Gianluigi Donnarumma News

Pep Guardiola ready to earn his money with 'unhappy' Man City players in FA Cup

Manchester City should be feeling brilliant right now. The team have leapfrogged Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table as they head to Wembley again to try to reach a fourth straight FA Cup final, and the club have announced that they are freezing ticket prices for another year. There has been plenty of joy to be had at the City Football Academy, and there is a familiar glint in Pep Guardiola's eye as the business end of the season approaches. There may be inexperience in his squad yet the manager knows better than anyone in the game how to get everything to click at the right time. However, doing that on the pitch usually means what has happened at City over the past month : picking basically the same XI every week and trusting them to get over the line. It has worked spectacularly, with wins over Arsenal, Liverpool , Chelsea , Arsenal (again) and Burnley coming with just three changes in the starting line-up; bringing in Marc Guehi after his Carabao Cup ineligibility, seeing Gianluigi Donnarumma return in goal and then replacing the injured Rodri. Click here to find out the latest Manchester City news in our daily newsletter The knock-on effect though, particularly now that City are out of the Champions League , is that about half the squad haven't started a competitive game for the club in over a month. On Friday, Guardiola brought up players being unhappy more than once as he talked about his team selection choices for the semi-final with Southampton this weekend and the fatigue that those who have started must contend with. "The players who don't aren’t too happy," he said. "Because, you know, the last games we have long weeks, I rotate less. In the last five, six games, we conceded one goal. With the Arsenal game and the rest we have been quite good. I always try to involve everyone, but when I arrive in the last part of the season, always I try. "Now, I'm pretty sure in the last four, five games, in the team the vibe is good, I rotate less and make less changes. Now I have to think about it because today people were, on the second day, always tired and we are a little bit drained and some physios told me be careful of that player, that player, for the history, for the potential injury. If one player is injured right now, it's gone, it is over. And now I want to have the players available for Everton until the end." If there is a team that can make changes to nearly the whole team and still win an FA Cup semi-final, it is City. They changed ten for a fifth round tie at Newcastle and comfortably ran out winners, with Savinho and Omar Marmoush (two) getting the goals. But those players will have to be in the right frame of mind to seize that opportunity, and Guardiola has to weigh up how many of those are in the squad when he makes his final gameplan for Wembley on Saturday. City are going to need a squad to win more trophies this season, and their manager needs to spot which players are using their unhappiness at not playing for added motivation rather than to knock their game further. "They can be so sad, as much they train good and they have a good relation with their mates and the organisation on the pitch and off the pitch, because they pay the salaries and take care of them incredibly, it's more than fine, it is normal," he said. "I would not like it if they are happy. As much as they train good and they are focused and respect what Manchester City means, it’s fine."

2026-04-25

Guardiola dismisses ‘stupid things’ said about City celebrations after beating Arsenal

Pep Guardiola has hit out at criticism of Manchester City’s celebrations following Sunday’s victory over Arsenal, describing such comments as “stupid things”. At the final whistle of the 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium, one that took City to within three points of the Premier League leaders with a game in hand, Gianluigi Donnarumma jumped into the crowd behind his goal while many of City’s others players also celebrated in emphatic fashion. Among those to question this were Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy in their capacity as pundits on Sunday night’s Match of the Day. Rooney described the celebrations as being “a bit over the top” while Murphy said: “If you are an Arsenal player, you are thinking: ‘Hold on, we’re still leading.’ It was a heavy celebration, I was surprised with that.” “People can say whatever stupid things they want to say,” Guardiola said when looking ahead to City’s trip to Burnley on Wednesday night. “They celebrated because they know the value of the opponent. They knew if we didn’t win it would be ‘bye-bye [to the title race]’. They won and still we are there. How can they not celebrate it? As much as you respect the opponent and the fans of the opponent, celebrate however you want. “Of course we are not going to celebrate in the middle of the week if we win 3-0 or 4-0 and the opponent is different. Everybody knew that game, it was a final. Especially for us. Maybe not for them but for us it was a final and of course you have to celebrate it.” If City win at Turf Moor they will move level with Arsenal on 70 points and also, at the very least, level on +37 goal difference. City have scored 65 goals in 32 games, conceding 29, while Arsenal have scored 63 goals in 33 games, conceding 26. If the two teams finish the season with the same number of points, then the one with the superior goal difference will finish top. “It can happen but you cannot be distracted,” said Guardiola. “If [we chase this], we’ll be unbalanced and when unbalanced, we are going to concede a lot of goals.” Rodri is set to miss the trip to Burnley, and possibly Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, because of the groin injury the midfielder sustained against Arsenal. “We will see for the next games,” Guardiola said about when Rodri might be able to return. “Maybe Southampton or maybe in 12 days [against Everton].

2026-04-21

Guardiola dismisses ‘stupid things’ said about City celebrations after beating Arsenal

Pep Guardiola has hit out at criticism of Manchester City’s celebrations following Sunday’s victory over Arsenal, describing such comments as “stupid things”. At the final whistle of the 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium, one that took City to within three points of the Premier League leaders with a game in hand, Gianluigi Donnarumma jumped into the crowd behind his goal while many of City’s others players also celebrated in emphatic fashion. Among those to question this were Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy in their capacity as pundits on Sunday night’s Match of the Day. Rooney described the celebrations as being “a bit over the top” while Murphy said: “If you are an Arsenal player, you are thinking: ‘Hold on, we’re still leading.’ It was a heavy celebration, I was surprised with that.” “People can say whatever stupid things they want to say,” Guardiola said when looking ahead to City’s trip to Burnley on Wednesday night. “They celebrated because they know the value of the opponent. They knew if we didn’t win it would be ‘bye-bye [to the title race]’. They won and still we are there. How can they not celebrate it? As much as you respect the opponent and the fans of the opponent, celebrate however you want. “Of course we are not going to celebrate in the middle of the week if we win 3-0 or 4-0 and the opponent is different. Everybody knew that game, it was a final. Especially for us. Maybe not for them but for us it was a final and of course you have to celebrate it.” If City win at Turf Moor they will move level with Arsenal on 70 points and also, at the very least, level on +37 goal difference. City have scored 65 goals in 32 games, conceding 29, while Arsenal have scored 63 goals in 33 games, conceding 26. If the two teams finish the season with the same number of points, then the one with the superior goal difference will finish top. “It can happen but you cannot be distracted,” said Guardiola. “If [we chase this], we’ll be unbalanced and when unbalanced, we are going to concede a lot of goals.” Rodri is set to miss the trip to Burnley, and possibly Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, because of the groin injury the midfielder sustained against Arsenal. “We will see for the next games,” Guardiola said about when Rodri might be able to return. “Maybe Southampton or maybe in 12 days [against Everton].

2026-04-21

Guardiola dismisses ‘stupid things’ said about City celebrations after beating Arsenal

Pep Guardiola has hit out at criticism of Manchester City’s celebrations following Sunday’s victory over Arsenal, describing such comments as “stupid things”. At the final whistle of the 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium, one that took City to within three points of the Premier League leaders with a game in hand, Gianluigi Donnarumma jumped into the crowd behind his goal while many of City’s others players also celebrated in emphatic fashion. Among those to question this were Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy in their capacity as pundits on Sunday night’s Match of the Day. Rooney described the celebrations as being “a bit over the top” while Murphy said: “If you are an Arsenal player, you are thinking: ‘Hold on, we’re still leading.’ It was a heavy celebration, I was surprised with that.” “People can say whatever stupid things they want to say,” Guardiola said when looking ahead to City’s trip to Burnley on Wednesday night. “They celebrated because they know the value of the opponent. They knew if we didn’t win it would be ‘bye-bye [to the title race]’. They won and still we are there. How can they not celebrate it? As much as you respect the opponent and the fans of the opponent, celebrate however you want. “Of course we are not going to celebrate in the middle of the week if we win 3-0 or 4-0 and the opponent is different. Everybody knew that game, it was a final. Especially for us. Maybe not for them but for us it was a final and of course you have to celebrate it.” If City win at Turf Moor they will move level with Arsenal on 70 points and also, at the very least, level on +37 goal difference. City have scored 65 goals in 32 games, conceding 29, while Arsenal have scored 63 goals in 33 games, conceding 26. If the two teams finish the season with the same number of points, then the one with the superior goal difference will finish top. “It can happen but you cannot be distracted,” said Guardiola. “If [we chase this], we’ll be unbalanced and when unbalanced, we are going to concede a lot of goals.” Rodri is set to miss the trip to Burnley, and possibly Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, because of the groin injury the midfielder sustained against Arsenal. “We will see for the next games,” Guardiola said about when Rodri might be able to return. “Maybe Southampton or maybe in 12 days [against Everton].

2026-04-21

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Donnarumma breathes a sigh of relief For Manchester City, Gianluigi Donnarumma has always been a case of risk and reward. Perhaps only Thibaut Courtois is as fine a shot-stopper as Italy’s Euro 2020 hero, though many goalkeepers are better with the ball at their feet. Claudio Bravo, let alone Ederson, would be unlikely to dither in the fashion that alerted Kai Havertz to the possibility of pressing City’s keeper as close as possible for Arsenal’s goal. Donnarumma was the signing who bucked the Pep Guardiola doctrines, and his goalkeeping has been crucial to City’s revival but such mistakes have always been part of the giant Italian’s makeup. Paris Saint-Germain would not meet his wage demands, and opted for Lille’s Lucas Chevalier, a better ball-player as an ill-starred replacement. Donnarumma smothered a good chance for Havertz in the second half. His big mistake, seconds after Rayan Cherki’s opener, did not, after all, become the key twist in the title race. John Brewin Match report: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal Jones slots in nicely at right-back It was an indication of Liverpool’s evolution over the course of this season that the central midfielder Curtis Jones started the Merseyside derby at right-back, while summer recruit Jeremie Frimpong was left on the bench. Jones has played in the position before and produced an accomplished display. His calm nature makes him suited to the role; he read the danger instinctively and faced up against Everton’s trickiest attacking player, Iliman Ndiaye, without being intimidated. When Liverpool were in possession, Arne Slot gave permission for Jones to move into more familiar territory, shifting into the centre of the park where he could receive the ball and try to create overloads. There was never a chance he would look to overlap Mohamed Salah, something Frimpong takes great pride in. Jones is the more conservative option at full-back, a trait Liverpool require as they look to grind their way to Champions League qualification. Will Unwin Match report: Everton 1-2 Liverpool De Zerbi puts faith in Simons to save Spurs To stand any chance of avoiding relegation, Tottenham will need Xavi Simons to put in the kind of performance he managed against Brighton on Saturday. The Netherlands attacker has struggled for consistency since joining last summer – hardly a surprise given that he has played under three different managers in his first Premier League season. Simons set up Pedro Porro’s opener before scoring a brilliant goal that looked like being the winner until Georginio Rutter’s late strike. Roberto De Zerbi praised Simons’ efforts and thinks he can unlock more from the 22-year-old, as Spurs prepare for five games that will determine their destiny. “He needs to feel confidence from the manager. And I stay here to transfer all the confidence he needs,” said the Italian. “Because [when] I was a player, I was No 10, and I think I know what he thinks. I think I’m lucky to have this player on my team, but also he’s lucky because with No 10, I can understand better than other coaches.” Ed Aarons Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Brighton Heaven shines brighter than Garnacho At a reported compensation cost of £1m-£1.5m, the signing of Ayden Heaven is the type of deal Chelsea’s brains trust would love to pull off. Think of the resale value. Those not yet in the grip of placing dollar signs against everything could celebrate Heaven’s performance in leading Manchester United’s rearguard effort at Stamford Bridge, and the promise of more to come in a red shirt. Similar expectations were once held in Alejandro Garnacho who, after arriving as a first-half sub for Estevão, showed United what they have not missed. Successive United managers were exasperated that the Argentinian’s attacking talents were not balanced by dedicated work off the ball. Liam Rosenior will have similar thoughts on Garnacho’s role in allowing Bruno Fernandes to breeze past and supply Matheus Cunha for United’s goal. Rosenior may not be suitable for his position but like his predecessors under the BlueCo regime, he must work with players bought as assets rather than footballers. Garnacho cost £40m. Think of the resale value. JB Match report: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United Signings pile pressure on Howe Eddie Howe’s biggest problem is not Newcastle’s dismal results – although eight defeats in 11 Premier League games remains damning – but last summer’s £220m transfer market spend. Given Newcastle’s manager has a much bigger say on signings than most of his Premier League peers, he is largely culpable for blowing the £125m gained from Alexander Isak’s sale on Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey. As Bournemouth won 2-1 on Tyneside, with the outstanding Alex Scott running midfield, Elanga and Ramsey were alarmingly poor before being withdrawn. Woltemade stepped off the substitutes’ bench for the last few minutes and Wissa stayed on it. Afterwards Howe admitted he struggles to accommodate the £69m Woltemade’s unique skills in his 4-3-3 system. It all contrasted unfavourably with Bournemouth where, despite losing a raft of leading players last summer, shrewd recruitment has left Andoni Iraola’s side challenging for Europe. Tellingly the scorer of the winning goal, the left-back Adrien Truffert, arrived from Rennes for a bargain initial £11.4m last summer. Louise Taylor Match report: Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth Should Burnley stick with Parker? The end is nigh for Burnley as they prepare to return to theChampionship, and the manager’s position is bound to come under scrutiny again as Scott Parker approaches the final year of his contract. Despite spending last season in the second tier, only five teams have endured more than Burnley’s 45 defeats from 71 Premier League games over the past three years. The last time they went down, Vincent Kompany departed for Bayern Munich, and they’re not doing too badly. Is it the manager’s responsibility for a mid-sized club like Burnley yo-yoing between the two divisions? Parker led them to promotion before; perhaps he should be offered another chance. Peter Lansley Match report: Nottingham Forest 4-1 Burnley Arsenal lacking killer instinct Now for the run-in, where Arsenal somehow have to recover ebbing confidence. Mikel Arteta’s formula for success was going so well. And now it no longer is. Those scenes of Kai Havertz’s missed header being followed by Arsenal’s manager hitting the deck in agony may come to define another near-miss of a season. Not enough chances of that quality were created by Arteta’s team, severely lacking in creativity in the absence of Bukayo Saka and with Martin Ødegaard a reduced force. What appeared a bold, attacking selection did not match the verve of City players such as Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly or the doggedness of Bernardo Silva. When it came time for expression, assuming responsibility, grasping the nettle, a team drilled by a prescriptive coach could not find the necessary inspiration and killer instinct. With a Champions League semi-final to come and five more Premier League matches, the “fire” Arteta declares is within him and his team must be relocated. JB Farke deserving of more love Leeds are not mathematically safe yet but, after Tottenham’s draw with Brighton on Saturday evening, there is now an eight-point buffer between Daniel Farke’s men and the relegation zone. Which raises the question: does Farke deserve a little bit more credit than he gets? He has not only guided Leeds back to the Premier League but barring an extraordinary sequence of results – 39 points has been enough to survive in each of the past eight seasons – he has kept them there too, as well as taking them to a first FA Cup semi-final since 1987. There’s often murmurings of discontent on the Elland Road terraces about whether Farke is the right man for the club. If, as now expected, he takes them into a second successive Premier League campaign, there is perhaps a conversation to talk about him in a more positive light. Aaron Bower Match report: Leeds 3-0 Wolves Abraham proves his worth with key goals Tammy Abraham is still only 28 but he returned to England in January as a largely forgotten figure; certainly nobody is tipping him to be in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. His previous loan spell at Villa was in 2018-19, when he scored 25 league goals to inspire promotion via the playoffs. He has been nowhere near as prolific this time round, but he has played his role perfectly, coming off the bench and scoring two vital late goals: an equaliser at home to Leeds and Sunday’s winner against Sunderland. Without those four points, Villa might not look quite so secure in the Champions League qualifying slots. The question, then, is whether Villa sign the striker from Besiktas on a permanent basis. That may depend on whether they can afford him, which in turn may be dependent on Champions League qualification. Abraham is doing his bit to ensure that happens. Jonathan Wilson Match report: Aston Villa 4-3 Sunderland Fulham drawing blanks at wrong time It finished goalless in this west London derby but only Brentford looked capable of nicking it at the close. Marco Silva wanted his Fulham side to attack, too, bringing on Oscar Bobb, Josh King and Raul Jiménez in the second half. “We wanted to win the game, we needed to win the game and it was a moment to take that type of risk,” said Silva. Yet his side failed to test Caoimhín Kelleher all game, with Fulham’s substitutes unable to change the tune. An injury to Alex Iwobi added to Silva’s frustrations, as did Harry Wilson’s failure to hit the target when he found space in the area. Fulham remain in that tight mid-table pack, European football still on offer – but it’s time to work on those shooting drills, for someone to help out Wilson, their headliner this season. They’ve now failed to score in five games out of six. Taha Hashim Match report: Brentford 0-0 Fulham

2026-04-20

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Donnarumma breathes a sigh of relief For Manchester City, Gianluigi Donnarumma has always been a case of risk and reward. Perhaps only Thibaut Courtois is as fine a shot-stopper as Italy’s Euro 2020 hero, though many goalkeepers are better with the ball at their feet. Claudio Bravo, let alone Ederson, would be unlikely to dither in the fashion that alerted Kai Havertz to the possibility of pressing City’s keeper as close as possible for Arsenal’s goal. Donnarumma was the signing who bucked the Pep Guardiola doctrines, and his goalkeeping has been crucial to City’s revival but such mistakes have always been part of the giant Italian’s makeup. Paris Saint-Germain would not meet his wage demands, and opted for Lille’s Lucas Chevalier, a better ball-player as an ill-starred replacement. Donnarumma smothered a good chance for Havertz in the second half. His big mistake, seconds after Rayan Cherki’s opener, did not, after all, become the key twist in the title race. John Brewin Match report: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal Jones slots in nicely at right-back It was an indication of Liverpool’s evolution over the course of this season that the central midfielder Curtis Jones started the Merseyside derby at right-back, while summer recruit Jeremie Frimpong was left on the bench. Jones has played in the position before and produced an accomplished display. His calm nature makes him suited to the role; he read the danger instinctively and faced up against Everton’s trickiest attacking player, Iliman Ndiaye, without being intimidated. When Liverpool were in possession, Arne Slot gave permission for Jones to move into more familiar territory, shifting into the centre of the park where he could receive the ball and try to create overloads. There was never a chance he would look to overlap Mohamed Salah, something Frimpong takes great pride in. Jones is the more conservative option at full-back, a trait Liverpool require as they look to grind their way to Champions League qualification. Will Unwin Match report: Everton 1-2 Liverpool De Zerbi puts faith in Simons to save Spurs To stand any chance of avoiding relegation, Tottenham will need Xavi Simons to put in the kind of performance he managed against Brighton on Saturday. The Netherlands attacker has struggled for consistency since joining last summer – hardly a surprise given that he has played under three different managers in his first Premier League season. Simons set up Pedro Porro’s opener before scoring a brilliant goal that looked like being the winner until Georginio Rutter’s late strike. Roberto De Zerbi praised Simons’ efforts and thinks he can unlock more from the 22-year-old, as Spurs prepare for five games that will determine their destiny. “He needs to feel confidence from the manager. And I stay here to transfer all the confidence he needs,” said the Italian. “Because [when] I was a player, I was No 10, and I think I know what he thinks. I think I’m lucky to have this player on my team, but also he’s lucky because with No 10, I can understand better than other coaches.” Ed Aarons Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Brighton Heaven shines brighter than Garnacho At a reported compensation cost of £1m-£1.5m, the signing of Ayden Heaven is the type of deal Chelsea’s brains trust would love to pull off. Think of the resale value. Those not yet in the grip of placing dollar signs against everything could celebrate Heaven’s performance in leading Manchester United’s rearguard effort at Stamford Bridge, and the promise of more to come in a red shirt. Similar expectations were once held in Alejandro Garnacho who, after arriving as a first-half sub for Estevão, showed United what they have not missed. Successive United managers were exasperated that the Argentinian’s attacking talents were not balanced by dedicated work off the ball. Liam Rosenior will have similar thoughts on Garnacho’s role in allowing Bruno Fernandes to breeze past and supply Matheus Cunha for United’s goal. Rosenior may not be suitable for his position but like his predecessors under the BlueCo regime, he must work with players bought as assets rather than footballers. Garnacho cost £40m. Think of the resale value. JB Match report: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United Signings pile pressure on Howe Eddie Howe’s biggest problem is not Newcastle’s dismal results – although eight defeats in 11 Premier League games remains damning – but last summer’s £220m transfer market spend. Given Newcastle’s manager has a much bigger say on signings than most of his Premier League peers, he is largely culpable for blowing the £125m gained from Alexander Isak’s sale on Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey. As Bournemouth won 2-1 on Tyneside, with the outstanding Alex Scott running midfield, Elanga and Ramsey were alarmingly poor before being withdrawn. Woltemade stepped off the substitutes’ bench for the last few minutes and Wissa stayed on it. Afterwards Howe admitted he struggles to accommodate the £69m Woltemade’s unique skills in his 4-3-3 system. It all contrasted unfavourably with Bournemouth where, despite losing a raft of leading players last summer, shrewd recruitment has left Andoni Iraola’s side challenging for Europe. Tellingly the scorer of the winning goal, the left-back Adrien Truffert, arrived from Rennes for a bargain initial £11.4m last summer. Louise Taylor Match report: Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth Should Burnley stick with Parker? The end is nigh for Burnley as they prepare to return to the Championship, and the manager’s position is bound to come under scrutiny again as Scott Parker approaches the final year of his contract. Despite spending last season in the second tier, only five teams have endured more than Burnley’s 45 defeats from 71 Premier League games over the past three years. The last time they went down, Vincent Kompany departed for Bayern Munich, and they’re not doing too badly. Is it the manager’s responsibility for a mid-sized club like Burnley yo-yoing between the two divisions? Parker led them to promotion before; perhaps he should be offered another chance. Peter Lansley Match report: Nottingham Forest 4-1 Burnley Arsenal lacking killer instinct Now for the run-in, where Arsenal somehow have to recover ebbing confidence. Mikel Arteta’s formula for success was going so well. And now it no longer is. Those scenes of Kai Havertz’s missed header being followed by Arsenal’s manager hitting the deck in agony may come to define another near-miss of a season. Not enough chances of that quality were created by Arteta’s team, severely lacking in creativity in the absence of Bukayo Saka and with Martin Ødegaard a reduced force. What appeared a bold, attacking selection did not match the verve of City players such as Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly or the doggedness of Bernardo Silva. When it came time for expression, assuming responsibility, grasping the nettle, a team drilled by a prescriptive coach could not find the necessary inspiration and killer instinct. With a Champions League semi-final to come and five more Premier League matches, the “fire” Arteta declares is within him and his team must be relocated. JB Farke deserving of more love Leeds are not mathematically safe yet but, after Tottenham’s draw with Brighton on Saturday evening, there is now an eight-point buffer between Daniel Farke’s men and the relegation zone. Which raises the question: does Farke deserve a little bit more credit than he gets? He has not only guided Leeds back to the Premier League but barring an extraordinary sequence of results – 39 points has been enough to survive in each of the past eight seasons – he has kept them there too, as well as taking them to a first FA Cup semi-final since 1987. There’s often murmurings of discontent on the Elland Road terraces about whether Farke is the right man for the club. If, as now expected, he takes them into a second successive Premier League campaign, there is perhaps a conversation to talk about him in a more positive light. Aaron Bower Match report: Leeds 3-0 Wolves Abraham proves his worth with key goals Tammy Abraham is still only 28 but he returned to England in January as a largely forgotten figure; certainly nobody is tipping him to be in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. His previous loan spell at Villa was in 2018-19, when he scored 25 league goals to inspire promotion via the playoffs. He has been nowhere near as prolific this time round, but he has played his role perfectly, coming off the bench and scoring two vital late goals: an equaliser at home to Leeds and Sunday’s winner against Sunderland. Without those four points, Villa might not look quite so secure in the Champions League qualifying slots. Jonathan Wilson Match report: Aston Villa 4-3 Sunderland Fulham drawing blanks at wrong time It finished goalless in this west London derby but only Brentford looked capable of nicking it at the close. Marco Silva wanted his Fulham side to attack, too, bringing on Oscar Bobb, Josh King and Raul Jiménez in the second half. “We wanted to win the game, we needed to win the game and it was a moment to take that type of risk,” said Silva. Yet his side failed to test Caoimhín Kelleher all game, with Fulham’s substitutes unable to change the tune. An injury to Alex Iwobi added to Silva’s frustrations, as did Harry Wilson’s failure to hit the target when he found space in the area. Fulham remain in that tight mid-table pack, European football still on offer – but it’s time to work on those shooting drills, for someone to help out Wilson, their headliner this season. They’ve now failed to score in five games out of six. Taha Hashim Match report: Brentford 0-0 Fulham • This article was amended on 20 April 2026. An earlier version stated that Tammy Abraham was on loan at Aston Villa; however, the striker joined the club permanently in January.

2026-04-20

Premier League: Man City crush Arsenal hopes, seize control of title race

Football News: Manchester City seized control of the Premier League title race with a crucial 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Sunday, dealing a major blow to the Gunners.

2026-04-20

Man City transfer news: Contract extension confirmed for forgotten player labelled “a really good signing”

A forgotten Manchester City player, labelled "a really good signing" by director of football Hugo Viana, signs a contract extension, the club confirms.

2026-04-10

Man City transfer news: Surprise Premier League rival now joins race to sign forgotten £27m player

Leeds United have joined the race to sign Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford, intensifying Premier League interest as the 23-year-old considers a move for regular first-team football amid uncertainty over his future at the Etihad.

2026-04-10

FA Cup semi-final fixture details confirmed after Chelsea vs Leeds concerns

The details for the FA Cup semi finals later this month have now been confirmed. Manchester City will play Southampton at Wembley on Saturday, April 25 before Chelsea vs Leeds on Sunday, April 26. The draw for the final four was completed on Sunday evening after Leeds beat West Ham 4-2 on penalties to book their place at Wembley. And the FA have now confirmed the dates and times for both matches. Manchester City vs Southampton - Saturday, April 25, 5.15pm kick-off Chelsea vs Leeds - Sunday, April 26, 3pm kick-off The matches will both by broadcast by TNT Sports, with the City vs Saints game also on BBC One. Southampton are the only non-Premier League side left in the competition. Tonda Eckert's side have beaten Fulham and Arsenal in the previous two rounds and will now face City at Wembley. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page City have reached the last three FA Cup finals, losing the most recent two to Manchester United and Crystal Palace . They won the Carabao Cup last month by beating Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley and will be gunning for a second piece of silverware after being knocked out of the Champions League . Leeds recovered from conceding two injury-time goals against West Ham to triumph on penalties at the London Stadium on Sunday. Their reward is a first FA Cup semi final in 39 years. Police are on high alert for their clash with Chelsea due to the historic rivalry between the two Premier League sides. Matches between the two clubs in the 1970s and 1980s were frequently surrounded by violence and there will be a heavy police presence around Wembley later this month. There is plenty at stake at Wembley, with The FA confirming that the winning and losing clubs will receive £1,060,000 and £530,000 from the competition’s prize fund respectively. Southampton will juggle their FA Cup semi final with their attempts to earn promotion from the Championship. Saints are currently on a 16-game unbeaten run across all competitions and sit sixth in the Championship table following their 5-1 thumping of Wrexham on Tuesday night. Eckert's side still have six games left in their league campaign and will be hoping that the game against City is the first of two visits to Wembley this spring, with the main goal a place in the Championship play-off final. Meanwhile, Leeds also have other concerns, with Daniel Farke tasked with keeping his side in the Premier League. Leeds sit 15th in the table but are just four points above the final relegation zone, occupied by West Ham. 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.

2026-04-09