Son Heung-min felt he had disappointed his Tottenham team-mates before opening this season s account with a dazzling hat-trick against Leicester City.
The South Korea international came off the bench in the second half of Saturday s Premier League game to deliver a freewheeling performance in what became a 6-2 rout of the Foxes.
Having been replaced in the starting line-up by Dejan Kulusevski, Son s performance as substitute was a timely reminder of his talent.
In eight previous games this season, including two in the Champions League, Son had failed to score and managed only one assist.
Speaking after a treble that included two stunning long-range finishes, last season s Golden Boot joint-winner said the feat left him emotional, after several weeks of…
Jack Grealish has signed a new five-year contract with Aston Villa, in a move that appears to put to bed rumours the club captain could leave for Manchester United.
Villa announced the deal on their official website, with Grealish now committed to his boyhood club until 2025.
The 25-year-old midfielder, who made his England debut against Denmark this month, first caught the eye in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 Premier League seasons, when still a youngster.
He stayed with the team after their relegation to the Championship, despite interest from top-flight teams, and finally helped Villa out of the second tier after three years of trying.
Last season he scored eight goals and had six assists in the Premier League, playing a crucial role as Villa avoided relegat…
Manchester United let Erik ten Hag down in the January transfer window by not signing a striker, club great Gary Neville has declared.
Defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday saw United slip to fourth in the Premier League, one point above Tottenham, who they hold a game in hand over, with a fierce scrap for a top-four finish looming before the end of the season.
United s away form has been a major issue this season, with six of their seven defeats coming on the road, and upcoming trips to face fellow European chasers Tottenham and Brighton and Hove Albion will be a cause for concern.
According to Neville, the club s failure to adequately recruit a new forward in the mid-season window, following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, is at the root of their issues.
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In a highly charged atmosphere at the Wanda Metropolitano, Liverpool beat Atletico Madrid by 2-3 in the third round of the Champions League matches in Group B. The Reds were two goals up after just 13 minutes, courtesy of a deflected Mohamed Salah shot from the edge of the box and a thunderous volley from Naby Keita, but the hosts bounced back quickly and Antoine Griezmann struck twice to level the score within the next 2o. The French forward was however, sent off in the 52nd for a high boot on Roberto Fimino, and Salah converted a 78th-minute penalty to grab the three points for the visitors.
The early Liverpool quality
Liverpool have started the season strongly. They are the only undefeated team in the Premier League at the moment, though they still trail Chelsea by a point …
Lionel Messi wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Barcelona in the summer transfer window, according to . The Argentina international forward is out of contract at defending Ligue 1 champions PSG at the end of the season, and his former club Barcelona are keen on bringing him back at Camp Nou. Messi himself is open to a return to Barca.
Messi joined PSG in the summer of 2021 on a free transfer after leaving Barcelona. The 35-year-old made 24 starts and two substitute appearances in Ligue 1 for PSG last season, scoring six goals and providing 14 assists in the process. So far this campaign, Messi has scored 15 goals and given 14 assists in 26 Ligue 1 matches.
Barcelona are at the top of the La Liga table at the moment with 73 points from 29 matches, as many as 11 point…
Real Madrid have completed the signing of England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal.
Dortmund confirmed in a statement last week that Real have agreed to pay an initial 103million euros (£88.5m) to land Bellingham, who moved to Germany from boyhood club Birmingham in 2020.
Now both clubs have announced the deal for the 19-year-old has been finalised, with Real adding that he will be unveiled in the Spanish capital on Thursday.
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Verdict: Both teams to score
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Looking to gain an early advantage in their Champions League semi-final, Jurgen Klopp s side will travel to the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.
Barcelona
Starting with the hosts, after picking up a 1-0 win over Levante last weekend, Barcelona have reclaimed their La Liga title with time to spear and a triple-winning season still remains on the cards. Now winning their last four matches across all competitions, including a 3-0 win over Manchester United in the quarter-finals a fortnight ago, the mood in Ernesto Valverde s camp will be on a high. Looking to end their four-year wait to lift a European crown, one man who has continued to spearhead Barcelona s stellar campaign both domestically and in Euro…
Steven Naismith is hoping to see several other Hearts players pledge their futures to the club in the coming weeks after Alan Forrest signed a new contract until 2026.
The 27-year-old’s initial deal was due to expire this summer, but he has earned an extension after establishing himself as a key man for the Jambos this term.
Naismith praised Forrest for the way he has handled the step up since moving to Hearts from Livingston in 2022.
“Alan needed to prove to the fans he’s good enough and understand the demands at the club and I think over his time here he’s done that,” said the manager.
“I think this period is the most consistent he’s been. That’s something I challenged him with at the start of the season in terms of impacting games more …
England captain Leah Williamson feels women players are “driving ourselves into the ground” with a hectic schedule which could lead to more serious injuries unless an unsustainable workload is managed properly.
Arsenal defender Williamson was forced to miss last summer’s World Cup, where the Lionesses finished runners-up, after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in April 2023.
Earlier this month, Chelsea forward Sam Kerr sustained an ACL injury during Chelsea’s warm weather training in Morocco, leaving the Australia forward with her own lengthy spell of rehabilitation.
Chelsea Football Club can confirm striker Sam Kerr has sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during our warm weather training camp in Morocco.
— Chelsea FC Wo…
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has signed a new long-term contract at the club.
The forward, recalled to the England squad this week, is believed to have penned a five-year deal and has scored 50 goals for Villa since joining from Brentford in 2020.
He netted 15 times last season to help Villa return to Europe and had been in talks over a new deal for around six months.
Our striker, signed and sealed.
Congratulations, Ollie!
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)
Boss Unai Emery said: “He is always very demanding, to learn and improve. He is doing that here. I have been working with him more or less for one year and today is the same as the first day, our method in the training ground.”
Watkins has scored seven times this season…