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The visitors sensed victory before rain wiped out 17 overs and they ran out of time

AAP26-Nov-2024

Cameron Bancroft produced a breakthrough Sheffield Shield century but rain and a stubborn knock from Liam Scott ended Western Australia’s bid to secure victory against South Australia.Bancroft struck an unbeaten 105 off 255 balls as WA set South Australia a victory target of 364 off 90 overs. They were precariously placed at 170 for 5 after 60.1 overs – with debutant Keaton Critchell taking three wickets – when a rain break wiped out 17 overs.Related

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The loss of Harry Nielsen in the first over after the rain break meant WA needed just four more wickets with 12.2 overs remaining. But Scott (33 not out off 106 balls) and Ben Manenti survived before the game was deemed a draw with three balls remaining.There was unexpected drama late in the match when Hilton Cartwright was forced off the field after being accidentally struck in the head by the ball. Cartwright wasn’t looking when Bancroft tossed the ball to him from five metres away, but luckily the impact was only minor.Bancroft started the season as a genuine chance to win the vacant opener’s spot in the Test side following two mammoth years with the bat. But his form turned to mush so quickly over the past two months that critics even started questioning whether he deserved to keep his spot in the WA side.Bancroft opened the Shield campaign with scores of 0, 0, 8 and 2. In his two matches for Australia A, which effectively doubled as a bat-off for the vacant top-order spot in the Test team, Bancroft scored 0, 16, 3 and 0.Nathan McSweeney ended up winning the Test call-up, and Bancroft went on to make 12 and 11 in his next Shield match against Victoria, before opening the current Shield clash with a first-ball duck, despite not appearing to have edged the ball.It continued a rotten run of luck for Bancroft, with a number of his dismissals this season appearing to be umpiring errors. But his luck finally changed.Bancroft made it to stumps on Monday unbeaten on 71, and he had one edge fall short and another edge fly too high for the fielder on Tuesday on the way to reaching his 30th first-class century.The 32-year-old raised his bat and helmet to the sky upon reaching triple figures, with the knock an important step in his bid to get back in the conversation for a Test call-up.WA young gun Jayden Goodwin was named player of the match for his scores of 139 and 69.

Stats highlights from the first day of the second Test, which was dominated by the India opener

ESPNcricinfo stats team13-Feb-20212:55

Bell: Players like Rohit Sharma can take the game away from you quickly

83.55 – Rohit Sharma’s Test average in India. Among the 203 batsmen who have scored at least 1500 runs at home – Sharma reached that milestone today – only one batsman, Don Bradman, has done better. Sharma has seven hundreds in 23 innings in India, of which four have been 150-plus scores. Only once has he been dismissed for less than 150 after he has passed 100.ESPNcricinfo Ltd19 – Hundreds for Sharma in international cricket since the beginning of 2018, the most among all batsmen. Virat Kohli (18) and Joe Root (13) are next in the list. Sharma has struck four hundreds in Tests, 13 in ODIs and two in T20Is; no other batsman has struck multiple hundreds in each format in this period.ESPNcricinfo Ltd162 – The partnership between Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane. Only once has India’s fourth-wicket pair added more runs at home against England: Mohinder Amarnath and Mohammad Azharuddin put together 190, also in Chennai, in 1985.7 – Test hundreds at home for Sharma, without a single overseas century. Among all batsmen without an away hundred, only one – Mominul Haque – has more centuries at home (10). Only two other batsmen have scored their first away hundred after making more than seven centuries at home: Allan Lamb (nine) and Mahela Jayawardene (eight). Robin Smith had seven centuries in England before scoring his first one away from home.31 – Runs scored off the sweep shot by Sharma – he played the sweep 16 times during his 161. In all, India scored 39 runs off that shot on the first day of the second Test, and attempted the shot 26 times. In the first Test, they attempted the sweep shot only five times, and scored 10 runs.4 – Ducks for Kohli in home Tests, all of which have come in his last 21 innings – his first duck at home was in the 2017 Test against Australia, which India lost. In these 21 innings, though, Kohli averages 76.44, with six centuries; in his previous 42 innings in India, Kohli didn’t score a single duck, and averaged 61.21.0 – Extras conceded by England in India’s innings so far, which is currently the second-highest innings score without any extras in Test history. The highest completed innings without an extra is 328 – India bowled 187.5 overs in that innings against Pakistan, in Lahore in 1955, without conceding a single extra.

The David Moyes revival has already taken Everton so far; Goodison Park is unrecognisable from the tumbledown slump that the Scotsman inherited, confidence at a low ebb after colourless football under Sean Dyche’s wing.

Dyche did a good job, all told, but he couldn’t take the Toffees any further and rightly parted ways when The Friedkin Group looked to christen their ownership with an uplifting appointment.

Moyes has done very well indeed, losing just four of his 16 Premier League games at the helm. However, he needs new recruits this summer, especially at the front of the ship.

With Everton stepping into a new home at the Bramley-Moore dock, it feels the right time to replace the ailing Dominic Calvert-Lewin with a new number nine.

Everton's search for a new striker

Calvert-Lewin has been a stalwart for Everton, playing 270 matches across nine seasons, scoring 71 goals. He’s out of contract this summer, though, with brittle fitness levels and consequent struggles for form suggesting he should be allowed to leave.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Beto’s resurgent as a focal frontman, but Everton want more, with Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Tim Kleindienst identified as the perfect player to join Moyes’ project.

According to Caught Offside, TFG are ready to pay the €35m (£30m) asking price for the powerful striker, though the same could be said for Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Further interest from overseas complicates matters, but Everton’s willingness to place a bid suggests that Moyes and the owners are driven toward making improvements during the off-season.

Why Everton want Tim Kleindienst

Time was when Everton would cede swift defeat in a jam-packed race for a talented striker, Goodison Park devolving into something of a hotbed for disappointment in recent years.

But this is a new era, and Moyes has restored the feel-good factor. Kleindienst, 29, could make this new feeling even better still, with a clinical track record in Germany denoting his capacity to confidently take Calvert-Lewin’s place in the squad.

The Germany international has scored 16 goals and added ten assists across 32 matches for Gladbach this season, arriving from Heidenheim last summer.

Standing at 6 foot 4, he carries the imposing physicality that Moyes has made such good use of throughout his managerial career, and with Kleindienst winning 4.7 aerial duels per Bundesliga match this season, he has what it takes to flourish in the area Calvert-Lewin so expertly excels.

The two strikers have a lot in common. Both strong and tall, they win many duels through their focal role in the air; each forward dribbles infrequently, with neither proving the most accurate in his passing.

However, therein lies the disparity. Kleindienst is far more fruitful in his passing, so creative and intelligent with his knock-ons, his lay-offs. Indeed, as per The Athletic’s Seb Stafford-Bloor, the German is “an exquisite one-touch player”.

Defensively, there’s a lot to admire too. FBref record Kleindienst ranks among the top 19% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 11% for interceptions and the top 1% for both blocks and clearances made per 90.

To be sure, signing a striker on the brink of their thirties would be something of a risk, but Kleinsdienst’s athleticism, power and dynamism would be perfect for an Everton side on the up.

Profiled in a similar way to Calvert-Lewin and coveted by divisional rivals, Everton will want to make this statement of intent.

An amazing Rooney repeat: Everton open to signing "world-class" PL star

Everton are at an important juncture as they prepare to reinforce David Moyes’ squad this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

May 6, 2025

It’s been coming. Liverpool have enjoyed the most incredible of campaigns, FSG hitting the jackpot with their appointment of Arne Slot, but in keeping with the yearly routine, the season has produced a bitter pill for the fanbase to swallow.

Last year, it was a tired Jurgen Klopp’s decision to step down after nearly nine illustrious years at the helm. 12 months earlier, Liverpool waved goodbye to Bobby Firmino, with the core of Anfield’s midfield all departing too.

Now, Trent Alexander-Arnold has decided to leave Liverpool at the end of his contract this summer, and while it hasn’t been set in stone, he will sign for Real Madrid on a free transfer.

Why Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool

Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool journey has been synonymous with the club’s ascension under Klopp’s wing. The German gaffer birthed Trent onto the senior stage, handing him his debut across every competition for the Reds.

He’s won it all, but the 26-year-old’s decision to leave Liverpool and the peak of their (and his) powers is something that many fans aren’t going to be able to accept.

FSG did everything in their power to keep him on the books, reportedly offered him a healthy upgrade on his £180k-per-week contract, showcased an ambitious plan led by Slot, whose tactical grasp Trent has been dazzled by.

In the end, he just wanted to leave.

We could pick at it all day but the truth is that Alexander-Arnold feels he has given two decades of his life to his football club and won the lot. He believes that this is the right time for a change, and Real Madrid usually get what they want.

Sky Sports have even suggested that playing in Los Blancos white is something of a lifelong ambition for the England international, whose sights have likely been set on a move for a few years now, in one way or another.

Sporting director Richard Hughes will take his time in working with Slot and deciding on the best route forward at right-back. For now, though, he is looking to sign another defender nice and swiftly.

Liverpool lining up new defender

The Premier League champions are gearing up for a big summer, and the perfect way to put Alexander-Arnold’s decision in the background would be to win the race for Dean Huijsen.

Bournemouth’s star centre-back has been one of the breakthrough stars of the season, thriving on the South Coast. He has a £50m release clause in his contract and is being pursued by all of England’s heaviest hitters.

Certain reports have suggested Chelsea have the edge but according to Fabrizio Romano, the race is very much on, and Liverpool are in need of a new up-and-coming defensive star.

Why Dean Huijsen could be a bigger talent than Trent

Huijsen hasn’t been in the Premier League for long, but he’s already being head-hunted by the best of the best and this is all down to his performances on the pitch.

How Juventus must regret their decision to sell the 20-year-old to Bournemouth in a £15m deal last summer, for he has featured prominently in a Cherries side chasing Europe, with journalist Henry Winter even noting that he “shackled [Alexander] Isak on ground and in the air” back in January.

Sofascore record that Huijsen has won 61% of his aerial battles in the Premier League this season, also averaging 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game, so it’s clear he’s able to produce the goods against the best of the best with consistency. One analyst has already declared that he’s going to be “world-class” in the coming years.

His latest showstopping game, a 2-1 win over Arsenal away from home, highlighted many of the qualities that have piqued the interest of so many clubs, notably scoring the equalising goal.

It was a statement display, not just the architect of the Emirates fall through his headed goal, but an all-round display that negated much of the Gunners’ attacking play.

A big-game player, dynamic as they come, Huijsen is already demonstrating an ability that could see him slot right into Liverpool’s starting line-up, fostering his talents over the coming years to eventually become an even bigger star than Alexander-Arnold.

With some suggesting that he has everything he needs to become “the ultimate modern-day centre back,” Huijsen could actually rise to an even higher level than Alexander-Arnold, should he make the move to Liverpool.

That’s not actually to detract from the Three Lions star’s skill set: Trent is a one-of-a-kind player, with a celestial range of passing that has been so important across a sustained period of success at Anfield.

But Huijsen, too, is showing himself to be a unique player. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 7% of defenders in the Premier League this season for goal contributions, the top 16% for progressive passes, the top 13% for progressive carries, the top 6% for shot-creating actions and the top 4% for blocks and clearances per 90.

It’s not difficult to see why Liverpool (and all the rest) have a vested interest in securing his services as he steps toward footballing maturity.

Surpassing Alexander-Arnold’s legacy would take quite an effort from a young Spaniard like Huijsen (born in the Netherlands), but the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have already arrived as foreigners and established themselves as heroes for the ages.

Huijsen could repeat the trick, outstripping Alexander-Arnold in doing so.

Better than Rogers: Liverpool could see £65m bid accepted for 18-goal star

Liverpool are in the market for new forwards this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

May 5, 2025

She is the first left-hander to play for the country and she wants to follow in the footsteps of her idol, Smriti Mandhana

Annesha Ghosh in Perth26-Feb-2020Murshida Khatun, the only left-hander to play for Bangladesh women, wanted to fulfill two dreams on Monday night. The first of those – to represent her country in a world tournament – came true and she struck an impressive 26-ball 30 against India at the WACA. The other, deferred by a viral fever that ruled India batter Smriti Mandhana out of the match, was realised the following morning at the Perth Airport.”I always had a feeling that’s the only thing I might end up doing if I ever met her: just take a selfie. [That alone means a lot to me],” Khatun, sporting glasses like an early avatar of Mandhana, tells ESPNcricinfo. “I was too nervous to utter a word when I met her, let alone tell her she is my hero… you know that kind of thing that happens with everything jumbling in your head when you first meet your idol after waiting for ages?”Khatun was naturally right-handed. But she took to batting left-handed after watching her older brother. Just like Mandhana. Here’s another connection. Khatun’s desire to step up to the big stage dates back to a milestone in Mandhana’s own career.As she watched the India batter compile her maiden World Cup hundred against West Indies in the 2017 ODI World Cup, Khatun, 17 at the time, did a self-appraisal of just “how hard and diligently” she needed to work on her batting to be able to represent Bangladesh.That [picture] alone is means a lot to me – Murshida Khatun on her idol Smriti Mandhana•Murshida Khatun”I grew up watching Tamim [Iqbal] , because aside from Bangladesh men’s [games], there was not much of other cricket to be watched,” Khatun, who is known by her moniker ‘Happy’, says. “But that hundred from Smriti Mandhana – her technique, her confidence on an English pitch – was just so refreshing to see. Especially as a left-hander, I loved how she stayed there [till the end] to win India the game.”Within a year of that World Cup match, Khatun would go on to make her debut for Bangladesh. Since then she has played 12 international matches but the “biggest and most fascinating” one of them played out before a record 5280-crowd at the WACA on Monday.”I got a bit nervous when I arrived at the stadium,” Khatun recalls. “There was so much noise, so many media people and also because it was my first game against India. But I told myself, ‘This is where you need to bat, this is where you need to perform. None of this is going to go away, so just calm down and get a partnership going.'”After Khatun lost her opening partner seven balls into the match, she strung a 39-run second-wicket stand with Sanjida Islam to get Bangladesh off to a brisk start but fell to pacer Arundhati Reddy lofting the ball to mid-off in the eighth over.

They would keep telling my (mother) that it’s unbecoming of a girl to play sport… But that never deterred me from sneaking out of the house every evening to go watch my [male] cousins play

“I like Smriti Mandhana’s pull and lofted cover drive a lot,” Khatun says. “I like playing the cover drive [along the ground] myself, but have been working on lofting the shots better – mid-on, mid-off, and power-hitting. It’s something Anju [Jain] ma’am [the Bangladesh head coach] and Devika ma’am [Palshikar, the assistant coach] have been working on specifically in my game.”Also, spin. That’s another area I am trying to getting better in. I enjoy pace on the bat, so playing Shikha Pandey [the medium-pacer] wasn’t difficult, but the variations of Arundhati [also a quick bowler] (sister) troubled me a little.”A native of Khulna’s Kushtia district, home to Habibul Bashar and Anamul Haque, Khatun concedes being one of the few left-handed batters on the Bangladesh domestic circuit has helped push her case for selection at the international level.”But she’s got her own strengths, too,” Palshikar, herself a former India cricketer, says. “She may be lacking in exposure and experience at the moment, but she’s hard-working enough to offset that a little bit.”She is focused, patient, and can keep the scoreboard ticking with singles and twos when the boundaries dry up, so Anju made sure we always kept her in the side in the past year. Only if she didn’t do well in three-four games, then only we rested her. Otherwise, her 20-30 runs, too, are quite crucial for us. Besides, she’s keen on rectifying errors and rectifying errors.”Murshida Khatun gets low to slog-sweep•ICC via GettyKhatun attributes her “wanting to stay longer at the crease” to a “painstakingly-cultivated passion for the game” ever since her days as a gully cricketer. Even the criticism from relatives and people in my neighbourhood for doing “something so audaciously boy-like” only spurred her onward.”They would keep telling my (mother) that it’s unbecoming of a girl to play sport. To do so on top of that wearing T-shirt, or pants, or shirts was like an assault on the Bangladeshi standards of morality,” Khatun says. “But that never deterred me from sneaking out of the house every evening to go watch my [male] cousins play.”I used to go stand in one corner of the field and observe how they would drive or defend. Sometimes I’d even go down the steps of a pond nearby to fetch the ball in the hope that, in return, they would let me stay and watch their cricket. I worked that hard to just the game, understand it better.”As her fascination for batting grew, a 12-year-old Khatun pleaded with her father to enroll her at a girl’s cricket academy. But the dearth of visibility and information around the women’s game meant her father could not find a coaching centre even though he had been supportive of his daughter’s wishes.

There was so much noise, so many media people… But I told myself, ‘This is where you need to bat, this is where you need to perform. None of this is going to go away’Khatun on her first World Cup game

In about a year, a Dhaka-based cousin working in the media suggested Khatun apply for admission at the Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Protishthan (BKSP), the country’s premier sports institute that only started accepting female cricketers since 2007. Although Khatun admits to being “far from being familiar with the rules of the game or all the fielding positions”, her batting had impressed the coaches enough during a month-long camp that she got into the BKSP in 2013.A move up to the Bangladesh Women’s Premier League followed, with intermittent appearances in the Best XI, but a “satisfactory performance, with a decent number of runs”, Khatun says, came only a year later leading to a maiden call-up for a month-long national camp. A drop in form between late 2014 and the close of 2016 meant an international debut wouldn’t arrive till May 2018.” I felt intimidated by [Shabnim] Ismail’s pace,” Khatun says about the limited-overs tour of South Africa, where she made a combined seven runs in three ODIs and one in her only T20I. “Ismail is one of the best and quickest bowlers I have faced. But thankfully, that fear has gone away since that tour.”Murshida Khatun strides out to bat•ICC via GettyAlthough Khatun has only 55 runs in five ODIs and 132 runs in seven T20Is in a near-two-year international career, head coach Jain, who formerly captained and coached India, believes the young batter has made good strides in the recent past towards playing with more purpose.”During the South Africa Emerging tour [in July last year], she looked quite good and more comfortable playing in South Africa [than her debut series] and since then there has been no looking back for her,” Jain says. “We knew we had to get her into our squad [for the T20 World Cup]. In the last six months, her shot-selection, fitness and range has improved – she’s added cuts and sweeps [to her arsenal].”But her standout stroke, according to Palshikar, whose tenure as assistant coach with the Indian side in 2014 coincided with the early days of Mandhana’s international career, is the cover drive. “I see glimpses of a younger, rookie Smriti in Happy,” Palshikar says, smiling. “I have watched Smriti at the NCA [National Cricket Academy] camps as well, so I think there are many similarities between Happy’s inside-out [shot] and the cover drive in particular, which she plays quite beautifully, look similar to Smriti’s.”

Sometimes I’d even go down the steps of a pond nearby to fetch the ball in the hope that, in return, they would let me stay and watch their cricket. I worked that hard to just watch the gameKhatun on following her cousins around as a kid

Like Palshikar, Jain believes Khatun’s inclusion in Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup squad boosts their hopes of accomplishing a goal they had set out to achieve at the previous edition of the tournament in 2018: “To improve our rankings, so we don’t have to play the Qualifiers.” Making the semi-finals will be crucial to that end.”We’ve been looking for a left-hander for some time now,” Jain adds. “Devika and I are about to complete two years [with the team], but we haven’t found many. With Happy coming in at the top, we have more options rotating the line-up as per the requirements of the innings; we get more flexibility. Plus, she’s shown more consistency than some of our [other] openers. And you know how troubling a consistent left-hander in the opening position can be for bowlers…”Khatun’s idol, the leading run-scorer in women’s limited-overs cricket since 2018, is testament to Jain’s claim.

“I would put all my eggs in Test basket for the moment,” he said while outlining his schedule management

PTI22-May-2024

Travis Head might have taken this year’s IPL by storm, but he would like to limit his participation in T20 leagues to just two events per year and prioritise Test cricket.”This has been the first year in IPL for me in quite a while (since 2017),” Head told PTI. “I would put all my eggs in Test basket for the moment, I will continue to do that.”Head, who has enjoyed an incredible last ten months, has been a nemesis for India with centuries in both the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final. Currently, he has piled on 533 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, forging a fabulous opening partnership with uncapped Indian Abhishek Sharma.Related

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Despite becoming a sought-after T20 star, the 30-year-old looks to be selective with how he slots in franchise-league commitments in his schedule, while putting Tests first.”After Tests, I will pick formats, and see in which different ways I am available for selection,” Head said. “At this stage, I would like to be back here in [the] IPL next year. Like I will play Major League Cricket [in the USA] this year right after the World T20 [T20 World Cup] but next year might just look a lot different.”Each year, you prioritise what you can and can’t do. Next year, Test cricket is around, we tour the West Indies and probably I will not feature in many other franchises.””Look, in few years when I am finished with Test cricket, then probably there will be few more opportunities to play a bit more franchise cricket. But at this time, I would try to limit it to a couple of franchise[s] maybe, and [focus on] Test cricket.”Despite coming off a hectic ten months where he had to overcome a hand injury that threatened his place in the ODI World Cup and the short lead-in to the T20 World Cup following the IPL, Head doesn’t want to make a big deal about workload management.”I will be home in a couple of days’ time once we are done with IPL. Be home for two-three days and make the trip to the West Indies with family and start all over again.”Look, we are very fortunate to do what we do and I am not going to do it forever. So [we] try and make the most of it as we can, we are lucky that we are well looked after.””I know in a few years, I can retire and do nothing, I will have plenty of time to look back and wish I was back on tour, I would like to be in the moment, keep batting through and stay in the moment, enjoying the moment.”

Football’s back for those of a Liverpool persuasion, and it’s a big one at that.

Having sat out last weekend due to an early exit from the FA Cup, Arne Slot’s Liverpool return to action in the Premier League as they host resurgent Everton.

The international break is typically a gruelling thing, stunting progress and halting anticipation as teams fight for their respective goals. Liverpool, however, may have found the sojourn to have been a blessing, falling in the Champions League before losing the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United.

Ah well, there’s always next season – for those honours, anyway. Liverpool are still hunting down the Premier League title, 12 points clear of second-place Arsenal with nine matches to play.

Everton have been reborn under David Moyes’ wing, the Scotsman replacing Sean Dyche in January and crafting a nine-match unbeaten run after losing his league opener to Aston Villa at Goodison Park.

24/25

Goodison Park

2-2 draw

23/24

Goodison Park

2-0 loss

23/24

Anfield

2-0 win

22/23

Anfield

2-0 win

22/23

Goodison Park

0-0 draw

Everton’s patch of Merseyside was left giddy, exalted, after James Tarkowski hit parity in the dying embers last month, but Slot will hope for a different outcome here as his side look to end their dip in form across recent matches.

Liverpool team news

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who looks set to join Real Madrid when his contract expires this summer, is still sidelined after injuring his ankle against Paris Saint-Germain.

Compounding the issue, Conor Bradley is not quite ready to return to the starting line-up after his period of convalescence; with Joe Gomez also out, Slot is likely to pick Jarell Quansah to deputise at right-back once again.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alisson Becker, however, are both expected to be fit following respective scares for their nations over the past two weeks.

This is all well and good, but Liverpool’s recent issues derive from a dried-up pool of attacking fluency. Indeed, Liverpool have been a day late and a dollar short of late, and fans online have been murmuring about freshening things up with a tactical tweak to the frontline.

However, Federico Chiesa may not be the answer for this one, not in Slot’s mind.

Slot must unleash Liverpool's "special" forward

Liverpool struggled to get going at Wembley, but it was substitute Chiesa who latched onto Harvey Elliott’s tidy through ball in stoppage time to spark fleeting hopes of a comeback.

But Liverpool failed to stage the desired response; time had been exhausted. Chiesa, however, did show off a glimpse of the quality that prompted the Anfield side to pay Juventus for him back in August, a quality that is illuminated given the ongoing profligacy of Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

The international break will hopefully have served as a reset button for the wasteful bunch, but it more importantly means a fully-fit Cody Gakpo is ready to return from Netherlands duty brim-full, having only just returned from injury before the break and indeed last starting a Premier League fixture in mid-February.

It’s been a big blow for the Merseysiders, for Gakpo has been in fine fettle this season, scoring 16 goals and providing six assists across all competitions. The 25-year-old is currently level with last term’s haul, but he’s matched it in over 800 fewer minutes across all fronts.

Gakpo has to start against Everton, his clinical shooting giving rise to the success of his frontal peers. Diaz’s makeshift dynamism in a central striking role, for example, is heightened by the Dutchman’s presence, easing the goalscoring burden on Salah.

1.

Mohamed Salah

15

2.

Cody Gakpo

12

3.

Luis Diaz

7

4.

Diogo Jota

4

5.

Darwin Nunez

3

5=

Dominik Szoboszlai

3

5=

Alexis Mac Allister

3

The table above makes for somewhat grim reading, with Liverpool’s lopsided frontline clear through the shooting success clinched on home turf.

However, it does highlight Gakpo’s confidence on home soil, scoring three-quarters of his strikes this year at Anfield. Indeed, the Netherlands star has actually bagged in each of his past eight starts at Liverpool’s home ground.

His quality has been streamlined by Slot’s decision to field him in a more structured role off the left flank, as opposed to Jurgen Klopp’s choice of deploying across myriad points of the pitch.

This, of course, has meant Diaz’s qualities have been required in a more central position, but since Gakpo is now fit and ready to fire once more, would it really be wise to unleash Chiesa from the outset in an important derby fixture?

The stakes are high. With Arsenal narrowing the gap after beating Fulham, Liverpool cannot afford to fumble at this stage. The need for Chiesa’s finishing is effectively neutered by Gakpo’s return as he restores the balance and balance of potency up top.

The £120k-per-week Gakpo, after all, ranks among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League this term for goals scored per 90 (0.51), as per FBref. It’s no wonder he’s been praised by Fabrizio Romano for “flying for Liverpool this season.”

Conversely, Chiesa has struggled to buy a game. Though he’s posted two goals and two assists apiece across 11 matches in all competitions – just three starts – Slot has thus far been unwilling to hand him any starting roles in the Premier League, and that’s not going to change in an important league fixture against heated rivals Everton, who are in hot form at that.

While we’d all like to see Liverpool’s nifty Italian earn some more action, it doesn’t feel probable that he will play from the opening bell in this one.

That said, if Gakpo can work toward establishing a healthy lead for Slot’s team, Chiesa could surely enter the fray in the second half – and with a point to prove.

Better than Kerkez: Liverpool will have £40m bid accepted for "insane" star

Liverpool are ready to sign a new left-back this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 1, 2025

Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace have largely been in excellent form since the start of 2025, only losing three times in their last 11 Premier League matches, keeping eight clean sheets in all competitions this calendar year and earning themselves a spot in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

The Eagles didn’t start the campaign at 100mph. After losing the likes of Michael Olise and Joachim Anderson in the summer, Palace had to reassemble their tools, find ways to recruit and replace those players and then begin to build.

After the first ten matches of the season, Palace found themselves 17th, only picking up seven points in that time.

But due to their excellent form since then, Palace now find themselves in mid-table in the Premier League, with the top seven not too far out of reach.

So why did it take a while at the start of the season, and how much did Glasner’s side miss Olise?

Michael Olise's creative burden

Olise was sold to Bayern Munich in the summer, joining the German giants for a fee of around £50m. Since joining Bayern, Olise has been in sublime form, making 43 appearances, scoring 13 goals, and providing 16 assists.

But, the Frenchman was key in his time at Palace, making 90 appearances in his three years at the club, netting 16 times, providing 25 assists and totaling 5,782 minutes played.

Having Olise on the right and Eberechi Eze on the left made it tough for teams to contain the Eagles, with the duo often combining to create chances out of nothing.

With Olise gone, more focus being solely on Eze and a right-hand side that had to be re-invented, it was always going to take some time to find the best way to replace the French wingers’ presence.

That being said, Glasner has certainly found a way to do it.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Glasner's "spectacular" duo have replaced Olise

Crystal Palace signed Ismaila Sarr from Marseille in the summer, joining for a fee of around £12.6m. The 27-year-old was the clear signing destined to take the spot of Olise on that right-hand side, but the difference in overall quality is clear, and therefore, a new dynamic on that side would be needed.

Daniel Munoz, working in tandem with Sarr on the right, has been Glasner’s key weapon to replacing Olise’s output, with both players proving to be very direct, making clever runs in behind and stretching play for their teammates. This right side has proven to be a key outlet for Palace this season.

Goals

0.17

0.29

Assists

0.14

0.11

xG

0.15

0.33

xAG

0.14

0.26

Progressive Carries

1.51

2.52

Progressive Passes

2.44

2.91

Shots Total

1.04

1.93

Key Passes

1.22

1.41

Passes into Pen Area

0.72

1.41

Shot-Creating Actions

2.29

3.85

Successful Take-Ons

0.61

0.60

When looking at the pair’s underlying metrics this season, you can see how their combined effort has helped to replace the French star, both getting forward and getting shots off, both putting balls into the box, chipping in with output and contributing in build up.

Munoz was described as “spectacular” by Jefferson Lerma and that is certainly one way to describe the pair down that right-hand side, working in tandem to attack in a direct fashion and create chances for the team.

Whilst Olise will never fully be replaceable, losing a world-class talent is always tough to replace, even more so when you are a mid-table Premier League side.

Therefore, Palace fans must be fairly happy with their right-side rebrand, with Glasner proving he can make it work.

Contact made: Crystal Palace make move to sign "Pique-esque" £5m defender

The Eagles have made an approach for a defender, who is also attracting interest from West Ham United.

ByDominic Lund Apr 10, 2025

The reason for Amad Diallo giving fans the middle finger during Manchester United’s post-season trip to Malaysia has been revealed.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Red Devils playing friendlies in the Far East
• Suffered shock defeat in the first of those
• Players subjected to abuse by those in crowd

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils, on the back of a forgettable Premier League campaign that delivered a 15th-place finish, endured more misery when suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to the ASEAN All-Star team after arriving in the Far East.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Frustrated players and coaches were not in the mood to deal with supporters – some of whom had jeered them from the stands – when making their way back to the team bus. Amad cut a seriously frustrated figure.

• WHAT A SOURCE SAID

  He was caught on camera aiming a middle-fingered salute towards a person in the crowd, with the claiming that the Ivorian winger was responding to “serious personal abuse”.

• Instagram
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  The Mail say that while “the exact nature of the exchange has not come to light”, Red Devils star Amad “was left very upset”. He did not have a smile on his face when fans captured a photo of United players in an elevator, with Alejandro Garnacho delivering the same gesture as Amad – although his actions were slightly more jovial.

Katie Mack and Tahlia McGrath made light work of a low target in batting-friendly conditions as Adelaide Strikers comfortably beat embattled Sydney Sixers at an oppressive WACA ground.The rematch of last season’s WBBL final was an anti-climax with a disciplined Strikers attack restricting Sixers to an underwhelming total of 111 for 6.Mack and McGrath had no such difficulty with a commanding 77-run second-wicket partnership as Strikers cruised to the target in the 18th over. A slew of late wickets, including Mack and McGrath, flattered Sixers who were convincingly outplayed throughout the contest.They desperately needed early wickets, but started raggedly with a misfield from captain Ellyse Perry gifting Mack a boundary in the first over. Sixers’ confidence temporarily lifted when a cracking in-swinger from left-arm quick Lauren Cheatle’s first delivery bowled opener Laura Wolvaardt.Sixers’ hopes were quickly dashed by Mack and McGrath as Perry reverted to a defensive field. Seemingly going through the motions, Sixers lacked inspiration and the microscope will be on the glamour franchise anchored to the bottom of the ladder.With the temperature hovering at an unseasonal 35 degrees Celsius, Strikers elected to bowl on a hard surface promising lots of runs even though the pitch had a green-tinge.Sixers were under pressure having won just once from five games and losing star wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy to a season-ending injury after she was accidentally bitten by her dog.Without Healy, Sixers have increasingly relied on Perry who has tried to hold together a stuttering top-order. She looked well on her way after a trademark drive through the covers off quick Megan Schutt then a dismissive flick for six in the third over.Perry attempted to replicate the flick against seamer Danielle Gibson, but was undone by an inswinger and her stumps were rattled in a rarity of a dismissal for her.The pressure was on opener Suzie Bates to end her form woes having only made 42 runs from five previous innings. She continued to look sluggish, including failing to connect on an attempted scoop.Bates finally middled legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, but straight to Jemma Barsby who held onto a rocket at mid-on.Sixers kept losing wickets at inopportune moments and were never able to build rhythm. Ashleigh Gardner appeared the likeliest to get Sixers back on track, but on 27 she hit legspinner Anesu Mushangwe to midwicket in a disappointing dismissal.Sixers were shackled in the middle of their innings by Wellington and Mushangwe, who produced turn on a surface renowned as a spinning graveyard.Not even the power surge could ignite Sixers with Maitlan Brown and Mathilda Carmichael managing just three runs across the 17th and 18th overs.It was the equal fewest runs off a power surge in WBBL history as Sixers crawled to a mediocre total that was nowhere near enough.