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Some may have had doubts over Arsenal's ability to simply go again after the heartbreak of missing out on the Premier League title last season, but after the Gunners defeated Manchester City, it's fair to say that Mikel Arteta's side are well and truly back in contention once more. The North London club, alongside rivals Tottenham Hotspur, are still unbeaten, perhaps hoping that the international break hasn't brought their momentum to a halt.

It looks as though Arteta is already eyeing further additions to his squad in 2024, too, with one particular out-of-favour midfielder potentially receiving a second chance in the form of a move to The Emirates.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Gunners don't look like a side in need of any major reinforcements, as shown by their almost flawless start to the Premier League campaign. That's not to say that Arteta shouldn't aim to add even more depth, however, especially now that his side are competing among Europe's elite in the Champions League, as well as balancing domestic duties. And that could see them make a surprise move in the winter window, weakening Manchester City's depth in the process.

The latest Kalvin Phillips transfer news claims that Arsenal are interested in the former Leeds United midfielder. According to reports in Spain, via Caught Offside, the 27-year-old is on the radar of those at The Emirates, who could yet turn their interest into a concrete offer come January, or next summer.

It would certainly be an interesting move, given how much Phillips has struggled under Pep Guardiola, failing to do enough to ever earn a run in the Spaniard's treble-winning side. The fact that he is good friends with Gunners midfielder Declan Rice could see him favour a move to North London, too. Whether it be at Arsenal, or elsewhere, Phillips is a player in desperate need of a fresh start and minutes on the pitch, particularly if he wants to keep his place in Gareth Southgate's England side ahead of the Euros next summer.

How many times has Kalvin Phillips played for Man City?

To say that Phillips' game-time at Manchester City has been limited would be an understatement. The England international has started just two Premier League games since joining the Citizens in the summer of 2022. HHe has made just 15 appearances under Guardiola in England's top flight during that time. Even when Rodri was suspended for three games this season, Phillips did not get the call from the City manager.

The more that you look at it, the more it becomes clear that Phillips must move on if he is to get some crucial minutes on the pitch. When handed the chance, he has been more than capable in the past, too, earning the praise of Southgate, who said:

"He’s been excellent. The way he has taken to international football, it hasn’t surprised us because what we’d seen with Leeds, even in the Championship, we felt could convert into our team. We felt he could play an important role with us.

"To play in the enormity of the matches he did in the summer and play as well as he did is massive credit to him. He’s a very, very good player and he’s been a really important part of this – we’re 16 games unbeaten [in regulation time] now and he’s been a huge part of that."

Chelsea could be set to lose one of their most integral squad members next year, with a fresh report revealing that one club in particular are ready to table him a tempting proposal.

Which players will leave Chelsea?

Over the summer, Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino sanctioned the permanent sales of 14 players, including the likes of Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic, whilst sending nine more out of favour stars, some names being Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech, out on loan for the remainder of the season to increase their game time.

The Daily Mirror’s Ryan Taylor has also recently reported that Trevoh Chalobah is seeking a new adventure next year, with chiefs open to letting him go on the basis that Bayern Munich are interested in completing a deal, but he’s not the only one who could be heading for an exit from the Premier League.

At Stamford Bridge, Thiago Silva will be out of contract at the end of the season (Chelsea contracts), and with him now being 39 years of age, the centre-back isn’t getting any younger and could soon be hanging up his boots, but not before he’s been given a final fresh challenge.

Thiago Silva transfer update

According to Football Insider, who have shared a transfer update on Thiago Silva, Chelsea are willing to green-light his departure to help balance the books, whilst aiming to start a fresh long-term project.

"Brazilian giants Fluminense are ready to offer Chelsea defender Thiago Silva the chance to return to his homeland, sources have told Football Insider.

"Silva has never hidden his desire to return to Brazil and is now in the twilight years of his career. The defender currently earns a reported wage of £110,000 a week, and Blues chiefs have identified next summer as a good time to get that outlay off the wage bill.

"Chelsea are keen to further ramp up their recruitment of young players in order to develop their talent. Furthermore, the Londoners are happy to let Silva depart despite his status as a firm fan favourite. Club chiefs believe the likes of Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana will provide adequate cover in future seasons."

During his 674 appearances since the start of his career, Silva has most definitely been a “class act”, as hailed by journalist Josh Bunting, and despite his age, he’s remained a key player for Chelsea this season considering the impact he’s had under Pochettino.

The Rio De Janeiro native, who earns £110k-per-week (Chelsea salaries), is currently averaging 4.4 clearances and 2.3 aerial wins per top-flight game, alongside recording a 95.7% pass success rate, showing what a rock he can be at the heart of the backline (WhoScored – Silva statistics).

Passing

Player has no significant weaknesses

Concentration

Blocking the ball

In addition, Silva possesses the winning mentality required in the capital having secured a remarkable 33 trophies for both club and country since first bursting onto the professional scene (Transfermarkt – Silva statistics), so the hierarchy should perhaps consider another short-term extension to keep him around for another 12 months.

Bruno Fernandes sent a touching message to Kobbie Mainoo after his Manchester United team-mate earned his first senior England call-up.

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Mainoo called up by Gareth SouthgateRewarded for consistency with Man UtdFernandes glad team-mate earned international call-upGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Mainoo's inclusion in Gareth Southgate's squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium has been met with widespread excitement among England fans, particularly in anticipation of Euro 2024. Despite initial disappointment when he was omitted from the squad, Southgate's change of heart reflects Mainoo's impressive performances, especially in United's recent triumph over Liverpool in the FA Cup.

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Fernandes, recognising Mainoo's talent and dedication, took to Instagram to express his support and wrote: "Well deserved kid ❤️ @kobbie," underscoring the sentiment shared by many in the football community.

@brunofernandes8 InstagramTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Southgate's decision marks a notable shift, as Mainoo was initially overlooked in favour of more seasoned players and was included in the U21s squad. The call-up has naturally elated Mainoo and the youngster admitted that the news has not "sunk in yet, but I'm excited."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Mainoo's upcoming stint with the England squad presents a significant opportunity for him to showcase his skills on the international stage. He might earn his debut when England play Brazil on Saturday or against Belgium on Tuesday in two friendlies. Following those friendlies, he will rejoin Manchester United for their Premier League clash against Brentford scheduled for March 30.

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal thought captain Shakib Al Hasan’s 60 off 38 made the difference for his side, helping them to an exciting 12-run win

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill05-Aug-2018Coming into Saturday night’s fixture in Lauderhill, Bangladesh had never played at the Central Broward Regional Park. The squad had been in discussions with the ICC and USA Cricket to organise a warm-up fixture against a USA XI to get a sense of how the pitch would play, but they fell apart at the last minute.The lone player in their squad to have any kind of meaningful experience at this ground was Shakib Al Hasan, having played four times in Lauderhill for Jamaica Tallawahs in 2016 and 2017 during the Caribbean Premier League. His team-mates leaned on the captain for that invaluable local knowledge to help end West Indies’ unbeaten record at the venue. Player of the Match Tamim Iqbal also credited Shakib for shifting the tide of the innings with his arrival to the crease.”I think Shakib changed the momentum, to be very honest,” Tamim said after the match that went down to the final over. “As soon as he came in, he started to get the boundaries and I think that knock of his was special. Because we didn’t have a flying [start in] first ten overs, his innings was something really important.”Though West Indies produced their best-ever T20I score the last time they played a completed match at the venue in 2016 with 245 against India, 170-180 has been a par first-innings score here in the last two CPL seasons. Bangladesh looked like they would struggle to achieve that when Soumya Sarkar fell at 48 for 3 in the eighth over before Shakib’s arrival spurred Tamim out of his shell in a 90-run stand.The Bangladesh captain struck Keemo Paul over the off side twice to start the tenth over and got a stroke of luck in the 11th when he top-edged Kesrick Williams over the keeper for his third boundary. But he whipped the heavily partisan 7000-strong Bangladesh crowd into a frenzy with three more boundaries off Williams in the 13th over to provide the much-needed impetus.”We always knew that we were capable of coming back strongly,” Tamim said. “After the first ten overs, we recovered really well and got the maximum runs that we could have scored. We knew they had got some serious power-hitters in the team, so we needed to keep on getting wickets and that’s exactly what happened.”Sometimes 200 is not enough, sometimes 150 is enough. So we knew that we need to give our best. We need to field as best as we can and that’s what we did. I think every bowler did their job. Fizz (Mustafizur Rahman) was brilliant, Abu Hider was special. I think everybody did their job.”A pivotal sequence happened in the 14th over when Tamim, on 47, miscued a drive off captain Carlos Brathwaite to mid-off where Rovman Powell shuffled right for a straightforward chance at waist height but the ball popped out. Tamim brought up a 35-ball fifty in the following over before commencing a vicious onslaught on Andre Russell in an over that won the match for Bangladesh.Shakib Al Hasan muscles a pull•AFP”We didn’t have the right attitude in the field,” Brathwaite told Cricket West Indies after the match. “I think we were a bit casual. We didn’t have the same intensity as the first game. I think due to our lapses in the field, we had to chase more than we wanted to.”I guess it’s questionable if we should have batted or bowled first but I still think I made the right decision in sending them in to bat first. With the start that we had, I think we should have been chasing 150 and if we had been chasing that much, we would have gotten over the line.”Bangladesh were not entirely perfect in the field either with two catches going down, but they balanced it out, thanks to a pair of sensational catches taken by Liton Das at deep midwicket. West Indies were way ahead of Bangladesh’s Powerplay rate at 48 for 2 in the fifth over when Marlon Samuels slammed a drive towards Liton who had little time but covered about ten yards quickly before lunging forward late to snatch the low chance.The second one came in the 17th over when West Indies needed 41 off 23 and Brathwaite slammed Shakib to the leg side and Liton tracked 15 yards left for the chance as a team-mate from long-on hared right. Avoiding a nasty collision, Liton took the catch a yard inside the boundary rope.What was especially impressive was that both catches were taken in the presence of floodlights that are not especially bright.”When we were sitting outside, we were feeling that maybe the light is not enough but when we were batting or fielding I thought the light was fine,” Tamim said. “I didn’t find anything wrong with it. I thought it’s completely fine and I think the ground is 100% ready for night games.”T20 cricket, a lot depends on fielding as well. If somebody takes a brilliant catch or a brilliant run-out, that changes a lot of things. Liton Das took two quite brilliant catches. I think that was special as well.”

James McClean has slammed the “embarrassing” celebrations of “wally” Jean Belehouan following Wrexham’s disappointing defeat to Tranmere.

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Red Dragons came unstuck on home soilLocal rivals revelled in their successIrishman stuck on sidelines serving a banGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons saw their bid for automatic promotion out of League Two suffer another untimely blow when slipping to a 1-0 derby date reversal at the hands of local rivals from the Wirral. Tranmere are still clinging to hopes of staging a late surge into the play-off places, leading to them celebrating wildly at SToK Racecourse.

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Tempers threatened to boil over at the final whistle, as players from both sides tangled on the field at full-time, with Rovers defender Belehouan firing up the travelling support despite failing to make it onto the field across 90 minutes of intriguing fourth-tier action.

WHAT MCCLEAN SAID

McClean was another that saw no game time, as he serves a suspension for collecting 10 yellow cards, and the Irishman has called out Belehouan for celebrating as if Tranmere had won the league. He posted on Instagram: “Absolute wally, not sure what’s more embarrassing, him giving it large whilst being an unused sub during the game or the fact that he was an unused sub for them.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham remain third in the League Two standings, level on points with second-placed Stockport and five adrift of leaders Mansfield, but only goal difference is keeping them above MK Dons while Barrow in sixth are only six points adrift of Phil Parkinson’s side with eight games left to take in.

Tottenham Hotspur fans will be desperately awaiting their return to Premier League action, given how fine their form had been before the international break. Such an absence has not been all bad though, allowing their Deadline Day acquisition of Brennan Johnson to regain his fitness again…

When will Brennan Johnson be fit?

Having joined for a mouth-watering £47.5m fee, the Welshman marked Ange Postecoglou's biggest signing yet, outranking the £43m paid for Micky van de Ven, or the £40m spent on James Maddison.

Immediately there is huge pressure on his shoulders, but as the archetypical winger for the former Celtic man's system, there is every reason to believe he will succeed in N17.

Especially after the fine debut campaign enjoyed with Nottingham Forest, in which the 22-year-old would score eight and assist three as his side avoided the drop with ease, picking up some fine victories along the way.

However, after being handed his first start in last month's North London derby, the speedster had to be withdrawn after 63 minutes with a hamstring complaint which has seen him miss the following two wins over Liverpool and Luton Town.

Fortunately, it is expected that the 21-cap ace could return to action for the Fulham game, but it remains dependent on a late fitness test. Therefore, it could provide an opportunity for Bryan Gil to take his spot, and stake a starting claim as his chances dwindle.

How good is Bryan Gil?

As a trickster tempted to north London in a deal that saw Erik Lamela head the other way, Sevilla oversaw the departure of the Spanish trickster who had been shining in his homeland.

His return of four goals and three assists in La Liga the year before his switch marked a fine return for a teenager, but since joining Spurs there has been little opportunity for the 5 foot 9 wizard to stamp his claim.

Across two years there he boasts just 31 senior appearances, even returning to Spain on loan in an attempt to recapture the form of that 2020/21 campaign that saw him post 1.4 shots and 1.8 key passes per game, via Sofascore.

However, there have been glimpses of his quality in England, with journalist Rob Guest even outlining one "moment of magic" in 2021 that Postecoglou could seek to usher out with more frequency.

Especially considering the tireless work rate that Gil boasts, which could align well with the Australian's philosophy. In fact, when compared to other wingers across Europe, he sits in the top 14% for tackles per 90 and the top 10% for interceptions per 90, via FBref.

There must be something worth exploring, given how quick to praise the winger Antonio Conte was earlier this year: "We are talking about a player who was born to play football. He’s so clever, so intelligent to understand the situation. Then you know this league is difficult because you have to be good in quality and be fast and to have good endurance and he has this type of quality."

Perhaps, whilst Johnson takes one added week of rest to fully recover, Gil could step up and take what is sure to be one of his final few chances before the club seeks to cut their losses on the youngster.

Surrey Stars beat defending champions Western Storm by seven wickets in the first ever Kia Super League fixture at Cheltenham

ECB Reporters Network26-Jul-2018Surrey Stars 136 for 3 (Taylor 50*) beat Western Storm 132 for 9 (Mandhana 37, Dunkley 3-18) by seven wickets
ScorecardRevenge was sweet for Surrey Stars as they beat defending champions Western Storm by seven wickets in the first ever Kia Super League fixture to be staged at Cheltenham.Legspinner Sophia Dunkley claimed 3 for 18, including the wicket of Indian star Smriti Mandhana, as Storm were restricted to 132 for 9 in their 20 overs.Inspired by Sarah Taylor’s well-judged innings of 50 not out from 34 balls, Stars chased down their target with 4.1 overs to spare, avenging the defeat they suffered at the hands of Storm in last season’s semi-final.Appreciating Storm’s strength when chasing, Stars skipper Natalie Sciver won the toss and deployed a quartet of spinners in an attempt to tie down the defending champions on a used pitch.Storm began well enough, openers Rachel Priest and Mandhana taking advantage of the power-play fielding restrictions and a fast outfield to find the boundary on a regular basis in adding 43 in five overs.Out to prove a point after being dropped by New Zealand in the winter, Priest made 21 at a run-a-ball, harvesting 4 fours, before hoisting a Marizanne Kapp length ball to mid-off.Undeterred, overseas signing Mandhana picked up the cudgels, plundering 15 runs off one Laura Marsh over as she moved gracefully towards a half century.But Storm’s smooth progress was checked by 20-year-old Dunkley, who made a double breakthrough when introduced from the College Lawn End in the eighth over.The Middlesex spinner had England captain Heather Knight caught at the wicket and, two balls later, persuaded Mandhana to hole out to deep midwicket for 37.Dunkley then lured Fran Wilson into front foot indiscretion, the England international miss-timing a drive and offering a catch to Grace Gibbs at mid-off. At that point, Dunkley boasted figures of 3 for 6 from seven balls.England spinner Marsh weighed in with 2 for 28, accounting for the dangerous Stafanie Taylor and Sophie Luff, while Mady Villiers bowled Naomi Dattani for 12 and England World Cup hero Anya Shrubsole lofted Gibbs to van Niekerk on the long-off boundary.Wickets continued to tumble as Gibbs had Danielle Gibson held on the long-on boundary in the penultimate over.Expansive from the outset, Lizelle Lee (22) and Bryony Smith (33) played aggressively in a power-play that yielded 59 runs, affording Stars’ reply crucial early momentum.The balance of power shifted when Gibson removed Smith and Sciver in the space of nine balls to reduce Stars to 79 for 3 in the ninth over, but World Cup winner Taylor summoned an assured response to calm any nerves.Supported by van Niekerk (14 not out), the England wicketkeeper dominated an unbroken stand of 57 for the fourth wicket, harvesting nine fours as the visitors banked a bonus point win.

The calming influence of Alastair Cook will be one of the qualities England will miss most

Melinda Farrell09-Sep-20181:12

England happy to only face Jadeja once – Farbrace

England will miss the calming influence Alastair Cook has in the dressing room environment, particularly on their upcoming tour to Sri Lanka, according to assistant coach Paul Farbrace who spoke as Cook ended the third day at The Oval unbeaten on 46.Cook had walked out to a rapturous standing ovation from a full house at The Oval for his final international innings and by the close was within touching distance of making twin fifties in the match – with the fairytale finish of a century still on offer.”He’s been pretty calm,” said Farbrace. “I would imagine that the reception he got tonight when he went out to bat I think it probably moved him. It moved everybody else in our dressing room how fantastic the support he’s had.””I think he just showed everything he’s about so far in this game. He’s all about waiting for the right ball in the right place but he’s just looked pretty organised and got stuck in. It’s not easy out there, it’s been quite tough, but he’s looks as though he’s really enjoying the scrap doesn’t he?”He just seems to cope with everything that’s in front of him and I think, as much as we are going to miss his runs and his catches, I think the calming influence that he has amongst the team, amongst the staff, amongst everybody, his calm way about going about things, doing things, dealing with what comes from media and television. You know he copes with that or seems to cope with that very well and I think that’s something well all miss that when he’s not in that dressing room.”Farbrace also gave an insight into Cook’s role in making newcomers feel welcome in the England camp and suggested that aspect of his character would be immediately missed on the first tour without him in the side.”When I came into the group in 2014 he was captain of the side and made it so easy to be a member of staff for the English cricket team,” said Farbrace. “It’s quite a daunting thing to come into having never played international cricket.””He’s a very caring bloke and he’s someone you can talk to about anything and everything and I think the young players who have come into the team this year have found him to be exactly that.”What he manages to do is make everybody feel very welcome, very part of things. Young players, old players, he seems to have the respect of everybody and everybody’s very comfortable talking to him. He’s got a very down to earth way of being, he’s got a very cheeky sense of humour and people find themselves being drawn to him and I think that’s something, come Sri Lanka, that a lot of people will be looking around realising he’s not there and I think then people will start to realise what an impact he’s had on them and us as a team.”

Arsenal's unbeaten start to the 2023/24 Premier League season came to an end on Saturday as they were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United in the evening kick-off. The Gunners came out the wrong side of the result at St. James' Park as Anthony Gordon's second-half strike was enough to secure all three points for the home side.

However, the winning goal was shrouded in controversy after a lengthy VAR check on three possible infringements that eventually saw the goal awarded to Eddie Howe's team.

There was an initial check to see whether or not the ball had gone out of play before a possible foul on Gabriel, and then a possible offside against Gordon. However, none of those three situations could be fully substantiated into a claim to disallow the goal and Mikel Arteta was incensed after the match.

Arteta's comments after VAR controversy at Newcastle

The Spanish tactician described the incident as "embarrassing" and a "disgrace" before going on to say that he is wasting his time as results are in the hands of other people – referees. Arteta went as far as to say that he feels "embarrassed" and is "ashamed" to be part of how the Premier League is using VAR and the technology available to decide matches, in some instances, with their decisions.

Of course, emotions were running high after a tight match that ended in defeat for the London-based outfit, and the choice of words may have been influenced by that. However, Arsenal then released a statement in support of their manager and added that PGMOL must take action to improve the standard of refereeing, as they believe that the league deserves a higher quality of officiating than it is currently getting.

Stephen Warnock slams Arsenal and Arteta

Whilst speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch segment, pundit Stephen Warnock ripped into the Gunners and Arteta for their reaction to Newcastle's winning goal.

The former Liverpool defender started out by questioning why the Gunners boss did not feel "embarrassed" to be involved in the division after Luis Diaz's goal was wrongly disallowed for offside against the Reds earlier this season in their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. This point was also raised by The Mirror as they reported his previous comments about that VAR mistake that went against Jurgen Klopp's side.

The Gunners boss said that referees and VAR need to be given support and for people to understand that mistakes happen, which was a calmer and more reasoned response than the one he gave over the weekend after Gordon's goal. Warnock then went on to say that the club's subsequent statement was "distasteful" and that it should have been handled in a different way.

Whether or not any of this will lead to an improvement in refereeing or VAR standards remains to be seen, given that the Arsenal boss thinks that he is wasting his time, and it will be interesting to see how long it takes for the next major incident of controversy to take place.

The 22-year-old scored twice and laid on the assist for City's third as they moved to the top of the table at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester United came into the derby clash against Manchester City with little to play for. The title race had long gone, and a Champions League spot was surely out of reach – but they did at least have the chance to burst the bubble of their biggest rivals as they bid for a first Women's Super League title in eight years. Saturday's 3-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, though, means that United's season will end with the disappointing statistic of the Cityzens having done the double over them in the league, too.

For large parts of the first half, the Red Devils looked capable of dealing City a blow. They pressed well and they created chances, with England starlet Khiara Keating making a smart save at her near post to deny Nikita Parris before being forced to tip Lucia Garcia's deflected shot over the bar.

But after a tepid start from City, the main feature of which had been shots from range, it was another of their promising young Lionesses, Jess Park, who took complete control of the game. Lauren Hemp and Leila Ouahabi linked up down the left and the latter picked out Park with a great cross, which was finished brilliantly to break the deadlock just past the half-hour mark.

United had the right to be disappointed at the lack of an offside flag in the build-up on Khadija Shaw, but the way Park was allowed to ghost into the box to score was so poor – and the defending was again under the microscope on the stroke of half-time when Park made it two from a corner.

At least the interval was a chance for the visitors to reset, regroup and fire themselves up to go out and deliver a big second half, except anything said at the break went out of the window when Park beat Katie Zelem to a loose ball and her reverse pass put Shaw through on goal to make it three within 30 seconds of the restart.

It was the final nail in the coffin on the day and for the season for United, even if Hannah Blundell's deflected cross gave them a goal back late in the second half. The Red Devils have been so far off the big three this year, and this damning day across the city was simply the latest evidence of that being the case.

GOAL picks out the winners and losers from the Etihad Stadium…

Getty ImagesLOSER: Man Utd's defence

It was all well and good United being at it from the off in the final third, but it doesn't mean much when the defence is all over the shop, and all three City goals were so poor from a defensive standpoint on Saturday.

The first might've featured an offside in the build-up, but that hardly excuses the fact that absolutely no one looked around and decided to pick up Park, with Zelem, who sits in front of that United defence, the biggest culprit for that.

Park's second was a case of Blundell, who made a silly tackle on a yellow that probably should've resulted in a red earlier on, not being goal-side of her player despite checking to see where she was at one point, and the third was Zelem being flat-footed and beaten to the ball by Park, before Maya Le Tissier was easily brushed aside by Shaw.

It was just a calamitous, error-strewn display at the back from the Red Devils, and there was little chance of a result while that was the case.

AdvertisementWINNER: Jess Park

A few more derby days and Park might mark herself out as a specialist in these games, because after scoring her first WSL goal in the Merseyside derby last season while on loan at Everton, her first goals in the league for City came on Saturday, in this clash of the two Manchester rivals.

Both efforts were wonderful, first-touch finishes, and she added an assist to them, too, when she won the ball back well in midfield and played a great pass to Shaw just after half-time.

Park found game time hard to come by in the first half of this season, but she's thrived since the New Year, after Jill Roord's ACL injury opened up a space in midfield. Given how well the Dutch international had played for City since arriving in the summer, they needed someone to step up and ensure her absence didn't hit the team hard, and Park has done exactly that.

Her performance won't have gone unnoticed by Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman, either, who was in attendance at the Etihad and will have struggled to not be impressed by the 22-year-old's latest star turn.

LOSER: Laia Aleixandri

If there was one dampener for City on a big day, it came in the warm-up, when Laia Aleixandri had to pull out of the team with an injury. The Spaniard has been having a truly fantastic season, with arguably no centre-back in the league performing better.

Alanna Kennedy did well to step in on a rare start and hardly weakened the team, but City will certainly hope Aleixandri is able to play her part in the title run-in, with her and Alex Greenwood having struck up a wonderful partnership in the heart of the WSL's best defence.

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Getty ImagesWINNER: Bunny Shaw

It's remarkable to think that when Shaw first arrived at City, she wasn't the first choice No.9, sharing duties with Ellen White. However, since assuming that role following White's retirement in the summer of 2022, the Jamaican has been a relentless goal-machine, and her strike against United on Saturday made her the women's team's all-time top goal-scorer, with an incredible 68 goals in just 82 appearances.

Shaw was a handful for United's defence throughout Saturday's game, and got the goal her performance deserved with a very well-taken finish just after half-time. Amid claims that she isn't a player for the 'big games', this followed up her goal in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford and her huge match-winner at Chelsea last month which put City level on points with the Blues in the title race.

The 27-year-old is one of the best strikers on the planet and City will be delighted that she is theirs for at least another two years as they look to assert themselves as a consistent contender for silverware again.