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      Man City star Ilkay Gundogan becomes a dad as wife Sara gives birth to their first child

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      MANCHESTER CITY star Ilkay Gundogan has become a dad after his wife Sara gave birth to their first child Kais.Sara, 27, shared the news on social media on Wednesday evening, hours after they welcomed their baby boy into the world.
      Ilkay Gundogan was pictured with his first child in the hospitalCredit: Instagram @sarabenamira
      Sara gave birth to Kais on WednesdayCredit: Instagram @sarabenamira
      Sara shared an adorable snap of their newborn babyCredit: Instagram @sarabenamira
      She shared pictures of both of them holding Kais alongside an adorable shot of the baby’s arm and ear.
      And she added the short caption: “Our love is here. Kais Gündoğan 15.03.23”.
      Man City reacted to the post by saying: “Congratulations! 💙”.
      While Gundogan’s team-mate Jack Grealish added: “Congrats 👏🏻❤️”.
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      Ex-Germany colleague Jerome Boateng replied: “Congratulations bro 😍 hope all is well with the family”.
      And the wife of Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Daniter, said: “Congratulations 🥰🥰🥰”.
      Model and TV presenter Sara revealed back in November that she was expecting her first child with husband Gundogan.
      It came after the pair tied the knot five months earlier.
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      Gundogan, 32, is a fan favourite at the Etihad Stadium after winning four Premier League titles with the club.
      However, he is being heavily linked with a move away from Man City in the summer as he is out of contract at the end of the season.
      Barcelona are understood to have spoken to the German midfielder as they bid to strike a deal.
      Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray and Juventus have also been mooted as potential destinations for the ex-Borussia Dortmund man.
      Meanwhile, Sara caused controversy earlier this season when she criticised the food in Manchester.
      The Italian slammed the local restaurants suggesting there were no good places to eat out in the city and that she was fed up with “horrible frozen food”.
      This created a slightly awkward moment when fans discovered that one restaurant in Manchester is owned by her husband’s manager, Pep Guardiola.
      It led to the ex-Barcelona boss joking: “What I’m disappointed about is they’ve not been to my restaurant – that’s what annoys me.
      “Gundo is not going to play one more minute this season.”
      Sara has built up a substantial following on social mediaCredit: Instagram @sarabenamira
      She has more than 500,000 followers on InstagramCredit: Instagram @sarabenamira
      Sara works as a model and TV presenterCredit: Instagram @sarabenamira More

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      ‘They’ve done Michael Owen dirty’ – Fans loving BT Sport’s optical illusion as Peter Crouch towers over ex-Liverpool man

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      FANS were left feeling sorry for Michael Owen as he did punditry alongside Peter Crouch as their height difference came into sharp contrast. The pair were alongside Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport as they watched Liverpool’s ultimately unsuccessful attempt to turn the tie around against Real Madrid.
      Fans were snapping pictures off their TV as they revelled in the apparent height distortion between Peter Crouch and Michael OwenCredit: Twitter
      With the three former players gathered around the interactive tactics board to preview the game, fans noticed the contrasting heights between the pundits.
      The clear difference was not helped by BT Sport’s camera angle, which made the difference appear ever more stark.
      Owen is 5ft 8in while the famously tall Crouch stands at 6ft 7in, and the former appeared to barely come to Crouch’s shoulder height in some shots.
      And with the camera angle exaggerating things, fans could barely contain their glee at what they were seeing.
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      One said: “They’ve done Owen dirty here and I love it.”
      Another ruthless fan asked: “How small is Michael Owen?”
      Sharing the picture on their Twitter account, one viewer added: “Who decided to put Michael Owen next to Crouch?”
      While another said pre-kick off: “The game is not going to be as good as Crouch standing next to Owen.”
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      It ended up being a decent second-leg at the Bernabeu as Liverpool tried in vain to reverse last month’s Anfield mauling.
      With Alisson making some outstanding saves, Real Madrid eventually won 1-0 thanks to Karim Benzema.
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      Ex-Premier League star sues surgeon for millions after ‘his career was ended by unnecessary operation’

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      AN ex-footie ace who says his top-flight career was ended by an unnecessary operation is suing a surgeon for millions.Former Wolves striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, 36, underwent surgery after breaking a leg in 2013.
      Sylvan Ebanks-Blake says his career was ended by an unnecessary operationCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      However, Prof James Calder also performed a type of keyhole surgery to his ankle, partly to remove damaged tissue.
      High Court documents claim Ebanks-Blake, then 27, began to suffer pain and stiffness in his joint, which was previously fine.
      The Cambridge-born forward — on Manchester United’s books as a youth — moved to a number of clubs but never played in the Premier League again.
      He retired in 2019 after another leg fracture.
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      The size of his “substantial” claim against the London-based orthopaedic surgeon has not been disclosed, but the average top-flight salary at the time was £1.6million. More

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      ‘This is wild’ – Fans spot spooky coincidence about Solly March’s ‘Twilight Zone’ goal for Brighton

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      FANS have spotted a spooky coincidence as Solly March scored a “Twilight Zone” goal for Brighton. The midfielder made it seven goals in the Premier League this season as the Seagulls beat rivals Crystal Palace 1-0.
      Fans were quick to notice something extra special about Solly March’s goal against Crystal PalaceCredit: PA
      Another strike for the 28-year-old means he continues to have his best-goal scoring season in the top flight for Brighton, and now only trails Marcus Rashford and Erling Haaland in post-World Cup goals in the Premier League.
      But it was not that statistic which caught fans’ attention after he hit the net.
      Instead, eagle-eyes viewers could not help but notice that March scored in the 15th minute – on March 15.
      Fans were left comparing the unlikely coincidence to the Twilight Zone as word of the strange occurrence began to spread.
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      One stunned fan on Twitter said: “It Is March 15 And Solly March Just Scored In The 15th Minute.”
      Another said: “Solly MARCH 15 min goal … spooky or what?”
      While another fan who stumbled upon the coincidence said: “This is wild!”
      Meanwhile, SunSport’s Tom Barclay reporting from the Amex referenced Shakespeare as he tweeted: “Goal in the 15th minute on the March 15 – beware the strides of March… if you’re a Palace defender, at least.”
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      Brighton’s victory means they remain in a European spot and are only behind Liverpool on goal difference.
      The south coast side also sit only six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with two games in hand over Antonio Conte’s team, raising the prospect of a late dash for a Champions League space.
      As for Crystal Palace it is now 11 league games without a win and the Eagles are one of nine teams separated by just five points in the Premier League’s gripping relegation battle.
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      Mikel Arteta reveals his new name for substitutes in incredible bid to boost squad morale for Premier League title push

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      MIKEL ARTETA admits that he never stops thinking of new motivation methods to keep his Arsenal players on course for a Premier League and Europa League double.Last weekend’s 3-0 win at Fulham was celebrated in the visitors’ dressing room with a giant replica of the famous Arsenal clock and the club crest plastered all over the walls to make Craven Cottage feel more like the Emirates.
      Emirates chief Mikel Arteta is happy to try new ways of inspiring his squadCredit: Getty
      Arteta now calls his subs ‘impactors’ as the Prem leaders eye a doubleCredit: Getty
      Outside the players’ entrance at the Gunners’ London Colney training ground, Arteta has had the words “train to win” concreted into the path.
      And he regularly has a DJ pumping out tunes on the side of the training pitch to get his players up and running.
      He was widely derided when he blasted out “You’ll Never Walk Alone” ahead of a 4-0 defeat at Anfield.
      But no one is laughing now Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the table and bidding to reach the Europa League quarter-finals this evening following last week’s 2-2 draw at Sporting Lisbon.
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      Arteta said: “I think every game needs something different and we are always looking at what we have to throw at the boys.
      “We try to give them exactly what they need to make the team better and get the right mindset with the right energy and confidence levels.
      “Of course if you only judge it on results alone, that’s something different. But the response as individuals and as a group is always really good.
      “The way I measure it is by looking in their faces, their attitude, their behaviour, then I look at the video and analyse what I can see.”
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      Arteta has even taken to referring to his substitutes as “impactors” after a long summer chat with former England rugby coach Eddie Jones and a number of other leading coaches from various sporting fields.
      He said: “It’s something that we wanted to change and I discussed it with a few people to help us find something that particularly suited us.
      “It’s the best way to express how we feel about the subs and how they have to feel about their role, especially on match days.
      “The idea is to replace somebody and make the team better or to do something different to win the game.
      “And the more you repeat that phrase, the closer you get to the mentality of having an impact on the game rather than just being a sub.
      “I’m not saying it makes the players on the bench feel less disappointed because everybody wants to start.
      “But every manager has their own way of doing things and this is about managing the group so they know their role and making sure that everyone is still motivated to help the team.”
      Thursday’s match will be Arsenal’s first European knockout game in front of a full Emirates since they were dumped out by Olympiacos in February 2020.
      And Arteta said: “It’s been a long time since we had one of these special European nights and we have to build that back.
      “The supporters have to enjoy coming to these games and the team has to give them the right reasons to be part of that.
      “Hopefully this match can be the start of a nice journey.”
      Fit-again Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus is available for the game after making his comeback as a late sub in Sunday’s victory at Fulham — but is unlikely to start.
      Arteta said: “Gabi is feeling good and training every day. He says his sensations are better and better, which is really positive.
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      “But we still have to manage his minutes and his involvement in the team.”
      ARSENAL (likely): Turner, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney, Odegaard, Jorginho, Vieira, Nelson, Trossard, Martinelli. More

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      Erik ten Hag backs Man Utd to close gap on Arsenal and City to finally end Premier League title drought next season

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      ERIK TEN HAG is convinced Manchester United are on the right path to being title contenders next season.The Red Devils are third in the Premier League and 16 POINTS off leaders Arsenal after dropping five points in their last two matches.
      Erik ten Hag says Man Utd are on course to be title contenders next termCredit: Getty
      The Red Devils are reeling from a serious injury to Alejandro GarnachoCredit: Getty
      Those games were the 7-0 humiliation at Liverpool and the goalless draw against Southampton on Sunday.
      Yet boss Ten Hag has impressed in his first season, winning the Carabao Cup and putting United on course for a top-four finish after ending last term in sixth place.
      They last won the title in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in 2012-13.
      Ten Hag said: “We have made good progress but there is still a gap. I couldn’t expect we would make that gap up quickly.
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      “But we want to win every game, no matter the opponent.
      “All the games you see until now, we try to win every game.
      “We’ve beaten all the top teams, we are capable of doing it, but we have to make the next step to be more consistent. But we know we can do it.”
      United landed 13 top-flight titles under Sir Alex — and Ten Hag believes English football’s top prize has never been so tough to win.
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      He added: “You see the competition and I also heard comments from other players and managers that the Premier League was never as difficult as now.
      “There are so many competitors. It’s not a two-horse race, it’s a five, six, seven-horse race — you have to be very good if you want to win the league.
      “They spend money, they have great managers and players. But we have beaten all the teams in the Premier League.”
      United turn their attention to the Europa League tonight against Real Betis, where they hold a 4-1 lead heading into the second leg of the last 16 tie.
      Ten Hag will still pick his strongest side, even though Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro are just a booking away from missing the first leg of a possible quarter-final.
      Brazilian Casemiro has been sent off twice in the past few weeks.Yellow cards are wiped at the last eight stage.
      The Dutchman said: “They will both play because it’s a very good opponent.
      “Last week we had a good result in Europe but you need your best players — we need a result, we need a win.
      “They are a good team and have really good players. They have a lot of variations, we have to be ready for that and go and battle with them.”
      Alejandro Garnacho is out with an ankle injury after a challenge by Saints full-back Kyle Walker-Peters.
      He has to deal with the setback. We can win a lot, so he has to be back as soon as possible.Ten Hag on Garnacho
      The Argentina winger will also miss Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final with Fulham and a potential international debut after a call-up this month.
      Ten Hag said: “It’s difficult, he has made great progression. He was selected by the national team, it was a big moment for him.
      “He’s in a really good development and we don’t want to disturb that process.
      “He has to deal with the setback. We can win a lot, so he has to be back ready as soon as possible.”
      United have suffered long-term injuries to Garnacho and Christian Eriksen — the latter from Reading’s Andy Carroll in their FA Cup tie — with both challenges going unpunished.
      The Red Devils chief has been left unhappy with the officiating this season that includes the injuries and Casemiro’s dismissals as well as recent penalty shouts on Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, with the club in regular talks with refs’ body PGMOL.
      He added: “We have the injuries and we have the red cards — that is the combination. There were some discussions about it.”
      Despite the 7-0 pounding at Anfield and the 0-0 Old Trafford draw with Southampton, Ten Hag believes United can have a strong end to the season.
      They bounced back from heavy defeats to Brentford and Manchester City earlier in the season.
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      He said: “We have done it after Brentford, we have done it after City, we are capable of it — but we have to show it again.”
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      ‘Newcastle’s 12 miles away’ – Fans reckon Ousmane Dembele is LOST as he’s bizarrely spotted at Sunderland vs Sheff Utd

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      FANS were all left scratching their heads after Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele was spotted in attendance at the Stadium of Light. Dembele has been linked with a transfer to a host of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle.
      Ousmane Dembele has been linked with a transfer to NewcastleCredit: Getty
      But bizarrely he was spotted at Sunderland’s Stadium of LightCredit: BBC via Twitter
      And it is his link to Newcastle which makes his visit to the home of Sunderland – the Magpies’ fierce rivals – such a bizarre one.
      Sunderland were in action against Sheffield United in the Championship as they looked to get back into the promotion chase.
      However, despite going ahead, the Black Cats fell to a 2-1 defeat following goals on either side of the break from the Blades.
      Regardless, some fans believe it was a simple case of him being lost.
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      One user said: “Someone should have told him Newcastle is another 12 miles away 😂.”
      A second user commented: “Bro doing side quests.”
      A third remarked: “Things I didn’t expect to see tonight: Ousmane Dembele at Sunderland-Sheffield United. Should have gone to Hull-Burnley, Ousmane.”
      One Sunderland fan joked: “I’m watching it. Lining him up as Amad’s [Diallo] replacement next season.”
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      Dembele previously celebrated Sunderland’s promotion at the end of last season after congratulating the club on Instagram.
      He appears to have a good relationship with Sunderland’s French owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, with whom he sat next to for the game. More

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      Erling Haaland shares hilarious picture with Champions League matchball.. and fans are all saying the same thing

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      ERLING HAALAND has released a hilarious picture of himself sleeping next to the Champions League match ball – and fans are all saying the same thing. The formidable Norwegian striker managed to outdo himself on Tuesday night as he put five past RB Leipzig.
      Erling Haaland was relentless at the Etihad last nightCredit: Getty
      The striker uploaded this image to Instagram earlier todayCredit: Instagram / @erling.haaland
      His goal haul contributed to Manchester City’s incredible 7-0 second-leg Champions League victory, leaving the game at a staggering 8-1 scoreline on aggregate.
      And Haaland has posted a snap reflecting on his European heroics with an Instagram picture that supporters absolutely loved.
      The 22-year-old can be seen seemingly asleep on his sofa after his exhausting night at the Etihad.
      He is draped in a large green blanket to cover his giant body with with his eyes shut tight.
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      But the star has his right hand wrapped around Tuesday night’s Champions League ball, which anyone who scores three goals or more is allowed to take home.
      Haaland captions the picture “afternoon nap” with a yawning emoji.
      Fans had very similar takes on the photo as they reflected on the forward’s superhuman goalscoring powers.
      One said: “Software update” and added a robot emoji.
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      Another said simply: “Recharging.”
      While another added: “Charging the batteries.”
      Others pointed out the picture’s similarity to Lionel Messi’s famous post-World Cup snap the morning after Argentina won the incredible final against France in December.
      With only Burnley left to play in the FA Cup before the international break, Haaland will be licking his lips at the prospect of adding to his ridiculous numbers.
      He has 39 goals in 34 games in all competitions this season.
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