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      Brentford 1 Wolves 4: Nathan Collins gifts former side two goals as Bees slip closer to relegation zone

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      NATHAN COLLINS endured a nightmare reunion with Wolves gifting his old club TWO goals as Brentford slipped closer to the relegation fight.Brentford’s club record signing, who joined in a £22million deal from Molineux last summer, made a complete hash of his return from injury.
      Wolves were comfortable winners on their trip to LondonCredit: Getty
      Nathan Collins had a night to forget against his old teamCredit: Getty

      Bees fans would have been delighted to see the defender back having been absent since November, but his former teammates were even happier by the end.
      Collins handed Gary O’Neil’s men a goal in each half, looking like a prime playmaker by setting up Hwang Hee-Chan’s second strike and playing his part Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s late finish.
      Mario Lemina had opened the scoring in a chaotic first half in which Yoane Wissa grabbed Brentford’s only goal.
      A fourth straight defeat leaves Thomas Frank’s depleted side just four points off the bottom three after five losses in their last six.
      Frank was hoping he had “nailed it” when switching to a back four to try and cope with their shortages.
      But most Bees fans will be praying that, just like their in-laws, they won’t see this shape until at least next Christmas.
      The Bees boss had called for a fast start but his side were sloppy from the off.
      Vitaly Janelt almost put Hwang’s low cross into his own net from just yards out, sparking three frantic minutes.
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      Mario Lemina opened the scoring for WolvesCredit: Rex
      Hwang Hee-Chan added to his impressive tally this season with another two goalsCredit: Getty

      The Bees failed to clear the resulting corner and ended up shipping a cheap opener, leaving Lemina unmarked at the back post to make it two goals in two games with his header from Pablo Sarabia’s cross.
      If the opener was cheap, the second just 80 seconds later was a disaster.
      Collins went to play a simple pass back to his keeper, Mark Flekken, but did not put enough on the pass, allowing Hwang to steal in, round the goalie and collect his easiest goal of the season.
      Brentford hit back almost immediately – bagging the third goal in three minutes as Wissa fired home from Neal Maupay’s smart ball over the top.
      It brought instant relief and a shot of hope to a Brentford side short on confidence after their recent run of five defeats in their last six.
      That feeling didn’t last long though.
      Having almost got level when Janelt drew a good stop from Jose Sa from six yards, it wasn’t long before the Bees were trudging back to halfway once again.
      And it was another goal Collins would not want to see back.
      The defender sent a clearance up towards Wissa, who stood and waited for it to fall allowing Toti to nip in front and crash a header forwards.
      Toti’s clearance fell to Hwang, who quickly spun and left Ethan Pinnock in a spin with a wonderful flick before restoring the two goal cushion with a clinical finish.
      It was the finish of a striker in form and bursting with confidence, just the sort this Brentford side are missing with Ivan Toney still suspended.
      A clinical striker is like gold dust in the Premier League, which made it all the harder for Wolves fans to watch Hwang hobble off with a back injury just before the break.
      Brentford were much improved after a talking to, with Keane Lewis-Potter twice testing Sa and delivering a number of dangerous crosses which were not attacked by teammates – another shortfall Toney would address.
      He won’t help out at the back, though, where Collins was still having a shocker.
      With the game petering out, the 22-year-old decided to offer up some more entertainment by rolling another daft ball into the path of Matheus Cunha who raced forward and selflessly teed up Bellegarde to round off a perfect night for Wolves.
      Yoane Wissa’s goal proved to be unhelpful for BrenfordCredit: Rex
      Jean-Ricner Bellegarde added the cherry on top of a 4-1 win for WolvesCredit: Reuters

      Read how it happened below… More

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      Everton vs Man City LIVE SCORE: Latest Premier League updates as world champions look to close gap on top

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      EVERTON host Manchester City in a huge Premier League clash tonight. The Cityzens have been out of domestic action after being away in Saudi Arabia, where they claimed the Club World Cup.

      Kick off time: 8.15pm GMT
      TV channel/live stream: Amazon Prime Video

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      Follow our live blog below… More

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      Glazers will be forced to pay out huge fee to Sir Jim Ratcliffe if they change mind on Man Utd takeover

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      IT was confirmed on Christmas Eve that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to buy 25 per cent of the club had gone through.And pending a fit and proper persons test, that will soon be confirmed – with Ratcliffe soon to become the most important man at the club when it comes to sporting matters.
      Ratcliffe is soon to become the most important man at Manchester UnitedCredit: AFP
      The Glazers would now have to pay a hefty fee to terminate the dealCredit: AFP – Getty
      The deal will take an estimated 8 weeks to be fully confirmed.
      But, Richard Jolly in the Independent has revealed that there is still a way that the deal could be cancelled on the Glazers side.
      He revealed that there is a £51.6million clause in the sale of the club which means the Glazers could terminate the process.
      Not only that, but the fee would have to be paid within three business days.
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      In another clause of the contract between the various parties, Ratcliffe has first option to buy if the Glazers, whose stake will be reduced to 49 per cent of the club, are selling more of their shares within a year.
      Interestingly, if the Glazers agree a full sale of the club to someone else, Ratcliffe will be forced to sell his shares at £25.84 each – the price he paid for his shares as part of his minority investment.
      As part of the balancing act, the Glazers willl be unable to sack Erik ten Hag without Ratcliffe’s permission.
      They would also be unable to sack sporting director John Murtough.
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      Ratcliffe will receive a total of four seats on the board at the club.
      Two of these on the sporting side will be delegated to Sir Dave Brailsford and  former Juventus CEO Jean-Claude Blanc.
      On the PLC side, the seats will go to Ineos chief financial officer John Reece and Rob Nevin, the chairman of Ineos Sport.
      Sir Jim will also have the right to decide if dividends are paid to shareholders over the next three years.
      Sir Jim’s stake in United is being purchased through Trawler’s LTD – a reference to Eric Cantona’s infamous speech when his prison sentence for kicking a Crystal Palace fan was overturned. More

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      Nottingham Forest star takes swipe at Amazon Prime as they get his nationality wrong in Newcastle clash

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      NECO WILLIAMS has taken a swipe at Amazon Prime after they messed up by calling the Nottingham Forest defender “English”.The Wales full-back, 22, came on for the final 20 minutes of Forest’s 3-1 Boxing Day win at Newcastle.
      Neco Williams has taken a swipe at Amazon PrimeCredit: Alamy
      Williams was waiting on the St James’ Park touchline with team-mate Ryan Yates as new City Ground boss Nuno Espirito Santo made the double change. 
      But match broadcasters Prime made the gaffe when they showed an English flag next to Williams’ name as he replaced Argentina World Cup winner Gonzalo Montiel.
      Williams posted on social media platform X: “Merry Christmas. Three points. Chris Wood (heart eye emoji). Prime Video Sport, I am Welsh (Welsh flag and upside down face emoji).”
      Ex-Liverpool defender Williams has won 36 senior international caps for Wales, scoring three goals.
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      He was part of Robert Page’s squad which qualified for the World Cup in Qatar last year and played in all three group games against the USA, Iran and England.
      In total, Williams has made 16 appearances this season for club and country.
      Wrexham-born Williams scored for the Dragons in November’s Euro 2024 qualifying draw against Turkey in Cardiff which condemned Wales to the play-offs.
      Wales face Finland in a home semi-final on March 21 in Cardiff and should Page’s men win that tie then they will take on either Poland or Estonia for a spot in Germany next summer.
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      Nottingham Forest currently sit 16th in the Premier League table, just two points above the relegation zone.
      New manager Santo has won one game and lost one since taking over from Steve Cooper last week. More

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      Arsenal ‘line up Matthijs de Ligt and Dortmund star but may have to wait until summer transfer window’

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      ARSENAL are lining up a sensational move for Matthijs de Ligt, according to reports.The Athletic report that the Gunners are tracking the Bayern defender ahead of a move.
      Matthijs de Ligt is among Arsenal’s top transfer targetsCredit: Getty
      However, it is much more likely that it will take place in the summer rather than this January.
      Mikel Arteta has been candid in his desire to bring in bodies and said simply in a recent press conference: “We need more players.”
      But the club are facing FFP issues and may be limited in who they can bring in.
      Their high expenditure, particularly on Declan Rice, means they will have to balance the books over the coming windows.
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      There’s also David Raya, who was brought in on a loan with obligation to buy because of FFP issues last summer.
      Arsenal will have to pay £27million for him next summer and that will need to be accounted for in the budget.
      The Athletic report that strengthening the defence remains the priority for the Gunners in January but the changing nature of the window means that other areas could come into focus.
      Midfield could be an area Arsenal choose to reinforce with Thomas Partey due to go off to AFCON.
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      Aside from de Ligt, Arsenal may also target Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck.
      But the price-point and contract situations of both players mean they are deals that may have to wait for the summer.
      Arsenal are also interested in 17-year-old Ajax centre-back Jorrel Hato who has captained his team on occasion this season and also made an appearance for the Dutch national side.
      Hato would not come cheap, however, meaning signing a defender on a short-term loan is the most likely option.
      Arsenal also remain long-term admirers of Douglas Luiz but Villa’s league form makes selling to Arsenal in January an unlikely prospect. More

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      Chelsea keen on investing in Argentina as Todd Boehly builds on Strasbourg takeover, country’s president claims

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      CHELSEA are keen to invest in Argentina, according to the country’s president.And that could prove to be a major boost for manager Mauricio Pochettino.
      Todd Boehly is keen to expand his football club portfolio in ArgentinaCredit: PA
      Todd Boehly led the takeover of the Blues in May 2022, overseeing the £4.25billion purchase from Roman Abramovich.
      His BlueCo company – the consortium with Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss – bought French outfit Strasbourg for £65million in June, with Patrick Vieira the manager of the Ligue 1 side.
      And now it is claimed the West London side want to put down roots in Argentina, the homeland of their current manager.
      As reported by TyC, Argentine president Javier Milei said: “There are many investments waiting, there are many international football clubs that want to invest in Argentina.
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      “I don’t need to say that Argentina is a cradle of stars.
      “There is a lot of business to be done with the Argentine case.
      “It could be representing investments of more than $1billion in a very short period of time.
      “As soon as the decree came out, Chelsea was interested in investing in Argentina.”
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      Ministry of Justice lawyer Mariano Cuneo Libarona added: “If you have the possibility of foreign groups investing in our football and disbursing $1bn, isn’t that good?
      “You have Argentine clubs that cannot pay the electricity, that cannot buy a player and that are on the canvas.”
      The Emergency Necessity Decree is understood to enable the fresh external investment.
      And Chelsea may try and take full advantage by buying a club in South America, tapping into the gaffer’s inside knowledge of the area.
      A new team could then act as a feeder club into the Blues, enabling them to snap up talent in the continent and develop them before potentially bringing them over to the UK.
      Chelsea sent Angelo Gabriel to Strasbourg on loan this season as the sister clubs did business together – although Boehly and BlueCo are not universally popular among the French side’s fanbase.
      Manchester City have a similar model with their City Football Group also owning Montevideo City Torque in Uruguay as well as ten other teams around the world including Girona, Melbourne City and New York City.
      Arsenal, meanwhile, landed Real Madrid guru Paulo Xavier to head up their scouting network in South America.
      Read more on The Sun
      Before having any official links to Argentina, Chelsea are already trying to make a splash by chasing River Plate’s 17-year-old sensation Claudio Echeverri.
      Should the Blues manage to beat off competition from the likes of Manchester City and Barcelona for ‘the next Lionel Messi’ Echeverri, he would link up with compatriots Pochettino and Enzo Fernandez.
      Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Fernandez are the current Argentine links at Stamford BridgeCredit: PA More

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      Man Utd fans love Ten Hag’s tactical tweak against Aston Villa as star turns into ‘Cristiano Ronaldo 2006-style’

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      ERIK TEN HAG’S tactical tweak made the difference in Manchester United’s comeback victory over Aston Villa.The Red Devils were 2-0 down at half-time after a dismal opening 45 minutes.
      Erik ten Hag’s tactical tweak helped United seal a comeback win over Aston VillaCredit: EPA
      Alejandro Garnacho scored twiceCredit: Getty
      Garnacho was a constant threat coming in off the right
      Fans booed the side off at the break and they responded by turning the game around to win 3-2.
      Key to the comeback was tactical switches that Ten Hag made.
      United struggled to create chances in their previous game, which ended in a 2-0 defeat to West Ham.
      Alejandro Garnacho started on the left-wing with Antony on the right that day.
      READ MORE MAN UTD NEWS
      Both became predictable as they cut in on their stronger foot and failed to supply Rasmus Hojlund.
      A shocking stat revealed the winger’s passed to the striker just once combined against West Ham.
      Garnacho was swapped on to the right-wing for the game against Aston Villa and Marcus Rashford came in on the opposite flank.
      Unai Emery played such a high-line and a tweak by Ten Hag saw them expose their defence.
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      Garnacho saw more of the ball in the final third in the second half
      His average position shows how narrow and close he was to Hojlund
      Man Utd were more direct in the second-half with long balls in behind the Villa backline.
      Garnacho has blistering pace and his speed was a constant threat.
      The Argentine was allowed to drift further inside off the touchline as shown by his touch map and average position.
      His diagonal runs were difficult for Villa to pick up and they got their first warning via Garnacho’s offside goal.

      But they failed to learn their lesson as again Rashford timed a run in behind well and was found with a direct pass.
      Garnacho darted across Alex Moreno to get in between the posts to score and trigger the comeback.
      He was again found more centrally for his second goal, picking up the ball just off Hojlund.
      Bruno Fernandes instead provided the width on the right as Garnacho got into the box to score and level the match at 2-2.
      And finally Hojlund netted his first Premier League goal to seal the three points.
      The switch in position by Garnacho also helped United press from the front better.
      Aaron Wan-Bissaka also got tighter to Jacob Ramsey and it stifled Villa’s ability to progress the ball up the pitch.
      Fans were impressed by the move that Ten Hag made and some even believe Garnacho is ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo when he was aged 19.
      One fan said: “Erik ten Hag tactically outclassed Unai Emery in the second-half last night.”
      Read more on The Sun
      Another added: “You can see glimpses of how Ten Hag wants to play but the execution is most of the time poor.”
      A third commented: “Ronaldo was very frustrating until 2006, so yes. Garnacho is more mature at 19 than Ronaldo.”
      Garnacho has been compared to a young Cristiano RonaldoCredit: Getty More

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      Rasmus Hojlund reveals how he avoided ‘going crazy’ as £72m star desperately chased first Man Utd goal

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      RASMUS HOJLUND admits the pressure of being Manchester United’s main striker could drive him crazy if he let it.It was starting to build as well as he clocked up 14 appearances without a Premier League goal.
      There was an outpouring of emotion when Hojlund finally scoredCredit: Getty
      That red shirt coupled with a £64million price tag can weigh heavy and it is little wonder there was talk throughout all the media whether United had a dud.
      Then on Boxing Day came the moment that he and all Red Devils fans will be hoping sets him off and running.
      It was the 82nd minute when he hooked a volley in off the far post to complete an incredible comeback win for United from two goals down against Aston Villa.
      The release of emotion showed just what it meant and was reward for staying positive despite the doubts building around him.
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      Hojlund said: “I try not to focus too much about the media. If I did that, I would get crazy in my head. I just try to focus on my game and try to be better at the training pitch every day. The hard work pays off.“Of course, there is a relief to score my first Premier League goal, but it isn’t like I haven’t scored goals; I’ve scored five in the Champions League. So, I was very happy and you can see the relief in my celebration.”
      Relief and tears welling in his eyes and not just his either.
      Up in the stand in a private box his father lent head down against a railing clearly emotional having witnessed his son score that winner.
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      Fans celebrated with him and told him they had faith in his son.
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      It was some moment on another one of those incredible Old Trafford nights that have punctuated a rollercoaster season.
      Hojlund said: “It was nice. Of course, I was happy. You can see the relief in my celebration as well, but also the feeling of being the match winner and getting the three points at home against a good opponent. I’m a lucky and happy man.
      “Like I said, I try to focus on my game every day. I don’t listen to the media. If I did, I would be crazy.
      “I just focus on my game, focus on winning football matches for Manchester United, focus on becoming better in front of goal and all the other attributes as well.”
      Manager Erik ten Hag has had meetings with Hojlund to convince him that his time would come and the league goals would flow.
      He pointed to those five Champions League goals in an otherwise disappointing Group A campaign that saw the team finish bottom and go out.
      There are also those seven goals in ten games for Denmark.
      Ten Hag singled Hojlund out for praise after the gameCredit: EPA
      He was bought from Atalanta where he had scored nine goals in 32 Serie A appearances.
      Hardly prolific but Ten Hag saw something he knew he could work on and improve and has kept faith and now he has that Premier League goal.
      Ten Hag said: “I know it will give him confidence from that point on. He will score more goals. I’m sure, when one is in, more will come. It’s about belief and you have to take that and deserve that yourself by your investment. Keep believing and it will come. I talked with him. He’s so happy.
      “He is always so determined to score a goal and I think that’s the character a striker needs.”
      To be fair to Hojlund the service has not been the best all season and that has to improve for more goals to come.
      But in an incredible turnaround on Boxing Day night we saw what an attacking force United can be.
      Marcus Rashford was looking back to his best and 19-year-old Alejandro Garnacho deservedly grabbed the man of the match award for his two goals.
      Hojlund said: “Whether I am playing with Antony, Garnacho, Rashy, whoever is playing on the wings or in the No10 position, we have to find each other and create.
      Hojlund’s stats point to a decent all round gameCredit: The Sun
      “I love to play with all of them. I am just a lucky man.”
      It was some way to kick off the new Sir Jim Ratcliffe era after the INEOS boss acquired 25 per cent of the club on Christmas Eve while taking charge of football operations.
      His sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford was there to see it all unfold, to witness the sort of magic Old Trafford can still conjure up.
      The question of course is whether United can build on what was only their second win in eight in all competitions.
      They cannot keep relying on dramatic moments at Old Trafford like we have also seen against Nottingham Forest when they came from two down to win 3-2.
      Then there was the two goals to beat Brentford in injury time.

      A season cannot bounce along like that.
      For now at least Hojlund, his dad, and all United fans, can be happy and hopeful that for a striker who could have “gone crazy” a corner might have been turned. More