with the ill-conceived reverse-sweep after tea that triggered Australia’s dramatic loss of five wickets for 20 runs, you’re as likely to be damned for doing as you would be for sticking to your original plan.At moments such as these, though, you’re still entitled to wonder whether it’s more reckless to roll the dice, or to dig in with such blinkered determination that you’re closing yourself off to the inevitable.
The three players will start with their new state by playing in the Uttarakhand Premier League
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2025Left-arm spinner J Suchith, opener Prashant Chopra and batter Bhupen Lalwani have moved to Uttarakhand ahead of the domestic season in 2025-26. The three players will start with their new state by playing in the Uttarakhand Premier League.Suchith, who represented Karnataka before playing for Nagaland, first played domestic cricket in April 2014 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy before going on to make his List A and first-class debuts in the coming seasons. He played for Nagaland only for one season, in 2024-25, where picked up 43 wickets in six first-class matches and was the highest wicket-taker in the Plate group.Chopra, meanwhile, made his debut for Himachal Pradesh as an 18-year-old in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February 2011, and has represented them in his entire domestic career so far. Last season, he made 386 runs in seven first-class matches, which included 171 against Uttarakhand. Overall, he has played 81 first-class matches and scored 5093 runs and hit 14 hundreds. He has also notched up 4012 runs in 103 List A games at an average of 41.79, and 2035 runs in 70 T20s at a strike rate of 114.58.Lalwani has represented Mumbai and Chhattisgarh in a short domestic career so far that started in January 2020. He switched to Chhattisgarh ahead of the 2024-25 season, where he played just two first-class matches for them. Overall, he has played 16 first-class matches and three List A games.The change of teams continue a bunch of transfers ahead of the upcoming domestic season, the most notable among them being Karun Nair returning to Karnataka, Harshal Patel switching back to Gujarat from Haryana, and Jalaj Saxena moving from Kerala to Maharashtra.
And was India’s 52 overs in Kanpur the fewest a team has faced in a Test win?
Steven Lynch08-Oct-2024India batted for only 52 overs at Kanpur yet won the Test. Was this a record?asked Ahmed Narail from India
You’re right that India’s batters received only 52 overs during that impressive victory in the rain-affected second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur last week. It’s actually the fourth-fewest balls faced by a side winning a Test – and India already have a higher entry on this list from earlier this year: they faced only 46.5 overs in clobbering South Africa in Cape Town in January.Top of the table is another rain-affected match, in Bridgetown in January 1935, when England faced only 46 overs – for totals of 81 for 7 declared and 75 for 6 – but beat West Indies by four wickets.India didn’t let Bangladesh bowl any maiden overs in Kanpur. How many times has a team bowled no maidens in a completed match?asked Sridhar from the United States
No Bangladesh bowler managed a maiden in the second Test against India in Kanpur last week. This is a good spot, as it turns out it has happened in only one other Test with a positive result: in Durban in January 1939 (the third match of the series, not the famous ten-day timeless fifth Test), England won by an innings after scoring 469 for 4 declared in 88.5 overs, none of which was a maiden. Eight-ball overs were used in that match, so it was harder to bowl a maiden. The recent Kanpur Test is thus the only one featuring six-ball overs in which the losing side failed to deliver at least one maiden.I know that Jim Laker and Tony Lock took all 20 Australian wickets at Old Trafford in 1956. But in how many other Tests did two bowlers dismiss all 20 opposition batsmen?asked Daniel Hayward from England
The Surrey spinners Jim Laker (who took 19 for 90) and Tony Lock (1 for 106) famously shared all 20 wickets in the Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1956. It has happened in just five other Test matches, three of them also Ashes Tests. In Melbourne in January 1902, Monty Noble (13 for 77) and Hugh Trumble (7 for 87) took all 20 England wickets, while the boot was on the other foot at Edgbaston in May 1909, when Colin Blythe (11 for 102) and George Hirst (9 for 86) did the damage. And it happened again at Lord’s in 1972, when Bob Massie took 16 for 137 and Dennis Lillee 4 for 140 against England; rather surprisingly perhaps as there have been more than 1800 Tests since, this remains the most recent instance.The two non-Ashes occurrences were in Johannesburg in January 1910, when the South African spinners Ernie Vogler (12 for 181) and Aubrey Faulkner (8 for 160) accounted for all England’s batters, and in Karachi in October 1956, when Fazal Mahmood (13 for 114) and Khan Mohammad (7 for 112) set up Pakistan’s victory in their inaugural Test against Australia (this was only two Tests after the match at Old Trafford).Megan Schutt recently equalled the record held by Shabnim Ismail for the most wickets in Women’s T20 World Cups, with 43, and might yet add to her tally in the ongoing tournament•Getty ImagesWho has scored the most runs – and who has the most wickets – at women’s T20 World Cups?asked Natalie Grisham from England
The only woman with more than 1000 runs in T20 World Cups before this one got underway was New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, who had 1066. She played in all the first eight tournaments, and has already added to her tally in this one. Australia’s Meg Lanning, who has now retired, finished with 992 runs, but two players who are in the UAE this time started the tournament with more than 900: Alyssa Healy of Australia (941) and West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor (926).As for the bowlers, Shabnim Ismail of South Africa led the way with 43 wickets at T20 World Cups, before Australia’s Megan Schutt caught up with her during the ongoing one. England’s Anya Shrubsole has 41 and Australia’s Ellyse Perr has 40 wickets, but since Perry and Schutt are both playing in this tournament, they may yet add to their tally.South Africa’s top six all reached 35 in a recent ODI against Ireland. How often has this happened?asked Eddie McCann from South Africa
South Africa’s consistent display against Ireland in Abu Dhabi last week was the seventh instance of six batters all reaching 35 in an ODI innings. But only in two of the others did it involve the top six in the order: by Sri Lanka against Bangladesh during the Asia Cup in Dambulla in June 2010 – only six men batted, and the lowest individual contribution was 37 not out – and also by Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2015 (again only six men batted; the lowest score among them was 35 not out).There are no fewer than 35 further instances of five batters reaching 35 in the same ODI innings.There’s a solitary case of five men reaching 35 in a men’s T20I innings, by Sri Lanka (215 for 3) against West Indies in Pallekele in November 2015. And there have been eight cases of five 35s in a women’s ODI innings (and none in T20Is).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
Manchester United managed to return to winning ways in the Premier League last night, after a dominant 4-1 thrashing of bottom-placed side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Ruben Amorim’s men produced one of their best performances of the campaign to date, to put themselves into sixth place and just a point off the top four.
Hearts will no doubt have been in the mouths of all supporters at the break, after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde ensured the game was level going into the break.
However, three goals in the second half secured a seventh league victory of the 2025/26 campaign for the Red Devils – now extending their run to just one loss in the last nine outings.
One player deserves massive credit for his showing at Molineux on Monday night, with the first-team member massively excelling during the well-deserved triumph.
Bruno Fernandes’ stats against Wolves
Bruno Fernandes has often struggled throughout the ongoing campaign, as Amorim has decided to utilise him in a deeper-lying midfield role rather than the number ten position.
It’s required the Portuguese international to think more defensively, which has no doubt had an effect on his output within the final third in the Premier League.
However, his showing against Rob Edwards’ men was arguably his best of the season to date, with the 31-year-old notching two goals and an assist in the triumph.
Such a tally takes him to 10 combined goals and assists in his first 15 appearances of the season, but it was his underlying figures that highlighted his impressive display.
He featured for the entirety of the contest and registered 55 completed passes, whilst creating five chances for his teammates – with both the highest of any player in the meeting.
Bruno also completed 12 passes into the final third, and only misplaced eight passes in total, further highlighting his incredible performance with the ball at his feet.
However, without the ball, the midfielder was just as impressive, as seen by his tally of 100% tackles won, seven recoveries made and a total of five combined aerials and ground duels won.
The United player who is as undroppable as Bruno
As seen by his tally of 15 starts out of a possible 15 in 2025/26, there’s little denying that Bruno is undroppable and certainly one of Amorim’s most important players.
Numerous other players are starting to force themselves into such a bracket, with Bryan Mbeumo just one player who should be a starter week in and week out.
The Cameroonian international netted once again in the clash in the West Midlands, subsequently taking his league tally to six this campaign – the most of any player in the squad.
He registered four shots on target against the hosts, whilst also completing two dribbles – largely being a menace to the Wolves backline during the victory last night.
However, the backline has been a cause for concern over the last couple of weeks, especially with the absence of centre-back Matthijs de Ligt in the last two matches.
As a result, youngster Ayden Heaven has been thrown in at the deep end, but he’s managed to impress – with his showing at Molineux certainly one to remember.
It was just his second start of the season, but the 19-year-old appeared unfazed and produced numerous impressive figures that could make him undroppable within the manager’s current side.
The teenager registered 36 passes during his minutes on the pitch, subsequently achieving a completion rate of 100% – the highest of any player who started the match.
Ayden Heaven – stats against Wolves
Statistics
Tally
Minutes played
69
Touches
49
Passes completed
36
Pass accuracy
100%
Blocks made
1
Clearances made
7
Duels won
100%
Fouls won
2
Stats via FotMob
He also made seven clearances, three of which were with his head, whilst making three recoveries, which enabled him to be in the right place at the right time when called upon.
Heaven’s dominance at the heart of the three-man defence was further highlighted by his impressive tally of six combined duels won – also at a success rate of 100%.
It’s no mean feat for such a young defender to start in the middle of a Premier League defence, but Heaven has made it look routine over the last couple of weeks.
Given his tender age, expectations will no doubt need to be managed by Amorim, but it is certainly hard not to get excited by the youngster after his showing at Molineux.
He’s certainly done enough to cement his place in the starting eleven for the run-up to Christmas, potentially being a huge asset for the club in their hunt for Premier League glory in the years ahead.
Bad news for Mainoo: INEOS make £70m "passing machine" Man Utd’s no.1 target
Man United’s need for a new centre-midfielder is as pressing as ever.
It seems like Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has settled on his first-choice midfield pivot. His infamous 3-4-2-1 system has sparked plenty of debate, but with United now five games unbeaten, perhaps it is a sign of things improving.
Indeed, one of those reasons could be continuity in team selection. The midfield is one of those areas, with Amorim choosing captain Bruno Fernandes and the experienced Casemiro as the two pivot players. It has meant the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte cannot get a look in, with the United boss sticking to that pair.
However, the Red Devils might well dip into the transfer market in January to add to the depth in the centre of the park.
Man United's new midfield target
There are reportedly a few names on United’s list for a new midfielder. One of those is Wolverhampton Wanderers star Joao Gomes, who could cost upwards of £44m, with a deal said to be in advanced stages.
However, the Brazilian is not the only midfielder United are looking at this winter with the likes of Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba high-profile targets from within the Premier League.
Alongside those players, Atletico Madrid and England midfielder Conor Gallagher has once again emerged as a target for Amorim’s side, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
Indeed, talking to The United Stand, via TEAMtalk, he claims the former Chelsea man is a “definitive” target ahead of the transfer window opening in just over a month. The player is thought to be keen on returning to England in 2026.
This isn’t a deal that would come cheap, though. Atleti could demand a fee of up to £52.4m, as reported back in September, with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace also interested.
How Gallagher compares to Gomes
It has certainly not been the easiest season for Gallagher in La Liga. He has struggled to break into Atleti’s starting lineup, playing 17 times in all competitions, but featuring for just 566 minutes in total. That is an average of just 6.2 full 90-minute games.
The 22-cap England star was more important under legendary Atleti boss Diego Simeone last season. He made 50 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with four goals and six assists and earning himself the nickname “Pitbull” for his energetic performances.
Of course, the Chelsea academy graduate has plenty of Premier League experience. He’s played 136 times in the top flight, becoming an established player for the Blues after a couple of loan spells. Gallagher certainly knows where the back of the net is and has 18 Premier League goals and 13 assists to his name.
If United were to bring Gallagher to the club, he might prove to be a better option than Gomes, the other top target in midfield. Of course, the Brazilian is currently plying his trade in the Midlands for rock-bottom Wolves, for whom he has played 15 times this season.
The Rio de Janeiro-born midfielder has played 104 times for the Old Gold, in a similar system to the one United play under Amorim. He’s even been known to chip in with a goal, bagging seven times in a Wolves shirt.
Yet, despite the familiarity the 24-year-old has with United’s system, Gallagher may well prove to be the better option. His on-the-ball quality exceeds that of Gomes, whilst he still offers plenty without the ball, to succeed in Amorim’s pivot.
Described as an “intensity monster” and as “one of the best midfielders in the sport when it comes to running long distances” by one notable analyst on social media, a look at the stats paints a more vivid picture of what to expect from Gallagher.
Analysing the data from the Englishman’s last season in the Premier League, compared to Gomes’ from last term, highlights the differences. For example, Gallagher created 1.5 chances on average and won 50.68% of his ground duels. In comparison, the Wolves man created 0.7 chances and had a ground duel win rate of 48.01%.
Chances created
1.5
0.7
Opposition half passes completed
29.1
22.2
Take-ons completed
1.1
1
Ground duel success rate
50.68%
48.01%
Interceptions
1.3
0.8
Ball recoveries
6.4
6.1
Described as a “relentless” midfielder by Statman Dave, 25-year-old Gallagher would provide tenacity off the ball and progression and final third quality with it.
That is certainly something he has over Gomes, and, thinking ahead, could be important for United as they hopefully start dominating games and have the ball more.
Atletico Madrid's Conor Gallagher celebrates.
A fee of £52.4m is sizeable given it is the January window, but the Cobham graduate could help add quality to the United midfield, as they look to push up the Premier League table.
Man Utd now "leading the chase" to sign "special" Casemiro replacement
Leeds United are looking like they will have a huge fight on their hands to avoid relegation this season. Their first campaign back in the Premier League is not going to plan, with Daniel Farke’s side just one point clear of the drop zone at the moment.
The underlying numbers do not make for good reading if you are a Leeds fan, either. The West Yorkshire outfit have massively underachieved according to their expected points, which is 15.49xPTS, over four more than they actually have.
In attack, they’ve only scored ten goals, although Farke has continued to pick a similar front three across the season. That means Brenden Aaronson has kept his place in the side.
Aaronson’s disappointing form this season
As an attacking unit, Farke’s Leeds side have certainly left a lot to be desired. The Whites’ lack of form in front of goal has been an issue, as has the fact that they are struggling to create a substantial number of chances.
Aaronson is certainly someone who has underperformed. The USA international only has one goal and one assist this season, but has been one of Farke’s most trusted lieutenants.
He’s played all 11 games in the top flight this season, and has started all of the last eight.
In terms of output for the 54-cap American international, he’s only managed one goal and one assist so far this term.
Perhaps that is because he is playing on the right wing despite being a number ten by trade, but Leeds fans must surely be expecting better numbers.
As far back as last season, there have been question marks surrounding Aaronson’s ability.
Former Leeds defender Jon Newsome said, “I don’t think he’s at the level in my honest opinion,” implying the Whites could do better in that area of the pitch.
They might have the perfect Aaronson replacement already at the club, in a player who is thriving out on loan.
The on-loan Leeds star who could break into the first team
Perhaps Leeds can make better use of their talent in and around the first team squad, if not this season, then in years to come. Farke has shown trust in up-and-coming youngsters in the past, with Archie Gray a prime example a few seasons ago.
Another player who could fit that bill next season, when he returns to the club, is on-loan star Joe Gelhardt. The 23-year-old attacker is excelling in the Championship for Leeds’ Yorkshire rivals Hull City this term.
The versatile attacker, who can play on the right, as a number ten or at centre-forward, has seven goals and two assists in the second tier for the Tigers this season.
His form in recent weeks has been particularly impressive, with Gelhardt racking up seven goal involvements in just six games.
The Liverpool-born forward has certainly received lots of praise for his excellent form in a Hull shirt this season. Their boss, Sergej Jakirovic, described him as a “special” footballer and said that “he can reach the Premier League” one day.
It is easy to see how he could end Aaronson’s Leeds career next season, if he is given the chance to shine in a Leeds shirt. His underlying numbers this term are superior to the American’s. For example, he averages 0.8 goals and assists per 90 minutes compared to just 0.4 for Aaronson.
Goals and assists
0.8
0.4
Chances created
1.1
1.4
Take-ons completed
1.7
1.2
Ground duel success rate
54.55%
52.08%
Ball recoveries
5
4.6
Gelhardt – previously lauded as a “human wrecking ball” by Marcelo Bielsa – has never really been given a consistent chance at first-team level for the Whites. He’s only played 57 games across five seasons, with ten goals and assists in that time.
However, his performances this season will surely make Farke sit up and take notice.
Aaronson simply has not cut it in the Premier League, and with a talent like Gelhardt on their books, perhaps it is time Leeds give the 23-year-old a chance to shine next season.
Worse than Perri: Leeds dud is one of their worst signings in PL history
Leeds United have dropped some transfer clangers when looking back at their summer business.
كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عن تفاصيل أزمة جديدة تضرب نادي الزمالك، بسبب لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم السابق، الفلسطيني عمر فرج.
عمر فرج كان قد انضم إلى الزمالك، لكن تراجع مستواه قلل من فرص مشاركته بشكل منتظم، لتتم إعارته، ثم عاد إلى الزمالك في يوليو الماضي بعد فترة إعارة قصيرة في الدوري السويدي، لكنه لم يجد مكانا له في التشكيل الأساسي أو حتى على مقاعد البدلاء.
طالع| خاص | رحلة عمر فرج مع الزمالك تقترب من النهاية.. قرار حاسم في النادي
وبدأ جون إدوارد المدير الرياضي التحرك لتسويق اللاعب في عدد من الدوريات الأوروبية، أبرزها الروماني والسويدي، حيث يمتلك خبرات سابقة هناك قبل انتقاله إلى الزمالك.
وقال الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، في برنامجه الإذاعي: “عمر فرج عندما انضم إلى الزمالك كان الأمر في تصوري لعبة وكلاء، لأن البعض روج أن الأهلي يريد ضمه”.
وتابع: “من المفترض أن تعرف احتياجاتك من الصفقات، والزمالك تعجل في حسم الصفقة لكن اللاعب رحل للسويد ثم عاد ولكنه لا يشارك”.
وكشف شوبير: “هناك كلام يقال إن عمر فرج قرر يفسخ عقده وبالتالي سيحصل على مستحقاته كاملة لكن مسؤولي الزمالك طلبوا منه العودة للتدريبات وتسوية المستحقات ونحدد طريقة رحيلك بشكل ودي لعدم الدخول في أزمات”.