The incident occurred in the 19th over of the tri-series final, when a catch which Fakhar took wasn’t deemed legal, leaving him unhappy
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2025Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman has been fined 10% of his match fee and docked one demerit point after he was found guilty of breaching level 1 of the ICC code of conduct during the tri-series final against Sri Lanka on November 29.Fakhar was found to have breached article 2.8 of the code of conduct, which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match.” He admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by the match referee, so there was no need for a formal hearing, said an ICC release.The incident occurred in the 19th over of the final when Fakhar back-peddled from short-third, dived and seemed to have taken a stunning catch off Dasun Shanaka’s leading edge. The third umpire was called to check for the catch, and he deemed that the ball brushed the ground when Fakhar dived, and ruled it not out. Both Fakhar and the bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi weren’t happy with the decision and made it known to the on-field umpires.The very next ball, Shanaka swiped across the line and was clean bowled. Fakhar looked at the umpire and sarcastically appealed for the decision. Pakistan eventually won the final by six wickets as batting first, Sri Lanka collapsed in a heap, losing 9 for 30 to be bowled out for 114. Babar Azam shepherded the chase with an unbeaten 37, taking Pakistan over the line in 18.4 overs.This was Fakhar’s first offence in a 24-month period. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
Hansi Flick was seen being comforted by Raphinha as the Barcelona boss looked close to tears after a 3-1 victory over Alaves on Saturday night. The German manager was overwhelmed by emotions at the end of the match, and the Brazilian offered his support to the German coach. The results puts the Catalan giants on top of the table in Spain ahead of Real Madrid's fixture against Girona.
A shaky start, but a fierce response from Barcelona
Barcelona were stunned inside 60 seconds when Pablo Ibanez punished slack defending to fire Alaves into the lead. The early blow rattled Flick’s side, but gradually they found their rhythm. Raphinha, making his return to the starting lineup, became the spark they desperately needed. It was his work in the build-up that created the equaliser, slipping a clever pass into space for Lamine Yamal. While Robert Lewandowski failed to convert the chance, the rebound fell kindly for Yamal, who buried his effort to bring Barcelona level. After the equaliser, Barca were fully in control. Dani Olmo completed a superb brace, capitalising on Raphinha’s assist for his second goal, and the hosts saw out the match with a professional performance.
A video circulating on social media showed Raphinha sitting beside Flick on the bench, speaking to the German coach, who appeared visibly emotional. Flick shook his head repeatedly, as if overwhelmed by the occasion. He later revealed what the Brazilian had said to him: "After the end of the match, Raphinha was telling me the same thing I said last time: We will improve. We will be much better in the upcoming matches."
Advertisement
Watch the clip
Flick praises Raphinha on comeback
Despite lasting only 60 minutes due to fitness management, Raphinha produced one of his sharpest performances of the campaign.
"Raphinha always brings dynamism to our game," Flick told reporters. "He's very important because he has great intensity, and when he starts pressing, he makes everyone else press too. He needs to improve in the upcoming matches, but it's fantastic that he's back. I'm very happy to have them (Raphinha & Pedri) back. It wasn't easy managing their playing time. Rapha could only play 60 minutes, Pedri, 30…I'm happy with the three points, but not with some situations: we lost possession too often. We managed the game well."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
(C)Getty Images
Raphinha: Honest, demanding, and determined
Raphinha acknowledged feeling far from his peak fitness but insisted that the minutes were crucial as he works his way back.
He said: "I'm trying to find my best form. I'm not fit to play 90 minutes, but when I'm on the pitch, I try to give my all. I felt the fatigue in the second half. I'm working very hard to get back to my best. I try to give my best when I'm on the field. Being able to start in the eleven makes me happy. I want to help the team and I'm leaving satisfied."
He also admitted that his vocal leadership on the pitch can sometimes feel excessive to teammates. He added: "I feel like I'm being a bit of a nuisance, sometimes too much. But I think pressing is important. I'm sure that on the pitch, my teammates sometimes think I talk too much. But I'm going to demand more from those who can give much more. I take responsibility, and in the locker room, we all hugged each other to celebrate the victory. I always say that the best defence starts with a good attack. It's the most important thing we can do to help the defence. I try to press to make their job easier. I try to press to take up space from the other team's centre-backs and thus recover the ball more easily. It's good when the team follows me when I press, but I do it without thinking. I just run to win the ball back."
Raphinha agreed that Barcelona are far from their peak, acknowledging there is much to tighten tactically and technically.
"The manager felt we could do more on the pitch; we know it too," he said. "That's his feeling. That the team isn't at its best, I agree, and we have to improve a lot. But the important thing was to win. I'm sure we'll come back and win games by playing well. But if there are games we win playing badly, I don't care, the important thing is to win."
Barcelona now shift their focus to Tuesday night’s blockbuster encounter against Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou.
Hampshire were bowled out for 226 in just 71.3 overs after being asked to bat first on a challenging Hove pitch on the opening day of their championship match against Sussex. That left Sussex to face 22 overs and by the close they had reached 42 for three as Hampshire fought their way back into the match.Not for the first time the Hampshire innings was held together by their captain Ben Brown, once a very popular player in Sussex colours. But even Brown needed some good fortune on his way to a 129-ball 71, and he was dropped behind by opposite number John Simpson off the bowling of Sean Hunt when he had scored just 18.At the start of the day just 15 points separated the teams between fifth and ninth places. And both Hampshire, in fifth position, and Sussex, just two points behind, started the match in search of reassuring, anti-relegation points.Hampshire, who made four changes, bringing in Ali Orr, Toby Albert, Bjorn Fortuin and Keith Barker, reached a diffident 81 for three at lunch against a rejigged Sussex seam attack which welcomed back Olli Robinson, Jaydev Unadkat and Sean Hunt.Sussex, who had lost their two most recent championship games by an innings, broke through in the sixth over when Fletcha Middleton, driving at a wide delivery from Unadkat, edged behind. It was 47 for two in the 14th over when former Sussex opener Orr clipped Hunt to short leg where Oli Carter took a very sharp catch, low down. And Robinson picked up his first wicket in his livelier second spell when, bowling over the wicket to the left-handed Nick Gubbins, he straightened one to have the batsman lbw.After the break the Hampshire batsmen found the going no easier on a rather sticky surface. The pitch – being used for the first time this season for a championship match – did not encourage strokeplay. Albert pulled left-armer Hunt through midwicket to bring up the hundred in the 35th over but when he attempted a similar stroke against Robinson he gloved the ball to slip.Tom Prest also perished as he attempted to be positive, clipping Fynn Hudson-Prentice to Daniel Hughes at midwicket. Fortuin played himself in but when he jumped down the wicket to drive Jack Carson through the on-side he was through the stroke too soon and chipped it back to the bowler.Hampshire put all their eggs in Brown’s basket, and the batsman gathered his runs with sweeps and nudges, mostly on the leg-side. But when he swept Carson for a single to reach his half-century it had taken him 105 deliveries. From 119 for five Brown led his side to partial recovery, but once he was eighth out at 215, sweeping Carson to square-leg, Hampshire’s resistance was broken.Conditions were no easier when Sussex batted. Tom Haines edged Kyle Abbott waist-high to second slip and Carter was bowled by a nip-backer from Keith Barker. Shortly before the close, James Coles, driving loosely, dragged a delivery from James Fuller onto his stumps.
Going into the transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur had one clear objective under new boss Thomas Frank – improve the quality and depth across all areas of the pitch.
That was certainly achieved during the £100m+ spending spree, with the hierarchy completing a deal in the region of £55m for winger Mohammed Kudus.
Much was made around his transfer after joining from rivals West Ham United, but it’s safe to say the Ghanaian has already adhered himself to the supporters in North London.
The 25-year-old has already opened his account for the Lilywhites, scoring the winner in the last outing against Leeds United – subsequently adding to his tally of four assists in the Premier League.
However, Frank’s side could have looked a lot different had they completed a move for one of their other targets instead of landing Kudus during the off-season.
How close Spurs were to signing Mbeumo this summer
After appointing Frank from Brentford over the summer, there were always going to be rumours over which players he would bring with him – but one stuck out more than the rest in the form of Bryan Mbeumo.
The Cameroonian international scored 20 times in the Premier League last campaign, with such form making him one of the hottest properties during the recent transfer window.
At one stage, it appeared as though the Lilywhites had a genuine chance of landing the 26-year-old, even reportedly making an offer for his services after the Dane’s appointment.
The player himself spoke about the 51-year-old’s appointment, wishing him the best in North London, which only fuelled speculation over a potential switch to follow his former manager across the capital.
However, it wasn’t meant to be, as Manchester United completed a £71m transfer for Mbeumo, a figure that was way over the original offer that was supposedly made by the Lilywhites.
After joining the Red Devils, the Cameroonian claimed that he only had his heart set on a move to United during the summer – subsequently dismissing any interest in following Frank.
Missing out on his signature will no doubt have been a disappointment to the fanbase, but they shouldn’t have to worry, with one player already in their ranks already similar to Mbeumo.
The Spurs star who is Frank’s next Mbeumo
The return of Fabio Paratici this week will give the fanbase an added reason to be positive after their impressive start to the 2025/26 campaign under Frank’s guidance.
Tottenham Hotspur director Fabio Paratici
He spent a couple of years in the role between 2021 and 2023 before stepping down, but he’s now been brought back into the club to fill the Sporting Director role once again.
It will no doubt hand him the responsibility of recruiting new players to add to the Dane’s early success, whilst overseeing those who could be offloaded.
However, he’s already showcased his tremendous work within the transfer market, conducting phenomenal business to land Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus for just £25m.
The Swede would have been an unknown quantity to many in North London, but he’s made himself a fan-favourite with his incredible performances prior to his recent injury setback.
He registered 10 goals and 11 assists across all competitions last campaign – the best return of his career – and certainly playing a huge role in the club’s Europa League success.
Such is the level of his quality, he was labelled as a similar player to Mbeumo by FBref – a huge statement given the performances of the former Brentford star in 2024/25.
When comparing their respective stats during the same time period, the Lilywhites gem managed to outperform him in numerous key areas, with Kulusevski highlighting the quality he possesses when fit.
The former Juve star, who’s been dubbed “incredible” by Jay Harris, completed more progressive passes per 90 (4.7), subsequently registering more key passes per 90 (2.5).
Games played
32
38
Goals & assists
11
27
Progressive carries
4.5
3.4
Progressive passes
4.7
3.7
Pass accuracy
74%
66%
Key passes
2.5
1.8
Passes into final third
2.3
1.6
Take-ons completed
1.4
1.3
Carries into final third
2.5
1.8
Such figures highlight the creative nature the Swede possesses, with such a feature massively adding to Frank’s side when he returns from his latest injury.
He also completed more take-ons per 90 (1.4), whilst notching more carries into the final third per 90 (2.5) – highlighting his desire to transfer the ball into dangerous areas whenever possible.
There’s no denying that a deal for Mbeumo would have further strengthened the Spurs first-team squad, but ultimately it would have been a huge risk paying such a fee after one impressive season.
With Kulusevski, the club have one of the most underrated players in the division, with the forward able to take his career to the next level under Frank in the years ahead.
Perfect for Kudus: Paratici wants to sign "one of the best STs" for Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur could be about to land a new talisman thanks to Fabio Paratici.
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes enjoyed yet another stellar start against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on Monday night, as the rookie righthander struck out nine Marlins while allowing one earned run across six innings of work to earn his 10th win of the season.
After he was done for the day, Skenes, like a talented artist, took a moment to admire his work.
Cameras caught the Pirates pitcher in the dugout, with a teammate behind him, staring at the scoreboard and counting all nine of his strikeouts out loud. When he finished, Skenes smiled and turned away from the camera.
All in a day's work for Skenes, who also set the Pirates' record for the most strikeouts in a single season by a rookie since 1900 after recording his first punchout in the top of the first inning.
Skenes, 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 120 innings pitched, remains in the running for the National League Rookie of the Year award, along with San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill.
Still on the hunt for their next manager, Rangers have identified their new “leading candidate” to take the job, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Gerrard's Ibrox decision explained
It’s been a woeful start for the 49ers, there’s no escaping it. They instantly had a big decision to make in the summer and turned to Russell Martin as a result, but the manager failed to win over the rest of Ibrox from the very start. As soon as he stepped foot in the dugout, the former Southampton boss looked unlikely to last and just 123 days later, that proved true.
So, it was back to the drawing board for Kevin Thelwell, Paraag Marathe and the rest of the new Rangers board, who quickly identified Steven Gerrard.
The former Liverpool star has made his desire to return to management no secret and it looked as though that would come courtesy of the Gers. After meeting with the 49ers, however, Gerrard came to the conclusion that now is not the right time to return to Ibrox.
Many have had their say as to why that is ever since, including Ally McCoist. The Rangers legend recently claimed that the Scottish Premiership winner must have been left unconvinced by the current project.
McCoist told reporters: “He wouldn’t have come for the interview in the first place would he (if it was a financial). Either they haven’t sold him it, or I would suggest something has happened in the interview process that hasn’t taken his fancy.”
No matter the reason, Rangers are back to square one and have been left with no choice but to identify a new “leading candidate”.
Fabrizio Romano drops update on Rangers' "leading candidate"
According to Romano, Kevin Muscat is now the “leading candidate” to take the Rangers job following Gerrard’s rejection. The Shanghai Port manager was linked with the job back in 2023, before Philippe Clement was hired instead, and could now get the chance to step into the dugout just two years later.
The big obstacle for Rangers to overcome will be getting Muscat out of his Shanghai Port deal. The Chinese Super League side still have four games remaining of their league campaign and sit two points clear on their way to winning the title. Whether Muscat will want to leave before he rounds off an excellent season is the question that those at Ibrox must be asking.
Yokohama F. Marinos manager Kevin Muscat.
As for his expertise, the 52-year-old would make perfect sense. He’s won everywhere that he’s been, he played for Rangers in the past and he has been a candidate for the job in the past. When his Yokohama side played Manchester City in a pre-season friendly back in 2023, Pep Guardiola was left stunned by the positivity and aggression of Muscat’s side as City ran out 5-3 winners.
خاض النجم المصري محمد صلاح، مباراة فريق ليفربول مساء يوم السبت ضد نظيره أستون فيلا، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
واستضاف ليفربول خصمه أستون فيلا على ملعب “الأنفيلد”، في إطار منافسات الجولة العاشرة من الدوري الإنجليزي، موسم 2025/26، حيث حقق حامل اللقب فوزًا بهدفين دون رد.
وشارك محمد صلاح كأساسي في تلك المباراة رفقة آرني سلوت، حيث خاضها حتى النهاية، وسجل الهدف الأول. ملخص لمسات محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وأستون فيلا
وتدخل دفاع أستون فيلا لمنع وصول الكرة إلى محمد صلاح في الدقيقة الثالثة من عمر الشوط الأول، قبل تحصله على خطأ بعد تدخل أحد لاعبي الخصم ضده.
ومرر محمد صلاح الكرة ناحية إيكتيكي، في الدقيقة 12، ولكن الأخير لم يتعامل معها جيدًا وسط رقابة دفاعية قوية، قبل أن تُرفع راية التسلل.
وانطلق محمد صلاح بشكل رائع في الدقيقة 17، ووجه عرضية رائعة، ووصلت إلى جاكبو، الذي مررها بدوره ناحية إيكتيكي، ولكنها لم تكن متقنة للأخير، لتضيع الهجمة.
وفي الدقيقة 35، انطلق محمد صلاح بطريقة مميزة كعادته وحاول الضغط على دفاع أستون فيلا وتوغل ولكن كرته اصطدمت بالخصم، على حدود المنطقة.
وضُغط على محمد صلاح بقوة في الدقيقة 45، بعدما حاول المصري الانطلاق في تهديد واضح على أستون فيلا، ولكن نجح الدفاع في اقتطاع الكرة بصعوبة.
وتمكن محمد صلاح من تسجيل هدف ليفربول الأول، في الدقيقة الأولى من الوقت المُحتسب بدلَا من الضائع، بعد خطأ فادح من جانب حارس مرمى أستون فيلا، إيميليانو مارتينيز، حيث مرر الكرة بطريقة خاطئة، واستغلها المصري الذي سددها في الشباك.
وكاد محمد صلاح أن يصنع الهدف الثاني بعدما مرر كرة طويلة ناحية جاكبو، ولكنها طالت على الهولندي في الدقيقة 48، قبل رفع راية التسلل.
وطالت كرة سوبوسلاي إلى محمد صلاح في الدقيقة 52، لتتحول إلى رمية تماس لصالح أستون فيلا، ورُفعت راية التسلل ضده في الدقيقة 76.
ومرر محمد صلاح الكرة ناحية فلوريان فيرتز، في الدقيقة 89، قبل أن يمررها الأخير ناحيته، ولكن دفاع أستون فيلا اقتطعها منه.
After a slow start out of the blocks this season, everything seemed to click into place for Leeds United away at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out in the Premier League.
Obviously, the 3-1 win will have to be taken with a slight pinch of salt – considering Vitor Pereira’s Old Gold have now lost all five of their opening league clashes – but it was still a breakneck performance from Daniel Farke’s men, especially in that blistering first 45 minutes.
Staggeringly, before their trip to the West Midlands, Farke and Co. had only fired home one goal in league action all season. Those same nerves weren’t present at all at Molineux, however, as three strikes were put away by the visitors in quick succession.
Even more pleasing for Farke would be the nature of those goalscorers, with all three heroes on the day being brand-new recruits who can now kick on even more in West Yorkshire.
Leeds' standout new recruits
While there were grumbles among the Elland Road contingent when activity was sparse on transfer deadline day, there does need to be some recognition that Leeds have made a couple of standout purchases here and there.
Farke will be desperately hoping that Dominic Calvert-Lewin now finds himself deep in a purple patch of goalscoring form after heading home the equaliser at Molineux, with the ex-Everton marksman going down as an astute purchase if so on a free transfer.
Calvert-Lewin might well have steered Leeds back onto the initial road to recovery, but it was the combined efforts of both Anton Stach and Noah Okafor that would stylishly secure the three points.
Indeed, Stach would show no hesitation on the big stage when hammering home a sublime free-kick for 2-1, with the £20m purchase looking a Premier League-calibre talent already.
Okafor also justified his high £18m price-tag with the game-clinching strike on the stroke of half-time, with both the Swiss international and his German teammate hopeful they can continue putting in top-quality displays together to ensure survival is clinched.
The new midfield pairing also boasts hefty salaries – with the duo earning £72.5k-per-week and £45k-per-week respectively – but there is one high earner who rakes in even more who will now be worried about his long-term security in the first-team.
The Leeds star who earns more than Okafor & Stach
It isn’t the most shocking development that both Okafor and Stach can perform at the highest level of English football; however, considering both players in question have shone in the Bundesliga, the Serie A, and the Austrian Bundesliga previously, to name but a few of their past European destinations.
In stark contrast, Daniel James has never quite looked at ease in the Premier League, and with injury difficulties already getting the better of him so far this season, the 27-year-old could soon find it hard to nail down a first-team spot.
This isn’t to say that James hasn’t produced some moments of unbelievable magic at Leeds, with this spectacular effort last season seeing the Whites collect a promotion-boosting 3-1 victory.
But, it’s very clear when looking at the table below, that the hit-and-miss Welshman is a far more of an electric attacking threat in the EFL than he is when making the daunting step up to the Premier League.
James – PL vs Champ
Stat
James (PL)
James (Champ)
Games played
110
109
Goals scored
12
29
Assists
13
25
Sourced by Transfermarkt
In the EFL’s elite league to date, James has managed to collect a weighty 54 goal contributions from 109 overall clashes, with the spotlight often beamed down on him as Leeds’ main man down the right channel.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t been as devastating in the Premier League as a full-throttle option, with just nine of his 25 goal contributions in the unforgiving division coming in West Yorkshire.
His regular hiccups in the top-flight even saw TalkSPORT’s outspoken Simon Jordan label him as a “fundamental disappointment” in 2022, with those words still ringing true when you consider the one-time Manchester United attacker has also collected zero goals or assists this season when fit.
When further realising James also pockets a steep £75k-per-week pay packet, which is more than both Okafor and Stach earn, it’s clear that Leeds are handing out an unnecessarily excessive salary.
With his current contract in play until 2029, it’s unlikely that Farke will part ways with James anytime soon.
But, with Okafor proving that the new guard at the German’s disposal are instantly Premier League ready, don’t expect the Welshman to instantly jump back into his first-team plans.
49ers buzzing: Leeds "very happy" with £72,500-a-week star who loves Farke
Most football fans bemoan the international break, especially the September window, given that it comes just as the club season is starting up again, but perhaps Rangers supporters have enjoyed a fortnight of relative serenity away from Ibrox.
So far, Rangers have failed to win their opening four matches of a Premiership season for the first time in 42 years, held to a series of 1-1 stalemates, before a diabolically dull goalless Glasgow derby last Sunday.
Later this month, the Light Blues will commence yet another Europa League campaign, welcoming Genk to Ibrox, having been embarrassingly demolished 9-1 on aggregate by Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off round.
The takeover by 49ers Enterprises, that was finalised in June, was supposed to signify the start of a new era for Rangers, but that hasn’t come to pass so far, with supporters demanding a change in management, which could be coming soon.
Russell Martin: a dead man walking
Following a thorough and extensive search, Rangers fans were generally underwhelmed when Russell Martin was unveiled as the new manager, this coming 102 days after Philippe Clement had been sacked all the way back in February.
Well, given the miserable results documented already, Martin’s stock has managed to fall even further, winning only three of 11 fixtures across all competitions to date, one of which was a very unconvincing League Cup victory over third-tier Alloa Athletic at Ibrox.
Following the Light Blues’ 1-1 draw with Motherwell at Fir Park, which was, worth reiterating, on the opening day of the Premiership season, Martin gave a scathing assessment of his team’s performance.
Indeed he stated that they were “nowhere near where we need to be”, adding that too many players “want to do what they want to do”, while others need to “drop their ego”, suggesting that the entire club has a “mentality problem”.
Speaking on Sky Sports in reaction to this, Chris Sutton labelled it a “desperate” act, saying it’s never a good sign when you’re forced to “machine gun the dressing room”, let alone this early, while Kris Boyd added that this was “alarming”.
Thus, all the signs are that Martin will not remain Rangers manager for long, so should the 49ers already be laying the groundwork to bring in a major upgrade?
Rangers' major Russell Martin upgrade
During the summer, while Rangers’ managerial search was ongoing, reports emerged claiming that Marco Rose was the ‘front-runner’ to take the job.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
Gers’ new owners, 49ers Enterprises, have a strong relationship with Red Bull Global, given that they own Premier League side Leeds United, with Red Bull buying a minority stake in the Yorkshire-based club last year.
Thus, Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe, who are on the board at both Ibrox and Elland Road, would surely be able to get in contact with Rose, given his own past employment.
Rose’s professional managerial career began at RB Salzburg, winning the Austrian Bundesliga title during both of his seasons at the club, completing the double at the end of his second campaign as they defeated Rapid Wien in the ÖFB-Cup Final.
Then, after 88 matches in charge of Borussia Mönchengladbach and a season with Borussia Dortmund, he returned to the Red Bull network by joining RB Leipzig in September 2022, a special appointment for him, having been born and raised in Leipzig, back when it was part of East Germany under Soviet rule.
During 124 games at the helm of die Roten Bullen, he led them to back-to-back top four finishes in the Bundesliga, also reaching the Champions League knockout stages, winning both the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup in 2023, beating Freiburg on penalties at Olympiastadion in the cup final, before hammering Bayern Munich 3-0 away from home in the season curtain raiser.
Following a miserable campaign last year, however, he was eventually sacked in March, with Andy Brassell of the Guardian outlining how he still has a strong relationship with Red Bull, who did not take the decision to part company lightly.
Meantime, Kiyan Sobhani labels his style of play “direct”, elaborating that he wants to “get the ball to the attackers as quickly and as possible”, a style of play that would surely excite the Ibrox faithful, and his CV is night and day when compared to that of Martin.
Martin vs Rose career
Statistics
Martin
Rose
Matches
263
455
Wins
104
271
Win %
39.5%
59.6%
Goals per game
1.5
2.2
Goals against per game
1.5
1.1
Top-flight matches
20
259
UCL matches
0
37
Major trophies won
0
5
All stats via Transfermarkt
As the table documents, Rose’s résumé is exponentially more impressive than that of Martin and would certainly represent a coup.
So, at a time when Rangers supporters are in mutinous mood, hiring a coach with so much elite-level experience would be exactly what they need to reunite everybody associated with the club.
Rangers must rue losing star who's worth millions more than Chermiti
Rangers must rue losing this “incredible” star who would now be their most valuable player.
Hugo Ekitike has been slammed for his "dumb" red card in Liverpool's 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton. The France striker, who was already on a yellow card, came off the bench to score a late winner for the Reds but picked up a second booking for taking his shirt off in celebration. Now, the ex-Eintracht Frankfurt man has been torn apart on social media.
Ekitike forgets he's on yellow card when removing shirt
Liverpool looked to be heading to a 1-0 win after summer signing Alexander Isak's opener but Shea Charles equalised 14 minutes from time for the Championship side. Ekitike, who is competing with the Swede to be Liverpool's starting striker, tapped home five minutes from time before being dismissed for a second yellow. Now, some football fans believe that Isak is "in his head" after his "stupid" act, even though he sealed the 2-1 victory.
AdvertisementSocial media tears into Ekitike
@OneMotolani wrote on X: "Is Ekitike dumb, man? Two dumb yellow cards. Slot will make him pay for that. I think Isak is in this kid’s head. Isak scoring messed with his head. Can’t tell me nothing. Too fired up when he came on too."
@lfcjusto tweeted: "Hugo Ekitike picked aura ig pics over playing against Crystal Palace. I love him."
@Gbemiga__A commented: "That Isak goal rattled Ekitike's brain," and @unrulyking000 added, "Ekitike. dumbest red card I’ve seen. He clearly has a low IQ. So stupid."
@jordyinit put: "Ekitike saw Isak score his first, came on, scored, and held his shirt up to remind Anfield. Class. Dumb red though."
Finally, @_lfcleanne stated: "Absolutely shambolic from Hugo Ekitike. An already hard away game just got a lot tougher without him. Needless and so very stupid."
Getty Images SportHow long is Ekitike banned for?
Isak was signed for a British record £125 million ($169m) earlier this month, something that puts extra pressure on £79m ($107m) summer recruit Ekitike to deliver. The 23-year-old has had an excellent start to life at Anfield, scoring five goals in eight games. But, after his sending off, he will serve a one-match ban, giving Isak – who opened his Liverpool scoring account – a chance to usurp him from the starting XI going forward.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Premier League test comes next for Liverpool
The forward will now sit out Liverpool's trip to unbeaten Crystal Palace, who bested them in the Community Shield final last month, in the Premier League on Saturday. Incidentally, Ekitike's celebration, and subsequent dismissal, could be a costly move in the long run.