Ben McAleer

Unai Emery has explained why he did not shake Mikel Arteta's hand following Aston Villa's 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal on Tuesday night. Villa made the trip to the Emirates on an 11-game winning run following their 2-1 victory at Chelsea on Saturday evening as the Villans sought to go level with the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table, but ended up being blown away by the hosts.

Victor Osimhen has sent his condolences to heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua after he was involved in a car crash that killed two people in Nigeria this week. Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, friends and trainers of Joshua, both tragically lost their lives in the accident after the car struck a stationary vehicle.

Marcus Rashford has passed a Barcelona referendum as members voted in favour of signing the England forward permanently. Rashford move to the reigning La Liga champions on loan from Manchester United over the summer having been outcast by head coach Ruben Amorim. And the 28-year-old has made an impressive impact for the Blaugrana, who may be prepared to extend his stay in Spain.

Cristiano Ronaldo has re-affirmed his ambition to reach a landmark 1000 goals at the 2025 Globe Soccer Awards. The iconic Portuguese forward was in attendance to collect the coveted Best Middle East Player award, pipping the likes of Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and Salem Al-Dawsari to the individual accolade after the Al-Nassr striker bagged brace in a 3-0 win over Al-Akhdoud.

Unai Emery insists that his Aston Villa side are not Premier League title contenders despite their record-equalling run of 11 straight wins. Villa came from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Chelsea on Saturday night to keep on the coattails of Premier League leaders Arsenal. Joao Pedro had flicked Reece James' corner past Emiliano Martinez to put the Blues ahead on home turf.

Rasmus Hojlund continued his impressive start to life with Napoli with a brace in Sunday's 2-0 win over Cremonense to remain on the coattails of league leaders AC Milan. The Dane departed Manchester United for the Scudetto winners on loan over the summer having struggled to adapt to the speed and physicality of the Premier League following his move to Old Trafford in 2023.

Kylian Mbappe is backing Africa Cup of Nations hosts Morocco to go the distance in front of their fans at the prestigious competition, according to national team captain Achraf Hakimi. Real Madrid star Mbappe was in attendance for Morocco's 1-1 group stage draw with Mali with the hosts tipped by many to win AFCON for the first time since their initial success in 1976.

Manchester City made it six league wins on the spin when they travelled to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. City briefly went top as they claimed a 2-1 victory at the City Ground, with summer signing Rayan Cherki the star performer for Pep Guardiola's side. Cherki was directly involved in both City goals, scoring a sumptuous winner to spark jubilant scenes in the away end.

Christopher Nkunku pulled off his trademark celebration after finally scoring his first goal in Serie A. The France international left Chelsea for AC Milan over the summer, penning a five-year contract in a deal worth £36m having failed to make an impact in west London. And while Nkunku has taken time to find his groove in Italy, celebrated his first league goal in style on Sunday.

Ian Wright has warned that Arsenal need to start taking their chances of else they run the risk of being leapfrogged by title rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa. The Gunners edged to a 2-1 win over Brighton on Saturday afternoon to return to the top of the Premier League table having briefly dropped to second following City's 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest in the lunchtime kick-off.

Jarrod Bowen thought his wife, Dani Dyer, was 'joking' when she told the West Ham captain she was going to appear on Celebrity SAS, it has been revealed. Dyer signed up for the show having been forced to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing after breaking her ankle during rehearsals back in September and admitted that she agreed to take part to prove herself.

Christian Eriksen has backed striker Harry Kane to one day return to Tottenham. Kane left Spurs for Bayern Munich in 2023 and has become a revelation with the Bundesliga giants, earning his first piece of silverware of his career last season. And the Danish creator, who spent six-and-a-half years in north London, is hoping to see the England captain back in a Spurs shirt.

Everton midfielder Jack Grealish and Burnley defender Kyle Walker enjoyed a £20,000 Christmas party for the ages in London in a night that ended in a strip club. The pair enjoyed the pre-Christmas bonanza last weekend following the Toffees' 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal last weekend, a result that meant the Gunners were top of the Premier League on Christmas Day.

Rayan Cherki has been hailed by supporters after his match-winning display in Manchester City's 2-1 triumph at Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. The France international moved to the Etihad Stadium from Lyon over the summer, though his game time has been limited due to injury. Nevertheless, fans have been quick to praise the Frenchman following his showing at the City Ground.

Liverpool centre-back and captain Virgil van Dijk has claimed he is relishing the pressure that comes with trying to turn the club's stuttering season around. The Reds have endured a testing campaign both on and off the pitch to date, with the Premier League champions struggling to defend their crown in the wake of the tragic passing of Diogo Jota over the summer.

Liverpool need to dip into the January transfer market in order to strengthen in the New Year, according to club legend Jamie Carragher. The Reds spent nearly £450 million ($607m) over the summer following their title triumph last season to bring in the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz. However, Carragher believes the Merseyside giants need to spend further next month.

Rodri has returned to the Manchester City matchday squad for the first time since featuring against Bournemouth at the beginning of November. The Spaniard has struggled for fitness following a serious ACL injury in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal last September with his late showing in the 3-1 victory over the Cherries last month just his sixth league outing for Pep Guardiola's side.

Ryan Giggs has named Gareth Bale as his country's greatest-ever player despite his impressive trophy haul for Manchester United. Giggs won 13 Premier League titles during a trophy-laden career at Old Trafford, which included four FA Cup triumphs and two Champions League successes. Even so, the Welshman believes that Bale is the best player to have ever played for Wales.