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The 2025/26 campaign is drawing closer, and Tottenham Hotspur still need to make some signings if Thomas Frank is to challenge among the big hitters on Premier League and Champions League fronts.

There are multiple avenues that Spurs could head down over the coming weeks, but one route we know will not be followed is toward the City Ground for Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, who has signed a new contract in spite of Tottenham activating his £60m release clause earlier this month.

Tottenham have played out two pre-season draws this month, against third-tier side Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town, who have suffered back-to-back relegations over the past two seasons and indeed now languish in League One.

Why Spurs wanted Morgan Gibbs-White

James Maddison’s two terms with Tottenham have been laced with damaging setbacks, injured badly on several occasions and struggling for fluency at times. However, he has been prolific when playing and has that X-factor about him.

He’s been sidelined since before the end of last season, and Dejan Kulusevski underwent surgery on a patella injury in May that will keep him absent into the 2025/26 campaign.

Gibbs-White, 25, would have been perfect. Industrious and versatile, the England international is a fierce tackler and an intelligent passer, having also chipped with seven goals and eight assists in the league, with his efforts leading The Athletic’s Paul Taylor to say he was “among the most in-form, best performing players in the Premier League” last year.

However, he will ply his trade for the Tricky Trees once again next season, a cruel blow when a deal seemed so close only weeks ago for the Lilywhites.

Tottenham need an alternative, but that doesn’t strictly mean that Frank will sign a player of strict positional similarities to Gibbs-White.

Instead, he might pursue a record-breaking deal for one of Europe’s prized forwards.

Spurs in talks for bigger deal than Gibbs-White

Earlier in July, Iberian newspapers published a report that revealed Spurs’ interest in Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who looks likely to leave the Spanish capital this summer after falling down the pecking order, Xabi Alonso currently establishing his Los Blancos vision.

The 24-year-old, nonetheless, would cost a pretty penny, having been priced at £87m. Thus, he would break Spurs’ transfer record, were he to join the project this summer.

And now, Spanish reporter Ramon Alvarez has revealed that the London club have opened talks for the versatile forward, suggesting that things could start ramping up in the coming days and weeks.

Further Spanish sources have confirmed interest from Arsenal and Liverpool, with the latter understood to be preparing a formal bid as Luiz Diaz completes a transfer to Bayern Munich, so this is hardly going to be an easy one to pull off.

Why Spurs want to sign Rodrygo

Why do Tottenham want to sign Rodrygo? Well, Jude Bellingham thinks he’s “probably the most talented and the most gifted player” at Real Madrid, and that makes a comment on his potential to become a superstar in the Premier League.

Even though the Brazil international left something to be desired with his performances last season, he still chalked up 14 goals and 11 assists across all competitions, scarcely playing on his preferred left side, where his ball-striking ability is best served.

The right-footer actually recorded 12 goal involvements from as many matches as a left-sided forward across all competitions last season, though this amounted to just 22% of his total action across the year.

Gibbs-White is a fine player, to be sure, but he’s not Rodrygo, who joined Real Madrid from Santos as an 18-year-old. It was 2019, and he arrived for a £39.5m fee.

Since that point, he’s become a mainstay at the world’s (probably) biggest football club, gluttonous with trophy-winning success and an incredibly talented and hard-working winger, willing to play across a range of positions so to best serve the team.

He even won 56% of his ground duels in La Liga last season, as per Sofascore, denoting a crispness in combative situations which will prove crucial for Frank’s Tottenham.

Frank will demand fluent, careful football that marries the exciting with the grounded. Rodrygo will aid this and then some, ranked among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers in La Liga last season for pass completion, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 11% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

He’s the complete package, all right, having shown himself to have a variety of tools across different phases of play. It’s no wonder Luka Modric once labelled his Real teammate a “world-class superstar”.

Moreover, he’s a big-game player, whereas Gibbs-White’s potential on the very biggest stage has yet to be seen with regularity.

Gibbs-White would provide Frank’s system with creativity from the nucleus of the pitch, but Rodrygo, positionally flexible, would bring his own brand of offensive expertise, surely good enough to make the club forget about their Forest target.

In 2022/23, indeed, a young Rodrygo was among the most prolific right wingers across Europe’s top-five leagues, behind only Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah. Not bad, that.

Mohamed Salah

51

30

16

46

Lionel Messi

41

21

20

41

Rodrygo

55

19

11

30

Riyad Mahrez

47

15

13

28

Bukayo Saka

48

15

12

27

Given that Rodrygo pines for a starting role on the alternate flank, with recent evidence suggesting that is his most fruitful position, it’s clear that Tottenham could hit the jackpot by making this signing.

And once the likes of Maddison and Kulusevski are fit and firing on all cylinders again, we could have an incredible team of depth and dynamism, just waiting to pounce on the season’s opportunities and add to that Europa League title, which might be the harbinger of an era of sustained success down N17.

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تقدم فريق أولمبيك مارسيليا الفرنسي بهدف أول أمام ريال مدريد الإسباني، خلال المباراة الجارية بينهما الآن بمنافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستقبل ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” ملعب مباراة ريال مدريد ومارسيليا، بالجولة الأولى في مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وأحرز تيموثي ويا هدف مارسيليا الأول في شباك تيبو كورتوا في الدقيقة 22 من عمر المباراة أمام ريال مدريد.

وخطف ماسون جرينوود الكرة من أردا جولر، ثم مررها إلى تيموثي ويا، الذي سددها بقوةٍ في مرمى تيبو كورتوا، مسجلاً الهدف الأول لمارسيليا. هدف مارسيليا الأول أمام ريال مدريد

ثم تحصل ريال مدريد على ضربة جزاء بعد خطأ ضد البرازيلي رودريجو، وتوجه كيليان مبابي للتسديد ونجح في التسجيل وإدراك التعادل لفريقه في الدقيقة 29. هدف مبابي في مباراة ريال مدريد ومارسيليا

وشهدت المباراة بعد مرور 5 دقائق إصابة لترينت ألكسندر أرنولد ظهير ريال مدريد، وشارك داني كارفاخال بديلاً له.

ويمكنك متابعة التغطية المباشرة لمباراة ريال مدريد ومارسيليا، لحظة بلحظة بالفيديو من خلال الرابط.

Sunderland are making some exciting moves in their hunt to consolidate in the top-flight and are reportedly now circling for a talented Real Madrid youngster, according to a report.

Sunderland close in on Marcin Bulka and Habib Diarra

The Black Cats are wasting no time in building a side capable of staying in the Premier League, and it is fair to say that Regis Le Bris is making some serious progress on the transfer front.

Yesterday, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Sunderland are set to sign Strasbourg’s Habib Diarra for a package of £30 million plus add-ons, adding a layer of steel to their engine room ahead of the new campaign.

On the same token, the Black Cats are on the brink of adding OGC Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka after an agreement was found between both clubs regarding the Poland international.

Plenty of due diligence has been carried out on Wearside ahead of what promises to be a special campaign for everyone connected to the club. Yverdon Sport midfielder Moussa Baradji is another reported target amid claims he could be available for £2.5 million.

Off the field, Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith has confirmed Florent Ghisolfi will become Sunderland’s director of football, even if there is a wait due to administrative procedures needing to be fulfilled before he can enter the building.

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He explained: “It’s thought that Sunderland and Ghisolfi are finalising the deal and as when recruiting a player from abroad, there are administrative processes to go through.

All being well, it will be in place in time for Ghisolfi to begin work as the players return to the Academy of Light in early July and the preparations for the new season begin in earnest.”

Back to on-field matters, Sunderland are reportedly set to step up their pursuit of a talented star who plies his trade at Real Madrid.

Sunderland willing to make offer for Gonzalo Garcia

According to reports in Spain, Sunderland are willing to offer a loan proposal for Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia with a mandatory purchase option that could top £17 million.

Real Oviedo, AS Roma and Leeds United are also keen on the 21-year-old forward, who has emerged as a breakout star at the Club World Cup, being likened to Raul by Los Blancos boss Xabi Alonso.

Goncalo Garcia’s breakthrough at Real Madrid

Appearances

9

Goals

3

Assists

2

However, Real Madrid could look to negotiate a buyback clause of £25.6 million for the former Spain Under-19 international.

Enjoying a brilliant campaign combining his exploits at first-team level and with the La Liga giants’ second string, Garcia registered 28 goals and six assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.

Sunderland may need to push their negotiation powers to the max to force this one over the line, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get, which will be a mantra they will hope can prove decisive should negotiations ramp up.

Looking to get their summer business underway, Leeds United have now reportedly made a lucrative offer to sign an impressive Championship gem who’s yet to sign a new deal at his current club.

Leeds aiming for busy summer

Back in the Premier League in style after hitting 100 points and securing the Championship title, Leeds will be desperate to get things right this summer. None of the last six promoted sides have survived at the first time of asking in England’s top flight and that’s a trend that Daniel Farke’s side will be keen to end at long last. If rumours are anything to go by too, those at Elland Road are in for a big summer in pursuit of breaking that trend.

Club chairman Paraag Marathe also reiterated that the 49ers will spend at Leeds this summer, telling reporters at the start of May: “Whatever they will let us spend, we’ll spend. I can comfortably say that we are going to spend the very last penny that we can.

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“I’m under no illusions that it’s going to be easy. There’s an argument to be made that there’s a widening gap. With all due to respect to the other clubs, I think we’re different. We have an opportunity we have scale that nobody else has.”

Just who Leeds spend that money on is the big question. Names such as Emi Buendia and Brighton’s Evan Ferguson have already threatened to steal the headlines in recent weeks, and it’s clear that Farke is looking to boost his attacking options.

Ferguson could be a particularly interesting arrival, given his untapped potential following a difficult loan spell at West Ham United. With his place at Brighton in doubt, Leeds could yet come calling in a bid to help him rediscover his best form. Signing young players could be the way forward this summer too, with a Championship talent now also reportedly among Leeds’ targets.

Leeds make lucrative Tezgel offer

According to TeamTalk, Leeds are among the sides who have made a lucrative offer to sign Emre Tezgel, who is proving to be quite the contract rebel at Stoke City with just one month left on his current deal and an agreement over fresh terms yet to be reached.

Opening the door for those in Yorkshire, the 49ers could beat clubs in both Turkey and Scotland to the 19-year-old’s signature.

A player who was dubbed “superb” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig when playing for England’s U17 side at just 15 years old, Tezgel, who has now represented England’s U20s, could now leave Stoke.

It should come as no surprise that a number of clubs are interested in his signature, either. The young forward scored a stunning 11 goals in just five games in the Premier League 2 for Stoke’s youth side throughout the campaign, and also broke into their senior side – making 12 Championship appearances.

Whether Tezgel would receive the same opportunities in the Premier League is the question that he must ask if he completes a move to Elland Road this summer, but there’s no denying his clear potential.

Manchester United have now identified a new top target to replace Andre Onana this summer, amid concerns over the goalkeeper’s performances this season, according to a report.

Man Utd star dropped after Lyon disaster

Onana had a point to prove heading into Man United’s Europa League clash against Lyon, having received heavy criticism from Nemanja Matic before the match, but the Cameroonian put in a very disappointing performance.

After making a major blunder, which allowed Rayan Cherki to bag a late equaliser, the goalkeeper received a 5.9 SofaScore match rating, the lowest of any player on the pitch, and he was subsequently dropped for the 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United.

Given that Altay Bayindir also failed to impress at St. James’ Park, Ruben Amorim has a selection dilemma heading into the second leg against Lyon on Thursday night, which is perhaps his side’s most crucial game of the season so far.

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However, Amorim’s lack of faith in his goalkeepers means it is now looking increasingly likely a new option will be brought in between the sticks this summer, and a new top target has now been identified.

According to a report from Spain, FC Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa is the leading candidate to replace Onana, with Old Trafford chiefs now ramping up their pursuit of a new goalkeeper.

Costa’s impressive performances for club and country mean he has now been pinpointed as the Red Devils’ number one choice, most notably putting in some top displays for national side Portugal at Euro 2024.

The Portugal international is protected by a €75m (£64m) release clause, and Porto are unwilling to sanction his departure for a lower fee, so United will need to spend big to get a deal over the line this summer.

"Superman" Costa could be upgrade on Onana

The Porto shot-stopper put in some top displays at Euro 2024, while he has also impressed in a Porto shirt for quite some time, having been lauded as a “superman” by scout/writer Jacek Kulig after catching the eye in the Champions League.

Perhaps crucially, the 25-year-old appears to be competent in possession of the ball, given that he ranks in the 93rd percentile for touches per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

Not only that, but the Porto academy graduate is particularly adept at saving penalties, recently denying Christian Eriksen from the spot in Portugal’s UEFA Nations League clash against Denmark.

At 25-years-old, Costa may be about to enter his prime years, and his performances for both club and country indicate he could be a real upgrade on Onana, who is running out of time to save his Man United career.

Manchester City are back in action once again in the Premier League this evening as they prepare to travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.

The Cityzens come into this match off the back of a 2-0 win over Leicester City at The Etihad last time out in the top-flight, thanks to goals from Jack Grealish and Omar Marmoush.

Pep Guardiola will still be without star striker Erling Haaland, due to an ankle injury, but the Spanish head coach knows that he can now rely on Marmoush to step up in that position.

Why Omar Marmoush has been a worthwhile signing for Man City

The Egypt international joined the club from Eintracht Frankfurt in the January transfer window and has hit the ground running in Manchester as a versatile forward, who can play out wide or through the middle as a striker.

He started as the centre-forward against Leicester and showed off his goalscoring instincts and technique to pounce on a mistake by Mads Hermansen and fire the ball in off the crossbar.

The 26-year-old sensation has now scored five goals and created three ‘big chances’ for his teammates in seven starts in the Premier League this year, which shows that he has provided an instant threat in the final third as both a scorer and a creator.

These statistics illustrate why he has been a worthwhile signing for City already, because he has made an impact right away and offered quality in front of goal in the absence of Haaland.

Chalkboard

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

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Guardiola must, now, unleash Kevin de Bruyne from the start – for his last Manchester derby before he leaves in the summer – to partner Marmoush in attack this evening.

Why Kevin de Bruyne should start against Man Utd

There is, of course, the sentimental angle in the sense that this will be his last chance to play in the derby before his contract expires at the end of the season, so it could be a good moment to bring him back into the XI to have one last dance with the Red Devils.

The Belgian whiz, who has scored three goals and provided six assists against Man Utd in his career, was an unused substitute in the win over Leicester, which could allow him to come into this game fresh and raring to go.

De Bruyne, as you can see in the clips above, has been a sensational creative force for the Cityzens over the years, with his ability to pick out sublime passes and crosses to assist his teammates.

The Belgium international, who Frank Lampard claimed “plays like a superstar”, has consistently created ‘big chances’ for his fellow attackers to find the back of the net throughout his Premier League career with the club.

Kevin de Bruyne’s Premier League creativity

Season

Starts

Big chances created

24/25

12

11

23/24

15

21

22/23

28

31

21/22

25

16

20/21

23

19

19/20

32

33

18/19

11

11

17/18

36

19

16/17

33

24

15/16

22

8

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, de Bruyne tends to create ‘big chances’ when he starts matches for City in the top-flight, which is why he should be unleashed this evening.

Jeremy Doku, who did not contribute to a goal or an assist last time out, could drop to the bench with Grealish moved out to the left, allowing the Belgian star to play centrally behind Marmoush.

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This would, hopefully, allow the Man City legend to provide the Egyptian star with the ‘big chances’ he needs to add to his growing collection of Premier League goals since his move to The Etihad in January.

The pitches have provided considerable assistance in recent seasons which has left selectors adjusting how they assess batters

Alex Malcolm24-Jan-2024This was supposed to be a summer of cashing in for Australia’s batters.Pakistan and West Indies were returning to Australia’s shores having combined for 32 wickets in four previous Tests in Australia in 2019 and 2022 respectively. The home side made 500 in four of their six innings across those two series, with batters piling up triple and double centuries galore.But Australia’s batters have not had much fun against two very inexperienced attacks this summer so far, having been tested by debutants Aamer Jamal and Shamar Joseph.Only two players, Mitchell Marsh and David Warner, have averaged more than 40 and only two centuries have been scored, although Marsh has twice fallen in the 90s.Fairly or unfairly, it has led to questions about the form and composition of Australia’s top six, with the decision to open with Steven Smith in Adelaide proving a lightning rod for opinion.But what is going unnoticed is how difficult the pitches are for batting in Australia compared to years past, and how friendly they are to seam bowling.Captain Pat Cummins believes it is a welcome relief from some of the Australian pitches that were served up in his first full home summers in the team, between 2017 and 2021.”It’s nice,” Cummins said. “My first couple of summers it felt like even the games that we won, you were bowling 45 overs as a quick bowler. You were finishing on day five and you were pretty bruised and battered.”We haven’t really had that for the last couple of summers, which is great. It feels like, say the hundred that Trav [Head] got [in Adelaide] holds even more significance. You’ve got to earn basically every run you get. I love it. It feels like you’re always in the game. Even if you’re out of it or feel like you’re a little bit ahead, a quick half an hour can turn the game. I quite like the Test matches.”The numbers certainly back up how much more difficult it has been for opposition batters against Australia’s largely unchanged attack. Between October 2017 and October 2021, of the countries that hosted 10 Test matches, Australia was the third-easiest place to bat for travelling players as they averaged 25.98. But since October 2021, that number has dropped to 19.16.Some outstanding players have played in Australia in both periods and the decline has been marked. Eight visiting players scored more than 200 runs and averaged more than 40 in Australia between 2017 and 2021, including Joe Root and Babar Azam. None of the players to have scored more than 200 since have averaged more than 35, with both Root and Babar returning in that time.Australia’s batters have faced a similar decline at home. David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh all averaged over 66 at home between 2017 and 2021. Only Marsh has been able to maintain that since 2021 albeit his sample sizes in both periods are quite small. Travis Head and Usman Khawaja are the only mainstays to improve their home records but Khawaja has scored all three of his home centuries on very placid SCG pitches in that time and two of those have been not out when the team has declared to help that average. Head has been a complete outlier in terms of his success on lively home pitches. Khawaja and Green have vastly improved records overseas since 2021 than they do at home which is unusual for Australian players, especially given three of those tours have been in Sri Lanka, India and England.Smith agreed that the pitches have been tougher to bat on but has enjoyed the battles.”I think you can probably see that with the scores,” Smith said. “There are not too many 500-plus scores that we were getting three or four years ago pretty consistently. The games are ending a lot quicker as well. There has certainly been a lot more in it.The value of Mitchell Marsh’s runs have been high in tough conditions•Getty Images”The Kookaburra balls are staying harder as well. The new balls seem to have another coat of lacquer on them. Even after 80 overs on a couple of occasions there is still writing on the ball and you can see it still shaping and remaining reasonably hard. Maybe there is a balance between them. I feel like it has been pretty hard on the batters the last few years but it has still been fun.”Sheffield Shield pitches have also been incredibly seam-friendly in recent years. It has led Australia’s back-room staff to take a different approach to appraising the performances of the batters at both Test and first-class level, with traditional averages not carrying as much weight. Individual runs percentage contribution to an innings score is one measurement used, with 15% regarded as a good baseline for top four players and slightly less for Nos. 5-7, while runs above expected average is another.Australia coach Andrew McDonald reiterated the importance of putting context around batting averages and contributions.”On average, runs are coming down in Australia. Batting hasn’t been easy over the last couple of years,” McDonald told SEN. “So maybe some averages reflect that. We’ve got to put a bit more perspective around those averages.”But speaking after the Adelaide Test, which ended inside seven sessions of cricket with only two players passing 50, McDonald did not believe the pitches had become too seam-friendly”It’s a great debate, isn’t it?” McDonald said. “The wickets have offered more for seam bowling, and this wicket out here had a little bit of variable bounce as well. So I think it’s definitely evened up and is that a good thing or a bad thing? I think as long as you come to a venue and it’s showing consistent traits as a home team, you’re happy with that.”We’re encouraged by the seam. You’re never out of a game. Even if you’re in front of the game you’ve got to be really diligent in making sure that you maximize that position. I think it keeps everyone interested. This game probably sped up a little bit quicker than what the fans would have liked, than what probably the players would have liked, but in saying that, I think it was a balance. You earned your runs and you still had to work hard for your wickets as well.”Australia’s staff are constantly checking ball-tracking data as well to evaluate their batters’ performances.”You look at the scoreboard and it’s 5 for 144 which we were at and you put into place what you’re seeing in terms of the data that’s coming through and you understand this not easy for batting,” McDonald said. “So that just gives us an understanding of how difficult wickets are and what’s happening with the ball.”

Desperation stakes for Joe Root as West Indies swarm towards famous series win

Alan Gardner27-Mar-2022Farewell then, the Red-Ball Reset. We hardly knew you. There may be successors, of course, a reboot of the franchise in a couple of months’ time, once the ECB have found themselves a new coaching team and management structure worthy of the Inspiring Generations tagline. But with the Grenada Test all over bar the shouting and the continuation of England’s barren record in the Caribbean, we have surely heard the last of that phrase for a while.Right from the moment this England touring party was announced, with their two all-time leading Test wicket-takers conspicuously absent, there was a suspicion that this was a mission doomed to fail. England have been beaten often enough in the Caribbean over the past 50 years while fielding their best personnel to know that chucking together a group of semi-regulars and sort-of-new faces to accompany Joe Root and Ben Stokes was unlikely to work.Even so, and allowing for the fact that the best-laid plans gang aft a-gley (and these probably weren’t the best-laid plans, let’s be honest…), this was a sucker punch for those following back home amid balmy spring weather and the first stirrings of the cricket season to come. After draws on the front foot in Antigua and Barbados, the last thing most were expecting when flicking on BT Sport in the evening was the sight of England being monstered by the mediums of Kyle Mayers.Eight down at the close and leading by just 10 runs, the jig was almost up. And barring the gallows-humour take that, in Saqib Mahmood, they still had their best batter to come, there was precious little to cling to for the put-upon fan of England’s Test side.Related

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Afterwards, Marcus Trescothick, the England batting coach, tried to suggest that the team’s calamitous tumble towards likely defeat and a series loss on the decisive day of action should not provide the final word for the tour.”We’ve had one bad day today and over the course of the series this is the first bad day we’ve had,” he said. “Day one in Antigua we had a challenging day, but fought back really well. Barbados we were really strong and controlled most of the game and today it’s gone wrong.”It’s easy over the course of what we’ve had over the winter to throw it back and throw the baby out with the bath water. It’s all gone wrong, yes, we’ve had a really bad day and we’re really disappointed. We believe as coaching staff and players in that dressing room that we’ve made strides as a team over the course of the Test matches we’ve had. We’ll lick our wounds and try to come back from it but it’s been a really tough day and we’ve put the series in jeopardy.”Root and his men had at least resumed on the third morning still in touch, having been 114 for 9 at one stage during their first innings, and with the potential for setting West Indies a testing target on a pitch that has offered variable bounce throughout. All they needed to do was limit the damage, take two tail-end wickets and start making amends with the bat. But at the first whiff of grapeshot, they scattered.It was a day littered with instructive vignettes. Several came during an extended morning session during which England’s attack once again struggled to finish off the opposition – as at Lord’s and The Oval against India last summer, say, or at various points during the Ashes. Kemar Roach was dislodged inside the first five overs by Mahmood, one of the few actual bright spots on tour, and the same bowler could have had Jayden Seales lbw shortly after, without addition to the score, only for England to have run out of reviews.Mahmood kicked the ground in frustration, with Hawk-Eye confirming Gregory Brathwaite’s error. But Root had spent his allocation the previous day, all three of them speculative: an appeal for a leg-side catch off Jermaine Blackwood and failed lbw shouts against Josh Da Silva and Alzarri Joseph.West Indies were 41 runs in front at the time, but would more than double that advantage through a magnificently resourceful and nuggety maiden Test hundred from Da Silva. For a period the innings almost went into reverse, as England bowled maiden after maiden while unsuccessfully trying to create another chance against Seales. But Da Silva kept chipping away and then went on the attack to bring up his hundred with success thumps down the ground off Craig Overton. Root once again powerless as the game ebbed further away.Although Da Silva was given out caught behind to his very next ball, a punt of a review saw all the players have to retake their places, just when England thought the misery was finally over. Their frustrations were evident as Overton, fielding in his followthrough, hurled the ball back at Da Silva. Root dismissed Seales himself, but the jeopardy of England’s position, 93 runs in arrears, was palpable.Joshua Da Silva celebrates the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow•Getty ImagesCue another grisly top-order collapse, with Zak Crawley and Root particularly culpable for their dismissals. Root wore a hollow look as he trudged off after falling to Mayers for the second time in the match, and that had developed into a thousand-yard stare watching on from the balcony as Stokes tickled behind while attempting to leave, England 39 for 4 and deep in the mire. While there are few other options as captain, Root knows he doesn’t have to do this any more if he doesn’t want to.Another revealing moment was to come. Alex Lees and Jonny Bairstow lashed together a partnership from the flotsam and jetsam of the innings, eking out 41 runs from almost 25 overs and seemingly giving England a chance to transfer some of the pressure back. But with Da Silva returning some of the commentary about slow scoring he had received from Bairstow earlier in the day, West Indies were gifted another opening late on. As if to prove right Da Silva’s sledge that “He has more shots than me”, Bairstow tried to pull a Joseph short ball from round the wicket in the following over, only for an under-edge to nestle in his antagonist’s gloves.”We didn’t stand up in the pressure moments when it was going down to the wire,” Trescothick said. “We haven’t stood up and performed as we have in the rest of the series, whereas they’ve had a couple of guys really step up and make a difference. Mayers bowled brilliantly and got something out of the pitch, Da Silva batted well for a hundred, his first one. We need to try and put in those performances when these times come around.”It is not long since this tour began with well-intentioned but facile observations from the likes of Root and the interim coach, Paul Collingwood, about the “good, in-depth conversations” players were having, the “feel-good factor” and “opportunities for the group”. When Ollie Robinson limped out of the warm-up game, Collingwood said he would not be panicking; when Mark Wood hurt his elbow in Antigua, there was no SOS to James Anderson or Stuart Broad.But barring a miracle of a magnitude beyond the last-wicket stand between Leach and Mahmood on day one, England are set to extend their abysmal recent record to one win in 17 Tests, across five series without success. Once again it is clear how deep their red-ball problems run – and there isn’t a button marked ‘reset’ that can fix them.

He has scored five centuries at No. 4 or lower since 2014 in his team’s successful chases

Bharath Seervi05-Feb-2020348 – The target successfully chased down by New Zealand, is their biggest ever in ODIs. Their previous biggest chase was a target of 347 against Australia, also at Seddon Park in Hamilton, in 2007. New Zealand’s previous best chase against India was 281 at the Wankhede Stadium in 2017 in which also Ross Taylor and Tom Latham were the stars in the chase.Ross Taylor has starred in New Zealand’s big chases in ODIs•ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Bigger successful chases against India than the 348 by New Zealand on Wednesday. Australia had chased down 359 in Mohali last year, which is the highest.5 – Number of times Taylor has scored a century in successful chases batting at No. 4 or lower since 2014. No other batsman has scored more than two centuries in successful chases at those positions in this period. Two of Taylor’s centuries have come against India and three against England. In three of the top-four chases for New Zealand, Taylor has scored hundreds. In the top-three successful chases for New Zealand against India, Taylor has scored two hundreds and a 95.10.48 – Run rate of the Taylor-Latham partnership for the fourth wicket – 138 runs in 79 balls. It is the second-quickest century partnership while chasing for the fourth wicket or lower in ODIs (where balls are known). The only quicker stand was of 120 off 55 balls at 13.09 between Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina against Sri Lanka in Hobart in 2012.369 – Runs scored by Nos. 4 and 5 in this match, the second-highest aggregate in any ODI. Shreyas Iyer (103) and KL Rahul (88*) from India and Taylor (109*) and Latham (69) were the Nos. 4 and 5. The third and fourth-wicket partnerships for both sides combined to 438 runs, which is the third-highest in any ODI. It was only the third instance of both the No. 4 batsmen scoring centuries in the same ODI.111 – Runs scored by New Zealand in a span of eight overs between the 34th and 41st overs, at a run rate of 13.88, which tilted the match towards them. Latham scored 54 off 24 and Taylor got 48 off 25 in that phase. Since 2001, where ball-by-ball information is available, only once a team has scored more runs in those overs – 115 by South Africa against Netherlands in the 2007 World Cup.84 – Runs conceded by Kuldeep Yadav in his 10 overs, his most expensive figures in ODIs. His previous most expensive figures were 75 against Australia in Indore in 2017.

Hugo Ekitike scored twice as Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday. Mohamed Salah also made an impact after coming off the bench to replace the injured Joe Gomez. The Egypt international, who is facing an uncertain future at the club, bagged an assist for Arne Slot's side in what was his final game for the club before he joins up with his country's AFCON squad.

Salah was back in the squad but only on the bench at kick-off and could only watch and admire as Ekitike opened the scoring with the fastest Premier League goal of the season so far. Yankuba Minteh made a mess of a cross-field ball which was headed by Gomez to Ekitike. The Frenchman promptly took a touch and then smashed a powerful volley past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to hand the Reds the lead after just 46 seconds.

There was more Anfield applause on 25 minutes as the Salah saga took yet another twist. An injury to Gomez saw Arne Slot send on his talisman and watch him tee up Alexis Mac Allister for a chance with virtually his first touch. Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch also had opportunities for the Reds but could not convert as the hosts took a slender 1-0 lead into the half-time break.

Brighton came close to equalising at the start of the second half. Gomez, who escaped a red card just before half-time for a high challenge on Wirtz, slid in at the far post to connect with a low cross but saw his effort hit the woodwork. Liverpool responded quickly and doubled their lead through Ekitike on the hour. Salah sent in a curling corner for the France international to head home and give the hosts some breathing space.

The game was all set for Salah to apply the finishing touch before he departs for international duty and he was presented with a gilt-edged opportunity in stoppage time. However, Salah could only blast high over the bar as Liverpool had to settle for just two goals but a first home Premier League win since November 1st.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Alisson (7/10):

  Made a crucial save in the first half when he came off his line to block Diego Gomez and saved well from Karou Mitoma in the second half.

  Joe Gomez (8/10):

  Won the header to tee up Ekitike for the opener and set up another chance for the Frenchman before being forced off with yet another injury after 25 minutes. Real blow for the defender.

  Ibrahima Konate (7/10):

  A few scares at the back but looked far more assured than in recent weeks. Did well to block from Minteh and Gomez.

  Virgil van Dijk (8/10):

  Got the better of Rutter in a confident showing and will be happy to keep a clean sheet for the second match in a row.

  Milos Kerkez (7/10):

  Another Liverpool defender who put in a vastly improved performance. Had a tough task up against Minteh but handled it well.

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  Midfield

  Ryan Gravenberch (7/10):

  Along with Curtis Jones, helped Liverpool take control of the game and see off Brighton. A very assured showing.

  Curtis Jones (8/10):

  Played a big role in Liverpool's win with an excellent showing in the middle of the park for Slot's side. Impressive stuff on his 200th appearance for the Reds.

  Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):

  Not quite his day. Had a few chances to score in the first half but couldn't convert.

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  Attack

  Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

  Played all over the position as he was forced to right-back after Gomez went off and Salah come on. Looked to be struggling with an ankle problem and had to be be taken off late on.

  Hugo Ekitike (9/10):

  Scored a brilliant first goal to give Liverpool the perfect start to the match and then headed home a second when Brighton were threatening an equaliser. That's now four goals in his last two Premier League outings for the Reds.

  Florian Wirtz (8/10):

  Seemed to pop up everywhere in a free-flowing performance. Found pockets of space all over the place and really enjoyed himself.

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  Subs & Manager

  Mo Salah (8/10):

  Started on the bench but came on after 25 minutes due to Gomez's injury and was given a big ovation by the Anfield faithful. Looked lively, grabbed an assist for Ekitike's second but probably should have scored late on.

  Alexander Isak (6/10):

  Started on the bench due to a minor knock and didn't make much impact when he came on.

  Andy Robertson (6/10):

  Helped Liverpool see it out.

  Federico Chiesa (N/A):

  Late sub.

  Arne Slot (7/10)

  Left Salah out once again but didn't hesitate to turn to his talisman after losing Gomez. Will be relieved to see his team pick up three points and a clean sheet after a tough week.