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Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari is a target for Chelsea , Barcelona and Real Madrid are keeping an eye on Aston Villa 's Johan Manzambi and Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres could be moved on. Chelsea have joined Galatasaray in the hunt for Brighton 's 23-year-old Sweden midfielder Yasin Ayari. (Teamtalk), external Liverpool are not in any rush to open contract negotiations with Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister despite the 27-year-old's upturn in form this season. (Telegraph - subscription required), external Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the clubs keeping tabs on Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi after the 21-year-old's impressive start to his Aston Villa career. (Football Insider), external Sunderland are preparing a renewed bid to sign Sporting and Mozambique winger Geny Catamo, 25, in the January transfer window. (Teamtalk), external Everton are monitoring Dinamo Zagreb's 24-year-old Croatia striker Dion Beljo as one of several options in the January window. (Football Insider), external Liverpool , and a number of top European sides, are interested in signing 18-year-old Mexico midfielder Gilberto Mora from Tijuana. (Marca), external Arsenal want to recoup the £55m they paid to sign Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 28, with a deal more likely to happen at the end of the season than in January. (Football Insider), external Brazil forward Vinicius Jr was strongly tempted to move to Arsenal in the summer, but the 26-year-old now hopes to spend the rest of his career with Real Madrid. (Mail - subscription required), external Arsenal are leading the race among Premier League clubs to sign 20-year-old Turkey midfielder Can Uzun from Eintracht Frankfurt . (The Daily Briefing), external Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast

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Former England defender Ryan Bertrand is leading a consortium that has proposed an £87m minority investment in League One side AFC Wimbledon. Bertrand, who played for Chelsea, Southampton, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest during his career, is at the forefront of the group with British technology expert Omar Mir, who is the sole funder of the proposed minority share buyout through investment vehicle Sloane Street Capital (SSC). The Dons Trust board presented their proposals to its members on Wednesday night. SSC would invest £16m on completion for a minority 34% of the shares in AFCW PLC, the company that runs the club. The remaining £71m would be spread over five seasons to the 2030-31 campaign. If the deal is successful, SSC would oversee football operations, led by Bertrand as senior football advisor, but work within budgets and processes agreed by the AFCW PLC board. The Dons Trust currently own 50.01% of the voting shares of AFC Wimbledon, which was designed to ensure the club remains fan-controlled. Bertrand, who won the Champions League, FA Cup and Europa League with Chelsea, said: "AFC Wimbledon's story is unique in English football and it was built by its supporters. We felt at home from our very first meetings. "We are not here to change what this club is. We are here to help it go further on and off the pitch, for the men's team, the women's team and the academy. "It would be an honour to join the Wimbledon family and help write the next chapter, and we look forward to meeting members and answering their questions over the coming weeks." Under the terms of the deal, the Dons Trust voting rights would be unaffected, plus they would hold veto control of the Cherry Red Record Stadium freehold. Other proposals include SSC taking two of the 12 seats on the club board, plus an observer position, while the Dons Trust would retain a veto over the club's name, badge, colours, ground and constitution. Stuart Fiertz, co-founder of the investment management company Cheyne Capital and sports executive Oliver Ward would join the board if a deal is ratified. Should SSC sell its stake, the Dons Trust would have first refusal and could block who they felt were unsuitable investors. Also, as part of the terms, if SSC missed a payment, its share of AFC Wimbledon's value would stop growing immediately and control would return to the club within three months. The voting period for Dons Trust members to decide on the proposals ends on 17 November. Earlier this year, members voted in favour of external investment on the proviso that fan ownership and control were protected. Since then, the board has considered more than 20 potential investors, with SSC emerging as the strongest. AFC Wimbledon's lawyers have completed source-of-funds and background checks on the individuals involved in the consortium. Angus Fox, chair of the Dons Trust board, said: "The deal brings at least £87m into AFC Wimbledon over five years, while the Trust keeps a permanent majority of the votes, control of the Plough Lane freehold and a veto over everything that makes us who we are. We have set out the factors to weigh as plainly as the opportunities. "The board recommends a yes vote, but this is our members' club and our members' decision." Pre-match, post-match and topical Dons content Subscribe and listen for everything you love about Wimbledon

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned on head coach Michael Carrick following one of the most humiliating nights in the club's European history. A 4-1 Champions League hammering at Como led to Carrick fielding questions about his future. He apologised to the 700 travelling fans, having ignored his beaten players after the final whistle to march across the pitch and repeatedly hold his hands up - in a manner similar to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following a 4-1 defeat at Watford in November 2021 which led to his dismissal as United boss 24 hours later. However, Fernandes - widely accepted as a football obsessive who watches games regularly and understands the tactical side as well as any player in the United squad - inflicted more damage when he spoke to TNT Sports afterwards. "It's a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, but sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confidence," he said. Asked directly whether Carrick got his tactics wrong, Fernandes added: "That's on the manager and staff to see it, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable." Told of Fernandes' comments in his post-match press conference, Carrick offered a curt response: "There's a little bit of whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don't run, and you don't run forward, and you don't run back, you aren't going to win." Man Utd embarrassment in Como leaves Carrick job in danger Carrick also refused to answer questions about his own future. Instead, he described his own feelings about United's performance and focused on taking responsibility. "I have to apologise to the supporters," said the former player. "I care about this football club as much as anyone, if not more, with the position that I'm in and what I value this football club. For us to play in that way is not acceptable. "I always go over to the fans anyway, regardless, so it wasn't a particularly different kind of reason why I went over. "It's the appreciation and acknowledgement of what they've gone through and have done over a period of a few weeks now. As I said, I was one of them. "I'm feeling the same as them. We've got a lot of values in this football club; what we represent and how we want to go about it. We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight wasn't acceptable. I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them. "Listen. I've not given my own position any thought - this is for the supporters - I was one of them watching that and I wasn't happy all." After winning 12 of his 17 games in charge last season to guide United back into the Champions League after a two-year absence, Carrick was given a two-year contract. However, as happened with Solskjaer five years ago, the new campaign has unravelled spectacularly and they are 13th in the Premier League, three points clear of bottom club Sunderland. Although they recovered from their shock opening-day defeat to newly promoted Hull by coming from behind to beat Ipswich the following week, United have not won in the Premier League since. Their only other success in 11 games in all competitions came against Azerbaijan champions Sabah FK in the Champions League. Their latest loss meant they have now gone seven games without a win, their worst run since they went eight without a victory under Louis van Gaal between 25 November and 28 December 2015. Only Joshua Zirkzee's injury-time consolation prevented United suffering their joint second-worst European defeat of all time. The embarrassment was heightened by the knowledge that when they were last crowned European champions in 2008, Como were playing semi-professional football in front of a couple of hundred spectators in Serie D. It is a basic reality that if Como's star man Nico Paz, who opened the scoring after 118 seconds, created the second and added a third goal, said he wanted to leave Como, virtually every big club in Europe would want to sign him and United's chances would be virtually non-existent. They entertain 15th-placed Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday knowing that prior to last season's amazing 4-4 draw, the Cherries recorded 3-0 wins on their previous two visits to Old Trafford. United flew straight back to Manchester after the game. It remains to be seen whether the position around Carrick changes before the Bournemouth game. However, United supporters sang against the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the shambolic evening unravelled. Both Carrick and sporting director Jason Wilcox have been absolved of partial blame for the club's plight by some; Carrick because he was let down badly in the summer transfer window, when the club signed three midfielders, but failed to bring in competition for Luke Shaw at left-back and Benjamin Sesko in attack. Wilcox too, because he had to work to a budget set by those above him, including chief executive Omar Berrada. "There was a lot going through my mind watching that," admitted Carrick, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during his United playing career. "It was tough to watch. "It wasn't just the goals, if I'm totally honest. It was was the manner and way we played at times. "I'm giving my absolute best all the time, I care about it. My whole life is wrapped around it. It might go well, it might not go so well, but I I genuinely give everything that I possibly can." Pre-match, post-match and topical United content Subscribe and listen for everything you love about the Red Devils Latest Manchester United news, analysis and fan views Ask about Man Utd - what do you want to know?

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Michael Carrick's Manchester United were ripped apart in a dreadful 4-1 defeat at Como in the Champions League, as their miserable run of results stretched to seven without a win. The pressure continues to pile up on Carrick and this United side as their start to the season lurches from bad to worse - and on Wednesday night they were humbled by a Como team which delivered more intensity and quality in Italy. The first attribute should be a non-negotiable but, despite United's application being in the spotlight, they were once again outworked by their opposition. Static in midfield, allowing Como players to run off them, losing markers... this was a shocking show of United's big failings out of possession. The tone was set just two minutes in when Man Utd went behind early on - again. They are the first English side ever to concede in back-to-back Champions League games so soon and never got to grips with Cesc Fabregas' impressively coached team. Nico Paz brought the class for the hosts. The talented Argentina international stuck the opener into the top corner when Harry Maguire gave him too much space and then slotted in a third after catching Carlos Baleba in possession. Paz set up another Como goal, too, playing in Tasos Douvikas, who ran away from a disoriented Matthijs de Ligt to find the net inside four minutes of the second half. This was De Ligt's first start in 325 days due to back problems and came due to a wider spate of injuries at the club. But excuses for this United performance may wear thin quickly for the travelling support who stood in the pouring rain to watch this dismantling. United's own star, Bruno Fernandes, was anonymous again, with just one goal involvement now in his past nine appearances for the club. His head-shaking summed up the mood before a sweeping Como fourth, which saw unmarked centre-back Jacobo Ramon head in, underline the vast gap between the sides on the night. Joshua Zirkzee's injury-time goal was of little consolation. With just three points from their first three games, United have an uphill battle to make it out of the league phase in this competition. More immediately they are in desperate need of a better performance and win at home to Bournemouth on Sunday in the Premier League, live on Sky Sports. "They've got to start winning matches. The problem with Manchester United is we still live in the age of when it was Rooney, Ronaldo and people like that. "We're caught by the name - one of the biggest clubs in the world. But they're not one of the biggest teams in the world. They're far from it. "Everybody judges them on when they had superstars. I don't see it as a shock. I look at their players and I don't go, 'oh this is a surprise'. I didn't expect them to beat Leeds. Absolutely not. I didn't expect them to beat Como. That's where they are. "Rooney, Ronaldo, Keane... they're a million miles away." 2: BIG MISS! Diogo Dalot takes a Matheus Cunha cross down in the box but his left-foot shot flashes wide of the far post. 2: GOAL! Nico Paz curls Como's opener into the top corner after Harry Maguire gives him too much space. A similar chance to Dalot's - a different result! 17: WIDE! Harry Maguire heads wide from a Bryan Mbeumo cross. 39: BIG MISS! Tasos Douvikas blazes over after stepping into the United box, failing to capitalise on static defending. 41: OFFIDE! A let-off for Senne Lammens and Man Utd as an offside flag goes up against Douvikas after he is brought down in the box by the goalkeeper. HT: SUBS! Michael Carrick makes two changes at the break with Amad Diallo and Carlos Baleba sent on for Andrey Santos and Matheus Cunha. 49: GOAL! Man Utd concede at the start of the second half, too, as Paz plays in Douvikas, who runs off Matthijs de Ligt before firing in. 54: CLOSE! Lucas da Cunha blasts a left-foot shot wide from inside the box when he looked primed to add a third. 57: GOAL! Baleba makes an ill-advised turn in his own half with no cover behind him and Paz takes the ball and races in on goal to add a third. 64: CHANCES! But Amad can't connect with Fernandes' clipped pass into the box to pull one back for United. Moments later he sees a shot tipped over. 76: GOAL! Centre-back Jacobo Ramon heads in to finish off another sweeping Como move. 90+1: GOAL! Joshua Zirkzee is narrowly onside to grab a late goal for Man Utd, finding the net after controlling Amad's cross.

UEFA Champions League·3–1

⚽️ Champions League updates from 8pm BST ⚽️ Bayern v Arsenal | Live scores | Table | Mail Sarah Real Madrid : Courtois; Valverde, Huijsen, Rudiger, Carreras; Silva, Camavinga, Bellingham; Guler, Mbappe, Vini Jr. Bench: Lunin, Éder Militão, Endrick, Alexander-Arnold, Tchouaméni, Konaté, Cucurella, Carlos Espí, Brahim Díaz, Dumfries, Diomande, Thiago Pitarch Continue reading...

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In the shadow of the Alps, a boat ride from George Clooney’s villa, Manchester United’s torrid season plunged into chaos and infighting just 11 games in. Michael Carrick’s status as United manager is now precarious because witnessed here by Lake Como was a humiliation of the three-time European champions by Cesc Fàbregas’s competition debutants. At the end about 200 of United’s 700 travelling fans remained. Carrick walked over to say sorry, raising his hands three or four times in supplication. But, markedly, he ignored his players, the manager later admitting to “anger” at what was witnessed. He was then embroiled in a wrangle with his captain after Bruno Fernandes stated “the staff” decided on a tactic not to press. Carrick’s riposte, deep in the stadium at the post-game media conference, was pithy. “We actually half-pressed man-to-man the second half and then conceded a goal from that,” he said. And so, after Lisandro Martínez called out Jason Wilcox last week following the 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid (for the director of football’s recruitment; the defender later apologised), we now have the spectacle of the manager and his captain at loggerheads. Whether the 45-year-old will be in place for the visit of Bournemouth on Sunday is the searing question because Carrick was unable to rouse his players when 1-0 down at half‑time after a dire start, and if he has a tactical plan this is a mystery. Carrick brushed away questions about quitting and fearing for his job, but the executive will surely discuss this. The manner of the defeat will be top of the agenda because by 57 minutes this was over: Como were 3-0 ahead, and Nico Paz had destroyed Carrick’s men with a scintillating display featuring two goals and the assist for Tasos Douvikas’s strike. When the Italian side attacked and defended it was as a unit drilled supremely by Fàbregas. Carrick, on this and the evidence of only two wins all term, is a coach struggling to match this. Como’s supremacy in the most famous victory of their 119 years came with only 62 total Champions League appearances by their players to United’s 242. Or, more simply, this was the Italians’ men against United’s boys at a sold-out Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, where the visitors went down to a club whose tagline is “the most beautiful football in the most beautiful location”. For United, though, this was an ugly night in Lombardy. Disaster struck two minutes in. Carrick’s men snoozed, allowing a Paz curler from the right to beat Senne Lammens. This was a whole 60 seconds longer than Atlético were kept out, as United became the first English team to concede inside two minutes in consecutive major European matches. The opener came moments after Diogo Dalot spurned a simple opening to dizzy the hosts, so here was United, in microcosm, at each end of the pitch: a basic lack of quality. Mason Mount lined up alongside Andrey Santos in a midfield that had Matheus Cunha, Youri Tielemans and Bryan Mbeumo ahead, with Fernandes a false-ish 9. As Como hogged possession throughout, any United foray needed to threaten Jean Butez’s goal: Mbeumo’s corner from the right patently did not when failing to clear a first defender. After a near 24-hour deluge the rain finally stopped but Como’s blue wave continued relentlessly. United’s press was piecemeal, as Fernandes identified, maybe involving one or two, but never a group act. At the interval, Carrick had to earn his corn. In missing nine players because of injury, suspension or illness, there was mitigation. Matthijs de Ligt, partnering Harry Maguire in central defence, being thrown straight in for a first appearance in 325 days after a serious back injury illustrated Carrick’s straitened resources. Carrick’s move was to take off Cunha and Santos for Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo in a reshuffle that took Tielemans into central midfield, Fernandes to No 10, and Mbeumo leading the line. The net result: Como’s second. Paz enjoyed a universe of time to thread in Douvikas, and he powered past Lammens. This was a mere four minutes into the second half and thoughts turned to the clock ticking on Carrick’s tenure, before Como scored twice more. First came Paz’s second, the Argentinian skating along the right and beating Lammens for 3-0. Then, on 76 minutes, Como waltzed through for a fourth time. Up rose Jacobo Ramón to head in Kaiki Bruno’s cross from the left and United’s disintegration was complete – Joshua Zirkzee’s stoppage-time goal not even a consolation. By the end Carrick seemed as broken as his team. Even if Carrick survives until Sunday, who knows how much longer he will remain after Bournemouth’s visit. He was let down in the summer market but at this club the manager usually pays, not the hierarchy.

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Nico Paz delivered a virtuoso performance as Como cruised to a memorable 4-1 victory over Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League.

UEFA Champions League

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Galatasaray claimed their first points of the Champions League campaign as they came from behind to beat Lille in northern France.

UEFA Champions League

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Southampton forward Finn Azaz will continue to represent the Republic of Ireland despite reports that he may retire from international football. The 26-year-old told BBC Radio Solent, external that he would carry on playing for the country where he holds citizenship and has made 16 appearances since his debut in 2024. Azaz, who was born in England, represents Ireland through his father but also qualified for Israel through his mother. Azaz was an unused substitute when the Republic of Ireland met Israel in two recent Nations League matches - games that were embroiled in controversy - and reports afterwards suggested he could call time on his international career. The Republic of Ireland players faced calls to withdraw from the games due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. A campaign called "Stop The Game", organised by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine, staged protests before and during the Republic's game against Austria in Dublin, prior to their second match against Israel. However, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) decided to fulfil the fixtures, which had already been moved to neutral venues, with the Republic of Ireland winning the first match 3-0 before playing out a 1-1 draw. Ireland wore black armbands for the matches and bowed their heads when Israel's national anthem was played before kick-off, while the two teams did not shake hands. Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said following the second match that the period had been "tough" on Azaz "mentally". "It is probably the most difficult situation for him of all of us," he said. "He deserves a lot of credit for being in the squad and showed desire to be a part of this team." Republic of Ireland denied by Israel in draw Republic of Ireland defeat Israel in Debrecen Azaz has had an impressive start to the campaign and has emerged as one of Southampton's most important players. Since signing from Middlesborough last summer, the Irishman has scored 14 goals with 15 assists having played 60 times. Azaz has called for more from the group as they push for promotion back to the Premier League. "It's been a good start by the team but we're not there yet," he told BBC Radio Solent. "There's still space to get to another level, we've been pretty consistent but it was never going to be the same as the end of last season straight away. "You have to build that mentality, it's now about us wanting to keep improving and not just being content with how we're doing. "We have high aspirations and the mindset has to be to keep getting better." Pre-match, post-match and topical Saints content Subscribe and listen for everything you love about the Saints

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Pascal Struijk’s red card has been so divisive that two independent panels have now disagreed over whether the Brighton defender deserved to be sent off, adding to the confusion of former Premier League referees and Sky Sports pundits. Struijk was dismissed for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the second half of Brighton's 2-0 win over Sunderland earlier this month when he was adjudged to have fouled Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor as he tried to latch onto a pass that ran through to goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Neither referee Thomas Bramall nor his assistant gave a foul but VAR Neil Davies intervened and recommended an on-field review. Bramall watched several replays before changing his decision and showing Struijk a red card. However, Brighton appealed on grounds of wrongful dismissal and an independent regulatory commission, which is convened through the FA to consider disciplinary matters, overturned the red card and subsequent one-match ban. But disagreements over the decision have continued after the Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel voted 3-2 that the VAR intervention was correct. The Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel provides an independent assessment of key decisions in every Premier League match. It is an independent group of five members: three former players or coaches, one representative from the Premier League, and one from Pro Ref, the organisation responsible for refereeing in England. Two KMI panellists supported the on-field call, deeming it unlikely Isidor would get possession of the ball as it ran through to Verbruggen. The KMI panel ruled that Struijk committed a "cynical foul clearly impacting the attacker's ability to gain possession of the ball which should have been penalised by the referee". But two KMI panellists believed the VAR intervention was incorrect because it was subjective whether Isidor would have gained possession. The Premier League said the KMI panel and an independent regulatory commission can reach different conclusions because they are "entirely separate bodies with different purposes and processes". Red cards for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity are rare after a VAR review because they are so subjective. It happened only three times last season when Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai and Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix saw red, but Marcos Senesi escaped after referee Jarred Gillett rejected VAR advice that the then-Bournemouth defender should have been sent off. VAR is also operating with a "lighter-touch" approach this season to avoid re-refereeing on-field decisions, so former Premier League referee Mike Dean said it wasn't a clear mistake that needed rectifying. "I don't think it's a sending off, it's very harsh," he said. "There's a slight barge but the ball has gone through to the goalkeeper. Isidor is never going to get the ball, so the on-field decision is correct. "It's not clear and obviously wrong so why should the VAR get involved? It's a free-kick but not a red card. It's the wrong call." Dermot Gallagher, another ex-Premier League referee, felt the incident could be deemed a "possible" goal-scoring opportunity. "It's a foul. If the referee whistles at that point, pulls out a yellow card, and it all goes away," he said. "VAR got involved because they felt that the player would gain control of the ball. With the goalkeeper there, I wonder if it goes from obvious to a possible goalscoring opportunity. If it does, it's a yellow." Dawson said: "I wasn't sure whether Isidor was going to get the ball. "I'd have stayed with the on-field decision. It's not clear and obvious, it's subjective. If a red card was given on-field then no problem." Bothroyd added: "I think the keeper is getting there. At the bare minimum, the goalkeeper is competing. It is not obvious that Isidor is going to get there; I don't think it should be a red card."

Football News

Former Georgia captain and Dundee midfielder Giorgi Nemsadze has died at the age of 54 of a heart attack. Dinamo Tbilisi, with whom he started and ended his playing career, made the announcement "with a heavy heart" on Facebook. Having previously played with Hamburg, Trabzonspor, Grasshoppers, Reggiana and Locomotive Tbilisi, Nemsadze joined Dundee in 2000, spending three years with the club, and earned 69 caps for his country. Giorgia's Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has led the tributes, stating: "I express my deep sorrow over the death of Giorgi Nemsadze. This is a tremendous loss for Georgian football. 'Galvanised Dundee will shock more teams' "As the former captain of Georgia's national team, an outstanding professional and a leader with a fighting spirit, he successfully represented both the national team and Georgian and foreign clubs. "With his distinctive playing style and perseverance, he left a lasting mark on the history of Georgian sport." Nemsadze joined Dundee during the era of big-name signings, such as Argentina striker Claudio Caniggia, under manager Ivano Bonetti and was inducted into the Scottish Premiership club's hall of fame in 2010. He subsequently spent a year as Dinamo's sporting director before entering coaching with the country's youth players and managing Shevardeni Tbilisi, Dila Gori and Dinamo. Visit our Dundee page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views

UEFA Champions League·4–1

Matthijs de Ligt comes in for Manchester United, making his first appearance since November last year, as Michael Carrick makes four changes. Como make three changes, with Trevoh Chalobah missing out. Como: Butez; Yan Couto, Ramon, Kempf, Valle; Milla, Perrone; Da Cunha, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas. Subs: Ginelli, Sanchez, Caqueret, Dossena, Kaiki Bruno, Ricci, Smolcic, Liberali. Manchester United: Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, De Ligt, Mazraoui; Andrey Santos, Tielemans; Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Mount; Mbeumo. Subs: Darlow, Heaton, Zirkzee, Diallo, Baleba, Thompson, Lacey, J Fletcher, T Fletcher, Amass, Kamason, Armer. Referee: Sven Jablonski (Germany).

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Now then, which one of you hipsters decided to put Porto 0-1 PSV on? Oh dear. This was another night of Bigger Cup at its Bigliest self, comebacks everywhere, 40 goals in nine games, six of those in a best-v-best clash as Paris Saint-Germain rallied late against Barcelona. Even in defeat, Lamine Yamal found space to decorate the room with a ludicrous toe-poke equaliser, and there was a wholesome tale in Italy as Scott McTominay scored twice for Napoli in their 4-3 win against Bodø/Glimt. These were his first strikes since returning from heart surgery, taking his tally at the club to 29 goals in 86 appearances. No wonder Erik ten Hag was peeved with his bosses at Manchester United for shipping the midfielder off to Naples. But even after all that, Football Daily feels hollow, as it does for most of Bigger Cup’s group stage. The absence of jeopardy in the 36-team table remains a sore point, as PSG magnificently demonstrated during their back-to-back title-winning campaigns. In 2024-25 they finished 15th, taking seven points from their first six games; in the old days this meant a third-place finish in your group and a humiliating retreat to Big Vase. In 2025-26 Luis Enrique’s side settled for 11th and, once again, embraced their punishment of an extra knockout round. To be fair, this season they look as if they want to put their feet up in February, sitting pretty at the top with three wins from three. Liverpool, too, would have been OK without a special night at home, having won their first two games, but try telling that to the Kop. They got the thrills of coming back from two goals down to beat Villarreal, under-the-pump Florian Wirtz hit the winner, and Rio Ngumoha received plenty of love. The visitors got the full Anfield experience, with Villarreal’s manager, Iñigo Pérez, confessing: “We weren’t able to handle the emotion.” Having said all that, try telling Michael Carrick that the match in Como doesn’t really matter, that it’s perfectly fine if his United side make it two wins in 11 games this season. Cesc Fàbregas’s side are the opposition, which should make you feel really, really old. The boy who infamously flung some pizza in an Old Trafford melee, splattering Sir Alex Ferguson, is enjoying himself on the touchline. All grown up, he could make life seriously messy for another Manchester United manager. Join Simon Burnton from 5.45pm BST for Como 6-4 Manchester United in Bigger Cup, while Scott Murray will be all over Bayern Munich 5-3 Arsenal and Sarah Rendell will be on hand for a clockwatch covering the night’s other goalfests. “Before ‌every game I asked God ‌to let me leave the pitch healthy. But it was in vain. Not much time has passed, yet one thought keeps circling in my head: ‘why me?’ I never held anything back. I think I prepared for this game better than I ever had before. I thought I was ready for everything – but not for this. I know I have to come back stronger for my people, who are ‌always by my side. I won’t let you down – I promise I won’t waste a single moment.” – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia vows to recover stronger after it was confirmed that the winger will have surgery following an ACL injury sustained during the 4-2 victory over Barcelona. Ousmane Dembélé and Marquinhos also suffered thigh tears that will keep them out for a few weeks. double quotation markOne has to admire the courage of Erik ten Hag, speaking out on Man United’s ‘toxic culture’ [yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition]. I broke out in a cold sweat reading about how they ‘give power to the players’. The stuff of nightmares, really” – Rowan Sweeney. double quotation markRoberto De Zerbi wants Spurs to be a family (yesterday’s Football Daily)? And he thinks playing for or with a family will avoid relegation? Well, I have this uncle. He’s called Weird Uncle Fiver (now there’s a throwback – Football Daily Ed), and he loves to [snip – Football Daily lawyers, and time-travelling pedants]” – Mike Wilner. If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day goes to … Mike Wilner. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here . This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

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The VAR who incorrectly awarded Erling Haaland's winner in last month's Manchester derby has been reinstated to Premier League duty. Matt Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus failed to judge that Manchester City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was offside and interfering with play during the incident at Old Trafford on September 13. Donohue is set to return to the Premier League and will serve as assistant VAR when Coventry host Fulham on Saturday. He has not featured in any of the three match rounds since the incident, while Antrobus made his first appearance since the derby as an assistant referee for Newcastle's home fixture against Aston Villa last Saturday. Donohue has officiated in the EFL since the derby, refereeing Championship matches between Derby and Wrexham on October 10 and Southampton vs Bolton last weekend. Pro Ref's chief refereeing officer Howard Webb said Donohue developed "tunnel vision" by focusing on whether Haaland was offside, and added that the team around him should have helped pull him out of it. Sky Sports News reported United received an apology over the incorrect VAR decision. In the 59th minute, Haaland tapped in a cross to give 10-man Man City the lead, but the goal was ruled out on-field after the assistant referee signalled for offside on the striker. The semi-automated offside technology ruled Haaland onside, so the goal stood, but City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was clearly offside when he dived to reach the same cross. Although he didn't touch the ball, Fernandez's movement appeared to affect Man Utd's Lisandro Martinez's defending before Haaland's back-post finish, which, under the laws of the game, should have meant the goal was disallowed. In their post on X explaining why the goal was awarded, the Premier League Match Centre wrote: "VAR checked the referee's call of no goal for offside - and determined that Haaland was in an onside position and recommended that the goal was awarded. "The VAR also deemed that while in an offside position, Fernandez didn't play the ball." However, in a statement released hours after Man City's win, Pro Ref said it had contacted Man Utd to acknowledge an "error of judgment" and that the VAR "should have recommended an on-field review" for Haaland's winner. A Pro Ref spokesperson said: "Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday's Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland's awarded goal. "The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland - that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position. "In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review. "Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place." On Match Officials Mic'd Up , Webb said he was "really disappointed" by the decision and added: "The on-field decision was not against Fernandez; it was against Haaland. When the VAR starts their check, they see that Haaland is actually onside by three centimetres. "The VAR gets super focused on Haaland. He establishes he is onside but when he runs it through the full APP (attacking possession phase), he doesn't truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez. "In that moment, he gets tunnel vision but it is down to the rest of his team to pull him out of that tunnel but unfortunately, that did not happen on this occasion. This goal should have been disallowed." Assistant referee: " I'm going to go offside, Haaland." VAR: " Checking the on-field decision of offside against Haaland. He's tight. He's onside, so now we need to check the full attacking possession phase (APP). "Haaland's in an onside position, but I need to check the full APP. Go back to see if [Iliman] Ndiaye is onside when it is flicked. Yes. Go, go, go, so it should be a goal. "No touch there [from Enzo Fernandez], confirm no touch. Clear gap. It's not a touch there, is it? Goal. "Michael, confirming that you need to change your decision to goal. Haaland is in an onside position. Final decision is goal; check complete." "It's a really strange one. They'll recognise they got that wrong." "It seems to me they've become obsessed with Haaland being onside. They haven't gone into as much detail with Fernandez in the middle and understanding of his impact on it." "They got the Phil Foden decision wrong, and they got this decision wrong. How can you not say Enzo Fernandez is challenging for the ball? Of course he is. "I've been in that position as a defender where any slight movement can make the difference for going for the ball or not, so of course it affects him. They've got it so wrong." "Their line is good. Fernandez is offside, and he goes to play the ball, so United are getting punished for good defending."

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Teenager produced man-of-the-match performance against Villarreal and has learned from Salah, says Reds captain The shot sailed wide of Peter Gulacsi’s top corner and into the Kop, affording Villarreal much-needed respite at 4-2, but for Andoni Iraola it was a standout moment in a scintillating Champions League display from Rio Ngumoha. To a coach that called for versatility from all of his wingers this summer, here was a significant step forward among many from the 18-year-old at Anfield. There were questions over how Ngumoha would adapt to playing on the right even before Liverpool increased the likelihood by signing Bradley Barcola for £123m from Paris Saint-Germain. On his fifth start under Iraola on Tuesday, which his side ultimately won 4-3, Liverpool witnessed an answer: quickly, incisively and confidently. The teenager’s willingness to cut inside from the right and shoot from distance with the left foot captured Iraola’s imagination as much as the devastating run that created Alexis Mac Allister’s second goal of the game. “I’m happy with his attitude because he’s eager to improve the things that we think he needs to improve,” said the Liverpool head coach after the comeback win against their Spanish opponents. “He has played a lot on the right lately. He’s feeling so comfortable now that he’s even adding some shots with the left. He hasn’t scored but he’s getting there, and if he can add these small things to his game it will put him in an even better position.” Ngumoha’s 71st-minute attempt was reminiscent of Mohamed Salah in its intent, if not in execution. The Liverpool great’s final season at Anfield may have been the exception to the exceptional in terms of his own contribution but, as an education to a gifted and hungry young winger, it was not wasted. As Virgil van Dijk noted that “a few senior players” have taken Ngumoha under their wing: “I would say Cody [Gakpo] is definitely part of that. Everyone is chipping in but for him to work with Mo last year was obviously massive. Mo was one of the best wingers at the club and experienced everything so why not soak in all the information and show it on the pitch and show your own qualities? I think he has shown it this season but there is still much more to come. He’s pretty electric at times and he showed it again. He was a complete threat constantly and their defender had a tough time.” The Salah comparison was not the only throwback for Liverpool against Villarreal. It was a flawed performance with Van Dijk’s early mistake, Iraola’s initial formation and Liverpool’s lethargy on the ball all punished by Iñigo Pérez’s slick side. “It was a terrible start,” conceded the Liverpool captain. “I think the saying is you fight an uphill battle and as a defender it is pretty difficult to come back from it. I tried but it was a bad day at the office personally but we do it together with 11 players. We turned it around and that’s the main thing.” The rousing recovery, the relentless high press, Iraola’s bold changes and the character required to overturn a 2-0 deficit all carried echoes of the Jürgen Klopp era. Given that was where Liverpool wished to return when replacing Arne Slot with the Basque coach this summer, Iraola’s 11th game in charge showed development is not confined only to Ngumoha. Van Dijk said: “If you look at it from that perspective, it is like that. We train a lot, tactically as well, but because there are so many games you learn playing games and this was a test in that sense because Villarreal were good on the ball. They also rotated a lot so you have to find moments when you can press them and when you can win the ball high. “Is this squad used to that [pressing style] because I don’t think many players have been part of that? What the manager wants us to do is something which resonates with Liverpool and it is down to us to show it in each and every game. It’s not easy, it’s demanding, but if you want to win games and win games in the Liverpool way then we have to do it. The first half was obviously not good at all and the second half was solid and we turned it around and that’s a good sign. Now we have to get ready for Brighton, a super team, which is coming.”