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Arsenal boosted their prospects of a European finish after yesterday’s 2-0 victory against Southampton moved them to within six points of Manchester United in fifth.

Kieran Tierney put in a great performance in during the match, receiving a 7.2 rating from SofaScore, which was the second best of any outfield player for the Gunners.

However, he did limp off late on in the game, leaving supporters to worry if he had suffered another injury.

The Scottish international was able to walk off the pitch but it would be understandable if Arsenal fans were worried as he has an abortive, injury-plagued first season for the Gunners.

However, Mikel Arteta provided some positive news as he has outlined that there is no worry for the player, telling the club’s official website: “Kieran was cramping. He hasn’t played two games together in the last seven or eight months and he was suffering. The weather is different to Scotland and he needs to adapt to it.”

This is good news for Arsenal as Tierney looked to be part of a new formation to keep the Gunners stronger in defence, and it worked. He started off as a left-back before shifting into the middle when Arteta switched to a back five from his initial four-man defence.

It is also good to have him fit so that Arsenal can have adequate squad depth, with Sead Kolasinac a good alternative to come off of the bench if needed.

Gunners fans will likely be relieved to hear that the Scotsman’s injury is not a major one, especially given his problems in that regard in recent months, ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup clash at Sheffield United.

Gunners fans, were you relieved by Arteta’s update on Tierney? Comment below with your views!

Plenty of Everton fans have given their thoughts on how much former striker Duncan Ferguson would be worth in today’s transfer market.

Ferguson initially arrived at Goodison Park in October 1994 from Scottish Premier League side Rangers, and he would immediately make an impact at the club, prompting a five-year stay at the club.

Netting an impressive 65 goals in 253 games for the Toffees, Ferguson is fondly admired by their fans for his time spent at the club, and he continues to be a presence on Merseyside as he now has a coaching role which also saw him become caretaker manager earlier this season.

After spending time away from Everton with Newcastle United, the Scottish striker would return to Merseyside in a transfer worth £3.75m which would see him spend a further six years at the club before calling time on his playing career in 2006.

With transfer fees hitting the multi-million pound mark nowadays, Ferguson’s deal at the time of his return to Everton would have been seen as expensive, but fans have now given their opinion on the former player’s worth – if he was playing today.

Reacting to the question posed by Twitter account @thetoffees_com, fans discussed the striker’s worth…

Everton fans, what do you think? Let us know below…

Carlo Ancelotti swiftly came to Jude Bellingham's defence over his red card against Valencia, insisting the midfielder "did not insult" the referee.

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• Bellingham found the net just seconds after final whistle
• Referee ended match while ball was still in play
• Ancelotti defended player after straight red

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bellingham ran towards the corner flag to celebrate with Brahim Diaz after heading home in the dying seconds of the match. The Valencia defenders were distraught, thinking that Madrid had completed another 'remontada'from being 2-0 down. But Gil Manzano, the man with the whistle, had other ideas. Just as Diaz crossed into the box, the referee blew the final whistle to stop play with the scoreline at 2-2!

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chaos & pandemonium broke out at the Mestalla as Madrid players started reasoning with the referee. Bellingham couldn't keep his calm and then allegedly said: "It’s a f*cking goal, the ball is in the air. What the f*ck is that!" Manzano didn't like what he heard and reached for his back pocket, flashing a red card in the direction of the England international.

• WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  Speaking to reporters after the match, Ancelotti defended his player and opened up on the chaos of the situation, stating: "What to say, there is not much to say. Something unprecedented has happened. I think the game had to end when Valencia had possession. Then Bellingham's red card bothered us because he didn't insult [the referee]. Bellingham told him 'it's a f*king goal', he didn't insult him. We will see what the referee writes in the act. The players are angry. We all have to calm down. We have an important game on Wednesday."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Bellingham will be suspended for his post-match reaction to the referee when Real Madrid play Celta Vigo in La Liga next Sunday, barring a successful appeal. However, the 20-year-old will be available when Los Blancos host RB Leipzig in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.

After a disappointing draw against the Netherlands, questions are being asked of the coach and whether he can deliver success Down Under

Some advice to Vlatko Andonovski: now isn't the time to search your name on Twitter. Social media isn't a friendly place for the head coach of the United States women's national team right now. It's safe to say that the team's last game has brought out the coach in everyone embedded in American Soccer Twitter.

Andonovski did not have his best night during the USWNT's 1-1 draw against the Netherlands. His line-up decisions were questionable and his tactics weren't adjusted in time. When they were adjusted with the introduction of Rose Lavelle, they were never touched again. Andonovski made just that one substitution in the draw, an almost inexcusable oversight at this level.

The USWNT coach will have learned from that decision, which has been widely criticized in the days since. However, the draw with the Netherlands showed that this USWNT side is very, very beatable. It also showed that there are some tweaks to be made to limit that fact, and the defending champions' fate may very well be determined by how Andonovski handles those tweaks.

GOAL takes a look at what Andonovski can do to get the USWNT back on track, starting with their final group-stage clash against Portugal…

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  Unleash Rose Lavelle

  If the Netherlands draw proved anything, it's that Lavelle is irreplaceable. That game can be broken down into two segments: pre-Lavelle and post-Lavelle. Before she came into the game, the USWNT midfield was helpless, totally outplayed by their Dutch counterparts. After she came on, the U.S. found some level of control and, by the end, looked like the more likely team to score.

  This, though, is where Andonovski has a decision to make. The coach claimed that Lavelle was deemed fit to play for just 45 minutes against the Dutch, and it remains to be seen if that changes pre-Portugal. The most important thing is, of course, to have Lavelle as close to 100 percent as possible for the knockouts because, from what we saw against the Dutch, the U.S. won't win this tournament without her.

  Lavelle needs to be on the field against Portugal one way or another. Maybe that's another 45-minute run-out, maybe it's a 60-minute start or perhaps a true return to fitness with a 90-minute effort. Whatever it is, the U.S. needs to keep building her up for the bigger challenges ahead.

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  Sort out the No.6

  For years, Andonovski has been trying to find some sort of answer at the No.6 position. The USWNT were looking for a Julie Ertz replacement for so long that the program ended up looking towards… Julie Ertz. Fresh off giving birth and after an extended time out of the game, Ertz was brought back into the fold this spring, mostly because the U.S. hadn't figured out how to play without her.

  And then the World Cup started. Ertz wasn't deployed in that No.6 spot, but rather at center-back, with Andi Sullivan – who has failed to convince this cycle – starting in defensive midfield. Against the Netherlands, it didn't look great, with Sullivan at least partially at fault for the goal.

  So how does the U.S. fix it? Well, Andonovski could move Ertz into midfield and bring Alana Cook in at center-back, as everyone expected he would from the start. He could turn to the bench to, say Kristie Mewis, to see if she can offer something different. Or he could mess with the midfield altogether and appease some USWNT fans by finally putting Crystal Dunn in that spot next to Lindsey Horan, with Lavelle ahead.

  There could also be some kind of tweak, like having Horan sit just a bit deeper with Sullivan or Ertz while Lavelle plays higher up, inverting the midfield triangle a bit like they did in the second half against the Netherlands.

  Regardless, teams have all seen the USWNT's weakness is their midfield, and some of the more technical teams in this tournament will be able to dominate in that area. The question is how the U.S. intends to counteract that, with Andonovski needing to figure out something that will allow his midfield to survive against the world's best.

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  Use your depth!

  There probably isn't a team in this tournament with as much depth as the USWNT. Even without the likes of Mallory Swanson, Becky Sauerbrunn, Catarino Macario, Sam Mewis and Tobin Heath, this team still has so much talent.

  And yet, it doesn't appear that Andonovski actually trusts it. If he did, he would have turned to some of his other players against the Netherlands.

  He didn't in the name of continuity, he said, as his side looked more likely to score toward the end. Fair enough, but wouldn't they have been even more likely with fresh legs? He had Megan Rapinoe, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams and Ashley Sanchez all just sitting there – any one of them could have come on and changed that game.

  Andonovski has to trust his players… all of them. He's already started the same XI twice and, given the age of some of those involved, there's a real concern that players could be burnt out by the end of this tournament. And, even if they aren't, it never hurts to use substitutes to add new wrinkles and new ideas to a game that needs opening up.

  The Netherlands game was dying for that, for one player to come in and add just that little something different. Andonovski didn't see it that way, but the U.S. may not be so lucky in the latter stages if he doesn't trust his players to come into games and make a real impact.

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  Add something to the attack

  For years, the U.S. attack has been one that plays as less than the sum of its parts. Throughout his tenure, Andonovski just hasn't quite found a way to get a group of world-class stars on the same page. Injuries have certainly hurt, but that doesn't matter now, does it?

  The U.S. attack just hasn't looked right through two games, failing to pass both the eye test or the statistical one. Just watching, the front three of Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman so rarely moved together with purpose., which is something legendary striker Carli Lloyd has pointed out on .

  “I don’t think you saw that fluidity with the U.S. in the first game,” Lloyd said. “Why would you? That line-up had never played together. The first goal Sophia Smith scored was really the only moment where you saw three players — Lindsey Horan, Alex Morgan and Soph — have that movement off of one another where it was synchronized.

  “Everything else was just these Hail Mary balls that were being lumped into the box. Those aren’t effective often.”

  Statistically, it hasn't been great either. Rodman completed fewer than 50% of her passes against the Netherlands, routinely turning the ball over in important areas of the field. U.S. attacks were routinely halted by bad giveaways, making life a bit easier for the Dutch.

  Figuring this out now is easier said than done. The good news is that the trio of Morgan, Rodman and Smith all do so many things well that they can, at times, simply overwhelm teams individually. Rodman's pace, Smith's smoothness in front of goal and Morgan's veteran guile… all valuable assets that should produce goals.

  That trio will likely be the one leading the U.S. into the knockouts, and getting them on the same page will be key to any deep run.

The managers will go head-to-head for the final time in the league this week. Goal looks back at the fierce words they have exchanged over the years

As Jose Mourinho paid respect to Arsene Wenger after his imminent Arsenal exit was announced, it seemed to confirm a recent shift in the relationship between the managers.

The Manchester United boss spoke of his "respect" for his Gunners counterpart  when asked for his reaction to the news the Frenchman's reign in north London will come to an end at the end of the season.

At first, it sounded like a rare moment of diplomacy from Mourinho as one of his favourite verbal sparring partners bows out of the Premier League. However, having heard Wenger admit his "support" for the Portuguese and parise his team earlier this season, it could be that the animosity that has separated them over the years has died down.

United host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday in a game that will see the legendary managers go head-to-head on the field for the last time.

Here, Goal looks at the finest moments off of it.

Getty ImagesWenger's whatabouteryFacing criticism for fielding an all-foreign team against Crystal Palace in February 2005, Wenger hit back with a dig at Chelsea's policy under Mourinho: "Take what Arsenal and Chelsea have won in the past eight years. I go with reality, with the football we play and the challenge we have ahead. I don't see especially that Chelsea play more English players than we do. Who have they produced, homegrown? Just one, John Terry."AdvertisementGetty Images‘Mourinho is a danger!’

The following August, a more subtle hint was directed towards coaches of the Portuguese’s ilk, when Wenger took a stand against more defensive approaches in football.

"I know we live in a world where we have only winners and losers, but once a sport encourages teams who refuse to take the initiative, the sport is in danger."

Getty ImagesWenger The Voyeur?

Two months later, Mourinho sniped back, suggesting Wenger had a rather ominous obsession with the Blues.

“Wenger has a real problem with us and I think he is what you call in England ‘a voyeur’. He is someone who likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. Wenger must be one of them – it is a sickness. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea.”

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BEN STANSALLThat’s stupid!

The Frenchman was irked by such a suggestion and hit out at Mourinho as "stupid", even considering taking legal action against him.

"I find it out of order, disconnected with reality and disrespectful. I will see if I take any action. I don't know yet but I will leave that door open. I don't know what I said that was malicious.

“When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent.”

MatériaMais Notícias

No jogo de abertura da Copa do Nordeste deu Imperatriz-MA. No Frei Epifânio, o Cavalo de Aço, venceu o CRB de virada por 2 a 1 e começou o torneio com o pé direito.

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Na próxima rodada, o Imperatriz-MA visita o Bahia, em Salvador. O CRB recebe o Santa Cruz, no Rei Pelé.

O confronto

O jogo nem tinha começado direito quando Rafael Longuine aproveitou o erro da zaga do Imperatriz e bateu firme para abrir o placar aos 30 segundos, 1 a 0 CRB.

Com o placar a seu favor, o Galo conseguiu dosar o ritmo do jogo e controlava o ímpeto do rival, que buscava o empate.

Na casa dos 29 minutos o Imperatriz deixou tudo igual. No cruzamento da direita, a bola passou por todo mundo. Menos Joelson, que se esticou todo e balançou a rede, 1 a 1.

Como era esperado, as duas equipes voltaram em ritmo lento para a etapa final e quase nada era criado. Aos 28 minutos, Joelson fez jogada individual e cruzou na medida para Alyson testar firme e virar a favor do Cavalo de Aço.

No prejuízo, o CRB tentou a reação e apostou em Erik. O veloz atacante deu trabalho para o Imperatriz e quase empatou após belo chute da entrada da área que parou no goleiro.

Coach: Robert Croft
Captain: Jacques Rudolph
Last season
In: Craig Meschede (Somerset), Nick Selman, Timm van der Gugten (Dutch passport), Harry Podmore (Middlesex, loan)
Out: Ben Wright (retired)
Overseas: Jacques Rudolph2015 in a nutshell
Glamorgan’s surprise promotion challenge petered out in the Championship – ultimately nobody scored 1000 runs or took 50 wickets – but fourth place still felt like a county punching above its weight. There were few signs, too, that Glamorgan were about to turn Cardiff into a T20 venue to be reckoned with. The outcome was that Toby Radford left as head coach after two years to return to a role of specialist batting coach.2016 prospects
Chief executive Hugh Morris has reduced debts from £16m to less than £5m since returning to Glamorgan, where he was one of 10 homegrown players (plus Waqar Younis) who won the Championship in 1997. Welsh fervour is back in fashion with Robert Croft appointed head coach four years after he called time on a 23-year career. There is much work to do stirring the passions of south Wales and Croft will be grateful to inherit a promising crop of young players, batsmen especially. Craig Meschede is a good signing and Harry Podmore has six matches to make a Championship impact before his loan from Middlesex ends, but the task is a big one.Key player
Graham Wagg, at 32, can look back on a career with some ups and downs but 2015 was one of his best with 838 Championship runs – including a double century against Surrey – and 45 wickets, second to Michael Hogan. A repeat would make Croft’s job much easier as he tries to introduce a more settled approach.Bright young thing
Aneurin Donald was named after the great Welsh politician Aneurin Bevan, architect of the National Health Service, so he should have just the attributes to return Glamorgan to rude health. Donald’s career is still in its infancy – he was not even a regular pick in England’s U-19 World Cup side – but every sign of development for this young batsman will be lapped up.ESPNcricinfo verdict
Morris has stoutly suggested that promotion is a possibility, but with only one side going up it is hard to agree with him. Signs that Cardiff is embracing T20 would be a breakthrough.Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship, Div 2: 10/1; NatWest Blast n/a; Royal London Cup 25/1

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo derrotou o Avaí na noite desta segunda-feira, no Nilton Santos, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. Apesar de ter conquistado os três pontos, o técnico Alberto Valentim admitiu que sua equipe não jogou “muito bem”. Ao analisar o resultado obtido em entrevista coletiva após o duelo, o comandante do Alvinegro destacou a importância da soma dos pontos na luta contra o rebaixamento da competição.

– Hoje nós não jogamos muito bem, erramos muitos passes e finalizações. Podíamos ter matado o jogo depois de termos feito 1 a 0. Nossa ideia não era baixar muito a linha de marcação, foi uma coisa que cheguei a conversar com os jogadores. Fazíamos linha de cinco atrás com muito antes com o Avaí trabalhando a bola no campo defensivo. Foi o que consegui ver vídeo com lances do primeiro tempo que o Fernando (auxiliar) me separou do primeiro tempo – afirmou o treinador, completando:

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– Acredito se fizéssemos o primeiro gol ali, teríamos mais tranquilidade. Ficou um pouquinho de ansiedade talvez. Infelizmente não fomos tão brilhantes como queríamos, mas hoje mais importante do que uma partida bem jogada, o que queremos também, era importantíssimo somar os três pontos. Muito importante vencer na situação em que estávamos. Não temos que olhar para trás, temos que olhar para agora. Nosso campeonato recomeçou agora. Só tem que olhar para essas seis partidas que faltam. Principalmente em semana cheia é importante, passa a semana toda com três pontos. Distanciamos mais um pouco dos times que lutam contra o rebaixamento.

Com o resultado, após quatro derrotas consecutivas, o Botafogo sobe três posições e vai para 14ª colocação do Campeonato Brasileiro, com 36 pontos. O Alvinegro entra em campo no domingo, às 18h, contra o Athletico, na Arena da Baixada.

Karun Nair has been a floater in the Rajasthan Royals batting line-up and had had a highest score of 25 prior coming into their home game against Delhi Daredevils in Mumbai. But pushed up to No. 3 for the first time in the season, he produced a rapid, match-winning half-century that he credited to taking the time to play himself in.”I told myself at the beginning of the innings I should just play run-a-ball and look for the odd boundary,” he told , “I gave myself time in the first ten to fifteen balls and from then on I decided to go for the big shots. I am not a powerful hitter, but I can hit the ball for a six. A six doesn’t necessarily need to go out of the ground, it has to just clear the fence and I think I can do it easily.”His 61 off 38 balls was part of a 113-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane at a run-rate of 9.82. Nair said the gameplan had been to take the game deep and set things up for their finishers.”We spoke about running hard between the wickets and then getting the odd boundary and play normal cricket shots,” Nair said. “We wanted to take the game as deep as possible because we have good hitters in our side. We did that really well. The plan was to get ten runs in every over after the time out and target 170 at the end of 20 overs. Anything more than that was always meant to be a bonus. One boundary an over was what was discussed in the meeting.”His team-mate James Faulkner also had a successful outing, picking up 2 for 22 in conditions that helped fast bowlers at Brabourne stadium, where Royals had had a camp prior to the start of the tournament.”There was a fair bit of assistance with the new ball and you had to bash it into the wicket. There was a fair bit of seam. But that is T20 cricket; you get flat tracks where you don’t get much swing or spin, but then you have tracks that turn a long way. This one had a bit of seam tonight and had good carry which was great. I think that is what everyone likes, different challenges every single time.”Faulkner was making a return to the XI after missing the game against Mumbai Indians last Friday and spoke about the demands on an foreign player in the IPL.”I missed out on the last game since we decided to give Rusty Theron a go,” Faulkner said. “Tonight I came back into the side. That is how the format works. There is always a lot of class sitting on the bench.”It doesn’t matter if you are there from the start or join halfway through, you are always expected to put up your best. You are an overseas player at the end of the day, and looked at to bring something unique to the table. Once you play international cricket, there is always going to be expectations from you in any Twenty20 league. Every overseas player is used to that.”

Nottinghamshire are in a strong position to start their County Championship campaign with a victory after dominating the second day against Middlesex at Lord’s

Press Association13-Apr-2015
ScorecardSamit Patel’s three wickets helped put Nottinghamshire in a strong position•Getty ImagesNottinghamshire are in a strong position to start their County Championship campaign with a victory after dominating the second day against Middlesex at Lord’s.Although they missed out on a third batting bonus point when they were dismissed for 298 in the first over of the day, Nottinghamshire bowled out Middlesex for 181 with Harry Gurney and Samit Patel each taking three wickets.Going in again with a lead of 117, Nottinghamshire openers Steven Mullaney and Brendan Taylor, who made a century in the first innings, put on 77 before Mullaney was bowled by Tom Helm and Taylor was caught at long-off off Tim Murtagh, but they will resume in a position of strength on 101 for 2, a lead of 218.It became a chastening day for Middlesex made worse by the absence of Dawid Malan, who was unable to bat after breaking his finger on the first day. Malan is due to see a specialist to assess the extent of the injury.It had started well enough with Steven Finn having last man Gurney caught at backward point off the second ball of the day to deny Nottinghamshire a third batting point.Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins then put on 51 for the first wicket when Middlesex replied, but the innings went into steady decline once Gurney had moved one back up the Lord’s slope to bowl Gubbins for 23.Nick Compton, in his first innings since returning to Lord’s from Somerset, never settled and was bowled by Vernon Philander for 3 by one that nipped back off the seam.The procession continued after lunch once Nottinghamshire had removed the adhesive Robson for 35 when he offered no shot to Jake Ball’s third ball of the session and lost his off stump. Nottinghamshire’s seam attack relished a green-tinged pitch offering some lateral movement with Gurney and Ball bowling superbly in tandem as they made further inroads.Stand-in skipper Adam Voges got a faint edge when Gurney moved one off the pitch and in the next over Ball surprised Paul Stirling with extra bounce and Patel took the catch above his head at second slip.Batting looked a little easier once the ball had lost its hardness and the sun came out with John Simpson and James Harris adding 40 for the sixth wicket with few alarms.Nottinghamshire skipper Chris Read turned to Patel’s left-arm spin and the hunch paid off with two wickets in three balls with Harris leg before playing back – Patel’s 200th first-class wicket – and Helm offering no shot.Gurney took his third wicket when Simpson was betrayed by a lack of footwork as he prodded to first slip and Taylor ended the innings by taking a fine running catch at deep midwicket to remove Murtagh for 19 and give Patel his third wicket.