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      Liverpool told the two signings that ‘could win them the Champions League’ and help form ‘unbelievable side’

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      JURGEN KLOPP has been told by an ex-Liverpool star the two players he needs to make them Champions League winners again.The German has already enjoyed huge success since his arrival at Anfield in 2015.
      Jurgen Klopp has been told the TWO new players he needs to make Liverpool top dogsCredit: PA
      Jermaine Pennant was a Champions League finalist during his time at AnfieldCredit: Getty
      He has won every trophy available, ending the club’s three decade wait for the title, as well as the Champions League in 2019.
      However, his squad underwent a major overhaul over the summer after veterans Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departed as well as Roberto Firmino.
      Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch were all brought in to bolster Liverpool and the new-look outfit have made an impressive start to the campaign after last season’s disappointing fifth-placed finish.
      Having missed out on the Champions League, the Reds are competing in the Europa League this term as they prepare to face Union Saint-Gilloise tonight.
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      And despite being impressed with the new recruits, ex-Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant believes that two more key players would result in them being crowned the kings of Europe for a seventh-time.
      The now 40-year-old, who was a Champions League finalist during his time on Merseyside, says that Manu Kone and Khephren Thuram are the men needed.
      The two midfielders have both been linked with Liverpool over recent months and Pennant has backed both the Borussia Monchengladbach French ace, 22, and his 22-year-old countryman at Nice to add the finishing touches to Klopp’s squad.
      Pennant told Lucky Block: “I’d like to see Liverpool sign a proper enforcer in January. For me, that player would be Manu Kone.
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      “I think he would be a great number six and encourage Mac Allister to move further forward.
      “Kone would be the icing on the cake, and so would Khephren Thuram – I’ve always been a huge fan of his.
      “He may not play as a six, but you could make it work. If we can get them in January, then we’re looking at a boss midfield.
      “Those two could win Liverpool the Champions League. Having Kone and Thuram in there would elevate Liverpool’s midfield to being up there with the very best.
      “Add in the forward five, and the likes of Virgil [van Dijk], Trent [Alexander-Arnold], and Alisson in the back, and that’s an unbelievable side.”
      Regarding the new additions already at the club, Pennant hailed the work of Klopp in the last transfer window.
      He added: “I think this is up there with Klopp’s greatest transfer windows.
      “He’s got everything down to a tee. Dominik Szoboszlai has had an unbelievable start, Mac Allister is a quality signing, even though I’d like to see him play a bit further forward.
      “Endo will be solid once he settles, and Ryan Gravenberch looks exciting, too. Liverpool needed fresh legs and new energy, and now they’ve got it. For the first time in years, it doesn’t look like Liverpool’s midfield will be overrun.
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      “They’re solid, confident, and chipping in with goals themselves. This midfield has already scored more goals than the one last season!
      “I don’t think Henderson scored once, and I think Fab only got two. This midfield has already bettered that.”
      Jermaine Pennant is a huge admirer of French starlet Manu KoneCredit: Getty
      Nice’s Khephren Thuram has also caught the eye of the ex-wingerCredit: Getty More

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      Kylian Mbappe given HUMILIATING rating by L’Equipe after PSG are destroyed by Newcastle as Toon stars shine

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      KYLIAN MBAPPE was given embarrassingly low player ratings after Paris Saint-Germain were terrorised on Tyneside.The French champions were battered 4-1 by Newcastle on a historic night at St James’ Park on Wednesday.
      Newcastle ran out 4-1 winners over French champions Paris Saint-Germain on WednesdayCredit: REX
      PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe was anonymous for large portions of the matchCredit: GETTY
      L’Equipe gave PSG’s star striker a savage 2/10 ratingCredit: L’EQUIPE
      Mbappe was anonymous for large portions of the match, so much so that L’Equipe gave a brutal assessment of the PSG hitman in their notoriously harsh player ratings.
      The French newspaper gave the nation’s star striker – who scored a hat-trick in last year’s World Cup final – a shocking 2/10 rating.
      They claimed the 24-year-old “almost did not exist” and turned in a “very disappointing” display.
      Mbappe wasn’t the only player to receive the awful rating, with fellow strike partner Randal Kolo Muani and skipper Marquinhos also receiving a terrible two.
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      Newcastle soared to the summit of Group F with their annihilation of PSG, who were favourites to top the table.
      Goals from Miguel Almiron, Dan Burn, Sean Longstaff and Fabian Schar secured a famous victory.
      Lucas Hernandez scored a consolation for Luis Enriques’s side, who face Italian giants AC Milan in their next group match a fortnight next Wednesday.
      Enrique, who cut a frustrated figure on the touchline for most of the match, insists the scoreline flattered Eddie Howe’s side.
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      Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique insists the 4-1 scoreline flattered NewcastleCredit: GETTY
      He said: “It was a difficult night I don’t think we deserved that kind of result.
      “They were effective in the last part of the pitch and we made some mistakes, it is hard to accept that.
      “If you make mistakes you pay for that.”
      An over-the-moon Howe said: “It was an amazing evening for us, so many stories to talk about within the game.
      “I am delighted for the club and the supporters what they gave us tonight was incredible.
      “They [PSG] are such a good team we had to defend really well and our spirit was brilliant.
      “We created the positive things in the first half and the aggressive pressing which is a haul mark of ours.” More

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      Betfair punter turns £5 into over £10,000 thanks to Newcastle beating PSG, incredible turnaround and late Lazio winner

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      YES, it’s another of those winners that looks so easy when it’s been done. Why didn’t we think of that!?This time a genius football punter managed to land an eight-fold acca with Betfair which collected a staggering £10,772.50 from just a £5 stake on Wednesday night’s matches.

      With not too many games to choose from across the Champions League and English Championship, the bettor perfectly selected eight match results at a mega 2154/1.
      And incredibly, it looked down and out before the late kick offs had even got under way when Shakhtar were 2-0 down at half time in Antwerp.
      The Ukrainians fought back incredibly well having been the outsiders before kick off to score three goals in the second half to complete a sensational turnaround.
      The drama didn’t end there though, with FOUR 80+ minute goals helping secure the acca later in the day.
      Manchester City regained the lead in Leipzig thanks to an 84th minute Julian Alvarez strike, with Jeremy Doku adding a third later on.
      The winning acca

      Antwerp vs Shakhtar
      Newcastle vs PSG
      Red Star vs Young Boys – draw
      Dortmund vs Milan – draw
      Leipzig vs Man City
      Celtic vs Lazio
      Coventry v Blackburn
      Sunderland vs Watford

      Stake: £5
      Returns: £10,772.50

      Coventry beat Blackburn 1-0 thanks to a Haji Wright goal in the 85th minute, while Crvena zvezda snatched a late draw against Young Boys with an 88th minute strike.
      With a draw predicted between Dortmund and Milan, alongside comfortable wins for Newcastle in their sensational demolition of PSG and Sunderland in beating Watford, one game stood between this punter and £10k.
      And that came at Celtic Park, where the hosts had led earlier in the game through a Kyogo goal before Lazio hit back before the break.
      Celtic thought they’d won in with 10 minutes to go, only for VAR to rule it out. Then Celtic did what they seem to do best in Europe by chucking away a decent result at the death, with ex-Barcelona star Pedro nodding beyond Joe Hart in the 96th minute.
      Despite some big wins on the night, it was this punter who was the biggest winner with this incredible punt.
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      Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
      Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
      Never chase their losses
      Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
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      Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
      For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites. More

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      Incredible reason PSG star Kylian Mbappe REJECTED Newcastle goalscorer Sean Longstaff’s requests to swap shirts

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      THE INCREDIBLE reason Kylian Mbappe REJECTED Newcastle hero Sean Longstaff’s requests to swap shirts last night has now been revealed.The Magpies thumped Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 as they produced a famous performance to mark the return of Champions League football to St. James’ Park.
      Kieran Trippier’s son managed to get his hands on Kylian Mbappe’s PSG shirt
      Miguel Almiron and Dan Burn had given Newcastle a two-goal lead before the break.
      Then Geordie midfielder Longstaff, 25, rifled home the third after the restart.
      Lucas Hernandez pulled one back for PSG but Fabian Schar rounded-off a fairytale evening in the North East but firing him the fourth late on to send the raucous crowd into frenzy.
      That capped a night to forget for superstar Mbappe and his PSG team-mates – but it did not stop local lad Longstaff from trying to get his shirt.
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      He told TNT Sports afterwards: “I was blocking him from a goal-kick so I tried to get it for my little brother. So hopefully, I still get it.”
      However, Longstaff’s little brother will unfortunately not be getting his hands on the French forward’s jersey.
      Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier revealed before the match that his Mbappe “obsessed” son wanted to walk out with the PSG ace instead of his dad when he was mascot yesterday.
      But he insisted that he would not be seeking out the former Monaco man for his shirt.
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      He said: “I was having a bit of banter with my son on Monday, and he said he wanted to walk out with Mbappe instead of me. I really wasn’t happy with that! 
      “He’s obsessed with him, always watching his clips on YouTube. I said to him, ‘If you get to walk out with Mbappe, you don’t look at me in the tunnel!’

      “Everyone is going to want his shirt, that is normal, but it’s not crossed my mind – I want the three points!”
      However, it seems that dad came through as England star Trippier was later spotted walking next to his son, who was wearing a PSG shirt.
      And, upon closer inspection from the TNT Sports cameras, it had the name and number of Mbappe on the back, revealing that Trippier did in fact get his hands on the coveted jersey.
      Trippier then shared a snap of himself alongside his son at home this morning on Instagram – and his boy still had his treasured memento on.
      Newcastle ended the evening in top spot of their Champions League ‘Group of Death’ after rivals Dortmund and AC Milan fought out a goalless draw.

      Sean Longstaff had asked the French superstar for his shirt in the game More

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      Thierry Henry slams Arsenal star over basic error despite ace being one of first names on Arteta’s team-sheet

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      THIERRY HENRY has slammed William Saliba’s performance against Lens on Tuesday night.The Arsenal centre-back is one of Mikel Arteta’s first picks on the team sheet but Henry has “never seen” such a basic error made by the centre-back.
      Thierry Henry has slammed William Saliba for his performance against RC LensCredit: Getty
      Henry said he has ‘never seen’ such a basic errorCredit: Getty
      Tuesday night’s 2-1 Champions League defeat was Arsenal’s first loss this season.
      Lens star Elye Wahi scored the winner when he found space inside the penalty area to sweep home the deciding goal.
      Arsenal legend Henry was critical of Saliba’s error for backing away and allowing Wahi to shoot.
      He told CBS Sports: “But can we talk about Saliba? The space never scores a goal. Can you have a look at where your striker is? 
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      “If you go back to the last angle, he never looks at where the number nine is.
      “Only the nine can score there. Or the winger can come inside. Saliba never looks to see what Wahi does. Never looks.
      “I have never seen the space scoring a goal.”
      Despite the Frenchman’s slip-up, he has been remarkable for the Gunners since his return from being on loan at Marseille in 2022.
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      He was a key player in Arteta’s squad last term as they chased for the Premier League title but a back injury in March was a big part of Arsenal finishing behind Manchester City.
      Arteta’s side need to move on quickly from their defeat as they face City on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates.
      And the Spanish boss will be hoping to have Bukayo Saka fit after he appeared to pick up a knock in the midweek clash. More

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      Newcastle hero Dan Burn recreates outrageous dance that will ‘smash the internet’ after stunning 4-1 smashing of PSG

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      DEFENDER Dan Burn recreated his hilarious dance move with Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards after scoring in Newcastle’s sensational win over PSG.Eddie Howe’s men brushed the French champions aside with a comprehensive 4-1 victory at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening.
      Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards tried to do Dan Burn’s dance move
      Carragher and Richards struggled to re-create the Newcastle man’s moves
      Carragher’s hilarious attempt left Richards in stitches
      Local boy Burn, 31, bagged the Toon’s second goal of the night and produced an outstanding performance to keep Kylian Mbappe and Co quiet.
      And following the match, he joined CBS Sports’ Kate Abdo, Carragher, Richards and Peter Schmeichel.
      Burn and team-mate Sean Longstaff both began conducting a routine interview on the broadcast.
      But Carragher and Richards were after something a little more unique.
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      When Newcastle reached the Carabao Cup final, Burn performed an incredible dance move in the dressing room as he wiggled his arms and legs in celebration.
      And CBS duo Carragher and Richards were keen to do it with him after Burn’s memorable Champions League win.
      The trio hysterically performed the dance, before Carragher added: “We’re going to smash the internet.”
      And those on social media predictably reacted in their droves.
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      One said: “Carra and Big Meeks are such a vibe man. Love ’em 😂😂😂.”
      Another added: “Come oooon Jamie 🤣🤣🤣.”
      A third replied: “What a lovely group.. Never a boring interview with these lot.”
      While a fourth simply responded: “Timeless.” More

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      Jubilant Man City boss Guardiola describes young star as ‘one of the best he’s trained’ after stunning show vs Leipzig

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      PEP GUARDIOLA has lavished praise onto Manchester City wonderkid Rico Lewis.Lewis made his breakthrough under Guardiola last season.
      Rico Lewis starred in Man City’s 3-1 win over RB LeipzigCredit: Getty
      Pep Guardiola lavished praise on the 18-year-oldCredit: PA
      The teenager’s progress appears to show no signs of stopping after a starring performance in City’s 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
      Lewis even managed to get himself involved in the action at the top end of the pitch by providing an assist for Phil Foden’s opener.
      Reflecting on the 18-year-old’s role in the match, Guardiola told reporters: “He played good, huh? What a player. What a player – 18-years-old.
      “I’ve been a manager for 14-15 year, training unbelievable players.
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      “To find a player like him in the pockets, how he has to move, moving into the spaces, he’s one of the best I’ve ever trained, by far.
      “He’s an amazing, outstanding player – outstanding.”
      Guardiola continued: “[He] has a huge personality, can play in four or five positions. He’s not scared, his defending is really good.”
      However, the former Barcelona boss joked the one thing Lewis was currently missing was some height, with him currently standing at 5ft 7in.
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      Lewis has played 29 times for City’s senior side.
      Leipzig had managed to get a goal back early in the second half.
      But supersub Julian Alvarez was on hand to get a goal and assist to seal the deal in City’s favour.
      The result leaves them top of Group G with two wins from two.
      City suffered their first defeat of the season last weekend against Wolves.
      Their next match sees pay a visit to unbeaten Premier League side Arsenal on Sunday.
      The Gunners fell to a shock 2-1 defeat against Lens last night, and could be without star man Bukayo Saka for the weekend after he limped off injured. More

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      Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal leaves mid-game to go to toilet.. and never returns on historic night for teenager

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      BARCELONA wonderkid Lamine Yamal celebrated a historic night under the lights, but was forced to miss some of it to go to the loo.Yamal made his full Champions League debut for the Spanish giants in their clash against Porto tonight.
      Lamine Yamal was forced to leave the pitch to go to the toiletCredit: Getty
      Yamal became the youngest ever starter in the Champions League history tonightCredit: Getty
      And aged 16 years and 83 days, the start made him the youngest ever player to start a Champions League match, surpassing Celestine Babayaro’s record set in the 1994/95 season.
      However, with Barca leading the game 1-0 thanks to Ferran Torres’ first half injury time strike, Yamal took the chance to head to the bathroom mid-match.
      In the 71st minute the teenager left the pitch to go to the toilet.
      But Yamal never returned to the pitch and he was forcefully subbed off in the 80th minute with Barca having played with just ten players for nearly ten minutes.
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      Manager Xavi explained what had happened to the youngster after the game.
      He said: “Lamine Yamal was unwell. He had an illness, he had been telling me for a while.
      “I took advantage of a break to tell him to be quick and go to the toilet, but in the end they told me that he wouldn’t be able to get back on the pitch.”
      The LaLiga outfit managed to see out the fixture despite Gavi being sent off in injury time.
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      With the win Barcelona sit top of Group H with two wins from two games.
      The Champions League appearance record is not the only record Yamal has broken this season.
      During the September international break he became Spain’s youngest ever goalscorer. More