Erling Haaland and Phil Foden raised their game as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-0 despite producing an underwhelming performance in south London. The Eagles hit the woodwork in either half, but Haaland gave Pep Guardiola's side the lead late in the first with a towering header before Foden slammed the ball into the net with his favoured left foot to put the game out of Palace's sight.
Bernardo Silva has warned Manchester City stars that they face being "killed", in a sporting sense, if they fail to win trophies in 2025-26. Under Pep Guardiola, the Blues have grown accustomed to collecting major silverware. They missed out on the grandest of prizes last season and are aware that more tough decisions will be made if they come up short again.
Manchester City have announced that head coach Pep Guardiola will skip pre-match press duties ahead of a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace due to a "personal matter". Guardiola was due to face the assembled media on Friday, but his place in that hot-seat will be filled by assistant manager Kolo Toure - with the Blues’ talismanic boss set to be back in the dugout at Selhurst Park.
Denzel Dumfries has put elite European clubs on high alert after making a significant change to his representation. The Inter wing-back has parted ways with super-agent Jorge Mendes, a move that coincides with the activation of a tempting release clause in his contract next summer. Barcelona and Manchester City are monitoring the situation closely as the Dutchman eyes his next move.
Bayern Munich are reportedly ready to open contract talks with Michael Olise in a bid to ward off serious interest from the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain. The German giants fear a mammoth offer could arrive for the French winger this summer and are desperate to secure his long-term future at the Allianz Arena with improved terms.
Liverpool may make their move for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo in January once his £65 million ($87m) release clause becomes active, as the situation involving Mohamed Salah continues to intensify behind the scenes. The Reds reportedly feel that this situation, coupled with rival interest in Semenyo, may force their hand and result in a mid-season bid for the Ghanaian.
In a bombshell seven-and-a-half-minute interview after Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United last weekend, Mohamed Salah accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and claimed he no longer has any relationship with head coach Arne Slot. The 'Egyptian King', who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool over the last eight years and was the driving force behind the 2024-25 Premier League title success under Slot, didn't see a single minute of action at Elland Road after being named on the bench for the third game in a row, and decided to go public with his grievances.
Erling Haaland admits that the absence of Kylian Mbappe in Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid handed Pep Guardiola’s side a “psychological boost”, but insists they were “not happy” at seeing the French superstar remain benched. Mbappe saw no game time as City left Santiago Bernabeu with a morale-boosting 2-1 win in elite European competition.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has issued a passionate defence of under-fire manager Xabi Alonso following the club's 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City. The Belgian shot-stopper insisted the squad remain "united" behind the coach and pledged that the players will support him "wholeheartedly" as they look to end a poor run of form.
Erling Haaland made a hilarious dig at Jamie Carragher amid the Mohamed Salah row as he labelled the Liverpool legend "a loose cannon" after Manchester City edged out Real Madrid in the Champions League. The Norwegian striker’s first-half penalty completed City’s comeback in a tense 2-1 victory over Los Blancos, which tightened their grip on a direct qualification spot for the round of 16 in Europe.
Chelsea’s ownership group has reportedly beaten Manchester United and Manchester City in the chase for Mohamed Zongo, one of Africa’s most exciting young footballers, with the Burkina Faso midfielder set to join Strasbourg in 2027 when he turns 18. The deal, agreed with Sporting Football des Cascades Tenakourou, marks the latest step in Chelsea’s long-term recruitment project, which has increasingly focused on identifying global talent years before they reach senior breakout status.
Manchester City were delighted after VAR intervened to stop the award of a penalty to Real Madrid in just the second minute of the Champions League clash at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night. Vinicius Jr was seen punching the air in delight after the referee pointed to the spot, but Matheus Nunes' foul was adjudged to have happened just outside the box on a night where City ran out 2-1 victors over the Spaniards.
Erling Haaland scored for the first time at the Bernabeu as Manchester City earned a priceless and fully deserved 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola's side went behind to a brilliant strike from Rodrygo, but reacted perfectly, levelling through a Nico O'Reilly tap-in before Haaland earned a penalty and showed nerves of steel to calmly slot it home.
There's a familiarity to the version of domestic bliss enjoyed by the Premier League's top scorer and his other half after Erling Haaland revealed details of a conversation about watching live football at home on a Sunday afternoon. Haaland spotted a tasty live match was on and wanted to put it on, but his girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen was, to put it kindly, not so keen.
Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland has claimed he is held to a higher standard than some of his rivals due to his prolific scoring record. The Norway international has been a huge hit since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund and has scored goals for fun for Pep Guardiola's side. However, Haaland says that he now faces more scrutiny than other strikers and a 20-goal season would not be seen as a huge success for him.
Xabi Alonso has taken a massive gamble on Kylian Mbappe as the Frenchman has been included in the Real Madrid squad to face Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The manager is fighting to save his job in the Spanish capital and needs a positive result to ease the pressure. Mbappe missed training on Tuesday due to an injury, but is still in line to feature against City at the Bernabeu.
As a Real Madrid stalwart who was fiercely loyal to Jose Mourinho, Xabi Alonso did not seem like an obvious signing for Pep Guardiola, and yet the pair got on famously during their two years together at Bayern Munich. Alonso’s experience helped Guardiola win two Bundesliga titles while the veteran player sought to tap into the Catalan’s knowledge as he prepared for his own career on the touchline.
Kylian Mbappe's injury has forced Xabi Alonso to launch a 'desperate' Real Madrid tactic in the fight to save his job against Manchester City. Alonso could turn to out-of-favour forward Endrick in the absence of their star attacker. The Frenchman was absent from Los Blancos' open training session the day before the game against Pep Guardiola's side at the Bernabeu.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered some bizarre advice to under-fire Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso ahead of Wednesday's huge Champions League clash between the two sides at the Bernabeu. Alonso comes into the match fresh from a damaging La Liga defeat to Celta Vigo and with serious question marks over his future as manager.
Paul Scholes believes Arsenal’s title bid will falter once again unless Mikel Arteta finds a way to improve his team's record in the Premier League’s biggest fixtures. The former Manchester United midfielder issued a pointed critique after Arsenal were beaten in agonising fashion by Aston Villa on Saturday, leaving their position at the top of the table looking increasingly fragile.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has left the door open to a potential future move to Liverpool, admitting that while he is focused on his current role, "you never know what can happen" in football, amid intense speculation linking him with a return to Anfield. The coach's response comes amid claims he is in danger of being sacked, while questions have been asked of Arne Slot's future at the Merseyside club.
Kylian Mbappe is in danger of missing Real Madrid's massive Champions League clash with Manchester City due to an injury to his left leg. The French striker was absent from Los Blancos' open training session the day before the game against Pep Guardiola's side at the Santiago Bernabeu, handing yet another headache to under-pressure Real coach Xabi Alonso.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has issued a defiant rallying cry ahead of his side’s crunch Champions League clash with Manchester City, insisting that the mood in the camp has shifted from anger to determination following the chaotic weekend defeat to Celta Vigo. The coach insists his side are "eager" to recover their form amid reports he could be sacked if they fail to win.
German football legend Lothar Matthaus has issued a stark warning to Xabi Alonso, suggesting that Real Madrid superstars Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior may struggle to adapt to his rigid tactical demands after years of "freedom" under Carlo Ancelotti. The Spanish side's recent struggles have sparked claims the coach could be sacked, with his damaged relationship with the Brazilian a major point of contention.
Fifteen years ago, Manchester City were so enamoured with the all-conquering Barcelona that they sought to replicate the same structure. They began by hiring chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, before eventually landing Pep Guardiola to manage the team. All that was missing was Lionel Messi - though they nearly signed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner at the very start of the Abu Dhabi-led project by mistake!