American tycoons are circling Everton as Farhad Moshiri seeks outside investment help to stave off the Premier League club's financial troubles.
Off the field too, life was tumultuous. Two relationships resulted in two children, only one of whom remained part of his life. A series of failed financial investments and long-standing problems with a house in the hills outside Madrid played out over the backdrop of a football career that was fading much faster than anyone had hoped.
Ward took aim with a low 27th-minute drive from distance and saw the ball crash against a post before it bounced back into play.
But the pair did go on to combine again with greater success in the 80th minute when Thomas, drifting in from the right flank, exchanged passes with first Aaron Rowe and then Rhodes before gliding past Blackpool skipper Marvin Ekpiteta and beating Grimshaw from seven yards.
“Of course the competition is so necessary in the team and he knows it, but Bernardo [Silva] knows it, and [Ilkay] Gündogan knows it, and all the wingers and strikers know it.
Should they get through, City will face the winner of Chelsea-Real Madrid in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Liverpool are in the other half of the draw and are favourites to progress on Tuesday,
The striker’s contract at Old Trafford is up at the end of the season and there has been plenty of speculation about his future with claims he would push to leave the club this month.
Klopp’s job will be a little more straightforward this week, with Jones and Gomez likely to return to the squad for the trip to Inter on Wednesday. Unlike in the Premier League, Champions League rules allow teams to name 12 substitutes, five of which can be brought on.
Adama also made a significant financial effort to join Barcelona according to some reports, with Tottenham ready to offer him a more lucrative deal, but the lure of his hometown club was a greater pull.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: I think the first one can't be a penalty because he's falling and his arm's supporting his body.
I think we've done that. Guimaraes was the most expensive acquisition during the window but also, on paper at least, promises to offer considerable midfield mettle and attacking threat, having made his Premier League debut in stoppage-time during the win over Everton.
FIFA's statement read: The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a ban and a substantial fine on the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) in relation to the racist behaviour of numerous supporters during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying match between Hungary and England on 2 September 2021.
What the managers saidChelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel said: It was a freak result for this type of match.
The 23-year-old's 27 clearances helped Bournemouth maintain their unbeaten start to the season and the youngster to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.32.
“So, I feel like, as an athlete, as someone who was always focused on gametime, practice, making sure you’re doing well, I think it's also good to have that escape as well whether it’s music, fashion, whether you're on Twitch, TikTok. It just gives you the opportunity to free your mind and also enjoy other things because for a lot of people, it's not always about football.
All the top stories and transfer rumours from Saturday's national newspapers... Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen is on Erik ten Hag's transfer wish-list for Manchester United.
He said: Of course, it's a challenge because I think challenges are really good. In challenges, you face you will develop as a coach but also as a team.
Against Liverpool, it's crazy because it was the first time I played at home in the Premier League, Wissa says with a wide, friendly smile that he wears for much of the interview ahead of Brentford's trip to Brighton on Boxing Day, live on Sky Sports.
It will be the first time that the two have faced each other in a competitive game but it is unlikely to feel that way for Guardiola.
Few gave lowly Wrexham any hope against mighty Arsenal on 4 January, 1992, but it's a game which has become part of footballing folklore.
The £4.25bn deal, which will require approval from the English football authorities and the UK government, is expected to be completed in late May.
Nothing is decided yet despite their promising position - but what is certain is that everyone connected with Manchester City will feel much better about themselves after this thumping win.
The Premier League club said 50-year-old Dyche was following mandatory self-isolation protocols after being found to have the virus on Tuesday.
People expected too much too quickly, but Joe rode that storm and had a great career. Cole was the eye-catching figure at the heart of West Ham's 9-0 aggregate win over Coventry City in the 1999 FA Youth Cup final.
Ben Chilwell is out for the season, Kieran Trippier is still two months from training again, and Bukayo Saka is flying at right wing, and so is not a consideration at full-back.
Houston Rockets vs Miami Heat NBA Best Bets - YouTube 4:14Action Network NBA experts Jim Turvey and Andrew O'Connor-Watts join Matt Moore to discuss the matchup of the Houston Rockets vs Miami Heat ...
Follow Manchester United with Sky SportsFollow every Man Utd game in the Premier League this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free shortly after full-time.
So often Champions League semi-finals turn out to be classics and this game certainly ranks amongst the very best. For 90 minutes, both teams attacked relentlessly, Manchester City creating the better chances. And on reflection, the Citizens will be disappointed they weren't able to put the tie to bed when leading 2-0. They were, of course, able to add to their tally after the restart but Guardiola will be questioning why his side weren't able to manage the game better at crucial stages.
Turkey’s Kezban Tag scored in her own net to open the scoring, and there were goals for Lea Schuller - a hat-trick - and one each for Jule Brand, Laura Freigang, Sjoeke Nusken and Klara Buhl.
Miami Heat - Houston Rockets: Live Stream & on TV today 18 hours ago — Houston Rockets @ Miami Heat is an upcoming Basketball event that takes place on Jan 08 at 07:30 PM. You can livestream Houston Rockets @ Miami Heat on fuboTV.
Playing [at Hull] has helped me massively, said Smith, now on his fifth loan spell away from parent club Manchester City.
Let's hope Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is reading this piece because he would put the Southampton man straight at the top of it.
Stuivenberg, 50, was appointed to the role by Ryan Giggs in 2017 with the pair having previously worked together at Manchester United.
They give me credit for my past I think but now they're understanding this is the right way and they trust me and I trust them. Howe: We chased the gameNewcastle played what appeared to be an ideal away day performance for 43 minutes but they fell away badly in the second half.
We have to see each individual game. So far we had 10 out of 12 points. Today we had our first defeat against a good team. They don’t score that many goals, today they scored the only goal. Today the question was who will score the first goal.”
Ibrahimovic looks set to sign on for another year with Milan but the tournament in Qatar was surely his last chance of playing in a World Cup.
Speaking alongside Williams on Sky Sports News about his experiences in the men's game, he said: It's about feeling welcomed within the environment.
Kebaier and his staff angrily confronted Sikazwe and his assistants on the pitch, pointing to their watches and remonstrating about the lack of added time.
A final clip shows him slapping the cat in the face and out of the child's arms. I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video, he said.
He told Sky Sports: You look at the Burnley game, we went there and got a 1-0 win too. These are the ones that really matter - it's nice with a 4-0, 5-0 win, but it's three points.
Full-back Digne joined Villa from Everton two weeks ago after asking to leave. But I will not enter a war on words with anyone.
In a statement the Scottish champions called the decision bemusing and extremely frustrating. The decision to reverse this is bemusing, and extremely frustrating, given the short notice.
Scotland cranked up the pressure after the break in pursuit of precious points, with Harrison heading onto the roof of the net, Weir forcing another terrific save, and Erin Cuthbert almost teeing up Christy Grimshaw for a tap-in, all in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
The England striker was unable to steer in Gordon's cross as he sought to make amends for his spot-kick miss, while Brighton threatened to wrap up the three points before the interval through Adam Lallana and Maupay.
Wijnaldum has struggled to find a role in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, Ramos has spent the vast majority of the campaign battling injury niggles and Messi has, incredibly, just a single Ligue 1 goal to his name.
We felt like we were struggling,” added Shaw. “You look at the players we have, we have unbelievable quality but sometimes quality is not enough.
I think when it first happened, everybody felt awkward with the voices, the shouts, the screams around the stadium.
