Champions League

NOTTINGHAM FOREST booked their place in Europe for the first time in 30 years. But Leicester sub Facundo Buonanotte struck a late leveller to earn the Foxes a crucial point.Chris Wood looked to have won the game for Nottingham ForestCredit: GettyBut Facundo Buonanotte weaved through the Forest defence to put a huge dent in their Champions League hopesCredit: PANottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo was seen arguing with club co-owner Evangelos Marinakis at the end of the gameCredit: AFPAnd Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis stormed onto the pitch at full-time to blast manager Nuno Espirito Santo!Conor Coady gave Leicester the lead before the home side hit back with goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood.However, Forest’s hopes of booking their place in the Champions League were dashed when Buonanotte struck a late equaliser to leave Nuno’s team seventh in the table.And Marinakis singled out his gaffer for criticism as his side stumbled to just one victory from their last six Premier League games.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThis was very much a must-win game for Forest against their already-relegated East Midlands rivals.Roared on by an expectant full-house, they made a fast start and Wood might have had two goals inside the opening five minutes.But the Kiwi striker fired an Anthony Elanga cross over on the half-turn. Then, from another Elanga delivery, he sent a back-post header over after James Justin misjudged the flight of the ball.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKAnd how Leicester made them pay for those missed opportunities as they stunned the City Ground by taking a shock lead after 16 minutes.To make matters worse for Nuno, it was scored by his former skipper at Wolves as Conor Coady popped up with a rare goal.’No offence lads’ – Gary Lineker gives no-nonsense Match of the Day verdict in savage goodnight messageThe big central defender’s last goal came for Everton against Southampton way back in October 2022.But you wouldn’t have guessed it as he showed a real poacher’s instinct to pounce inside the six-yard box.Luke Thomas’s long-throw was headed out by Neco Williams but only reached Kasey McAteer who nodded it into Bilal El Khannouss’s path.The Moroccan powered in a shot from 18 yards which Matz Sels could only desperately beat out.And Coady cashed in to head the loose ball over the stricken goalie to give the Foxes an unexpected lead.Suddenly, the mood inside the City Ground changed as the home fans fell silent and began to chew on their fingernails.But unlike their last home defeat by Brentford, Forest’s players refused to be rattled and they hit back within 10 minutes.Leicester were aggrieved at the award of a foul against Thomas, who played the ball but then held Elanga down.And Elanga dusted himself down to deliver a peach of a free kick as he whipped in a cross which just cleared Jamie Vardy at the near post.Morgan Gibbs-White was steaming in and rose unchallenged to power his header beyond Stolarczyk from six yards.It was the Forest skipper’s sixth Premier League goal of the season and it steadied frayed Forest nerves.James Justin was booked for flattening Elliot Anderson before Stolarczyk beat out a Dominguez shot and Wood failed to steer his header from the rebound on target.And a busy first half ended with Vardy sending a flashing header over from Jordan Ayew’s corner.Forest piled on the pressure after the break and Nicolas Dominguez missed a couple of snips.First, the Argentine midfielder failed to anticipate Ibrahim Sangare’s delicious cross as he was caught on his heels.Then he sent a diving header into Stolarczyk’s waiting arms when he should have scored after Elanga’s cross came off Wout Faes’s back.But Forest took the lead just before the hour with a stunning goal from Wood just before the hour.Huge credit must go to Gibbs-White, who caught Leicester out with an absolute peach of a cross.His deep delivery flew over Coady and Justin and Wood dived in to beat Stolarczyk with a diving header from 10 yards.It was the striker’s 20th Premier goal of the season – his best ever total for a season.But Leicester refused to accept defeat and they stunned the home crowd by drawing level nine minutes from the end.Jamie Vardy played the ball off to Facundo Buonanotte who burst inside Morato and fired a low shot beyond Sels into the far corner.Read More on The SunForest tried to hit back and sub Taiwo Awoniyi crashed against the far post as he tried to get on the end of Elanga’s cutback.But Forest were living dangerously and it took a brilliant save from Sels to deny Jeremy Monga a last-gasp winner. More

CHELSEA suffered a double blow to their Champions League hopes as they lost the game and their striker at St James’ Park.European rivals Newcastle played the Blues off the park in the first half as Nicolas Jackson’s moment of madness saw him shown a straight red card for an elbow on Sven Botman.Chelsea lost 2-0 to NewcastleCredit: AlamySandro Tonali put Newcastle 1-0 up inside two minutesCredit: AFPNicolas Jackson was sent off in the first halfCredit: GettyNewcastle opened the scoring with a Sandro Tonali goal after just two minutes, making it difficult for Chelsea to fight their way back into the game.It was made harder by Jackson’s elbow to Sven Botman’s head that meant Enzo Maresca’s side played the majority of the match with just 10 men.Bruno Guimaraes scored a stunning 90th minute screamer to make it 2-0 and hand a huge blow to Chelsea’s European hopes.It’s advantage Newcastle in the Champions League race now as they put three points between themselves and Chelsea who could now end the day outside the top five.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHere’s how SunSport’s Joshua Hall rated every Chelsea star’s performance at St James’ Park…Chelsea ratings vs NewcastleCHELSEA suffered a double blow to their Champions League hopes as they lost the game and their striker at St James’ Park.European rivals Newcastle played the Blues off the park in the first half as Nicolas Jackson’s moment of madness saw him shown a straight red card for an elbow on Sven Botman.Newcastle opened the scoring with a Sandro Tonali goal after just two minutes, making it difficult for Chelsea to fight their way back into the game.It was made harder by Jackson’s elbow to Sven Botman’s head that meant Enzo Maresca’s side played the majority of the match with just 10 men.Bruno Guimaraes scored a stunning 90th minute screamer to make it 2-0 and hand a huge blow to Chelsea’s European hopes.It’s advantage Newcastle in the Champions League race now as they put three points between themselves and Chelsea who could now end the day outside the top five.Here’s how SunSport’s Joshua Hall rated every Chelsea star’s performance at St James’ Park…Robert Sanchez – 6It’s rare that Robert Sanchez isn’t one of the main reasons that Chelsea have been on the receiving end of a defeat, but he didn’t do an awful lot wrong today.The shot-stopper wasn’t peppered with shots, but did enough when faced with efforts you would expect him to save.Moises Caicedo – 5The Chelsea Player of the Season didn’t track Sandro Tonali’s run into the box in the opening exchanges that gave Newcastle the early lead.Most read in FootballJoin SUN CLUB for the Chelsea Files every Tuesday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from Stamford BridgeYou can offer the caveat that he was playing out of position, but the makeshift right-back was chasing shadows for most of the game as Anthony Gordon got the better of their 1v1 battle.He looked much more comfortable when slotting into midfield in possession, but didn’t do the main part of his job – defending – very well at all.He was shifted back into midfield for the second half after Reece James’ substitution and looked much better with the ball at his feet.Very lucky not be be booked for making FIVE fouls.Moises Caicedo lost his first-half battle with Anthony GordonCredit: GettyTrevoh Chalobah – 7You have to wonder why Chelsea ever let Chalobah leave on loan to Crystal Palace.Since returning he has become a crucial part of their back line and he was one of few players who could hold their head up high in the first half after making some crucial blocks and vital tackles.He also looked comfortable on the ball at times in the second spell before he was replaced by Malo Gusto as Mareca tried to change things up.Levi Colwill – 5Not the best showing from the young centre-back who was a reflection of how Chelsea played as a whole more than anything.He did make a crucial tackle inside the area to prevent Harvey Barnes from having free reign at Sanchez’ net in 73rd minute.Marc Cucurella – 5Drew a strong save out of Nick Pope in the second half in what was one of very few positive moments for Chelsea.The Spaniard had plenty of space down the left flank at times, but with Jackson sent off he had nobody to aim for in the box.He’s had a great season for the Blues, but this was one of his weaker performances – by no means the worst performer on the day though.Marc Cucurella had no support down the left flankCredit: GettyRomeo Lavia – 4You’d be forgiven for thinking he wasn’t on the pitch in the first half the way that Newcastle’s midfielders were just bypassing him.But he saw much more of the ball in the second half when Chelsea’s overall play improved massively.He’s still only 21 and there’s definitely signs that he can be a top player, but when he’s surrounded by a malfunctioning group of megastars you can see why he might struggle.Hooked on 75 mins for Jadon Sancho.Enzo Fernandez – 5Probably the best midfielder for Chelsea on the day, but that wasn’t a hard task given the state of the performances.The Blues spent over £200m on Caicedo and Fernandez and neither of them looked close to their price tags today.They need to step up in the big moments – this was a huge game for the club’s Champions League hopes.Cole Palmer – 4Maybe we all jumped the gun when we said that a 96th minute penalty had turned Cole Palmer’s season around against Liverpool last weekend.The England star still seems to be struggling to play the free-flowing football that got everyone excited last season this term. It doesn’t help that Palmer was forced to play as a false nine for the second half following Nicolas Jackson’s moment of madness.Still though, he’s a shadow of his former self – typified by his ballooned attempt at a first time cross in the 80th minute.Cole Palmer struggled to influence the game once againCredit: GettyPedro Neto – 5Had Chelsea’s only bright spark in the first half when he used his pace to break down the wing and test the athleticism of Newcastle’s back line.But like the rest of Chelsea’s attack, he had very little real impact on the game. He cost Chelsea £55m in the summer and has managed just four goals in 33 Premier League outings this season – he needs to offer more.Noni Madueke – 4Offered very little as Chelsea were put under the cosh in the first half by Newcastle.Sometimes he feels like he is too much of a luxury player to be working in such a well-drilled system like Maresca’s.Fell victim to the tactical half-time switch for Reece James following the Nicolas Jackson red card.Nicolas Jackson – 1 Mindless decision to raise his elbow and plough straight into the face of Sven Botman in the first half.VAR were right to send John Brooks to the monitor and make sure that he brandished a red card.Jackson will now miss the rest of the season which, coupled with Christopher Nkunku’s injury, leaves the Blues without a striker as they try to earn a spot back in the Champions League.Jackson now has more cards (4) than goal contributions (3) in the Premier League in 2025.Enzo Maresca has every right to be fuming.Nicolas Jackson was sent off for hitting Sven Botman in the head with his elbowCredit: ReutersSUBSReece James (for Madueke, 45min) – 5Had to come on to help change the system following the red card decision. Didn’t have much of an influence on proceedings as Chelsea struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities. Read More on The SunJason Sancho (for Lavia, 75min) – 5A few nice moments on the ball, but should be doing more when he’s brought on to make a difference.Malo Gusto (for Chalobah, 75min) – 4Did very little in the time he was given on the pitch. More

MIKEL ARTETA admits his Arsenal squad was too small to challenge Liverpool for the Prem title.But the Gunners boss promised fans a major summer spending spree after a fifth season without delivering silverwareMikel Arteta admits his squad needs improvingCredit: RexInjury to Kai Havertz didn’t help as the Gunners suffered injuriesCredit: GettyJurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka reflect on Arsenal’s Champions League exitCredit: RexArsenal are set to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, a new No 9 – with Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko the prime candidates – and are targeting a massive push for Bilbao’s left-sided Spain star Nico Williams.Boss Arteta said: “There are a lot of factors. We knew from the beginning of the season that our squad was super short.“Being super short we had some players that had a high probability of getting injured, because that’s what they had in the last few seasons.“So we knew that and we cannot do anything about it.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”But we will do everything that we can to improve the team and especially improve the players that we already have.“That is not something we have just started to talk about now. If we were only having those meetings now we would be doing it very late.Real Sociedad playmaker Martin Zubimendi is certainCredit: Shutterstock Editorial“Whatever the market offers to give us a better chance to win for sure we will try to do it.“Over the season there are many things you need to go your way.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK“In the clinical moments, does the ball hit the post and come out, or go in? That’s the fine margins.“What we have to try to do is to amplify the margins. The bigger the margins are, even if those things happen, then it will be very difficult for the opposition.This week’s title: How ‘brave’ Arsenal were denied by PSG in Champions League semi-final“We have to do it our way. We have to be authentic with ourselves and what we believe, what we can do and what we’ve been doing. That’s it.”The impact of absences has been evident for Arsenal throughout the campaign.Only William Saliba and Declan Rice have started more than 30 Prem games this season, with another quartet – Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard over the 30-mark in total league appearances.By contrast, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Mo Salah have started 104 out of 105 times between them, with another seven players having featured 30 or more times.Arteta agreed: “That’s a big thing to win trophies, you know, and they did that extremely well.Arsenal will go all out for Athletic Bilbao’s Nico WilliamsCredit: Rex“They managed to maintain that consistency, that level of players, a system, a coach, a stadium that has created again, and consistently, an incredible atmosphere for them.“So you need a lot of ingredients or you don’t win the Premier League.“That’s the difficulty of it, and it’s true that this season we never found that consistently because of the issues that we had.“I don’t want to use it as an excuse.“We have the best League in the world, yes? We all agree.We knew from the beginning of the season that our squad was super short.Mikel Arteta“But we were the only team from this League on the park in the semi-finals of the Champions League. That’s the level.”Arteta dismissed any interest in the suggestion that, if they win the Europa League, Spurs might argue they have had a more successful season despite flirting with the drop zone.He joked: “I am only looking at my own garden.”But it is the Liverpool garden that he will be looking at this afternoon and Arteta conceded: “What Arne did was very intelligent.“He had all the platform – a team that has been competing and winning trophies throughout the last 10 years. So he had to do nothing new.“He’s added his values, and he maintained a lot of the things. He’s obviously given his fingerprints to a lot of things that are very, very good as well.“The most important thing is he got the best out of the players.I really want it because that is what this club needs and has been so close to achieving. Now we need to make it happen.Mikel Arteta on winning trophies “And the players that have to make the difference, they were there constantly, making the difference for them. That’s capital to win any major trophy.“But we want to have the sort of celebrations they are having now, big-time. Watching that will show that we have not won a competition we wanted to win.Read More on The Sun“I really want it because that is what this club needs and has been so close to achieving.“Now we need to make it happen. We have talked about it many times and will continue for sure with the same drive – or more – until we achieve it.” More