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WOLVES host Sheffield United in a huge Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon.The Wanderers are eyeing back-to-back wins while the Blades look to get off the foot of the table.
Kick off time: 1.30pm GMT
TV/Stream: Sky Sports Premier League/NOW
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DILETTA LEOTTA cheered on her partner Loris Karius today as he made his first Premier League start since 2018.The goalkeeper came in for Newcastle’s clash with Arsenal after Martin Dubravka was forced to miss the trip with illness.
Diletta cheered on Loris Karius from her homeCredit: https://www.instagram.com/dilettaleotta/
The two have dated for a number of years
Karius is starting his first Premier League game since 2018Credit: AFP
Diletta is one of the most famous presenters in ItalyCredit: Getty
Karius rarely starts for Newcastle as he is the club’s third choice keeper, but did appear for them in last year’s Carabao Cup final.
Dubrvka and Karius are both deputising for England international Nick Pope, who has been ruled out with a long term injury.
Diletta posted a photo of her cheering Karius on to her Instagram story with the couple’s first child, Aria in her arms.
The photo was captioned with “Forza Papi” alongside a love heart emoji.
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She also tagged Karius in the post.
But it was not a happy return to action for the German as his side were thumped 4-1 at the Emirates.
Diletta is well known as one of the most prominent presenters in Italian football.
She presents Champions League and Serie A action on DAZN in Italy.
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Diletta presents for DAZNCredit: Alamy
The couple celebrated Christmas together with their first child, AriaCredit: https://www.instagram.com/dilettaleotta
They also welcomed in the new year in a Bavarian fashionCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
By celebrating in Karius’ hometownCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
Diletta is still based in Italy due to her busy presenting career, with Karius living in Newcastle.
But the two often post loved up photos together, when their schedules allow.
PICTURED: Newcastle keeper Loris Karius’ stunning Wag Diletta Leotta squeezes into sports bra and shorts for intense workout
They recently posted a series of photos of the two dressed in traditional German clothing as they welcomed in the new year in Karius’ hometown.
Karius moved to Newcastle in 2022 after a spell with Union Berlin.
He has made just two appearances for the Magpies, including tonight – he’s best known for his spell with Liverpool between 2016 and 2019, where he made 49 appearances for the Reds.
The footballer brought Diletta a cake to her hospital bed as she gave birth to their first child on her own birthdayCredit: INSTAGRAM / dilettaleotta
Diletta is one of the Serie A’s best loved presentersCredit: Getty
Diletta stunned as she presented the Turin derby on Italian TVCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
She boasts 8.9million followers on InstagramCredit: Getty
Diletta gave birth to her first child with Karius in AugustCredit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta
Diletta and Karius in MilanCredit: The Mega Agency
Diletta is no stranger to some extravagant outfits on her InstagramCredit: @dilettaleotta
The Italian beauty during one of her holidays with Karius
She has flipped between blonde and brunette looksCredit: https://www.instagram.com/dilettaleotta/
She has previously worn an outfit similar to her Tomb Raider lookCredit: @dilettaleotta
Diletta with a pared back lookCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
She is a presenter for DaznCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
She posts regularly updates on Instagram to the delight of her fansCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
Leotta burst on to the scene with Sky SportsCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
The Italian works for DAZNCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta More
TNT Sports took a cheeky dig at the BBC during their coverage of Arsenal vs Newcastle.The kick-off was moved from TNT’s usual 12:30pm slot to a primetime 8pm Saturday showing to maximise the number of TV viewers.
The Arsenal vs Newcastle game has been moved to a primetime TV slotCredit: AP
The presenters took a cheeky dig at GladiatorsCredit: BBC
Welcoming viewers to the game, lead commentator Darren Fletcher said: “Forget Gladiators, the battle is here.”
The comment was in reference to Gladiators on BBC One, which is showing at the same time and has recently been relaunched.
The much-loved 1990s show has been revamped with Bradley Walsh presenting alongside his son, Barney.
Former Premier League ref Mark Clattenburg also oversees the action as the referee on the show.
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Clattenburg recently dipped his toe back into the refereeing game after taking a job at Nottingham Forest.
The former whistler will be a ‘referee’s analyst’ for the club, the first of its kind.
The football feeling does not end on the hit TV show, with Guy Mowbray providing the commentator.
Mowbray is well known for his commentating on Match of the Day, week to week.
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The show was recently hit by “fix” claims after a former gladiator claimed there were certain events that contestants would find “impossible” to win against burly gladiators.
Arsenal entered the game against Newcastle looking to close the gap at the top of the table.
Gladiators in chaos as referee forced to stop game after epic wardrobe malfunction and contestant is left injured
The title-chasers will be just two points off Liverpool if they can beat Newcastle tonight.
Manchester City took a major step in their hunt to reel in Liverpool earlier as they triumphed over Bournemouth 1-0. More
FORMER Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has opened up about his struggles under Frank Lampard at Chelsea.The German defender played for the Blues between 2017 and 2022, making 203 appearances for the club.
Rudiger has revealed he did not like playing under Frank LampardCredit: Alamy
Rudiger wanted to move to Paris to get away from LampardCredit: PA
He then left the side to join Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer of 2022.
Despite being seen as Chelsea’s best centre-back by the time he left, Rudiger lost his spot in the Chelsea side under Frank Lampard, who has managed the club for two separate spells now.
Lampard’s first stint in charge coincided with Rudiger’s time at the club and during that time, the German international found himself behind Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen in the pecking order.
Speaking on the matter, Rudiger said: “To be honest, I still can’t say exactly what happened back then. That’s part of football.
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“Maybe he [Lampard] had other ideas or saw other players better. But the good thing about football is that the answer is on the pitch and I think I gave the perfect one.
“Nothing like that has ever happened in my career. I even played under Lampard again at the end of his tenure. Let me put it this way: if it doesn’t fit at some point, then it doesn’t fit anymore. But no footballer in this world loses on purpose.
“I really wanted to leave. I wanted to leave. I wanted to join Paris Saint-Germain, that was my wish.”
The defender was desperate to play for Thomas Tuchel in Paris, who he describes as an “honest manager”.
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He was full of praise for the struggling Thomas Tuchel, howeverCredit: Reuters
As fate would have it, Tuchel would be the man that replaced Lampard in West London in January 2021.
His reign at the Blues was a remarkable success, with the German manager guiding Chelsea to a Champions League triumph that season.
I played under Frank Lampard but we didn’t get on at all… if we met on a night out we’d probably get into a fight
He also led Chelsea to a Club World Cup the following season, Rudiger’s final one at the club.
But the German tactician is having a less successful time of it at Bayern Munich since taking over this time last year.
He was dismissed from his role last week following a run of three straight defeats, although he will continue to manage the side until the end of the season.
The manager will no doubt be grateful for Rudiger’s praise during a season that has been full of bad PR. More
ARSENAL beat Newcastle 4-1 to move within two points of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. Two own goals, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz held off a torrid Newcastle side who scored a late consolation through former Gunners man Joe Willock.
Kick-off time: 8pm GMT
Live stream: discovery+
TV channel: TNT Sports 1
Arsenal starting XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz
Newcastle starting XI: Karius; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento; Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Miley; Almiron, Isak, Gordon
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That’s all from us
That’s all we have got for you in terms of coverage from The Emirates tonight.
Thank you as always for tuning in and following along with us, we will leave you with a look at what is next on the agenda for these two sides…
Arsenal and Newcastle’s next four matches
Thank you, aaaaaand goodnight!
Copy linkCopiedMatch report; Dan King
For Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, revenge was a dish best served cold on a Saturday night in February.
When Newcastle ended the Gunners’ unbeaten start in controversial fashion at St James’ Park nearly four months earlier, Arteta had a meltdown.
This time his team coolly and clinically dispatched Eddie Howe’s desperately limited side and kept their title challenge right on the boil.
With delicious irony Arsenal were helped on their way by the goal-line technology they felt had let them down in the North East.
On that occasion, the cameras could not conclusively show that the ball had gone out of play in the build-up to Anthony Gordon’s winner.
This time there was no doubt that Sven Botman had inadvertently given the Gunners the lead.
For the full match report, carry on reading here.
Copy linkCopiedMan of the match
Tonight’s SunSport man of the match award goes to Jorginho.
He controlled the tempo of the game from start to (almost) finish, and was a general in the Arsenal midfield.
He was playing like that Jorginho that came third place in the Ballon D’or following a Champions League win with Chelsea, as he played a delightful ball into Gabriel Martinelli to assist Kai Havertz’ goal.
Jorginho was man of the match against NewcastleCredit: Getty
Copy linkCopiedSaka reflects:
TNT Sports presenter noted to Bukayo Saka in his post match interview that his finish was ‘world class’, alluding to a comment made by Rio Ferdinand last week – “No comment” was his response.
He had this to say too as he made it 16 goals for the season: “I’m working hard every day on the training ground, giving my best, and got great teammates around me.”
No comment.”Bukayo SakaOn Rio Ferdinand not naming him as world class
Copy linkCopiedFull-time match stats:
It was a dominant performance by the Gunners, who were fully deserving of their four goals at home to Newcastle United.
Newcastle did manage to get one back through a box-crashing Joe Willock against his old club, but it was nowhere near good enough by the Magpies.
This is how the match stats look at full-time…
The match stats as Arsenal demolished Newcastle at home
Copy linkCopiedFULL-TIME! Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle
That is all she wrote for Arsenal and Newcastle tonight as the referee calls the game to a close.
What a game it was too.
As the full time whistle blows, it ends Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 4-1 Newcastle
90+3. Huge chance for Emile Smith-Rowe to get Arsenal’s fifth of the night.
He works a great bit of space for himself inside the box, but his left-footed shot is cleared off the line brilliantly by Dan Burn.
Great defending.
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Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle
90. There will be FIVE minutes of added time at the end of the 2nd half.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 4-1 Newcastle
88. Jorginho goes down injured, but gets back on his feet to be replaced by Mohamed Elneny.
The Italian looks fine, and is in good spirits.
Copy linkCopiedGOALLLLL! Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle
85. Newcastle have one back!
Barnes works it nicely down the left-hand side into Dan Burn, who dinks a ball into the middle for Joe Willock who heads home with aplomb.
Great finish against his old club.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 4-0 Newcastle
82. Harvey Barnes looks to take on Reiss Nelson on the left-hand side, but he can’t get past the Arsenal winger.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 4-0 Newcastle
78. Fun fact: Arsenal are the first team in Premier League history to score two goals in seven successive halves of PL football.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 4-0 Newcastle
76. Arsenal’s fourth goal has been given to Kiwior instead of a Lewis Miley own goal.
Great news for the Polish defender.
Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard are all coming off for Arsenal now.
Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith-Rowe are all on, great news for fans of the Hale End academy.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 4-0 Newcastle
74. An awkward moment for referee Paul Tierney there, as David Raya’s quick clearance hits him on the bum.
Play is restarted.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 4-0 Newcastle
73. Three changes for Newcastle.
Tino Livramento is replaced by Dan Burn.
Jamaal Lascelles is on for Sven Botman.
And Joe Willock is replacing Bruno Guimaraes.
Copy linkCopiedGOALLLL! Arsenal 4-0 Newcastle
70. IT’S FOUR!
It’s another set play!
It is whipped in and nodded goalwards by Jakub Kiwior, it takes a touch off of young Lewis Miley and beats Karius in goal.
4-0!
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 3-0 Newcastle
67. That is a great response from Arsenal midway through the second half in this game.
Newcastle have had a few chances, one goal for them and they would’ve been right back in this game, but Saka has killed that hope for the Magpies now.
Copy linkCopiedGOALLLLLL! Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle
65. BUKAYO SAKA MAKES IT THREE!
Kai Havertz rolls the ball into the Arsenal starboy, he cuts in on his left foot and places it into the bottom left corner.
Composure personified.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Newcastle
63. Martinelli makes way for Leandro Trossard, and he is applauded by the Emirates faithful.
Jacob Murphy comes on to replace Miguel Almiron, and Alexander Isak is swapped for Harvey Barnes.
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Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle
60. A chance for Newcastle here, with Alexander Isak firing a shot over the bar from the left-hand side.
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Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle
57. The ball is played into the path of Bukayo Saka but it is great defending from Botman to see him out of play.
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Newcastle
54. Anthony Gordon drives down the left hand side for the second time this half, but Ben White does really well to put a stop to that.
Trippier then puts in a firm but fair tackle on Kai Havertz, and Newcastle come forwards again.
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Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle
51. Newcastle, who failed to register a shot in the first half have had two chances already in the first half.
They couldn’t, could they?
Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Newcastle
48. Chance for Newcastle!
Livarmento plays a great ball into open space for Anthony Gordon to run into.
He cuts inside and lashes a shot on target, but he is denied by David Raya.
Copy linkCopied2nd half begins! Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle
46. The second half is restarted and Arsenal come forward again straight away.
It’s great approach play from Bukayo Saka who feeds the ball into Kai Havertz, but the German fluffs his lines.
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FORMER Arsenal and Liverpool star Jermaine Pennant reckons John Terry isn’t even in the Premier League’s top three centre-backs.The Chelsea legend is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in history.
John Terry is not in the top three Premier League centre-backs of all time, says a rivalCredit: Reuters
Former Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant claims he turned JT ‘inside out’ on the pitchCredit: Getty
Terry, 43, led his beloved side to five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, one Europa League and the 2012 Champions League.
And he is now back at Stamford Bridge as an academy coach after spells as assistant manager at Aston Villa and Leicester.
However, former Premier League rival Pennant reckons Terry lags behind three other stars when it comes to ranking the best in his position.
The ex-Arsenal winger reckons Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, Manchester City hero Vincent Kompany and Liverpool icon Virgil van Dijk, were all better centre-backs than Terry.
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And when queried as to why he thought that way, Pennant explained that he “turned Terry inside-out” while playing against Chelsea for Leeds.
Pennant scored the opener in the 2003/04 season’s 1-1 top-flight clash between the rivals.
And he insists he’d choose to play against Terry every day of the week.
Pennant told talkSPORT: “I’ll five you four top Premier League world-class centre-backs.
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“Rio Ferdinand, Vincent Kompany, John Terry and Virgil van Dijk.
“I’ll take my Liverpool hat off and say Rio is No1, Virgil No2, Kompany No3, and then, out of them, John Terry last.
‘I’d be embarrassed’ – Man Utd icon Roy Keane takes dig at John Terry over Chelsea Champions League trophy antics
“If you said to me, ‘Jermaine, you had to play against any of these defenders next week’, out of those four I’m saying John Terry.
“I’ve seen John Terry get turned inside-out, so I would prefer to play against him.
“I did it for Leeds. I scored against him so… have some of that!”
Pennant rates Rio Ferdinand as the best centre-back in top flight historyCredit: AFP
Virgil van Dijk is at No2 in the listCredit: PA
Vincent Kompany is Pennant’s third choiceCredit: Getty More
WEST HAM and Crystal Palace are reportedly battling to sign non-league prodigy Olly Box.The 18-year-old has burst onto the scene with National League South side Dartford.
West Ham and Crystal Palace are battling it out for non-league star Olly BoxCredit: Rex
Box has already netted three goals in just two games.
And a number of clubs are now tracking his progress in the lower tiers.
HITC claims Brentford, Middlesbrough, Millwall and Leyton Orient have all scouted Box in recent weeks.
But it’s West Ham and Palace who are leading the charge to bring him to the Premier League.
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The attacking midfielder is seen as a future top-flight star.
And bids could be incoming this summer, with Dartford 18th in their league and far from the promotion spots.
West Ham are ready to build for the future after offering David Moyes a new long-term contract.
They boosted their midfield in the past two windows with Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Kalvin Phillips.
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But with the latter only on loan from Manchester City, there is set to be a space available in Moyes’ squad for next season.
As for Palace, they have long made signing top youngsters a regular habit.
David Moyes says he has been offered new West Ham contract with his future in his own hands
The likes of Matheus Franca and Adam Wharton are set to play big roles under new boss Oliver Glasner.
And Box would be another kid who could be perfect for Palace’s style. More
ALLY MCCOIST left Laura Woods stunned by calling Wilfried Zaha “world class” during a TNT Sports feature.The “world class” debate has been raging on in recent weeks, since Rio Ferdinand claimed that Phil Foden can be considered as such but Bukayo Saka cannot.
Laura Woods was chatting with Ally McCoist for a TNT Sports featureCredit: https://twitter.com/footballontnt
Woods laughed at McCoist’s responseCredit: https://twitter.com/footballontnt
The Scot, 61, didn’t mind poking fun at himselfCredit: https://twitter.com/footballontnt
Continuing the discourse, popular presenter Woods asked McCoist which Premier League players can be called “world class”.
The affable Scot, 61, replied: “You look at guys like Zaha, world class.”
Baffled by his answer, Woods said: “Zaha?!”
Laughing, McCoist clarified: “I meant (Mo) Salah!”
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Struggling to contain her own laughter, Woods said: “Wilfried Zaha? That’s an interesting one to go straight to!”
McCoist then embraced his error, continuing: “It might be controversial but I’m going to start with Wilfried Zaha!
“He’s been a personal favourite of mine for a long time and I’m just going to continue in the controversial theme and I’m going with him.
“When did Wilfried Zaha become Mo Salah? Anyway, do you want to do that question again?
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“Actually we should just leave it in and cause an absolute riot, shouldn’t we!
“The man’s lost his marbles! Get him off air immediately, get him in a home for old folk and we can send him flowers and go and visit him every Sunday afternoon – we can take him out for a walk on a Sunday!”
Laura Woods praised for bold outfit as TNT Sports host goes for all-leather look and fans say ‘looking like Catwoman’
A cackling Woods responded: “I quite like it – I love that!”
Zaha, 31, left the Premier League last summer when his Crystal Palace contract expired.
He subsequently joined Galatasaray, and played against former club Manchester United in the Champions League earlier this term.
The winger has fallen out of favour of late, starting his side’s last four league matches on the bench.
He has managed 10 goals in all competitions this season, including one at Old Trafford.
Zaha has played 305 times in the Premier League, scoring 68 times and laying on 43 assists.
Salah, meanwhile, is having another sensational season – grabbing 19 goals and 10 assists.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is sweating on the Egyptian’s fitness ahead of tomorrow’s Carabao Cup final.
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Woods, 36, was left in “real fear” after enduring two years of torment from stalker Harneet Kaur.
Kaur, 25, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, having sent vile messages to Laura including sick threats to kill her dog.
Woods, 36, presented TNT Sports’ Champions League coverage in mid-weekCredit: Alamy More
