Category: Football (Soccer)

• Tudor informed of news after 3-0 defeat by Forest

• Cristian Romero promises ‘200%’ in remaining games

Tottenham’s interim manager, Igor Tudor, is mourning the death of his father, Mario. Tudor was unable to fulfil his media commitments after Spurs’ 3-0 Premier League home defeat by Nottingham Forest because of the bereavement.

The Spurs assistant Bruno Saltor stepped in and the Spaniard declined to reveal any details on Tudor’s “family issue”. Juventus announced on Monday that their former player and manager was grieving his father’s death. In a statement the club said: “Juventus stands with Igor Tudor and his family at this difficult time. Juventus joins in mourning the passing of his father.”

• Gunners eyeing trophies after Carabao Cup final woes

• Striker ‘even more motivated’ for coming games

Viktor Gyökeres has articulated the hurt and defiance inside the Arsenal dressing-room after Sunday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City and promised to use it as fuel in the club’s pursuit of other trophies.

Arsenal picked a bad time to produce their worst performance of the season with everybody in the starting XI falling well below their best – apart from maybe William Saliba. No one will want to dwell on the period from the beginning of the second half to the moment when Nico O’Reilly scored his second goal in the 64th minute to put City in an unassailable position. It was one-way traffic, Arsenal pinned back, unable to get out.

• Two-goal hero says City are ready to hunt down Arsenal

• Rodri feels Carabao Cup can be springboard in title race

Nico O’Reilly has stated Manchester City “smell blood” as they hunt down Arsenal’s nine-point Premier League advantage following Sunday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final triumph.

Two second-half headers by O’Reilly defeated Mikel Arteta’s team at Wembley to give City the season’s first major trophy. Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand on the leaders and host them next month at the Etihad Stadium.

Kobbie Mainoo needs a power boost, Everton revel in home comforts but Brentford must rediscover their buzz

• Premier League top scorers: check the latest standings

One theory behind Manchester City’s subpar 18 months is that the end is sliding into view on Pep Guardiola’s glorious reign, and the fact that he may be considering life after City is transmitting itself to his players. Sunday’s Carabao Cup win goes some way to refuting that. Not only did he see off the challenge of his former apprentice Mikel Arteta, but it was vintage Guardiola on the touchline. He looked gobsmacked when decisions didn’t go his side’s way, produced a Chuck Norris tribute kick to an advertising hoarding when City took the lead then sprinted down the touchline, fists pumping, when Nico O’Reilly scored his second of a fairytale final for the club’s local lad. If Guardiola’s intense level of care has dropped, he’s disguising it well. Anybody writing off him – and City’s league title ambitions – would do well to remember just what level of manager we are dealing with here. Alex Reid

Match report: Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City

Player ratings: Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City

Match report: Tottenham 0-3 Nottingham Forest

The assistant coach Bruno Saltor believes Tottenham will avoid relegation because of their performances against Liverpool, the second leg of their Champions League tie against Atlético Madrid and the first half of their defeat by Nottingham Forest. Stepping in for the interim head coach Igor Tudor, who couldn't attend his press duties because of a family issue, Saltor said: 'Every small detail is going against us and it's about turning that around.'

• Spurs get sinking feeling as Gibbs-White and Awoniyi fire Forest to thumping victory

• Pereira calls on Forest players to keep ‘feeling like champions’ after Spurs rout

Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi scored as Forest plunged Spurs into even greater relegation trouble

Late drama in the Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park. Luke McLaughlin has more.

The night before Nottingham Forest prevailed against Midtjylland, going the distance in central Denmark to tee up a first European quarter-final 30 years to the day since their last, Ryan Yates was doing a spot of homework. The Forest club captain found himself flicking through the Champions League offering at the team hotel in Silkeborg, half an hour east of Herning, but naturally lingered on Tottenham’s rematch with Atlético Madrid. A trip to Spurs, of course, is next and, like Forest, they find themselves in a perilous predicament near the bottom of the Premier League.

Brian Brobbey capped a fine individual display with a last-minute winner to heap misery on the Magpies

“G’Day Luke, hope you’re well!” writes Chris Paraskevas.

“A Sunday evening kick-off means this result will be having a tangible impact on my mood this week / year / forever, at work, family functions and during unexpected visits from the parents.

As recently as Friday morning Eddie Howe talked about some results having “bigger consequences than others”. This was most definitely one of them.

In completing a Premier League double against Newcastle, Régis Le Bris’s promoted Sunderland surely consigned Howe and his players to one of their most chastening afternoons at St James’ Park.

Beto struck twice before Iliman Ndiaye’s superb finish sealed a comprehensive victory for the hosts

3 min A punchy, positive start from Everton, who are giving Chelsea no time on the ball.

1 min Peep peep! Chelsea, wearing their white change strip, kick off from left to right as we watch.

Danny Welbeck and Yankuba Minteh were the stars of a deserved win for the Seagulls, as Liverpool once again stumbled in their pursuit of a Champions League spot

Arne Slot speaks frankly to TNT. “You cannot compare a home game, a Champions League night against Galatasaray, to Brighton away … but you have to take the positives … we know we face a different opponent today … we have to be even better to get a result here today … [Brighton] have good players … their manager is always able to come up with a very good game plan … his players are able to execute that plan … very intense … only play once a week … they can train on that game plan … it is important to have two very good goalkeepers and we have that … there is hardly any room for error any more … we have made quite a few errors this season … the main ones was dropping points in extra time … now we are in this situation … though I don’t think we have to win eight, we have to play every game as a final … get the most out of the game possible … let’s see what it is today.”

In last week’s episode …

The players’ bizarre huddle and Rosenior’s odd responses should not distract attention from a light punishment that diminishes the Premier League

You might feel enough has already been said about the Chelsea huddle. You would be wrong, of course. It is impossible to say enough about the Chelsea huddle. A week on, that moment when the Chelsea players formed a scrum on the centre circle around what appeared at first glance to be a depressed hatstand, but turned out to be the immovable figure of referee Paul Tierney, is still the most moreishly haunting image of the season.

What did it mean? Even the basic geometry is fascinating, with its fractal-like symmetries. Here we have the Chelsea players making a circle inside a circle around a sphere on top of a smaller circle, above which a single bald head protrudes like an orbital moon.