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      Watch Arsenal stopper Alex Runarsson horror gaffe as he punches Riyad Mahrez free-kick into his own net

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      ARSENAL keeper Alex Runarsson will have wanted to do a Runar after his howler against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
      The Gunners’ Icelandic backup somehow punched Riyad Mahrez’ free-kick into his own net to put City 2-1 up in the 54th minute of their 4-1 defeat.

      Alex Runarsson punched Riyad Mahrez’s free-kick into his own netCredit: Sky Sports

      The Icelandic stopper made the gaffe just before the hour mark in Arsenal’s 4-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat to Man CityCredit: Sky Sports

      The ball ballooned up off his gloves and into the back of the netCredit: Sky Sports

      Alexandre Lacazette’s strike cancelled out Gabriel Jesus’ third minute opener and Arsenal were very much in the game.
      But their momentum was dashed just before the hour mark when the Icelandic let the ball slip through his hands.
      City won a free-kick just on the edge of the box.
      Mahrez whipped it towards Runarsson’s side of the goal with the 25-year-old looking certain to stop it.

      He set himself and prepared to punch the fierce effort away.
      But rather than deflecting the ball away, he somehow managed to divert it into his own net.
      Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte added goals in the 59th and 73rd minute respectively to send the Gunners crashing out.
      Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta defended his keeper and said: “He hasn’t played a lot of games for us he’s just adapting to the league.

      “We all make mistakes but we have to support him.”
      Asked whether he considered playing No1 Bernd Leno instead, Arteta said:”Yes, but Bernd has played a lot of minutes, he needed some rest as well and we want to give opportunities to other players.
      “Alex has done well in other games and these things happen in football.”
      ⚽ Read our Arsenal live blog for the latest news from The Emirates

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      Brentford 1 Newcastle 0: Josh Dasilva’s second-half peach sees Bees take FOURTH Prem scalp to reach Carabao Cup semis

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      JOSH DASILVA sent jubilant Brentford through to their first ever Cup semi-final – while it was another night of misery for Newcastle.
      The former Arsenal midfielder scored a cracking 66th minute volley for the Championship side who had already polished off three Premier League teams in the Carabao Cup.

      Josh Dasilva scored Brentford’s winner as they beat Newcastle 1-0 to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finalCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The midfielder swept home with his left foot in the 66th minuteCredit: Reuters

      But Steve Bruce’s side can have few arguments about going the same way as Southampton, West Brom and Fulham as their overall performance was poor.
      And it was fitting that Dasilva proved to be the matchwinner as he was outstanding throughout.
      The England Under-21 international delivered a neat finish from just inside the box meaning Newcastle have not reached the last four of the League Cup for 45 years.
      Brentford are unbeaten in 14 matches and you would fancy their chances whoever they meet in the last four.

      They were the better team despite top scorer and former Newcastle man Ivan Toney not being introduced until after the goal.
      Newcastle had a few chances but were not able to control the game.
      Callum Wilson managed the first decent shot but home keeper Luke Daniels saved. Wilson then delivered an air shot as he failed to connect to a terrific cross from Ryan Fraser.
      Yet it was Brentford playing the more enterprising football and they should have taken the lead.

      Steve Bruce cut a forlorn figure as his side crashed out of the quarter-finalsCredit: PA:Press Association

      Brentford boss Thomas Frank looked delighted with the result after a frustrating first halfCredit: PA:Press Association

      Callum Wilson looked dangerous for Newcastle in the first-halfCredit: Reuters

      Although Saman Ghoddos’ scuffed shot hit the bar, unmarked Sergi Canos somehow failed to score with a free header and instead managed to nod the ball wide.
      It was hardly a surprise that he held his head in his hands with embarrassment.
      Newcastle shifted up a gear before half-time and Fraser forced Daniels to tip a half volley over the bar.
      Brentford’s new stadium is certainly impressive but the pitch – which is now being used for rugby by London Irish – is already in a bit of a state.
      Throw in some heavy rain, and both sets of players struggled to keep their feet and moving the ball at speed also proved difficult.

      It was fairly even before the breakCredit: AFP

      Dasilva looked comfortable on the ball throughout for the home sideCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      As a result, the game was pretty scrappy and the second half was not much better.
      There were strong Brentford claims for a penalty after the ball hit the arm of Isaac Hayden and Newcastle were thankful there was no VAR.
      Ciaran Clarke delivered blocks from Canos and Christian Norgaard within about three seconds of each other to save Newcastle.
      But there was no stopping Brentford and they took the lead through Dasilva for his fourth goal of the season.
      He was completely unmarked to meet a clever cross from Canos but still did well to control the volley which he sent underneath Karl Darlow.
      Former Newcastle man Ivan Toney then replaced Canos and while Bruce threw on Andy Carroll, he could not stop another Cup flop for the north-east club.

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      Liverpool ‘have £500,000 Calum Scanlon transfer bid accepted with 15-year-old lad set to join academy from Birmingham’

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      LIVERPOOL have reportedly had a bid accepted for 15-year-old star Calum Scanlon.
      The Reds are said to be keen on adding the versatile left-back to their academy and Birmingham have reportedly given the deal the green light.

      Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have had a bid accepted for Birmingham teenager Calum ScanlonCredit: EPA

      Blues have accepted an undisclosed offer believed to be around the £500k mark, according to the Times.
      The England youth international could follow in the footsteps of former Birmingham ace Jude Bellingham, 17, who signed for Borussia Dortmund in a £25million deal in July.
      Birmingham are said to be considering restructuring their academy.
      But the Reds’ interest in Scanlon is said to have emerged before such plans.

      Scanlon – who can also play in midfield – is said to be thought of in similar terms to Bellingham, who made his senior England debut earlier this year.
      The 15-year-old got his first Three Lions call-up last year when he was selected for the Under-15s to play Republic of Ireland in a friendly in December 2019.
      The move is said to depend on Scanlon’s family who are weighing up a potential move to the Premier League champions.
      Jurgen Klopp has proved his willingness to promote youngsters already this season.

      Curtis Jones, Rhys Williams and Neco Williams have all appeared in the Premier League.
      And Caoimhin Kelleher was also given a go in goal ahead of Adrian when Alisson was injured.
      On Monday, it emerged Liverppol will NOT sell Mo Salah despite claims the Egyptian is ‘unhappy’ at Anfield.

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      Who are Marcus Rashford’s parents? Where did Man Utd ace go to school?

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      MARCUS RASHFORD has forced the Government into providing free school meals during holidays.
      England striker Rashford rose through the ranks at Man Utd, earning a first-team spot while still supporting his family.

      Who are Rashford’s parents?

      Robert and Melanie Rashford are the parents of 22-year-old Rashford.
      He’s previously opened up about how his mum helped his career by pushing for him to be signed up to Manchester United’s academy before he was 12.
      “It basically gives you accommodation closer to the training facilities and a new school and she worked that hard to push it forward because she knew that was a step I needed to take,” he said.
      “I needed to be eating the right food as I was growing, I needed to be close to my team-mates, my new school and my new school friends.”

      Rashford has also described how his mum would do their weekly food shop at Pound World, in order to ration food supplies over seven days.
      “That was the reason I ended up going [to Man Utd] at a younger age to the others, it was to help my mum with her situation and also get me out of the situation we were in,” he added.

      The youngster’s plea with MP’s was rejected my the Department of EducationCredit: PA
      Where did he go to school?
      Rashford grew up in Wythenshawe, Manchester.
      He attended Button Lane Primary School, where the number of children who receive free school meals is twice the national average.

      Before he joined the United academy he played for Fletcher Moss Rangers.
      Although, his initial plea was rejected, the campaign is picked up speed and was  supported by MPs and other footballers alike.
      The Department of Education reversed their decision and have now decided to continue giving families the school dinner allowance money they have been receiving during lockdown.
      Rashford thanked the people who supported him and the cause via Twitter saying: ”I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020”. More

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      What work has Marcus Rashford done for charity? Full list of Man Utd ace’s generous acts including school meals victory

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      MARCUS RASHFORD has inspired the entire nation by convincing the government to provide free school meals to poorer students during holidays.
      And the Manchester United star has always been keen to get involved with charitable causes.

      Rashford with shoeboxes full of essential items for the homelessCredit: Marcus Rashfords Instagram

      The United striker’s initiative encouraged people to wrap festive boxes full of household items

      Rashford is known for his regular acts of charity

      These are some of the charitable and kind acts the star has done in previous years.
      Helping the homeless
      In October 2019, Rashford set up a Christmas campaign in order to support the biggest front-line services for young people experiencing homelessness.
      He linked up with Selfridges to launch the campaign – teaming up to help some of the city’s biggest homeless shelters – Barnabus, Centrepoint and Lifeshare.
      The idea was for members of the public to prepare shoeboxes filled with essential items including gloves, sanitary products, hats, deodorant, thermals, toothpaste and torches. People could then drop them to various Selfridges branches to be passed on.

      He personally delivered 300 boxes to Centrepoint, and the homeless organisation took to Instagram to write of his generosity saying: “We believe that sport has the power to positively transform young lives.”
      Visiting Manchester bombing victims
      After the horrific terrorist attack in 2017, Rashford joined Man Unied teammates in visiting the wounded, most of whom were children.
      A total of 22 people were killed with a further 120 injured after suicide bomber blew himself up at the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017.
      He also attended the One Love Manchester concert that raised £2million for those affected by the devastating circumstances.

      Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard visit victims of the Manchester terror attack in hospitalCredit: Instagram @jesselingard
      Players Together Initiative
      Back when the UK was in the beginning of lockdown, Rashford took to Instgram to show his support for the Players Together initiative supporting NHS staff during one of their toughest periods dealing with COVID-19.
      He was among a myriad of Premier League footballers who donated in total of £4million to help the coronavirus efforts.
      The cause supported NHS Charities Together (NHSCT), an umbrella organisation that supports 250 separate NHS charities across the UK.
      The campaign was spearheaded by Rashford, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson included Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, Virgil van Dijk, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne.

      Teaming up with FareShare

      The rising star has always supported various causesCredit: Getty Images
      FareShare are a charity that aim at relieving food poverty and reducing food waste.
      Rashford teamed up with them in order to raise over £20million to provide children across Manchester with food if they got free school meals whilst they were still in school.
      The initiative began in Greater Manchester but later expanded as part of a national initiative.

      Helping vulnerable school children get free meals 

      Marcus Rashford has spent Monday passionately fighting the Government to help feed hungry kids in needCredit: BBC
      Rashford wrote an open letter to MPs, urging the government to reverse its decision to not give free school meal vouchers to 1.3 million children who are eligible for it.
      The government initially refused to U-turn but Rashford’s persistence as well the support of MPs and other celebrities alike forced a change in policy.
      The likes of Sir Keir Starmer, Piers Morgan and Gary Lineker were vocal in their support for the Man Utd and England star. More

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      Carabao Cup final pushed back until end of April in bid to have fans at Wembley showpiece

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      THE CARABAO CUP final has been moved from February 28 to Sunday April 25, 2021.
      The EFL have made the decision in a bid to have as many fans as possible attend the Wembley showdown which will kick off at 4pm.

      The Carabao Cup final has been moved to Sunday April 25, 2021 – 4pm kick-offCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      In a statement, the EFL said: “This season’s Carabao Cup final has been rescheduled and will now take place on Sunday 25 April 2021, with a 4pm kick-off.
      “It is the objective of the League to stage the final with as many supporters in attendance as possible.
      “And the decision has therefore been taken to move the final from its original date of Sunday February 28, 2021 to later in the year.
      “The number of fans permitted will be dependent on Government guidance in place at the time.

      “And it is hoped that moving the date to later in the year will give clubs and their fans the best opportunity to attend in person.
      “The competition is set to continue this week, with the quarter-finals to be played across Tuesday December 22 and Wednesday December 23, with all four games live on Sky Sports.”
      Just 2,000 fans are currently allowed to attend matches in Tiers One and Two.
      But teams in Tiers three and four – which London and large parts of the South East were plunged into at the weekend – must play behind closed doors.

      Many clubs – including current holders Manchester City – had pushed for this season’s competition to be axed to make space in the crowded fixture schedule.
      The first round fixtures began on August 29.
      But such ideas were quashed and the quarter-finals will take place this Tuesday and Wednesday.
      Brentford host Newcastle while Man City travel to Arsenal on Tuesday.
      Before Stoke play Tottenham at home and Manchester United meet Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

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      EFL wage cap threatens to turn yo-yo clubs into boomerangs – the repercussions for promotion and relegation are immense

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      IT IS certainly no accident that Norwich, Bournemouth and Watford fill the three top spots in the Championship.
      It is mainly down to the quality of the players they managed to hang on to after all three were relegated from the Premier League last season.

      It’s no surprise Norwich are top of the ChampionshipCredit: Rex Features

      Plenty of clubs have squandered their top-flight legacy, from Blackpool to Wigan, Bolton — poor battered old Bolton — to Sunderland, once known as ‘the Bank of England club’.
      Increasingly, though, clubs have yo-yo’d between the top two divisions. Now proposals from the EFL inadvertently threaten to weaponise the yo-yo into a boomerang.
      I can see the day when the same three clubs perennially fly back and forth from the Championship.
      The reason? That Championship clubs are being asked to consider annual total player salaries to be set at £18million-a-season, with a £720,000-a-year limit on each player.

      That includes tax, agents’ fees, signing-on fees and loyalty bonuses.
      This is about £12k-a-week and the repercussions are immense.
      Your team go down and you will need to sell some of your players to survive, but will only be able to replace them with players on £12k-a-week.
      This is a real leveller and leads to massive inequalities in a squad.

      Clubs like Watford could soon be boomeranging to and from the Championship Credit: Rex Features

      Your team goes up and you now have to play in the Premier League with players on £12k-a-week.
      Even after television payments, the financial problems for promoted teams will be huge.
      Imagine Bournemouth (home attendance 11k) with all of their highest-paid players on a weekly maximum of £12k, promoted to a league where the average might well be £60k.
      What kind of contribution can these teams make to the greatest league in the world?
      Even brilliant financial balancing cannot overcome the twin obstacles of rising with a team made up of pay-capped staff, followed by the instant shock of the cost of the irresistible uplift in wages and the exposure to some of the best sides in the world.
      So, I can offer one certainty — life, already tenuous for past promoted trios, would be a tightrope walk above a relative Niagara Falls.
      Without a balance pole.
      The EFL also has plans to monitor wage bills in real time, which will give them a veto to stop you signing someone if they think you are outside the wage cap.
      WISHFUL THINKING
      If you do fall foul of it they will be able to apply in-season sanctions, a fine of £3 for each £1 overspend and potential deductions of between three and 12 points.
      In case this last line reads like something Comrade Xi Jinping would impose, it does to me too. That points deduction is wishful thinking.
      There would be less than no chance of it being applied in the Premier League to a promoted club.
      There is also a danger that in the long run the Championship will drop in quality and therefore value, making it less attractive to top clubs to loan young players.
      In coronavirus times, it is proper that the EFL should be trying to protect the future of their clubs. But they must be careful not to squeeze out ambition.
      If you have an owner with £100m who wants to invest it in a Championship team, to get promoted to the Premier League, they won’t be able to as their money counts for nothing more than £12k-a-week players.
      Promotion and relegation are the oxygen of our game. It may be that the Rich Six wish to be involved in higher realms, but wherever they go one thing is for certain.
      It won’t be to the Championship, as was comically proposed in the doomed Project Big Picture, as none of their players will take 12k-a-week!

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