Premier League

LIVERPOOL versus Manchester United is only the third best football rivalry in Britain, according to former England and Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor.The two Premier League giants will meet once again at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool vs Man Utd is only the third biggest rivalry in Britain, according to AgbonlahorCredit: PA
Agbonlahor has picked a controversial top fiveCredit: The Sun
And, as always, it promises to be a fiery affair.
Many fans consider it to be the best and biggest rivalry in Britain given the illustrious history of both clubs.
But Agbonlahor believes that two completely different fixtures top it.
The 36-year-old told TalkSPORT: “Biggest derby is Rangers/Celtic. It is on my bucket list to go and see.
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“When you watch it on the TV, you can feel the adrenaline watching the game.
“You can feel the atmosphere from the fans, you can see the two teams dislike each other. That is a big, big derby. The biggest in Britain by a mile, for me.
“Some of the others… Manchester United vs Manchester City – not really for me.
“Manchester United/Liverpool – yes there is a rivalry but the players are shaking hands nowadays.”
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Agbonlahor then went on to reveal that he believes Aston Villa vs Birmingham is the second biggest rivalry in Britain.
The former Villa star added: “There is actual hatred between both fans.
“We always knew we would beat Birmingham City and we knew how much it meant to the fans.
“Even if you had four or five bad games, you go and beat Birmingham City in the Premier League and it is sort of like, you are forgiven for them poor performances.
“Massive, massive derby. It gets very heated. You see the incident with Jack Grealish [when he was attacked by a fan in 2019], you don’t really see that in English football. It just shows the hatred between both clubs.”
Liverpool vs Man Utd came in at number three on the list “because of the history” between the two clubs.
West Ham vs Millwall followed as the fourth best rivalry.
But the most controversial choice of them all was Agbonlahor’s pick for number five.
The TalkSPORT pundit claimed that one of the biggest rivalries in Britain is Tottenham vs… Chelsea.
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He believes that the North London derby between Spurs and Arsenal “doesn’t seem that big any more”.
Famous derbies such as Newcastle vs Sunderland, Man City vs Man Utd and Liverpool vs Everton also failed to make the list. More

MIKEL ARTETA has revealed how he gave William Saliba the silent treatment to see if he had the character to succeed at Arsenal.But it only took the young Frenchman a couple of days to convince his boss that he was going to become a key Emirates player for many years to come.
Mikel Arteta wanted to see how William Saliba settled when he returnedCredit: Getty
Arteta admits that he harboured plenty of doubts about Saliba when he returned to the club last summer after spending three years out on loan at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
And he certainly wasn’t sure that the rookie defender was ready to play a key role in his team despite making his senior international debut for France before he had even played a game for the Gunners.
Ahead of Saturday afternoon’s home game against struggling Bournemouth, Arteta says: “For William’s first week back at the club, I didn’t speak to him at all.
“I just wanted to see what he was like without interfering with his thoughts and get to know the real player.
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“There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered and the first was how he was going to reintegrate into our dynamic after being away for so long.
“I needed to know if there was some frustration with me or the environment because he could not understand being out on loan.
“There were questions about the amount we had paid for him and about his own expectations coming back to Arsenal.
“Because doing it in France is not the same as doing it in this league with Arsenal and you don’t have 21-year-old defenders at the top level in England.
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“But from the very first training sessions I was struck by his attitude, the way he came in and said ‘I’m going to prove that I’m very good and deserve to be here’.
“Without looking back or being shy, he ticked off all the questions and gave the right reasons to think that he was going to be really good for us.
“After his first two sessions we all looked at him and agreed ‘there’s huge potential there’. And he’s been exceptional since that day.”
Yet Arteta still felt it was a gamble to place so much faith in the young rookie who had attracted so much praise during his time at Marseille last season.
He admits: “I was absolutely certain that I was going to have a lot of external pressure to give William the opportunity.
“There were a lot of people who questioned the decision to send him out on loan last season and I could have got that totally wrong.
“But I felt the time was right to bring him back and after that it was the perfect storm and a beautiful relationship started to build.”
It was during the 3-0 win at Bournemouth in August that Saliba really announced himself to the Arsenal fans and they have been singing his name ever since.
They continued to back him even when he made a few early errors, although Arteta admits: “He’s naturally very composed.
“He doesn’t get too bothered about opinions or nervy in certain situations. That’s a big quality.”
And it’s not just on the pitch that Saliba is impressing his colleagues.
Arteta reveals: “He’s really funny – even when he doesn’t want to be.
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“He’s very popular around the place. He has an aura and a presence which goes with the humour and energy which is always around him.
“But he is also very focussed and determined to become a top player.”
Saliba has formed a superb parnership with GabrielCredit: Getty More

BERNARDO SILVA came up with a grandstand finish to kill off the Toon and send City back within two points of Arsenal – if only for a few hours at least.Silva’s match-clinching strike clinched a victory for Pep Guardiola’s men – and was City’s 1000th Premier League goal at home.
Phil Foden produced a sensational display for Manchester CityCredit: Getty
The England international gave the champions the lead after 15 minutesCredit: Getty
Bernardo Silva doubled Man City’s lead in the second halfCredit: Reuters
It means Man City are at least temporarily back within two points of ArsenalCredit: Getty
The first 160 came at their former Maine Road ground, the rest since the lift off which has come from their time at the Etihad.
Yet if Newcastle had a striker with anything like the potency of Guardiola’s forward line, the Toon would have left Manchester with at least a point.
Calum Wilson blew a golden first half chance, Joelinton an even better second half one, with a side-footed air-shot from bang in front when it looked easier to score.
And it took a triple block from first Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and finally keeper Ederson to deny sub Alexander Isak when the lead was just a solitary goal.
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That came courtesy of Phil Foden’s marvellous 15th minute effort, created initially by Rodri’s magnificent crossfield pass.
Foden killed the ball and skipped past Dan Burn – as he did pretty much at will all afternoon – before storming into the box.
First Bruno Guimaraes and then Anthony Gordon were shrugged off with effortless ease, before he let fly with a right footed strike.
Nick Pope would probably have blocked it, yet it clipped off Sven Botman and left the Toon keeper – back from last week’s Wembley ban – without a prayer.
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Erling Haaland then fluffed a point blank header, but amazingly it was Newcastle who began to dominate in terms of chances at least.
Yet when Bernardo came off the bench and finished off a neat move involving Ake, Foden, Jack Grealish and Haaland, there was no way back.
Tempers frayed, frustrations grew and Burn – eventually hooked – was lucky only to see yellow when he appeared to aim a sly foot at the prone Grealish after initially upending him.
Players on both sides waded in, and the thought of two giants in Haaland and Burn getting to grips was frankly more mouthwatering than the match itself.
In the end, though, it petered out into nothing. Rather like Newcastle’s hopes did, in fact.
As for Man City? Well it’s over to you Arsenal…
Pep Guardiola will now be hoping Arsenal slip upCredit: AFP More

ERLING HAALAND raced 40 yards to square up with Newcastle big man Dan Burn – and fans loved it.The Manchester City striker came back as a mass brawl erupted following a foul on Jack Grealish.

Erling Haaland squared off with Dan BurnCredit: Reuters
The Man City striker had a smile on his face while facing with BurnCredit: BT Sport
Haaland raced down the pitch to join in and picked a fight against Newcastle defender Burn, with both later carded for their overzealous actions.
And with the two colossus’ going at it, fans were left imagining the tantalising bout.
One fan said: “Erling Haaland 🆚 Burn 🔥. That’s a fight I would pay to watch.”
A second commented: “Let Haaland and Burn fight I wanna see sumn.”
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A third declared: “Haaland vs Dan Burn would be an insane fight 😭😭.”
A fourth remarked: “I’d pay some money for a Haaland vs. Burn fight 😂.”
A fifth said: “Lmaooo Dan Burn vs Haaland squaring up I’d pay top dollar to see that fight play out 😂😂😂.”
While another added: “Haaland vs Dan Burn.. I’d pay to watch that fight.”
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Man City ran out 2-0 winners in the match thanks to goals from Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva.
The result means the Cityzens move within two points of league leaders Arsenal, who were playing Bournemouth in a 3pm kick-off. More

RAFA BENITEZ has revealed who the greatest player he ever managed is – and snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.The experienced boss was asked the question while on punditry duty ahead of his former side Newcastle facing Manchester City.
Rafa Benitez revealed who the best player he ever managed isCredit: Getty
Cristiano Ronaldo netted 25 goals in 24 games under Rafa Benitez at Real MadridCredit: Corbis
Benitez has managed the likes of CR7, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid while also coaching Samuel Eto’o at Inter Milan and Eden Hazard at Chelsea, but another was dubbed the best.
The Spaniard did not think about his answer, immediately replying with Steven Gerrard’s name.
Benitez managed the Liverpool legend during his six-year stay at Anfield.
The club won the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006 while the duo were working together.
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Gerrard played 292 times under Benitez, scoring 104 goals for Liverpool.
Speaking last year, Benitez again named the midfielder ahead of other stars that were his favourites.
He said: “Gerrard was the best player I ever coached.
“He was a great, great player, fantastic player and he’s a young manager now.
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“What I would say to him now is to listen and try to learn from anyone.”
Gerrard, like Benitez, is currently out of management after his sacking from Aston Villa.
Yet the ex-England star has been linked with a return, surprisingly, to Paris Saint-Germain and the Polish national team.
He was also linked with recent vacancies at Leeds and Southampton.
Meanwhile, Benitez is reportedly an option for West Ham if they sack David Moyes.
Steven Gerrard has been named as the best player Rafa Benitez ever managedCredit: Getty More

A FORMER Premier League defender has revealed that he is spending his days solving crimes and catching crooks in his new job as a cop.Arjan de Zeeuw, 43, has settled down in his native Netherlands after a successful playing career and taken on a new role as a detective specialising in forensics.
Arjan de Zeeuw has left football behind for a life as a copCredit: BBC
He made over 500 appearances for five different English clubs between 1995 and 2008Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The ex-footie star ran out for teams including Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth in his day, but has gone from chasing down breakaway strikers to pursuing criminals as the long arm of the law.
He made over 500 appearances for five different English clubs across his stellar 17-year career from 1995 to 2008.
He retired in 2009 after a season playing for Dutch side ADO’20.
However, before starting his playing career, he completed a degree in medical science, which he is known putting to use in his investigative work.
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In 2014, he told BBC Sport: “I was looking at something else other than football.
“I’ve been in football that long and I thought I just need to look at the world a bit more.
“So I tried to get back into my medical studies and I bumped into a friend of mine who was a detective in Alkmaar, where we are now.”
On his decision to enter the police force, he added: “I liked the idea of justice and trying to make the world a better place for everybody, a fairer place.
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“I’m going to specialise a bit more into forensics. More than likely it will be bigger investigations.”
He then recalled his training, including learning how to fire a gun and interrogate people.
Arjan continued: “It’s challenging. The good thing is it’s like football, it’s still very much a team effort.
“You’ll hardly ever solve a crime on your own.”
However, despite leaving the beautiful game behind as a career, he’s still joined up with the force’s team, who he generously described as “energetic”.
He joked: “You have to be careful for your legs with these.”
On top of that, he plays for the police’s national team, who qualified for the European final that year.
Discussing how his footie skills have kept up, he chuckled: “I’m lacking a bit of speed and a little bit of touch, but the competitive edge is still there.”
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It’s possible he was just being modest though as he recalled how his training came in handy when chasing down a suspect, as he outlasted him for stamina and made the arrest.
He laughed: “I had enough pace to keep up.” More