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    Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s back to work policy costing Man Utd money as club forced to convert hospitality suites into offices

    Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s rigid “back to work” policy is costing Man Utd money as the club are paying to convert Old Trafford hospitalty suites into temporary offices and back again every week.United’s staff were all ordered back to the office on a permanent basis in June after Ratcliffe banned flexible working arrangements, but the club do not have enough desk space to accommodate all staff at Old Trafford.Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s policy of forcing Man Utd staff to work on-site is costing the club moneyCredit: PAOld Trafford hospitality suites are being used as officesCredit: APSunSport has learned that United have responded to the problem by hiring an agency to convert hospitality areas into pop-up offices after every home game.The conversion process is time-consuming and expensive however, with staff kicked out of their offices the day before the match and not allowed back until two days after the fixture has taken place.During the period in which the offices are out of action United staff are permitted to work at home.Back-to-back games at Old Trafford are particularly problematic and leave the temporary office space unusable for the best part of a week.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe temporary offices will be shut for eight days from next Tuesday for example, with United at home against Leicester in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday before welcoming Chelsea to Old Trafford in the Premier League the following Sunday.In addition to moving and storing the office equipment extensive electrical safety checks are also required before staff are allowed back in.While the ban on flexible working is understood to have come from Ratcliffe, United’s senior leadership have embraced it on the grounds that office work promotes a greater sense of cohesion, team spirit and creativity.While club sources conceded that creating temporary offices has led to additional costs they believe that is offset by the gains in having more staff on site.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSRatcliffe appointed consultancy firm Interpath Advisory to undertake a root and branch review of United’s cost base after completing his £1.25billion investment in the club last January, which led to the club implementing significant cost-cutting measures.Around 250 members of staff were made redundant last summer, while anyone unwilling to return to the office permanently by June was let go.Man Utd board’s EIGHT-HOUR London crunch talks and what it means for Erik ten HagThe drive for savings has continued however, with Ratcliffe targetting both executive perks and money spent on poorly-paid match-day staff.The use of private chauffeurs and company credit cards were among the first areas targeted last season, while senior staff were also dismayed at the removal of other perks ahead of the FA Cup final, such as a pre-match party and hotel accommodation in London.Rank and file staff members were also hit as free coach travel was also axed for United’s shock win over Manchester City at Wembley, while the ticket allocation was reduced.The cuts have continued this season at Old Trafford, with packed lunchboxes provided to matchday staff removed and the number of programmes given to corporate fans cut in half.The biggest saving however came in United’s surprise decision to strip Sir Alex Ferguson of his ambassadorial duties, which will save the club around £2.1million-a-year.United posted losses of £113.2m for the 2023/24 season last month, with their ­cost-cutting measures projected to save the club between £40m and £45m in total.United declined to comment.READ MORE SUN STORIESOn the pitch, the Red Devils lost 2-1 at West Ham on Sunday.They missed a host of chances in the first half before VAR controversially overruled the referee to award a late penalty to the Hammers, scored by Jarrod Bowen.Man Utd ratings vs West HamTHE LONDON STADIUM was the venue for the latest defeat in a shocker of a season.To be fair, it was a hugely controversial VAR call in the dying moments that handed West Ham a 2-1 win.And the first half from the Red Devils was impressive.Here’s how SunSport’s Jack Rosser rated the players…Andre Onana – 6Very loose with the ball at his feet early on but soon settled.Manchester United conceded from West Ham’s first shot on target, though given Ings’ deflected strike there was little Onana could have done about it.Diogo Dalot – 5Delivered one of the most entertaining missed chances you will see all season – doing so well to clip the ball past Lukasz Fabianski before smashing the ball high and wide of an open goal.Despite that, had little trouble from those in claret and blue attacking down his side until Summerville was introduced. The former Leeds man tested Dalot a number of times with his pace.Redeemed himself a touch with the header back in ahead of Casemiro’s equaliser.Matthijs de Ligt – 6Hard done by in conceding the penalty for what looked a soft challenge on Hammers striker Ings.Restricted West Ham well for the most part but United never looked entirely comfortable at the back and a more potent attack could have caused much more trouble.Lisandro Martinez – 6Struggled at times to deal with the strength and direct nature of Michail Antonio, who tested all across United’s back line well until he was replaced by Ings.Noussair Mazraoui – 5Struggled to keep a handle on both Bowen and former Manchester United man Aaron Wan-Bissaka for the most part and was thrown around by Michail Antonio at times.Having looked soft at the back he also offered very little going forwards down the left.Casemiro – 6Started strongly dominating in the middle but struggled to wrestle that back when West Ham picked up.Was denied a first half goal by Fabianski’s superb save but got one eventually as he refused to give up and made sure the ball.Christian Eriksen – 5Some flashes of creativity in the first half but could not help United keep control in the second after West Ham perked up.Marcus Rashford – 4Entirely absent throughout the hour he was on the pitch. Played down the right he was easily managed by Emerson Palmieri who had little of note to do before the winger went off.Bruno Fernandes – 7Caused huge problems for West Ham and created plenty of chances which his teammates put to waste.Fernandes made a fine run to meet a Casemiro cross but headed over the bar and had to watch both Garnacho and Dalot pass up huge chances after his good work to set them up – especially the latter, a wonderful looped ball to cut out the entire West Ham defence.Alejandro Garnacho – 5The young winger should have had two goals inside the opening eight minutes. One chance was rattled against the bar before a poor finish sent the second wide of the far post.He continued to cause trouble down the left but faded as the game went on and crucially gave the ball away in the build-up to Summerville’s goal.Rasmus Hojlund – 5Drew a couple of saves from Hammers keeper Fabianski but neither looked too difficult.The Dane was rather comfortably dealt with by West Ham’s central defenders and never looked too much of a threat.SubstitutesAmad Diallo – 6Added some life and threat to a forward line which had offered little after the break and lifted a clever ball over to Dalot in the build-up to Casemiro’s goal.Joshua Zirkzee – 5Claimed an assist but did not know a lot about it and struggled to have an impact from there on.Victor Lindelof – n/aUnused subs: Altay Bayindir, Manuel Ugarte, Jonny Evans, Ethan Wheatley, Harry Amass, Jack Fletcher. More

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    ‘Dr Tottenham’ strikes again in Crystal Palace clash as fans say ‘never fails to cure those in need’

    CRYSTAL PALACE’s winless run came to an end thanks to a dose of “Dr Tottenham”.The Eagles got their first three points of the season with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first-half opener separating the sides. Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou looks on in frustrationCredit: RexAnd fans say they were blessed with the visit from Dr Tottenham to cure their lack of victories. One said: “Dr. Tottenham. Never fails to cure those in need.”Another added: “Imagine not thinking Dr Tottenham is a thing.”One swiped: “Death, taxes, and the Dr Tottenham cure.”READ MORE IN football Another said: “Never underestimate Dr. Tottenham.”Spurs fell to their fourth defeat in nine Premier League matches as manager Ange Postecoglou admitted fan frustration will be rife. He said: “It was one of those games with a lot of stoppages and battles and they ended up winning a lot of them and coming out on top. “There was a lot of disruption and it was hard to get any fluency. They did better than us.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”It turned into a game they were thriving on and we should have dealt with it better.”It was a poor goal to concede, it had nothing to do with playing out from the back. That can happen.Wayne Rooney reveals nine-word message to Plymouth stars that inspired stunning comeback from being 3-0 down”I’d be very surprised if they were happy right now. Why would I be happy? If I’m unhappy then they’ll be unhappy. “If you’re suggesting that our fans weren’t happy with today then that’s a fair assessment.” More

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    Man Utd player ratings: Bruno Fernandes causes endless problems but Marcus Rashford entirely absent before being hooked

    JARROD BOWEN converted a controversial injury time penalty to heap more pressure on Erik ten Hag.The West Ham captain sealed West Ham’s third win of the season from the spot in the 92nd minute after referee David Coote was sent to the monitor by VAR Michael Oliver for a very soft challenge by Matthijs de Ligt on Danny Ings.Jarrod Bowen’s stoppage-time penalty earned West Ham the win over Man UtdCredit: GettyIt was another miserable afternoon for Erik ten Hag’s sideCredit: GettyCasemiro had earlier cancelled out Crysencio Summerville’s opener for West Ham.The visitors showed a supreme knack for incompetence in front of goal throughout the first half.Alejandro Garnacho should have had a brace before 10 minutes was even on the clock.Diogo Dalot, having skipped past Lukasz Fabianksi, then hilariously missed a glaring open net.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThere were one-on-one chances too for Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford that neither took advantage of before Fabianski pulled off a fine fingertip save from Casemiro.After a horrendous first half, Julen Lopetegui made a treble change – introducing match-winner Summerville – and West Ham were immediately on top.They were quickly creating and were ready to take their chance when United offered it up.Garnacho cheaply gave the ball away on Manchester United’s left where Jean-Clair Todibo set Jarrod Bowen away.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSIngs met his cross with a scuffed finish but it fell to Summerville at the far post to bag his first goal for the Hammers.Having been in the ascendency, West Ham sat back and looked shaky after the goal.Nicky Butt reveals time Sir Alex Ferguson caught him and Roy Keane red-handedTen Hag sent on Zirkzee to try and capitalise and they were soon level – the Dutch striker grabbing the assist.Amad Diallo, another substitute, lifted a cross to the far post where a trio of headers, from Dalot, Zirkzee and then Casemiro saw the ball past Fabianski.United’s work in getting back into the game was undone by a VAR call which left the visitors fuming, with De Ligt judged to have fouled Ings in the box – allowing Bowen to convert and claim a much needed win.Here is how SunSport’s Jack Rosser rated the Manchester United players…Andre Onana – 6Very loose with the ball at his feet early on but soon settled.Manchester United conceded from West Ham’s first shot on target, though given Ings’ deflected strike there was little Onana could have done about it.Diogo Dalot – 5Delivered one of the most entertaining missed chances you will see all season – doing so well to clip the ball past Lukasz Fabianski before smashing the ball high and wide of an open goal.Despite that, had little trouble from those in claret and blue attacking down his side until Summerville was introduced. The former Leeds man tested Dalot a number of times with his pace.Redeemed himself a touch with the header back in ahead of Casemiro’s equaliser.Matthijs de Ligt – 6Hard done by in conceding the penalty for what looked a soft challenge on Hammers striker Ings.Restricted West Ham well for the most part but United never looked entirely comfortable at the back and a more potent attack could have caused much more trouble.Lisandro Martinez – 6Struggled at times to deal with the strength and direct nature of Michail Antonio, who tested all across United’s back line well until he was replaced by Ings.Noussair Mazraoui – 5Struggled to keep a handle on both Bowen and former Manchester United man Aaron Wan-Bissaka for the most part and was thrown around by Michail Antonio at times.Having looked soft at the back he also offered very little going forwards down the left.Casemiro – 6Started strongly dominating in the middle but struggled to wrestle that back when West Ham picked up.Was denied a first half goal by Fabianski’s superb save but got one eventually as he refused to give up and made sure the ball.Christian Eriksen – 5Some flashes of creativity in the first half but could not help United keep control in the second after West Ham perked up.Marcus Rashford – 4Entirely absent throughout the hour he was on the pitch. Played down the right he was easily managed by Emerson Palmieri who had little of note to do before the winger went off.Marcus Rashford endured another difficult afternoonCredit: RexBruno Fernandes – 7Caused huge problems for West Ham and created plenty of chances which his teammates put to waste.Fernandes made a fine run to meet a Casemiro cross but headed over the bar and had to watch both Garnacho and Dalot pass up huge chances after his good work to set them up – especially the latter, a wonderful looped ball to cut out the entire West Ham defence.Bruno Fernandes’ performance was a silver lining for Ten Hag’s sideCredit: GettyAlejandro Garnacho – 5The young winger should have had two goals inside the opening eight minutes. One chance was rattled against the bar before a poor finish sent the second wide of the far post.He continued to cause trouble down the left but faded as the game went on and crucially gave the ball away in the build-up to Summerville’s goal.Rasmus Hojlund – 5Drew a couple of saves from Hammers keeper Fabianski but neither looked too difficult.The Dane was rather comfortably dealt with by West Ham’s central defenders and never looked too much of a threat.SubstitutesAmad Diallo – 6Added some life and threat to a forward line which had offered little after the break and lifted a clever ball over to Dalot in the build-up to Casemiro’s goal.READ MORE SUN STORIESJoshua Zirkzee – 5Claimed an assist but did not know a lot about it and struggled to have an impact from there on.Victor Lindelof – n/aUnused subs: Altay Bayindir, Manuel Ugarte, Jonny Evans, Ethan Wheatley, Harry Amass, Jack Fletcher. More

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    Chelsea player ratings: Cole Palmer shows why he could win Ballon d’Or but team-mate flops in new position

    ENZO MARESCA’S tricky Blues picked up a huge three points with a Cole Palmer winner seeing them bounce back from defeat at Liverpool. Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring but Alexander Isak levelled before the break. Cole Palmer scored the winning goalCredit: AFPBut star man Cole Palmer sealed victory with his second-half strike which beat Nick Pope at the near post.Find out how SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield rated the Chelsea players…Robert Sanchez – 3/10Pretty poor in all honesty. READ MORE IN football A liability in terms of distribution, and while a decent shot-stopper, he consistently seems to be a big question mark in this Chelsea eleven. Malo Gusto – 3It looks as though Chelsea may have to choose between Gusto and Reece James to start on the right with them Failed to impact the game much attacking-wise, and was bettered by Lewis Hall who crossed for Alexander Isak’s equaliser. Most read in FootballMalo Gusto failed to impact the game much attacking-wiseCredit: GettyWesley Fofana – 6Picked up a knock early on and played the rest of the game with a strapped-up knee. Nonetheless, gave as good as he got against the powerful Alexander Isak for large parts of the game, and made some crucial blocks and tackles throughout. Levi Colwill – 6Was fortunate to get away with a clumsy tackle on Bruno Guimaraes early in the first half, but was still fairly solid. For a man with such an impressive passing range, it felt like he couldn’t quite put it to use today. Seemingly prevented Alexander Isak from levelling with his aura alone…Reece James played out of positionCredit: AFPReece James  – 2Playing as a left-centre back it’s hard to see how Chelsea will get the best out of what could be one of the finest attacking wing backs in the world. He didn’t look comfortable in that position, and let Alexander Isak run away from him for Newcastle’s equaliser. He came up with two crucial blocks in the second half to deny Isak from making it two or three, before giving him a golden chance to do so which was not taken. Romeo Lavia – 7Followed up a brilliant performance in the loss to Liverpool with another good showing in the middle of the park here. Starting to look like a bargain with performances like these if he can stay fit, as he claimed the assist for Cole Palmer’s fine finish. Romeo Lavia was brilliant in midfieldCredit: GettyMoises Caicedo – 7Effective in breaking up play for the Blues, and it was a solid showing from a midfield player who has been so good this season. Steps into challenges nicely at just the right time, and is becoming a dependable figure in the same mould in which N’golo Kante and Claude Makelele were in their time here. Noni Madueke – 5Quiet in the first half, but better in the second as he looked to trouble Lewis Hall more. Was outshone by Pedro Neto on the opposite flank this time out, before being swapped out for Mykhailo Mudryk. Pedro Neto was a threat down the leftCredit: APPedro Neto – 8So much pace down the left-hand side which was utilised perfectly to leave Livramento in the dust to set up Nicolas Jackson’s opening goal. Could have had a goal early in the second half as he rattled the post with a header after leaping like a salmon. Cole Palmer – 9Started the game well with a cracking finish which VAR ruled out, only to cook the Newcastle defence a matter of moments later with an incisive pass for Neto to set up the opener. Newcastle simply could not handle the midfield man, who lit up Stamford Bridge early in the second half to claim his sixth goal of the season. Nonchalance personified, cool Cole showed why he will attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony tomorrow night, and why he can win it in coming years. Cole Palmer won the gameCredit: RexNicolas Jackson – 8A superb first-time finish opened the scoring for the Blues, and the Senegalese forward did well with the little service he had in the first half – often needing to drop deep to pick up the ball and link up the play. 14 goals in his last 14 Premier League games – leave the Didier Drogba comparisons at home, this is a superstar in his own right. SUBS:MYKHAILO MUDRYK (NONI MADUEKE, 67) – 5Had a big chance to add a third to Chelsea’s tally after replacing Madueke, but his left-footed strike was saved by Nick Pope, who didn’t have to move.ENZO FERNANDEZ  (ROMEO LAVIA, 72) – 5Didn’t add anything which Lavia wasn’t already giving, but ultimately wasn’t given much time to really impact the game. MARC CUCURELLA (MALO GUSTO  , 78) – 5Individually, didn’t have a lot of time to show what he’s made of, but Chelsea look like a better team with him in the side. He plays the inverted left-back role well, allowing Chelsea to get the most out of their right-side. CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU  ( NICOLAS JACKSON, 78) – 6READ MORE SUN STORIESHad a half-chance late on, which wasn’t taken as he dilly-dallied on the ball on the edge of the box. Thought he had won a penalty on the stroke of the 90th minute after going down under pressure from Dan Burn, but it was ruled out by VAR. Christopher Nkunku thought he had won a penaltyCredit: Reuters More

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    West Ham 2 Man Utd 1: Jarrod Bowen’s late penalty after hugely controversial penalty inflicts more pressure on ten Hag

    JARROD BOWEN piled the pressure on to Erik ten Hag as his late penalty condemned Manchester United to defeat against West Ham.Man Utd were looking to register back-to-back wins for the first time this season, but were made to rue missed chances once again before VAR intervened to condemn them to defeat.Jarrod Bowen’s late penalty won the game for West Ham against Man UtdCredit: GettyThe 2-1 defeat piles the pressure on to Man Utd boss Erik ten HagCredit: AlamyCrysencio Summerville’s first goal for the Hammers since joining the club in the summer looked like set to ruin the Red Devils’ day.But moments later Casemiro finally headed a goal into the West Ham net to level the score.However, the result was decided in injury time as Bowen slotted home a penalty after Matthijs de Ligt was controversially deemed to have fouled Danny Ings in the area.Ten Hag’s side had miraculously managed to not go into half-time ahead. They had struck the woodwork twice and wasted four big chances, with Diogo Dalot’s missed chance to score into open goal the pick of the bunch in terms of showing how poor they had been.Julen Lopetegui rang the changes for the home side at half-time with three changes.It managed to spark them into a much-improved display, with the flow of the game no longer one-way traffic in Man Utd’s favour. More

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    Chelsea 2 Newcastle 1: Cole Palmer runs the show once again as Blues regain spot in top four

    CHELSEA survived a late bombardment to return to winning ways against Newcastle.Cole Palmer went from architect to matchwinner with Nicolas Jackson also scoring his sixth Prem goal of the season.Cole Palmer notched the winner again for ChelseaCredit: GettyAlexander Isak celebrates his equaliserCredit: GettyPalmer was the star of the showCredit: ReutersNicolas Jackson clinically put away his sixth goal of the seasonCredit: RexPalmer thought he had given his side the lead minutes into the contest when he latched onto the end of Jackson’s pass to find the bottom corner – only for VAR to rule him offside.The England star then turned creator moments later as his brilliant through ball sparked a counterattack, with Pedro Neto crossing for Jackson to score.Newcastle bounced back and Alexander Isak finished off a well-worked move, converting a cross from ex-Chelsea star Lewis Hall.That was the story of the first half and Chelsea came out from the break on fire – Palmer firing beyond Nick Pope after being given acres of space to run into.READ MORE ON CHELSEAAgain Newcastle fought back and should have had an equaliser after Isak rounded Robert Sanchez after punishing a mistake by Wesley Fofana, but the striker dallied on the ball and was somehow unable to score.CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSChelsea fans pelted with missiles by Panathinaikos thugs as riot police forced to protect travelling supporters More

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    Crystal Palace 1 Tottenham 0: Jean-Philippe Mateta saves Oliver Glasner’s job and finally kickstarts Prem campaign

    FRENCH SAVIOUR Jean-Philippe Mateta may have saved Oliver Glasner’s job at Crystal Palace as he finally kick-started the club’s Premier League campaign.Having been winless in their opening eight matches – their joint-worst start to a top-flight season – the Eagles are now soaring thanks to this brilliant and much-needed home win over Tottenham.Jean-Philippe Mateta got the only goal of the game as Crystal Palace beat TottenhamCredit: AFPIn all likelihood, the Austrian head coach would have been axed come the November international break if there had not been a dramatic reversal in their fortunes.And the former Europa League winner will be forever indebted to the decisive actions of striker Mateta, who celebrates by kicking a corner flag.Overall, it was a sorry display by Spurs, who have now lost for the third time in the Prem in just nine matches and are nine points behind leaders City.It was a physical battle, too, as befits any London derby, and three Tottenham stars came off worse in hard-hitting challenges in the first half alone.First, James Maddison was flattened from behind by Maxence Lacroix and needed assistance to get back up – for the next five minutes he was seen clutching his painful lower back.Dejan Kulusevski had a forearm smashed into the side of his head by Palace’s Marc Guehi and it was a surprise that neither referee Darren Bond nor VAR decided to at least caution the England centre-back.Then Spurs full-back Pedro Porro was screaming in agony after coming off worse in a collision with Tyrick Mitchell close to the touchline.Selhurst Park used to be one of the best top-flight grounds to visit for match-day atmosphere with the Holmesdale Fanatics Ultras banging the drums and making their presence felt.Most read in FootballThat has not been the case so much this season, perhaps understandably given the dreadful sequence of results.No wonder it was a bit flat to begin with but come 31 minutes they were all shouting BOOOOOOOM as they saluted Mateta’s fifth goal of the season.Tottenham were mucking about at the back – no team decides to lump it long these days, they always want to play it out of trouble.A hospital pass by captain Cristian Romero was played over to Micky van de Ven on the left side but when the speedy Dutchman slipped, possession was quickly won by Daniel Munoz.The Colombian’s cross from the right was intelligently flicked-on by the backheel of Eberechi Eze into the path of his French colleague.And the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist controlled the ball with his right and then slammed it home with his left – before booting one of the corner flags, as is his signature celebration, as the crowd went wild.Palace were indebted to goalkeeper Dean Henderson for holding the fort until half-time as he produced a brilliant reaction save when Maddison struck goal-bound.Four minutes into the second half, Eze thought he had managed to break the Spurs high line and double the lead when he received an excellent through ball by the magnificent Adam Wharton.Racing clear of the last Spurs man, he managed to squeeze his shot past the body of Guglielmo Vicario and was convinced he had remained onside.Yet the assistant ref raised his flag and after a VAR review the on-field decision was not overturned.However, where was VAR when Eze was brought down minutes later?The England winger showed off his full bag of tricks in the Tottenham box and was then brought to the ground by a combination of pressure from behind by Kulusevski and Van de Ven grabbing his red-and-blue striped shirt.Even from a distance, it looked like a clear penalty, there had been contact with an opponent and the Palace team went ballistic that no spotkick was awarded.Soon afterwards, Van de Ven – the quickest man in the Prem – brought down Ismaila Sarr and as the last man, many wanted and expected a red to be shown.Controversially, ref Bond only gave a yellow as he felt Sarr was not running directly towards Vicario’s goal when the impact happened.Prior to that Ange Postecoglou had made a triple substitution on 62 minutes, which included taking off teenager Mikey Moore.At 17 years and 77 days old, Moore is the youngest player to start a Prem match for Tottenham since Stephen Carr (17 years and 28 days) against Ipswich Town in September 1993.READ MORE SUN STORIESThough he had an excellent display last Thursday against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League – Maddison said it was like watching Neymar – the South Londoner looked a bit leggy this time and did not offer much in attack.Tottenham were unable to find the equaliser they desperately wanted and were grateful for Vicario’s exceptional one-handed save to palm away Wharton’s 25-yard strike on 83 minutes.THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball. 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    ‘I know’: Ballon d’Or chief hints Cristiano Ronaldo might be holding silent protest ahead of Paris ceremony

    CRISTIANO RONALDO could protest being snubbed for a Ballon d’Or nomination by refusing to attend Monday’s ceremony.The Portuguese legend, 39, is a five-time winner of the prestigious award – claiming the honour in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.Cristiano Ronaldo could decide against going to the ceremony in Paris on MondayCredit: ReutersBut in 2023 he failed to make the 30-player shortlist for the first time in 20 years.And the Al-Nassr forward also missed out this time around – making it the first time in more than two decades that neither Ronaldo or Lionel Messi were among the nominations.Ronaldo has still received an invite to the ceremony in Paris on Monday as all previous winners are permitted to attend.However, France Football editor Vincent Garcia has hinted Ronaldo may opt to stay at home.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLSpeaking to The Times, he said: “Winners have the right to come back to all future ceremonies but they don’t all come, some are very upset with us.”I don’t know for certain Cristiano is. I don’t talk to him directly, but I know for example that former winners vote for the Kopa Trophy – for the best young player – and Cristiano didn’t vote last year and he didn’t vote this year.”Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior is the favourite to win this year’s Ballon d’Or ahead of Manchester City midfielder Rodri.The Brazilian scored 24 goals and assisted 11 last season as Carlo Ancelotti’s men lifted the LaLiga title and Champions League.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHe also already has 15 goal contributions in as many games for Real Madrid this season.Vinicius would become just the third player outside of Messi and Ronaldo to win the award since 2008.Cristiano Ronaldo sits in on son Cristiano Jr’s training session as 14-year-old looks to follow in dad’s footsteps Luka Modric won it in 2018, while Karim Benzema picked it up in 2022.Ballon d’Or nominees in fullMen’s awardJude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid)Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Turkey, Inter)Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid)Rúben Dias (Portugal, Manchester City)Artem Dovbyk (Ukraine, Dnipro / Girona / Roma)Phil Foden (England, Manchester City)Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)Mats Hummels (Germany, Borussia Dortmund)Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich)Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, Atalanta)Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa)Lautaro Martínez (Argentina, Inter )Kylian Mbappé (France, Paris Saint-Germain / Real Madrid)Martin Ødegaard (Norway, Arsenal)Dani Olmo (Spain, Leipzig / Barcelona)Cole Palmer (England, Manchester City / Chelsea)Declan Rice (England, Arsenal)Rodri (Spain, Manchester City)Antonio Rüdiger (Germany, Real Madrid)Bukayo Saka (England, Arsenal)William Saliba (France, Arsenal)Federico Valverde (Uruguay, Real Madrid)Vinícius Júnior (Brazil, Real Madrid)Vitinha (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain)Nico Williams (Spain, Athletic Club)Florian Wirtz (Germany, Bayer Leverkusen)Granit Xhaka (Switzerland, Bayer Leverkusen)Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)Women’s awardBarbra Banda (Zambia, Shanghai RCB / Orlando Pride)Aitana Bonmatí (Spain, Barcelona)Lucy Bronze (England, Barcelona / Chelsea)Mariona Caldentey (Spain, Barcelona / Arsenal)Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi, Paris Saint-Germain / Olympique Lyonnais)Grace Geyoro (France, Paris Saint-Germain)Manuela Giugliano (Italy, AS Roma)Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway, Barcelona)Patricia Guijarro (Spain, Barcelona)Giulia Gwinn (Germany, Bayern Munich)Yui Hasegawa (Japan, Manchester City)Ada Hegerberg (Norway, Olympique Lyonnais)Lauren Hemp (England, Manchester City)Lindsey Horan (USA, Olympique Lyonnais)Lauren James (England, Chelsea)Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France, Paris Saint-Germain)Alyssa Naeher (USA, Chicago Red Stars)Sjoeke Nüsken (Germany, Chelsea)Ewa Pajor (Poland, VfL Wolfsburg / Barcelona)Salma Paralluelo (Spain, Barcelona)Gabi Portilho (Brazil, Corinthians)Alexia Putellas (Spain, Barcelona)Mayra Ramírez (Colombia, Levante / Chelsea)Trinity Rodman (USA, Washington Spirit)Lea Schüller (Germany, Bayern Munich)Khadija Shaw (Jamaica, Manchester City)Sophia Smith (USA, Portland Thorns)Mallory Swanson (USA, Chicago Red Stars)Tarciane (Brazil, Corinthians / Houston Dash)Glódís Viggósdóttir (Iceland, Bayern Munich)Yashin TrophyDiogo Costa (Portugal, Porto)Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Paris Saint-Germain)Gregor Kobel (Switzerland, Borussia Dortmund)Andriy Lunin (Ukraine, Real Madrid)Mike Maignan (France, Milan)Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia, Valencia)Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa)Unai Simón (Spain, Athletic Club)Yann Sommer (Switzerland, Inter)Ronwen Williams (South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns)Kopa TrophyPau Cubarsí (Spain, Barcelona)Alejandro Garnacho (Argentina, Manchester United)Arda Güler (Turkey, Real Madrid)Karim Konaté (Ivory Coast, Salzburg)Kobbie Mainoo (England, Manchester United)João Neves (Portugal, Benfica / Paris Saint-Germain)Savinho (Brazil, Girona / Manchester City)Mathys Tel (France, Bayern Munich)Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)Warren Zaïre-Emery (France, Paris Saint-Germain)Men’s coach awardXabi Alonso (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)Carlo Ancelotti (Italy, Real Madrid)Luis de la Fuente (Spain, Spain national team)Gian Piero Gasperini (Italy, Atalanta)Pep Guardiola (Spain, Manchester City)Lionel Scaloni (Argentina, Argentina national team)Women’s coach awardSonia Bompastor (France, Olympique Lyonnais / Chelsea)Arthur Elias (Brazil, Corinthians / Brazil national team)Jonatan Giráldez (Spain, Barcelona / Washington Spirit)Emma Hayes (England, Chelsea / USA national team)Filipa Patão (Portugal, Benfica)Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands, England national team)Men club of the year awardBorussia Dortmund (Germany)Girona (Spain)Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)Manchester City (England)Real Madrid (Spain)Women’s club of the year awardBarcelona (Spain)Chelsea (England)NJ/NY Gotham (USA)Olympique Lyonnais (France)Paris Saint-Germain (France) More