Aymeric Laporte felt Sunday s EFL Cup triumph gave Manchester City a timely confidence boost as they enter a decisive period of their season.
Centre-back Laporte was the unlikely matchwinner against Tottenham at Wembley on Sunday, heading home the only goal from Kevin De Bruyne s 82nd-minute free-kick.
City were back at England s national stadium eight days on from a sapping 1-0 reverse against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Now they will turn their attentions towards a Champions League last-four clash against Paris Saint-Germain, with Manchester United s 0-0 draw at Leeds United earlier on Sunday also meaning Pep Guardiola s men are just two wins away from claiming Premier League glory.
We are so happy to win this title again, Laporte told Sky Spo…
Aleksandar Mitrovic sensationally secured the Championship s single-season scoring record in February with his 32nd and 33rd goals of the campaign for Fulham on Wednesday.
Since England s second tier was rebranded as the Championship in 2004-05, Ivan Toney s 31 goals last season for Brentford had represented the benchmark.
However, Mitrovic s remarkable season continued in Fulham s 2-1 win over Peterborough United, his 30th appearance of 2021-22.
The Serbia international s opener from the penalty spot passed Toney s mark, before his second extended his own record and ensured the league leaders took all three points.
Mitrovic, who also played in the division for Newcastle United before joining Fulham, now has 75 Championship goals in just 116 appearances.<…
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is weighing up offers but the outgoing Italian great is set to reject Flamengo as he floated the possibility of retirement.
Buffon will leave Juventus at the end of the season, having re-joined the Serie A powerhouse two years ago after spending the 2018-19 campaign at Paris Saint-Germain.
The 43-year-old star has been linked with LaLiga giants Barcelona as well as clubs in MLS and the Middle East, while Flamengo are also reportedly interested.
Buffon discussed his future after saving a penalty in Wednesday s 3-1 victory at Sassuolo.
GIGI!
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)
I ve received some interesting offers, I want to see in 20 days if I will still have enthusiasm and desire to work hard, Buffon t…
Robert Lewandowski insists Erling Haaland s impressive form at Borussia Dortmund does not necessarily mean the striker will be a world-class talent in years to come.
Haaland is one of the most sought-after talents in world football after scoring 80 goals in 79 appearances for Dortmund since joining the club in January 2020.
That is a goals tally only Lewandowski can match over that period among players from Europe s top five leagues, the Bayern Munich star having notched 107 goals in 90 games.
Haaland s 80 strikes have come from an expected goals (xG) return of 64, meaning he has scored 16 goals more than expected given the likelihood of the shot going in.
No player from the Bundesliga, Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A or Ligue 1 boasts such a large xG dif…
Lautaro Martinez lauded Argentina s character after a 2-1 win over Bolivia in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.
Joaquin Correa scored a 79th-minute winner for Lionel Scaloni s men, who made it two wins from two to begin their qualifying campaign.
It marked Argentina s first victory in Bolivia since 2005 as they claimed an important win in the altitude of La Paz.
Martinez, who became the first Argentina player not called Lionel Messi to score in a World Cup qualifier since November 2016 when he cancelled out Marcelo Martins Moreno s opener, was delighted.
We knew the game was going to be like this. I think this team today showed a lot of heart and a lot of head, the Inter forward said.
We are very happy.
Martinez added: We had thought abo…
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers believes hungry additions hold the key to his team going one better in the Premier League next season.
Rodgers led Liverpool to within touching distance of their first top-flight title for 24 years last term, with the club eventually finishing second just two points behind champions Manchester City.
Liverpool earned many plaudits for their swashbuckling brand of attacking football, which saw them plunder 101 goals in the Premier League thanks largely to the goalscoring prowess of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
The Merseyside outfit have finished second twice before in the Premier League era in 2001-02 and 2008-09 but failed to build on those campaigns.
Liverpool have already sealed deals to sign Rickie Lambert and Emre C…
Brazil legend Ronaldo says Vinicius Junior is the best player in the world by far , as the former Real Madrid and Selecao striker joined calls for the winger to be crowned this year s Ballon d Or winner.
It has already been a memorable 2024 for Vinicius, who played a starring role as Madrid regained the LaLiga crown, before scoring in their Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
The winger top-scored for Los Blancos with 24 goals across all competitions, with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Jude Bellingham and Neymar insisting his exploits are worthy of winning the Ballon d Or award.
Vinicius would be the fifth Brazilian to win the prestigious accolade after Kaka, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo (twice), with the latter believing it is a …
Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenon who will have a big part to play at Manchester United under incoming head coach Erik ten Hag, according to Gary Neville.
Portugal international Ronaldo struck his 17th Premier League goal of the campaign – and 23rd in all competitions – in United s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Thursday.
Despite now being 37 years of age, Ronaldo is level with Son Heung-min and behind only Mohamed Salah (22) in the Premier League scoring charts this term.
Indeed, only nine other players from Europe s top five leagues have scored more goals in all competitions in 2021-22 than Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner s place in the side has been questioned at times this season, but Neville insists he is too good a player to overlook – no…
Jermain Defoe s 150th Premier League goal and a Victor Anichebe brace secured a 3-0 victory for 10-man Sunderland over fellow strugglers Hull City at the Stadium of Light as the hosts moved off the bottom of the table.
While both teams had come from behind to win their previous fixture after miserable runs of form, goals from captain Defoe and Anichebe, twice, saw the points go Sunderland s way on Saturday.
The Black Cats had not won any of their previous five meetings with Hull in all competitions, but David Moyes men brought that streak to an end despite a second-half power cut causing a temporary floodlight failure on Wearside, as well as a late red card for Papy Djilobodji.
It was a painful afternoon for Mike Phelan who was sacked as assistant manager at Manc…
Vicente del Bosque is confident that Spain will recover from a troublesome year to challenge for top honours in world football again.
Having won three successive tournaments on the international stage from 2008, Spain were widely expected to compete at the World Cup in Brazil, but things did not go to plan.
A 5-1 thrashing at the hands of the Netherlands was followed by another loss against Chile, resulting in Spain exiting at the group stage.
A surprise 2-1 defeat at the hands of Slovakia in Euro 2016 qualifying has followed, but Del Bosque is convinced Spain can overcome their slump in fortunes.
I think there is a future on the Spanish national team, he told Perform.
There are many young players playing in La Liga and nowadays when a club h…