Semi-final against Athletic Bilbao now the priority Amass, Obi and Heaven in line to get more game time Ruben Amorim will use younger players in Manchester United’s next three Premier League fixtures as he prioritises the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao. United play at Athletic on 1 May and host the return a week later. Matches against Wolves and Bournemouth precede the first leg and United go to Brentford in between the European fixtures. Continue reading...

Brighton hope their injury problems ease, Palace must stem the tide and Forest could do with Chris Wood fully fit Considering the length of Brighton’s injury list, Fabian Hürzeler will be desperate to get Kaoru Mitoma back in time for Saturday’s trip to west London. The Japanese winger sustained a heel injury against Crystal Palace, ruling him out of the draw with Leicester. It was the first time he had missed a Premier League game all season after making 31 appearances. Whether he will be available against Brentford is yet to be seen but, with three teenagers on the bench last weekend, the more experience Hürzeler can name on the teamsheet the better. James Milner, Igor Julio, Georginio Rutter, Adam Webster, Ferdi Kadioglu and Tariq Lamptey are all out, while the goalkeeper Jason Steele returned to action for the under-21s this week but Carl Rushworth will remain the backup to Bart Verbruggen for now. If Mitoma can recover in time, it will be a timely boost as Hürzeler’s side fight for a European place. Will Unwin Brentford v Brighton, Saturday 3pm (all times BST) Crystal Palace v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm Everton v Manchester City, Saturday 3pm West Ham v Southampton, Saturday 3pm Continue reading...

Updates from the Vitality Stadium, kick-off 8pm BSTPremier League talking points | Live league table This is such an important night for Bournemouth, who have their last four league games at home. They were also beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup. They have to get something tonight. Look, it’s complicated. It’s always complicated at this time of year. We’re talking, of course, about whether it’s acceptable for a weathered quadragenarian man to wear shorts in a public place European qualification. England will have between eight and 11 teams in Europe next season, and both Bournemouth and Fulham still hope to be among their number. Continue reading...

Manager’s predecessor, Gary O’Neil, also enjoyed a fine start before things took a seemingly inevitable downturn Managers rise and managers fall and often there isn’t much reason for it. It was only a year ago that Gary O’Neil seemed one of the brightest young managers in the Premier League, but by December it was over. This is how football is: when a blip becomes a slump becomes a spiral, the only solution is the sacrifice of the manager. It often works: Wolves have improved dramatically under Vítor Pereira and, while they may not yet be mathematically safe from relegation, they surely soon will be. The life of man, the folk carol reminds us, is but a span; the life of a manager is even shorter (but a spanager?). O’Neil had replaced Scott Parker at Bournemouth four games into 2022-23, after their 9-0 defeat by Liverpool, and had kept them up comfortably, only to be jettisoned for Andoni Iraola. He took over Wolves less than a week before last season began and had them in the top half in March. Continue reading...

Burnley went back to the top of the Championship after holding on to beat Norwich at Turf Moor and extend their unbeaten league run to 29 matches. Goals from Hannibal Mejbri and Jaidon Anthony before the break were reward for a dominant first-half display by the hosts, who moved three points clear of Leeds. Norwich were much improved in the second half and Jack Stacey pulled one back, but Scott Parker’s side stood firm to also extend their unbeaten home league run this season to 21 matches. Continue reading...

Manchester City are interested in signing Tottenham's Destiny Udogie and a host of Premier League clubs want Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen.

Iraola and Frank expected to be in the runningPostecoglou on speculation: ‘It doesn’t consume me’ Ange Postecoglou has admitted there are some “outstanding candidates” waiting to take over if Tottenham decide to sack him. With Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and Brentford’s Thomas Frank expected to be in the running if Spurs move in a different direction, Postecoglou finds himself under growing pressure as a defining point in the season approaches. Although the former Celtic manager’s job is likely to be on the line if his team lose their Europa League quarter-final to Eintracht Frankfurt this month, he said he was relaxed about the speculation over his position. Postecoglou denied having any issue with Mauricio Pochettino’s remarks about wanting to return to Spurs one day and dismissed suggestions that talk over his future was a distraction before Thursday’s trip to Chelsea in the Premier League. Continue reading...

Seven weeks would mean return for final league gameManager says City will need more players closer to goal Pep Guardiola has stated that Erling Haaland will be out for up to seven weeks with his ankle injury but will be ready for Manchester City’s Club World Cup campaign. In a considerable blow to City’s bid to qualify for the Champions League and claim the FA Cup, Haaland was forced off during Sunday’s Cup quarter-final at Bournemouth. Guardiola was asked how long City will be without their top scorer. Continue reading...

Bournemouth reveal Milos Kerkez price, Manchester City interested in Arsenal defender William Saliba and Cristiano Ronaldo's reported move to Inter Milan is not serious.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will see a specialist after sustaining a left ankle injury in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Bournemouth.

Manchester City’s fire still burns bright, Marcus Rashford reminds critics of his ability and Eberechi Eze’s great week A seventh semi-final in succession showed that Manchester City, at least, see magic in the FA Cup. The quarter-finals saw them cast as unwelcome outsiders, lacking the romance of their fellow hopefuls. None of the other seven had won a major trophy this century, four never in their history. Pep Guardiola’s frenzied reaction after Omar Marmoush scored his team’s second at Bournemouth showed his fire still burns brightly. Surely nearing the end at City, Kevin De Bruyne played the 90 minutes, remaining influential and mobile throughout. He and his teammates have played better this season but this display at the Vitality saw real gutsiness, a key part of the makeup during the glory years. If the hosts, shorn of Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez, were incapable of holding City’s hand to the fire as they had in November, a new City is emerging. Nico O’Reilly added impetus from the bench. So did Marmoush, both offering the pace, strength and vigour their manager now desires. John Brewin Match report: Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester City Match report: Preston 0-3 Aston Villa Match report: Brighton 0-0 Nottm Forest (3-4 on pens) Match report: Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace Continue reading...

Manchester City's "legendary" players find their heart after coming from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1 in the FA Cup, says boss Pep Guardiola.

Young substitute’s dynamic contribution turns tie around with commanding performance against Bournemouth The moment that flipped Manchester City’s FA Cup quarter-final at Bournemouth on its head initially went largely unnoticed. As players made a beeline for the tunnel and supporters headed into the concourses loaded with orders for beers, burgers and hot dogs, Pep Guardiola had issued an instruction that would ultimately define this match and earn City passage to a seventh successive semi-final. As everyone else headed in, his longtime fitness coach, Lorenzo Buenaventura, rushed on to the pitch with a single mission: prime Nico O’Reilly for business. The 20‑year-old from Failsworth, a few miles north of Manchester, ditched the tracksuit top and was quickly put through his paces. O’Reilly would not depart quite so quietly. Continue reading...

Pep Guardiola praises his "legendary" players after Manchester City make the FA Cup semi-finals for a seventh consecutive season after a win over Bournemouth.