Jürgen Klopp apologised for Liverpool's first Merseyside derby defeat at Everton in 14 years and admitted his team need 'a crisis' to unfold at Arsenal and Manchester City to remain in the Premier League title race. Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin soured the Reds' title challenge as the hosts powered their way to a priceless 2-0 derby victory at Goodison Park. After the match the Liverpool manager felt 'very disappointed, frustrated' and summed the game up by saying 'It wasn't good enough. We played the game that Everton wanted.' ‘Not good enough’: Klopp apologises for Liverpool ..read more

Captain says team lacked ‘fight’ at Everton and in other games He feels fear of making mistakes may have contributed to slump Virgil van Dijk has described the way Liverpool have allowed the season to end as unacceptable and admitted they do not deserve to win the Premier League. Just over a month ago Liverpool were chasing an unprecedented but unlikely quadruple but a week after exiting Europe their Premier League title hopes were left in tatters after a 2-0 defeat at Everton ..read more

Full-back has been key in Postecoglou’s system but is out for the season – while Pedro Porro could also miss Sunday’s derby By Ben McAleer for WhoScored When it was confirmed over the weekend that Destiny Udogie would sit out the rest of the season, Tottenham supporters were understandably devastated. The Italian has enjoyed a whirlwind debut campaign at Spurs following his loan spell with Udinese last season, consolidating a first-team spot and becoming a key player for Ange Postecoglou’s side. Yes, the form has dipped in recent weeks, though that may be symptomatic of a wider problem with Sp ..read more

Our season was defined by tragedies off the pitch and a remarkable resilience that guided the team through it During lockdown, many turned to baking exotic sourdough or participating in one-time Zoom quizzes. I, however, created an animation with my kids to explore how the mind works, emphasising emotion and intuition as life’s dominant forces. The philosopher Jonathan Haidt uses the elephant and rider metaphor to illustrate this: the elephant represents our emotional, instinctive self, full of raw passion, while the rider symbolises our rational mind, often struggling to control this surge of ..read more

Despite relegation to England’s fourth tier, Cod Army have cast net to be like ‘City Football Group but on a much smaller scale’ Fleetwood United’s celebrations on becoming second division champions in the United Arab Emirates could not be dampened even by a freak thunderstorm in Dubai. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” the captain Ben Pringle told the Guardian. “It was the most rain they have had for 75 years. Cars were underwater on the motorway.” This is not supposed to happen in the glittering city of skyscrapers and excitement but then Fleetwood Town, a club that have just dropped into ..read more

Player asked not to be considered for England selection in March Agent refers to ‘adverse period off the pitch’ for 26-year-old Ben White’s agent has called on the Arsenal defender’s critics to “be kind” after he asked to be left out of England’s squad for March’s international friendlies with Brazil and Belgium. Gareth Southgate revealed last month that White does not want to be considered for international selection and said he had to go public with the truth because to continue to “protect” the Arsenal player would have been to risk his own credibility. But in an impassioned defence of th ..read more

Everton were set on closing down their rivals from the off and the tactics sapped the belief from the title challengers It is little wonder Jürgen Klopp is running out of energy when he is having to come up with a new lineup every few days. For the Merseyside derby defeat to Everton there were six changes to follow on from the half-dozen made for Sunday’s win over Fulham. On this occasion, however, it did not work. The latter weeks of the season are a tricky balance for any coach with so much at stake. Trying to maintain a rhythm and build momentum while keeping everyone fresh for crucial fixt ..read more

Manager says fatigued stars are tired mentally and physically Erling Haaland to miss Brighton trip but Foden and Stones fit Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City have to be perfect and win their last six games to claim a record fourth consecutive title despite the manager’s concerns that his players “might fall down” at any moment due to fatigue. City travel to Brighton on Thursday four behind Arsenal, with two games in hand. On Saturday Guardiola’s side reached a second consecutive FA Cup final, beating Chelsea 1-0 to keep City on course to win a double-double. But afterwards, Guardiola co ..read more

And to think Stuart Attwell was hoping for a quiet week clear of controversy. The referee was again the subject of rage, this time not from a Greek shipping magnate but from Wolves’ irate supporters, after he disallowed Hwang Hee-chan’s second-half equaliser at home to Bournemouth for the meekest of tangles in the buildup. Attwell initially awarded Hwang’s header before the VAR, Darren England, advised him to visit the pitch-side monitor to review a brush between Matheus Cunha and Justin Kluivert, albeit a petulant one. Kluivert went to shove Cunha and the Wolves substitute responded by flingi ..read more

With 81 minutes gone Bruno Fernandes collected a Kobbie Mainoo pass and with a swish of his left foot fired a laser past Wes Foderingham and Manchester United were 3-2 ahead. The question now was could they, at last, hang on to a lead. This was answered emphatically by Rasmus Højlund, whose strike as the end of regulation time neared gave Erik ten Hag’s team security and was the best way to close before a watching Jason Wilcox, the new technical director, who will lead the football department until Dan Ashworth joins from Newcastle ..read more