Monday's briefing: Chelsea surprise Paris St Germain as Lionesses move forward
Elsewhere, there were emotional tributes to Diogo Jota ahead of Liverpool's friendly victory at Preston.
Cole Palmer hit back at the critics who had been giving Chelsea 's***' after firing them to Club World Cup glory in New York.
Palmer, who was presented with the Man of the Match award by President Donald Trump, scored the first two goals and set up the third in a surprise 3-0 final victory over Champions League winners Paris St Germain at the MetLife Stadium as Enzo Maresca's men capped an encouraging season in style.
Asked how excited he was by the team Maresca is building at Stamford Bridge, the England international told DAZN: 'He's building something special, something important with a young team. Everyone's talked a lot of s*** about us all season, but I feel like we're going in the right direction.'
Reflecting on the game, Palmer added: 'Obviously it's a great feeling, even better because everyone doubted us before the game. We knew that and to go out there and put a fight on like we did against a great team, yes, it's good.'
Defending champions England cruised into the Euro 2025 quarter-finals with a 6-1 victory over tournament newcomers Wales, who bowed out of the competition in St Gallen.
Georgia Stanway opened the scoring with a 13th-minute penalty before Ella Toone doubled the scoring in the 21st minute before Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo made it 4-0 at the break.
Beth Mead scored a fifth after the restart before Hannah Cain clawed one back with Wales' second-ever goal in a major tournament, but substitute Aggie Beever-Jones completed the scoring for an assured England, who will now face Sweden in Zurich on Thursday.
For seven minutes after the final whistle, Liverpool players and staff stood in front of their supporters at Preston as they chanted Diogo Jota's name.
Sunday's pre-season friendly at Deepdale was originally envisaged as a day to kick-start preparations for Liverpool's Premier League title defence, but it played out as a memorial service for Jota and his brother Andre Silva, 10 days after they died in a car accident in Spain.
On the pitch Liverpool eased to a 3-1 win through goals from Conor Bradley, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, but thoughts of Jota and Silva remained at the forefront throughout the day.
As Claudia Rose Maguire, wife of former Preston player Sean, sang Liverpool anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' before kick-off, Preston captain Ben Whiteman walked the length of the pitch to lay a wreath in front of the visiting fans with the Bill Shankly Kop dominated by banners and scarves bearing Jota's name.
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP WINNERS!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KnbFOjfqzg
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 13, 2025
Victorious Chelsea fly home from the United States as the players finally get to start their summer holiday's at the end of a season elongated by their Club World Cup exploits.
It is all quiet on the Euro 2025 front as the eight quarter-finalists prepare for the renewal of hostilities in Switzerland on Wednesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
26 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Arsenal sign defender Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia
Spaniard Mosquera joins for an initial fee of £13m – with performance-related add-ons – and is understood to have agreed a five-year deal with an option of a further year. The 21-year-old is set to provide cover for William Saliba and Gabriel at the heart of the Gunners' defence, but can also operate anywhere along the backline. Building from the back. Cristhian Mosquera is a Gunner ✍️ — Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 24, 2025 Mosquera, who played 41 times for Valencia last season, has joined Arsenal for their tour of Singapore and Hong Kong. 'It means a lot to me,' Mosquera told the club website. 'There's been a lot of hard work behind all of this. 'It's an opportunity that came up and I couldn't let it pass me by. I'm joining a historic, massive club. When you arrive here with your family, you really feel the greatness of this place.' New sporting director Andrea Berta has wasted no time in improving Arsenal's squad as manager Mikel Arteta eyes the club's first Premier League title in more than two decades. Welcome to The Arsenal, Noni Madueke 💨 — Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 18, 2025 'Cristhian has already performed consistently well with significant experience in La Liga. He is an intelligent player with good pace, who can play centrally and on both sides,' Arteta said. 'He is a young player with exciting talent and enormous potential, who will fit well into our squad as we continue to prepare for next season. Cristhian adds good quality to our squad, and we look forward to working with him and making him feel at home with us.' Mosquera follows Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi (£60m), goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5m), Christian Norgaard (£10m) and Noni Madueke (£48.5m) in moving to the Emirates. Gabriel and Myles Lewis-Skelly have also put pen to paper on new contracts in the off-season, with a long-term extension for teenager Ethan Nwaneri believed to be all-but completed. Arsenal remain hopeful of signing striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon, although it is not believed a deal, which could be worth as much as £65m, is imminent.
Leader Live
26 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Alan Shearer feels Newcastle ‘ridiculous' in claiming Alexander Isak is injured
Newcastle released a statement on Thursday morning to say the Swede would miss the club's pre-season tour of Asia due to a minor thigh problem. Hours later, reports emerged that Isak had told club executives he wanted to explore the possibility of a transfer, amid reported interest from Liverpool. Shearer, a Betfair Ambassador, said: 'It's ridiculous what Newcastle put out this morning to say he wasn't on the trip because of a slight thigh injury. Eddie Howe has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, however Alexander Isak misses out with a minor thigh injury. Lewis Hall is available following an injury lay-off and could feature in South Korea. — Newcastle United (@NUFC) July 24, 2025 'If they thought people wouldn't see through that… it was disappointing. They should have just told the truth straight away. I understand it's a very difficult situation for them, but it is what it is. '(Magpies head coach) Eddie Howe has to use all his persuasive powers to do what he can and try to make him stay at least one more year. If that can't happen then it is what it is. 'You have to get the very best deal for the football club and if someone is prepared to pay north of £150million, and if he really, really wants to go, you can't step in his way.' Newcastle have so far not commented on the reports around Isak's desire to leave. Isak's 23 Premier League goals last season made him one of the world's hottest properties, and he has been linked with Liverpool in recent weeks. Isak still has three years left on his contract at Newcastle, who he joined in the summer of 2022 from Spanish side Real Sociedad. Liverpool were reported to be interested in signing Isak earlier this month, at the same time as the two clubs were in the hunt for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. The Reds have since signed Ekitike, understood to be for an initial £69million with a further £10m in potential add-ons.
Glasgow Times
26 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Alan Shearer feels Newcastle ‘ridiculous' in claiming Alexander Isak is injured
Newcastle released a statement on Thursday morning to say the Swede would miss the club's pre-season tour of Asia due to a minor thigh problem. Hours later, reports emerged that Isak had told club executives he wanted to explore the possibility of a transfer, amid reported interest from Liverpool. Shearer, a Betfair Ambassador, said: 'It's ridiculous what Newcastle put out this morning to say he wasn't on the trip because of a slight thigh injury. Eddie Howe has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, however Alexander Isak misses out with a minor thigh injury. Lewis Hall is available following an injury lay-off and could feature in South Korea. — Newcastle United (@NUFC) July 24, 2025 'If they thought people wouldn't see through that… it was disappointing. They should have just told the truth straight away. I understand it's a very difficult situation for them, but it is what it is. '(Magpies head coach) Eddie Howe has to use all his persuasive powers to do what he can and try to make him stay at least one more year. If that can't happen then it is what it is. 'You have to get the very best deal for the football club and if someone is prepared to pay north of £150million, and if he really, really wants to go, you can't step in his way.' Newcastle have so far not commented on the reports around Isak's desire to leave. Alexander Isak scored 23 goals last season (Owen Humphreys/PA) Isak's 23 Premier League goals last season made him one of the world's hottest properties, and he has been linked with Liverpool in recent weeks. Isak still has three years left on his contract at Newcastle, who he joined in the summer of 2022 from Spanish side Real Sociedad. Liverpool were reported to be interested in signing Isak earlier this month, at the same time as the two clubs were in the hunt for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. The Reds have since signed Ekitike, understood to be for an initial £69million with a further £10m in potential add-ons.
