All posts by h716a5.icu

It's a massive day in the season for Chelsea Football Club today.

Mauricio Pochettino's men have a chance to turn their campaign around by winning the League Cup this afternoon, although there is one problem: they'll have to beat Liverpool to do it

However, after their draw away to Manchester City last weekend, there's no reason why the Blues – who lost to the Anfield outfit twice at Wembley in 2022 – can't go one better this afternoon.

Position

Player

GK

Edouard Mendy

CB

Trevoh Chalobah

CB

Thiago Silva

CB

Antonio Rudiger

RM

Cesar Azpilicueta

CM

N'Golo Kante

CM

Mateo Kovacic

LM

Marcos Alonso

AM

Mason Mount

AM

Christian Pulisic

ST

Kai Havertz

It's going to be a backs-against-the-walls kind of performance yet again, and with the chances likely to be few and far between, it would make sense to make one change to the starting lineup.

Nicolas Jackson's game vs Manchester City in numbers

Yes, the starter Pochettino should look to drop from his lineup today is Senegalese international Nicolas Jackson.

Now, this might seem harsh off the back of a reasonably impressive showing from the youngster against City last week, but there is a reason – his finishing.

It was something noted by the Standard's Nizaar Kinsella, who, despite awarding him a 7/10 for his display, wrote that he 'squandered a one-on-one with Ederson,' a fact reflected in his statistics from the game.

In his 82 minutes of action, the Djibonker-born forward registered an expected goal figure of 0.40, had one shot on target, missed one big chance, succeeded in one of his four dribbles and lost the ball 14 times.

Minutes

82'

Goals

0

Expected Goals

0.40

Assists

1

Shots

1

Big Chances Missed

1

Dribbles Attempted (Successful)

4 (1)

Possession Lost

14

Ultimately, while he can be, as John Terry said, "a right handful" for opposition defenders, his tendency to miss chances could be a significant issue in a one-off cup game, so he might be more effective coming off the bench.

Who Pochettino should start instead of Jackon

Chelsea, like many other sides in the league, has quite an extensive injury list at present, which certainly hinders Pochettino's ability to tinker. However, there are still several options at his disposal.

He could move Cole Palmer up top, although starting him out wide or deeper in midfield means he can have more influence over the game. Likewise, Raheem Sterling could play as a false nine, although his best performances – such as the home game against City – have come when he starts out on the left.

That leaves summer signing Christopher Nkunku as the most suitable option, and based on his goals record in Germany – 70 goals and 56 assists in 172 games – and his underlying numbers in England, he's also the best option.

Now, the French "monster", as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, is not an out-and-out striker, but he has played the position before, and while he also missed a chance to score at the Etihad, he has overperformed his expected league goals figure across his entire career – something Jackson has not done.

Nkunku

Season

Jackson

20 Goals (15.59xg)

2021/22

0 Goals (0.81xg)

16 Goals (16.29xg)

2022/23

12 Goals (8.56xg)

2 Goals (1.69xg)

2023/24

7 Goals (12.27xg)

38 Goals (33.57xg)

Total

19 Goals (21.64xg)

Moreover, when adding up this season, last season and the previous season, the dynamic forward scored 38 league goals from an expected figure of 33.57.

In contrast, Jackson has scored 19 league goals from an expected figure of 21.64, and this season alone, he is underperforming by 5.27 compared to Nknku's overperformance of 0.31.

Finally, the former RB Leipzig star also has experience of scoring against Liverpool, as he was the only Chelsea player to lay a glove on the Reds in their 4-1 mauling at Anfield last month.

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Ultimately, Jackson is starting to show signs that he can hack it at the top level, but in a one-off final, Pochettino is better off starting a clinical player with more experience and a better track record of putting the ball in the back of the net.

Cristiano Ronaldo may need to leave Al-Nassr in order to play into his 40s, says Stuart Pearce, with “new challenges” transfer advice being offered.

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All-time great under contract in Saudi ArabiaWill celebrate notable birthday in FebruaryCould become a free agent again in 2025WHAT HAPPENED?

The Portuguese superstar will celebrate a notable birthday on February 9, 2025 and still has a year left to run on his current contract in Saudi Arabia. He has offered no indication of that deal – which remains the most lucrative in world football – being cut short.

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Ronaldo may, however, become a free agent next summer and face another big career call. With there talk of him playing through to the 2026 World Cup, fresh terms will be required somewhere. Pearce, who was playing second tier football at 40 years of age, believes a fresh start may help to keep CR7 hungry.

WHAT PEARCE SAID

Ex-England international Pearce – who spent 12 years at Nottingham Forest before moving on to Newcastle, West Ham and Manchester City – has told of Ronaldo prolonging a record-breaking playing career: “It won't be easy for him. He wants to play as long as he can and I admire him for that. Obviously he doesn't need the money, that is for sure. So to keep driving on and striving on, I admire that. I would say to him, as long as you're physically fit, keep going. He's playing in a much different position to me.

“I finished when I was 40, but I was a defender. It's a lot easier being a defender, I think, than it is a forward trying to create things. And you need that burst of pace and energy. My game was about maybe reading it and you could get away with it a little bit more. But when you look at Ronaldo, just incredible. For me, a big one for me, I'd been at a club for 12 years at the age of 35. Then I got a move, changed clubs to Newcastle, then changed clubs a couple of times. I had three clubs in five years, which is unusual for me. I'd been at one club for 12 years and looking back now, that was the big inspiration for me. It was a new challenge. He has to keep looking for new challenges, I think, to spur himself on.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

Ronaldo has spent time with Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr – picking up Golden Boots in four different countries. He is currently on Euro 2024 duty with Portugal – at his 11th major tournament – and is showing no sign of slowing down after hitting 50 goals in the Middle East last season.

Ella Toone treated Millie Turner with a belated birthday surprise in Lionesses training camp as they prepare for Euro 2025 qualifiers.

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Toone surprised Turner Turned celebrated belated birth in England campLionesses to play back-to-back Euro 2025 qualifiersWHAT HAPPENED?

Turner, who turned 28 on July 7, got a sweet surprise from Manchester United teammate Ella Toone in the England camp. Toone brought a doughnut with a couple of candles on it to celebrate her colleague's birthday two days later.

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Toone and Turner were an integral part of the United side that won the historic Women's FA Cup title in the 2023/24 season and finished runners-up after losing to Manchester City in the final of the Women's League Cup. The duo are now part of Sarina Wiegman's side who are currently preparing for their upcoming Euro 2025 qualifying matches.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

The Lionesses are set to appear in back-to-back Euro 2025 qualifying matches. On July 12 they face the Republic of Ireland followed by a meeting with Sweden four days later.

Ben McDermott, Jordan Silk and George Bailey hit half-centuries to lead a comfortable chase

Andrew McGlashan23-Oct-2019Nathan Ellis claimed his maiden five-wicket as Tasmania hauled themselves off the foot of the Marsh Cup table by overturning a star-studded New South Wales side at North Sydney Oval.Ellis, who made his Western Australia debut at the start of the competition, claimed 5 for 38 as New South Wales were bowled out for 237 with almost seven overs remaining.They had been set back early in the day when Riley Meredith continued his good time in Sydney by removing David Warner and Steven Smith inside the first six overs to follow the five-wicket haul he claimed in the Sheffield Shield match.On a small ground with a fast outfield New South Wales needed their international attack – featuring Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in their first matches of the season – to pull the game out of the bag, but Ben McDermott warmed up for his return to Australia’s T20I set-up with a crisp half-century.McDermott began the chase by taking 12 off Mitchell Starc’s opening over with three drives and in all 46 off his 58 runs came in boundaries before he was bowled attempting a reverse sweep off Nathan Lyon.He had formed a brisk opening stand of 61 with Caleb Jewell to set Tasmania on their way in the chase until Jewell was bowled off his pads by Hazlewood as he walked across the crease. Hazlewood returned to trap Beau Webster lbw to give New South Wales a glimmer with Tasmania 3 for 113.From there, however, the stand-in captain Jordan Silk – covering from the injured Matthew Wade – and George Bailey eased towards the target with a stand of 118 in 21 overs. Bailey, who was left out of the Sheffield Shield match, moved to fifty from 59 deliveries and Silk matched that with a top-edged six off Cummins who recorded none for 62 off his 10 overs.Tasmania had put New South Wales into bat on a ground where it is difficult to defend. Meredith struck in his second when Warner toe-ended a pull back to the bowler and then again in his next when Smith clipped straight to square leg, to the disappointment of himself and the crowd that had come to watch in anticipation.Silk produced an excellent piece of fielding with an under-arm flick to run out Moises Henriques after Daniel Hughes called a risky single and Hughes became Ellis’ first wicket when he was given caught down the leg side.Matthew Gilkes gave another glimpse of his talent with some glorious shots in a better than run-a-ball 43 before driving a catch to cover. The lower all managed to chip in alongside captain Peter Nevill but couldn’t transform the innings as Ellis hit the stumps four times, the delivery take Cummins off stump being especially eye-catching.The defeat all-but ends New South Wales’ hopes of reaching the final.

It's there, tantalising Ange Postecoglou and the Tottenham Hotspur faithful, but Champions League qualification lingers just out of reach at the moment.

After 26 matches, Spurs perch in fifth place in the Premier League and while Aston Villa boast a five-point advantage in the top four, Postecoglou's side have a game in hand after their fixture against Chelsea was postponed over a week ago.

Of course, the new reshaped Champions League that calls for a sit-down and gathering of thoughts has opened up the possibility of a fifth spot, determined by a nation's coefficient ranking.

It's all rather confusing, but Postecoglou will have drilled one message into his players: leapfrog Villa and avoid any sense of doubt.

And despite enduring something of a tumultuous campaign so far, laden with injuries and setbacks, the club has come together under new management with fresh polish and knitted togetherness, the likes of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario so influential after joining last summer.

These enlivening figures have rekindled stars such as Heung-min Son and Yves Bissouma but one player who stands out above all others is Cristian Romero, who has been sensational this season and whose place in the team will be integral for any future success.

Cristian Romero's market value when he signed for Spurs

Romero arrived on English shores back in 2021 when nondescript Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo secured the Argentine's signature from Atalanta for £42m following the departure of Toby Alderweireld.

He'd been a defensive centrepiece for La Dea and had showcased his robust approach during his final Serie A season, averaging 3.1 interceptions, two tackles, 2.2 clearances and 6.9 successful duels per fixture, as per Sofascore, leading talent scout Jacek Kulig to hail him a "top-class defender."

Romero's combative style has made him a frightening adversary for opposing forwards and while he might be a little overzealous in the challenge sometimes, there's no doubting his quality as one of the finest that English football has to offer.

An unrelenting intensity, never-say-die attitude and wilting aggressiveness made Romero the archetype for prosperity on English shores, and while his maiden term in the Premier League was punctuated by injuries, he demonstrated his skills and averaged 2.8 tackles and 3.3 clearances per game, winning 62% of his duels and completing 87% of his passes.

It was a sign of brighter things to come, with Romero thriving despite Nuno's dismissal just 17 matches into his Tottenham tenure and leading Antonio Conte's project to a fourth-place finish, pipping heated rivals Arsenal.

However, it's hard to place a case that the 25-year-old was at the top of his game last year, shown the violent glare of the red card in both the Premier League and Champions League and part of a Lilywhites defence that shipped a shocking 63 goals in the top-flight.

He did conquer the globe at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, to be fair, completing 90% of his passes and averaging 3.3 clearances per outing as Argentina secured the trophy.

Now, under Postecoglou's guidance, Romero is starting to bloom as one of the very best centre-halves in the business, and while he's not without his flaws there is no question that alongside Van de Ven Tottenham have a defensive axis for the ages. Long may it last.

Cristian Romero's valuation in 2024

Without question, Postecoglou has built something promising from the rubble of the 2022/23 campaign, where an eighth-placed Premier League finish led to Harry Kane's sale to Bayern Munich and a dead end as far as a pathway into continental competition is concerned.

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It would take a dramatic breakdown for Tottenham to miss out on European football entirely next year, eight points clear of seventh-placed West Ham United (with a game in hand), and with Romero performing at the level he is at present, sights are bound to be focussed upward.

Now valued at £51m by CIES Football Observatory's valuation model, Romero's market price might not have shot up drastically but this does not aptly portray his quality, with legendary compatriot Lionel Messi even remarking that he is "the best defender in the world right now" after one first-rate performance on the international stage in 2023.

That valuation even places the dominant titan ahead of the aforementioned Maddison, with the Englishman – who signed from Leicester City City over the summer – valued at around £43m, according to the same source.

With the playmaker dazzling in his debut campaign at N17 – scoring three times and contributing to eight assists in the Premier League thus far – it says a lot that Romero is still deemed to be more valuable than the Coventry-born sensation.

Matches played

21

Goals

4

Clean sheets

5

Pass completion

92%

Tackles per game

2.0

Clearances per game

3.1

Ball recoveries per game

6.0

Duel success rate

69%

His metrics in the Premier League this season are truly astounding and if Tottenham are to prevail in their endeavours across the closing months of the campaign, the £165k-per-week titan is bound to be at the heart of it.

Moreover, as per FBref, Romero ranks among the top 4% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for pass completion and progressive passes, the top 10% for tackles, the top 14% for interceptions and the top 11% for blocks per 90.

It's quite the skill set, with such dynamism and roundedness that perhaps Messi's overeffusive praise might just have some merit, with few teams across the continent – if any – turning their nose up at the opportunity to secure the 6 foot 1 colossus' services.

Ultimately, Romero is an indispensable member of Tottenham's team and, contracted until 2027, it would take a mammoth proposal to prise him away from the club, though it is worth noting that Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid have noted his progress earlier this year.

While £42m was quite a lofty figure for a player whose potential was somewhat indeterminate, Romero is now at the top of his game and Spurs must thank the stars that they pushed ahead with a deal in 2021.

Somerset batsman voted Young Player of the Year, following in footsteps of Joe Root and Ben Stokes

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2019Somerset batsman Tom Banton has been named as the Cricket Writers’ Club (CWC) Young Player of the Year after a breakthrough season that saw him selected in England’s T20I squad for the winter tour of New Zealand.Simon Harmer, the former South Africa spinner, won the Championship Player of the Year award. Harmer’s haul of 83 Division One wickets helped Essex to their second title in three years.Banton, who was the second-leading run-scorer in this year’s Vitality Blast and helped Somerset to lift the Royal London Cup in June, said: “If anybody had told me that I was going to have the sort of season I have had back in March then I’m sure I would have bitten their arm off.”I have surprised myself with how well I have done in Championship cricket. At the start of the season I thought that I was just going to target the white ball stuff and see how the other side went, but luckily for me things have gone well across all three formats.”The CWC Young Player award has been given out since 1950, with the large majority of winners having gone on to represent England. Recent recipients include Joe Root (2012), Ben Stokes (2013) and Sam Curran (2018). Both the Young Player and Championship awards are voted for by members of the CWC.Beth Morgan, the former England batsman, was the selected by a panel for the CWC Women’s Cricket Award, in recognition of her long service with Middlesex. This year, she became the only woman to have played in every season of the Women’s One-Day County Championship, since its formation in 1997.The Lord’s Taverners Disability Cricketer Award was presented to Callum Flynn, the England allrounder who starred during the summer’s Physical Disability World Series.The CWC also announced , by Geoff Lemon, as its Book of the Year and honoured the author and publisher Stephen Chalke with the Peter Smith Award, recognising “services to the presentation of cricket to the public”, at its annual lunch in London on Tuesday.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni says he would like to see a South American side be invited to play at the European Championship.

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Debate about quality of South American vs European teamsScaloni calls for Copa America teams to enter EurosArgentina boss suggests his side could win competitionWHAT HAPPENED?

The Albiceleste manager is aiming to guide his team to a second consecutive Copa America success this year, with his side set to take on Canada in the semi-finals this week, having already led them to a World Cup triumph in 2022.

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There has been much debate about the difference in quality between European and South American national teams. France star Kylian Mbappe sparked outrage among some South American stars after he said football in the continent "isn't as advanced as Europe", saying European teams win more World Cups for that reason.

WHAT SCALONI SAID

That debate has come up once again in recent weeks as Euro 2024 and this year's Copa America overlap, and Scaloni would like to see South American nations be invited to the other continent's competition and vice versa.

He said: "I don’t think it’s more difficult from one competition to another. There are some important teams that have advanced to the semi-finals of the Euros, teams that we faced in the World Cup and it went well for us, but that doesn’t mean that we could go to the European Championship and win it. Or maybe yes [we could win the Euros]. I think the level is very even. I would like a European team to one day be invited to a Copa America to see what it is like to play in a Copa America and the opposite, as well. But that would be a World Cup, right? So in the end the difficulty is the same. I don’t think there’s much difference, really, but these are just opinions."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARGENTINA?

Argentina will aim to reach another Copa America final when they take on Canada in the Copa America semi-final. The winners will go on to face either Colombia or Uruguay in the final. Meanwhile, in Europe, France and Spain will go head-to-head for a place in the final of Euro 2024, where they will take on either England or Netherlands. The winners of each competition will meet in the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions in 2025.

Tottenham have a new "key target" to "complete this summer" with manager Ange Postecoglou playing a major role in potentially getting it done.

Spurs growing under Postecoglou as players improve

The Australian's arrival from Celtic last June brought with it the re-introduction of exciting, intense and high-pressing football, which has quickly won over the Spurs fan base.

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Antonio Conte's last season in charge was one to forget, but Postecoglou has quickly put the 2022/2023 season behind Spurs as they battle Aston Villa for fourth and a place in the 2024/2025 Champions League pot.

Certain squad members have been transformed by his arrival as well, with Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min standing out as just a few key examples.

In terms of the South Korean, he endured a pretty lacklustre 2023 after sharing the Golden Boot with Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah just a year earlier.

Burnley 2-5 Tottenham

9.61

Tottenham 4-1 Newcastle

9.50

Tottenham 2-0 Fulham

8.91

Tottenham 3-1 Crystal Palace

8.34

Tottenham 3-1 Bournemouth

8.16

However, Postecoglou has helped to bring the very best out of Son this season, with the winger dazzling in a key role both out wide and centrally at points this term.

“Maybe the nation he plays for works against him but I think he's a world-class player," said Postecoglou on Son's great Tottenham form.

"You look at his record in the Premier League, the toughest league in the world, his goal contributions irrespective of what his team's gone through have always been right up there.

"Even this year, before he left, I think he was probably the best attacking player in the competition, just my opinion obviously. Certainly he'd be up there. He's a world class player.”

The 31-year-old, though, is out of contract next year and his future has been a real topic of discussion lately. Tottenham are rumoured to be planning new Son contract talks in the near future, with HITC and journalist Graeme Bailey sharing an update on this.

Tottenham prepare Son contract talks as "key target" to complete this summer

According to the outlet, keeping Son "has now become one of the key targets for Tottenham to complete this summer", with the club also "preparing to step up contract talks" with their captain.

HITC claim Postecoglou is proving pivotal in convincing Son to remain, as the Asian superstar is loving life under his tutelage.

Bailey writes the latter line on X, where he also says that talks have been ongoing behind the scenes since last summer.

Tying down the Lilywhites legend is an absolute must, and by the looks of things, Spurs will do everything they can to keep their star forward.

When England begin their European title defence in 12 months' time, who will Sarina Wiegman trust to be her first-choice goalkeeper?

As Hannah Hampton, not Mary Earps, lined up for England’s make-or-break UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifier against Sweden on Tuesday night, Lucy Ward, on co-commentary duties for , couldn’t help but ponder what such a significant team selection meant. Earps starred for the Lionesses as they won Euro 2022 and reached the 2023 Women’s World Cup final and yet, less than 12 months on from the latter, she was on the bench for this huge clash. “Maybe this is a changing of the guard,” Ward mused.

That is the question on everyone’s lips after England’s July fixtures, both of which Hampton started. It was perhaps not a shock that she was in between the sticks against Ireland on Friday night, as head coach Sarina Wiegman had chosen to play her in the reverse of that fixture in April to gain some more competitive experience. However, that she got the nod against Sweden, when the Lionesses had to avoid defeat to secure automatic qualification for Euro 2025, was huge.

“That’s a statement, playing her today,” former England star Karen Carney said on . “I think that Hannah is in that No.1 position and she’ll be saying, 'I’ve got to hold onto it'. 'I’ve got to keep it'. Because this time next year, this could be the quarter-finals of the Euros.”

There’s no doubt that, right now, the pair feel as neck and neck as they ever have. But who will lead the race to be the Lionesses’ No.1 when Euro 2025 kicks off in less than 12 months’ time?

GettyNot on the cards

When England met up for the final time in 2023, this competition never even felt close. Earps was so secure in her role as the Lionesses’ first-choice goalkeeper, something emphasised by the reaction to her tearful post-match interview following a high-profile error against the Netherlands in December.

Victory by a two-goal margin in that game, rather than the 3-2 win achieved, would’ve made England’s chances of securing Olympic qualification much more straight-forward and, as a result, Earps was devastated that she hadn’t kept out the Dutch’s second of the night. "I'm just sorry that my performance has cost the team,” she said.

That was emphatically dismissed by every member of the Lionesses’ team that spoke to the media in the aftermath. After all, not only do England, in Wiegman’s words, “win as a team and lose as a team,” they also know that Earps has come up big to bail others out in her time as her country’s No.1. “In the World Cup final, I gave away a penalty and she saved it,” Keira Walsh said a few days later. “Mary has delivered before so I'm pretty sure she'll deliver again.”

AdvertisementGettyEarned England's trust

It was those historically consistent performances as England goalkeeper which Walsh mentions that had helped Earps establish such an unassailable lead in the pecking order. At Euro 2022, 10 months into her status as No.1 after a couple of years in the international wilderness, the then-Manchester United shot-stopper was outstanding, marking herself out as one of the best in the world as England triumphed at Wembley.

That form continued at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where Earps claimed the Golden Glove as the Lionesses reached the final. The individual accolades poured in during this time, and deservedly so, with her twice named The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper and able to achieve a highest-ever position for a goalkeeper in the Ballon d’Or Feminin voting, of fifth. Factoring in experience, performance in high pressure moments and consistency at club level, Earps was by far and away England’s best goalkeeper.

Getty ImagesPatience is a virtue

So when looking at how fierce the competition for that shirt is now, the question is about how Hampton has closed that gap rather than wondering what Earps has done to lose ground. While the latter has continued to perform well for club and country, Hampton has made simply incredible progress in just half a season.

Last summer, aged 22, she took something of a risk in leaving Aston Villa to join Chelsea. In the Midlands, she was first-choice and she was developing well, earning a spot in England’s Euro 2022 and 2023 World Cup squads as a result. At Chelsea, though, she would be competing with two other senior international goalkeepers, both with much more experience than her. At first, this meant she wasn’t even being named to matchday squads, never mind getting minutes.

Hampton’s situation was actually contributing to a bit of a problem for England, as Earps was the only one of Wiegman’s three regular goalkeepers, the other being Ellie Roebuck, who was actually playing for her club. “That makes it a little bit complicated,” Wiegman admitted in October. Comments from then-Chelsea boss Emma Hayes hardly suggested that Hampton was on the brink of a breakthrough with her minutes, either.

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GettyTaking your chance

But when the 23-year-old eventually got her chance to debut for the Blues in December, she grabbed it with both hands. From that point onwards, no one kept more clean sheets in the Women’s Super League, despite a lot of enforced rotation occurring in the defence in front of her. Of goalkeepers who made more than five appearances in that time, Manchester City's Khiara Keating was the only one to boast a higher save percentage.

Usurping Ann-Katrin Berger, Chelsea’s long-time first-choice goalkeeper who would join U.S. side Gotham before the season was out, and Zecira Musovic, the Sweden star who shone at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Hampton became the Blues’ No.1 choice. “I genuinely believe Hannah has all the ability to become the best in the world,” Hayes said.

Hampton’s form didn’t go unnoticed in the England set-up, either. In February, she got a chance in a friendly. In April, Wiegman started her in a qualifier against Ireland – that being the coach’s first XI for a competitive match that didn’t feature Earps since September 2022. Slowly but surely, she impressed and proved that she was ready to thrive on the international stage.

Liverpool were sent tumbling out of the FA Cup in dramatic fashion as they were beaten 4-3 by Manchester United in extra-time at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Amad Diallo's 120th-minute strike secured the victory for the hosts, who will now head to Wembley for the semi-finals, after a thrilling clash between the two top-six sides.

Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mo Salah cancelled out an opener from Scott McTominay in the first-half, before a second-half finish from Antony sent the game to extra time.

Harvey Elliott may have thought he had won the match with a deflected effort in the 105th minute, but goals from Marcus Rashford and Diallo in the last ten minutes turned the game around to win it for United.

Caoimhin Kelleher had a questionable performance between the sticks. However, substitute Cody Gakpo was even worse than the goalkeeper with his poor display off the bench, as he let Jurgen Klopp down badly.

Caoimhin Kelleher's performance against United

The Ireland international has produced some fine performances in place of Alisson, including a nine-save clean sheet against Chelsea in the League Cup final, but he was not at his finest on Sunday.

Kelleher's wrists were far too weak to divert Alejandro Garnacho's shot away from danger as the ball spun up off his hands and towards his own goal, which allowed McTominay to sneak in and tap the ball into the back of the net.

The 25-year-old stopper was also slow to get down to Antony's right-footed shot that crept into the far corner. However, there were bodies between him and the Brazilian forward, which may have left him unsighted until it was too late.

Crucially, Kelleher failed to step up when he was needed most as Diallo's accurate yet weak strike dribbled past the goalkeeper, who was slow to get down to it, and found the far corner.

Why Cody Gakpo let Jurgen Klopp down

The Dutch forward came off the bench in normal time and was even worse than the goalkeeper, who at least made seven saves and two claims to prevent the hosts from scoring more. Unsurprisingly, Gakpo had fewer touches than Kelleher and what he did when in possession was hardly inspiring.

Minutes played

43

Shots on target

0

Big chances created

0

Passes completed

11

Duel success rate

40% (4/10)

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old flop had virtually no positive impact on the match as he did not influence the game in the final third or get involved in possession regularly, and was bullied by United's players in physical duels.

Gakpo replaced Salah in the 77th minute and almost immediately prevented Liverpool from finishing the game off with a poor piece of play in the 79th minute, with the Reds 2-1 up at the time.

He picked up the ball inside the United half with two defenders in front of him, three teammates to his right, and one to his left, yet failed to create a 'big chance' from that situation.

The former PSV star waited an age to release the ball and Elliott, when the pass finally came his way, had no angle to either take a clear shot at goal or play it on to another teammate, which led to a blocked shot from the midfielder – allowing the hosts to go on to equalise less than ten minutes later.

Former Liverpool defender and current Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher seemingly hated that aspect of his performance as he posted on X that the dud plays "in slow motion", which was the case in his wasted five-on-two counter-attack.

Gakpo well and truly Klopp down badly with his dreadful display off the bench, which appeared to stoke Carragher's fire, with GOAL also handing the Dutchman a dismal 5/10 match rating, far worse than Kelleher's 8/10.

At least the Irish shot-stopper had some strong contributions during the game, which was not the case for the Dutchman, who struggled in and out of possession throughout his time on the pitch.