Sergio Ramos Calls Emergency Team Meeting Amid Exit Rumours

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos called an emergency team meeting on Thursday to discuss his side’s poor form, encouraging his teammates to get behind manager Zinedine Zidane. However, rumours persist that Ramos himself is ready to leave Madrid at the end of the season.

Ramos’ Madrid have struggled in 2020/21, losing three of their ten opening ten La Liga games and sit seven points behind leaders Real Sociedad.

In the Champions League, Los Blancos could yet do the unthinkable and exit at the group stage, with their progression dependent on the final round of fixtures next week.

34-year-old Ramos has been absent since the international break, after suffering a hamstring injury on Spain duty, watching on as Madrid lost back-to-back games against Alaves and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Some reports even claim that Zidane could be sacked if Real Madrid fail to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League.

To that end, Ramos gathered his teammates for what AS call an emergency meeting on Thursday, without the manager in attendance.

It is understood that Zidane still has the support of the core group, which includes Luka Modric and Marcelo.

AS claim that Ramos told his teammates to give an ‘extra push’ until the new year.

Meanwhile, however, Onda Cero’s Jose Ramon de le Morena claims that Ramos, whose contract expires in 2021, is entertaining offers from abroad, namely from Italy and England.

Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos’ contract expires next summer | Soccrates Images/Getty Images

It is even said that currently ‘Sergio Ramos’ thought is to leave Real Madrid’. However, that could all change as negotiations with the club over a renewal continue.

90min reported Each of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ sides have expressed an interest in signing Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos should he choose to leave Spain.

By the time next summer arrives, the world-class Ramos will have spent 15 years at the Bernabeu and he has already won five La Liga titles, two Copas del Rey and four Champions League trophies.

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Arsenal 4-1 Rapid Wien: Player Ratings as Gunners Secure Top Spot in Group B

Arsenal strolled to a comfortable 4-1 win over Rapid Wien on Thursday evening at the Emirates Stadium, securing their status as winners of Group B in the Europa League.

The Gunners completely dominated the early proceedings and it wasn’t long before they took the lead, with Alexandre Lacazette unleashing a drive from all of 30 yards which Richard Strebinger in the Rapid Wien goal could only flap at as it sailed beyond him.

With just 17 minutes on the clock Arsenal doubled their lead thanks to a brilliant header from Pablo Mari, before Eddie Nketiah rounded off a superb move to effectively end the game as a contest before half-time.

To the shock of the 2000 home fans Rapid Wien reduced Arsenal’s lead in the opening minutes of the second half, with Koya Kitagawa firing home after some frantic play in the Gunners box, before Emile Smith Rowe restored the three-goal cushion after he finished off another lovely move.

That’s the admin out of the way, now to those Arsenal player ratings.

Pablo Mari, Nicolas Pepe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Pablo Mari celebrates his goal on the evening | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Alex Runarsson (GK) – 5/10 – Poor distribution throughout the night with a number of goal kicks going astray. Little he could do about the Rapid Wien goal.

Cedric Soares (RB) – 5/10 – Anonymous on the Arsenal right. Did very little to support the attack though looked solid enough when asked to complete his defensive duties.

Shkodran Mustafi (CB) – 6/10 – Just two Premier League appearances to his name all season but a regular in the Europa League squad. Not asked too many questions but did what he had to do.

Pablo Mari (CB) – 7/10 – Did brilliantly to stretch his neck muscles and power a header into the bottom corner for Arsenal’s second. Handed the captain’s armband midway through the second half on a memorable night for him.

Sead Kolasinac (LB) – 7/10 – Produced a fantastic double block to deny Rapid Wien a foothold in the game, only for the visitors to smash home the rebound. Offered plenty of endeavour down the Arsenal left.

Koya Kitagawa, Mohamed Elneny
Elneny struggles for possession | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (CM) – 8/10 – Quality performance. Showed great awareness to pick out Smith Rowe for Arsenal’s fourth of the evening and didn’t give the Rapid Wien midfield any chance to compose themselves.

Reiss Nelson (CM – 7/10 – Withdrawn just after the half-hour mark having put in a solid shift. Tasked with driving from midfield to support the forwards with Lacazette dropping deep and he made a good fist of it.

Mohamed Elneny (CM) – 5/10 – Recycled possession well and was always willing to take the ball from the defence, but didn’t really do much other than pick out sideways passes.

Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette opens the scoring for the evening | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Nicolas Pepe (RW) – 5/10 – Full of running and plenty of persistence but it’s just not happening for him at the moment. Either wasn’t picked out by a teammate having made a good run or couldn’t bring the ball under his spell when he was picked out.

Alexandre Lacazette (ST) – 8/10 – Perhaps a hint of frustration as he unleashed a piledriver to set Arsenal on their way in the tenth minute. Didn’t play in his orthodox forward role but instead occasionally dropped deep into midfield as he looked to link up play and he did it very well.

Eddie Nketiah (LW) – 7/10 – Rounded off a beautiful Arsenal move for their third of the night, showing a striker’s instinct to react to his initial shot being saved. Showed great willingness and enthusiasm to act as the first line of defence.

Willian (RW) – 5/10

Dani Ceballos (CM) – 7/10

Emile Smith Rowe (CM) – 7/10

Calum Chambers (CB) – 6/10

Folarin Balogun (ST) – 6/10

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Every One of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Milestone Goals

For many footballers, the mid-30s are a time to get the comfy slippers out. Sure, you might be called upon once in a while during an injury crisis, but the majority of your remaining years as a player will essentially be spent dropping down the leagues, sat on the bench or watching games from the stands.

Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t a normal footballer. He doesn’t fall into ‘the majority’.

The Juventus hitman has decided to spend his mid-30s smashing a whole host of landmarks and even has the title of the most prolific international marksman in history in his sights.

The Portuguese forward bagged his 750th career goal against Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday night, and we’ve taken the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and recall some landmark moments from the 35-year-old’s goal-filled career.

Where it all began.

The Portuguese hitman’s first career goal came during his time at Sporting CP, and in true Ronaldo style he decided to double his account in the very same game as his side strolled to a 3-0 win over Moreirense.

Curiously, the winger added just one further league goal to his tally for the remainder of the campaign, yet he’d still shown enough promise to lure Sir Alex Ferguson into bringing him to Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his first United goal in 2003 | ADRIAN DENNIS/Getty Images

Having moved to Manchester United it took no time at all for the former Sporting man to showcase his talent.

On 1 November 2003 the winger bagged a free-kick at home to Portsmouth – ironically, it would be the exact same fixture a few years later where he would truly display his ludicrous ability from set pieces – and the journey which saw him bag 118 goals for the Red Devils was underway.

They say you never forget your first, though in truth you wouldn’t blame Ronaldo if he had forgotten his first piece of major silverware, given that it was against second tier Millwall.

Not only was it his first piece of major silverware, it was his first goal in major final, too, as he opened the scoring in Manchester United’s 2004 FA Cup triumph.

Greece's defender Georgios Seitaridis (L
Cristiano Ronaldo at his first international major tournament | MLADEN ANTONOV/Getty Images

Ronaldo’s first international goal (typically) came on one of football’s grandest stages.

The Portuguese hitman grabbed a late consolation as his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Greece in the group stages of the 2004 European Championships, with the pair going on to meet in the final of the competition – where the Greeks would yet again prevail.

Having started life at United as an orthodox winger, it wasn’t long before Ronaldo transformed into more of a wide forward, and the goals soon came flooding in.

His hat-trick against Newcastle in 2008 was surprisingly his only one for the club, though there would be PLENTY more once he moved to Real Madrid.

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The former Manchester United man bagged his 100th career goal at Spurs | CARL DE SOUZA/Getty Images

Ronaldo scored a total of 118 goals in his 292 appearances for the Red Devils, and his 100th career goal came at Old Trafford against Tottenham, with a typical darting run and powerful front-post strike.

The 23-year-old achieved the feat of 100 career goals at the same age as Portuguese legend Eusebio.

What better way to mark your 100th goal for one of the biggest clubs in the world than with a 30-yard piledriver.

Admittedly, Thomas Sorensen flapped at the free kick like he’d never seen a football in his life, but why let a little goalkeeping howler get in the way of a fantastic achievement.

Having achieved just about everything there was to achieve with Manchester United, Ronaldo secured a dream move to Real Madrid, and it didn’t take long for him to open his account.

The forward scored from the penalty spot to secure a 3-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna on his debut, and would go on to score in every one of his next three games for the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s 200th career goal came against Valencia in December 2010 | Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

At just 25 years of age the hitman already had 200 career goals to his name.

Having peeled onto the left-hand side, Ronaldo was picked out by Mesut Ozil (remember him?). The forward took one touch to compose himself before rifling a fierce left-footed drive across goal and into the bottom corner.

Having watched Lionel Messi notch his 200th goal for Barcelona the day before, Ronaldo saw his opportunity to steal some of the limelight away from his old foe – and he did just that.

He scored both goals in his side’s 2-0 win over Lyon in the Champions League, securing progression through to the next round of the competition and clocking up 100 goals for Real in the process.

Ronaldo records his 100th La Liga goal in March 2012
Ronaldo records his 100th La Liga goal in March 2012 | DOMINIQUE FAGET/Getty Images

Having scored 100 goals for the club, Ronaldo didn’t have to wait too long before notching his 100th La Liga goal for Los Blancos.

The Portugal international scored twice against Real Sociedad in a thumping 5-1 win, subsequently becoming the fastest player ever to reach the milestone in Spain’s top flight.

The 300th goal of Ronaldo’s career came from the penalty spot, as he levelled the scored late on against Granada.

Los Blancos would go on to grab a dramatic late winner as they continued to steamroll their way through the league on their way to the La Liga crown.

It almost seems weird it took Ronaldo so long to register his first hat-trick in the Champions League.

In 2012 the Madrid frontman bagged three goal as his side recorded a comfortable 4-1 win over Ajax in the group stages. Despite Ronaldo finishing the competition as the leading goalscorer, it wasn’t enough to secure another European trophy.

Ronaldo scored his 200th career goal back in May 2013
Ronaldo scored his 200th career goal back in May 2013 | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Four years into his career at the Santiago Bernabeu and Ronaldo already had club records in his sight.

His 200th goal for the club came in an incredible 197 games, and in just four seasons he already sat sixth in the club’s all-time record goalscoring charts.

His 54th goal of the campaign secured a 2-1 win over Malaga, though the win proved futile as Barcelona romped to La Liga glory.

Ronaldo powers home a header against Northern Ireland in September 2013
Ronaldo powers home a header against Northern Ireland in September 2013 | PETER MUHLY/Getty Images

Poor Northern Ireland.

The Portugal international’s first hat-trick for his country came at Windsor Park back in September 2013, as Michael O’Neill’s side suffered a 4-2 defeat in their World Cup qualifier.

Ronaldo’s hat-trick was secured with a superb free-kick 20 minutes from time.

Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo secured his 400th career goal in January 2014 | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

The 400th goal of Ronaldo’s illustrious career came at the
Santiago Bernabeu as Madrid recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Celta Vigo.

The Real talisman showed brilliant movement to find himself a yard of space in the area before emphatically firing home Gareth Bale’s driven cross.

Only five full seasons in La Liga and he’d already notched 200 league goals. Pretty impressive we’re sure you’ll agree.

The lowest tally Ronaldo recorded in his nine seasons in the Spanish top flight was 25, and he would break the 40-goal mark on three occasions. His 200th La Liga strike came against Celta Vigo in December 2014, and by this point he well and truly had the Madrid goalscoring record in his sights.

Ronaldo notched five against Granada in April 2015
Ronaldo notched five against Granada in April 2015 | Warren Little/Getty Images

In April 2015 Real Madrid handed out one of the biggest defeats you’re ever likely to see in top level football as they hammered Granada 9-1, and you can guess who was at the heart of it.

Ronaldo hit five against Granada, the first time he’d done so in his career (which is weirdly surprising given how prolific he is).

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Bale celebrates with Ronaldo after he scores his 300th goal for Real Madrid | JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

Next up is his 300th for Madrid.

Just a week on from his five-goal haul in La Liga, Ronaldo notched his 300th for Los Blancos as they strolled to a comfortable 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.

However, once again it was to prove in vain as Barcelona pipped them to the La Liga crown by just two points.

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Ronaldo celebrates his 500th career goal | JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/Getty Images

Ronaldo is Mr Champions League, so it’s no surprise he notched his 500th career goal in the competition.

The goal machine racked up number 500 for his career against Malmo in 2015 as Real Madrid secured a comfortable 2-0 win.

The goal was everything we’d come to expect from the Portuguese forward, showing the composure which had brought him so much success before rifling the ball into the back of the net.

Ronaldo became Real's all-time leading goalscorer in 2015
Ronaldo became Real’s all-time leading goalscorer in 2015 | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Ronaldo surpassed Madrid legend Raul to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer by netting his 324th goal against Leveante in October 2015.

He would net a total of 450 for the club in total before departing for Serie A with Juventus.

The first man ever in the Champions League to record 100 goals in the competition – some achievement when you consider the level of opponents.

His double against Bayern Munich handed Madrid a 2-1 lead against Die Roten in the first leg of their 2017 Champions League quarter-final tie.

Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo recorded his 400th Madrid goal against Sevilla in May 2017 | Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Having already smashed Real Madrid’s goalscoring record previously held by club legend Raul, Ronaldo spent the remainder of his time in the Spanish capital making the record possibly unbeatable.

The 400th of his 450 Madrid goals came against Sevilla in 2017 as Real went on to record a comfortable 4-1 victory.

Asif scoring your 600th goal isn’t impressive enough, to do it on the grandest stage in European club football is just ridiculous.

The magical frontman made it 600 for his professional career against his future employers Juventus in 2017 as he scored twice in Real’s 4-1 Champions League final triumph over Juve.

Ronaldo became just the second player to reach the landmark of 300 goals in La Liga when he bagged Madrid’s second against Getafe in 2018.

Only Lionel Messi had achieved the feat before Ronaldo, however, the Portugal international reached the landmark faster than the Barcelona talisman.

Ronaldo walks off with the match ball against Girona in March 2018
Ronaldo walks off with the match ball against Girona in March 2018 | JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

Having only scored one hat-trick by the time he joined Real Madrid in 2009, Ronaldo secured an incredible 50th three-goal haul in Madrid’s emphatic 6-3 win over Girona in 2018.

150 goals coming via hat-tricks. Just let that sink in a little.

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The Portugal international scored his 450th goal for Madrid in May 2018 | LLUIS GENE/Getty Images

Having endured so many intriguing battles in his nine years at Madrid, it’s perhaps apt that Ronaldo’s final goal for the club would come against the old rivals Barcelona.

The forward notched in Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Barça and would later that season go on to lift the Champions League trophy for a fifth time before leaving the club in the summer.

Juventus v US Sassuolo - Serie A
Juventus v US Sassuolo – Serie A | Claudio Villa./Getty Images

While some footballers will look to drop down the leagues as they enter their 30s, Ronaldo had no such plans.

At 33 he moved to Serie A champions Juventus, and having gone an incredible 320 minutes without a goal, he opened his goalscoring account in Italian football against Sassuolo.

Sweden v Portugal - UEFA Nations League
Ronaldo bagged his 100th international goal against Sweden in September | David Lidstrom/Getty Images

Only one man in the history of international football had ever reached triple figures for his country, until Ronaldo came along.

Iran’s Ali Daei is the only international player with more goals (109), but having scored his 100th against Sweden earlier this year, Ronaldo is currently sat on 102 – and you wouldn’t bet against him surpassing Daei’s unbelievable record.

Juventus v Dynamo Kyiv: Group G - UEFA Champions League
Ronaldo’s Champions League strike on Wednesday night was his 750th career goal | Chris Ricco/Getty Images

And last but not least.

At 35 years of age the hitman is still lethal in front of goal, with his strike against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League taking his career tally up to 750.

Who knows how many more he’ll have scored by the time he comes to hang up his boots.

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Time for Jadon Sancho to Rediscover his Best Form in Erling Haaland’s Absence

“Listen. Understand… It can’t be reasoned with, it can’t be bargained with… it doesn’t feel pity of remorse or fear… and it absolutely will not stop. Ever.”

Kyle Reese was describing the Terminator with those iconic words but he could very well have been depicting Borussia Dortmund’s unrelenting striking sensation, Erling Haaland.

After somehow improving upon his blistering form from last season, injury has conspired to succeed where opposition defences have failed, halting the 20-year-old for once.

Since bagging debut hat-trick off the bench for Dortmund last January, the newly crowned Golden Boy has continued to forge a frightening goalscoring prowess. In 19 appearances for club and country this season, Haaland has amassed the sickening tally of 23 goals, including ten already in the Bundesliga.

As the focal point of the side’s attack, Haaland’s absence leaves a gaping hole in Dortmund’s frontline. However, one player certainly equipped with the ability to ably fill that void was the jewel in BVB’s crown before Haaland took the league, and the continent, by storm.

Jadon Sancho’s opening weeks of 2020/21 have been in stark contrast to those of his teammate Haaland. The England international recorded double figures for league goals and assists in each of the two previous campaigns but is yet to score in the Bundesliga this term and has just two assists from seven games.

The 20-year-old’s dip is perceived as even greater than it perhaps should be thanks to a sustained period of outperforming his underlying numbers.

Across the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns, Sancho scored 29 Bundesliga goals from open play – a sensational tally for a player chiefly operating out wide. However, his expected goals (xG) tally was 16.7 – still superb – in the same period according to FBRef. Essentially, Sancho was enjoying a remarkable finishing hot streak, scoring roughly 12 goals more than a mathematical model predicted an average player would have given the exact same shooting opportunities.

During the same time span, only one player in Europe’s top five league’s outperformed their xG tally by a greater margin; Lionel Messi.

it would be unreasonable to expect Sancho to maintain the same level of otherworldly finishing as Messi, so his goal output was alway likely to dip. However, this season his xG has also plummeted from the elite to worryingly mediocre. Given Sancho is continuing to take the same number of shots – around two per game – this drop off is because he’s taking aim from significantly worse areas.

Over the previous two campaigns, Sancho averaged 0.18 xG per shot. This is a remarkably high figure and suggests Sancho was finding himself in excellent goalscoring positions – i.e. in front of goal with few bodies between himself and the net. This campaign his figures have plummeted and he’s averaging 0.08 xG per shot, representing more than a 50% drop off. Combined with the fact that he’s taking fewer touches in the penalty area, it’s not entirely surprising he has failed to find the net in the Bundesliga so far.

Jadon Sancho
More than half of Sancho’s shots in the league this season have been blocked | DeFodi Images/Getty Images

During his meteoric rise over the past two years, Sancho’s has been an even more prolific provider than finisher. However, much like his shooting figures, Sancho’s assist statistics also differ from the underlying numbers.

Thanks to the efficient finishing of his teammates – Haaland chief among them – Sancho racked up an eye-watering 30 Bundesliga assists in the past two seasons, from an expected assists (xA) tally of 15.9. No player from Europe’s major leagues could come close to this over-performance in that time period.

This season Sancho is continuing to create chances at an above average, but diminished level compared to the stratospheric figures of past campaigns, though the main concern should be his dramatic drop in front of goal.

Dortmund’s manager Lucien Favre cited the unrelenting transfer speculation linking Sancho with a move to Manchester United last summer as a possible factor for the young man’s slow start. But the team, as a whole, are creating even better chances this season compared to the previous campaign, which suggests an individual drop off from Sancho.

Jadon SanchoLucien Favre
Lucien Favre (right) has been quick to defend his young forward this term | DeFodi Images/Getty Images

While the four matches Haaland is scheduled to miss aren’t exactly standout fixtures, they are exactly the kind of games in which Dortmund have previously dropped points that have cost them Germany’s top flight.

Alongside newly promoted VfB Stuttgart, Dortmund are scheduled to face Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen and Union Berlin. When BVB met those latter three sides in the first half of last season – before Haaland’s January transfer – they failed to win any of them, dropping seven points. Incidentally, with Haaland in the side post-Christmas, Dortmund picked up maximum points and their Norwegian frontman scored in all three games.

If Dortmund want to avoid the bitter taste of second place or lower once more, these are the fixtures they have to win.

Whether Sancho can rediscover his glittering form over the next three weeks remains to be seen. However, Dortmund fans can rest assured that come the new year, Haaland will have fulfilled the blood-curdling warning Arnold Schwarzenegger once delivered: “I’ll be back.”

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Zorya Luhansk 1-0 Leicester: Player Ratings as Foxes Miss Chance to Secure Top Spot

Leicester succumbed to a late 1-0 defeat at the hands of Zorya Luhansk in the Europa League on Thursday night, meaning the battle for top spot in Group G will go down to the final game.

A turgid first half saw neither side really take control of the match, with the visitors rocked by an early injury to Caglar Soyuncu.

Brendan Rodgers’ side looked the more likely throughout the second half, with Wesley Forfana missing a golden opportunity when afforded a free header from eight yards out, and the missed chance would come back to haunt them late on.

With Leicester pushing for a winner, the home side broke away and following some slick build-up play, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh was on hand to secure the win for his side.

That’s the highlights out of the way, now to the Leicester player ratings.

Wes Morgan
Wes Morgan was tasked with filling in at centre-back | James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images

Danny Ward (GK) – 6/10 – Asked to deputise for Kasper Schmeichel and didn’t have a whole lot to do in fairness. Shoed good command of his area when called upon and little he could do about the goal.

Ricardo Pereira (RB) – 6/10 – Continued his quest for match sharpness and looked solid enough. Will be a huge boost for Rodgers when fully-fit.

Wes Morgan (CB) – 7/10 – Impressive when called upon. Not asked to stretch his 36-year-old legs too often but looked composed in possession nevertheless.

Caglar Soyuncu (CB) – N/A – Hobbled off with just 17 minutes on the clock. Not a good sign as he continues his comeback from the latest injury.

James Justin (LB) – 8/10 – The pick of the Leicester bunch. Afforded width and energy down the Foxes left and was a constant outlet.

Hamza Choudhury
Hamza Choudhury battled well in midfield | DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Wilfred Ndidi (CM) – 7/10 – The type of combative and powerful performance we’ve come to expect from the midfield man. Taken off in the second half as Rodgers looked to rest his legs before the weekend clash with Sheffield United.

Hamza Choudhury (CM) – 6/10 – Kept things ticking over in the midfield and didn’t do much wrong despite not being particularly outstanding.

Dennis Praet (CM) – 7/10 – Another good display from the Belgian who is beginning to look a key part of this Leicester squad.

Kelechi Iheanacho
Iheanacho was unable to find an opening | DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Cengiz Under (RW) – 6/10 – Full of running and looked a constant threat on the break, though proved to be a little wasteful in the final third. Provided a great cross which Forfana should have scored from.

Kelechi Iheanacho (ST) – 7/10 – A very good shift from the frontman. Not given the best of service from his teammates but constantly looked to stretch the opposition with his pace.

Harvey Barnes (LW) – 6/10 – Looked much brighter in the second half but was guilty of showboating a little too often when his teammates needed direct service.

Wesley Fofana (CB) – 6/10

Luke Thomas (LB) – 5/10

Nampalys Mendy (CM) – 5/10

Christian Fuchs (RB) – 5/10

James Maddison (CM) – 6/10

Let’