Umpire Sean Barber has officially accomplished a rare feat. He made Shohei Ohtani angry.
Barber was behind the plate during the Los Angeles Dodgers' matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers and he made a call so egregious that Ohtani argued with him—something the reigning National League MVP almost never does.
Ohtani was at the plate to open the top of the sixth inning as the Dodgers trailed 7–0. On a 3–2 count, Freddy Peralta threw a changeup that visibly missed low and inside. Barber called it strike three. Ohtani immediately protested, said something, then demonstrably shook his head on the way back to the dugout. It was a rare, justified, outburst.
Video is below.
That's a brutal call, and Ohtani had every right to be upset about it. There is likely some mounting frustration for the star slugger and his teammates. They appear on their way to their fourth loss in a row, and Ohtani entered Monday night with a .136 batting average in July so far.
It's understandable he was upset when he appeared to have worked a walk but was called out.
The Boston Red Sox shocked the MLB world on Sunday by trading away designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for a collection of pitchers and prospects.
The move comes amid a season of unrest between the Red Sox and Devers, with Devers expressing frustration about being moved off of third base to make room for Alex Bregman, and the team’s front office frustrated with Devers’s lack of interest in pivoting to play first base after injuries made such a move necessary.
In the end, the Red Sox pulled the plug, shipping off a player that they had committed to with a long-term deal just a few years ago.
Understandably, Red Sox fans were upset. Not only was Devers one of the best players on the roster, he was also a certified Yankees killer—one of the most important aspects of ascending to the top of Boston athletics.
On Sunday, Devers proved he was a nightmare for the Yankees until the very end, smashing a solo home run against New York to help Boston to a 2–0 victory just hours before he was traded across the country.
Of the 214 home runs Devers has hit in his career, 30 came against the Yankees—more than any other team in the majors.
He will undoubtedly be missed by Red Sox fans, but the team is apparently ready to start its next chapter.
GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Agyemang getting back to his best.
The USMNT have a few good strikers to work with. What they don’t have, at least not yet, is a great one. This crop is full of ideas, full of talent, but none of them are the finished product. And that in itself comes with a certain appeal: the familiar excitement around what a player isn’t quite yet, but maybe could be. Could Folarin Balogun become world-class? Possibly. But he’ll need a few tweaks – and a sustained run of fitness – before that conversation gets serious.
That uncertainty is what fuels the weekly churn of the U.S. striker discourse, a position where relevance is gained and lost by the game. Patrick Agyemang was barely mentioned a few weeks ago; now, after a well-taken goal in a defeat, he’s back in the mix. Josh Sargent is still struggling to actually put the ball in the net, but a much-needed assist nudged him into the conversation again. And then there’s the mercurial Ricardo Pepi, who scored and assisted for PSV as his manager shifted to a two-striker system just to get him in the side.
And even in a week in which Christian Pulisic missed action due to an injury, and Chris Richards misfired for Palace, there remains reason for optimism for USMNT hopefuls and regulars alike.
GOAL looks at the major takeaways from this weekend's Americans Abroad.
Getty Images SportMore to come from Agyemang?
Agyemang's signing with Derby was a puzzling decision at the time. He was scoring goals for Charlotte FC, performing at a high level, and at the very least giving Mauricio Pochettino something to think about. Sure, the money was always going to be better in the EFL Championship, but he had things pretty good in MLS.
Yet when Derby beckoned, Agyemang answered – and saw his income jump dramatically, from $104,000 at Charlotte to a reported $1.5 million. On the pitch, though, the move hasn’t always made sense. Since returning from the injury he suffered in MLS before the transfer, Agyemang hasn’t consistently looked like a natural fit for John Eustace’s side, alternating between No. 9 and No. 10. He’s a fine footballer, but also a fairly one-dimensional presence.
Still, the form is coming. And on Saturday against Middlesbrough, he scored a truly lovely goal.
It was a proper striker’s move – reading the bounce, accelerating away from his defender, and shaping the perfect angle to slot past a helpless goalkeeper. Agyemang isn’t quite the finished product yet, but he’s a regular starter and already has six goal contributions for Derby.
After the match, Eustace praised him. Odds are, there’s more to come.
AdvertisementAdams defies logic
Have a hit, yeah, Tyler? Sometimes, watching football is hard to comprehend why, exactly, a player does what they do. Sometimes it's a silly decision: a backpass that goes awry, or an ill-advised attempt at a nutmeg. But on Saturday morning, it was Tyler Adams deciding to shoot from 50 yards. And why? It seemed, in real time, a truly puzzling move. But as the ball floated, and the camera adjusted accordingly, his whack down the field looked a stroke of genius.
You will see few better goals this season than Adams' long-range clip, the American midfielder recognizing in an instant that the goalkeeper was 15 yards off his line for no apparent reason. It capped off a fine performance in defeat for Adams. He seems to have three lungs these days, a perfect element in the middle of Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth machine, all whirring legs and instinctive moves. Bournemouth lost 3-2 – but if football is about individual moments, then Adams had the best of the weekend, by far.
GettyRichards fails to deliver against United
Sunday morning's game against Manchester United felt important for Crystal Palace. It will, in all likelihood, be a tricky season forThey secured European football last year, but didn't invest enough over the summer to prove that they can stay there. But big results, such as a late win over Liverpool earlier in the season, showed that there remains plenty of fight here.
And Richards will be central to that effort. He has performed wonderfully on the right side of a back three for Oliver Glasner for over a year now, and has been part of a well-drilled defensive system. Man United seemed to be a good test. These are the kinds of games that Palace should win – especially at home. Instead, they were a little mixed. Richards won his headers, but wasn't quite convincing when the ball was on the ground. To be clear, he can't be totally blamed here, but Palace really shouldn't have conceded twice. And the American was part of that letdown. There will be better days…
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Getty Images SportMoments you might have missed
+ Ricardo Pepi scored and assisted in PSV's win over lowly Volendam
+ Brenden Aaronson came off the bench in Leeds' 3-2 loss to Man City
+ Christian Pulisic missed Milan's 1-0 win over Lazio with a knock
+ Weston McKennie played all 90 minutes in Juve's nervy 2-1 win over Cagliari
+ James Sands went the full 90 but couldn't make an impact as St. Pauli conceded a 93rd-minute winner to Bayern Munich
+ It was a frustrating one for Malik Tillman, who couldn't quite make an impact as Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund
+ Folarin Balogun was feeding off scraps, but Monaco got the job done in a 1-0 win over PSG
+ Josh Sargent finally found a bit of form and grabbed an assist in Norwich's much-needed victory against QPR
+ Tim Weah played all 90, but Marseille threw away a late lead against Toulouse
+ Yunus Musah did not play in Atalanta's 2-0 win over Fiorentina
+ Tanner Tessmann shined in Lyon's 3-0 win over Nantes
Abject. It is, painfully, an accurate way of summing up Liverpool’s form this season. The Premier League champions will not retain their belt, not like this, not with such deep tactical cracks and incoherent players and non-existent belief in Arne Slot’s plan.
The most concerning part of the recent 3-0 defeat in Manchester against Pep Guardiola’s resurgent outfit is that Liverpool were outplayed across the park. Be it physical, mental or tactical metrics, Manchester City shone, and the Reds were blinded by their opponent’s superiority.
Jeremy Doku stood out, darting this way and that, scoring a stunning goal in the second half after breaking away from Ibrahima Konate. The Belgian winger completed seven of eight dribble attempts and created three chances, as per Sofascore.
Liverpool have got so many problems, and the recent wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid provided only the veneer of a revival as City hit the Merseside club with a sobering reality check.
Among Slot’s biggest concerns is the enduring slump of Mohamed Salah. For so many years, the Egyptian has been an unstoppable force for Liverpool, but, aged 33 and at the front of a sinking ship, he is struggling to recover more than a flicker of his former greatness.
Mohamed Salah is becoming a problem
Will we see the best of Salah in a Liverpool shirt again? There’s every chance that the right winger expended incredible amounts of mental and physical energy driving his club to the league title last season, and across all competitions, he scored 34 goals and supplied 23 assists.
Mohamed Salah celebrates Liverpool's Premier League triumph
Almost three months into the new campaign, Slot’s second in the dugout, Salah has recorded eight goal involvements, but his general play and the accuracy of his shooting have paled in comparison to the many years behind him. Salah is not himself.
This is a worry, to be sure. Not just because Liverpool are playing without their talisman in his groove, but because Slot has shown a hesitance toward unleashing Federico Chiesa right from the start of last season, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change any time soon.
How much longer can it go on like this? Man City reduced Liverpool’s superstar to half-chances and a role within the defensive press. How many times has Salah picked Pep apart? How often has he been the leading light against this arch-rival of modern times?
Premier League
19
9 (6)
Champions League
2
2 (1)
Community Shield
2
1 (1)
FA Cup
2
0 (0)
Carabao Cup
1
1 (0)
There is, of course, the caveat to all this that Salah would be far better placed in a system of greater fluency. This has been anything but the case for the Anfield side this season.
But Father Time is not on the Premier League legend’s side, and, having penned a new two-year extension worth £400k per week in April, Salah has around 18 months to show that FSG have received more than bang for their buck one final time.
But there’s a very real possibility that Salah is past his prime, and that Liverpool need to find a successor.
An onerous task if ever there was one. However, Liverpool actually have a Kirkby prospect who has what it takes to swipe the icon’s shirt.
The Liverpool teen who can take Salah's #11
Slot needs to find a solution to Liverpool’s current woes, but let’s all take a breather, just for a moment. Liverpool have so much talent. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz will come good. But, more excitingly, there’s a wealth of teenage talent soon to be at Slot’s disposal, with one prospect a cut above the rest.
Rio Ngumoha knew he was headed to the upper crust of the Premier League, and a youth system that has shown itself since Jurgen Klopp came along to be a hothouse for those immensely gifted young stars.
Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha
Chelsea’s loss was Liverpool’s gain. Ngumoha was poached from Cobham in 2024 and made his professional debut against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup midway through his maiden year on Merseyside.
A left-sided winger with incredible speed and dribbling, the 17-year-old Ngumoha has the potential to become a superstar at Liverpool, with his physical, athletic and fierce playing style offering shades of that man Doku, Anfield villain last weekend.
You could say Ngumoha is preternaturally talented. After all, journalist Kieran Gill is among those to have singled him out as a “generational talent”, and he certainly illustrated his potential with an incredible strike on his Premier League debut, netting the winner against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in August.
Since then, he has featured sporadically for the Redmen, playing seven games in all competitions but only starting in the Carabao Cup, among that youthful group who were brushed aside by Crystal Palace last month.
Ngumoha’s time will come. He is so fast, so sure of himself when on the ball. He is among the youngest goalscorers in Premier League history, and that goal is sure to be the first of many.
1
James Vaughan
16 yrs, 8 months, 27 days
2
James Milner
16 yrs, 11 months, 22 days
3
Wayne Rooney
16 yrs, 11 months, 25 days
4
Rio Ngumoha
16 yrs, 11 months, 26 days
5
Cesc Fabregas
17 yrs, 3 months, 21 days
Time must be afforded to one so young. Take Doku. Criticised often at Man City for being endowed with such ferocity and fleet-footedness, but lacking end product and elite decision-making.
Doku is only 23, and his performance against Slot’s beleaguered lot last weekend was the display of a winger reaching new levels of maturity and technical understanding.
Ngumoha will only get better and better as the years go on, and while he can contribute this season, these foundational years could see him bloom at the end of next term, when Salah supposedly leaves, and he could take his shirt, stepping up as Liverpool’s new wide talisman.
Can Nghumoha reach those heights, take that #11 from Salah himself? You’ll have to stay tuned. But Ngumoha will make it easy to do that. Watching him play football is a treat, and he has the capacity to not just emulate a stylistic peer like Doku but become one of the very best in world football.
More than Wirtz: £36m Liverpool star is becoming a "serious issue" for Slot
Liverpool were condemned to a fifth defeat in six Premier League matches at the Etihad.
Liverpool are a team with distinct flaws, and yet they are also breathtaking and brilliant when firing on all cylinders.
Too often this season, Arne Slot’s side have failed to get going, outthought and outfought across the past few months, losing six of seven matches across all competitions before a controlled win over Aston Villa in the Premier League stopped the rot.
The 1-0 victory over European nemeses Real Madrid was something different, though. Anfield roared and cheered Virgil van Dijk and his Redmen, bayed and bellowed at Los Blancos and ex-Liverpool man Trent Alexander-Arnold, who received a frosty reception when welcomed after 80 minutes.
1
Goals
0
2.51
Expected goals (xG)
0.45
17 (9)
Shots (on target)
8 (2)
4
Big chances
1
111.4km
Distance covered
112.7km
38.8%
Possession
61.2%
4
Corners
2
45%
Duels won
55%
This is the Liverpool we know. Energy and intensity and purpose across every area of the field. However, while Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate stood firm against Kylian Mbappe, with the full-backs excelling too, the plain truth remains of the Merseysiders’ desperate need for reinforcements in central defence.
Liverpool searching for a centre-back
Of course, Liverpool did sign a centre-back this summer, adding Giovanni Leoni to their ranks for a £26m fee. The 18-year-old is worth his wait in gold, but ruptured his ACL on his debut against Southampton and now sits sidelined for around a year.
The inability to prise Marc Guehi away from Crystal Palace, however, is surely the bigger blow. A deal was almost in place on deadline day, but the Eagles had not found a suitable replacement, and with such little time to pull out the stops, the move disintegrated, with the player having been permitted to carry out a medical with the Anfield side.
It still could come together. Guehi, 25, has entered the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park and has no desire to pen a fresh deal. The issue now is that a host of Europe’s top outfits want his signature, though Spanish paper AS have confirmed with week that, alongside Bayern Munich, the Reds are still leading the race, ahead of the likes of Real Madrid.
Liverpool will hope to snap Guehi up on a Bosman by the end of the campaign, but if they fall short in that race, sporting director Richard Hughes has lined up the perfect alternative in Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni.
As per further Spanish sources, Liverpool have been named as potential suitors for Italian defender Bastoni, with FSG considering making a €100m (£87m) bid this January.
The veracity of this developing story is uncertain at this stage, but the 26-year-old is undoubtedly talented enough to stand out under Slot’s wing, with the style and experience to make a marked difference as Van Dijk inches ever closer to the autumn of his illustrious Anfield career.
What Bastoni would offer Liverpool
Liverpool need a centre-back; they’ve needed one for some time. While Guehi was the first-choice option this summer, Bastoni might actually prove a more compelling option for the Anfield side, having been hailed for his “world-class” ability by commentator Matteo Bonetti.
This is a defender who is at the top of their game, one of the most important cogs in an I Nerazzurri machine that has won two Scudettos and two Coppa Italia titles in five recent seasons, winner of the 2021 European Championship with Italy besides.
And, aged 26, he falls into a similar bracket as Guehi: a centre-back with the talent to make an instant impact and the prime years still ahead to grow deeper into their role in Slot’s squad and reach entirely new levels of performance.
He’s one of the best players in his position worldwide. In Serie A this season, Bastoni has scored a goal and supplied two assists across nine outings, winning 70% of his aerial duels and averaging 1.8 tackles per game (data provided by Sofascore).
A strong passer and outside-the-box thinker, he could even trump Guehi across ball-playing metrics, with the Palace man renowned for his cool, composed and creative presence on the ball.
Goals
0.05
0.06
Assists
0.05
0.09
Touches
89.54
60.67
Pass completion (%)
86.5
83.5
Progressive passes
5.29
4.09
Shot-creating actions
2.36
1.53
Progressive carries
1.88
0.77
Successful take-ons
0.31
0.26
Ball recoveries
3.53
4.12
Tackles + interceptions
2.62
3.12
Clearances
2.85
4.56
Aerial duels won
1.53
1.91
As you can see, Guehi has been more active in defensive contributions over the past year. This you would expect from an outfit like Palace in the Premier League when compared to Italian giants like Inter. But Bastoni is slicker and more able on the ball, and that when Guehi shines in that regard.
Sure, Guehi is a free agent come the end of the campaign, and that counts for a lot, but whether Liverpool and FSG would be willing to pass up an opportunity to sign a talent of Bastoni’s ability is another question entirely. After all, the reports suggest that a bid is currently being packaged together.
Here is a fearsome centre-half with the passing range of a maestro. Liverpool could do a lot worse than add Bastoni to their ranks, securing a long-term Van Dijk heir with the perfect skillset to ease the agony of his moving on.
Bastoni. The perfect, elite bastion to secure Liverpool’s backline for many years to come. He has a wealth of experience at the highest level and the hunger to achieve even more.
He is immensely talented, perhaps more so than Guehi, and Slot’s defence would reach frightening levels of security and balance and progression with him added into the mix.
Not Bradley: Liverpool have found the new Trent & he's not even a defender
Arne Slot has now uncovered Liverpool’s next Trent Alexander-Arnold, and it’s not Conor Bradley.
يستعد فريق مانشستر سيتي لخوض مباراة نارية ضد ليفربول، مساء الأحد المقبل، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
ويستضيف ملعب “الاتحاد” مباراة مانشستر سيتي وليفربول، في قمة منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، موسم 2025/26.
وبدأ مانشستر سيتي استعداداته الخاصة لمباراة ليفربول والتي دائمًا ما تكون مثيرة بين الفريقين وعامرة بالأهداف والندية والحماس.
وظهر عمر مرموش، النجم المصري، في تدريبات مانشستر سيتي استعدادًا لمباراة يوم الأحد ضد ليفربول، حيث ظهر في حالة بدنية قوية وبدا متحمسًا من أجل المشاركة في ذلك اللقاء.
اقرأ أيضًا.. محمد صلاح يستهدف إنجازًا تاريخيًا في مباراة ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي
وتألق عمر مرموش في تدريبات مانشستر سيتي حيث ظهر في مقطع فيديو وهو يسجل 4 أهداف بطريقة مميزة للغاية، من مسافة بعيدة، كعادته في معظم الأهداف التي يسجلها في مسيرته.
Omar Marmoush is not HUMAN! pic.twitter.com/0ovYrbZ8RH — Geronimo Morgans (@GeronimoMorgans) November 6, 2025
ويأمل مرموش إغراء المدرب بيب جوارديولا بتلك الطريقة من أجل الدفع به في التشكيل الأساسي لفريق مانشستر سيتي في مباراة الأحد ضد ليفربول، الذي يحترف في صفوفه مواطنه محمد صلاح.
ولا يمثل مرموش عنصرًا أساسيًا في خطط جوارديولا ذلك الموسم، مع تألق الثلاثي إيرلينج هالاند، فيل فودين وجيريمي دوكو، ولكنه يأمل تغيير قناعات الإسباني في أقرب وقت ممكن.
ولم يسجل مرموش سوى هدفًا واحدًا في الموسم الحالي، وذلك ضد سوانزي سيتي في دور الـ16 من كأس كاراباو، قبل أسبوع، حيث أحرزه بطريقة رائعة للغاية.
Principal artilheiro do Palmeiras no ano, com 16 gols, Raphael Veiga vai reencontrar nesta quinta-feira (19), a sua principal vítima nesses mais de cinco anos defendendo a camisa alviverde.
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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui
O Grêmio é o time que mais sofreu gols do camisa 23 do Verdão no futebol brasileiro.
Já foram oito bolas na rede diante do tricolor gaúcho em 14 jogos, sendo um com a camisa do Coxa e os outros sete pelo Verdão.
Aliás, nesta quinta-feira, Veiga pode se tornar o jogador com mais gols sobre o Grêmio na era dos pontos corridos. Atualmente ele está atrás de Fred, D’Alessandro e André, com nove.
Além dos gols, Raphael Veiga também se especializou em dar assistências diante do Grêmio, incluindo dois passes para gols na grande final da Copa do Brasil de 2020, quando ele acabou terminando o torneio como craque da competição.
continua após a publicidade
Além de balançar as redes do time de Renato Gaúcho, Veiga nunca perdeu para o Grêmio quando marcou ou deu assistência.
+ Weverton fala sobre cobranças da torcida por causa de pênaltis e crava: ‘Uma hora eu vou pegar!’
Depois do Grêmio, o Flamengo é o segundo time que mais sofreu gols de Raphael Veiga, com sete gols sofridos.
The last couple of weeks for Chelsea have been topsy-turvy to say the least, with the last couple of outings falling way below the standards of manager Enzo Maresca.
Expectations were heightened after the summer recruitment, which saw just shy of £300m of new talent making the move to Stamford Bridge during the off-season.
However, in the first six outings, the Blues have been victorious twice, with their last win coming way back at the end of August with a 2-0 win over London rivals Fulham.
The Italian will no doubt want to correct such a slump, which has seen his side lose both of their last two Premier League outings to both Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Such attempts haven’t been aided by the side’s disciplinary record in recent outings, with the side collecting two red cards in each of the last two matches in England’s top-flight.
Trevoh Chalobah's worrying start to 2025/26 for Chelsea
After Robert Sanchez’s dismissal against Manchester United last week, centre-back Trevoh Chalobah became the second Chelsea player in as many matches to be sent for an early bath.
The centre-back started his eighth consecutive game of the 2025/26 campaign, but once again failed to deliver – even before his straight red card against Fabian Hurzeler’s side.
The England international was adjudged to have slipped Diego Gomez whilst the attacker was through on goal, leading to a VAR intervention
and his subsequent dismissal.
However, up until he left the field after 53 minutes, he struggled to have the desired effect, failing to win any of the duels he entered whilst also failing to make a single tackle.
The 26-year-old certainly cost the side the three points in West London, with the Blues still struggling with finding their best partnership at the heart of the backline.
As a result, the club may have made a mistake in allowing one player to depart – with the former first team member reaching the next level in his career after leaving the club.
The former Chelsea star who’s now better than Chalobah
Given the sheer volume of players turned over at Chelsea over the last couple of years, it’s no surprise that players who have been offloaded have managed to star elsewhere.
Since Todd Boehly arrived back in May 2022, the Blues have spent upwards of £1.4b on new additions to help them rise up the Premier League table in the near future.
However, in an attempt to strengthen, players have also had to make way to help balance the books and lessen the risk of being hit with any punishment for breaking PSR rules.
In the summer of 2024, numerous players were sacrificed by new boss Maresca, one of whom was centre-back Malang Sarr, who departed on a free transfer to join French side Lens.
He originally joined on a free transfer from Nice back in the summer of 2020, arriving with a lot of hype given his four-year stint in the first team in Ligue 1.
However, injuries and lack of faith from the manager saw him rapidly fall down the pecking order, subsequently making just 21 appearances for the Blues.
As a result, the 26-year-old would return to his homeland, with Sarr resurrecting his once promising career with Lens over the last couple of seasons.
He’s featured in every minute of the league campaign in 2025/26 to date, subsequently managing to outperform current first-team star Chalobah in the process.
Malang Sarr – stats in Ligue 1 (25/26)
Statistics (per 90)
Tally
Games played
5
Minutes played
450
Pass accuracy
88%
Tackles won
1.8
Duels won
68%
Aerials won
65%
Interceptions made
2.4
Recoveries made
4.4
Stats via FotMob
Sarr, who’s been labelled “incredible” by one analyst, has won more tackles per 90, whilst also winning more aerial duels – offering a more dominant option to Maresca had he been kept on the books.
The Frenchman has also completed more of the passes he’s attempted, arguably offering a more rounded ball-playing option – something which is vital in the Italian’s current system.
To top off his dominance over the England international, he’s also made more clearances and interceptions per 90 – further showcasing his incredible talents out of possession.
Such numbers highlight the superb rise Sarr has endured over the last few years, with his move to Lens undoubtedly being a success after his failure at Stamford Bridge.
The decision to allow him to depart now appears to be a questionable one, with the Blues’ loss now the French side’s gain given his tremendous form over recent times.
As bad as Chalobah: 4/10 Chelsea gem showed he’s not ready for PL start yet
Chelsea suffered a 3-1 loss at home to Brighton and this player failed to step up.
No play possible on third day with Derbyshire on the ropes but well set to save the game
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay21-Apr-2025
Darren Lehmann, Northants head coach, was happy with his side’s application during the three available days of the contest•Getty Images
Rain ruined any chance of a positive result on the final day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match between Derbyshire and Northamptonshire at Derby.The players arrived at the County Ground to find the hover cover already in place and the rain got steadier throughout the morning.Going into the fourth day, the state of the game was that Derbyshire were nine runs ahead with seven second innings wickets in hand but the pitch was playing well and the loss of the first session made it difficult for either side to push for a win.With the rain set in and no prospect of an immediate improvement in the weather, the umpires took the decision to abandon the game following a post lunch inspection.Looking back over the contest, Derbyshire head of cricket Mickey Arthur said: “It was disappointing. It wasn’t the standards we’ve delivered over the course of the season so far.”We’ve got away with this one and certainly our skills weren’t at the level that we all expect. There were some good performances and you can never fault the effort but I thought we were just off it in terms of our skills.”I thought day one we were exceptional and then from day two we started playing catch up and that was disappointing. We are a team that wants to play on the front foot and we were playing on the back foot from lunchtime on day two and that’s not where we want to be.”Northamptonshire head coach Darren Lehmann said: “It hasn’t gone our way with the weather, Derbyshire played well yesterday and I thought it was an excellent game.”The pleasing thing is we are playing a really good team-based game. I was pleased with the batters yesterday that they scored so quickly to take the game on and give us more overs.”From a bowling point of view I thought we were probably a little bit down in the first innings when Derbyshire got 300 and it was a 220 wicket I reckon so we were just a little bit short there but we caught everything and gave ourselves a chance to win the game which is all we can do and ask for.”
Benjamin Sesko has yet to impress on the field for Manchester United since his big summer move from RB Leipzig. The Slovenian has faile to score a goal for the Red Devils despite playing close to 300 minutes. The search goes on, but a picture from training has shown Sesko mimic Old Trafford icon Mark Hughes and his famous 1989 volley against Manchester City.
Sesko shows off skills in Man Utd training
Sesko's arrival from RB Leipzig this summer was supposed to bring with it a flurry of goals to a struggling Manchester United side. However, the same form he displayed in Germany has not been showcased on the field in England.
But fans were given a treat on Thursday when the club shared a picture of Sesko attempting a side-on scissor volley, the type of which Hughes was a master of in his 1980s and 1990s heyday.
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Sesko shows sharp form in training
While Sesko's overall form on the field has failed to suggest it, reports from inside the Manchester United camp have suggested that the Slovenian has been doing well behind closed doors since joining the club, described as “very sharp” in front of goal. He has also, at times, drawn “ripples of applause” from teammates marvelling at his finishing.
Sesko's stats so far at Man Utd
Sesko has played five games so far, totalling nearly 300 minutes in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup. However, the striker has only managed to take five shots, with just one of them troubling a goalkeeper. Additionally, the Slovenian has only managed a total of eight touches in the opposition's box and won nine of his 17 aerial duels despite his dominating 6ft 5in stature.
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Man Utd to face off against Brentford with Sesko starting
Sesko will likely be a starter in Manchester United's crucial Premier League clash against Brentford on Saturday, as the Red Devils look to string together two wins for the first time this season.