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John Stones has hailed Ruben Dias following his return to form at Manchester City, saying he loves playing alongside the Portuguese centre-back.

Dias has had an immediate impact at City since completing his £62 million ($84m) move to Etihad Stadium from Benfica in September. The 23-year-old has featured in 20 matches across all competitions for the Blues already this season, scoring once with his latest stellar display coming in the 2-0 home win over Newcastle on Saturday .

Pep Guardiola's side currently boast the best defensive record in the Premier League, and Stones has also played a key role in helping them rack up the clean sheets over the past few months.

The 26-year-old has worked his way back into City's starting line-up after a frustrating 2019-20 campaign, with Dias proving to be the perfect foil for the England international at the back.

Speaking ahead of the Blues' trip to Everton on Monday night, Stones talked up the partnership he has struck up with the former Benfica star while stressing the importance of sharing attacking and defensive responsibilities across the entire team.

Asked if he has enjoyed working with Dias, Stones told the club's official website: "Yeah, I absolutely love playing with him.

"We’ve still got room to improve. Everyone has got different qualities which is great. The consistency is key and us keeping clean sheets has been massive.

"I’ve said it numerous times now but to keep those clean sheets and have that platform for the lads to go and win the game is massive and it’s our job at the end of the day.

"I was thinking the other day that its not all on us – its not all in the defenders to get the clean sheets or that when someone scores its solely on the guys who scores."

City will move level on points with second-placed Everton with a game in hand if they pick up a win at Goodison Park. Guardiola will then start preparing his players for another top-of-the-table encounter against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on January 3, with only a point separating the two sides in the table at present.

Ebere Orji has signed for Swedish Elitettan side Kalmar as a free agent from Linkopings on a two-year deal, Goal can exclusively report.

The Nigerian striker would be hoping to continue her fine professional career in the European country, having seen out her one-year deal with Linkopings in the 2020 Damallsvenskan season. 

During her time under Olof Unogard's watch, Orji, who joined from Umea in February 2020, hit six goals for the Linkoping Arena outfit and was named the Damallsvenskan Player of the Month in July.

Having left Linkopings, the 28-year-old has now teamed up with an Elitettan side for the third time following spells at Mallbacken before helping Umea to top-flight promotion in 2019 in her second stint.

With Kalmar eyeing a Damallsvenskan spot, the Nigerian's acquisition will boost Frank Berntzen's attacking line as they bid to improve on their last season's fourth-place finish.

Before moving to Sweden in 2017, the striker previously played for three years at Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros, where she won three titles, including Noi Magyar Kupa twice and Noi NB I once. 

At international level, she featured for Nigeria at the U17 Women's World Cup in 2008, at U20 level in 2010, the senior event in 2011 and won the African Women's Cup of Nations in 2010.

Orji's switch to Kalmar means only seven Nigerians will be campaigning for their respective clubs in the Swedish top flight next season.

Those left are Chinaza Uchendu and Uchenna Kanu (Linkopings), Faith Michael and Anam Imo (Pitea), Ngozi Okobi and Halimatu Ayinde (Eskilstuna United), and Goteborg's Evelyn Ijeh.

At Kalmar, Orji will hope to gain more regular playing time under the tutelage of Berntzen when the new Elitettan season gets underway next year.

Diego Costa has informed Atletico Madrid of his desire to leave the club ahead of the January transfer window and to have his contract with the club terminated, Goal can confirm.

The Spain international has had a tough time since returning to Atletico from Chelsea in 2018, with his appearances and productivity limited amid injuries.

Costa has made only seven appearances in La Liga this season, with two goals to his name.

AS reported that he had sought out club officials to inform them of his desire to move on and have his deal terminated, ahead of the expiry of his contract in the summer of 2021.

Goal can confirm that Diego Simeone’s side are open to the prospect of letting the 32-year-old striker move on, provided suitable replacement cover can be found in the January transfer window.

Simeone is reluctant to go into the second half of the season - with Atletico battling for honours on three fronts - with Luis Suarez as his sole attacking option.

Suarez has made a good start to his Atletico career following his transfer from Barcelona, but he is 33 and has had injury problems of his own this term. The Uruguay forward missed a month of the season due to injury and ended a lengthy goalless run in the 3-1 win over Elche on December 19.

Atletico are in excellent shape to challenge for the Liga title, level on points at the top of the table with Real Madrid with two games in hand.

Should Costa’s wish to move on be granted - and he is not currently training with the club - his final goal for the Atletico could be the penalty he scored in the same game as Suarez netted a brace against Elche.

Costa was a force of nature during his first spell at Atletico, as his powerful presence and eye for goal helped them secure the Liga title in the 2013-14 campaign.

He earned a move to Chelsea on the back of his exploits for Atletico and won two Premier League crowns at Stamford Bridge before returning to Atletico in 2018.

The highlight of his second spell at the club was Europa League glory in 2018.

Arsenal are unlikely to get back into Europe this season, but Mikel Arteta should be given time to turn the club's fortunes around, says Nigel Winterburn.

Arteta's first year in charge at Emirates Stadium has been a tubulent one with success in the FA Cup and Community Shield undermined by a woeful start to the 2020-21 campaign.

The Spaniard was expected to mastermind a return to the Champions League for Arsenal after delivering two domestic trophies, but instead finds himself trying to steer the club away from the relegation zone.

The Gunners have slipped to 15th in the Premier League standings, having lost eight of their opening 15 fixtures.

The north London outfit managed to bring a seven-match winless run to an end by beating Chelsea 3-1 on Saturday, but Arteta is still under pressure heading into the new year.

Arsenal are 15 points adrift of league leaders Liverpool and ten behind fourth placed Manchester United having played a game more, with another must-win fixture up next away at Brighton on Tuesday night.

Winterburn acknowledges Arteta could lose his job if the Gunners fail to string a run of positive results together over the next few weeks, but hopes the board will be patient with the Spaniard as he seeks to complete a long-term project at the Emirates.

"I never like to discuss the possibility of managers being sacked and who should replace them, but it does happen, of course it does," the Arsenal legend said at the launch of free-to-play fantasy football jackpot game Fantasy5.

"From everything I've heard since the day Mikel Arteta walked into the club, I've just heard good things. It would be wrong of me to say, 'I'd like to see this guy come in' if Arteta loses his job.

"You can bring a manager in who has won a Champions League, he's won league titles - but the only thing we're interested in is, can he do it when he comes to Arsenal? We shouldn't care about his past. His past really doesn't matter.

"I haven't thought about Arteta going as I didn't see it as an option that it could happen. I'd still like to see what Mikel Arteta can do and I'd like to see him given that time.

"However, results are everything and once someone squeezes, puts the pressure on and one of the board members starts to panic then I wouldn't be surprised if it did happen."

Asked if he thinks Arteta can salvage any silverware in the second half of the season, Winterburn responded: "You can't predict Arsenal winning anything in the form we're in - that's just ridiculous. You just can't do that. They would have to have some sensational form in the league from now until the end of the season to even get back into Europe.

"We need to talk about current form with the manager and the players who have got to turn it around quickly. Back-to-back victories will help them build confidence and belief within the team.

"There's lots of games still to come. People keep talking about the run in the Europa League - I expected Arsenal to win those games. When talking about the Premier League though, it's ruthless.

"You're coming up against strong opponents every single week."

The former Gunners defender went on to claim that only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka would get into the teams he played for under George Graham and Arsene Wenger, and he doesn't believe the duo would have been regular starters.

"Who would I put him [Aubameyang] in for? Would I put him in instead of Ian Wright? Would I put him in instead of Thierry Henry? I don't think many people would take that hit," Winterburn added.

"I'd have him in the squad. I'd have Bukayo Saka in the squad, for sure. There's probably a couple more."

Azam FC assistant coach Vivier Bahati is hopeful the team will register positive results in the second round to go back on top of the Tanzanian Premier League table.

After a good start to the 2020/21 league campaign, the Chamazi-based charges' form dipped and they failed to win any of their last six games. They managed to collect four draws and lost the remaining two games.

Romanian coach Aristica Cioaba was fired and Zambian George Lwandamina took his place in the team.

"For us coaches, our target remains the same, to help the team get to the summit of the league table; and we will strive to achieve it in the second round," Bahati told reporters.

"It is a fact, we struggled to get results especially in recent league games. Definitely, it was a disappointment to the fans because no fan enjoys seeing his team struggling but soon it will be a thing of the past.  

"Our responsibility as coaches is to ensure the team performs and gives fans something to smile about. We have to make the fans proud and make them happy just the way we started the season."

In the ongoing transfer windown, the Ice-cream Makers have so far signed Congolese striker Mpiana Monzinzi to bolster the attacking department.

"We need about three players capable of adding extra energy to the squad for us to bounce back and consistently post good results in forthcoming assignments," Bahati concluded.

Lwandamina's side managed to qualify for the fourth round of the FA Cup after a 2-0 win over Magereza FC.

The 2019/20 best defender Nicholas Wadada, Ayoub Lyanga, Mudathir Yahya, Obrey Chirwa, Never Tigere, and Idd Seleman were the usual first-teamers who were deployed against Magereza.

Although it largely looked a defensive approach by the Ice Cream Makers, the former cup champions looked comfortable in launching direct attacks as well as strikes from the wings. They duly opened the scoring in the 23rd minute.

Chirwa headed home from a corner kick that was delivered by Tigere, and the opener rejuvenated the home side, who would have gone into the break with a bigger margin had the visitors not denied them on three occasions.

Tigere then found the back of the net in the 65th minute when his fierce shot from inside the 18-yard area gave the 2013/14 Premier League champions a deserved second goal.

ATK Mohun Bagan are in a rich vein of form as they head into the fixture against Chennaiyin on Tuesday evening.

Antonio Habas' men beat FC Goa and Bengaluru recently and are currently level on points with league leaders Mumbai City. And the coach has shrugged off suggestions that his players may get complacent. 

"We are never complacent. We are improving but we have a long way to go. We have a good squad but we are looking forward to a difficult match against Chennaiyin," stated the manager. 

The two-time ISL winner rates Chennaiyin very highly and feels that it will be an exciting encounter. He also mentioned that the result of the ISL 2019-20 final is likely to have no effect on Tuesday's match.

"Chennaiyin are fighting for the title. They were the finalists last season. They are playing well this season. I have seen their matches and they are playing at a very high level. We respect them very much.

"It is a new season with new players. I know they will create problems for us. Both teams will want to win. The side who will be more lethal will get the three points," he reasoned. 

Habas informed that he has the entire squad at his disposal barring Michael Soosairaj who is out with a long-term injury. 

Bagan played high-pressing football and took the initiative against Bengaluru which saw them reap rewards. But the coach did not want to divulge whether he would stick to the same gameplan against Chennaiyin. 

"Bengaluru have one type of characteristic whereas Chennaiyin have another. You can prepare a match plan thinking about one thing and then the opponent can do another thing. The important thing is to have ideas very very clear and then you can adapt to the opponent."

Australian forward David Williams believes that his team can get the three points against the Marina Machans if they stick to their gameplan. He scored against Bengaluru and would like to start from where he stopped.

"We have to stick to our gameplan. They are a good team but they also have their weaknesses. We have done our homework and each team has their ways of playing and are dangerous. Every striker wants to score. I would like to score again but if we keep winning and get the three points I am happy with it. We are well-rested. We watched Chennaiyin the other night and we feel fresh," said the 32-year-old. 

Ghana target Tariq Lamptey is set to miss a second consecutive Premier League game for Brighton and Hove Albion, the club have confirmed.

The 20-year-old sat out Sunday's 2-2 draw with West Ham United due to a hamstring problem and has been confirmed as unavailable for Tuesday's matchday 16 clash with Arsenal at the American Express Community Stadium.

It will be his fifth missed game of the season, having made 11 appearances so far.

"Graham Potter provided an update on Tariq Lamptey when he spoke to the media after Sunday's game with West Ham United," Brighton wrote in their team news on their official website on Monday.

"The boss confirmed that the defender would miss the match because of a hamstring injury and would also likely remain absent for the match with Wolves on Saturday.

"Adam Lallana came off with a groin problem at half-time and his fitness will be assessed ahead of the match."

Lamptey joined Brighton from Chelsea in January after struggling for first team opportunities at Stamford Bridge where he developed through the youth ranks.

“It [injury] is not serious, it's just a slight problem with his hamstring," Potter said ahead of Sunday's game.

"The nature of how he plays, you have to be careful because you don't want him to be out for a number of weeks. So I am expecting him to be back pretty soon. He's recovering well.

“We haven't got a like-for-like replacement for Tariq, so you have to adjust as a team for another person coming into the team.

"The player that comes in for him will have different attributes and qualities. It's then up to us as a team to understand that and play to those."

Among the breakout stars of the season, Lamptey has been linked to Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.

The latest reports on Monday say the full-back has interested Arsenal who are planning a swoop should Hector Bellerin leave for Barcelona as highly speculated.

The Hillingdon-born has also gained the attention of Ghana football officials who are keen to see the defender represent the country of his parents at international level.

He currently plays for England at U21 level.

Possible future international teammate Thomas Partey, who plays for Arsenal, will also miss Tuesday's Premier League game due to injury. 

Tottenham’s alarming failure to see out games reared its head again against Wolves.

Spurs led early on through Tanguy Ndombele on Sunday but failed to press home their advantage, and were pegged back when Romain Saiss headed home four minutes from time.

Saiss’ effort meant Tottenham had to settle for a point, and continued a worrying trend for Jose Mourinho’s side.

According to Opta, Spurs have dropped nine points in 2020-21 with goals conceded in the last 10 minutes of matches, the most of any side in the Premier League.

The 1-1 draw with Wolves left Tottenham down in fifth in the table, six points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

Commenting on the performance to the club’s official website, Mourinho was satisfied with everything apart from their failure to kill off the game  which left them open to a late blow.

“We’re frustrated with the result,” Mourinho said. “We had control of the game.

“I think it was a solid performance from the defensive point of view. To play against Wolves, I don’t remember Hugo [Lloris] making an important save that meant a lot, but when you score in the first minute you have 89 minutes to score more goals, we didn’t, and we weren’t even close to scoring many more goals.

"I must give some credit to Wolves, of course, as by losing they put some pressure on us, pressure that we coped quite well with, controlling the game very, very well, but we didn't have that ambition and desire to go for more."

Spurs lost their lengthy unbeaten run on the domestic front against Liverpool on December 16, with Roberto Firmino popping up with a goal in the final minute to seal a 2-1 win for the champions.

Prior to that, a goal from Jeffrey Schlupp on 81 minutes saw Spurs drop two points against Crystal Palace, while in October Mourinho's charges inexplicably conceded three times in the final 10 minutes to surrender a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with West Ham.

Against Newcastle in September, a Callum Wilson penalty in the 90th minute denied Tottenham a win.

Tottenham have taken only two points from their last four games and are in danger of losing touch with the Reds.

Spurs now have back-to-back home games against Fulham and Leeds - on December 30 and January 2 respectively - and Mourinho will want to see his side demonstrate greater attacking thrust.

Following the games with Fulham and Leeds, Spurs can turn their attentions away from the league as they have a Carabao Cup semi-final with Brentford followed by an FA Cup third-round clash with Marine.

Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns issued a statement on Monday saying they have terminated discussions with Al Ahly over the potential sale of Uruguay forward Gaston Sirino.

Speculation has been ongoing for several months that the player wants to leave Sundowns after three seasons with the club, in which he scored 29 goals and added 24 assists while winning the Telkom Knockout, Nedbank Cup and three league titles.

Looking to bring an end to the distraction and to try and get Sirino focused on his job, Masandawana released the following statement:

"Mamelodi Sundowns FC today [Monday 28 December] announced that it has terminated discussions with Al Ahly SC as the two clubs are too far from each other on the transfer fee for Gaston Sirino.

"The good relations between the President of Al Ahly, Mr Mahmoud El Khatib and the President of Mamelodi Sundowns, Dr Patrice Motsepe will continue as well as the good relations between Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly but there is no point or purpose in continuing the discussions on Gaston Sirino.

"Mamelodi Sundowns will continue releasing players to European, African and other football countries like it did for Percy Tau, Keagan Dolly, Bongani Zungu, Ivorian International Siaka Tiéné and other players but the transfer fee must be competitive as Mamelodi Sundowns is consistently paying high and internationally competitive transfer fees for the players that it acquires.

"Gaston Sirino must now focus on his football and compete for a starting position at Mamelodi Sundowns."

It will remain to be seen how focused Sirino will be as he has previously made clear his desire to join his former coach Pitso Mosimane at Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

The South American has played only once for Sundowns this season, in their opening game of the season, a quarter-final defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic in the MTN8.

The 29-year-old forward has reportedly been out with a hamstring injury and last month it was revealed by Downs coach Manqoba Mngqithi that Sirino was recovering well but would not be rushed back into action.

The Tshwane team are top of the league standings at the Christmas break in South Africa.

Mosimane recently guided Al Ahly to a treble success, winning the Caf Champions League, as well as the domestic league and cup titles.

Lionel Messi is still upset about Luis Suarez’s departure from Barcelona, describing it as a 'crazy' decision.

Suarez was deemed surplus to requirements by new Barca coach Ronald Koeman and allowed to head away from the club.

His destination was Atletico Madrid, following a failed bid to join Juventus in Serie A, and the Uruguayan is playing his part as Diego Simeone’s side push for the La Liga title.

Atletico are level with Real Madrid at the top of the table, with two games in hand, while Barca languish eight points adrift.

Messi has questioned the decision to not only let his close friend go, but sanction the departure to one of their major rivals for silverware.

"I had thought about it before Luis Suarez [left], but that was crazy," Messi said in a wide-ranging interview with La Sexta in which he talked about his future, former team-mate Neymar and great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I didn't like the way he left. I didn't think he deserved to leave like that. 

“He went for free to a team that is fighting for the same things as us."

Messi remains in regular dialogue with Suarez and Neymar, the latter of whom he will face in the Champions League in February.

"We speak from time to time," Messi said of the upcoming clash with Paris Saint-Germain. "Recently, we - Messi and Neymar - have spoken about facing each other in the Champions League.

"I didn't like it [the draw] because we have to face a strong team, and neither does Ney because even though we aren't at our best now, we can improve.

"I speak to Luis almost every day, and between the three of us, we have a very good relationship."

Messi’s production rate has been below his usual standards so far this term. 

The Argentina international is having to adjust to the style of a new manager, but Barca could still challenge for the title if Messi hits form in the second half of the season.

Barca return to La Liga action at home to Eibar on Tuesday, and they will go into the game without their talisman - who has an ankle injury. The aim is for the 33-year-old to return to the fold against Huesca on January 3.

Frank Lampard is under more pressure than Mikel Arteta, according to Tony Cascarino, who says the Chelsea boss has a "real problem" on his hands after investing £220 million ($298m) in the squad during the summer transfer window.

Chelsea sought to build on a promising fourth place Premier League finish last season by bolstering their ranks in a number of key areas.

Big money was spent on Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chiwell and Edouard Mendy ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, but Lampard has only had mixed success in trying to gel a new-look team together.

The 42-year-old head coach recieved widespread praise for overseeing a 17-match unbeaten run earlier this term which saw the Blues emerge as potential title contenders while also advancing to the Champions League knockout stages.

However, a 1-0 defeat at Everton on December 12 brought the west London outfit crashing back down to earth, with subsequent losses at Wolves and Arsenal raising question marks over their trophy-winning credentials.

Chelsea have slipped to eighth in the top-flight standings following their recent dip in form, with Cascarino left fearing the worst for Lampard after the 3-1 reversal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Arsenal were being tipped to axe Arteta before he masterminded that London derby victory, but a former Blues striker thinks the man who stood in the opposing dugout is now at greater risk of losing his job than the Spaniard.

“Frank has got a real problem at the football club,” Cascarino told talkSPORT. “I’m not convinced by the people that say Arteta is seriously under pressure; I think Frank is under every bit as much, and even more pressure.

“Think of the history of the club, think of the owner and how he’s sacked people quite confidently, think that he’s spent £220m, think that he’s brought in a young lad from Germany [Havertz] who is not even in the team and struggled, think of Timo Werner where they spent a lot investing and he’s struggled.

“You are under pressure as a Chelsea manager to challenge, because when you are given £220m I guarantee you that conversation before the start of the season would have been, ‘what do you need to challenge Liverpool and Man City?’. That conversation would have happened.”

Csaba Laszlo stands firm behind under-fire striker Jakub Sylvestr ahead of Chennaiyin's Indian Super League (ISL) encounter against ATK Mohun Bagan on Tuesday.

The Slovakian forward has just one goal to his name in seven appearances but to the relief of the manager, there have been others who have been stepping up at the right moments to do the job. Lallianzuala Chhangte became the team's sixth different goal scorer against East Bengal and the manager is happy that his team is not reliant on anyone goal-scorer. 

"Jakub Sylvestr is very different. You can say that he is missing chances but he is always involved in goals. He has been creating chances and given two assists. Isma (Esmael Goncalves) has also missed one or two very good chances. I don't talk about new signings because I am really hoping that Isma comes back (from injury) physically and mentally stronger.

"Normally, every big team has not just one goal scorer - you also have players helping from the right, left and even from the centre. This is also our strategy and on the other side, we have missed a lot of chances. It's incredible the number of chances we create but I'm happy for the Indian goal scorers like Ali, Chhangte and [Anirudh] Thapa.

"We are working in different directions. We don't think about the position of players. Even from set-pieces, we had some good opportunities for Eli (Sabia) and [Enes] Sepovic. I hope they score in the next games. Generally, it's important to have different goal scorers," the Hungarian coach explained.

Chennaiyin have been creating chances but their conversion rate has been dismal. They have attempted 103 shots but only seven of them have nestled into the net. Chhangte has been getting into good goal scoring positions but is not being able to convert and Laszlo is working with the forward to improve his finishing. 

"Sometimes it is up to the player's ability to make decisions. It's not easy to create chances, especially at the highest level. You need to take risks in many cases and every team wants to score.

"In the beginning, I have seen that in every game, Chhangte comes in positions to score so I began to work with him individually. I told him basic things like 'You have to keep your head up, you don't need to focus on the ball'. After scoring in the last match, Chhangte came to me and said 'thank you'. I thought this was the biggest compliment for me in my time in India. Even with Ali or Thapa, these players need not just confidence but to know how to make decisions."

The Chennaiyin tactician wants to use young players like Rahim Ali and Deepak Tangri more in the first team as he is impressed by their quality on the field. 

"Rahim is a player who I think, he doesn't know how talented he is. He needs a lot of guidance. I have worked with many players who have talent but my biggest part is to try to lift him and explore his talent.

"He (Tangri) can be a very important piece of the puzzle. I was surprised by him and Ali in training and slowly they will be introduced more and more into the team. They are very close to be in the team all the time."

Laszlo agreed that Roy Krishna can change the complexion of a match single-handedly and Chenaiyin will have to remain on their toes to contain the striker. 

"I had a similar question [asked] before the game against Goa (on the kind of threat Igor Angulo would pose). I try to prepare the team against the opponent and not one or two players but it's true that we have to keep our eyes open for the most dangerous players. He (Krishna) is one of them but generally ATK [Mohun Bagan] is a very compact team allowing the other team to dominate the game because they have good offensive players who know how to score goals.

"It's a question if we play a little bit deeper or play a bit more out. Generally, we have to find the right mix but for me it's also important for my team to play very close to each other. This is what we try to do all the time. Every game you make some mistakes or, one or two players miss chances but the other [player] must be ready to help each other because together you can win a game.

"Even we have individual like Rafa (Rafael Crivellaro), Chhangte, Thapa, I hope also the strikers like Jakub or Ali who are capable to change the game in a positive way for us. On the other side, they have gaps that we need to close but with Deepak and Memo we have players who are capable of this," he explained. 

Chennaiyin will be playing two matches in four days and the 56-year old coach is concerned about the recovery of his players. 

"The biggest problem for me is time. After the game against East Bengal (on Sunday), we don't even have a complete day for training. We had a recovering day, maybe a small training for tactics and the next day you have to play. So you don't even have two or three days. So for this reason, ATK [Mohun Bagan] for example have an advantage because this team has been staying together (core of players retained) with the same coach and same ideology," he observed.

Liverpool were guilty of complacency against West Brom, according to Stephen Warnock, who says the Reds "stepped off the gas".

Jurgen Klopp's side missed the chance to open a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after being held to a 1-1 draw by struggling West Brom on Sunday.

Liverpool took the lead after just 12 minutes at Anfield, with Sadio Mane volleying home after controlling a powerful pass from Joel Matip.

Reds supporters would have expected the floodgates to open after that goal, having seen the Reds dismantle Crystal Palace 7-0 in their previous fixture, but the Baggies defended well to stay in the match.

Sam Allardyce, who was drafted in to replace Slaven Billic at the Hawthorns earlier this month, set up with six players at the back to keep the reigning English champions at bay, which ultimately proved to be a masterstroke.

West Brom waited for their chance on the break as Liverpool grew more and more frustrated, and were eventually rewarded when Semi Ajayi headed home with just eight minutes left.

The visitors held on for a point which boosts their chances of climbing out of the relegation zone, with Warnock left questioning the mentality of Klopp's squad in the second period.

“They all stepped off the gas and thought the game was won. They all thought it was too easy and they had to do more," the former Reds defender said on Match of the Day 2. “I think the standards that we expect from Liverpool dropped in the second half.”

Warnock added: “It almost felt too easy for them, didn’t it? It was like a training game in the first half. It was wave after wave of attack. West Brom didn’t really give anything back as they were smothered. You still, though, felt Liverpool had to give more.

“With the way West Brom kept their game plan, even after going a goal down, that was the impressive thing about it. Even when you go a goal down you ask yourself whether you believe in what you are doing.

“They were very brave in what they did.”

The ex-England international went on to credit the Baggies for restricing Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino's influence in the final third by sticking to a tight defensive shape.

“What it is all about when you go to Anfield is that you know you are going to have to give up possession," said Warnock. “Liverpool had 78% of the possession and West Brom had 22%, but they were so organised and set traps.

“They remained nice and narrow and allowed Liverpool no space to break through and get balls into the likes of Roberto Firmino and Curtis Jones. They stopped the intricate play of the front three and did it perfectly. They made it so difficult.”

Egyptian giants Al Ahly are still tracking Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Gaston Sirino, a club representative has confirmed.

Ahead of the closing of the transfer window at the start of December, there had been a lot of speculation that Sirino was to join former Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane at Al Ahly.

The 29-year-old player himself admitted that he was keen to join the Cairo team, however, the failure of the two clubs to come to a transfer agreement saw the move fall through.

Now, according to Egyptian publication King Fut, there have been 'fresh' reports that the Egyptian league champions are still harbouring ambitions of signing the Uruguayan forward.

“Sirino has always been a transfer target for Al Ahly,” Al Ahly’s head of transfers Amir Tawfik, was quoted as saying.

“There has been contact before, and if anything happens, the club will officially announce it.

“We are talking with the Sundowns officials, and if any serious development occurs, we will begin negotiations with the player then."

Sirino has played 100 matches for Masandawana and has scored 29 goals and registered 24 assists, winning the Telkom Knockout, Nedbank Cup and three league titles in the three seasons he's been in Pretoria.

He has played only once for Sundowns this season, in their opening match of the season, a quarter-final defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic in the MTN8 competition.

The South American has reportedly been nursing a hamstring injury and towards the end of November it was revealed by coach Manqoba Mngqithi that Sirino was recovering well but would not be rushed back into action.

Sundowns are currently top of the league standings at the Christmas break in South Africa.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) announced earlier this month that the second transfer window of the 2020/ 21 season will start on January 18, 2021 and run until February 15, 2021.

Mosimane, meanwhile, recently guided Al Ahly to a treble success, winning the Caf Champions League, as well as the domestic league and cup titles.

Malaysia forward Mohamadou Sumareh is set to return to Malaysia before the start of the 2021 Super League season, reported the Thai edition of Goal.

According to the report, his current club, Thai League 1's Police Tero will not extend his short-term playing contract beyond December.

He had joined Tero back in September, having left Pahang acrimoniously due to a pay dispute.

READ: Mohamadou Sumareh joins Dominic Tan at Police Tero

However, at Tero the 26-year old struggled to be fully fit and has not started regularly for them. He has only played four times for them for a total of 111 minutes, only once as a starter, scoring no goal.

It is yet unknown who the Gambian-born star will join when he returns to Malaysia.

Kevin Campbell thinks selling Hector Bellerin would be "good business" for Arsenal.

Bellerin began his professional career at Arsenal in 2013, having been snapped up from Barcelona's La Masia academy two years earlier. The Spanish left-back has since racked up 220 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions, scoring eight goals and laying on 29 assists, while getting his hands on the FA Cup three times.

The 25-year-old has, however, struggled for consistency at Emirates Stadium amid persistent fitness issues, with many supporters losing patience with him amid the club's poor start to the 2020-21 season.

Bellerin silenced some of his doubters with a solid display during Arsenal's 3-1 home win over Chelsea in the London derby clash at the weekend but speculation over his future continues to rage ahead of the January transfer window.

A return to Barcelona has been mooted for the enigmatic defender in 2021, a scenario which has been welcomed by Campbell, who thinks Ainsley Maitland-Niles deserves a starting spot ahead of him.

“Bellerin, by his own admission, has not been ripping trees up. He was getting exposed at times," the former Gunners striker told Football Insider. “Maitland-Niles really sured up the right-hand side when he came in earlier this month. The performances were a lot more solid, especially on that right-hand side.

“There is a question to be asked of Bellerin and a lot of fans are asking it. Will the club sell him?

“There is rumours of Barcelona’s interest. It is his boyhood club, the club he loves and maybe that would be a good bit of business.”

Campbell is not the only Arsenal legend to have singled Bellerin out for criticism this season, with Tony Adams insisting he needs to "learn how to be a good defender" after the 2-0 defeat to local rivals Tottenham on December 6.

"You’ve got Cedric in from Southampton, what’s that recruitment going on? You need someone who is better than Hector," said the former Gunners captain.

Bellerin will be back in contention for a place in Arteta's line up when Arsenal travel to Amex Stadium to face Brighton on Tuesday night.

Jamie Redknapp says Jose Mourinho is "asking for trouble" with his negative tactics at Tottenham, who have now gone four games without a win in the Premier League.

Tottenham missed the chance to move up to third in the top-flight standings after drawing 1-1 with Wolves at Molineux on Sunday night.

French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele gave Mourinho's team a surprise first minute lead with a well-struck 20-yard effort, after which they then elected to sit back rather than try and increase their advantage.

Spurs eventually paid for their reluctance to get forward as Wolves found an 86th-minute equaliser, Roman Saiss heading past Hugo Lloris after meeting a teasing Pedro Neto corner at the near post.

Tottenham have not won a match since beating Arsenal on December 6. They have fallen to fifth in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool.

Redknapp thinks Mourinho may have unwittingly created a confidence issue in the dressing room by continuing to favour efficiency over expression, with the Lilywhites now a shadow of the free-scoring team they were in the opening few weeks of the season.

“I think the disappointment is they had it in their hands," the former Spurs midfielder told Sky Sports. “If you’re going to keep sitting back, you’re asking for trouble.

“This is not a one-off - there are many games where this has happened, so it’s becoming a pattern. The more often it happens, the more negative the players get.

“They start to think ‘it will happen again’. It transmits to the brain and it’s a major problem for Jose right now.”

Mourinho admitted that his side's failure to build on their advantage led to Wolves' late fightback at the weekend, as he told reporters post-match: “One point against Wolves wouldn’t normally be a bad result as they are a strong opponent, but scoring a goal in the first minute and having control of the game and 89 minutes to score more goals is frustrating.”

After Wolves, Spurs' final match of 2020 is their London derby clash with Fulham this week. They will then look ahead to another home fixture against Leeds United on January 2.

Just months after parting ways with Kedah, defender Azmeer Yusof on Monday announced that he has retired from playing professionally altogether, at only 30-years of age.

Writing on his Facebook account, the left back apologised for the decision, in a statement that hints at the religious direction of his post-football career.

"In the name of Allah, I, Azmeer Yusof am announcing my retirement from professional football. I want to thank my parents, family, friends and all Malaysian fans who have been supporting me.

"I'd like to apologise for not being able to continue your hopes in me. It's a heavy decision, yet it's one I believe in after discussing it with Syeikh Muhd Zainol Asri and Ustaz Moqti (Azmeer's Islamic mentors)." 

Azmeer also took the time to cryptically apologise to his peers from his playing days, who he claimed are resentful of him for unknown reasons.

"To players who despise me, I beg forgiveness of you. Until now I don't know why you hate me so.

"I still pray the best for you. Whatever happened, we are still brothers in Islam. May we meet in heaven in the afterlife, God willing."

At the start of the Covid-19 lockdown in the country and domestic competitions suspension this year, Azmeer took the chance to concentrate on his fishmongering business, as well as on his plans of establishing an Islamic studies centre in Alor Setar, Kedah. He then opted to quit Kedah. 

READ: Azmeer announces shock Kedah departure, insists wage problem not the cause

He now plans to concentrate on these two ventures in the state where he retired.

"Praise Allah for the chance to retire in the state of Kedah. Hopefully I will be received warmly here as a 'representative' of the state's residents.

"We will build our finances together in order to help those who are needy out there. WE DON'T NEED TO BE RICH TO HELP THE DESTITUTE!"

Throughout his playing career, the defender had played for a total of seven clubs, including Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and Kedah.

He won the 2017 Premier League with Kuala Lumpur, and the 2016 Malaysia Cup with and the 2019 FA Cup with Kedah.

Jurgen Klopp is facing another defensive dilemma as Liverpool anxiously await news on Joel Matip’s latest injury setback.

Matip lasted just an hour of the Reds’ 1-1 draw with West Brom on Sunday before going down with what appeared to be a groin problem. He was replaced by teenager Rhys Williams, with Klopp confirming afterwards that the Cameroon international had “felt something in his adductor.”

Liverpool expect to obtain a full diagnosis on Monday, but the fear is that the 29-year-old will face a number of weeks on the sidelines, leaving the Premier League champions once more without a senior specialist centre-back. 

“Joel told me he felt something in his adductor and that’s obviously not too good,” Klopp told reporters on Sunday. “I am not sure how serious it is now, but it was serious enough that he had to leave the pitch. The rest of the information I will get tomorrow [Monday].”

Matip had only returned to action against Crystal Palace the previous weekend having missed the win over Tottenham with a back issue. 

He has been beset by injury issues since moving to Anfield in 2016, not once managing to reach 30 league appearances in a single season.

He played just 13 games in all competitions last term, and has so far been limited to only nine starts this time around – two of which have seen him substituted early.

With Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both likely to miss the rest of the campaign with serious knee injuries, Klopp had been forced to gamble on Matip’s fitness alongside Fabinho, who has impressed since moving to centre-back from midfield.

Liverpool’s other defensive options are 19-year-old Williams or the inexperienced Nat Phillips. Those two have just four Premier League appearances between them, although both have performed admirably whenever called upon this season.

Jordan Henderson filled in during the second half at Fulham recently, but moving the captain would impact on Klopp’s midfield.

Goal understands at this stage that the Reds have no plans to sign a centre-back in January, despite calls from a number of quarters to do so. 

There was more bad news for the Reds before kick-off against West Brom, with Naby Keita ruled out due to a muscle injury.

The Guinea star, like Matip, has been plagued by injury issues, and will now sit out the trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, with Klopp unsure of a return date at this stage.

Keita has managed just seven starts so far this season, and has featured in just 50 of a possible 91 Premier League games since moving from Leipzig in 2018.

“He felt a muscle again,” Klopp said. “I don’t know exactly how long [it will be], but he was not ready for today and not for Wednesday, I think. We will see.”

More reassuring for the champions was the sight of both James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri among the substitutes against West Brom, while there is a chance that Thiago Alcantara could feature in the squad for the game against Newcastle.

The Spanish midfielder has not played since the Merseyside derby with Everton in October, but has returned to training in the last week and has so far shown no adverse reaction. Klopp may however err on the side of caution, with the visit to Southampton next Monday a more likely target for Thiago’s return.

Gor Mahia vice-captain Philemon Otieno has apologised tthe club's fans after suffering a humiliating 6-0 loss to CR Belouizdad in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Caf Champions League played at the Stade du 5 Juillet 1962 on Saturday night.

K'Ogalo came into the match without the services of their influential captain Kenneth Muguna, midfielder Bernard Ondiek, and Nicholas Kipkirui. The first two were nursing injuries while the former Zoo FC man had family issues. 

The Great Chabab scored their goals through Amir Sayoud, who scored a hat-trick, Hamza Bellahouel, Larbi Tabti, and Maecky Ngombo during a thoroughly one-sided encounter. 

"On behalf of fellow players, l would like to apologise for the loss against Belouizdad," Otieno said as quoted by the club's official portal.

"It i’s football and we learnt our lessons."

"It is a wake-up call for us to pull up if we want to achieve our goals for this season."

On Sunday, a senior player faulted the management for the big loss in North Africa.

"It is an embarrassing and shameful outcome for a big and respectable club like Gor Mahia," a senior player who is part of the squad in Algeria told Goal.

"This is a very competitive competition and it needs good preparations. It is a shame when we are just sent to play when nobody takes care of our needs.

"Nobody trained for this game, we were not fit for the game and the results were evident.

"We cannot get positive results this way, as players we are suffering. Someone might think we do not know how to play or we are not equal to the task but it is because of what is going on at the club. 

"The office [management] is the main cause of this. I feel sorry for ourselves, fans and families."  

K'Ogalo have a huge task of overturning the 6-0 loss in the second leg to make it to the group stage of the Caf Champions League.

The East African charges have never made it to the group stage of the competition.