Player ratings

  1. James & Stanway shine but Lionesses set for World Cup play-offs

    England will have to navigate the play-offs in order to reach the 2027 Women's World Cup, with Tuesday night's 3-0 win over Ukraine not enough to secure top spot in their qualifying group. The Lionesses went into the game knowing they needed a favour from Iceland against Spain, after La Roja thumped Sarina Wiegman's side on Friday, and they didn't get it, rendering their own victory meaningless in the chase for the sole automatic berth available.

  2. Hat-trick hero Olise puts on a show in final France warm-up

    Michael Olise scored three and France overcame a brief scare from Northern Ireland to wrap up their pre-World Cup friendlies with a comfortable 3-1 win. The Bayern Munich star was effective throughout and good value for his hat-trick as Les Bleus saw off the visitors without really getting out of second gear. It's hard to imagine a better result before France move to the U.S.

  3. Wrap Kane in cotton wool! England toil in win over NZ

    England have another warm-up game before kicking off their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17, but Harry Kane should clearly play no part at all in Wednesday's friendly against Costa Rice. The Three Lions captain is simply too important to Thomas Tuchel's team, as he underlined for the umpteenth time by scoring the only goal in Saturday's dreadfully dull 1-0 win over New Zealand.

  4. Sorry, Cristiano - Bruno is Portugal's most important player!

    Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes showed why he's Portugal's most important player going into this summer's World Cup in North America by starring in a 2-1 friendly win over Chile in Lisbon on Saturday evening that featured a stupid red card for winger Rafael Leao and a worryingly ineffective display from Seleccao skipper Cristiano Ronaldo.

  5. Lionesses humbled by Spain in heaviest defeat of Wiegman era

    England are on the brink of having to navigate the play-off route in Women's World Cup qualifying after a 4-0 defeat to Spain, the Lionesses' worst result under Sarina Wiegman, put La Roja in pole position for the group's one automatic berth instead. England flew to Mallorca knowing that a draw would be enough to secure their spot at the tournament in Brazil next summer but goals from Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas and Claudia Pina saw them leapfrogged in the table by their hosts, with one game to go.

  6. Cherki delivers but France fall short in Ivory Coast loss

    Rayan Cherki scored a memorable goal, but a much-changed France side couldn't hold onto the lead as they dropped their first World Cup warmup game to the Ivory Coast, 2-1. Manager Didier Deschamps made plenty of changes, yet still named a strong side. Despite some bright moments, Les Bleus weren't able to piece together a complete performance - and were made to pay.

  7. Greenwood & Shaw fire rampant Man City to FA Cup glory

    Khadija Shaw and Alex Greenwood starred as new Women's Super League champions Manchester City did the double on Sunday, thanks to a 4-0 win over Brighton in the FA Cup final. It took Andree Jeglertz's side some time to get going in the capital but once they did, they wasted little time, with two goals in the latter stages of the first half putting City into a commanding position that they never let slip.

  8. From hero to zero! Gabriel & Arsenal suffer UCL heartbreak

    Arsenal suffered penalty shootout heartbreak at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, as Gabriel Magalhaes skied the all-important spot-kick to hand the holders a second-consecutive European crown in Budapest. Kai Havertz had given the Gunners an early lead before Ousmane Dembele's second-half equaliser, and a staunch Arsenal defence took the showpiece to extra-time.

  1. England reject Wharton stars as Palace win Conference League

    Adam Wharton was the star of the show as Oliver Glasner gave Crystal Palace fans the perfect parting gift by leading the Londoners to a fully deserved 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the final of the Conference League on Wednesday night. Right from the first whistle, Wharton had the look of a man determined to make a mockery of Thomas Tuchel's decision to leave him out of the England squad for this summer's World Cup in North America.

  2. Spurs are staying up! Palhinha powers Tottenham to safety

    Tottenham ensured that they avoided relegation from the Premier League as they edged out Everton 1-0 on a nervy Sunday in north London. Joao Palhinha proved to be the hero as he netted the only goal of the game shortly before half-time, with Spurs then able to see the game out and condemn West Ham to the Championship despite their own victory over Leeds United across the capital.

  3. Salah bows out with sublime assist to seal top-five finish

    A teary-eyed Mohamed Salah bid an emotional farewell to Anfield after taking outright possession of Liverpool's Premier League assist record in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Brentford at Anfield. Despite speculation around whether Arne Slot would drop 'The Egyptian King' after copping more indirect criticism from Salah after last week's loss at Aston Villa, the 33-year-old started in the right wing role he's made his own since first arriving from Roma in 2017.

  4. No Europe for Chelsea! Fofana sees red in dire defeat

    Chelsea's miserable season reached a fitting conclusion on Sunday as a dire 2-1 defeat at Sunderland confirmed a 10th-placed Premier League finish and failure to qualify for any form of European football. Having hauled themselves back into the game, the Blues' cause wasn't helped by Wesley Fofana's second-half red card, which snuffed out any hopes of a comeback.

  5. Buendia brilliant as UEL king Emery ends Villa's trophy drought

    Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers all scored great goals as Aston Villa claimed their first major honour in three decades by defeating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday night. Unai Emery's men had gone into the game in Istanbul as heavy favourites - not least because their Spanish coach had already lifted the trophy four times - and, towards the tail end of a tense first half, they underlined their vastly superior quality with two sensational strikes.

  6. Enzo answers the call as Chelsea stars send Alonso a message

    Chelsea ensured Tottenham's fight for Premier League survival will go down to the final day as Enzo Fernandez inspired a 2-1 victory over their fierce London rivals on Tuesday - the Blues' first win in seven games. The Argentine swept home a fine opener from long range in the first half before turning provider for Andrey Santos in the second period, keeping his side's hopes of European qualification alive.

  7. It's over! Pep's perfect EPL farewell goes up in smoke

    Despite the best efforts of Erling Haaland, Manchester City gifted the Premier League title to Arsenal by drawing 1-1 at Bournemouth on Tuesday. The visitors had arrived at the Vitality Stadium hoping to close the gap to the Gunners to just two points ahead of Sunday's final round of fixtures and, thus, give Pep Guardiola a shot at lifting the trophy for a seventh time before stepping down as manager.

  8. One more game! Havertz soars high to put Arsenal on the cusp

    It was far from pretty, but Arsenal are one game away from the Premier League title after holding their nerve to edge past already-relegated Burnley on Monday night, courtesy of Kai Havertz's towering header from yet another set piece. The German forward rose to meet Bukayo Saka's corner shortly before half-time, although he was fortunate not be sent off later in the game. The 1-0 win means the Gunners will be champions if Manchester City drop points at high-flying Bournemouth on Tuesday.

  9. Messi runs the show and Miami's defense gets it done in big win

    Lionel Messi scored and assisted in the first half, and Inter Miami kept a valuable clean sheet in a convincing 2-0 win over Portland to secure their first home win at Nu Stadium. They leaned on their star Argentine for attacking quality in the big moments and were defensively resolute in a comfortable victory against a spirited Portland side.

  10. Brilliant Bruno equals assists record in controversial win

    Bruno Fernandes equalled the Premier League assists record as Manchester United secured a third-placed finish with a hugely controversial 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Michael Carrick's men took a fifth-minute lead at Old Trafford thanks to Luke Shaw, but Morato deservedly drew the visitors level shortly after half-time when he headed in a fine cross from the impressive Elliot Anderson.

  11. Sublime Semenyo secures FA Cup glory for Pep & City

    Manchester City secured their second trophy of the season as Antoine Semenyo's second-half goal secured a 1-0 win over Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola's side edged what was a pretty lifeless affair at Wembley, and Semenyo's sublime flick, scored with 18 minutes left on the clock, proved to be the difference as City won the competition for the eighth time in their history.

  12. Shaw & champions City round out WSL season in style

    Manchester City closed out their title-winning Women's Super League season in style on Saturday, the new English champions finishing the league campaign with a 4-1 win at West Ham before lifting the trophy for the first time in 10 years. City's triumph was confirmed earlier this month, when Arsenal failed to beat Brighton, and so they could enjoy something of a victory lap in the capital, as a packed out away end watched a Khadija Shaw double help deliver another win in a wonderful season.

  13. Is Slot's time up?! Lacklustre Liverpool thumped at Villa

    Liverpool's disastrous title defence hit a new low on Friday night as they were thumped by Champions League-bound Aston Villa - a result that leaves their own hopes of qualification in jeopardy. The Reds were tormented by Ollie Watkins throughout, with the England striker bagging a brace and laying on another. The 4-2 defeat leaves Arne Slot's side fifth in the Premier League, four points clear of Bournemouth in sixth having played a game more.