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      Watch Premier League cult hero get sent off for shocking elbow just seconds before final whistle in Europa clash

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      A PREMIER LEAGUE cult hero was sent off for a shocking elbow with only seconds left of a Europa League clash. Fiorentina led Turkish club Sivasspor 1-0 in the first leg of their Europa Conference League clash last night.
      A frustrated Max Gradel was sent off after this elbow against Martinez QuartaCredit: YouTube / Stan Sport
      The defender collapses to the ground after the contactCredit: YouTube / Stan Sport
      After some consideration, the ref pulls out the red cardCredit: YouTube / Stan Sport
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      The Italian club dominated and looked set to wrap up a routine win to take to the second leg.
      But the match would end in surprise fashion after former Bournemouth and Leeds winger Max Gradel threw an elbow at Martinez Quarta in an off-the-ball incident.
      The 35-year-old was attempting to chase down the ball as Fiorentina ran down the seconds.
      But he then erratically slams his arm into defender Martinez Quarta.
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      The centre-back collapsed to the ground holding his face and the game was quickly brought to a halt.
      As Fiorentina players ran over to confront Gradel, the referee initially had a yellow card in his hand.
      But he appears to change his mind as he tucked the yellow away and brandished the red.
      It had been a frustrating evening for Sivasspor with Fiorentina controlling most of the game and spurning several opportunities.
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      Viola even hit the cross bar twice before finally breaking through to get the winner.
      Substitute Antonin Barak scored an acrobatic effort from close-range after Sivasspor failed to clear a corner.
      Gradel will now miss the second-leg next week.
      The Ivorian broke through at Championship Leicester between 2006 and 2010 before heading to Leeds.
      He would finally make it in the Premier League when he moved to Bournemouth in 2015 but would tear his cruciate ligament only weeks after the transfer.
      He scored his one Premier League goal in a 3-2 win over Swansea City in 2016. More

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      Fans joke they know what Mark Noble is thinking as they clock hilarious reaction to West Ham Europa draw

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      WEST HAM fans reckon they know what Mark Noble was thinking after his hilarious reaction to the Europa Conference League draw. The former midfielder was in Switzerland to find out who West Ham’s opponents would be in the round of 16.
      Mark Noble is now West Ham’s sporting directorCredit: Rex
      Noble was spotted smirking when the Hammers’ name came out of the hatCredit: Twitter: Don Hutchison
      David Moyes’ side topped Group B with six wins from six games, becoming the first side to do so in the two year history of the competition.
      They were drawn against Cypriot First Division leaders AEK Larnaca.
      And supporters jokes the former skipper fancies a few nights on the Aiya Napa strip around the away leg.
      Former Hammers midfielder Don Hutchinson was quick to take to Twitter posting a picture of Noble smirking following the draw.
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      He captioned it: “I know exactly what @Noble16Mark is thinking, with the draw against Larnaca…..A trip to Ayia Napa 🤪”
      One user responded: “That’s certainly my plan Don!”
      Another added: “Bet you would like to join him Don.”
      Former Premier League striker Glenn Murray simply reacted with three laughing emojis.
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      Noble retired at the end of last season having spent his entire career with the Hammers and is now the clubs sporting director.
      The East London side made the semi finals of the Europa League last season before being eliminated by eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt.
      West Ham are the only English representatives in the Conference League and will likely face competition from Italian side Lazio and Spanish side Villarreal in their quest to lift the trophy. More

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      Europa Conference League match to be played behind closed doors amid fears Russia-backed Ultras will stage violent coup

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      A EUROPA Conference League clash will now reportedly be held behind closed doors after fears that pro-Russian agents could infiltrate the crowd and trigger a coup.Moldovan side FC Sheriff Tiraspol’s upcoming clash with Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade has allegedly been targeted by Putin-backing insurgents, amid instability in the region.
      It is feared fake Serbian hooligans could be used to destabilise Moldova
      Sheriff Tiraspol will have to play their next match behind closed doorsCredit: Reuters
      Moldova’s President Maia Sandu has warned of a Russia-backed coupCredit: EPA
      The Football Federation of Moldova has reportedly been instructed to ensure the match against the Serbian side is played without fans as it presents “real danger” to the country’s statehood.
      Sheriff play their games in the breakaway province of Transnistria, which has a Kremlin-backed puppet government and borders Ukraine.
      The Moldovan Football Association received a letter today from the country’s security services ahead of Thursday’s Europa Conference League clash warning that pro-Russian agents could enter the country disguised as Partizan’s infamous ultras.
      Authorities had already moved the game from Tiraspol to the Moldovan capital Chisinau over security fears.
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      Politician Adrian Keptonar reportedly said on Moldovan television: “At first, it was planned that fans of the Serbian team would arrive in our country.
      “Thanks to the efforts of the Security Intelligence Service long before the information provided by (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy appeared, the Serbian national team will play in front of empty stands because that is how they planned to bring in saboteurs.”
      President of Moldova Maia Sandu yesterday accused Russia of trying to “overthrow” her country’s pro-EU government.
      She also alleged that Serbs were organising a coup in her country, which has expressed a desire to join NATO.
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      Sandu, 50, said: “The Kremlin’s attempts to bring violence to Moldova will not work.
      “Our main goal is the security of citizens and the state. Our goal is peace and public order in the country.
      “The purpose of these actions is to overturn the constitutional order, to change the legitimate power from Chisinau to an illegitimate one that would put our country at Russia’s disposal to stop the European integration process, but also so that Moldova can be used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.”
      Sandu also reportedly revealed that she has received information from Ukraine that Russia are “preparing forceful action” via “saboteurs”.
      These “saboteurs” are claimed to have been prepared from Belarus and the Balkans, which includes Serbia, and Russia itself.
      Earlier on Tuesday, 12 Serbian football fans were reportedly denied entry into Moldova at the capital’s Chisinau Airport due to not meeting conditions for authorisation to cross a state border.
      It comes after Moldova closed its airspace for safety reasons on Tuesday.
      Moldovan media outlet Libera claimed that a reconnaissance drone was spotted over Chisinau.
      The country’s civil aviation authority said the advisory was issued to pilots at 9.24am GMT “to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights”.
      Transnistria is now at the centre of a growing crisis amid fears of a fresh Russian offensive in Ukraine to mark the one-year anniversary of Putin’s invasion.
      The tiny region of just 500,000 people unilaterally declared independence in 1991 after Moldova broke away from the Soviet Union.
      Armed conflicts took place in the narrow strip of land on the east bank of the Dniester River between 1991 and 1992 before a cease-fire agreement was signed in 1993.
      Since then, an uneasy peace has held, but Transnistria has become a bizarre Soviet throwback.
      It has a so-called constitution, flag and currency, although no UN member country recognises it as a state.
      Russian passports have been issued to some of the country’s residents, while statues of Soviet figures such as Lenin fill the city of Tiraspol.
      Sheriff qualified for the Europa Conference League knockout phase after coming third in their Europa League group, in which Manchester United came second.
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      They welcomed the Red Devils to Chisinau in September, Erik ten Hag’s side winning 2-0 at Zimbru Stadium.
      They then lost 3-0 at Old Trafford the following month, with Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo among the scorers.
      Tiraspol is the capital of the Russian-backed puppet state of TransnistriaCredit: Getty
      Cristiano Ronaldo helped Manchester United to a win in Chisinau in SeptemberCredit: AFP More

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      Ross Barkley in fresh career blow as ex-Chelsea star is axed from Nice’s Europa Conference League squad

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      ROSS BARKLEY has been snubbed from Nice’s squad for the Europa Conference League knockout stages.The 29-year-old joined the French club last September after leaving Chelsea by mutual consent.
      Ross Barkley has not been included in Nice’s squad for the Europa Conference League knockout stagesCredit: AFP
      While he hasn’t been a weekly starter, Barkley has made 15 appearances in all competitions for Nice this season.
      So boss Didier Digard’s decision to omit Barkley from the 25-man Europa Conference League knockouts squad, according to Get French Football News, comes as a surprise.
      Barkley, who has 33 England caps, also wasn’t part of the squad for the group stages.
      However, that was because he joined the club too late to be registered.
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      Reports suggest he had been expected to be named in the squad for the knockouts, with three spots up for grabs.
      But January signings Terem Moffi and Youssouf Ndayishimiye, as well as youngster Badredine Bouanani, have got the nod instead.

      Bouanani, 18, makes the squad despite starting just one game this season.
      Although the teenager does play on the right hand side, and an injury to Arsenal loanee Nicolas Pepe means the club could be short of options in that position.
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      But Barkley’s omission still comes as a shock, especially after he scored twice in a 6-1 win over Montpellier last month.
      The Ligue 1 outfit will discover their opponents for the Round of 16 when the draw is made on February 24th.
      Barkley is out of contract at Nice at the end of the season. More

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      FCSB 0 West Ham 3: Fornals celebrates 150th game for Hammers with two goals as Moyes’ troops make it a perfect six

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      WEST HAM ended their Romania hoodoo on a history-making European night.The Hammers became the first team since the Europa Conference League’s inception last year to win six from six group stage games after a comfortable victory over FCSB.
      Pablo Fornals scored twice on his 150th appearance for West HamCredit: Rex
      Fornals celebrates after scoring his secondCredit: AP
      Divin Mubama thought he had made it two before his effort went down as an own goalCredit: EPA
      On his 150th appearance for the club out in Bucharest, Pablo Fornals scored twice in a first win in five on Romanian soil – a run dating back to 1980.
      Cruelly, 18-year-old academy graduate Divin Mubama was denied a goal on his senior debut, with his deflected header being awarded as an own goal for defender Joyskim Dawa.
      Having already topped their group, boss David Moyes took advantage of this dead rubber to also hand a starting debut to another homegrown talent in Ollie Scarles.
      At 16 years and 326 days, midfielder Scarles is the sixth youngest debutant in West Ham’s history, and came close to scoring himself.
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      The bench had an average age of just under 19 – excluding 35-year-old back-up keeper Darren Randolph – with several of them being chucked on late on.
      A total of four home grown talents started the game, including Conor Coventry and Ben Johnson – the latter teeing up Fornals with a long ball in the 40th minute.
      Replays showed the Spaniard – also becoming the first West Ham player to chalk up 20 Euro outings – was clearly offside before volleying home but the goal stood with no VAR to call on.
      Skipper Declan Rice stayed at home for this one, alongside the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma, Craig Dawson and Tomas Soucek.
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      But it did not take long for Moyes’ starlets to strut their stuff, Scarles flashing a superb delivery across goal only for Mubama’s effort to be blocked by keeper Stefan Tarnovanu.
      FCSB’s shot-stopper was called into action soon after to prevent Flynn Downes from bulging the net with a flick-on from a Fornals pick-out.
      Mubama wheeled away in celebration in the 56th minute, connecting with a Vladimir Coufal cross, yet Uefa deemed Dawa’s touch was decisive.
      Fornals made sure of the result with an acrobatic 65th minute finish, their 13th goal of the group stages – a tally only Villarreal and Basaksehir could better.
      Fornals fires his first effort of the night into the bottom cornerCredit: AP More

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      West Ham 1 Silkeborg 0: Lanzini’s penalty enough for the Hammers as they maintain 100 per cent Conference League record

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      WEST HAM’S European winning streak continues as they confirmed top spot in their Europa Conference League group with a game to spare.The Hammers recorded their seventh straight Euro victory of the season after Manuel Lanzini’s 24th minute penalty saw off Silkeborg at the London Stadium.
      West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini slots home West ham’s penalty winnerCredit: AP
      Lanzini celebrates his penalty breakthrough with Said Benrahma as West Ham stay 100 per cent in the Conference LeagueCredit: Reuters
      And on a night when they only needed a point to get the job done, it was also their sixth successive home win in all competitions – the first time they have done that in 24 years.
      Boss David Moyes can now play the kids in his side’s dead-rubber group stage finale away in Bucharest next week with all eyes on the Last 16 in March as top seeds.
      The Conference League has been a godsend for Moyes, providing a rhythm and momentum for his team who started their Premier League campaign with three losses on the spin.
      When West Ham visited Silkeborg for the group opener last month – a 3-2 win out in Denmark – they had just one win on the board and sat in the Prem bottom three.
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      Fast forward to now and things certainly look rosier. Just two defeats in their last nine in all competitions and back to fighting at the right end of the league table.
      And with £30million summer signing Nayef Aguerd making his long-awaited first start, there are reasons to be cheerful and optimistic in east London once more.
      The 26-year-old Moroccan defender signed on June 20, only to pick up an ankle injury in a pre-season clash with Rangers on July 19 that required surgery.
      Over three months later and Moyes’ first acquisition of a busy summer finally made his debut, starting in the middle of a back three.
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      Michail Antonio is felled by Silkeborg keeper for West Ham’s spot-kickCredit: Getty
      West Ham striker Antonio reacts dramatically as he tumbles to win a spot-kickCredit: Getty
      He lasted 76 minutes, being replaced by Thilo Kehrer to rapturous applause and hugs from the bench.
      His Morocco national team coaches will also be breathing a sigh of relief, kicking off their Qatar World Cup group against Croatia on November 23.
      Aguerd’s return comes at a good time with Craig Dawson still struggling with a troublesome dead leg, in a race to be fit for a trip to Old Trafford on Sunday alongside Lucas Paqueta.
      In total, Moyes made nine changes from the starting XI that beat Bournemouth on Monday night, including Jarrod Bowen who also was a worrying absentee from the squad.
      In contrast to the reverse fixture, where Silkeborg took the lead and almost snatched a point in a thrilling encounter, West Ham cruised in a drab affair on home soil.
      Michail Antonio’s dramatic collapse from minimal contact with keeper Nicolai Larsen won the spot-kick on a night with no VAR, while Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma missed several sitters in either half.
      Nayef Aguerd fires in an acrobatic shot for the HammersCredit: Getty
      West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal tangles with Silkeborg’s Lukas Sparre KlittenCredit: Reuters More

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      Football yob jailed for eight weeks after assaulting emergency worker amid horror scenes at West Ham vs Anderlecht

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      AN ANDERLECHT fan has been jailed for eight weeks after he assaulted an emergency worker during his team’s clash with West Ham.Last week’s Europa Conference League game was marred by crowd trouble.
      Anderlecht apologised after their fans’ behaviourCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Police desperately tried to keep order as West Ham clashed with AnderlechtCredit: Getty
      The ugly scenes in the away end saw fans rip up seats and flares being set off.
      Joey Degroof, 36, was convicted on Saturday at Croydon’s Magistrates’ Court.
      He was found guilty of an assault of an emergency worker.
      Degroof was one of three Anderlecht fans convicted for their behaviour while another 13 were arrested.
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      The Belgian club apologised for their fans’ behaviour.
      Two police officers needed hospital treatment after the game.
      One needed stitches for a head injury and another had a suspected broken wrist.
      A statement by the Metropolitan Police on Saturday said: “Assaults on emergency workers will not be tolerated.”
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      Two other Anderlecht fans were also punished including Dean Pierre Daquano.
      The 28-year-old was fined £120 by Thames Magistrates’ Court for going on to the pitch.
      While Frederik Jules Desnet was fined £200 after being convicted of racially and/or religiously aggravated harassment.
      The crowd events almost overshadowed an impressive win for West Ham as they made it two victories in a week over the same opponents.
      The Hammers, who got to the Europa League semi-finals last year, have now won all four group games and sealed their place in the knockouts.
      David Moyes’ side are also enjoying an uptick in domestic form with back-to-back wins ahead of today’s trip to Southampton. More

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      West Ham 2 Anderlecht 1: Benrahma and Bowen send Hammers into Europa Conference League knockouts before fan chaos

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      SAID BENRAHMA and Jarrod Bowen fired West Ham into the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League in a 2-1 win over Anderlecht – before ugly scenes in the stands.The Hammers, last season’s Europa League semi-finalists, ensured a second successive run to the latter stages of continental competition with a fourth win from four Group B matches.
      Jarrod Bowen got West Ham’s first goal of the nightCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Said Benrahma struck a beautiful free-kick for 2-0Credit: Reuters
      The Algerian was feeling the love at the London Stadium as West Ham booked their place in the knockoutsCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      They now need just a point from their last two games, against Danish side Silkeborg and Romania’s FCSB, to ensure they finish top of the group and move straight into the round of 16, avoiding a play-off in February.
      But some of the gloss was taken off their achievement by crowd trouble which required riot police to intervene.
      The hosts took the lead in the 13th minute when Anderlecht enforcer Amadou Diawara fouled Benrahma on the edge of the box.
      Aaron Cresswell had moments earlier curled a free-kick over but this time he stepped over the ball, allowing Benrahma to whip his shot right-footed over the wall and inside the near post.
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      After half an hour the Hammers had their second, Emerson Palmieri galloping down the left before pulling the ball back for Bowen to finish from 15 yards.
      The goal made Bowen West Ham’s joint leading scorer in Europe with six, alongside Johnny Byrne and David Cross.
      He should have moved out on his own with seven just moments later when Cresswell cut the ball back, but the England hopeful fluffed his lines.
      Anderlecht, whose boisterous fans lit five flares in the way end, one of which landed near the pitch, threatened to spoil the party when Yari Verschaeren drilled narrowly wide and Sebastiano Esposito forced a fingertip save from Alphonse Areola.

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      But it was largely plain sailing for the hosts and Pablo Fornals, on at the break for Lucas Paqueta, should have hit a third only to see his shot blocked by Diawara on the six-yard line.
      Bowen was given a rest after an hour by David Moyes with Gianluca Scamacca sent on, and the Italian almost converted a cross from Fornals while Benrahma put a header narrowly wide from Vladimir Coufal’s centre.
      It should have been an ultimately comfortable night for West Ham, although the scenes in the stands were depressingly unpleasant.
      A pitch invader briefly halted play to tackle Areola before missiles were hurled between sets of rival fans including another flare which landed in the home end and police officers were injured.
      While attentions were focused on the nonsense in the crowd Anderlecht scored a consolation from the penalty spot through Esposito after a foul by Ben Johnson.
      A pitch invader tried to tackle Alphonse AreolaCredit: Reuters
      At least five flares were set off at the groundCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Fans clashed with riot police and chairs were thrownCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Sebastiano Esposito grabbed a late consolation from the penalty spotCredit: Reuters More