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Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
There is one surprise player Chelsea MUST start if they are to overcome Nottingham Forest and claim Champions League spot, writes MARTIN KEOWN
Sunday's showdown between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea is just as big as the Europa League final. It may not come with silverware but there's a whole lot of Champions League riches riding on it. Forest have the chance to sit at European football's top table for the first time since the days of Brian Clough. Even if they miss out on a top-five spot they deserve great credit after finishing last season 17th, and overcoming financial restrictions this season. For Chelsea, it would be unthinkable not to be in the Champions League after spending more than a billion pounds under their new ownership. Forest will go after Chelsea with high energy, roared on by a ferocious City Ground crowd. They will make Chelsea's players feel like they are in a washing machine whenever they have the ball. Then they must do what they have done so many times this season, breaking at speed in numbers through Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White. Forest's paper-thin squad has caught up with them. If they don't make it, Nuno Espirito Santo will rue failing to win any of their previous three home games. On Sunday, they must turn the City Ground back into the fortress it was when they won nine out of 12 home games between October and April, beating Manchester City and United and drawing with Arsenal and Liverpool. Chelsea have won four of their last five league games but are severely hampered by the absence of Nicolas Jackson. His movement in behind has been critical to giving Cole Palmer the space and options to work his magic. No Chelsea player has made more high-intensity runs in the league this season. Without Jackson, they become too predictable in wide areas. When he missed five games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury, Chelsea lost three of them, their only wins coming against Southampton and Leicester. Christopher Nkunku has not convinced, too often drifting towards the ball instead of running in behind. Academy graduate Tyrique George gave a welcome balance against United last week and brings a similar threat to Jackson. Both teams will need to keep their heads tomorrow. The crowd will give away what is happening elsewhere and clear messages from the bench will help. When Arsenal lost the league to United on the final day in 1999, we played Aston Villa and heard rumblings from the crowd when Spurs went in front at Old Trafford. In our match, we struggled to finish Villa off. You must make sure you do your job.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Another West Ham defeat leaves fans with little optimism for next season: ‘It looks bleak'
Thousands descended on east London to participate in the Hackney Half Marathon, while just a stone's throw away at the London Stadium, Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga were running circles around West Ham United's defence. The Nottingham Forest duo were shining lights as their club pushes for Champions League qualification. During the 2-1 victory, West Ham endeavoured to keep a semblance of defensive calmness, but it proved futile, with Gibbs-White and Elanga tormenting them. Advertisement The England international pounced on Alphonse Areola's misplaced pass for the opener, while Elanga assisted ex-West Ham transfer target Nikola Milenkovic after the hour mark. West Ham scored via Jarrod Bowen, but their late spirited fightback failed to yield a draw. 'Credit to Forest, they are a strong outfit with some fantastic players,' said head coach Graham Potter. 'Their (opening) goal was disappointing from our perspective. I think we suffered a little bit from that. 'They've recruited well and Nuno (Espirito Santo) has worked another season with them. As a club, they've taken positive steps. So it's credit to them and they're an aspiration for us. We have to use the summer to make some good decisions to try to take the club forward.' West Ham have lost nine of their 18 league games this calendar year, winning four and drawing five. An online petition was created on May 14 calling for the removal of majority shareholder David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady. It has garnered fewer than 2,000 votes at the time of writing, but it is a sign of the discontent. The loss to Forest was the last home game of a disappointing season. There were special send-offs for Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal, all of whom will depart when their contracts expire at the end of the season. Mark Noble, the sporting director, presented Cresswell with a framed jersey, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka received an award for winning player of the year. Some supporters stayed after the final whistle to watch the players give a lap of honour. Wan-Bissaka, captain Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans in the lower tier of the west stand. But there were also hordes of fans who left long before the players re-emerged from the tunnel. Before kick-off, The Athletic spoke to supporters to find out their thoughts on the season, Potter, and their hopes for next term. John Ward, 60, was watching another football match, one taking place at the Bobby Moore Academy on Marshgate Lane. Of his many wishes for the next campaign, the integration of two particular academy prospects is high on that list. Advertisement 'It's been a very poor season when you factor in the money we spent on players last summer,' Ward said. 'Having two managers (Julen Lopetegui and Potter) this season is far from ideal and the jury is still out on Potter. The only good thing about looking at the table is that we're above Manchester United and Tottenham. Performances under Potter have been worse than Lopetegui. It's harsh, but it's true. 'We won't really know what Potter can achieve until he brings in his players. We need to see some form of progress in those first 10 games of next season. 'We have Freddie Potts and George Earthy (both of whom were on season-long loans at Portsmouth and Bristol City) returning. They've played at a good level in the Championship. Potter should bed them into the team. Look, so many years we've spent big money on players and it hasn't worked. It's make or break this summer with our recruitment.' Mark Tomkins, 36, was on his way to meet friends for a drink next to Hackney Wick station. 'I'll be arriving at the match praying for the best but expecting the worst,' he said. 'I wish we showed more ambition with appointing Moyes' replacement. Due to our owners, we always go for the cheaper option, which in the long run ends up being expensive because we have to pay them off. The club wanted Potter initially and I back him to do well. 'This summer we need a centre-midfielder, a centre-back and a striker, again. Evan Ferguson (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion) has hardly played and when he has featured, he's failed to take his chance. But my main worry is whether we're even an attractive club to join? 'Plus, other London clubs have the edge over us. Crystal Palace can offer European football next season (after winning the FA Cup), so can Arsenal and Chelsea, plus higher wages, Brentford and Fulham are well-run clubs. Tottenham have been poor like us, but they could potentially be playing in the Champions League next season. 'It looks bleak when you really break it down. I just hope that by October we will have seen a big improvement. If not, I fear it will be a similar season to this.' As the match drew closer, a swarm of claret and blue jerseys appeared at Pudding Mill Lane station. While waiting for her niece, Sophie Reid, 58, explained why she has lowered her expectations for life under Potter. 'I'm prepared to give the manager the benefit of the doubt for now,' she says. 'It's an ageing squad and we haven't seen much belief in what they're doing. We haven't been good for roughly 18 months. Advertisement 'As much as we want the European run under Moyes to return, we're far from achieving that. I can't see us challenging for Europe like Forest for another three years. Our focus next season should be avoiding relegation because of the massive turnover of players this summer. We have to be realistic with where we're at.' Thirty minutes before kick-off, Richard, 35, and his young sister were enjoying the views from the upper tier of the West Stand. He was reluctant to give his last name and was not opposed to defending Potter. 'We're all just waiting for summer so Graham can bring in his players,' said Richard. 'It's a bit like Christmas when it reaches December and everyone starts counting down the days. Watching Crystal Palace made me think, 'That could have been us'. On paper, we have the team to do it, but we haven't been able to build momentum since the season started. 'Potter has a tough job ahead of him, so fans need to cut him some slack. It's been largely the same squad for the previous two seasons. (Mohammed) Kudus has been poor. There's a lot of dead wood. We need to freshen it up, but it will take time. Let's see what happens this summer.'
Reuters
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Forest still dreaming of Champions League after 2-1 win at West Ham
LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - Nottingham Forest kept alive their hopes of Champions League football next season with a 2-1 Premier League win at West Ham United on Sunday as goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic kept them in touch with the top five. Forest are seventh in the table on 65 points from 37 games, one point off the three teams currently placed third to fifth in the Champions League spots and level with Manchester City. Their last game is at home to Chelsea, who are fourth, next Sunday. Gibbs-White settled the visitors' nerves with an early goal after 11 minutes when he collected a stray pass from West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to fire into an empty net. Forest kept pressing for a second and were rewarded just past the hour mark as Anthony Elanga's free-kick ended up in the net off the back of Milenkovic, before Jarrod Bowen smashed in a late consolation for 15th-placed West Ham, who have 40 points.
New York Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why the offside rule is ‘delayed' and will it change after Taiwo Awoniyi incident?
Taiwo Awoniyi's serious abdominal injuries, sustained when attempting to score for Nottingham Forest against Leicester City last weekend, have caused the debate about the 'delayed offside' rule to resurface. The 27-year-old striker collided with one of the goal posts at the City Ground as he desperately tried to put Forest ahead late in the match and strengthen their Champions League qualification claims. Anthony Elanga, who had crossed the ball, was subsequently flagged for what seemed like a clear offside after the move ended. Advertisement Awoniyi was assessed pitchside and allowed to play on by medical staff for the final seven minutes of the 2-2 draw — which caused controversy as he was clearly in pain but could not be replaced as Forest had already used their three substitution windows for the game. The Athletic explains why there is a directive to allow attacks to play out and be reviewed by VAR at their conclusion, the key questions it raises, and whether there are any alternatives. A protocol relating to offside was introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), football's worldwide lawmakers, for the 2020-21 Premier League season, following the introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR). While the law did not change, assistant referees were told to keep their flags down if they felt there was an immediate scoring opportunity, to prevent attacks being wrongly stopped when there was the potential for a goal. The IFAB VAR Protocol procedures state: 'Delaying the flag/whistle for an offence is only permissible in a very clear attacking situation when a player is about to score a goal or has a clear run into/towards the opponents' penalty area. 'If an assistant referee delays a flag for an offence, the assistant referee must raise the flag if the attacking team scores a goal, is awarded a penalty kick, free kick, corner kick or throw-in, or retains possession of the ball after the initial attack has ended; in all other situations, the assistant referee should decide whether or not to raise the flag, depending on the requirements of the game.' Since its inception, the protocol has been criticised for needlessly creating situations that could potentially lead to an injury. Before Awoniyi's episode last weekend, there had been other incidents. In fact, Leicester defender Conor Coady and Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo have witnessed one before, when they were playing for and managing Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively during a March 2021 match against Liverpool. Wolves' goalkeeper Rui Patricio was carried off on a stretcher following 15 minutes of on-field treatment after a clash of heads with team-mate Coady as they attempted to stop Mohamed Salah putting the ball in the net for Liverpool. A flag was then raised to rule out Salah's apparent goal. Manchester City's defender John Stones and goalkeeper Ederson were also hurt in different games but similar circumstances last season, prompting City's captain Rodri to say: 'We have an injury because of this situation we are trying to fix in the last years. It is ridiculous. There are lots of injuries in this situation. So we have to check if it's the best option to follow the game.' Advertisement However, the counterargument is that if the protocol were removed and assistants encouraged to flag immediately if they felt there was an offside, there would be more errors that could rule out potential goals and that would create more controversy when television replays expose those mistakes. Managers, players and pundits would be critical as well if a goalscoring opportunity was ruled out accidentally by an early flag. Assistant Sian Massey-Ellis made a split-second decision to allow play to carry on, although Elanga must have seemed offside. She was in a good position, but per the protocol, chose to keep her flag down. Had she raised it, it's almost certain that play would have stopped and Awoniyi would not have ended up colliding with the post, as the move originated just over the halfway line. Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was one of Europe's top strikers in his playing days for Manchester United and Real Madrid around two decades ago, questioned the protocol. 'When it's so clear, then put the flag up,' he told reporters after Sunday's match. 'When you are in doubt and you know you have the VAR to check to be sure, good, I understand it, but I think if it's obvious, clear and obvious, put the flag up and stop the players sprinting 30, 40, 50 metres and stop moments like that (Awoniyi's injury).' Earlier on Friday, Nuno also called for more to be done to avoid such incidents. 'The law is like that,' he said in his pre-game press conference for Sunday's visit to West Ham United. 'You cannot blame the ref (and match official). They just follow the guidance. It was a clear offside. The players have the instruction to play to the whistle. 'Unfortunately, it happened. 'Since this law came, there were immediately some concerns about these aspects of the game. Serious things can happen because of the law. There could be a red card after an offside. How can you control these situations? They're aware, but it's about the law. The law cannot change now. But it is about the guidance. Now it is about that. Let us try to avoid (these incidents).' Advertisement The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), the players' trade union in the English game, has not yet commented publicly but has been checking on the condition of Awoniyi through Forest's PFA delegate and staff at the club. It also plans to speak to Awoniyi, Forest, PGMOL (the organisation that runs the officiating of matches in England) and possibly even IFAB to get their observations before discussing what lessons need to be learned from Sunday's incident. The VAR protocol over delayed flags can only be changed if IFAB, which sets the international laws of the game, decides there is an issue. However, the protocol already states it is at the assistant's discretion and that they can flag if they believe a player is clearly offside. In this case, it seems Massey-Ellis was not certain, so allowed play to carry on. An IFAB spokesman said: 'We were very sorry to hear about Taiwo Awoniyi's injury and join the football world in wishing him a speedy recovery. 'Prior to the introduction of VAR, there was considerable frustration when a forward who was clear on goal was flagged offside, only for replays to later show they were actually onside. 'When the VAR protocol was being developed in 2016, there were strong requests from all stakeholders to avoid such situations. 'However, mindful of the potential risk of collision between the attacker and goalkeeper, the VAR protocol states that raising the flag (or blowing the whistle for a foul or handball) should be delayed only for 'tight/difficult' decisions — that is, when the referee or assistant has some doubt. 'This guidance is regularly communicated to match officials, and in the case of the PGMOL, was most recently published at the beginning of this season.' Semi-automated offsides, which have been trialled this season in the Premier League and FA Cup, will not affect the decision-making as the technology is only used to speed up the VAR process after a goal is apparently scored. However, it may influence assistants in terms of keeping their flags down even more, to avoid making a mistake. Advertisement Without a clear alternative, it is likely the protocol will remain, as the concern is that, should the game return to assistants flagging immediately if they suspect a player is offside, it would expose match officials to even more criticism if replays then reveal they got it wrong and denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity. It may not be perfect, but IFAB and FIFA, football's worldwide governing body, are expected to decide that the protocol is the best option, meaning the debate will carry on.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Arsenal fans baffled as Lewis-Skelly is beaten by team-mate, 24, to Premier League Young Player of the Year nomination
ARSENAL fans have demanded a rule change to the Premier League's Young Player of the Year award. The eight stars nominated for this season's accolade have been announced with Myles Lewis-Skelly missing out. 4 4 But to the surprise of Arsenal supporters, 24-year-old William Saliba made the cut instead. Liam Delap (Ipswich), Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Joao Pedro (Brighton) and Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) complete the list of nominees. Many expected Lewis-Skelly to be one of them after a stunning breakthrough season. The 18-year-old has featured 21 times in the Premier League this term and has made the left-back spot his own following his start in December. Lewis-Skelly's good form even saw him earn a first senior England call-up in March. But he has not been nominated with many of the players chosen aged between 22 and 24. Premier League rules state you are eligible for the Young Player of the Year award if you are 23 or under at the start of the campaign. But many fans want a change to the regulations, with one saying: "It should be Under-21 players only." 4 4 Another added: "They really need to rethink the 'Young' Player of the Season. Because not having Lewis-Skelly but having 24-year-old Saliba makes no sense." A third wrote: "They need a Rookie of the Year award to go along side this for newcomers/younger players." Gravenberch has also been nominated for the senior Player of the Season award after helping Liverpool win the league. His team-mates Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk join him on the list. Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest), Alexander Isak (Newcastle), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford) and Declan Rice (Arsenal) are the other contenders.
