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Marcelo Bielsa has been praised this weekend for his showing of sportsmanship after he allowed Aston Villa to equalise against his side having judged they had scored unlawfully.

Mateusz Klich netted the opener at Elland Road on Sunday despite an injury to Jonathan Kodjia which had the majority of players unfocussed. After the goal, Bielsa instructed his team to allow Villa to walk through the whole team and equalise.

Irrelevant result

If the Whites would have won rather than drawing on Sunday it really wouldn’t have meant much in the grand scheme of things.

Sheffield United’s goal difference is far superior to Leeds’ so even if Bielsa’s side had won, the Blades’ promotion would have been delayed by only a week barring a 12-goal swing.

Leeds are now confined to the playoffs where they may potentially meet their opposition from this weekend in the final.

Removing ammunition

Playoff finals are often about who wants it more. The two teams are equally matched and whoever turns up on the day usually ends up the victor.

If the Argentine hadn’t allowed Villa to equalise straight away, then Dean Smith would have no problem getting his team up for it if they were to face off against the Whites at Wembley.

The scenes after the goal showed how aggrieved every Villa player was and if that sort of intensity was carried through to the playoff final, then there would be no doubt as to which team would be more motivated on the day.

Smith would have the easiest team talk in history. The former Brentford boss could tell his players to go out and get revenge and give his players that extra incentive needed to put in a top performance.

Instead Bielsa’s decision to give the visitors a goal calmed everyone down and put out the fire that was in the bellies of the Villa players.

Smith will no longer be able to use this injustice as ammunition to provoke his players which could, in turn, affect their performance in the final.

Rangers fans have complete faith in Steven Gerrard to fire them back to their past glories sooner or later, and to do so work needs to be done in the summer transfer window. Goals have come freely for the Gers, but adding Lawrence Shankland, the Ayr United man with a combined 42 goals and assists, is an absolute must as they aim for title number 55.

Shankland is just 23-years-old and is local to Glasgow having been born in the famous footballing city. This season in the Scottish Championship, the Scottish U21 international has bagged an unprecedented 34 goals and has eight assists to match too, and now with Ayr United not prepared to stand in his way as his contract expires this summer the Ibrox faithful could benefit and sign him up on a free.

It looks like Shankland (linked with the Light Blues by the Daily Star in March) will be plying his trade in the Scottish Premier League next season even if Ayr United aren’t. The Honest Men finished 4th in their first season back in the second tier of Scottish football setting up a play-off clash with Inverness, of which they lost the first-leg 3-1 at home last night. It won’t have been pleasant for Shankland to lose that clash, but with a summer move ahead he shouldn’t worry too much.

The hard graft and work has already been done by the 23-year-old and it would be no surprise if finds himself starring for Rangers in Europe and in the biggest domestic clashes next season. Ibrox would welcome a young Glaswegian goalscoring with open arms, and if he can continue his hot run of form that he’s found over the last two seasons, scoring a combined 50 league goals for Ayr, then he’ll be a hit.

It could force a couple of Steven Gerrard’s options that he has now out of the side, but with Alfredo Morelos’ discipline proving to be a tricky issue and Kyle Lafferty’s lack of game time and goals, having the partnership of Shankland and Defoe next season could be key.

That duo could also work wonders for the youngster as working with the prolific Defoe could be so beneficial in his development.

Rangers fans, do you want to see Lawrence Shankland at Ibrox? Comment below!

It is fair to say that Mateo Kovacic’s loan move from Real Madrid to Chelsea has not quite gone to plan.

The 25-year-old has really failed to kick on following his impressive debut against Wednesday’s Europa League final opponents Arsenal, and has since lost his spot in the team to Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

But with Loftus-Cheek out of the London derby in Baku and set to miss the start of next season, Kovacic now has a massive chance.

Marca (via Sport Witness) reports that Chelsea are set to make his loan move a permanent one, and a good display in the Europa League final could go a long way once the next campaign arrives.

Even with Loftus-Cheek unavailable for selection, competition for a midfield spot is set to be fierce with N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley and possibly Mason Mount all still in the equation.

Given their transfer embargo, you would expect Chelsea to sign Kovacic regardless of what happens on Wednesday night, with the Croatian and Gonzalo Higuain being the only two players the club can buy in the summer (Goal).

But if Kovacic really wants to prove his worth and show that the Blues are not just going to purchase him for the sake of it, then he needs to raise his game at the Baku Olympic Stadium.

Another not up to scratch performance, and Chelsea supporters will start to ask some serious questions about his permanent transfer.

Chelsea fans, can Kovacic make an impact against Arsenal? Join the discussion by commenting below.

Heading to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland was always going to be difficult for Portsmouth, but Pompey should count themselves lucky it was only 1-0.

The south coast side were dominated by the Black Cats from the first minute to the last as Sunderland drew first blood in the first-leg of the League One play-off semi-final with a 1-0 win, which was even more impressive when you take into account the hosts were down to 10-men for most of the second-half, and now Portsmouth face a big uphill battle.

Promotion is an absolute must for the club this season if they are to retain onto key players who have been courted with moves away, and for Portsmouth making it back into the Championship will be a massive step in the right direction for a club with dreams of returning to the Premier League.

The return leg at Fratton Park will be Portsmouth’s biggest game of the season, and one man could be the difference between a second Wembley appearance this year or another campaign in League One, Omar Bogle.

The striker has been impressive for Portsmouth this season since joining on loan this January from Cardiff City, scoring five in 14 appearances, and with Kenny Jackett likely to change things up on Tuesday night, Bogle could have a big part to play in getting Pompey into the Championship.

Bogle, who is valued at £450,000 on Transfermarkt, has always made an impact on the pitch either by scoring or by playing a part in the build-up, and the striker’s impact could be the difference between Portsmouth being promoted or spending another season wasting time in League One.

Portsmouth fans, will Bogle have an impact in the second-leg? Let us know!

أكد سلافين بيليتش مدرب فريق وست بروميتش ألبيون أن اثنين من لاعبيه سيغيبان عن مباراة اليوم المرتقبة أمام مانشستر يونايتد، بعد تأكد إصابتهما بفيروس كورونا المستجد، كوفيد 19.

وسيتواجه الفريقان، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، في الجولة التاسعة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وحسب الموقع الرسمي لنادي وست بروميتش، فإن بيليتش أكد إصابة اثنين من لاعبي الفريق بفيروس كورونا، ومن ثم لن يشاركان في مباراة الليلة أمام الشياطين الحمر.

وأفاد بيليتش أن الثنائي هما جيك ليفرمور وكيران جيبس.

يُذكر أن وست بروميتش يحتل حاليًا المركز الثامن عشر برصيد 3 نقاط.

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Arsenal’s season looked incredibly promising on 1st April, with many fans and pundits backing the North Londoners for a top four finish. Since then, the Gunners have crumbled, leaving their hopes of finishing fourth all but over providing there are no end-of-season miracles.

Unai Emery’s men took to the field on Sunday afternoon knowing a win would put them in a very strong position for Champions League qualification via the league, as Chelsea and Tottenham face tricky games on the final day of the season.

It wasn’t to be as Granit Xhaka brought down Solly March in the penalty area, before Glenn Murray converted the spot kick to deny Arsenal the three points.

Social media erupted as the patience of Arsenal fans broke, leaving many star players in the firing line of criticism from their supporters.

One star in particular, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, received some rather misplaced criticism. The striker has contributed 20 goals and five assists in the Premier League this season, though has also been erratic in front of goal at times.

Arsenal have been crying out for a world-class striker for years, and in Alexander Lacazette and Aubameyang – who allegedly takes home £200k per week – they’re now blessed with two.

Though not all fans are happy with the Gabonese striker’s contribution…

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Huddersfield Town fans on Twitter are buzzing after departing chairman Dean Hoyle revealed that the club would be taking up the option of making Isaac Mbenza’s loan deal permanent.

Terriers fans will have to wait until the transfer window officially opens for a club announcement, but they can rest easy in the knowledge that the Belgian winger will be returning to Yorkshire next season.

The timing of this news couldn’t have been any better as Mbenza netted the equaliser against Manchester United that earnt Huddersfield a point against the 20-time champions of England.

The 23-year-old hasn’t had the most fruitful of seasons for the club, scoring just once and providing just a single assist, but many fans are excited to see what he can bring in the Championship.

Mbenza had previously been on loan from French outfit Montpellier, but it has now been confirmed that he will be a permanent fixture at the John Smith’s stadium next year.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Here’s what Huddersfield fans have been saying on Twitter…

Seamus Coleman clearly isn’t the player he once was and if Andre Almeida signs then he might be forced to play second fiddle. 

Indeed, Everton are surely looking to add youth and quality to their squad and, as a result, perhaps Coleman won’t be part of Marco Silva’s plans for long. Yes, he’s been a wonderful servant for the club over the years but Jonjoe Kenny and Mason Holgate are both hoping to get a chance too, so another signing might be the final straw.

The Sun have claimed the Toffees and Wolves are chasing Benfica right-back Andre Almeida. So, if Silva can convince the club to spend the £10m he’s believed to cost and he comes to Merseyside then he’ll be their first-choice without a doubt.

He’s played 33 games for his club in the league this season, racking up an impressive 12 assists and even adding two goals to his tally too. Despite not being a youngster at 28-years-old he can provide that extra quality in the final third that Everton have lacked.

That kind of attacking burst has been missing since the aforementioned Irishman suffered his horror-injury and would certainly be a welcome sight at Goodison Park, who will have become accustomed to it in years gone by.

They have Holgate to provide that youthfulness, so where does Coleman fit into these plans? Well, he wouldn’t do. Surely, there’d be very little opportunity for him to play if the deal goes through and he won’t accept that. It’ll be time for him to move on.

Almeida is rated at £6.3m on Transfermarkt and it’s remained at that level since 2016. If anything, that proves he’s a consistent performer and that’s another trait Everton need after their hit-and-miss season just gone.

Time to pack your backs, Coleman!

Everton fans, who do you want to see your club sign this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

The actor –  who is best known for his role as DS Steve Arnott in BBC crime drama ‘Line of Duty’ – is a huge Hoops fan and he took full advantage of the opportunity to join his heroes in the Celtic dressing room.

He also responded to Sinclair’s post.

The 35-year-old, who was born in Greenock, joined the Hoops stars as they revelled in their incredible achievements.

Celtic secured the treble treble thanks to a double from Odisonne Edouard after they had fallen behind at Hampden Park to a Ryan Edwards goal in the 53rd minute.

Neil Lennon was also offered the full-time job after the historic achievement – one which he naturally accepted – and attention will now turn to winning another treble.

Compston, as well as all the other Celtic fans, will be hoping their club’s dominance continues.

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Hull City are still waiting to hear back from Nigel Adkins regarding a new contract at the club. With his current deal expiring in just over a month, the Tigers still don’t know if the former Southampton boss will be in the dugout at the start of next season.

The 54-year-old has done a stellar job at the KCOM Stadium this season, guiding the Yorkshire club to a 13th-place finish after a rocky start.

Want him to stay

There’s no doubt that the higher-ups at Hull would want Adkins to stay on with the club next season.

He has been presented a new deal by his current employers, and there seems to be no reason for him to not take them up on their offer.

Management can be a tough place to find a new job at times, so it seems strange that Adkins almost seems willing to let his contract run down.

Reasons to leave

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Adkins has a number of reasons why he would want to get away from the club before next season.

Their talisman Jarrod Bowen seems to be on his way out with Premier League sides often linked with the dynamic winger.

The 22-year-old netted 22 goals for Adkins’ side this season, and if he leaves it may be inevitable that they take a backwards step next term.

The manager’s stock may be the highest it will possibly be as Hull boss, and if he gets out now, he may find himself in a much better job in the near future.

There are also murmurs of a takeover at Hull, bringing about uncertainty for the manager next season. Adkins was sacked as Reading boss after a takeover in 2015 so he may want to jump before he is pushed this time around.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

Perhaps the boss has caught wind of the impending takeover and believes it will bring about an era of instability at the club. If that is the case it and Adkins doesn’t sign on the dotted line, then Hull fans should be worried.