Chelsea on the brink of title after Villa thrash Arsenal
Jordan Nobbs finished off a quick counter before Kirsty Hanson smashed in a belter to give Villa a 2–0 lead at half-time.
Chastity Grant made it three just after the break, and Rachel Daly bundled in another 13 minutes later to crush any hopes of an Arsenal comeback.
Stina Blackstenius and Alessia Russo hit back with two quick goals to cut the gap, but Grant struck again almost straight away to wrap things up.
The Gunners now sit six points behind league leaders Chelsea, who can seal the title at Manchester United later on Wednesday night.
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New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Aston Villa charging £77 for a ticket in the Holte End: ‘Madness'
Aston Villa supporters are accustomed to pre-season optimism coursing through the veins. Even if increasing competition and financial obstruction have influenced summer recruitment, making this season's challenges tougher, the confidence in Unai Emery and Villa's football department remains unerring. And the respect appears mutual. Advertisement 'I would like to show how grateful we are to the supporters,' Damian Vidagany, director of football operations, wrote in a letter to fans at the end of last season. 'From everyone at the club, the manager, the players, and the staff — for the European night atmospheres we had at Villa Park. We know how hard it was for many people to get tickets and pay for them.' This Saturday for Villa's Premier League curtain-raiser against Newcastle United, it will cost £77 for an adult ticket in the Holte End. This is not a hospitality or a premium seat, but a standard ticket in Villa's most famous stand. For anyone over 66, the price is £58. In other parts of the stadium, including the Trinity Road Stand and Doug Ellis Upper, the cost can be up to £82. The surrounding areas of Villa Park, in Aston, are among Birmingham's most financially deprived areas, according to a factsheet provided by Birmingham City Council. A 2021-22 census indicated 58.6 per cent of children lived in poverty. 'Simply shocking matchday prices from Aston Villa for their season-opener against Newcastle next month,' posted the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) online. '£77 for a ticket in The Holte End is madness. #StopExploitingLoyalty.' The hashtag '#StopExploitingLoyalty' is a campaign aimed at objecting to rising costs across the Premier League and English Football League. Over the past year, small-scale protests have occasionally taken place outside Villa Park and fans have threatened to hold walkouts during games. None, though, have had a transformative effect on Villa's stance or put sufficient pressure on the club to magnify the issue. Costs for the Newcastle match feel particularly steep, although the £77 charge has increased within the five per cent cap, in line with season ticket prices. For context, Newcastle is now a Category 3 fixture (the most expensive Premier League games) after being in a lower bracket previously, so the climb in price against this opposition is noticeable. A considerable number were, and are, willing to forgo the swell in costs — around 26,000 supporters are still registered on the season-ticket waiting list — but Villa's ticket pricing is a bottleneck issue enveloping certain fans who simply cannot afford it any more. Generally speaking, ticket prices have risen in line with inflation and in tune with Premier League sides across the board, but Villa's situation has grown acute. They came under widespread criticism for their Champions League prices last season, with the cheapest seat costing £70. Villa also refused a request from the club's Fan Advisory Board (FAB) to cap prices. Advertisement Villa felt they could charge as much as £92 per ticket for a Premier League home game against Brighton & Hove Albion and £97 for a non-season-ticket holder ticket for a Champions League fixture because of the attractiveness of Emery's team. If you compare Villa to other teams or, more specifically, those at the top end of the table, the difference with most is striking. The most expensive ticket for an adult anywhere within Anfield is £61, with the costliest in the Kop, Liverpool's equivalent to the Holte End, £45. Moreover, Manchester City's most expensive tickets are between £40-£60. The increases have kept on coming for Villa fans. Season-ticket costs have risen five per cent for the 2024-25 campaign, with Villa's FAB requesting a cap on the increased percentage. Aston Villa Supporters' Trust also asked for the club to freeze prices, in line with some other top-flight clubs, such as Liverpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City, who belatedly announced costs would be staying the same following supporter protests. Villa, however, defended their pricing through a club statement in May: 'Our pricing strategy reflects careful consideration, ensuring we can create as strong a team as possible — one capable of challenging at the top end of the Premier League table and remaining competitive in European football — while continually working within the parameters of both Premier League and UEFA profit and sustainability rules.' It is worth nothing that Villa remain without a training ground sponsor, training kit sponsor and stadium naming partner, which would make a greater difference to the spreadsheets than increased matchday revenue in terms of meeting financial regulations. Internally, there has been some acceptance that Villa's business departments have ridden on Emery's coattails at times. Advertisement The football and business factions have tended to work as separate entities in recent years. This is owing to the autonomy Emery's triangle of power — Emery, sporting director Monchi and Vidagany — has in making sporting decisions, as well as the overall approach of the off-field management, whose key decision-makers have undergone several changes to senior positions. Francesco Calvo succeeded Chris Heck as president of business operations. It has been noted that the Italian executive has a track record for building stronger relationships between the football and business departments and working effectively with fans. He is due to meet with FAB in the next month and plans to build relationships with them. Calvo only started in July, when ticket prices had already long been a concern and significantly hiked under his predecessor. This issue, which pre-dates Calvo, is a matter that crosses club boundaries and can directly impact the football side, given ticket prices are set by the commercial department for supporters to watch the team. It is unlikely, however, that ticket prices come under Calvo, owing to his remit, part of which is to drive matchday revenue. Football, after all, initially became a popular sport as a pastime designed to bring escapism to for working-class people in the Victorian era. Villa were the eminent team of that age, led by William McGregor, who served as the director, president and chairman for more than two decades as well as being the founder of the Football League. A statue of McGregor remains outside Villa Park and the Trinity Road Stand. Supporters, some of whom have paid £82, will walk past it on Saturday. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
How have Premier League teams spent this summer? Upgrading their attacks
Whether for painfully rudimentary reasons or tactically complex ones, it is clear that the top teams have prioritised their attacks ahead of the new Premier League season. The transfer window for English football's elite has been full of signings that add an extra dimension to their forward play, with out-and-out No 9s and creative attacking midfielders appearing to be the order of the day — Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz to Liverpool, Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke to Arsenal, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro to Chelsea, and Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United, to name but a few. Advertisement Rather than a simple plug-and-play attacking solution, it is interesting to see how such moves help to shift a team's style of play with the attributes that the newcomers possess. It can be something of a poisoned chalice to pigeonhole yourself into a particular style in the modern game, but having the requisite weapons to punish the opposition depending on the tactical demands they pose is often the optimal approach. For those who need a refresher, here is an overview of the business that has already been conducted in the Premier League during the summer 2025 transfer window… so far. So, what insight can we glean from all this activity among the Premier League's top clubs? Crucially, how might it change each side's style of play for the upcoming season? Rotation was a key theme of Chelsea's summer as Enzo Maresca excellently navigated their way to Club World Cup triumph in the United States. Some might still point to a bloated squad at Stamford Bridge but their transfer business has equipped them with greater attacking versatility, which should allow them to battle on multiple fronts for the upcoming season. The arrivals of Gittens and teenage starlet Estevao are interesting, but the signings of Delap and Joao Pedro suggest Chelsea are keen to have strikers who can fulfil different demands for Maresca. On the one hand, Delap is far more likely to stretch the opposition with lung-busting runs beyond their back line, while Joao Pedro offers a little more poise coming towards the ball and creating space for others to exploit. This is highlighted below in SkillCorner's off-ball running profiles, with Delap's high volume of runs ahead of the ball compared with Joao Pedro's inclination to make supporting movements. Maresca has not been shy in sharing exactly what he sees the Brazil international offering his team. 'Joao is a very good player,' he said before that victory over Paris Saint-Germain last month to make Chelsea champions of the world for the next four years. 'The reason why we bought him is because we think he is going to help us, especially against teams who defend deep in low blocks — he is good in small spaces, he has real quality.' Advertisement Breaking down low blocks is a task that most elite sides face, and Manchester City have also tweaked their forward line to adjust to the guaranteed demands. The arrival of Omar Marmoush in January signalled a subtle change in how Pep Guardiola's side were aiming to overwhelm opposition defences with sharp and incisive running in-behind, and City look to have doubled down on that approach with the acquisition of Rayan Cherki, who is an expert at finding such movement with pinpoint passing into the box. No player in Europe's top five leagues recorded a higher expected assists (xA) rate per 90 minutes last season than the 21-year-old Frenchman did for Lyon, pointing to a player who routinely moves the ball into dangerous areas with his passing. Cherki registered his first City assist with a perfect floated pass for Phil Foden against Al Hilal at the Club World Cup, lifting the ball over a five-man defensive line. It was a passage of play that served as a warning for the new European season; even if you sit deep against Cherki, he can still find the spaces in behind. Tijjani Reijnders is another player who can add forward thrust from City's midfield, having already shown his appetite for a late run into the box, while Rayan Ait-Nouri adds unpredictability from full-back. As we saw against Juventus in this summer's tournament, City can take up a number of shapes with the latter as their left-back. The Algerian is equally capable of tucking into midfield, running the flanks, playing probing passes from a wide-centre-back role or making darting movements towards goal. City found great success down that flank last season with the forward momentum of Josko Gvardiol; a positionally-fluid left side with both players in the team would be a nightmare for opponents to have to track. Arsenal are taking a similar approach in evolving their attacking options. We'll have more on Gyokeres later, but it is Madueke's arrival that might actually be crucial in providing greater rotation across Mikel Arteta's forward line as he plots another title push. Bukayo Saka's three-month injury absence was a big miss for Arsenal last season, and Madueke can provide a suitable alternative to ease the attacking burden on the 23-year-old as a tricky, creative winger. Meanwhile, the potency of Arsenal's left flank has dwindled in the past 18 months, and although Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard remain good options, Madueke's ability to play on either wing will mean that Arteta simply has more options to choose from. Liverpool's transfer business also points to added versatility in attacking areas. If it is intensity, pace and power they are looking for, then an attacking contingent of Cody Gakpo, Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai might be their best bet. If it is poise, line-breaks and wriggling out of tight spaces against low blocks, then coach Arne Slot has the mercurial talent of Wirtz to unlock an opposition defence in an instant. Advertisement This was shown with Wirtz's assist for Ekitike in the Community Shield on Sunday, where a packed defensive third is filled with five Crystal Palace players surrounding Liverpool's striker. Wirtz pulls wide, finds space, then fizzes a pass to Ekitike's back foot, to allow him to turn instantly and finish. What an introduction by Hugo Ekitike 🤩 4 minutes is all it for the big Frenchman to make his mark, with a brilliant finish to put Liverpool ahead ⚽️ 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 10, 2025 The best teams work on a 'horses for courses' basis, and that phrase has never looked to be more relevant than this summer with the attacking options that have been expanded. As already mentioned, City looked zippier with their off-ball movement at the Club World Cup, much happier to target the penalty area with runs in-behind than they often looked during the rest of last season. Particularly throughout their barren winter run, especially in December's 2-1 away defeat against Aston Villa and the 1-1 home draw with Everton a few days later, attacking patterns were often predictable and containable, played out in front of the opposition defence, with few overlapping runs or sudden bursts towards the box. According to SkillCorner, City completed 52 runs in-behind the defensive line against Al Ain in their second group game of the Club World Cup, and 41 against Juventus in the third and final one, having only completed 40 or more in just four of their 38 Premier League games last season. Though it's early in the rejuvenation project, it seems as if City may be looking to embrace the destructive power of more direct running for the season ahead. Adapting their attacking speed might also be something that Arteta is looking at, with Arsenal rarely looking to thread balls in behind the opposition, relative to the rest of the league. Again using data from SkillCorner, 44 per cent of their runs in behind last season were targeted with a pass, which was the lowest share in the Premier League, pointing to a team who sought the control of steady build-up more so than the risk of a trickier ball played over the defensive line they were facing. The arrival of Gyokeres looks likely to change that figure, with the Sweden international specialising in channel runs and a boisterous work rate to disrupt the opposition defence. Per SkillCorner, Gyokeres made 85 sprints (runs at an average pace of 25km/h or more) in behind the opposition defensive line in 2023-24 for Sporting CP — more than double any other striker there in Portugal's Primeira Liga and 24 more than the Premier League's leader in that metric, Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea. Advertisement Of course, the added benefit of making such runs is that if they are not targeted, they can still be important in dragging opposition defenders backwards and making space for the runner's team-mates to receive the ball between the lines. Creating tension in opposition structures will be crucial to Arteta's plans for this season. Step off Arsenal and Martin Odegaard can find pockets of space to punish you, but squeeze the pitch and Gyokeres' runs can be the catalyst for chaos. With the graphic above highlighting Newcastle's directness going forward, coach Eddie Howe appears to be doubling down on transitional profiles with the signing of Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest. Per SkillCorner, Elanga was the Premier League's fastest wide attacker last season, and his fleet-footed style will only add to the pacy threat that Newcastle offer across their forward line. 'He caught the eye, and you could see his qualities with his speed,' Howe said of the Swede after his debut in Newcastle's friendly with Celtic last month. 'Of course, he's in the very early days of finding out how we play, which is sometimes difficult for new players.' While Jacob Murphy performed admirably on Newcastle's right flank last season, Elanga's ability to play off both feet will provide greater attacking balance beyond his ability to drag his team upfield. Newcastle's failed pursuit of Ekitike also revealed Howe's inclination to add further directness to his side within such a physically demanding style. Alongside Newcastle, Liverpool are already established as one of the most devastating transitional sides anywhere on the continent, with 14 goals from fast breaks being the most across Europe's top four leagues last season. As shown by data from Footovision, they move quickly when the opportunity is there to break forward. Mohamed Salah sat at the top of the Europe-wide tree with 22 shots from fast-break sequences. Second on the list? New Anfield signing Ekitike, with 18 for a direct Eintracht Frankfurt side who finished third in the German Bundesliga. Ekitike thrives in open space, regularly driving upfield when there is grass to run into. With his wiry 6ft 2in (190cm) frame and underestimated close control, Liverpool can use the 23-year-old as the fulcrum of the attack with his ability to create for others and score himself. Looking across Slot's newly assembled attack, it does have the potential to possess a fluidity that could be in-keeping with Luis Enrique's European champions Paris Saint-Germain — a style that Slot has been open in admiring. Advertisement Particularly in the modern game, having players with the profile to break man-to-man marking schemes can be the key to unlocking a defensive structure. For Tottenham Hotspur, the arrival of dribble-monster Mohammed Kudus could help to attract bodies towards him and so make space for team-mates elsewhere. For context, only Jeremy Doku has averaged more than Kudus' eight take-ons per 90 minutes since the start of the 2023-24 season. 'I think he gives us a bit of that unpredictability in the game,' Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank said of Kudus. 'I think his one-on-one actions are top, I think his slide passes are top, I think his finishing is very good. He is almost the perfect age (the Ghanaian turned 25 at the start of this month) to perform but also to take the next level.' Even if they don't get the goal or assist themselves, having attacking players who can open up the game allows dominoes to fall elsewhere on the pitch. A move to more dribbly, athletic runners has certainly been a feature among the top sides in recent seasons. Improving a club's attack is not limited to those who play in forward positions. Liverpool's signing of full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong has the potential to transform — or rather, catalyse — their attacking play in wide areas, with both players being relentless runners going forward. Supporting runs made through overlaps and underlaps were a key feature of Slot's new-look side last season, often dragging opposition defenders away to allow wingers to come inside. In Kerkez and Frimpong, he now has two full-backs who are among Europe's best for forward runs to disrupt the opposition back line — as shown below, using data from SkillCorner. In the former, you have a player who made more underlapping runs (rating: 99 out of 99) than any full-back across Europe's top seven leagues. In the latter, somebody more willing than most to arrive in the box from wide areas (Cross receiver rating: 98 out of 99). If you wanted a clear signal as to how Slot is looking to retain the title, it looks as though attack is his best form of defence. Over at City, Ait-Nouri's arrival adds greater versatility to Guardiola's attack, given that the Algeria international can play as an inverted or touchline-hugging full-back. This was on show during the Club World Cup as Guardiola looked to experiment with new shapes and personnel in the United States, and not just with his new left-back. For some games (for example, against Wydad AC), Guardiola asked full-backs Nico O'Reilly and Rico Lewis to tuck inside to support with City's structure in and out of possession; but other matches required Ait-Nouri and Matheus Nunes to stay high and wide to stretch the opposition back line — much like City were doing towards the end of the domestic 2024-25 season. Again, it only adds to the options that Guardiola has at his disposal when thinking about how to use his full-backs within his attacking approach. Often, such shape shifts can change within games as well as from one match to another, but it is hardly surprising to see that the 54-year-old Catalan continues to rack his brain for solutions to break down an opponent while mitigating any defensive risk. Sometimes, it really is that simple when looking to improve your attack — find players who can score a lot of goals. Manchester United scored just 44 times in the league last season, the fifth-lowest total in the division and the club's worst return in the 33-year Premier League era. Therefore, buying players who have proven that they can put the ball in the back of the net is a good way to go this summer. Advertisement Mbeumo and Cunha were two of those players, scoring 30 non-penalty goals between them for Brentford and Wolves respectively last season. A crucial caveat is that they were expected to rack up just over half of that combined tally — based on the quality of chances they had — as two of the biggest expected goals (xG) overperformers in the division. On the one hand, you could spin a positive that United are signing the most clinical finishers around to bolster their attack. On the other, you would anticipate seeing such figures regress to typical levels across a longer period. Quite simply, both of Mbeumo's and Cunha's respective hot streaks in front of goal are unlikely to be sustainable in a United shirt, but their arrivals at Old Trafford might be crucial in connecting the midfield and attack — with coach Ruben Amorim's side looking disjointed going forward last season. Throw in striker Sesko to spearhead that attack — a player with 27 league goals in 64 games across the past two seasons at RB Leipzig — and there is plenty of attacking firepower that will unquestionably improve United's goalscoring return. Aside from the tactical upside that Gyokeres will bring to Arsenal, it would be crass not to point out that the 27-year-old is also very good at knowing where the goal is. A return of 68 in the league across his two seasons at Sporting is ludicrous, with 1.25 goals per 90 (albeit, including penalties) being comfortably the highest rate across Europe's top seven leagues last season. Sure, he is known for working the channels, but deliver the ball into the box and you are likely to find him jostling with defenders to get on the end of it. Similarly, Ekitike is no slouch in getting into good goalscoring positions, with his 0.68 non-penalty xG per 90 being the highest rate in the Bundesliga last season — and the fifth highest across Europe's top five leagues. His actual goalscoring rate trailed behind slightly, but if he continues to hoover up similar-quality chances in a Liverpool shirt, you would expect the goals to flow more freely for him in the Premier League. (llustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Leon Bailey's agents expected in Rome tomorrow
Leon Bailey is a real target for Roma. Fabrizio Romano, on his YouTube channel, also confirmed the Giallorossi's interest in the Jamaican winger. The transfer expert added that contacts have taken place between Frederic Massara and the Aston Villa player's agents. However, the 1997-born player is merely an alternative to the moves the Giallorossi's sporting director is pursuing to strengthen the attack. According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Bailey's agents will be in Rome tomorrow to meet with the club. Negotiations are also underway with Aston Villa, who have opened the door to the player's transfer. Meanwhile, the Giallorossi are moving forward with negotiations for Wolverhampton Wanderers' Fabio Silva. However, it seems more difficult to land Manchester United's Jadon Sancho.
