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      Liverpool receive audio of VAR blunder after disallowed goal against Spurs… but fans will have to wait until NEXT WEEK

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      LIVERPOOL have finally received audio of the conversations between ref Simon Hooper and VAR Darren England after their wrongly-disallowed goal at Spurs.But fans may have to wait until NEXT WEEK to hear what really happened in North London.
      Liverpool have been sent audio of the VAR decision to disallow Luis Diaz’s goal against SpursCredit: Getty
      Diaz’s goal was ruled offside as Liverpool crashed to a 2-1 defeat but fans may not get to hear the audio until next week
      PGMOL boss Howard Webb is understood to have been pushing for the release of the footage since Sunday, aware that failing to do so would only fuel conspiracy theories.
      But Webb and PGMOL have accepted that the Premier League is demanding the completion of the full review into the chaos and cock-up that cost Luis Diaz a legitimate goal.
      Liverpool have now received both the review findings and the tape of the incident, as well as communications between Hooper and England.
      PGMOL is keen to get that footage out to the public as soon as possible after Liverpool have had their chance to assess the findings and respond if needed.
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      However, the process being followed means fans might not get their chance until Webb’s monthly VAR show, “Match Officials Mic’d Up”, likely to be broadcast on Monday – although it will be before then if Prem bosses give their assent.
      Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was the latest to criticise PGMOL, describing the delay in broadcasting the footage as “unfathomable”.
      But Webb and his team cannot simply put the footage out until they have been given the green light by Prem chiefs – who are demanding the review is conducted properly to ascertain exactly what happened and what steps will be taken to prevent any recurrence.
      PGMOL believes that playing out the full incident will simply prove that this was, as described, a “significant human error”, with England and his assistant Dave Cook believing they were checking the goal was ONSIDE rather than offside.
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      That mistake saw England tell Hooper “check complete”, meaning the referee signalled for Spurs to take the free-kick and restart play – which ensured the error could not be rectified under Ifab VAR protocols.
      England and Cook, who were stood down from their planned duties at Nottingham Forest on Sunday and Fulham on Monday respectively, have also been omitted from assignments for next weekend’s fixture, although Hooper will be the VAR for Everton’s game with Bournemouth.
      The PGMOL review is expected to order a change in the language used by VARs in a bid to ensure there are no repeats.
      That is likely to be a fuller command, such as “check complete – you can award the goal” of “check complete – the offside is confirmed, no goal”.
      The latest controversy has led to more calls, from fans, pundits and some players alike, for VAR to be scrapped.
      Former Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic, now at AC Milan, added his voice when he suggested that the technology should be dumped – except for goal line technology.
      Pulisic said: “I don’t mind the Goal Line Technology at all. It’s great in my opinion.
      “Other than that I know it’s one of those things where if it goes for you, you love it. If it’s against you, you hate it
      “I’d eliminate it completely. Overall as a fan, I just think we’re better off without it.”

      Liverpool finished Sunday’s game with nine men as their unbeaten start to the season came to a dramatic end against Spurs.
      But it could have been a different result had Diaz’s first-half strike not been wrongly disallowed for offside.
      The winger made it 2-1 to Liverpool before he was flagged by the in-game officials.
      However, those on VAR bizarrely thought the goal had been awarded.
      England and assistant Cook informed ref Hooper to stick with the on-field decision – a move since described as a “significant human error.”
      And VAR protocols prevented the error from being corrected as the match resumed at 1-1.
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      The PGMOL issued a grovelling apology after Liverpool conceded a 96th minute own-goal to lose 2-1.
      But Reds chiefs issued a furious statement demanding the release of the audio conversation between match official Hooper and VAR lead England. More

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      Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney suffers injury setback on loan at Real Sociedad and set for spell on sidelines

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      ARSENAL’S Kieran Tierney will face a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury while on loan at Real Sociedad.The 26-year-old picked up the problem when he played Atheltic Bilbao on Saturday night.
      Kieran Tierney will be out on the sideline after facing a hamstring injuryCredit: Getty
      He helped tackle Ander Herrera as Real Sociedad won the Basque derby v Atheltic BilbaoCredit: EPA
      Tierney departed the North London side this summer, to join the La Liga side on a season-long loan.
      He made an impressive start featuring in six games so far for the Basque outfit.
      But his playing career has come to a grinding halt again due to injury.
      After 25 minutes into Sociedad’s 3-0 win in the Basque derby, the left-back had to be taken off the pitch.
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      It is set Tierney could face between 10-12 weeks out due to his hamstring injury.
      The Scotsman joined Real Sociedad as a result of falling down Mikel Arteta’s pecking order last term.
      Tierney has faced many injury woes over the years leaving him uncertain about his future.
      From being diagnosed with osteitis pubis in 2020 the Scotsman has feared his injuries would force him into retirement.
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      When Tierney joined the Gunners in 2019 from Celtic he missed the first part of the campaign recovering from a double hernia operation.
      Then later on in the 2019-2020 season, he suffered a dislocated shoulder in an Arsenal clash against West Ham.
      Fast forward to the 2021-2022 term, Tierney was then hit with a season-ending knee injury.
      He then returned to action the following season to find out he was swiftly replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko leading to his departure this summer. More

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      Jamie Carragher says Chelsea’s best XI still needs another FOUR players.. despite ‘flabbergasting’ £1BILLION spend

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      JAMIE CARRAGHER insists that Chelsea’s starting XI still needs another FOUR new players – despite Todd Boehly’s “flabbergasting” £1BILLION transfer outlay.New manager Mauricio Pochettino secured a much-needed victory on Monday night, which he hopes will finally kickstart their season.
      Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino secured a much-needed win at FulhamCredit: Getty
      Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher says the Blues still need at least another four playersCredit: Getty
      Mykhailo Mudryk, a £88m arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, finally opened his account for the Blues before Armando Broja celebrated his return from injury with the other in the 2-0 win over Fulham.
      That was only Chelsea’s second victory from their opening seven Premier League matches and leaves them sitting 11th in the table.
      There is no disguising it is a disappointing return for owners Boehly and Clearlake Capital after they have forked out over a BILLION quid on new players over the past year.
      And, Liverpool legend Carragher is adamant that they squad are still way off being able to compete at the top of the table.
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      After seeing the starting line-up last night, Carra believes Poch needs at least four more players in his team in order to have any chance of challenging Manchester City.
      The pundit told Sky Sports: “You rarely get your best 11 on the pitch, they have injuries but if you get their team on the pitch regularly I believe they are fighting for top four.
      “If you tell me that is their best team after spending £1billion, they still need four players to make them capable of catching Man City. 
      “Centre forward (Nicolas Jackson) isn’t good enough, goalkeeper (Robert Sanchez) isn’t good enough, centre-back and another midfielder. To think Chelsea have spent £1billion and still feel half a team away from competing for the Premier League is flabbergasting.”
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      Jackson, 22, joined from Villarreal for £35m this summer but has only scored one league goal and missed last night’s game through suspension after amassing five yellow cards.
      Meanwhile, Sanchez cost £25m from Brighton, despite finishing last term as third-choice at the Seagulls.
      He has found himself No 1 under Poch following Kepa Arrizabalaga’s departure to Real Madrid.
      With no European football this term, Chelsea are next in action on Saturday when they travel to Burnley before facing Arsenal in a London derby after the international break on home turf. More

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      Arsenal ‘open contract talks with Ben White’ despite three years left on £120,000-a-week deal

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      BEN WHITE has been in talks with Arsenal over a new contract to secure his long-term future with the Gunners.The defender already has three years left on his £120,000-a-week deal.
      Arsenal are in talks with Ben White over signing a new contractCredit: Getty
      And the Gunners are certain they can reach a swift agreement with the 25-year-old.
      White will follow teammates Bukayo Saka, William Saba, Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard in penning a new deal.
      Last month it was reported the club were in line to start discussion over his future at the club – and now those talks are underway.
      Starting the season as a centre-back, White has recently been playing as a full-back in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
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      He is viewed as a key component to the Spaniard’s squad whose performances have been consistently good since the start of the term.
      The Englishman’s versatility is now said to be rewarded as the Emirates are confident a fresh deal with White is heading in the right direction.
      Having joined from Brighton in 2021 for £50million, White is fully settled in North London and is prioritising staying at the club.
      He has made a total of 93 appearances for the club and scored three goals.
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      White had a tremendous performance on the weekend at Bournemouth where he scored the fourth goal for the Gunners in the 93rd minute.
      Helping Arteta’s side secure the 4-0 win he is in line to start at the Arsenals Champions League fixture on Tuesday night against Lens.
      This is in preparation for Saturday afternoon’s clash against the reigning Premier League champs Manchester City – who the Gunners hope to steal the title off of this term. More

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      What happened next to forgotten Man Utd wonderkids who were meant to become world-class but never made it

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      MANCHESTER UNITED have a reputation for bringing through world-class talent from their youth team. The Red Devils have produced hot prospects for several decades from Marcus Rashford to the iconic Class of 92.
      Federico Macheda burst onto the scene as a teenagerCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Plenty that have tried to follow in their footsteps went on to never make it.
      Here are five forgotten Man Utd wonderkids that didn’t live up to the hype.
      Federico Macheda
      It’s impossible to forget Macheda’s stunning debut as a 17-year-old.
      The substitute cut in brilliantly and bent a curling effort into the top corner to complete a 3-2 comeback against Aston Villa in 2009.
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      Then his second appearance, the Italian striker again came off the bench to score inside 46 seconds versus Sunderland.
      Macheda would eventually get loaned out to Sampdoria, QPR, Stuttgart, Doncaster and Birmingham, failing to impress at all but the latter.
      United then permanently sold him to Cardiff and he went on to have a spell with homeland side Novara in Serie B.
      Macheda eventually stopped his journeyman style and spent four years at Greek club Panathinaikos, scoring 40 goals in 116 matches.
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      He is now at Ankaragucu in the Turkish Super Lig.
      Macheda scored a stunning winning goal on his debutCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Darron Gibson
      Gibson was tipped as a star of the future when, winning the prestigious Jimmy Murphy player of the year award.
      He made his debut for United in 2005 before being loaned out to Royal Antwerp and Wolves.
      Gibson returned to Old Trafford in a squad player role for a couple of seasons and was handed an improved three-year contact.
      The midfielder started in the League Cup final in 2009 and scored a goal in Man Utd’s Champions League semi-final win over Schalke in 2011.
      The Irishman soon left for more first-team chances, joining Everton and then Sunderland.
      After good initial performances, injuries plagued his career and he was then charged with drink driving and failing to stop after a collision in 2015.
      Gibson would then get arrested again for a similar alleged offence three years later in a £75,000 Mercedes and he was suspended by Sunderland.
      He hung up his boots in 2021 after time at Wigan and Salford.
      Darron Gibson scored in a Champions League semi-finalCredit: Reuters
      David Bellion
      Bellion burst onto the scene at Sunderland and Man Utd signed him in 2003, following the Black Cats’ relegation for £2million.
      The French striker drew comparisons to Thierry Henry but netted just eight goals in two seasons at Old Trafford.
      He was subsequently loaned to West Ham in 2005 for more minutes but failed to make an impact in the capital, scoring once in just ten matches.
      Bellion then went to his homeland club of Nice for two seasons.
      He would then spend seven years with Bordeaux, dipping in and out of form, although he did feature as a back-up striker as they won the Ligue 1 title in 2009.
      He ended his career at Paris-based club Red Star and went on to be their creative director.
      David Bellion never made it at Man UtdCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Mads Timm
      Timm was plucked from the Odense youth-team in 2000 and made his one and only appearance in a Champions League group match two years after.
      However, he flopped at Man Utd and was nearly sacked when he received a 12-month sentence in a young offenders institute for reckless driving, racing team-mate Callum Flanagan on a public road, resulting in a nasty crash.
      Timm was called a “f****** idiot” by Sir Alex Ferguson and he later claimed the legendary boss was a “control freak” and his players were a “slave army”.
      The Dane had a forgettable spell at Walsall on loan before going back to Odense.
      He retired aged 25 due to falling out of love with football.
      Mads Timm was called a ‘f****** idiot’ by FergieCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Ravel Morrison
      Rio Ferdinand claimed Fergie “thought he was the best youngster he had seen”, but Morrison didn’t live up to the hype.
      After starring in the United academy, the troubled midfielder left for West Ham in 2012 with boss Sam Allardyce, saying “he needed to start a new life away from Manchester.”
      It has been claimed he owned three cars although he couldn’t drive.
      Morrison impressed in cameos for the Hammers, netting a sublime solo goal against Tottenham in 2013, which was a goal of the season contender.
      Read More on The Sun
      West Ham let the wonderkid go after reported off-pitch issues and he went on to play for Cardiff, Birmingham, QPR, Lazio, Atlas, Ostersund, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.
      Wayne Rooney eventually took him under his wing, signing him at Derby and DC United.
      Ravel Morrison was highly-rated by Sir Alex FergusonCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      Supercomputer predicts final Premier League table with Man Utd tipped for worst finish since David Moyes disaster

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      A SUPERCOMPUTER has predicted the final Premier League table, with Manchester United tipped for their worst season since 2013-14.The Red Devils have endured a disastrous start to the campaign on and off the pitch.
      It does not look good for Man UtdCredit: SunSport
      United have endured an awful start to the seasonCredit: Reuters
      Erik ten Hag’s side have picked up just nine points from their opening seven games – losing four of them.
      United have finished in the top six in each of the last nine seasons, since their seventh-place disaster under David Moyes in 2014.
      But that could be about to change.
      Over at Bettingexpert they have enlisted the help of boffins and brainiacs to build a supercomputer, BETSiE, that can crunch all of the numbers and predict the final table.
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      And BETSiE reckons that United will slump to seventh this season.
      The Red Devils currently sit tenth in the Prem table and have already fallen seven points off the top four.
      Their loss to Crystal Palace followed previous defeats to Tottenham, Arsenal and Brighton – while they scraped past Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Burnley.
      Following their 6-1 trouncing of Brighton on Saturday, Aston Villa are tipped to pip Man United to sixth place.
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      While Ange Postecoglou’s high-flying Tottenham are only backed to finish fifth, despite their impressive start to the season.
      BETSiE has unsurprisingly backed Manchester City to retain their title once again – with Arsenal second, Liverpool third and Newcastle fourth.
      Brighton are predicted to come eighth, with Chelsea down in ninth despite their 2-0 win over Fulham last night.
      At the wrong end of the table, BETSiE believes that Sheffield United will come bottom of the pile.
      Despite grabbing their first win of the season at Everton on Saturday, Luton are backed to finish 19th.
      While Burnley are in at 18th, making it all three promoted teams predicted to go down.
      It could be a narrow escape for currently winless Bournemouth in 17th, with Fulham 16th, Everton 15th and Wolves 14th.
      Making up the mid-table positions are West Ham in 10th, Brentford 11th, Crystal Palace 12th and Nottingham Forest 13th.
      Manchester City are tipped to retain their Prem titleCredit: Getty
      Sheffield United are predicted to finish rock bottomCredit: Getty More

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      Blunder VAR referees AXED from weekend fixtures after Tottenham vs Liverpool chaos but ref Simon Hooper gets new role

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      VAR villain Darren England and assistant Dan Cook have been axed from the weekend fixtures.The pair were responsible for the VAR fiasco during Tottenham’s win over Liverpool after failing to tell referee Simon Hooper to overturn the decision to rule out Luis Diaz’s goal for offside.
      Simon Hooper will be the VAR for Everton vs BournemouthCredit: Reuters
      Spurs quickly restarted the match, with VAR protocols preventing the error from being corrected.
      The PGMOL admitted the blunder and issued a statement claiming a “significant human error” had resulted in the blunder.

      They also took swift action by removing England from VAR duty for Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.
      The referee, who officiated a match in U.A.E last Thursday, will now sit out of the weekend’s fixtures along with Cook, who was his VAR during the Spurs vs Liverpool disaster.
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      England was supposed to referee a Championship clash between Leicester and Preston.
      While Simon Hooper, who was the fourth official for Fulham’s defeat to Chelsea on Monday, has avoided punishment and will be VAR for Everton vs Bournemouth on Saturday.
      However Hooper did not escape criticism at the weekend after sending off Liverpool duo Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.
      Jurgen Klopp claimed neither player deserved to be sent off and the Reds have appealed Jones’ straight red card – with Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp describing his dismissal as “harsh”.
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      Klopp also described match as one of the most “unfair” he has ever been a part of, with fans calling for the clash to be replayed.
      The PGMOL also intend to release the VAR audio of the failure to award Diaz’s goal once a review into the incident is complete.
      The decision comes after Liverpool formally requested to be given the audio from the VAR room at Stockley Park. More

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      Mudryk shows off his inspirational custom shin pads after first Chelsea goal as fans hail ‘unreal mentality’

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      MYKHAILO MUDRYK showed off his inspirational custom shin pads after scoring his first Chelsea goal last night.The Ukrainian got off the mark with a low left-footed shot as he sent the Blues on their way to a 2-0 win at Fulham.
      Mykhailo Mudryk showed off his custom shin pads with some Christian imagery alongsideCredit: instagram @mmudryk10
      The pads appear to show a Jesus-like figure removing the T from can’t to spell can
      The Ukrainian grabbed his first goal for ChelseaCredit: AP
      Mudryk, 22, joined Chelsea for £97m in January after the West Londoners beat off competition from Arsenal.
      The winger had a tough start to life at Stamford Bridge, failing to score in his first 23 appearances for the club.
      But his perseverance has paid off, helping him grab his first goal in appearance No24 last night.
      After the game, the former Shakhtar Donetsk star posted a series of photos from the game on Instagram.
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      He captioned them: ” With You all I can.
      “Great team performance.
      “Big honour to score my first goal for such a big club like a Chelsea. Thanks our fans for big support.”
      In the final picture, Mudryk revealed his shin pads.
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      On them was twice written the word “Can’t”, with a Jesus-like figure grasping the T in the second version.
      On the third ‘Can’t’, the figure appears to carry the T away like a cross.
      Below that was then the amended version, simply reading “Can”.
      The religious star also had orthodox Christian imagery with him.
      Commenting on Mudryk – whose body is covered in religious tattoos – one fan wrote, followed by flame emojis: “This is too hard.”
      While a second gushed: “A true believer.”
      Another added: “His mentality is top, proper warrior and proper chels.”
      Mudryk also received plenty of support from his team-mates.
      Enzo Fernandez commented: “You deserve misha.”
      While Raheem Sterling added a lightning bolt emoji.
      Carney Chukwuemeka wrote “Mishaaa” followed by two flame emojis.
      While Robert Sanchez added: “Vamos!!!”
      We need to understand that young people need time and need to settleMauricio Pochettino
      After the game, boss Mauricio Pochettino said of Mudryk: “We need to understand that young people need time and need to settle. It’s about adaptation.
      “It’s a big change when Mudryk arrived here and when you arrive at a team, it’s not easy to settle in a team that isn’t solid. He wasn’t the cherry on the cake, they needed to add something to the team.
      “It’s about time, having patience, trusting these young talented players, building confidence. It’s a big job, step by step.
      “Sometimes people don’t have the patience but for us it’s about having the patience. Even when we weren’t winning, we were calm, stayed positive, had the belief.”
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      Explaining why Mudryk was withdrawn at half-time, Pochettino added: “‘He felt something in his quad which we need to assess. He didn’t feel comfortable to keep playing.
      “We hope it’s not a big issue, we hope it’s nothing big and he can be available for Saturday.”
      Mauricio Pochettino was delighted with Mudryk’s impactCredit: Reuters More