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Aston Villa recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The result means the Midlands side leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur back into fourth place in the league table, strengthening their chances of securing a Champions League space for next season.

Unai Emery deployed a 4-4-2 formation which has worked wonders throughout the current season, partnering Ollie Watkins with Moussa Diaby up top.

The Frenchman enjoyed one of his finest displays in a Villa shirt. Not only did he open the scoring towards the end of the second half, but the winger also provided an assist for Ezri Konsa to score Villa’s second with 25 minutes left.

It was plain sailing after that as the club now head into the tie against Manchester City in a confident mood.

It was Morgan Rogers who perhaps enjoyed his best display since joining from Middlesbrough in January, enhancing his chances of a start in midweek.

Morgan Rogers’ game in numbers vs Wolves

Rogers started on the left of a four-man midfield, but he looked to get forward down the flank as often as possible.

Morgan Rogers' stats vs Wolves

Goals

0

Dribble attempts (successful)

5(5)

Ground duels (won)

12(8)

Lost possession

4

Touches

22

Via Sofascore

Indeed, the youngster succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts (5/5), while showing he was no pushover in his one-on-one battles, winning eight of his 12 ground duels during his time on the pitch.

Rogers also lost possession just four times, along with being fouled twice, and it finally looks as though he belongs in this Villa side.

Journalist John Townley hailed Rogers’ performance against Wolves, giving him a match rating of 7/10 while saying that the winger ‘caused problems when he drifted inside and carried the ball forward’, which is further evidence of how well he played last night.

Morgan Rogers must now start against Manchester City

John McGinn will serve the final game of his three-match suspension against City, while Nicolo Zaniolo and Jacob Ramsey have been less than convincing on the left wing when utilised there this term.

Following his display on Saturday evening, Rogers has done his chances no harm at all with regard to securing a spot in the starting XI against the champions in midweek.

During the reverse match earlier this season, Emery tactically outmanoeuvred his compatriot Pep Guardiola to secure a 1-0 win for the Villa Park side and plenty of bragging rights.

Heading into the clash undefeated across their previous three fixtures, it is clear Emery will be aiming for a positive result against City, while a win could have serious ramifications with regard to where the Premier League title ends up at the end of the season.

In his five top-flight matches, Rogers has succeeded with an impressive 92% of his dribbles, indicating that he could be a major attacking threat against the City backline.

He could use the display against Wolves as a platform to push even harder against the side who are going for their fourth league crown in a row.

Should Villa win, it could be the catalyst which sees them end the season on a high note.

Derby County shrugged off any signs of complacency at the top end of League One by confidently beating Port Vale 3-0 on Saturday, Paul Warne's Rams thankful for the straightforward three points after disappointingly falling to back-to-back defeats before.

Warne would have been delighted for his new recruit Dwight Gayle in the convincing victory, the 34-year-old former Newcastle United man firing in Derby's second of the afternoon to break his Rams duck.

In a hypothetical world, the experienced third-tier boss would love to have a certain Derby wonderkid of days gone by at his disposal to slot into the side alongside his brand-new veteran centre-forward.

Indeed, the idea of Malcolm Ebiowei still lining up in Derby colours would have given the promotion chasers something new in attack away from the seasoned heads currently making up the numbers.

Malcolm Ebiowei's time at Derby

Still just 20 years of age, young Derby hotshot Ebiowei certainly left a lasting impression on the Rams fanbase in such a short period of time when bursting through to the senior fold at the club.

Scoring a staggering seven goals from just eight games for the U18s, then Derby boss Wayne Rooney would thrust the teenage gem into the Pride Park spotlight amidst his side's growing relegation concerns during the 2021/22 season – handing the exciting attacker 16 appearances under his up-and-down Rams tenure.

Ebiowei would dazzle second-tier defences even when everything was turbulent at Derby, helping himself to a goal and two assists in this patch of matches given to him by Rooney.

Described as being "the best player on the pitch" during a 1-1 draw that same campaign against Coventry City by his manager, on top of being an "excellent" talent", it wasn't a shock to see higher-up suitors take advantage of Derby's eventual relegation and circle for the explosive attacker on a free transfer in the summer of 2022.

Crystal Palace would win his services, in a move that now – with the beauty of hindsight – hasn't really worked out for the ex-Derby wonderkid.

Never really leaving his mark on the Eagles' first-team set-up – with only five fleeting first-team chances to date – Ebiowei now finds himself out on loan in Belgium playing for RWD Molenbeek away from Palace.

If Derby could rewind the clock and change history, the Rams wouldn't say no to having their former tricky winger back to terrorise League One defences on their way to promotion.

Why Ebiowei would be perfect for Gayle

Derby haven't quite cracked the perfect attacking formula this season, not helped by the likes of James Collins, Martyn Waghorn and Conor Washington causing selection headaches up top with injuries.

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Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

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That has been further troubled by the likes of Corey Blackett-Taylor failing to settle since making a major move from Charlton Athletic, leaving spots going forward potentially up for grabs.

Ebiowei would fancy his chances at breaking into the current Derby XI to help Gayle become prolific again, allowing the 34-year-old to be deadly after blowing off the cobwebs to pick up his debut goal against the Valiants.

The 20-year-old attacker would twist and turn third-tier defences on his arrival back to Pride Park, teeing up Gayle at the end of a mazey dart forward to fire home potentially.

Able to play down either the right or left wing, with the ability to even start as the striker if required, the likes of Tom Barkhuizen would be kept on their toes by Ebiowei's emergence back onto the Rams scene alongside key first-teamer Nathaniel Mendez-Laing needing to up his game.

In reality, Ebiowei will need to show Palace he deserves more chances at Selhurst Park playing out in Belgium – already impressing those at Molenbeek with an assist on his first league start against Standard Liege.

Warne and Co will just focus on picking up more wins back in England, hoping that Gayle ends up being a promotion-clinching hero down the line without Ebiowei by his side.

An impressive young manager has already been identified as a potential Rangers manager after Philippe Clement, according to a new update.

Philippe Clement thriving as Rangers manager

The Gers are in the midst of a highly impressive season currently, but it is one that looked bleak earlier in the campaign when the doomed reign of Michael Beale was in full swing. Since Clement replaced the Englishman in the Ibrox hot seat back in October, however, their fortunes have changed for the better, and there is now the prospect of multiple trophies being won.

Rangers

31

2.55

Monaco

73

1.73

Club Brugge

127

1.96

Genk

82

1.96

Waasland-Beveren

22

1.41

They have already lifted the Scottish League Cup, following a 1-0 victory over Aberdeen in the final, they lead Celtic by two points at the top of the Scottish Premiership and are still in the Scottish Cup. There is also the chance of going deep in the Europa League, ahead of Thursday's last-16 second leg clash with Benfica at Ibrox, having drawn 2-2 in Portugal last week.

This all highlights what an excellent job Clement is doing, and the fact that he is contracted at Rangers until the summer of 2027 suggests that he isn't going anywhere for a while. That being said, it looks as though there is already potential long-term planning in place when it comes to his successor.

Rangers have possible Philippe Clement replacement lined up

According to a new update from Football Insider, Steven Naismith is seen as a possible future Rangers boss, being considered a candidate to eventually replace Clement at Ibrox.

It is claimed that the 37-year-old is "admired in Scotland and is considered to be a future Rangers manager", having "attracted interest from several clubs". He famously spent five years as a Gers player, winning three league titles, two league cups and one Scottish Cup.

Rangers are of course happy with Clement but "view Naismith as a future manager once he gains more experience".

Naismith is an impressive young manager currently, doing an excellent job with Hearts since taking charge back in September, guiding them to third place in the Scottish Premiership table, as things stand. He recently masterminded a 2-0 win at home to Celtic, which was a huge boost for Rangers in the title race.

It would be a big surprise if those high up at Ibrox were even considering disposing of Clement any time soon, however, with the Belgian thriving in charge and also being hailed by Scott Wright, who felt a training camp abroad worked wonders earlier in the campaign:

"The break in La Manga has been great for us. It was absolutely critical for us, to be honest. He has been able to implement more of his ideas and a bit of his style and you can see that on the pitch, the things he wanted to change."

If Naismith continues to impress in management, however, he has every right to be considered a possible replacement for Clement further down the line, with his Ibrox ties meaning he already knows the club inside out from his playing days.

After their win over Pakistan in UAE, New Zealand have a chance to scale Test rankings’ summit if they topple Sri Lanka

The Preview by Madushka Balasuriya13-Aug-2019Big PictureSri Lanka won their last Test assignment – it was a historic one too – in South Africa, but so much has happened since. New Zealand have had a different kind of high, and a heartbreak to boot, at the World Cup, but are determined to move on and make a fresh start in Sri Lanka, with the Tests part of the World Test Championship.What’s certain is they won’t underestimate the hosts, even though they are yet to emerge from their forever-rebuilding state, under another interim coach. In Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, and Henry Nicholls they have a middle order more than capable of batting Sri Lanka out of the game. To bolster their batting unit, they have also recruited former Sri Lanka batting coach Thilan Samaraweera for the duration of the series.Sri Lanka are coming into the series on the back of a comprehensive ODI series whitewash over Bangladesh. Prior to that, they finished a World Cup campaign that was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. All of it has taken place in the midst of constant backroom turmoil, culminating in head coach Chandika Hathurusingha being replaced in the interim by fast-bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake.Yet, this Sri Lanka side under Dimuth Karunaratne has shown considerable mental resolve in recent months, especially with their batting, and while most teams would be unsettled by the loss of a coach days before a series, not many sides are as practiced at compartmentalising such chaos as Sri Lanka.All things considered, though, New Zealand certainly have the edge. Yes, Sri Lanka have beaten South Africa and Australia at home in recent years, but that was with the assistance of the now retired Rangana Herath, and the injured Dilruwan Perera. Sri Lanka’s spin-bowling future in Tests still has heavy question marks around it. New Zealand meanwhile are coming on the back of five consecutive series wins, and it would take brave man to bet against them making it six.Form guideSri Lanka WWLDL (last five completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand WWWDWIn the spotlightThis will be Sri Lanka’s first Test at home since Rangana Herath’s retirement. There had been a succession plan in place in the shape of Dilruwan Perera, but with him also out injured, Sri Lanka have suddenly lost some 378 wickets worth of spin-bowling experience on home soil. This puts the pressure squarely on Akila Dananjaya to carry Sri Lanka’s spin attack on what should be a fairly accommodating Galle surface. While Dananjaya only has 27 Test wickets to his name, 17 of which have come at home, they have come in just five Tests. This will be his first outing in the longer format of the game since he remodelled his action earlier this year.Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel was instrumental in New Zealand’s away series win against Pakistan last year, and despite having just the five Tests under his belt, he impressed in the warm-up game, where he walked away with a five-for on the only day play was possible. Visiting spinners have also had a fair bit of success in Sri Lanka recently, and Patel and co. will have studied closely.Team newsSri Lanka are set to welcome back Dinesh Chandimal, dropped for the series in South Africa because of poor form, and Angelo Mathews, who missed the South Africa tour because of an injury. New Zealand, meanwhile, could field three frontline spinners, with Todd Astle missing out.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Kusal Perera, 7 Dhananjaya De Silva, 8 Lasith Embuldeniya, 9 Akila Dananjaya 10 Lakshan Sandakan 11 Suranga LakmalNew Zealand (probable): 1 Jeet Raval, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Ajaz Patel, 9 Will Somerville, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Tim SoutheePitch and conditionsGalle pitches usually favour spin, so expect the same this time too. Given rain is forecast right through the Test, there’s every chance of a five-day affair, unlike recent Tests that have finished early. If it does go there, both sides will want to be bowling on a deteriorating deck, so winning the toss and batting first would be the obvious choice.Stats and trivia If New Zealand win this series 2-0 they will become No.1 ranked Test side in the world for the first time in their history Teams winning the toss have batted first in 27 of the 32 Tests played here Kane Williamson’s 968 runs against Sri Lanka at 80.66 is the most he has scored against a single opponent Galle is one of only four venues where a single bowler has more than 100 wickets (Lord’s the only non-Sri Lankan venue in the list). Tim Southee is six wickets from becoming the second-highest wicket taker in bilateral Tests between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest.Quotes”We were too attacking perhaps in our last game here. We couldn’t for example stop the flow of runs. Now we have plans to move forward and all the spinners are in good shape.”
“The guys that are here were part of a fantastic series in the UAE where spin bowling was the dominant art. They are really looking forward to the opportunity in another country where the conditions will be slightly different again.”

كشف السويسري مارسيل كولر، المدير الفني لفريق الأهلي، عن قائمة اللاعبين المقرر لهم خوض مواجهة السوبر الإفريقي أمام الزمالك.

الأهلي يواجه الزمالك في مباراة نهائي السوبر الإفريقي، للمرة الثانية تاريخيًا بين الفريقين، بعد لقاء نهائي نفس المسابقة بنسختها الثانية عام 1994.

ويخوض الزمالك مباراة السوبر الإفريقي، بعد فوزه ببطولة الكونفدرالية النسخة الأخيرة على حساب نهضة بركان، بينما الأهلي حقق دوري أبطال إفريقيا أمام الترجي التونسي.

صور | وفد من “كاف” يزور بعثة الزمالك في الرياض.. والأهلي يواصل استعداداته لـ السوبر الإفريقي موعد مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في السوبر الإفريقي

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي مع الزمالك في مباراة كأس السوبر الإفريقي على أرضية استاد “المملكة أرينا” في السعودية يوم الجمعة 27 سبتمبر الجاري، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

وضمت قائمة الأهلي ثلاثة حراس مرمى، محمد الشناوي ومصطفى شوبير وحمزة علاء، إلى جانب الصفقات الجديدة أشرف داري، ويحيى عطية الله، ويوسف أيمن، وعمر الساعي.  قائمة الأهلي لمواجهة الزمالك في السوبر

حراسة المرمى: محمد الشناوي، مصطفى شوبير، حمزة علاء. 

خط الدفاع: أشرف داري، ياسر إبراهيم، محمد هاني، يحيى عطية الله، يوسف أيمن، رامي ربيعة، عمر كمال عبد الواحد.

خط الوسط: أكرم توفيق، مروان عطية، عمر الساعي، محمد مجدي أفشة، إمام عاشور، عمرو السولية أحمد نبيل كوكا حسين الشحات بيرسي تاو طاهر محمد رضا سليم.

خط الهجوم: وسام أبو علي ومحمود عبد المنعم كهربا.

Opener steps up after sleepless night, as infant daughter is taken ill on eve of game

George Dobell at Trent Bridge17-May-2019

Jason Roy brings up his century•Getty Images

Jason Roy had to overcome a lack of sleep and concerns about his new-born daughter to make a match-winning century against Pakistan.Roy made 114 – the eighth century of his ODI career – to help England to the fourth highest successful run-chase in their ODI history at Trent Bridge; a result that gives them an unassailable 3-0 series win.But afterwards Roy revealed he had spent much of the night in hospital after his daughter, Everly, was taken ill and managed only a couple ofhours’ sleep. While Everly, who is seven weeks old, is understood to be out of danger, Roy returned to be by her hospital bedside immediately after the game.And while he admitted it “was not the most fluent innings of my life,” Roy described it as “a special” performance in testing circumstances.”I had a bit of a rough morning, so this one is a special one for me and my family,” Roy told the BBC. “It was my little one. We had to take her to hospital at 1.30 in the morning.”I stayed there until 8.30 and came back for a couple of hours sleep. I got to the ground just before warm-up and cracked on. It was a very emotional hundred.”Meanwhile Jos Buttler – captain in place of the suspended Eoin Morgan – expressed his confidence in England’s run-chase despite their apparently challenging total.”I thought the bowling unit did a great job to keep them to 340,” he said. “As daft as it sounds, I didn’t think 340 seemed such a vast score on a wicket like that with a very fast outfield and small boundaries.”The strength of the batting line-up has been a big plus for us overs the past few years. Jason played fantastically well and it is great to watch him in full flow.”We had four really poor overs with some soft dismissals, but Ben Stokes played fantastically well and for him to soak up that pressure and play so well will give him a lot of confidence.”England were also grateful for some flawed fielding from the Pakistan side, too. As well as several dropped chances, the ground fielding cost Pakistan at least a dozen runs while Tom Curran survived a run-out chance on 6. Curran, running for overthrows after a direct hit had removed one bail from the stumps but sent the ball ricochetinginto space, might have been run out had Sarfaraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, appealed when removing the remaining bail as Curran attempted to complete a second run.The Laws were updated a couple of years ago so that instead of removing a stump from the ground in such circumstances, only the remaining bail needs to be removed. Curran went on to make an important 31.”We had enough runs on the board,” Sarfaraz said. “If we had fielded well, we would have won this game.”The only thing we can do is work hard. Over the last year-and-a-half our fielding has been much improved, but in these three matches it isa concern for us.”I’ve seen a replay of the run-out. I thought both bails came off and, if the third umpire saw on TV, hopefully he would tell the on-field umpires. But we didn’t appeal.”

Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has said he could stay at the club after lifting the FA Cup on Saturday.

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Amrabat has had mixed year at Man UtdCould stay after winning FA CupWill speak with club in coming daysWHAT HAPPENED?

The Morocco international has spent the 2023-24 campaign on loan at United from Serie A side Fiorentina. Amrabat has not had the most dazzling of seasons but played a key role in helping the Red Devils beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley. After the match, the 27-year-old admitted he would love to stay longer.

AdvertisementWHAT AMRABAT SAID

Speaking to Ziggo Sport, he said: "Do I already know what I’m going to do next year? No. We are going to talk. Staying is certainly an option. Look, I think it has been a very difficult season. For Manchester United it needs to be much better, and also for me personally. We are going to talk. Manchester United are the biggest club in the world, so who wouldn’t want to play football here? But all parties have to be happy with each other, so we will sit down now and see what happens."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the club with several players and manager Erik ten Hag's future up in the air. Amrabat played 21 times in the Premier League this season but has never been a guaranteed starter and has also had to fill in at left-back due to United's injury crisis. The club do have an option to make his move permanent but fans are yet to see the player that stood out so brightly during the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR AMRABAT AND MAN UTD?

Nothing will be decided immediately but several departures may free up some funds for the Manchester club. Their FA Cup triumph means they will be playing Europa League football next season and the Premier League giants will need a big enough squad to compete on all fronts. He may not be the next Luka Modric or Zinedine Zidane, but Amrabat would make a capable squad player who can help the team push for more silverware next term.

Two Lionesses and one United States women's national team star feature among GOAL's best signings in England's top flight this season…

Women's Super League clubs splashed the cash again this season, with all of Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United paying new club-record fees for signings over the course of the past year. For various reasons though, none of those four players in question have really had chance to light up the league on a consistent basis in 2023-24, with some shrewd bits of business instead ranking among the best for this past season.

Mayra Ramirez and Jill Roord have been hit by injuries in their first campaigns for Chelsea and Man City, respectively, Kyra Cooney-Cross is a young player still settling at Arsenal, while Geyse hasn't been able to stop United from having their worst season in the WSL.

Instead, it is teams outside of the division's 'big four' that have stole the show with their savviness in the transfer market – though Chelsea, favourites to win the title ahead of this week's final games, still landed a couple of big punches in this list.

So, without further ado, GOAL counts down the top 10 best deals made by WSL clubs in the 2023-24 season…

• Getty
  

  10Mia Enderby (Liverpool)

  When Mia Enderby was announced as a Liverpool player in the summer, it felt like the right move. The England youth international, who broke into the Sheffield United first team at 16 years old, would be taking her first steps in the WSL, in professional football, and the Reds offered ambition mixed with development. She’d have to battle hard for game time, yet it wouldn’t be unattainable – not with her talent.

  A few niggles have limited her here and there, but when Enderby has had her runs in the team, she has thrived. Even the league’s best, most experienced defenders have shown fear up against the 18-year-old’s pace, and while her end product still needs some work, Liverpool have a real star for the future here.

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• Getty
  

  9Emily Fox (Arsenal)

  Right-back has been a position of uncertainty at Arsenal for a while now, and it became a particular problem when Laura Wienroither went down with an ACL injury last May, having seemingly grabbed the shirt for herself. For the Gunners to pick up one of the most promising young defenders in world football to fill the role, then, was excellent business.

  United States women's national team star Emily Fox joined the club in January and has shown plenty of that top-level quality that has helped her nail down a starting role on one of the most competitive international rosters in the sport.

  We've not seen the 25-year-old at her absolute best quite yet, due to the short time she's been at Arsenal and the interruption of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup in that period, but it's already clear that she has been among the best signings made this season.

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  8Matilda Vinberg (Tottenham)

  Another January signing, Matilda Vinberg is again a player we've not yet seen at her best because of a mid-season move, but there have been plenty of glimpses of her talent in the past five months. Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn knew all about the 21-year-old's ability, having seen her showcase it against his Hacken side back in Sweden, and he didn't hesitate to add her to his squad in north London during the Damallsvenskan's off-season.

  Vinberg adds another energetic, skilful and dangerous weapon to Vilahamn's attack, one which improved steadily and impressively as this season went on, with her January arrival offering the club a nice boost in what has proved to be a very successful campaign. She's got an extremely bright future and is only going to get better, too.

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• Getty
  

  7Amalie Thestrup (Bristol City)

  Bristol City's relegation stops Amalie Thestrup from sitting further up this list, though the Robins' fate would have been sealed much earlier if not for her goals. The Denmark striker's two previous stints in England didn't suggest she could be the prolific force to give the Robins hope of survival – she didn't net a single goal last season for West Ham and only bagged four for Liverpool in the second-tier in 2020-21. However, Thestrup has led the line brilliantly for her new side, scoring nine times for a team that has only managed 20 goals altogether.

  It's the most prolific season she has had outside of her homeland and will surely make her a target when clubs start searching for transfer value on the Robins' relegated roster. But given how well she has played in this team, Thestrup may want to stick around and, if she does, it'll give Bristol City a huge boost in their bid to bounce back and win promotion at the first time of asking.