Author: WTX Sports Team

Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez injury does not ‘look good’ Lisandro Martinez’s injury during the Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla “does not look that great,” according to Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.  United was reduced to ten men when the defender was helped off the pitch after sustaining an injury, and the home team conceded a 92nd-minute equaliser, resulting in a draw.  Martinez’s injury is likely to keep him out of the return leg next Thursday. Ten Hag said it was not an Achilles tendon injury, and there was no opponent involved. Martinez was visibly upset when he left the…

Sadio Mane alleged punch on Leroy Sane a ‘heavy incident’ – Thomas Tuchel Bayern Munich manager, Thomas Tuchel, has stated that the club will not condone the “heavy incident” that allegedly occurred after their 3-0 Champions League defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday. Reports claim that Bayern forward, Sadio Mane, punched his teammate, Leroy Sane, in the face, leading to the Senegal international’s suspension from the squad ahead of their Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim. Boss Tuchel said the incident had been “cleared” and that Mane would receive a fine and be suspended, but he will continue to train alongside the…

Novak Djokovic booed and smashes racket in shock exit at Monte-Carlo Masters Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise defeat to Lorenzo Musetti at the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday, ending his 32-match win streak against players ranked outside the top 20.  The world number one and top seed claimed the first set but eventually lost 4-6 7-5 6-4 to the Italian, who is ranked 21st in the world. Djokovic was jeered by some spectators in MonteCarlo for arguing a ball mark with the chair umpire, and he received a racket abuse warning in front of a largely Italian crowd. He then…

Telegraph Sport – ‘Maguire misery’ The Telegraph’s back page features a large image of Man U defender Harry Maguire after he scored an own goal. Man U were winning 2-0 against Sevilla, until two late own goals from Man Utd players. The back page also features the news that the assistant ref who elbowed Liverpool’s Andy Robertson will not face punishment from the FA. The case was closed after the assistant referee apologised to Robertson. 

Express Sport – ‘Double trouble’ The Express leads on the “double trouble” as Marcel Sabitzer’s brace was wiped out when Tyrell Malacia and substitute Harry Maguire put into their own net. What a bizarre finish it was for Manchester United as they blew a 2-0 lead, conceding two late own goals, to draw the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at home to six-time winners Sevilla. United also finished the match with 10 men after Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez went off with a serious-looking injury after Erik ten Hag had made all five of his permitted substitutions.

Star Sport – ‘Sabotaged’ The Star brands Manchester United “sloppy” after throwing away the lead granted to them by Marcel Sabitzer’s two goals at home to Sevilla. The back page also flags Danny Ings’ first European goal as West Ham draw the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final at Belgian side Gent. And there is a report that Bayern Munich’s former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was “grieving the death of a close family member” when he allegedly punched team-mate Leroy Sane following Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City in the Champions League.

Mail Sport – ‘Nightmare!’ The Mail also focuses on Manchester United’s implosion against Sevilla and the “injury woe” for Lisandro Martinez. There is also a report on the Football Association’s decision to clear assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis for his apparent “elbow” on Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, while columnist Ian Ladyman says new signings will be key to Liverpool keeping manager Jurgen Klopp.

Telegraph Sport – ‘Boehly’s 3-0 brag backfires’ Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory at home to Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final dominates today’s back pages. The Telegraph says Todd Boehly had arrogantly predicted a 3-0 win for Chelsea but that was as deluded as buying a club for £2.5billion, spending more than £600million on players and not even signing a centre-forward. Instead of the smugness of his expected victory Chelsea’s co-owner was only the five goals out as he sat in Real Madrid’s stadium to see the Champions League holders take a firm grip of…

Express Sport – ‘Benzema punishes Blues’ Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory at home to Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final dominates today’s back pages. The Express says Frank Lampard’s Chelsea were left needing a “miracle” at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. There is also an “upbeat” message from Erik ten Hag on Marcus Rashford’s muscle injury, with the Manchester United manager saying he expects the inform England forward to be fit for the season run-in after it was confirmed on Wednesday that he would miss “a…

Mail Sport – ‘Karim of the crop’ Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory at home to Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final dominates today’s back pages. The Mail highlights Karim Benzema’s 20th goal against English clubs, after the French forward opened the scoring against the Blues. Also on the back page, there is a report that Sadio Mane “punched” Bayern Munich team-mate Leroy Sane in the face following their 3-0 loss at Manchester City on Tuesday. Gary Neville is also quoted as saying a decision not to choose Manchester United as a potential venue for UK…

Guardian Sport – ‘Real trouble’ Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory at home to Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final dominates today’s back pages. The Guardian says Chelsea are facing a Champions League exit following their quarter-final first-leg defeat at Real Madrid. There is also a report on the two unfinished stadiums – Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Dock development and Casement Park in Belfast – included in the UK and Ireland’s bid to host the European Championships in 2028. Read on 

England 0-2 Australia: Lionesses weaknesses exposed – is this a wake-up call? BBC News says There were no celebrations this time as England suffered the unfamiliar feeling of defeat – but with a World Cup looming was this just an untimely defeat or time to be concerned? The end to the Lionesses’ stunning 30-game unbeaten run felt heavy as Australia ran out as comfortable 2-0 winners on Tuesday. “We’re obviously gutted,” said England striker Alessia Russo. “We don’t like losing. I wouldn’t say I would ever want to lose a football game to learn from it, but I think it…

Lionesses tamed as England’s 30-game unbeaten run comes to a crashing halt The Independent says Australia ended England’s 30-game unbeaten streak with a 2-0 friendly victory over the Lionesses in front of 14,489 at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium. The world No 4-ranked Lionesses, who lifted the inaugural women’s Finalissima trophy at Wembley last week, were favourites to beat the 10th-ranked but injury-plagued Matildas. But Sarina Wiegman’s side were behind at the break after Chelsea striker Sam Kerr took advantage of an error from Leah Williamson and Charlotte Grant made it two after the restart with a nodded effort that deflected…

There was always a fear the Lionesses could become predictable under Sarina Wiegman Daily Mail says A first defeat in 31 games is not a cause for panic. It is better the Lionesses lose their unbeaten streak under Sarina Wiegman now than at the World Cup. What is more concerning is how England lost against Australia on Tuesday. This was the type of performance we saw during the interim period of Hege Riise or the end of Phil Neville’s reign. This was not a performance from the Wiegman textbook. It was clear the Dutch coach was frustrated by what she…

Matildas urged not to get carried away after stunning result against England The Guardian says A memorable win over England has given Australia a huge boost ahead of the Women’s World Cup on home soil, but Sam Kerr immediately warned against getting carried away with the result after the Matildas captain put in another star turn. Australia bounced back from a 1-0 defeat to Scotland in the first of two international friendlies in the UK last week, with Kerr returning to the side in Brentford to score one and make another in a memorable 2-0 win over the reigning European…

Man City make statement 3-0 win over Bayern Munich in Champions League thriller Following Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Bayern Munich, boss Pep Guardiola said he felt “emotionally destroyed” as his team head ever closer to the Champions League semi-finals.  City have dominated the Premier League for years, and despite many incredible Champions League performances, they have yet to seal the win. For Pep, winning Europe’s elite club competition with Man City is the ultimate goal.  City came close to a Champions League win several times, including the 2021 season when they faced fellow English club Chelsea in the final.…

Manchester City v Bayern Munich: Sleepless nights for Thomas Tuchel before Champions League quarter-final Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted to experiencing sleepless nights ahead of his team’s Champions League encounter with Manchester City.  Tuchel, who was sacked by Chelsea in September, has beaten a team managed by Pep Guardiola only three times in their 10 previous meetings. The last time Tuchel beat Guardiola was in 2021 when Chelsea beat City in the Champions League final. Tuchel believes that his team will have to play at the “top of their game” to defeat City, who have won their past…

The Anfield wrap – The reds concede early again

Mirror Sport – ‘He gave me the elbow’ The Mirror leads on a remarkable incident at Anfield on Sunday involving referee’s assistant Constantine Hatzidakis, who appears to elbow Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson in the face at the end of the first half against Arsenal. The back page also reports on Crystal Palace’s 5-1 win over Leeds – who had opened the scoring with an early goal, only to be sunk by Palace.

Express Sport – ‘Flop Guns’ The Express focusses on the damage done to Arsenal’s title challenge at Anfield, as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta admits his side blew two points after relinquishing a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against Liverpool. The draw left Arsenal six points clear of defending champions Manchester City, who have a game in hand and a home match to come against Arteta’s side on 26 April.

Telegraph Sport – ‘Anfield left gobsmacked’ The Telegraph’s back page leads on Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with league leaders Arsenal. The paper reports on the incident involving assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis and Liverpool defender Andy Robertson after the assistant ref apparently elbowed Robertson in the throat. The paper also reports on Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale making several superb saves during the match – especially towards the end of the game, which saved Arsenal from losing all three points.

Daily Star Sport – ‘FA probe into assistant ref’s clash with star’ The Star says the Football Association and Professional Game Match Officials Board League (PGMOL) will investigate assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis’s apparent elbow on Liverpool’s Andy Robertson. The back page picks up on Mikel Arteta’s comments that the draw could cost Arsenal big time in the league. Arsenal were 2-0 up and dominated the first half. Liverpool managed to pull two goals back and would have gone on to win the match if it hadn’t been for goalie Aaron Ramsdale.

England win the Finalissima – is the World Cup next? The Independent says England win the Finalissima, and Sarina Wiegman gets a much-needed challenge. There’s no question which was more important ahead of the World Cup, but as Chloe Kelly wheeled away following her latest Wembley moment it was almost as if the Lionesses were back at the Euros again. Victory over Brazil adds to wins against the United States and Germany here, and if it feels like the Lionesses are knocking off the continents, the world might be next. But it very much depends on how you view this.…

Shootout experience vital for England before World Cup, says Wiegman The Guardian says Sarina Wiegman said that experiencing a tense penalty shootout four months before the World Cup was vital experience for her side, after England secured victory over Brazil in the Finalissima at Wembley. “The team did really well, showing resilience,” the manager said. “I am happy, it is good that we have this information. Experience [helps] you recognise situations – how you feel with that walk to the penalty spot with 83,000 people screaming. It really helps, and shows again that we can do it.” England were forced…

‘We don’t cope with it well’ – Ian Wright backs England for World Cup triumph but pinpoints where Lionesses must improve The Metro says Ian Wright believes England are firmly among the favourites for the World Cup but warned the Lionesses are still learning to cope with pressure from elite sides. Sarina Wiegman’s side secured another piece of silverware after beating Brazil on penalties in the first ever Women’s Finalissima at a sold-out Wembley on Thursday night. Ella Toone gave the hosts the lead after 23 minutes, capping a superb team move but England failed to add to their lead.…