Football (Soccer) – Page 66 – Worldwide Sports News

October 18, 2025

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s hat-trick rescues Crystal Palace in thrilling draw with Bournemouth

For most of this breathless encounter, Bournemouth supporters were relishing the prospect of going top of the Premier League, albeit perhaps for only a few hours, and inflicting Crystal Palace’s second home defeat of 2025. Andoni Iraola’s impressive side had led through two goals from the teenager Eli Junior Kroupi before being pegged back by Jean-Philippe Mateta and thought they had won it when the substitute Ryan Christie scored with two minutes of normal time remaining.

Mateta, who scored on his first start for France in midweek, had other ideas as he converted an injury-time penalty to complete his hat-trick, although he missed a golden opportunity to win it at the death.

October 18, 2025

Manchester City’s unstoppable Erling Haaland downs Everton with double

Erling Haaland’s double seized the points, took him to 23 goals in 13 games for club and country this season, and kept Tottenham as the only foes the uber-striker has failed to score against this season.

The 25-year-old’s goals – on 58 and 63 minutes – shredded the visitors in two high-quality moments that decorated a generally middling affair.

October 18, 2025October 18, 2025

Championship roundup: Coventry back on top while Thomas sends Stoke third

Thomas-Asante and Torp strike for Coventry
Stoke beat Wrexham; West Brom back into top six

Coventry reclaimed their spot at the top of the Championship with a 2-0 victory over Blackburn. They had slipped to second after Middlesbrough’s victory over Ipswich on Friday night, but goals from Victor Torp and Brandon Thomas-Asante took them back to the summit. Liam Kitching should have made it three near the end but he headed over from inside the six-yard box.

Frank Lampard, the Coventry manager, thought the game was a “good test for all of us”, saying: “All credit to Blackburn in the first half. They came here with an aggressive organisation about them and were happy to be man-for-man pretty much all over the pitch.

October 18, 2025October 18, 2025

Nottingham Forest 0-3 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

Ange Postecoglou was sacked less than half an hour after Chelsea inflicted another defeat on Forest

1 min After the players take a knee, Morgan Gibbs-White gets the match under way on a dank, drizzly afternoon in Nottingham.

A bit of news from elsewhere. Crystal Palace have confirmed their captain Marc Guehi will leave the club in the summer after rejecting the offer of a new contract.

October 18, 2025October 18, 2025

Manchester City 2-0 Everton, Brighton 2-1 Newcastle, and more: football – as it happened

Ange Postecoglou’s dismissal from Nottingham Forest hogged the early-afternoon headlines, before Manchester City, Burnley, Brighton and Sunderland returned to winning ways after the international break

Burnley v Leeds United: Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts and Zeki Amdouni all remain sidelined for Burnley, but Scott Parker is hoping to have Lyle Foster and Jaidon Anthony available despite the duo suffering recent injuries.

Harry Gray and Willy Gnonto are both absent for Leeds United, while Noah Okafor is a doubt. Lucas Perri has recovered from a hamstring injury, while Dan James will have to undergo a fitness test as he tries to return from an ankle injury.

October 17, 2025

Middlesbrough go top of Championship after Whittaker gets off mark against Ipswich

Morgan Whittaker scored his first Middlesbrough goal as Rob Edwards’ side returned to the top of the Championship with an action-packed 2-1 win against Ipswich. Victory ended a three-game winless run for the home side, who had made their intent plain by pummelling the visitors’ goal after a forgettable first 30 minutes.

Whittaker doubled Boro’s lead in the 55th minute after Cédric Kipré’s own goal in first-half added time had given them the advantage, shortly after the home goalkeeper Sol Brynn saved a George Hirst penalty.

October 17, 2025

Alexander Isak now ‘100%’ ready to start making a major impact at Liverpool

Sweden striker missed pre-season training at Newcastle
Arne Slot says Isak is at full fitness ahead of United clash

Arne Slot has said Alexander Isak is ready to showcase the qualities that made him Britain’s most expensive footballer.

Isak’s low-key start to life at Liverpool has been attributed to him missing the majority of pre-season training with Newcastle while he forced through a record £125m transfer to Anfield. Seven weeks after joining the Premier League champions, however, and having played the entirety of Sweden’s two recent World Cup qualifiers, Slot believes match fitness is no longer an issue for a striker who aims to kickstart his Liverpool career against Manchester United on Sunday.

October 17, 2025

Thomas Frank calls for ‘cohesion’ between Spurs fans and team to lift home form

Tottenham have taken 13 points from past 17 home games
‘We need the fans, especially in the tough moments’

Thomas Frank believes that Tottenham’s poor home form will improve if there is a better connection with the crowd, the fans make more noise and stay positive during tough spells.

Frank’s side have made a strong start to the season, 14 points from their first seven games taking them into third place, but they will need to raise their level when they host Aston Villa on Sunday. The statistics do not reflect well on Spurs, whose record of 13 points from their past 17 Premier League home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the division throughout that period.

October 17, 2025

Manchester City delay decision on John Stones’ future due to fitness concerns

England defender is out of contract in the summer
Stones played only 11 Premier League games last season

John Stones’s Manchester City future will be reliant on the defender’s fitness, according to Pep Guardiola. The England international’s contract expires in the summer and the club must decide if he deserves an extension after an injury-hit spell at the Etihad Stadium.

The 31-year-old recently said he contemplated retirement last season due to fitness problems, which resulted in him making only 11 Premier League appearances and missing the final three months of the campaign with a hamstring injury. Stones was an unused substitute for City’s past two league matches but will hope to return to the starting lineup against former club Everton on Saturday, having featured twice for England during the international break.

October 17, 2025

Premier League team news: predicted lineups for the weekend action

Out-of-form Liverpool host Manchester United on Sunday while leaders Arsenal visit Fulham on Saturday evening

Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue City Ground

October 16, 2025

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

West Ham’s lack of forward planning, Rodri’s fitness concerns and a crunch clash at Anfield

Top scorers: check out the latest standings

Ange Postecoglou is under increasing pressure at Nottingham Forest having failed to secure a win in his seven games in charge. Reports suggest Sean Dyche is waiting to take over, but history shows Evangelos Marinakis sways like the wind, and victory against Chelsea could be enough to save Postecoglou’s job for now. Goals have been a mounting concern for a team that have been beaten in four of their last five league matches and failed to score in any of those defeats. Failure to find their shooting boots will ensure Forest go three consecutive top-flight games without a goal for the first time since 1999. It will be a tough task against a buoyant Chelsea team, who entered the international break having beaten Liverpool. Moisés Caicedo was instrumental in the win against the defending champions, scoring the opener, and the 23-year-old leads the league in tackles (28) and interceptions (18). Elliot Anderson, whose total of 55 turnovers is also a league-high tally, will have his work cut out for him in what may be his toughest midfield battle of the season. Yara El-Shaboury

Nottingham Forest v Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)

Brighton v Newcastle, Saturday 3pm

Burnley v Leeds, Saturday 3pm

Crystal Palace v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm

October 16, 2025

MLS Decision Day is upon us! Who’s In and Who’s Out? + Nick Rimando Breaks Down the USMNT Goalkeeper Dilemma

Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros bring on MLS Season Pass analyst Gio Savarese to preview the end of the MLS season and what to expect from Decision Day. Then, they’re joined by former MLS and USMNT goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who breaks down the USMNT’s recent performances and shares his thoughts on the ongoing goalkeeper battle. Later, the boys react to the latest soccer headlines, including Cape Verde’s World Cup qualification, Haji Wright’s standout showing, and more!

October 13, 2025

Como claim Serie A fixture in Australia is essential for ‘survival of the league’

Como insist relocating Milan game ‘not a matter of greed’
Italian side highlight gulf in revenues to Premier League

The Italian club Como have released a statement on their potential Serie A match against Milan in Australia, claiming that taking games abroad is about “ensuring survival” for the league.

Uefa has reluctantly given approval for the match – a home league fixture for Milan – to take place in Perth next February. In addition, Villarreal’s La Liga match against Barcelona in December is set to take place in Miami, Florida.

October 10, 2025

Pezzolano sacked by Watford after ‘resisting pressure to use players linked to agent’

Watford sources deny the claims after this week’s sacking
Claims relate to players with connection to agent Bayat

Paulo Pezzolano was sacked by Watford because he resisted pressure to select players who have a connection to the agent Arnaud Mogi Bayat, it has been claimed, although this has been denied by sources at the Championship club.

Pezzolano and his technical team were dismissed on Wednesday after five months and 10 matches, with Javi Gracia installed for his second spell. It is understood Pezzolano and his staff were surprised and dismayed, having secured successive league victories at Vicarage Road after a slow start to the season.

October 10, 2025

If you know your Lucas Neill and Mo Salah, the Guardian’s new football game is just for you

Our new daily puzzle, On the ball, involves guessing the identity of the Premier League footballers, past and present

That “dudes can just sit around and name old sports players” is a time-honoured social media meme. In football, this is especially true. Such wistful recollections can bring together all types of people.

A couple of seasons ago, on a Saturday night train back to London from reporting for the Guardian a match between Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, I thought I had landed in the sanctuary of an abandoned carriage on the train home.