Eagle-eyed fans spot Ross Barkley's reaction to Unai Emery's substitution decision in defeat at Man City
Man City took a huge step towards Champions League qualification when Jeremy Doku came off the bench to set up Matheus Nunes' 94th minute winner in the 2-1 victory against Aston Villa on Tuesday night.
The decision to bring on Belgium winger Doku proved an inspired move for Man City manager Pep Guardiola. It was a substitution from his counterpart — Villa boss Unai Emery — however, which led to an altogether different reaction from one of his own players, Ross Barkley.
Man City took a seventh-minute lead through Bernardo Silva before Marcus Rashford levelled for the visitors from the spot.
As the tension built in the final minutes a crucial match in the battle for European qualification, Emery had already turned to his bench twice — firstly to bring on Axel Disasi and John McGinn and then turning to Marco Asensio and Ollie Watkins.
With four minutes remaining of the 90 minutes, Emery rolled the dice for a final time and asked Netherlands forward Donyell Malen to replace Morgan Rogers.
Fans spotted a wide-eyed Barkley's reaction to his manager's decision. The midfielder, who has been capped by England 33 times, looked shocked as he shook his head from the substitutes' bench.
Priceless:
Ross Barkley's reaction to seeing Donyell Malen getting the nod to go on. #MCIAVL #AVFC #Malen pic.twitter.com/8QcgMt2GSB
— Charlie P Mullan (@CharliePMullan) April 22, 2025
Malen had already made a goalscoring impact from the bench for Villa twice this month, against Brighton and Southampton but was unable to repeat the trick at the Etihad Stadium.
Barkley has not started a game for the club for three months having been sidelined by a knee ligament injury he picked up in January 10's FA Cup third-round win over West Ham.
The 31-year-old's game time since then has been limited to two late substitute appearances this month — against Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle.
The result moves Man City up to third place in the Premier League table while Villa remain in seventh, two points off the final Champions League spot of fifth and having played a game more than their rivals.
Villa will have the chance to put Tuesday night's disappointment behind them when they travel to Wembley to face Crystal Palace in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.
Guardiola's Man City face Nottingham Forest the following day in the other semi-final match.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
33 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Chelsea ‘in talks to sign 6ft6in Germany star', 23, as Enzo Maresca looks to transfer market to resolve striker woes
Two European giants will battle Chelsea for his signature IN GOOD NICK Chelsea 'in talks to sign 6ft6in Germany star', 23, as Enzo Maresca looks to transfer market to resolve striker woes CHELSEA have begun talks with striker Nick Woltemade, according to reports. The Blues are in the market for another striker this summer after already signing Liam Delap for £30million from Ipswich. 2 Nick Woltemade's contract situation is being monitored by Chelsea Credit: Getty Woltemade, 23, has been on Chelsea's radar for some time and they have now been in contact with the player's agent. Journalist Christian Falk claims they have been told there is no release clause in the Stuttgart star's deal. The 6ft6in striker sees his contract run until 2028 at the Bundesliga club. Other reports in Germany say Woltemade is in talks over an improved deal and a pay rise with Stuttgart. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL WATCH THIS SPACE Cole Palmer rocks £220k luxury watch on flight to Club World Cup But Chelsea are monitoring the situation in case an agreement cannot be struck. Woltemade scored an incredible 17 goals in 33 games last season. He is currently away at the Under-21 Euros with Germany and he has found the back of the net four times in two group stage clashes. Woltemade has the chance to catch the eye against England on Wednesday. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 2 Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich will also be watching after being linked with him earlier this summer. Chelsea remain in the market for a new goalkeeper after failing to get a deal for AC Milan's Mike Maignan over the line in time for the Club World Cup. Enzo Maresca also wants to sign winger Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund. The Englishman is keen on a switch to Stamford Bridge - but Chelsea have seen two bids rejected and the latest was worth £42million. Join SUN CLUB for the Chelsea Files every Tuesday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Stamford Bridge
Daily Mirror
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
10 transfers stories in new window including Man Utd, Liverpool & Arsenal moves
Premier League clubs can now get back to work when it comes to signings. The second transfer window of the summer opened on Monday after a six-day break due to the start of the Club World Cup. And there's already plenty of huge deals in the pipeline. Liverpool look set to smash their transfer record with a £100m+ deal for Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz. Arsenal are also making some additions of their own with the additions of Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arrizabalaga. They are also keen on adding a new forward to their squad ahead of next season. Manchester United are also after another striker and have a few of the Gunners' targets in mind. Elsewhere, the futures of a number of Premier League stars remain up in the air. With that being said, Mirror Football has taken a look at the players and the storylines that could dominate the remainder of the window. Take a look at where they stand right now: Jack Grealish Axed from Manchester City 's Club World Cup squad, Grealish faces little future at the Etihad Stadium. But with Pep Guardiola 's side having yet to receive any offers for his services, a loan looked more likely. Tottenham, Everton and former club Aston Villa have also been linked, while it has been suggested that Napoli are keen on spending £45m on his signature this summer. Alejandro Garnacho While Napoli are keen on Grealish, they also have an interest in United star Garnacho. Like his cross-city rival, the Argentine looks unlikely to have a future in Manchester after being axed by Ruben Amorim. Garnacho is seen as a better long-term option than Grealish due to his age. Premier League rivals Chelsea and Spurs have also been linked with moves for Garnacho. Who do you think your club could sign this summer? Share your thoughts in the comments below Marcus Rashford Staying in Manchester, the Red Devils also have a tricky decision to make over the future of academy graduate Marcus Rashford. The forward spent the second-half of last season on loan with Aston Villa. They had an option to make that move permanent but chose not to activate that. Since then, Barcelona have been linked but it remains to be seen if they have enough funds available to sign him. Mike Maignan A man who was already on the verge of a move to the Premier League, Chelsea were unable to agree terms with AC Milan for the services of Mike Maignan. But they might not be done quite there. Chelsea are still interested in adding to their goalkeeping ranks following Robert Sanchez's shaky season. AC Milan will attempt to convince Maignan to sign a new deal at the club so it remains to be seen if a move is a realistic prospect. Victor Osimhen Victor Osimhen is another man who knows all about failed moves to Chelsea. The Nigerian striker was strongly linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge last term. However, the Blues were unable to strike a deal with Napoli before Osimhen surprisingly moved to Galatasaray on loan. That deal is set to expire this summer so the potential of a move to West London could rear its head again. Viktor Gyokeres One of the hottest properties in football now, Gyokeres' transfer saga has threatened to turn ugly amid interest from Manchester United and Arsenal. Both Premier League sides have been strongly linked with his services but a deal still appears to be some way off. It has been suggested that Gyokeres could potentially go on strike to force through a move away from Sporting Lisbon, albeit the Portuguese giants have announced that they will not be bullied into selling their star forward. It seems this one could potentially roll on for the remainder of the window. Bryan Mbeumo Despite having already signed Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, United remain keen on signing Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo this summer. A deal does not seem to be too far away with Mbeumo already expressing his desire to move to Old Trafford. But there could however be some late drama with Spurs threatening to hijack a deal, with Thomas Frank keen on being reunited with Mbeumo in North London. Andrew Robertson With the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, it would certainly be a surprise to see them let Robertson leave the club. But his future is now up in the air. The imminent signing of Milos Kerkez looks set to shove Robertson down the pecking order, while a number of reports have suggested that Atletico Madrid could make a move. As it stands, talks are at an early stage but a switch could potentially happen. Gianluigi Donnarumma A recently crowned European champion, Donnarumma is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world right now. And PSG are understandably desperate to keep hold of him. But he has just one year left on his deal in the French capital and Man United have been linked with Donnarumma seen as a potential replacement for Andre Onana at Old Trafford. The Italian has reportedly been discussing a Premier League switch with teammates so it could potentially be an option. Álvaro Carreras Having already done deals for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen this summer, Real Madrid might not be quite done in the transfer market just yet. They have been linked with a move for Benfica star Alvaro Carreras all summer long. But as of yet, they have struggled to agree a deal with the Portuguese giants. Bruno Lage has spoken out and claimed his side will only sell should they get an acceptable offer so this is one that could potentially roll on. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool star's decision that terrified his boss before he made dramatic U-turn
In the summer of 2005, Steven Gerrard handed in a transfer request at Liverpool amid strong interest from Chelsea, leaving then Reds boss Rafael Benitez fearing the worst Rafael Benitez once feared he'd be remembered as the Liverpool boss who let Steven Gerrard slip through the club's fingers. In the summer of 2005, mere weeks after guiding the Reds to a miraculous Champions League victory in Istanbul, the unthinkable happened: Gerrard submitted a transfer request amidst strong interest from Chelsea. Benitez, who had succeeded Gerard Houllier a year earlier, had swiftly endeared himself to the Anfield crowd through that unforgettable European campaign. But as the euphoria of their triumph faded, turmoil and tension took its place. Tempted by Chelsea's financial muscle and growing dominance under Jose Mourinho, Gerrard turned down several contract extensions from Liverpool, and a switch to Stamford Bridge looked all but certain. Then, in a stunning reversal, Gerrard changed his mind, bringing widespread relief across Merseyside - and, no doubt, in the Benitez household too. "There was a point where Rafa Benitez thought he was [going to be known as] the manager who had sold Steven to Chelsea," former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey told Prime Casino. "But it didn't go through in the end." Just as fans had mixed reactions to reports linking Trent Alexander-Arnold with Real Madrid earlier this year, Gerrard became something of a pariah in certain Anfield circles. Chelsea's interest was widely known, and with Liverpool struggling to challenge for top domestic honours, Gerrard, understandably, began weighing his options. In the end, Chelsea's efforts came to nothing. Gerrard reversed his transfer request and penned a new, high-value deal, pledging the peak of his playing years to the Reds. At the time, he famously declared: "If I win a couple of trophies at Liverpool, it would mean an awful lot more to me than to win 10 at Chelsea." In the end, Gerrard got his wish - at least in part. He added two more pieces of silverware to his cabinet with Liverpool: the 2006 FA Cup and the 2012 League Cup. However, the Premier League title - the one honour he craved most - remained agonisingly elusive. Meanwhile, Chelsea continued reaping the rewards Gerrard knowingly sacrificed. Over the next several years, the London outfit accumulated an impressive haul - multiple league titles, domestic honours, and the coveted Champions League trophy in 2012. Though Gerrard ultimately followed his heart, the price he paid was steep. Heskey, however, firmly believes his former team-mate made the correct call in staying. "He's a local lad, and he's become a legend. It's difficult when you're leaving your local team, especially when it's Liverpool or you're leaving a Manchester club, and you're such a big legend within the city," said Heskey, who spent four-and-a-half seasons at Anfield. "Going to, say, Chelsea or Arsenal or someone like that is going to be tough when you come back with a London team. If you're going abroad, it's not as bad, even if Trent was getting grief recently. "But as we saw with Michael [Owen], as we saw with [Steve] McManaman, and players like that, it's not as bad. But when you go to Chelsea, like Steven almost did, that's tough. I believe it was right for him to stay even though he probably would have won league titles if he left." Despite his dedication, the Premier League crown continued to evade Gerrard's grasp, though not without a couple of agonising near-misses. Under Benitez in 2008/09, they pushed Manchester United all the way, ultimately finishing just four points adrift. Then came the 2013/14 season - perhaps the most gut-wrenching of all. With Brendan Rodgers at the helm, Liverpool mounted a thrilling and unexpected title charge, powered by Gerrard's veteran leadership and the attacking brilliance of Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling, and Philippe Coutinho. But with only three fixtures remaining, a fateful slip against Chelsea of all teams - an infamous moment now etched into football folklore - allowed Manchester City to leapfrog Liverpool and pip them to the post. As such, Gerrard's dream of capturing the Premier League with his boyhood club, thus justifying his Chelsea rejection years before, slipped away again, for what would be the final time.
