West Bromwich Albion returned to the top of the Championship table with a 2-0 victory over Stoke City on Monday night.

Slaven Bilic’s men cruised to all three points thanks to a goal from Matty Phillips, who bagged his sixth of the season and a penalty from super-sub Hal Robson-Kanu.

The Baggies also regained their two-point cushion at the league’s summit going into this weekend’s tie with Hull City.

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It is also just the third time this season that they have kept a clean sheet, which has sparked quite a reaction from some of the Hawthorns faithful with centre-back Kyle Bartley drawing most of the glowing plaudits.

One supporter claimed the 28-year-old is more of a captain than Jake Livermore after his impressive leader-like showing from the heart of defence while another described him as ‘different class.’

A further member of the West Brom crowd was almost shocked by the fact that he had tweeted about how ‘awesome’ Bartley was with one more naming him the best player in the league.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

انتصر فريق المصري على نظيره أسوان، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، في المباراة المثيرة التي أقيمت مساء اليوم الأربعاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

المصري واجه أسوان، على ملعب استاد الإسكندرية، في إطار مواجهات الأسبوع الـ20.

وتقدم المصري في الدقيقة الأولى عن طريق عمر كمال عبد الواحد، بعدما تلقى تمريرة طويلة مرسلة من أحمد رفعت من وسط الملعب، إلى داخل منطقة الجزاء ليستلمها بهدوء ويسددها في مرمى عمر رضوان حارس أسوان.

وفي الدقيقة 39 من عمر الشوط الأول، تعادل محمد جابر لاعب أسوان لفريقه، من رأسيه رائعة استقبلها من عرضية من الجانب الأيسر عن طريق عمر الحلواني.

وعاد المصري للتقدم مرة آخرى في الدقيقة 51، عن طريق أحمد جمعة، الذي تابع الكرة المرتدة من يد حارس أسوان، ليسددها في المرمى.

أسوان لم يتأخر كثير في الرد، وأحرز الهدف الثاني والتعادل في الدقيقة 54، عن طريق محمد أسامة الذي استلم كرة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، وراوغ مدافعي المصري وسدد الكرة في مرمي حارس الفريق البورسعيدي.

وسجل المصري هدف الفوز والحسم في الدقيقة 66، بعد مرور رائع من عمر كمال لاعب المصري لمدافعي المصري، وإرسال كرة عرضية لـ أوستن أموتو مهاجم الفريق البورسعيدي المتواجد خالياً من الرقابة أمام المرمي، ليضعها برأسيه في الشباك.

وبهذا الفوز يرتفع رصيد المصري إلى النقطة 32 محتلاً المركز الثالث، مُزيحاً بيراميدز إلى المركز الرابع بـ31، في حين يأتي أسوان في المركز الخامس عشر برصيد 20 نقطة. شاهد أهداف المصري وأسوان

Despite going ahead courtesy of a Trezeguet strike, Aston Villa let another lead slip against a top-six side with Liverpool scoring two late goals to maintain their unbeaten start to 2019/20.

That being said there was one positive to be found, and that was in the rapturous atmosphere inside Villa Park. The vibes in the stadium has got these fans praising the club as they strive to have a rosier outlook on their prospects for the remainder of the campaign.

Strikes from Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane gave Jurgen Klopp’s side an important victory to retain their six-point lead at the summit of the league table, but the German coach also praised the atmosphere inside the stadium in his post-match comments, much to the delight of many Villa fans.

Defeat for Dean Smith’s side will have been naturally frustrating – especially given their ongoing inability to see out leads against superior opposition – but the reaction to the defeat hasn’t seen many put too many dampeners on proceedings. 

It should serve as a sign of encouragement going forward, especially as the Villans strive to make their home ground a fortress.

Here are some of the best reactions following an official club tweet.

Liverpool failed to seal their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League as they were held to a 1-1 draw in their penultimate group match against Napoli at Anfield on Wednesday night, but that may not be their biggest issue.

The Reds are at the top of Group E but lie three points above third-placed Red Bull Salzburg, who they face in Austria in their final fixture next month knowing that a point will be enough to see them progress.

One player it remains to be seen whether they will be with or without for their crucial clash is midfielder Fabinho,  who went down injured and was replaced in the 19th minute of the match by Georginio Wijnaldum.

The look of anguish in his face on the ground, as seen below, was hardly great, as well as the fact that he wasn’t able to carry on.

The Daily Mail has since reported that he was spotted with Deco post-match with a protective boot on, suggesting the injury is more than just a knock.

Given how much of a key player he has been for Liverpool this season – 2.5 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.1 key passes per game in the Premier League according to WhoScored is testament to that.

The Merseyside outfit don’t really have another specialist defensive midfielder like the Brazilian, so it would be a blow to lose him ahead of what looks to be a tough December when it comes to fixture congestion.

With Liverpool currently flying high in the Premier League, both the fans and Jurgen Klopp will be praying for some good news once the scans arrive.

In other Liverpool news, the Reds are interested in signing a pacey attacker who would be perfect for Klopp…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

He continues to talk a good game, but words can only get you so far in this line of work.

Pep Clotet has gone through a rough couple of months, from fans calling him deluded, to being nominated for Manager of the Month. But things could be a lot smoother if he could just start delivering rather than pontificating about how nice he wants his team to play.

What’s he said?

Speaking during his press conference ahead of the game with Fulham, Clotet pointed out that a lot of the good or bad feelings that surround a club’s performances are dictated by the result rather than how well the club plays on the day:

“I understand that most of the time in football the result affects the judgement we make on the performance of a team. It shouldn’t be like that because it’s not like that in any other parts of our lives.

“The game is like that. If we play very well in Cardiff and we lose we might be thinking away from home that we should be more conservative.

“But if you play conservative and you lose you say ‘Oh we should be more offensive’. That’s because results condition out opinions.”

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Time to put his words into action

He raises a great point in regards to fan’s expectations and how they feel about the performance afterwards depending on the result, and how that seems to override how good or bad the display on the day was.

Perhaps it’s time that he starts listening to his own words and delivering what makes the fans happy in that case.

It seems as if Clotet is more concerned with trying to implement his own style rather than picking up results. This might explain why he’s made such a strong point about seeing away games as ‘bonuses’ rather than something that he can use to help build a platform off this season.

It really boils down to a simple equation. Having a great result and a great performance is great, but if you can only have one of them, then the result should always take priority over the performance.

Whilst he talks about the board and him having the same sort of vision for the club, there will come a time where he has to deliver them, and given how trigger happy the club have been when it comes to the men running the team, there’s only so much time that he’ll be given before results will play a part in his job evaluation.

According to The Scottish Sun, Crystal Palace have identified Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard as a potential January signing, while Roy Hodgson also holds an interest in Rangers hitman Alfredo Morelos.

Edouard – who has nine goals in just four appearances for France’s U21 side – has been in exquisite form for the Bhoys this term having netted 12 times, while also registering 12 assists.

It is believed that the south Londoners are plotting a £20m swoop for the 21-year-old striker, and this report states that Edouard is the Eagles’ first-choice in terms of finding someone to ease the club’s goalscoring woes – Hodgson’s side are the second-lowest scorers in the Premier League this season with just ten goals in 12 outings.

Celtic reportedly don’t want to lose Edouard in January as they enter the Europa League knockout stages and also fight for the Scottish Premiership title.

So, would Edouard be a good signing for Palace?

Billy Meyers

“I think the Frenchman would be an excellent addition to Palace’s squad, and would also help solve more problem than just their lack of having someone to finish off chances. Edouard, along with his 12 goals, has also notched 12 assists, showcasing how he can also create chances as well as score them. As much as Palace need a goalscorer, they also need a creator just as badly having conjured up the least ‘big chances’ in the Premier League this season. 

“The Eagles are also second behind only Newcastle in the xG table for least expected goals with 11.96, which is only 1.96 more than they have actually scored – in this respect, Edouard would be a shrewd capture as he has many strings to his bow rather than just goalscoring.”

Lewis Blain 

“A striker this January appears to be high on Hodgson’s wishlist but the veteran manager needs to be cool and calculated about it – for too long they have had to suffer. It speaks volumes when their top goalscorer last season was defensive midfielder Luka Milivojevic as he netted 12 times, mostly from the penalty spot. This term, Christian Benteke is yet to even get off the mark while Jordan Ayew is tasked with leading the line having bagged four so far.

“However, a move for Edouard would be a huge risk. The 21-year-old may have scored 12 times in 24 appearances for Celtic with the majority coming in the Scottish Premiership – a league that just isn’t comparable to the Premier League – but he would also come with a huge weight of expectation as Palace have clearly long-desired a striker. If he were to get off to a slow start, supporters may soon turn. 

“At 6 foot 2, he is in a very similar mould to one of their current flops – do they really need another Benteke?”

Harry Sherlock

“Edouard is something of an unknown quantity. Yes, he’s been scoring goals in the SPL, but what does that really mean?

“Think of the players who have made the jump from Scotland to England: the likes of Steven Naismith and Nikica Jelavic haven’t quite cut the mustard in England.  Naismith scored 20 goals in the Premier League, Jelavic hit 30 in 114 outings. 

“Steven Fletcher, by comparison, scored 53 goals in 189 outings but one has to wonder which path Edouard is going to follow. It’d be a massive gamble for Palace to take, purely because it isn’t clear how those goals in Scotland will translate to England. Palace might be better off going for a proven option.”

Viji Jeevathayalan

“Make no mistake about it, Edouard would be an exciting coup for Crystal Palace. The Frenchman has comfortably stepped up following Moussa Dembele’s departure at Celtic, and has racked up an impressive 12 goals and 12 assists this season. Given the Scottish giants’ participation in European football, the 21-year-old has had the chance to play at the highest level, and that level of experience would be invaluable to an aspiring side like the Eagles.

In Celtic’s remarkable double over Lazio in the Europa League this year, Edouard notched an assist in both the home and away games. This is a man who rises to the occasion, scoring 34 goals in all competitions since the start of 2018/19, proving he is comfortably better than Benteke and Ayew. The duo have only scored a combined total of four goals in 23 games this term, with the latter scoring all four of those but only getting one in the Premier League last season.

Sunderland owner Stewart Donald has withdrawn from a talk-in meeting with fans, leaving many supporters outraged.

Instead, the evening will be chaired by executive director Charlie Methven and club legend Kevin Ball, who will oversee discussion relating to the recent investment by the American consortium.

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When Donald first took over he was quite vocal, communicating online with supporters and outlining the reasons behind decision-making, but subsequent criticism and abuse has forced him away, and now it is possible it has put him off face-to-face discourse too.

For some amongst the Sunderland faithful his action is a reminder of the previous chairman, Ellis Short, who also hid away when things weren’t going well.

It is a bad sign for fans, therefore, as his tenure ended in disaster in the form of back-to-back relegations.

The current owner may be unhappy with how the fans are treating him but he is doing himself no favours by backing out of the evening, as it has led to further criticism, as evidenced by the reactions below.

تقدم الدولي الكرواتي لوكا مودريتش لـ ريال مدريد بهدف أمام غرناطة، في المباراة الجارية حاليًا بين الفريقين ضمن الجولة 36، على ملعب لوس كارمينيس.

هدف لوكا مودريتش جاء بعد تمريرة رائعة من ميجيل في ظهر الدفاع، تمكن لوكا من التعامل بطريقة رائعة معها.

وسدد مودريتش بالقدم اليسرى على يمين منطقة جزاء غرناطة، لتمر الكرة من تحت أقدام حارس أصحاب الأرض وتسكن الشباك ويتقدم ريال مدريد. هدف مودريتش في مباراة ريال مدريد وغرناطة

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Jake Clarke-Slater has taken his chance, but will it be taken away from him again in the future?

We spoke on FFC earlier this week about his performance against Fulham, how he didn’t do anything to disgrace himself when it came to his performance and that he should be given the opportunity to carry on as Harlee Dean’s replacement as he carries on his suspension.

However, once Dean’s time out is done, Clarke-Salter could find himself back to square one as it were, but should that really be the case?

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He’s managed to perform well in his two league games so far this season, and has only really been let down by two horrendous mistakes by Lee Camp, otherwise he’d be undefeated with two clean sheets under his belt.

As it stands though, he’s got a 100% losing record (plus the cup game against Portsmouth, but we can cut him some slack there as the line-up suggested Pep Clotet had no intention of winning that game).

The Blues could change to a back three on a permanent basis to help accommodate someone like Clarke-Salter into the fray, however you can still bring him in without changing the formation. Although it might sound sacrilegious to say it, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be competing with the likes of Marc Roberts for a starting role alongside Dean.

He’s shown that he can be more than capable at this level for Birmingham, winning five duels and making a combined total of four interpretations and blocks at the weekend. However, beyond that, he just isn’t being given a fair crack at it.

Much in the same way we have talked about Moha Ramos and his lack of opportunities at St Andrew’s, the fact that he’s only here on loan should add urgency to the situation, leaning on him to be used on a regular basis. You don’t want to have essentially wasted a year of his career by allowing him to rot on the bench.

They might be in a position where they can buy the 22-year-old in the summer, but if he doesn’t feel happy about his playing time, then it could end up giving him second thoughts about coming back to St Andrew’s.

Everton will battle with Southampton at St. Mary’s today in what has turned into a must-win game for Marco Silva. The Toffees boss is under immense pressure, as his side now sits 17th in the table, with just three league wins all season.

Should Everton lose on the south coast, it would put the relegation-sitting Southampton on the same points as the Merseysiders after 12 games. Thankfully for Silva, the Saints’ 9-0 loss to Leicester City may save him from the relegation places even if they suffer a defeat.

However, if the former Watford boss drops any more points, these next two games could be his last in English football.

Silva is expected to make one change for the trip down south, with the injury to Andre Gomes keeping him out of the team for many months.

In replace of him, Tom Davies and Fabian Delph are expected in the centre of the pitch. Elsewhere, Theo Walcott has had a change in fortune over the past month, with a goal and one assist over the last four games.

The form of Alex Iwobi in this time has also kept Gylfi Sigurdsson out of the side. However, his display against Spurs suggested that they’re missing the Iceland international, and he should come back in. Although, the injury to Bernard and Richarlison’s use up top could keep Iwobi on the left side of the attack.

At the back is where Silva has endured most of his problems. The form of Michael Keane has been woeful this season, as opposed to Mason Holgate who has one goal, one assist and a clean sheet in his past four starts. Alongside Holgate will most likely be Yerry Mina, who remains Everton’s main man at the back.

At right back, Djibril Sidibe has begun to push Seamus Coleman out the side on a permanent basis.

The Frenchman has started the past three games and showed his worth with his 7.35 rating against West Ham United last month.

The left-back spot is Silva’s easiest spot to choose from, with Lucas Digne once again proving to be one of Everton’s best players.

His fabulous assist for Cenk Tosun’s goal against Spurs was his fourth of the league season, which matches his total for the last campaign.