Newcastle United still have just one win to their name in the early Premier League standings.

Yet, that doesn’t tell the full tale of the Magpies’ wobbly start to the season, with Eddie Howe’s men also only losing one game, as the Toon had to settle for another draw on the road against AFC Bournemouth.

In truth, with just four shots registered on the South Coast, the visitors to the South Coast were somewhat lucky to come away from the drab affair with a 0-0 draw still intact, as several of Howe’s first team struggled to get going against the Cherries.

The main Newcastle underperformers vs Bournemouth

While Arsenal and Manchester City would offer up plenty of entertainment on Sunday, it’s fair to say the encounter between Bournemouth and Newcastle was a little lacking on the action front, on the contrary.

Indeed, Nick Woltemade didn’t exactly boost the Toon as they attempted to play on the front foot, with the 6-foot-6 attacker failing to register a single on-target effort at the home side’s goal, before he was hauled off the Vitality Stadium turf with just six minutes remaining.

Another of Newcastle’s new signings, Malick Thiaw, also failed to put in a convincing display, as seen in the German centre-back winning just 50% of his duels, alongside being a very fortunate individual that he wasn’t dismissed with ten minutes left on the clock when clashing with a Cherries shirt, after already picking up a yellow card.

Lewis Miley also failed to grasp his first-team opportunity as Howe made many changes from Newcastle’s Thursday night defeat to Barcelona, but one of Miley’s teammates in the middle put in an even more uninspiring display than the promising 19-year-old, to now find himself on borrowed time under his manager.

The Newcastle flop who is on borrowed time

At least with both Miley and Thiaw, they should have plenty more to give to the Newcastle cause going forward, with the teenage sensation previously showing he belongs in the senior picture, while Thiaw did register four interceptions (per Sofascore) against Andoni Iraola’s men when not finding himself tangled in contentious moments on the pitch.

The same level of patience won’t be extended to Joe Willock, however, with the 26-year-old’s below-par showing on Sunday only strengthening why Howe hasn’t been picking him for some time now.

Minutes played

62

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

32

Accurate passes

12/15 (80%)

Key passes

0

Total duels won

6/11

Last season saw the forgotten ex-Arsenal midfielder only make 11 Premier League starts, with Willock drafted into the XI against Bournemouth owing to some rusty legs after Champions League action.

Based on his passive display, though, Willock will be lucky to reach the same amount of starts he was afforded last season across the remainder of this campaign, with the one-time breath of fresh air at St James’ Park – who once managed eight league goals in just one season – struggling to even trump Nick Pope in terms of touches of the ball.

Indeed, Willock would only go on to amass a lacklustre 32 touches of the ball next to Pope’s weightier 42 (per Sofascore), while also only being able to accurately complete 12 passes all afternoon. In stark contrast, Sandro Tonali, who is a guaranteed starter week in week out centrally, would trudge off the pitch at the end with 49 accurate passes in tow.

It’s a no-brainer, therefore, for Howe to just reinstate both Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes to their usual positions next to Tonali when Arsenal come to town next in league action, with Willock no doubt looking out of his depth if he were handed a surprise second consecutive start against his former employers.

With Howe stating at the final whistle that his team were somewhat careless on the ball, it’s clear that the declining 26-year-old needs to be replaced instantly for the test of Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, having also been handed a low 4/10 rating post-match by journalist Lee Ryder, who noted that Willock looked “miles off it.”

There will be a tinge of sadness at the end of the Magpies right now, considering Willock does have a hefty 18 goals and eight assists up his sleeve on Tyneside from 148 total clashes.

But, it does appear as if the number 28 is staring the end of his Newcastle career straight in the face now, with Howe certainly less keen to hand him significant minutes moving forward after his no-show on the South Coast.

Newcastle now make early approach to sign £40m+ Real Madrid player on loan

The striker is of a similar profile to Wissa.

ByCallum Kemp Sep 21, 2025

Leeds United’s search for an attacking midfielder is ongoing as the deadline approaches and the 49ers have now reportedly submitted a fresh offer to sign their latest target.

Leeds' search for attacking additions

Daniel Farke has been clear since pre-season that Leeds need attacking reinforcements. And whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor have arrived to provide the German with the start of a solution, the Whites are still searching for the missing piece in the form of an attacking midfielder.

Earlier this summer, it looked as though the versatile Igor Paixao was going to be the man to arrive for the Yorkshire club, only for Marseille to swoop in and hijack their move. The Brazilian would have been an excellent addition after scoring 18 goals and assisting another 19 in all competitions for Feyenoord in the last campaign. Nonetheless, the Whites were forced to turn elsewhere.

Contact made: Leeds now plotting last-gasp offer to sign "underrated" star

He’s in excellent form.

5

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 1, 2025

Following Paixao, both Facundo Buonanotte and Gus Hamer emerged as options before the former opted to join Chelsea instead of moving to Elland Road – seemingly leaving just Hamer.

The Sheffield United star has been part of a struggling Blades side who are still getting over the heartbreak of last season’s playoff final defeat against Sunderland. Whether he remains a Sheffield United star is the big question. Leeds reportedly submitted an opening bid to sign the talented midfielder, but failed to match the Blades’ valuation.

When it comes to Premier League quality, meanwhile, there’s no doubt that Hamer is good enough to step up. The Sheffield United man was the star of the Championship last season and more than deserved a place in the top flight, but time will tell whether Leeds make that happen.

The bad news for Hamer is that he’s still not the only one on Leeds’ shortlist of options. He’s reportedly joined by a Premier League option, who has already been subject to an offer.

Leeds launch Buendia bid

As reported by The Telegraph’s John Percy, Leeds launched an opening offer to sign Emiliano Buendia before receiving a swift reply from the Argentine, who has decided to stay put in the Midlands.

It’s another blow for Leeds, whose offer wasn’t good enough for Hamer and project seemingly not attractive enough for Buendia to leave them back to square one in the final hours of the transfer window.

Like Hamer, Buendia would have been a quality option. The former Norwich City star was the subject of Unai Emery’s praise last season, with the Spaniard telling reporters: “Of course, I am very happy with a lot of players. Today, especially with Emi Buendia, because he has the option to leave but today we needed him and he played fantastic with his qualities, fantastic mentality and fantastic with his commitment with the squad.”

Ruben Neves rose highest to nod in a late winner for Portugal to beat a resilient Irish defence 1-0 in Lisbon. The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the hosts who had looked as if they would never beat the superb Caoimhin Kelleher in the Irish goal, particularly after their captain Cristiano Ronaldo had his penalty saved by the Brentford shot-stopper.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side quickly had all 11 men behind the ball as their plan to soak up pressure and hit Portugal on the break was made clear. The Irish defence held strong throughout much of the opening stages, confining Roberto Martinez’s men to swing in hopeful crosses and pot shots from distance.

One of those long-range efforts nearly made the difference as Cristiano Ronaldo came closest to opening the scoring after 16 minutes. His low effort from distance hit the upright, before Bernardo Silva scuffed wide the rebound with the goal gaping, angering his captain.

The hosts kept probing and the visitors kept firm, thanks in part to some solid shot stopping from Brentford’s Kelleher. The goalkeeper produced a strong hand to stop Goncalo Inacio’s header from a Bruno Fernandes corner before Nathan Collins blocked from Bernardo Silva just before the break.

Portugal stepped up the intensity in the second-half, feeding Ronaldo a fair few more half chances, but the veteran striker could only snatch at them. The Portuguese midfielders kept knocking on the door, firing efforts from distance, before eventually one paid off.

After 73 minutes, Francisco Trincao, looking to curl an effort into the top corner, had his shot blocked by Dara O’Shea, and the referee judged the ball to have struck the Ipswich defender’s arm. Ronaldo, making his 50th appearance in World Cup qualifiers, stepped up and hit his effort straight down the middle – saved by the outstretched leg of Kelleher.

Just when Portugal looked all out of luck, Trincao was again at the heart of the drama. His 91st minute cross from deep was swung into the middle and was met by Ruben Neves’ head, nicking the ball just ahead of the desperate Kelleher punch. It was fitting that Neves, the midfielder wearing 21 in honour of his late friend and team-mate Diogo Jota, scored the winner on Portugal's first home game since Jota's death in July.

GOAL rates Portugal's players from Estadio Jose Alvalade…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Diogo Costa (6/10):

  Costa had nothing to do all game aside from watching the one Irish shot fly well over his crossbar.

  Diogo Dalot (7/10):

  Was tasked with handling the tricky Chiedozie Ogbene and managed well.

  Ruben Dias (7/10):

  Was impressive at the back and maintained concentration when Ireland sprang on the break.

  Goncalo Inacio (6/10):

  Did not have an awful lot of defending to do, but was a threat in the Irish box. His header was saved well by Kelleher.

  Nuno Mendes (7/10):

  A constant threat down the Portuguese left-flank, but could not make the all-important difference.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Ruben Neves (9/10):

  At the heart of the Portuguese midfield and dictated much of the attacking play. He would turn out to be the hero with a late header.

  Vitinha (8/10):

  Tidy on the ball and helped control the tempo alongside Neves in the middle of the park.

  Bruno Fernandes (6/10):

  Threatened with a few efforts from distance, but lacked that final perfect pass.

• AFP
  

  Attack

  Bernardo Silva (5/10):

  The Irish defence were not troubled by the Manchester City man who missed a first half sitter.

  Cristiano Ronaldo (5/10):

  Fashioned himself a number of good opportunities, but snatched at the chances that did land his way. His weak penalty down the middle was stopped brilliantly by Kelleher.

  Pedro Neto (6/10):

  Was bright throughout, but his crosses never quite found their target. Neto was eventually outshone by his replacements.

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• (C)Getty Images
  

  Subs & Manager

  Renato Veiga (6/10):

  Took over Inacio's role at the heart of defence and offered pace at the back when Ireland came forward.

  Nelson Semedo (6/10):

  Did not offer too much difference to Dalot and had little impact.

  Francisco Trincao (8/10):

  A brilliant cameo off of the bench from the former Barcelona man. He won the penalty and then set up the winner.

  Goncalo Ramos (N/A):

  Offered an extra body in the box for the final ten minutes.

  Roberto Martinez (7/10):

  It looked as if Martinez's side would be dropping two points, but his introduction of Trincao changed the game.

Rahul Dravid talks about how the 14-year-old has been welcomed into the RR setup and what makes him special

Shashank Kishore30-Apr-20255:13

What’s the best way to handle Suryavanshi?

Vaibhav Suryavanshi has become the flavour of IPL 2025 since his 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Monday lit up the tournament. But behind his rise to stardom, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have tried to create an environment to help the 14-year-old play with freedom while staying insulated from the pressures of playing in a certain way.”He’s been very welcomed,” head coach Rahul Dravid said on on Wednesday. “One of the things we’ve tried to do is make him feel integrated well into this environment. Even after the auction, we had three to four short-duration camps every month leading into the tournament. Vaibhav was there at every one of those camps, getting to know the players and support staff.”The idea was simple: make him feel at home before the spotlight turned his way. “We were conscious of the fact that we wanted him to feel comfortable by the time he came to the IPL,” Dravid said. “We wanted him to know each and everyone of the players, except the foreign players whom he was meeting for the first time. But he’d met all the Indian players, coaches, admin staff and support staff.”Related

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Who is Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year old IPL sensation?

Despite being “shy”, Dravid felt Suryavanshi hadn’t shown signs of being overwhelmed.”I’m sure he’s having conversations and learning from each of those players, whether it’s a [Yashasvi] Jaiswal, [Riyan] Parag, [Dhruv] Jurel or Sanju [Samson],” Dravid said. “He’s built up good connections and friendships with some of the other guys who’ve played a lot of domestic cricket, like Sandeep Sharma. Even Fazalhaq Farooqi.”He’s a shy boy; he’ll take some time to open up, but he’s very comfortable here. At no stage does it feel like he’s intimidated or he’s holding back. There’s been a bit of an effort gone into trying to ensure that he’s comfortable around the group.”Asked how the coaches have been managing a still-maturing young talent, Dravid said the focus has been on not overcomplicating his game.”At this stage, you don’t want to really confuse him with too many things but just trying to allow him to keep it simple and really have some fun and enjoy his cricket,” Dravid said. “Obviously, he likes to play a positive brand of cricket, that’s no secret, and we want to encourage him to do that and set it up in such a way that he can play that form of cricket without worrying about it too much.”5:27

‘Otherworldly’ Suryavanshi wows Bishop, Aaron

What makes him special? “He’s got real good bat speed,” Dravid observed. “He’s obviously got a high back lift, that’s very obvious. A really good hand-eye coordination in terms of judgment of length. What you look for in a young batsman is how quick he is in picking length.”Vaibhav is very quick to pick up anything that’s fractionally short or if it’s really full, he’s really able to capitalise on that. A combination of high back-lift and ability to pick length gives him the power and he seems to have a natural strength which is helpful in these situations.”In explaining their process in handling a young talent like Suryavanshi, Dravid also underlined how RR view their recruitment – less about just age, more about all-round development and readiness.”Not every Under-19 player gets picked by franchises,” Dravid said. “We look at experience, too. Look at someone like Shubham Dubey, or even Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, who were picked later in their careers. Vaibhav wasn’t picked just because he’s young. We felt that with a bit of work, he could succeed at this level.”But amid the soaring expectations, Dravid also made a measured plea to those watching from the outside. “We can’t control how much people are going to talk about him or what the media writes about him,” he said. “It’s just about recognising this is what happens and putting a certain level of support around that and helping him navigate all of this attention while still allowing him the space to be a youngster.”It’s impossible to completely distance yourself from it [attention] 100%. A lot of you [journalists] can play that role as well, if the media can be responsible about how you write about not only his success but also his potential failures. Let’s be realistic, he’s going to go through some ups and downs. We’re also going to have to be mindful of that he’s a young man finding his way as well.”

This will be India’s first bilateral T20I series in Bangladesh and will act as the final preparation for the T20 Asia Cup

Mohammad Isam15-Apr-2025India will tour Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in August. They will play three ODIs and three T20Is, marking India’s first bilateral T20I series in Bangladesh. It is also their first white-ball only tour of Bangladesh since 2014 when they came here to play three ODIs.The first two ODIs and the last two T20Is will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, while the third ODI and first T20I will be held at Chattogram’s Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Cricket Stadium (previously known as the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium).This tour will be the final preparation for the 2025 T20 Asia Cup, for which India are the hosts.”This series promises to be one of the most exciting and most anticipated events in our home calendar,” BCB’s chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said. “India have set the benchmark in international cricket across all formats and the cricket-loving millions in both countries are sure to enjoy this contest. Bangladesh and India have played some very competitive matches in recent years, and I am confident that this will be another hard-fought and entertaining series.”India are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on August 13. They will play the first two ODIs on August 17 and 20, before heading to Chattogram to play the third ODI and first T20I on August 23 and 26.They will return to Dhaka to play the last two T20Is on August 29 and 31.August, however, isn’t the cricket season in Bangladesh. They have played during this time of the year only a couple of times in the past – the first Test against Australia in 2017 and the five T20Is against the same opposition in 2021. India, however, are no stranger to playing during the off-season in Bangladesh. In 2014, they played a three-match ODI series in June.

Kaitlin Olson has addressed the rumour started by her husband Rob Mac regarding a supposed relationship that he enjoyed with Kim Kardashian. The shock gossip has got tongues wagging, with Mac suggesting that he once dated the most famous of American socialites. The Wrexham co-owner went to great lengths to back up his story, but his current partner has explained what really happened.

Rise of Wrexham: Success on & off the screen

Mac and Olson first crossed paths when filming ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’. They became engaged in 2007 and got married the following year. They are now proud parents to sons Axel and Leo. Both continue to enjoy success on and off the screen, with Olson earning rave reviews for her performance in Disney+ crime-drama ‘High Potential’.

Mac has, in partnership with Ryan Reynolds, overseen a record-setting run of promotions at Wrexham. They have climbed out of the National League and into the Championship, leaving them within touching distance of the Premier League.

AdvertisementGettyHow Mac started Kardashian dating rumour

The ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series has helped the Red Dragons to build a global fan base, while also picking up prestigious Emmy Awards. Mac has seen his stock soar as a result, allowing him to bend the truth a little during discussions with his children. Olson was out of the family home for long periods when filming ‘High Potential’.

During that time, Mac tried to convince his kids that he was once romantically tied to Kardashian. He roped a close friend into helping him maintain that ruse, with a photograph being digitally altered, but Olson has confirmed that there is no substance to the shocking gossip.

She told : “I've worked every day for a couple years now. Rob is really picking up the slack at home. He's really enjoying and embracing parenting duty. He's getting very creative with things over there. I came home the other day and we were having dinner. The boys looked at me, and they were like, 'Mum, did dad date Kim Kardashian before you?' And I was like, 'Okay, here we go.'

“He doubled down on this Kim Kardashian thing. And they were like, 'So, dad wasn't engaged to Kim Kardashian, was he?' I had to play along so I was like, 'Yeah, they were dating. We both dated people before.'”

Mac drafted in help to support Kardashian claim

Olson added on how the fanciful tale escalated: “I put that to bed and I didn't think about it for a while. Two weeks later, apparently my husband went into his office and told everyone this story. His chief operating officer [at his company More Better Industries], Fayer Joyce, thought it was the greatest thing ever, and spent all of her time at work for days creating this photo. She wore it in her purse for a week to age it.

“Then on the back, she made up a pretend marketing manager [for Kardashian], who wrote a note to Rob. She took this very seriously. I was like, 'Is there nothing else to do over there?'”

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Getty/GOALA-list guests at Wrexham: Could Kardashian be next?

While not being entirely supportive of the antics that Mac gets up to behind closed doors, Olson has fully embraced the sporting venture that her husband has taken on in North Wales. She has attended Wrexham games and is delighted to see that football club and community thriving.

She posted on social media after seeing the Red Dragons rewrite the history books with a third successive promotion in 2024-25: “Absolutely unbelievable! (Except @robmcelhenney always believed…) Congratulations to @wrexham_afc and the entire Wrexham community on making history with back to back TO BACK promotions!!! There’s not a club in the world that deserves it more. #upthetown”

A-list guests have continued to flock to Wrexham games – including the likes of Will Ferrell, Channing Tatum, Paul Rudd and Eva Longoria – but there has been no sign of Kardashian. That situation could change in the future as she has made a point of taking her sons to watch Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Inter Miami, Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Nassr.

MatériaMais Notícias

A homenagem do Botafogoao zagueiro Joel Carli ao final do confronto com o Magallanes, do Chile, custou caro. Nesta quarta-feira (26), a Conmebol notificou o clube em US$ 5 mil (em torno de R$ 24 mil) pelo ritual de despedida do defensor.

Os botafoguenses infringiram o artigo 5.10 do Manual de Clubes da competição, aos olhos da entidade.

– Qualquer atividade ou homenagem organizada pelo clube dentro ou no entorno do estádio, antes, durante ou depois da partida, precisa ser autorizada previamente pela CONMEBOL- apontou o documento.

Após a partida disputada em 29 de junho, Carli recebeu uma camisa emoldurada com a inscrição “Gracias, Capitán” e passou por um corredor de aplausos no qual estavam todos os funcionários, jogadores e membros das comissões técnicas do Alvinegro.

Tottenham Hotspur are now determined to open talks to sign a “spectacular” attacker in the January transfer window, with a £35m bid planned.

Spurs looking to sign new attacking midfielder

Tottenham’s pursuit of a new attacking midfielder lasted for the majority of the summer, before finally getting a deal for Xavi Simons over the line at the end of August, with the Dutchman arriving from RB Leipzig.

With James Maddison ruled out due to an ACL injury, it was clear that Spurs needed to bring in another option in that area of the pitch, but Simons has been utilised as a left-winger so far, with Thomas Frank recently explaining the decision to play the 22-year-old out wide.

Tottenham expected to open talks to sign "incredible" £27m star in January

Tottenham expected to open talks to sign “incredible” £27m star in January.

ByDominic Lund Sep 21, 2025

When asked whether the decision to deploy the former RB Leipzig man out wide was made to introduce him gently, Frank said: “No, I think it’s how we let the team grow and develop,

“Where we came from in the summer. I was thinking the other day, I don’t think I said it, that we last year and the last two seasons, but definitely the last year, it was like Kulusevski, Son, Maddison, Solanke. None of them is available. So it’s a completely new front four.”

As such, there may still be room for Spurs to bring in another attacking midfielder, and they have now set their sights on bringing in a La Liga star in the January transfer window…

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Tottenham are now determined to open talks over a deal for Real Sociedad star Brais Mendez, expressing a strong interest in securing his signature.

Such is their determination to sign Mendez, the Lilywhites have planned a bid, which could amount to €40m (£35m), with the Spanish club said to be in a position where they need to listen to offers.

"Spectacular" Mendez could excel at Tottenham

Claudio Giráldez has spoken very highly of the Real Sociedad star in the past, saying: “He’s a player I like. He’s having some brilliant seasons, with spectacular developments in his game. He’s very complete.”

The 28-year-old certainly deserves the plaudits, having impressed in La Liga over a sustained period of time, picking up 37 goals and 29 assists in the competition, across spells with Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo.

The Spaniard, and fellow transfer target Oihan Sancet, also excel with their long-range shooting, regularly finding the back of the net from outside the box.

Mendez clearly has the talent to succeed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so it is exciting news that an approach could be made during the January transfer window.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson is a doubtful starter against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday, with the team awaiting scan results on an injury to his side.”Sanju experienced a bit of pain in the abdominal area,” head coach Rahul Dravid said on Friday. “He has done some scans today so we are waiting the results of those scans. And then once we get a bit more clarity around the scans and the severity of [the injury] we’ll take a decision going forward and we’ll see what happens.”Samson retired hurt on 31 off 19 balls with a suspected side issue during their RR’s match, against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Wednesday. He seemed in pain after attempting a cut off Vipraj Nigam following which the physio checked on the left side around his rib. Samson faced the next ball but retired hurt after that. RR went on to tie the match and ended up losing the Super Over.Related

• Samson set to miss RR's game against LSG; Parag to lead again

• RR sweat on Samson's fitness in a bid to revive their season

“It feels alright,” Samson told the broadcasters after the match when he was asked about the injury. “I was just not ready to come back and bat here. We’ll observe it tomorrow and see how it is.”Samson began IPL 2025 nursing a thumb injury and, for the first three matches, could only function as a batter. In that time, Riyan Parag took charge of RR and is likely to lead them again if needed.Samson, who was used as an Impact Player in RR’s first three games, returned as captain and wicketkeeper after he was cleared by the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He had undergone finger surgery last month. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel kept wicket.Under Parag, RR lost their first two games, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), but bounced back to beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati. After winning against Punjab Kings (PBKS), RR lost the next three games and are currently eighth on the points table.Sanju Samson left the field after suffering an injury in the sixth over of the chase in his last game•BCCI

Dravid: ‘Sometimes you need to make forced changes”

RR have had to get used to a new opening combination and a new spin attack following the mega auction where they lost Jos Buttler, R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. Dravid didn’t think that has affected their performance to a great degree.”See, it’s not like that,” he said. “If you see our opening partnership, they have given us quite good performances. Yashasvi [Jaiswal] and Sanju are playing well. Even in the last game, they gave us an explosive start. Unfortunately, Sanju had an injury, and he had to retire hurt. I won’t say it was the turning point because we had confidence in the other batters. But definitely, they gave a great partnership.”As for the other players [Ashwin and Chahal], it happens in every big auction with every team. You don’t always get the same team, sometimes you need to make changes, sometimes those changes are forced. Auctions have some rules, and you have to follow them. It’s not like a state team, where you just pick the players you want. There are some rules. But we believe that the players we have picked, it’s a good team.”Our Sri Lankan spinners [Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana] are renowned in the world. It’s not like they only play in the subcontinent. They are well established spinners, not some young guys. Sometimes it happens that the team’s display can be a bit up-and-down, but we are putting in the effort and working hard. So we hope that we do well going forward.”Rahul Dravid is aware that death bowling needs work•Rajasthan Royals

Dravid admits death bowling is an issue

Dravid did agree that RR needed to work on their execution with the ball in the back end of innings. “We suffered a little bit with our death bowling. We conceded 77 in the last five in the last game. The game earlier, we conceded 72,” he said. “I think that is another area for us that we need to get slightly better with, working with slightly more in execution I think our plans have been pretty good. It is just more around the execution of some of those skills.”Even if, say for example, a 57-60 sort of thing is acceptable in the last five overs, it has become almost a norm now. We seem to go for 72-77. It has been those two-three extra boundaries which I think we need to work on and we need to get better at. But it is more an execution issue. I think the quality is there.”The RR head coach also took ownership of the decisions that the team has been taking this year, including the one to use Sandeep Sharma for the Super Over ahead of Jofra Archer.”The decisions are being made by me and with Sanju Samson being an integral part of that and in consultation with our other coaches and our analyst team,” Dravid said. “No one claims that every decision that even experts make works out and is correct. But I respect the fact, and I am very confident of the team that I have around me that is supporting me and Sanju in making these decisions.”With regards to the specific one on Jofra and Sandeep, Sandeep is someone that we trust. He has been bowling some fantastic overs for us. He has bowled all the difficult overs for us in this tournament. And we completely back him and support him and we felt he was the right bowler for us on that wicket in those conditions with the skills that he has.”

Well, that might not have been the perfect start to Nuno Espírito Santo’s tenure as West Ham United boss, but it wasn’t far off.

The Hammers faced the difficult task of taking on a dangerous Everton side away from home on Monday night, and while they didn’t win, they also didn’t lose.

It was that man, Jarrod Bowen, who levelled the score for the East Londoners in the second half, and they looked more likely to score a winner than the Toffees.

Several West Ham starters put in a good showing on the night, but two stood out in particular, including Crysencio Summerville.

Summerville's eye-catching performance

Monday night was Summerville’s third start on the bounce for West Ham, and while he did earn two assists in his eight-minute cameo against Nottingham Forest last month, it was his best performance of the campaign.

Chalkboard

The former Leeds United star did make a few mistakes here and there, but was arguably as good, if not better, than Bowen, even if the Englishman managed to get on the scoresheet.

The Dutchman was a constant threat on the left, using his rapid pace, intricate close control and agility to make life nightmarishly difficult for Jake O’Brien from minute one.

On another night, the 23-year-old would have opened his account for the season when Jordan Pickford pulled off a brilliant reaction save from an incredibly close-range effort.

It wasn’t just us who were left seriously impressed with the winger, though, as Sky Sports awarded him the man of the match, and when you look at his statistics, it’s easy to see why.

Minutes

77′

Expected Goals

0.42

Expected Assists

0.12

Touches

55

Accurate Passes

27/29 (93%)

Key Passes

1

Shots on Target

1

Successful Dribbles

3

Ground Duels (Won)

8 (5)

Fouls Won

2

Clearances

3

Shots Blocked

1

In his 77 minutes of action, he amassed a combined expected goal and assist figure of 0.54, took 55 touches, completed 93% of his passes, played one key pass, completed three dribbles, won five of eight ground duels, won two fouls, made three clearances and even blocked a shot.

In all, Summerville put in a performance that should have fans very excited about what he could do this season, just like one of his teammates.

Nuno's stand-out West Ham star

Now, while Bowen certainly deserves his fair share of praise for the goal he scored, everyone is already well aware of just how good he is.

El Hadji Malick Diouf might have been something of an unknown quantity to those non-West Ham fans who were watching – well, not anymore.

The former Slavia Prague gem was an absolute monster all night, bombing up and down the pitch with his, as one analyst put it, “explosive acceleration” that makes him so difficult to defend against.

The 20-year-old didn’t get himself an assist on the night, but it felt like every time he got forward in the second half, he would deliver a sensational cross into the penalty area with such whip and venom that, had someone got on the end of it, the Hammers would have scored another goal.

Moreover, Bowen’s goal came about thanks to Everton failing to deal with one of these crosses.

What made his deliveries so impressive was the fact that, a couple of times, he didn’t even stop to look or regain his balance; he’d just burst into space, wallop the ball with an immense amount of power, and it’d land in an extremely dangerous area.

It’s things like this that justify Sky Sports’ Joe Thomlinson calling the Senegalese star an “astonishingly good footballer and athlete” and another analyst making the bold claim that he’s “one of the best fullbacks in the league.”

Ultimately, while they didn’t get the win, West Ham looked like a far better team under Nuno on Monday night, and that is largely down to Summerville and Diouf making the left-hand side so much more dangerous.

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ByDan Emery Sep 28, 2025