Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been charged by the Football Association for comments made about referee Kevin Friend after the Reds’ draw at West Ham last week. Klopp intimated after the 1-1 result on Monday, February 4 that Friend’s performance had been affected by an assistant referee’s mistake for Sadio Mane’s goal. Mane’s opener was allowed to stand despite Reds team-mate James Milner being clearly offside in the build-up. An FA statement read: “Jurgen Klopp has today been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3. “It is alleged that comments he made in a post-match interview following Liverpool’s league game against West Ham United on 4 February 2019 breached…

Thibaut Courtois is hoping his ‘buddy’ Eden Hazard can follow in his footsteps by swapping Chelsea for Real Madrid this summer. The shot-stopper angered Blues fans for his outspoken approach before and after his transfer to the Spanish capital following the World Cup in Russia. And his latest comments are once again expected to infuriate his former employers after attempting to coax Hazard to the Bernabeu. The forward has done little deter rumours of a move to Real over the last few years, repeatedly telling Belgian news outlets he would like to make the move to Los Blancos. And, with one year left on his current contract, Courtois believes his…

Manchester United’s move for RB Leipzig youngster Dayot Upamecano failed to materialise over broken promises, his agent has claimed. Upamecano, 20, is regarded as one of Europe’s top young defenders and has started 13 Bundesliga games this season. And Thierry Martinez has revealed Upamecano could have been a United player for just £2million in 2015. Martinez told French outlet So Foot: “An intermediary met with us, but between the project she presented us and what was actually going to happen. “A flat was promised, but that changed to a host family with only six return trips for his parents. “When you uproot a player at such a young age, that…

The Argentine has played down the Belgium international’s frustrations after he kicked a water bottle after coming off at the weekend Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has no problem with Yannick Carrasco after the Belgium international reacted angrily to being substituted against Alaves. Auba: I want to leave Dortmund Carrasco kicked a water bottle when Simeone replaced him with Fernando Torres in the 62nd minute of Saturday’s disappointing 0-0 draw. Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool put on a five-star show Lukaku sends reminder that his Man Utd career is far from…

Jadon Sancho’s success at Borussia Dortmund has come as no surprise to Mauricio Pochettino. Tottenham Hotspur face Dortmund at Wembley on Wednesday for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie. The 18-year-old has burst onto the scene for the German club this season and has eight goals and 11 assists in all competitions. Sancho signed for Dortmund for £8million in August 2017 after finding his opportunities limited at Manchester City. Pochettino has hinted that the England midfielder was on their radar when he left the Manchester club. “We knew very well that he was capable to do what he is doing now with game time,” said Pochettino. “Of…

The side struggled in the first half, but turned on the style after the break to take an impressive 3-0 win Gennaro Gattuso was buoyed by AC Milan’s second-half display against Empoli, as the Rossoneri made light work of the Serie A strugglers on Friday. Milan were frustrated in the first half at San Siro, but two goals in as many minutes set them up for a dominant second-half display. The in-form Krzysztof Piatek got the opener – his seventh goal for Milan in all competitions – with Franck Kessie putting Empoli out of sight before Samu Castillejo capped an impressive display with a crisp finish. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri…

Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani is out of tonight’s Champions League first-leg at Manchester United after picking up a thigh injury on Saturday. The 31-year-old scored what proved to be the winner in the Ligue 1 game against Bordeaux but was withdrawn at half-time. PSG boss Thomas Tuchel is already without Neymar and has ruled Cavani out too meaning Kylian Mbappe will have to lead the line for the Ligue 1 giants. Asked about the injury blow, Tuchel said: “Would Man United miss Pogba or Rashford? Of course. Neymar is one of our best players and one of the best players in Europe. We will miss him a lot. And now Cavani…

Former Manchester United stars David Beckham and Gary Neville, along with legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, have led the tributes to Eric Harrison, the former coach who died on Wednesday night, aged 81. Harrison is credited with developing the ‘Class of 92’ during his time as a United coach, with Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the two Neville brothers, Gary and Phil, among others tutored by the Yorkshireman. He played for Halifax, Hartlepool, Barrow and Southport before hanging up his boots and entering the world of coaching in 1972, with Harrison moving to United from Everton nine years later. Harrison was hired by Ron Atkinson but stayed on as…

The French playmaker has been compared to his fellow countryman in the past and would welcome a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu to work under him Samir Nasri says he would relish the chance to join Real Madrid and play under head coach Zinedine Zidane. The European champions are enjoying superb form under the former France star and will set a new Spanish record of 40 games unbeaten if they avoid defeat to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey on Thursday. Nasri: I joined Sevilla for good food and nice girls Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage…

A period of applause ahead of all fixtures from Tuesday February 12th to Sunday 17th February will be observed to celebrate the life of Gordon Banks, the EFL has announced. Banks, who was England’s 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper passed away overnight after suffering from kidney cancer for the second time. The former Leicester and Stoke glovesman will be remembered as one of England’s finest keepers not just for lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy at Wembley but also for a save he made four years later. In what has been described as the ‘save of the century’, Banks brilliantly denied Brazil icon Pele at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, scooping…