Kategori: Football

Who is David Prutton tipping for victory in the Sky Bet Championship in the midweek matches? Find out here…

Norwich vs Luton, Tuesday 7.45pm – Live on Sky Sports Football Red Button

It can happen so often in this league. Just as you think a team is starting to look unstoppable, they hit the buffers. That’s what has happened to Norwich in the last few games, and they have started to look a little vulnerable again.

Luton got a brilliant win against QPR on Saturday. They are on the edge of the play-off places and head to Carrow Road brimming with confidence. I’ll back them to take a point.

Prutton predicts: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds)

Blackburn vs Sunderland, Tuesday 7.45pm – Live on Sky Sports Football

The Blackburn sequence continues. I keep expecting it to break, but it is 10 games now of consecutive losses and wins. Maybe I just need to go with it!

Sunderland returned to winning ways on Saturday with a battling comeback against Wigan. They will be a side to be reckoned with once they get their forwards back from injury. But I’m going to go against the Rovers grain again and say this will be a draw. It has to end eventually!

Prutton predicts: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds)

West Brom vs Bristol City, Tuesday 8pm – Live on Sky Sports Football Red Button

It wasn’t too much of a surprise to see West Brom victorious in their first game since the departure of Steve Bruce. It happens so often and they will hope to kick on from here as they continue their search for a new manager.

Bristol City are sliding down the league after just one win in seven, picking up just four points in that time. It’s hard to see them getting anything at The Hawthorns.

Prutton predicts: 2-0 (Sky Bet odds)

Birmingham vs Burnley, Wednesday 7.45pm – Live on Sky Sports Football Red Button

Birmingham are starting to look like a decent side and enjoyed a good win at Hull on Sunday, driven on in midfield by young Hannibal from Manchester United. He seems a real talent.

Burnley clambered their way to the top of the league at the weekend. If they continue to show the sort of firepower they did against Swansea then they will be really tough to stop. This should be tighter, but I still fancy an away win.

Prutton predicts: 0-1 (Sky Bet odds)

Coventry vs Sheffield United, Wednesday 7.45pm – Live on Sky Sports Football Red Button

That was a battling display from Coventry to pick up a first away win of the season at Cardiff on Saturday. They still have games in hand on all the sides above them, but they can’t rely on that for points. They can’t let themselves get too adrift.

It is hard to know what Sheffield United will make from their point against Blackpool. They threw away what seemed like a sure win, then picked up a last-gasp draw. So there will be mixed emotions. More importantly, it is four without a win and they have lost top spot. I think it could be five without a win, but I don’t think they’ll lose.

Prutton predicts: 2-2 (Sky Bet odds)

Millwall vs Watford, Wednesday 8pm – Live on Sky Sports Football

It is three wins and a draw from five games now for Millwall, inspired by the brilliant Zian Flemming. Five goals for him in as many games. He is starting to emerge as one of the standout players in the league.

Watford bounced back brilliantly from two bad results to beat Norwich on Saturday. They showed quality in the first half, and real character in the second as the Canaries tried to fight back. It was much more like it for Slaven Bilic and his side. But Millwall are in form, so I’ll go for a share of the spoils here.

Prutton predicts: 2-2 (Sky Bet odds)

Prutton’s other predictions

Huddersfield vs Preston (Tues 7.45pm): 1-0

Swansea vs Reading (Tues 7.45pm): 2-1

Stoke vs Rotherham (Tues 8pm): 2-1

Blackpool vs Hull (Wed 7.45pm): 2-0

QPR vs Cardiff (Wed 7.45pm): 3-1

Wigan vs Middlesbrough (Wed 7.45pm): 1-0

Derby favourite Auguste Rodin heads a field of 17 at the five-day entry stage for Saturday’s Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, live on Sky Sports Racing.

The juvenile has not put a foot wrong since runner-up to Crypto Force on debut, leads Aidan O’Brien’s charge for a record 11th win in the race.

Currently tied with Sir Henry Cecil on 10 victories in the one-mile contest, the master of Ballydoyle is responsible for eight of those remaining, with the Derby favourite joined in the five-day list by Espionage, Victoria Road, Salt Lake City, Adelaide River, Covent Garden, Greenland and Hiawatha.

O’Brien’s son Donnacha has left in consistent National Stakes runner-up Proud and Regal, while John and Thady Gosden could be represented by Autumn Stakes runner-up Epictetus and promising Juddmonte colt Arrest.

Exciting Nottingham winner King Of Steel could line up for Amo Racing.

David Loughnane’s youngster dwarfed his contemporaries in the paddock at Colwick Park and was most impressive when scoring by the best part of five lengths on his racecourse bow last week.

Having ticked all the right boxes and confirmed the promise of his work at home, the Derby entrant, who cost his owners $200,000 as a yearling, may “take a crack” at the £118,400 first-prize if connections feel a trip to Town Moor is the right move to make.

“He’s come out of the run at Nottingham very well and we think he’s a nice horse,” said Loughnane. “But it’s quite a tall order to go from a novice or a maiden to Group One company.

“There are 17 horses left in there and there’s multiple Group and Listed winners in there and Aidan O’Brien has six or seven. I know they are not all going to run, but we’ll just see how the week pans out and monitor declarations and see from there – there’s no decision made yet.

“He was very impressive at Nottingham and did everything we hoped he would do. He’s just done everything within himself at home and we’ve never had to take him off the bridle and obviously being such a big horse, we didn’t want to over-phase him too soon, so we’ve been very patient with him and wouldn’t want to ruin that now.

“So, if it is the right race on Saturday, we will take a crack and if not, we’ll wait.”

Andrew Balding’s Stormbuster arrives on the back of victory of at Newbury, while Royal Ascot winner Holloway Boy is another notable entry. Captain Wierzba (Ralph Beckett), Dancing Magic (Roger Teal) and Dubai Mile (Charlie and Mark Johnston) complete the list.

The prestigious Group One, which often helps shape next year’s Classic picture, will be sponsored once again by the company founded by successful racehorse owner John Dance – Vertem Asset Management.

Dance’s company has backed the final Group One of the UK Flat season since 2018 and multiple future Classic winners appear on the recent roll of honour.

“We are delighted to be able to continue our association with the Futurity Trophy for another five years,” said Dance. “The race has consistently proven itself to be one of the highlights of the end of the season and we could not be more pleased at the number of horses that have gone on to even further success from our race.

“We very much look forward to working with the team at Doncaster for another five years, and hope that we can continue that run of giving racing fans some excellent pointers as to the three-year-olds to follow come next spring. Furthermore, Jess (Dance, wife) and myself remain determined to win it one day ourselves!”

If Savannah Marshall wants a rematch with Claressa Shields, she’ll have to travel to the USA to take on the undisputed middleweight champion once again.

Shields defeated Marshall in an epic battle for the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO middleweight titles at a packed O2 Arena in London on Saturday in a show that broke viewing records.

The American star revealed afterwards she could have forced a rematch if the contest had been close or controversial.

“Like a majority or a split [decision]. You know I worked hard in the fight to make it unanimous. But I’m still not turning away from a rematch with Savannah. If her and her team want it, come on over to the USA and we can get it done,” Shields told Sky Sports.

“I just feel like if I came and fought her on her home turf, she needs to know what it feels like to come to my territory and do it because it’s very, very hard.

“I want her to have to experience what I experienced and we’ll see if she even fights the same, if she wants to come to the USA and fight against me.”

Their rivalry had grown over the last 10 years since Marshall defeated Shields as an amateur, still the American’s only loss in a boxing ring.

But Shields believes she has settled the score once and for all in this undisputed world title fight.

“I wouldn’t mind fighting Savannah Marshall again, but I don’t think the fight calls for a rematch,” Shields said.

“To me, when I watched the fight back it was eight rounds to two, somebody [could] say it was seven to three. But at the end of the day Savannah Marshall was supposed to knock me out. So people who are saying that the fight was this or that, to me it doesn’t need a rematch. But if that’s what the fans want, I’m down for it and I’ll beat her more convincingly.

“If the fans want a rematch. I will definitely do the rematch.

“If I do fight Savannah Marshall again, it’s going to be a cleaner decision. Maybe 10-0, or maybe even a knockout for myself because the fight had its challenges, but I definitely made easy work of everything that she brought to the table,” she continued.

A return to the UK to box another champion however does appeal to her. Natasha Jonas is the unified WBO and WBC super-welterweight champion and takes on IBF title holder Marie Eve Dicaire on November 12, live on Sky Sports.

“I wouldn’t mind coming over here [Britain] and fighting against some of the girls who they have. I already beat Savannah Marshall but I’d fight against Natasha Jonas at 154lbs, Terri Harper [WBA champion] at 154lbs, whoever else that the fans want to see me fight,” Shields said.

“I would love to get some of the girls to come to the USA too, but as we’ve seen I’m not scared to come over here and put on a show and fight. Wherever is the biggest show, got the biggest venue and got the most money, that’s where I’ll be at.”

“If the fans want me to come back and fight Natasha Jonas, I’ll do that. Terri Harper, I’ll do that. Whoever they think is the best. But I showed on Saturday that I am levels above all these girls,” she added.

Both Jonas and Harper have belts that Shields has already held before. “I was undisputed champion at 154lbs also,” the American pointed out. “Now that there are other world champs there, I’m willing to go there and face them because they said the smaller weight classes have better skills, but I couldn’t believe that. I’m the best skilled woman in boxing.

“I just think now in my career people just want to see me fight and I’ll just continue to fight against whoever everyone says is the best.

“I just want to fight the best and in order for women’s boxing to keep growing we have to make the best fights.”

But Shields warned, “I know in my fights moving forward, these girls are about to start going to sleep. Because if I can hurt Savannah Marshall, I know that I can knock these other girls out.”

Claressa Shields versus Savannah Marshall was the most-watched women’s professional boxing event in history.

More than two million viewers tuned into the historic all-women boxing card making it the biggest audience for a live women’s sport event ever on Sky.

Shields beat Marshall to become the undisputed middleweight world champion in one of the best fights of the year so far. The bout headlined an iconic show presented by Sky Sports and promoter BOXXER which was the first-ever all-female boxing event televised in the UK and Ireland.

A peak audience of over one million watched as Shields secured a unanimous decision victory to unify all four of the major middleweight titles and cap off a historic night.

The Mikaela Mayer vs Alycia Baumgardner world title fight and, some of the UK’s most exciting young boxers, including Olympic gold medallist Lauren Price, Olympic bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall and Tokyo Olympian Caroline Dubois, featured on the show.

Live coverage of the event reached over two million viewers, with millions more watching the build-up and action across Sky Sports Boxing YouTube and Sky Sports TikTok live streams.

More than six million viewed Shields vs Marshall video clips across Sky Sports’ digital and social platforms during the week of the fight.

In addition to those watching on TV and online, a sell-out crowd filled The O2 Arena, demonstrating the growth in women’s sport. Of the tickets bought, 35 per cent were by women, well over the usual amount, and almost 40 per cent of those that watched at home were women – well above the normal average for a fight night on Sky Sports.

Jonathan Licht, Sky Sports’ managing director, said, “What an amazing night! This was a pivotal moment not just for women’s boxing but the sport as a whole. To know that such a large audience tuned in at home to see these fights – in addition to a sell-out crowd at The O2 – shows the interest and potential for the sport.

“At Sky Sports, we have been working for years to give our elite female fighters the stage they deserve, and this is only the beginning.

“Congratulations to all the fighters that took to the ring on Saturday – you made history. It is one year since we entered into our partnership with BOXXER and Top Rank and we are delighted that we have seen some of the most watched nights in our history.”

BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom said: “It was a historic event. We staged something many thought wasn’t possible and it will go down in the history books. We hope it has set the stage for what is to come. Thank you to Sky for their unwavering support for women’s sport and boxing. From a standing start, in just 12 months our partnership has achieved so much already and Saturday night culminated in a record-breaking event.

“We want BOXXER to be a force for good within boxing and have a positive impact on redefining the sport for its long-term health and success as our fighters and events inspire future generations. For women’s sport, this was truly iconic and we want to thank everyone involved and, of course, the fighters. We can now look forward to an extremely bright future and carry such positive momentum into the rest of the year with some huge fight nights ahead.”

To make the event available more widely and open the sport up to a new audience, Sky Sports’ coverage was simulcast on Sky Showcase, meaning households without a Sky Sports subscription could also watch. Sky Sports YouTube streamed action from the undercard fights, including Mayer vs Baumgardner.

On Saturday Sky also launched its new interactive Viewers’ Verdict feature on the Sky Sports App. The innovative second-screen experience, which saw 45,000 fans take part, allowed users to score cards and take part in polls on the night.

Sky Sports is the UK’s leading investor in women’s sport with partnerships across sports including boxing, football, cricket, golf, netball and motorsport. So far in 2022, Sky Sports has broadcast over 1,000 hours of live women’s sport.

The next British fight night on Sky Sports will be headlined by Natasha Jonas’ world title unification clash with Maire-Eve Dicaire in Manchester on November 12.

For young players bidding to make the transition from academy to first team football, the pathway often requires them to head out on loan.

The parent club can then gain a clearer understanding of their potential in a competitive environment and make a more rounded judgement as to where their future lies.

It can be a daunting prospect – and understandably so. Agreeing to being farmed out to a lower league club, which could be miles from home, takes guts for someone in their late teens or early 20s. It is a real test of character.

Carlton Morris knows that.

The striker is now 26 and thriving in the Championship with Luton, but he started his career at Norwich at the age of 11 and spent the next 15 years on the Canaries’ books, with eight loan moves to six different clubs along the way. He travelled as far as Hamilton in Scotland, but also as reasonably close as Oxford and MK Dons.

Seven years of loan spells during his formative years became somewhat tedious, but the time also shaped him in the way a more streamlined journey might not have done.

“It’s not ideal being on the move all the time, but in terms of life lessons and learning the game of football, it was invaluable to me,” Morris says, in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.

“Earlier in my career, I had the massive highs of reaching the play-off final with Shrewsbury off the back of a great season there and then did my ACL in the final and missed a year, so I don’t think you can get more of a juxtaposition than that. Once I overcame that, I realise that the highs and the lows are part of the journey.

“I never really felt part of a team [at Norwich] because I never really played there. I was just in and around the dressing room, out on loan and doing some rehab there.

“It made me grow as not just a footballer but an athlete as well, just being in different environments. I’ve grown to learn how to make myself be comfortable being uncomfortable, so there’s not many situations I could be put in now where I feel out of my comfort zone.”

Those highs and lows prepared him well for the contrast of what he was to experience when he eventually left Norwich for Barnsley last January.

When he headed north to Oakwell, the Tykes, then under Valerian Ismael, were in the throes of their unexpected push for the Championship play-offs. They got there, against all the odds, but narrowly lost out to Swansea before faltering altogether last season and they went down without so much as a whimper.

“The Championship is amazing,” Morris says. “Honestly, I think it’s the most unique league in the world. Every game is an absolute battle; if you’re even one or two per cent off it, you’ll get found out straight away.

“It [reaching the play-offs] was brilliant. We just found the right formula that worked for us, made ourselves really hard to beat and even when we didn’t perform too well, we had a knack for winning games – and that’s a huge trait to have in this division. Our intensity and energy levels were always at 110 per cent.

“I would say a lot of other people would have learned lessons [after relegation] for sure, but for me personally, I had already been through other things that had already led me to that point.

“During the promotion push, I never got too high and during the following season, I never got too low because I know that’s what life in football is about. Sometimes it’s going to go for you, sometimes it’s not.

“You can’t get hung up on the low times and take things too personally, otherwise you end up stuck in a bit of a rut. The same thing goes for if you get too excited and too high when things are going well. It’s about finding the right balance and enjoying things equally. It’s about the journey.”

The performance of the team aside, Morris had found his level in the Championship and he was not about to drop down to League One again. That is when Luton swept in and secured his signature for a reported £2 million fee.

It took him a few weeks to warm up, but ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with his former club Norwich, the frontman has recorded eight goal involvements (six goals, two assists) in his last 10 games.

He was already more than comfortable playing in the second tier, but what has Hatters manager Nathan Jones done to extract the best from Morris?

“With the due diligence behind the scenes and the way the coaching staff prep you for each individual game, I describe it like a game of chess. Every move is different,” he adds.

“They will exploit weaknesses and encourage us to use advantages when we can and if we can. So much goes into it that it’s hard to explain. I think his [Jones’] personality, his passion and how hard he works is inspiring.

“That passion that everyone sees is contagious. I’ve always been a believer that a team reflects manager’s personality and characteristics and I think we show that, for the most part, when we’re at it. We’re gritty, we will never give up and we’re that relentless sort of team.

“I feel like I am going to create chances or score goals every game and that’s a place where I thrive. I’m thankful and blessed to be working with one of the best, in my opinion.”

Being part of a talented forward line helps, too. Luton have Morris, Elijah Adebayo, Cauley Woodrow, Cameron Jerome and Harry Cornick among their attacking riches.

“It’s huge for all of us having the competition. We all push each other every day in training and try to outscore each other. It’s all friendly, healthy competition that is just going to make each individual better.

Before a game recently, Cameron texted me and said ‘Good luck tomorrow, pal. You and Eli work together, do this and do that,’ which shows how positive things are between us.”

With seven games left to play before the Championship pauses for the World Cup, Luton – who reached the play-offs themselves last term – are seventh in the table. They have kept five clean sheets in 14 games, are unbeaten in six and have so far lost just once on the road.

Morris is content with his side’s current situation going into a busy period.

“It’s lovely to be in good form and have the momentum, but it’s times like these that we’ve really got to put the hammer down and take advantage,” he says.

“Being in the middle of the pack is a great place to be in this situation. It’s a long season, at the end of the day. It’s a marathon not a sprint. You can’t dwell too long on results because there’s always another game coming right round the corner.

“I think we’ve got a really good squad of pros, just in terms of rest and recovery and the way we prepare for each game. No one is messing around, we’re making sure our bodies are in tip-top condition every game. We’re never going to get a freebie in the Championship, so we go into every game with maximum respect and when that game is finished, win lose or draw, we’re right back at it, recovering, analysing and doing our work on the next game.

“Here, we’ve got a much more experienced squad, which is big as well. Having experience at this level is huge, as well as the coaching staff and everyone behind the scenes. They all work their absolute socks off and you can tell that in the training ground environment every day. It’s another thing that’s integral to being successful at this level.

“That’s the same way all the way up until May. I’ll be more concerned about what the league table looks like at the end of the season.”

There has been an “outpouring of joy and relief” from racing fans at the news that the Cheltenham Festival will not be extending to include a fifth day.

The “unexpected” decision from The Jockey Club comes after an extensive review process, which analysed, among other considerations, the commercial benefits of adding two more races to the meeting – currently at 28 – and switching to six races per day, with an extra afternoon of racing on the Saturday in March.

Explaining their reasons for keeping the Festival at four days, Ian Renton, managing director of The Jockey Club’s west region, said: “While we explored the financial benefits and an opportunity to reach new audiences, we also found a number of counterpoints to this.

“For example, it is clear that it would be challenging from a turf management perspective, without further work on the track, and on balance we still feel 28 races over four days is the right format.”

Racing pundit Kevin Blake expressed his delight at the decision, tweeting: “Justice. Sweet justice.”

Blake later told Sky Sports Racing: “It’s very unexpected. The way this had been positioned it seemed inevitable, despite consistent views from the racing public that we didn’t want it.

“The commercial case for increasing to five was clear and it seemed like they might win out.

“There’s been an outpouring of joy and relief and I’m certainly in that camp.

“It might seem perverse that something we love we don’t want more of, but not only do we not need two more races, we probably need six, seven or eight races less if this is going to be a real National Hunt championship. It’s too diluted as it is.

“It shouldn’t muddy the waters that National Hunt racing isn’t in a great spot, with longstanding issues with the programme book and the polarisation of big owners and trainers.”

Sky Sports Racing’s Matt Chapman tweeted: “Can’t praise The Jockey Club enough for keeping Cheltenham Festival to four days.

“Most of us thought it would go to five but finally someone in racing has realised less is more.

“Thank you. Common sense has prevailed.”

How top trainers have reacted

Nicky Henderson has backed the decision to keep the Cheltenham Festival over four days, despite having initially supported the calls for a five-day meeting.

Having taken part in the Jockey Club’s consultation process, Henderson – who has had 72 winners at the Festival – feels the fixture is so good as it is there is no real need to tinker any further with it.

The Seven Barrows trainer, who has won eight Champion Hurdles, six Champion Chases and two Gold Cups, says the “logical” decision has been reached.

“I think it is probably the right decision,” said Henderson. “I was one of the ones in favour of the (five days) idea, but I think the more you think about it they’ve made the right decision.

“It’s so good as it is. I saw some pros and cons to it either way. I’m really not desperately fussed, but having said that I sort of was leaning on it thinking if we had six races a day, you didn’t need to start until 2pm and then you don’t dilute the product.

“Bear in mind it is not compulsory to go, it is for us trainers but not for everybody else! I do see the logic and I probably would say yes, it’s the right decision.”

Willie Mullins, the Festival’s winning-most trainer, echoed those sentiments.

He said: “I think it is a good decision to keep it compact and tighter and I’m very happy that is the decision they have come to.”

On the logistical challenges a five-day Festival would have potentially brought, Mullins added: “There’s pros and cons. Five days would make it easier for us getting horses and staff over and back – I would imagine if they went to five days there would be less races per day, so it might have been easier.

“But I think the best decision has been made at this point in time for the meeting, it’s great they have come out and put everyone’s mind at rest about what is happening, so we welcome that decision.”

Gordon Elliott only celebrated his first Festival winner in 2011, yet has already notched up 33 at the meeting.

He was comfortable with a decision either way, saying he would be there however many days it lasted.

“To be honest, if it’s on four days, it’s on four days – we can’t change it,” said Elliott. “If it was on seven days I’d be there seven days, so it’s not going to change things either way. If it was on 10 days in a row I’d be there 10 days.”

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls, another major player at the Festival, said he was “delighted” the meeting would be staying as it was.

Deontay Wilder is rightly considered the most devastating puncher in the world today.

He underscored that reputation with a sudden, one-punch finish of Robert Helenius in the first round of their bout on Saturday.

It was an extraordinary shot. Wilder reared back onto the ropes and chopped a short right down. The punch didn’t look like much at first glance but left Helenius flat on his back, his eyes wide but knocked out cold.

“When I hit him as you can see I was going for another one and it was so fast, it was fast for me. I didn’t even know how devastating it was until I seen him fall on the canvas,” Wilder said afterwards.

“I didn’t know I did what I did. Because we’ve been training for certain things to become muscle memory so when I see certain events happen in the ring, my body just reacts, just responds. Sometimes when you’re in the ring, you don’t see what other people see on the outside. My body just reacted.”

Wilder’s trainer, and former opponent and sparring partner, Malik Scott said of Wilder: “He’s the most dynamic fighter in the history of the sport. It’s not coming from gossip, I’m going off what I’ve seen.

“He did that backing up. He did that tonight backing up, he did that setting traps, having tonnes of humility. The best heavyweight in the world and the most dynamic fighter in the history of the sport.”

But that awesome punching power weighs on Wilder too. He had sparred Helenius before and knew him well. He feared for his opponent after that stoppage.

“My heart goes out to him and hope he’s doing okay and he’ll be able to go back to his family because this is a tough business that we’re in,” he said. “I’m just trying to support my family as well. This is what we sign up to do.”

Wilder continued: “Yeah that’s a great knockout, making history and stuff like that, but how much is that man going to suffer? He may be alright right now, a little bit but what about the next day? What about two weeks from now? What about a month from now, maybe years from now?”

Tearful, Wilder thought of Prichard Colon, the fighter who was left with a life-altering brain injury after a 2017 contest.

“You all don’t understand what we go through. I don’t even know him like that. But I’ll always be an advocate for us. This man will never know what it feels like to be somebody’s father and that’s the most precious thing in the world to be somebody’s father,” he said.

“This man will never have a chance of living again because he got in the ring to support his family. But now his family have got to take care of him for the rest of his life. He probably was the breadwinner of his family and now they’re looking, seeking for help.

“That’s why you can’t play this. This is serious.”

He demanded respect for every boxer. “I always have concern for all fighters,” he said.

“I’m a big advocate for fighters because we get done wrong. This is not a sport. A sport is something you play. You don’t play this. We risk our lives for you guys’ entertainment,” Wilder declared.

“That’s why I tell people you’ve got to respect all fighters. People always go on about records and all this. ‘He lost and he’s a bum’ and all that. Well you get in there then. Because you don’t play this. You can’t play this. We demand respect at all times for every fighter that steps in the ring, I don’t care what their record is, I don’t care who they are or where they come from.

“I just did a job. I’m great at what I do. [But] I don’t mean to take people away from their lifestyle.”

Dermot Gallagher dissects the big flashpoints from the weekend’s Premier League action, including whether Phil Foden’s goal at Anfield was correctly ruled in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Manchester City.

Liverpool 1-0 Man City

INCIDENT: Phil Foden’s goal at Anfield was ruled out for a shirt pull on Fabinho by Erling Haaland in the build-up following the intervention of the VAR.

VERDICT: Correct decision.

DERMOT SAYS: They have seen a foul in the build-up, but I also think there’s a foul on the goalkeeper, Alisson. So I think it’s very hard if you watch [the shirt pull] it’s very hard to be convinced that it’s not a foul.

Danny Mills: I think it is a foul, but does Pep Guardiola have a point because all those fouls were allowed to go throughout the game? Does a referee change their opinion on a foul or the severity because it’s a goal because I think that’s where we are all a bit confused. At the end of the game, the shirt pull on Mo Salah is a lot worse of a shirt pull than that, but it isn’t given. Is it only because it’s a goal is scored that they look at it with more scrutiny?

DERMOT SAYS: It’s not more scrutiny, it’s the fact that a goal was scored. With the Salah one that led to the red card for Jurgen Klopp, I think it’s a foul and I think the assistant should flag that. It’s not given but because it doesn’t lead to a goal or a penalty or a red card on the pitch, it is not checked. That one did lead to a goal so it was checked. When you do look at it, it’s hard to say it’s not a foul and if they had checked further on I think they would give a foul on the goalkeeper as well. I was not surprised it was disallowed as well.

INCIDENT: Klopp was sent off for his angry protestations over a foul on Salah that wasn’t given.

VERDICT: It was a foul, but Klopp deserved to be sent off.

DERMOT SAYS: I thought it was a foul and easier to give a foul than not a foul. You see his reaction, he’s very angry over it and reacts out of order. The fourth official calls the referee over and he gets a red card for his behaviour on the touchline. That’s a direct result of that foul not being given, he’s berating the official because he feels the foul should have been given.

Leeds 0-1 Arsenal

INCIDENT: Patrick Bamford’s goal was ruled out for Leeds after a push on Gabriel in the penalty area.

VERDICT: It was a foul.

DERMOT SAYS: I thought it was a foul. When you see it, it’s hard to say it’s not a foul. The interesting thing is Bamford has pointed to his chest there, as if to say it isn’t a handball. But you can see quite clearly he pushes him in the back.

INCIDENT: VAR intervenes to award Leeds a penalty for a handball by Arsenal defender William Saliba – but Rasmus Kristensen was in an offside position in the build-up.

VERDICT: It was a penalty.

DERMOT SAYS: I think it’s handball. Not given on the field, given by VAR – if it wasn’t in use then it wouldn’t have been given and the referee’s decision would have been to play on. You can see that it not only hits his arm, but he moves toward the ball, so penalty for me. Rasmus Kristensen was offside, there’s no doubt about that I just think it goes on too long, the ball goes back and gets recycled. They talk about second phases and resetting, I just think it takes too long so they don’t want to go back that far. It didn’t lead directly to the goal – it leads to the goal ultimately – but there has to be a point where you say they have reset.

INCIDENT: VAR overturned the decision to send off Gabriel and award Leeds a penalty after the Arsenal defender was sent off for kicking out at Patrick Bamford after being shoved by the Leeds striker.

VERDICT: Right decision by VAR.

DERMOT SAYS: I think this is a really interesting incident because the referee doesn’t give anything. He goes across to the assistant, and he says he thinks Gabriel has kicked out violently, so it has to be a penalty because the ball was in play. So he’s given a penalty and a red card. You see quite clearly that Patrick Bamford has committed a foul and then the kick is petulant, it’s unsporting, but it’s not violent. So when he goes to the TV monitor VAR tells him to have another look and ultimately the right decision is made. There’s no doubt Gabriel has flicked out, I think it’s petulant, reckless at worst but it’s not violent for me. It would be very unfair for a centre-half to be serving a three-match ban for what wasn’t an act of violent conduct.

Man Utd 0-0 Newcastle

INCIDENT: Cristiano Ronaldo nipped in to take the ball off Nick Pope to fire the ball into an empty net having thought Fabian Schar had already taken the free-kick to his goalkeeper. The referee Craig Pawson said the free-kick had not yet been taken and the goal was disallowed.

VERDICT: Correct decision, the referee has blown for offside and the free-kick had not been taken.

DERMOT SAYS: The referee has given offside, that is why they are waiting. But Schar has rolled the ball back to Pope to take the free-kick from where he is and that is what the referee is saying to the Man Utd players. I think the fact the play was so delayed before Ronaldo nipped in to take the ball tells you everything. The referee’s arm is up all the way which is indicating that he is waiting for that free-kick to be taken. I think you would have more of an argument if that was given as a goal.

INCIDENT: Raphael Varane avoided giving away a penalty for a challenge on Callum Wilson.

VERDICT: It was a foul, but it is an on-field penalty.

DERMOT SAYS: I don’t think the referee thinks this is a foul and he thinks they come together. If he gives a foul, this won’t be overturned by the VAR. I think this is all about the referee on the day. If the referee gives a penalty the ref will stick with him. Some decisions fall into the ‘It must be an on-field decision’ category. I do think it’s a foul, but the problem is that it’s an on-field penalty. Don’t forget the tolerance for VAR isn’t the same tolerance level on the referee.

Danny Mills: I think the Callum Wilson one was the most blatant penalty I’ve ever seen. I don’t understand how you are watching that and don’t see that as a foul. If you’re looking back and saying that the tiny little tug on Fabinho by Haaland is a foul – he steps across him, doesn’t play the ball and is miles away from the ball. There is no other decision other than foul. VAR must have looked at that incident, so I would love to know why the VAR official looks at that and says that is not a foul.

DERMOT SAYS: I’m of the belief that the referee has said to him that he thinks Varane has come across and they’ve collided. So he’s fed that back to the VAR – he has a look and goes with that because for the VAR to intervene he has to be convinced that the referee has made a clear an obvious error.

Danny Mills: I don’t think you get more clear and obvious than that.

Sue Smith: I agree, I am 100 per cent with you. I thought it was a penalty, the way Varane lunges across I was so surprised that VAR didn’t tell the referee to have another look at that.

INCIDENT: Kieran Trippier avoids giving away a penalty for a challenge on Ronaldo in which he does not get the ball.

VERDICT: Not a penalty.

DERMOT SAYS: I didn’t think it was a penalty. Ronaldo comes across to Trippier and they collide there is no doubt about that, but he comes into Trippier as much as he comes into him. I can understand he is trying to protect the ball, but for me it’s not a penalty.

Sue Smith: I thought that was a penalty, you can see from Trippier’s reaction that he feels he may have done something there. So I thought they each should have had a penalty in this game.

Danny Mills: If you make a challenge in the box, don’t get the ball, make contact and stop Ronaldo doing what he wants to do again I don’t see why it’s not a penalty.

INCIDENT: Sean Longstaff avoids giving away a penalty for a challenge on Jadon Sancho despite not making contact with the ball.

VERDICT: It should have been a penalty.

DERMOT SAYS: I think this is a penalty, when you see this Longstaff takes his foot. I was surprised this wasn’t given. I can’t see how this wasn’t given. The referee has the perfect view and he said no.

Sue Smith: I think this was a penalty. Clearly doesn’t get anything of the ball.

Danny Mills: It’s a poor decision. It should be a penalty, I think with the on-field decision Sancho’s reaction doesn’t help him because he jumps too high and tries to make it too obvious. But that is why VAR is there, the reaction should be irrelevant. It should be a penalty.

Tottenham 2-0 Everton

INCIDENT: Harry Kane wins a penalty after being brought down by Jordan Pickford.

VERDICT: Hard not to give a penalty.

DERMOT SAYS: I can understand why a penalty is given. The goalkeeper loses the ball and is down in desperation and tries to get the ball and Kane goes over him. Many people have said Kane is instigating the contact, but Pickford has put himself in that position.

Hewick could head straight to the Cheltenham Gold Cup following his famous victory in the American Grand National at Far Hills in New Jersey.

Ridden by his regular pilot Jordan Gainford, the Shark Hanlon-trained seven-year-old made amends for a final-fence blunder in the Kerry National when bolting up by 11 and a half lengths in the States and follows in the hoofprints of Brain Power (2019) and Jury Duty (2018), who have both made successful raids across the Atlantic in recent years.

It was the third big chasing pot the bargain €850 buy has won this year following success in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown and the Galway Chase in July, and his County Carlow handler was delighted with his “right little horse”.

“He bolted in,” said Hanlon. “He’s a right little horse, he’s a little dinga. It was great for Irish racing, great for English racing, it was good for everything. Everything just went to plan, and I was amazed by the way he jumped – they are different fences to anywhere else.”

This time last year Hewick was winning the Durham National at Sedgefield and exactly 12 months on his popular trainer is dreaming of Cheltenham Festival glory following a successful trip to New Jersey.

He will now be trained with the Prestbury Park blue riband in mind after a well-deserved rest following his exertions over the last 12 months.

“I think he’s improving the whole time and his next step is the Gold Cup,” continued Hanlon, who paid an emotional tribute to the late Jack de Bromhead in his post-race interview.

“From now on he’ll be trained as a Gold Cup horse, and I might not run him between now and the Gold Cup. We’ll see, he might have one run and I haven’t made up my mind, we’ll just see how he comes along.

“But he’s going to get a good break now until after Christmas and then we’ll train him for the Gold Cup – maybe he’ll get a run some time in February, we’ll just have to see.

“It’s been some journey since he won this day last year in the Durham National. He’s brought us a long way and please God it doesn’t stop here.”

For Hanlon it has been a fantastic experience to take Hewick to the other side of the Atlantic and the handler talks of his disbelief that the seven-year-old appears to have developed a cult following in America.

He also provided a little glimpse into what the Stateside celebrations were like, with the Hanlon team joining forces with Gordon Elliott’s Cullentra House ensemble as they enjoyed a double on the Far Hills card.

“I met people who had driven three or four hours to see Hewick because of his profile over the last couple of months, I couldn’t believe it,” he explained. “It’s been amazing, Rachel (partner) and the two kids are here and we’re having a ball. You should see the crowds that are there, even after the race.

“We spent two hours there, Gordon and his team and ourselves, we all joined up together and we had plenty of food and plenty of drink for everyone – it was great for Gordon to have a double on the day, too. Three Irish winners on the big day was amazing.

“It was an unreal day and unreal night – it was mighty. We didn’t let the side down anyway.”

What system did Manchester City play in possession against Liverpool? Did Liverpool stop Kevin De Bruyne at source, or were City one man short on the right flank? Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher traded opposing views on Super Sunday – but who was right?

Mohamed Salah’s sensational second-half goal divided the sides at Anfield, but there was division in the studio after the full-time whistle as Carragher praised Liverpool for stifling Kevin De Bruyne – but Neville disagreed and blamed City’s system.

Guardiola elected to start with three centre-backs for the first time in the Premier League this season – with De Bruyne stationed alongside Ilkay Gundogan behind Erling Haaland.

“The two times De Bruyne got time on the ball, he found Haaland in the first half,” said Carragher. “Haaland doesn’t score and the other one was the disallowed goal – a brilliant pass.

“I think it’s because Liverpool stopped City from having space and time on the ball, because if you get it there, De Bruyne always delivers.”

The stats certainly back that up: Liverpool excelled across all key defensive metrics against the reigning champions and almost doubled their season average for tackles per game. In term of work-rate, Liverpool clocked 118.59 km – a distance only surpassed once by Klopp’s side over the past three league campaigns.

Liverpool were also noticeably deeper than usual. Both sides have traditionally led the way for playing high lines, but the Reds’ average passing sequence started at just 34m from their own goal.

To put that into context, that’s 14m deeper than Liverpool’s average against Crystal Palace in August. In fact, it’s the deepest they have played in the Premier League since facing City nearly three years ago in 2019.

However, Neville disagreed and suggested City’s system isolated De Bruyne: “I’m not sure about [Carragher’s point].

“Look, who are we to sit here and criticise Pep Guardiola? [But] the space for De Bruyne is always created when Cancelo [is slightly behind him and wide] and another player [is out wide, in front of Cancelo]. Then the ball goes [to the advanced wide player] and De Bruyne makes that run.

“De Bruyne had no player outside on that final line. Cancelo is playing like a right wing-back, which meant he was a pass short as well – so they had an option short on that side. City always have a triangle on each side, which means these [free the channel] for De Bruyne’s runs.

“City played with a back five in possession, they had three at the back, two [wide] and the boxes in midfield – where De Bruyne was the man inside – but he didn’t have the Liverpool full-back being pulled out.”

Carra disagrees with back five in possession

Carragher: They didn’t play with a back five with the ball, they didn’t!! They had a back three, Cancelo was right-wing, Foden out on left. A box midfield and three up front.

Neville: That wasn’t how it was. Who was on the right wing?

Carragher: Cancelo

Neville: No chance! He was deeper than a right winger ordinarily would be, miles deeper. We’ll have to watch it back.

Carragher: What are you doing tomorrow?

Neville: I will watch it back!

Neville reiterates right-flank blank

Neville proceeded to clarify his point of view: “Cancelo would ordinarily be [slightly behind De Bruyne and wide] and Mahrez, or Foden, would be [out wide in front of Cancelo].

“They only had De Bruyne and Cancelo on that [right] side. Two players versus normally having three. That is indisputable, wherever you think Cancelo played. They had a man short on that side, which, I think, left De Bruyne slightly isolated in that channel.

“It meant (Andy) Robertson could play narrower, because the wide player got back in. I think it cost City, in terms of De Bruyne. Getting the space he ordinarily would.”

As the graphic below shows, City were certainly light on passing combinations down the right channel, with Cancelo and De Bruyne completely isolated as the only City players occupying that flank in the opposition half.

Indeed, it appeared to be a tactical ploy to target Liverpool’s right channel, where James Milner tussled with Phil Foden and came out on top.

In summary, the stats provide supporting evidence for both pundits’ opinions, with Liverpool excelling defensively, Cancelo playing slightly deeper than a regular right winger at City and De Bruyne being slightly isolated down a barren right flank.