Author: WTX Sports Team

England win first-ever Women’s Finalissima in dramatic penalty shootout England’s Lionesses faced a tough test against a young Brazilian side in the first Women’s Finalissima on Thursday night, conceding a late equaliser and having to deal with the pressures of a penalty shootout at Wembley Stadium. But the team, under coach Sarina Wiegman, passed the test with flying colours, winning the shootout after maintaining their long unbeaten run, now standing at 30 matches. The victory was a valuable experience for the team as they head to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in four months, ensuring they are…

Cost of living crisis: Can’t afford the gym? Here are some tips for exercising at home As inflation continues to rise and the cost of living crisis in the UK continues to hit your finances, you may be looking at costs that you need to cut. For many fitness fans, that will likely mean ditching your expensive gym membership. But staying fit doesn’t need to be paused just because your gym membership is. On average, fitness fans spend an average of 40 per month on the gym – but you can stay active without parting with cash. Here are some…

Frank Lampard appointed Chelsea manager until end of season Frank Lampard has been appointed as Chelsea’s manager until the end of the season, just two years after the club sacked him. Frank Lampard is a Chelsea legend, in his football playing days he was a Chelsea midfielder and in 2019 returned to the club for his first stint as manager. He was sacked in 2021 under Roman Abramovich and went on to manage Everton – before being sacked recently. He’s now back as Chelsea’s boss but only until the end of the season.  His appointment as interim manager comes after…

Telegraph Sport – Lampard answers Chelsea SOS with shock comeback The back page of Thursday’s Daily Telegraph leads with a large image of Frank Lampard who is to return to Chelsea as an interim manager, following the shock sacking of Graham Potter. The back page also leaves a small amount of space to report on West Ham’s 5-1 loss to Newcastle, England’s Itoje lucrative move abroad and Rory McIlroy, according to the paper, is ready to roar.

Express Sport – Lamps back at the Blues Premier League news dominates the back page of the Express, with its main story being on the return of Frank Lampard to Chelsea – he will serve as interim manager after the shock sacking of Graham Potter. Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Brentford thanks to Marcus Rashford and West Ham’s shocking 5-1 defeat to Newcastle also features on the back page.

Mirror Sport – Rash is unbelievable The back page of the Mirror leads with yesterday’s Premier League results, including Manchester United’s win over Brentford and the star of the game match-winner Marcus Rashford. The other big game of the night saw West Ham lose 5-1 to Newcastle, the paper notes West Ham boss David Moyes is on shaky ground. Frank Lampards return to Chelsea as interim manager is anothe lead for the back page.

Sport – KO DOLOROSO Spanish newspaper SPORT reports on Barcelona’s 4-0 (4-1 agg) loss to Real Madrid last night as the Los Blancos progress to Copa del Rey final. The paper says Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 4-0 to advance to the Copa del Rey final.  Vinicius opened the scoring just before half-time before Benzema struck three times in the second half to set up a meeting with Osasuna next month. Barça had come into the game with a 1-0 first leg lead and were the much better side in the first half.

Barcelona 0-4 Real Madrid (1-4 agg) Real Madrid reach the Copa del Rey final Karim Benzema scored a second-half hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a 4-0 (Agg 4-1) win against Barcelona in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal. With the win, Madrid advanced to the final where they will face Osasuna on May 6. Vinicius Jr. scored the equaliser for Madrid just before halftime, while Benzema added two goals early in the second half to put the visitors in control. The French striker completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute to seal the win for Madrid.…

A new option for Erik ten Hag?

United beat Brentford 1-0.

How not to run a football club: A lesson from Chelsea and Todd Boehly The Independent says Never has so much been spent to accomplish so little. If Chelsea lose to Real Madrid, and the sacking of Graham Potter was a sign they had precious little hope of victory with him, there is a case for deeming theirs one of the worst seasons in footballing history. They have committed around £600m in transfer and loan fees for players and managers, exited both domestic cups without scoring, let alone winning, languish in the lower half of the Premier League, without beating…

Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool: Drab draw encapsulates sides’ mid-table mediocrity BBC says The sound of referee Anthony Taylor’s final whistle echoing around a rapidly emptying Stamford Bridge to the sound of silence was the perfect backing track to this non-event. Chelsea and Liverpool have played out many epic clashes in domestic and European fixtures over the last two decades as they fought each other for the game’s biggest prizes. This was not one of them. If those past meetings reflected their elevated status as two of the prime forces in the Premier League, Champions League, the FA Cup and League Cup,…

Chelsea’s machine chews up nostalgia while Liverpool cling to memories The Guardian says It was, if nothing else, the perfect tribute. Not for Chelsea’s players the outsized leaving card or the valedictory video message. No, what better way of celebrating the legacy of their outgoing coach Graham Potter than by creating plenty of chances and then missing them in increasingly comedic circumstances? Expected goals: Chelsea 2.19-0.20 Liverpool. Actual goals: Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool. Dearest Graham. Always in our hearts. Thing is, Potter has gone and taken his oil diffuser and self‑help books with him. Who carries the can now? Certainly, it…

Chelsea could offer Frank Lampard caretaker manager role until the end of the season The Metro says Frank Lampard could be offered the chance to manage Chelsea until the end of the season in a caretaker capacity. The club legend was back at Stamford Bridge last night to watch the struggling Blues once again fail to score as they were held to a goalless draw by an equally out of sorts Liverpool. Lampard has been unemployed since January when he was sacked by Everton following a disastrous run of results which left the Toffees in the relegation zone. The 44-year-old’s…

Boxer Amir Khan banned from sport for two years Amir Khan, a former Olympic medallist and professional boxer, has been banned from participating in any sport for two years due to his use of a prohibited substance.  The substance, ostarine, was found in his urine sample following his fight against Kell Brook in February 2022. Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list, and is designed to promote muscle building.  Khan claimed his consumption of the substance was unintentional, and his case was referred to an independent tribunal. However, the panel found two…

Stunning strike sees Everton equalise last-minute Everton and Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 in a Premier League match that saw both sides reduced to ten men. Defender Michael Keane salvaged a draw for Everton with a stunning long-range goal in the 90th minute. Tottenham’s Harry Kane had earlier given the visitors the lead with a penalty after Keane fouled Cristian Romero in the box. The game lacked excitement until Abdoulaye Doucoure was sent off for pushing Kane in the face off the ball. Kane was able to put Tottenham in the lead from the penalty spot just 10 minutes later. In…

Wolves fined £57,500 for players behaviour after Leeds defeat Last month’s 4-2 Premier League defeat by Leeds saw Wolves receive a fine of £57,500 from the Football Association for their failure to control their players. This came after protests from players and staff regarding Rodrigo Moreno’s stoppage-time goal at Molineux, with claims that Adama Traore had been fouled in the build-up. The protests resulted in unused substitute Matheus Nunes receiving a red card, which was later rescinded after Wolves appealed. In addition to this, Wolves defender Jonny was sent off for a foul on Luke Ayling, with his yellow card…

The end of an error for Chelsea: Graham Potter put out of his misery The Guardian says A few years ago Todd Boehly did a TV interview where he defined his approach to business as “creating value where there are value gaps”, or in other words seeing the picture more clearly, doing it better, being, at every moment, the smartest guy in the room. Although, watching Boehly and his co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali’s activities at Chelsea over the last year, it is tempting to wonder exactly which room we’re talking about here, exactly how un-smart that room would have to…

Chelsea set priorities for next manager as pressure grows on search The Independent says Chelsea have drawn up a managerial shortlist led by Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique and Roberto De Zerbi, but are prepared to go through their Champions League campaign with interim boss Bruno Saltor in charge as the priority is to get the appointment right for pre-season. Figures at the club are talking about an “exhaustive search” as, like the departed Graham Potter, they want a coach who buys into the idea of developing a young squad with the most progressive methods and understands the new…

Chelsea sack Graham Potter after less than seven months in charge The Metro says Chelsea have sacked Graham Potter after less than seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge. Potter only joined the Blues from Brighton last September – replacing the sacked Thomas Tuchel. After a decent start, results nosedived just before the World Cup and continued afterwards, with many Chelsea fans calling for his dismissal. But following a record-breaking spending spree in January, that included the signing of Enzo Fernandez for a British transfer-record, the wins began to come again and they advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions…

Mirror Sport – Silva service at Stamford Bridge? The Mirror moves the story on from Graham Potter’s sacking at Chelsea with the claim that Fulham boss Marco Silva has been earmarked as his surprise successor. Former Blues boss Rafa Benitez is, they add, the favourite to take over from Brendan Rodgers at Leicester and lead the Foxes’ Premier League survival bid. Catch up on the back pages 

Express Sport – ‘All gone to Pot’ The Express also name-checks Mauricio Pochettino as a potential successor to Graham Potter at Chelsea, alongside Julian Nagelsmann and Marco Silva. Catch up on the back pages 

The i Sport – Potter sacked by Chelsea after poor run The iSport back page leads on the Stamford Bridge and King Power decision-makers’ reasons to sack Potter and Rodgers. And they also feature an emotive and celebratory Newcastle United picture after the Magpies boosted their Champions League qualification hopes by beating rivals Manchester United at St James’ Park. Catch up on the back pages 

Times Sport – Chelsea sacks Potter after 31 matches The Times says former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is the leading contender to replace Graham Potter at Chelsea. They also feature Luke Shaw’s reaction to Manchester United’s “unacceptable” performance in defeat at Newcastle. Catch up on the back pages 

Graham Potter sacked by Chelsea after less than seven months in charge Graham Potter has been sacked by Chelsea FC, less than seven months in the top job. The sacking came a day after Chelsea lost 2-0 at home to Aston Villa – making the loss the 11th in 31 games for Potter. London club Chelsea is now 11th in the Premier League despite having spent more than £550 million on new players this season.  Potter will be replaced by Brighton’s former Spanish right-back Bruno Saltor, who will serve as the interim head coach. Potter had won 12 of his…