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West Ham United returned to winning ways on Sunday afternoon as the Hammers beat relegation-threatened Everton 2-1 at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Aaron Cresswell and Jarrod Bowen.

The former opened the scoring with an excellent free-kick before half-time but saw his side lose their lead when Toffees defender Mason Holgate saw a volley deflect into the back of the net early in the second half.

However, the Irons soon regained their lead as Bowen, back from injury after a month out, tapped the ball into an empty net after Michail Antonio saw a shot parried by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Despite the victory for his side, it was another tricky afternoon for Antonio, who now hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since New Year’s Day.

According to SofaScore, the Jamaica international missed two big chances whilst also having just 43 touches all game. Furthermore, the 32-year-old lost the ball on 13 occasions, an average of every 3.3 touches.

The striker was able to get shots away against a leaky Everton defence that had to deal with being down to ten men in the second half when Michael Keane was shown a second yellow card.

However, none of them were too troublesome with one hitting the target, one going off target and the other blocked.

In fairness to Antonio, the striker did work hard, winning 11 ground duels out of an attempted 17 at a 64.7% success rate whilst also winning half of his aerial duels (two out of four).

Moreover, the 32-year-old provided three key passes, although he failed to complete more than three-quarters of his passes with a passing accuracy of 74%.

There was little defensive contribution either with zero tackles, interceptions, blocks and clearances as well as committing two fouls.

Being David Moyes’ side’s only senior striker certainly comes with baggage and the 32-year-old is carrying high expectations upon his shoulders, with the East London side competing for both European qualification and the Europa League title.

The Jamaica international had started the season in stellar fashion, scoring four goals in his opening three Premier League outings. However, those four goals currently make up half of his league goal tally for the season in April.

There’s no doubt that Moyes will be looking to add at least one striker to his squad in the summer, regardless of how his side finish the campaign.

Whether or not Antonio is going to be in the Scotsman’s plans is still yet to be revealed after another afternoon where the striker let his manager down.

AND in other news: Forget Bowen: West Ham “explosion” with 95 touches showed he’s a “revelation” today

Celtic had a rather enjoyable afternoon back in Premiership action today following their Old Firm victory last weekend.

This time, Ange Postecoglou’s side secured a tantalising 7-0 victory over St Johnstone at Parkhead courtesy of six different goalscorers.

Three first-half strikes from Reo Hatate, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda gave the home side a comfortable 3-0 lead at the midway point. A penalty from Josip Juranovic, a brace from Matt O’Riley and a clinching goal from Liel Abada gave Postecoglou and the home fans a lot to savour as they take another step closer to the title.On a day when many Hoops players had a lot to smile about, one player in particular lit up Parkhead and stole the show.Having opened the scoring for his team, Reo Hatate had 60 touches of the ball before being replaced by fellow midfielder David Turnbull in the 55th minute. Out of the 47 passes he attempted, 43 found their intended target, including all three of the long balls he attempted.He also had three shots on target in total and won the penalty that Juranovic put away in the second half, in addition to completing both of his dribbles, showing how tricky he was to play against. That was in stark contrast with his fellow countryman Maeda, who failed to complete any of his three dribble attempts.The 24-year-old also did his bit defensively by winning three of his four duels, showing how useful he was in and out of possession for his team.This performance ultimately earned the midfield gem an overall match rating of 8/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-second highest rated Celtic player to start the game.Labelled an “outrageous” player by Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn, Hatate has shown once again today why Postecoglou chose to bring the Japanese maestro to Parkhead in the January transfer window.If the Australian coach can keep getting Hatate and the rest of the Celtic players to deliver performances like this throughout the remainder of the season, they should be a shoo-in to secure the Premiership title.In other news: £2.7m down the drain as Celtic had a howler on “difficult” £450k-rated Parkhead flop

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Unai Emery threw away any chance Arsenal had of beating Manchester City by setting his side up to play in a 4-4-2 formation at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

On the chalkboard

An injury to Hector Bellerin and the absence of Ainsley Maitland-Niles meant Stephan Lichtsteiner had to play at right-back on Sunday, which immediately raised concerns over the Gunners’ chances of getting even a point at Man City.

Granit Xhaka’s absence raised concerns too, as the Swiss midfielder is the anchor that connects the defence and attack, and without his presence the midfield needed reshaping.

For whatever reason, rather than including Aaron Ramsey or Mohamed Elneny from kick-off so Arsenal could retain numbers in the engine room, Emery opted for just the two central midfielders, meaning that Alex Iwobi and Sead Kolasinac on the wings had to continually drop back to help out in defence.

A 4-4-2 was never going to work against Pep Guardiola’s side because the current Premier League title holders do not need to drag play towards the byline to open up defences. Instead, they cut between the lines and Arsenal offered no one to occupy this space.

Look away Arsenal fans! American Soccer Fan is back to troll more fans at the London Stadium in the video below…

Losing before a ball was kicked

Emery had to acknowledge the brilliance that City can muster, which is why he deployed Iwobi and Kolasinac as wide midfielders, to try and prevent the creation of chances on the wings.

Unfortunately, by also playing the Gunners’ two best strikers from kick off, it meant that Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi could not cut the space in between the lines as, with no one ahead or behind, they were forced to be everywhere and everything for Emery.

It is also why Arsenal conceded an opening goal within the first minute. Iwobi had to lift his head to try and spot someone to clear the ball to, only to realise he had no one available – that split second hesitation was all City needed to snatch possession back and play a killer pass.

When Arsenal beat Chelsea last month, the Gunners played on the front foot with the attackers applying pressure, and this was the only way they could have challenged City.

But by playing in a 4-4-2, the pressure could never be applied leaving gaps behind, and Arsenal essentially lost the game on this basis before a ball was kicked.

Kalvin Phillips has told Leeds United that he wants to sign a new contract at Elland Road, David Anderson reports.

The Lowdown: Villa links

The 26-year-old has once again been linked with a move to Aston Villa in recent weeks.

Villa, who tried to sign Phillips back in 2019, are reportedly leading the race for the England international this summer and are willing to pay £60m for his services.

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Phillips would also be offered a huge salary worth around £10m a year in the Midlands, but it seems as if he now wants to remain in Yorkshire.

The Latest: Positive talks

Anderson took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to provide a ‘big boost for Leeds’ regarding Phillips.

The midfielder has reportedly held talks with the board, which of course includes Andrea Radrizzani and the San Francisco 49ers group, and informed them that he wants to put pen to paper on a new deal this summer.

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The Verdict: Huge…

Phillips starred under former manager Marcelo Bielsa and looks set to be key in a new role for Jesse Marsch. The American has gone with a double pivot at Elland Road and only has four central midfielders on the books.

It is an area of the pitch that could do with bolstering in the summer, so knowing that their star midfielder wants to stay is massive. You could also say that a new deal for Phillips is well overdue, with his last extension coming in the club’s promotion campaign back in 2019/20 – he has since gone on to become England’s player of the year.

In other news: ‘Leeds feel…’ – Journalist now drops major injury twist after what he’s heard from Thorp Arch. 

According to a Manchester City source (via Football Insider), Pep Guardiola was left unimpressed by Jack Grealish following their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie with Atletico Madrid, with 

The lowdown: A feisty encounter

City became embroiled in a war of attrition with their Spanish counterparts over two legs, with the second clash at the Wanda Metropolitano particularly tension fuelled.

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Following a 1-0 success at the Etihad, the Citizens were able to advance to the semi-finals with a goalless draw in Spain but tensions boiled over in the closing stages.

Whilst warming up as a substitute, Grealish became embroiled in an altercation with Stefan Savic that would appear to have left Guardiola less than pleased…

The latest: Pep’s angry

As per the FI source, the 51-year-old is believed to be ‘unhappy’ with his £100 million record signing being caught up in the antics of Diego Simeone’s side.

It’s claimed that Guardiola ‘does not want any type of ill-discipline or provocative behaviour’ in the Sky Blues squad.

Meanwhile, the report goes on to claim that the 20-cap England ace has ‘complained’ about a lack of the ball in his short City career to date.

The verdict: Unnecessary distraction

Albeit the fracas was almost certainly caused by the ferocious nature of the opposition, it’s perhaps not a surprise that Guardiola, ever the consummate professional would rather his players steer clear of controversy.

In truth, ex-Aston Villa star Grealish has made a rather inauspicious start to life in Manchester, scoring five times and providing three assists in 33 appearances for the club.

This kind of matter will only act as an undue distraction as the 26-year-old attempts to become a regular feature in Guardiola’s side and begin to impact on the big occasions after an FA Cup semi-final goal in vein against Liverpool.

In other news: German source makes exciting transfer claim involving City! Find out more here.

Craig Hope has revealed what he has now heard about Newcastle United’s move to sign Jesse Lingard in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Midfielder wanted

The St. James’ Park faithful have been linked with the likes of Christian Eriksen and Yves Bissouma, suggesting that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium now want to bring in a midfield player after signing defender Kieran Trippier and centre-forward Chris Wood.

All of the players mentioned above have had previous experience in the Premier League, and so a move for Lingard before the deadline would make sense in this regard.

The Latest: Lingard update

As per The Daily Mail journalist Hope, the North East club are now ‘working’ on a loan deal to sign Lingard, but sources are saying that Manchester United are ‘reluctant’ to let him go at the moment:

“I’m told NUFC are working on a loan deal for Jesse Lingard, as per @samuelluckhurst, but sources say Man Utd are reluctant to let him go, as it stands.”

The Verdict: Sign

Getting in Lingard on loan would be a great piece of business from the new owners, as there would only be a minimal fee involved, plus they may have a chance to sign him for free in the summer when his contract expires, should he impress on Tyneside.

He has already shown what he can do when given the opportunities, scoring diamond’.

Nonetheless, with minimal game time at Old Trafford this season, and having recently been left completely out of the squad in the 3-1 win away at Brentford (Transfermarkt), the Englishman will want to prove his qualities once more, and the Magpies should give him that chance.

In other news, find out what big NUFC transfer news has been dropped live on air here!

Leeds United are among the Premier League teams interested in signing Alex Scott this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Football League World, who claim that the Yorkshire giants are now facing competition from Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur for the 18-year-old’s signature following his impressive breakthrough at Championship outfit Bristol City.

Earlier this month, the Mirror reported that both the Whites and Spurs had scouts in attendance of the Robin’s Good Friday clash with Stoke City, where the promising teenager played the full game at right wing-back.

He is thought to be valued at around £10m.

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The next Jack Grealish?

The versatile talent is capable of playing in a variety of roles, including out wide as a wing-back or winger, though his best position is thought to be as a creative midfielder or no.10.

Born and signed from Guernsey, Scott has emerged as a key player for former Leicester City and Watford boss Nigel Pearson, having made 36 appearances in the second tier.

He has provided four goals and two assists from those matches, with the bulk coming from an attacking midfield position.

Given his sparkling form and capability to play wide and centrally, it’s no wonder the Bristol City gem has already earned plenty of comparisons to Manchester City and England star Jack Grealish, to who he is thought to be very similar to.

‘The Guernsey Grealish’ could be an intriguing option for Whites boss Jesse Marsch and the squad heading into next season and for just £10m, it could be quite the steal indeed.

Scott has more than held his own at Ashton Gate this term, ranking as Pearson’s seventh-best player in the Championship – an average of 1.6 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game suggests he can do some defensive work, just as much as he likes to get forward, having also averaged 0.8 key passes and dribbles per outing too.

“Not only is he a very creative midfielder but he is incredibly hard-working, especially out of possession, and that’s one of his stand-out qualities,” claimed City’s player pathway manager Brian Tinnion to the BBC.

He also added in another interview: “His work rate and his desire to learn has been unbelievable.”

Whether Leeds will make their move for Scott this summer remains to be seen but the prospect of sealing the next Grealish-like talent for such a small figure should be too good to ignore.

AND in other news, Journo reveals where Leeds will look strengthen this summer…

Leeds United are unlikely to make any late additions before Monday’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, who claims that the Yorkshire giants aren’t prepared to submit a third bid for RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson after having two offers rejected.

“Transfer situation is essentially this – no third offer for Aaronson and Salzburg unwilling to sell in this window. Club will wait until the summer for him and won’t bid for another centre mid now,” he revealed on Twitter.

“If Summerville asks to leave and goes, a replacement needed. A fair bit of European interest in Summerville, not least in Germany and Holland, but [Marcelo] Bielsa doesn’t want to lose him.”

This won’t go down well

The Argentinian head coach has suffered from an injury crisis at Thorp Arch for much of the campaign, resulting in the desperate need for some form of reinforcements this month.

Leeds very rarely conduct business during the winter but the aforementioned situation highlights why their plans have somewhat changed, and whilst they have failed in their attempts to sign Aaronson, they haven’t really looked elsewhere, which is disappointing.

They haven’t signed a central midfielder in four years – and counting.

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Earlier this month, Bielsa was unable to field much of a bench against West Ham United in the Premier League. He named eight academy prospects among nine substitutes. Similarly, 15-year-old Archie Gray was involved against Arsenal in December when there were 11 players absent through injury.

Among those missing recent have been last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford, who has missed 17 of their last 18 league games, club captain Liam Cooper and influential anchorman Kalvin Phillips.

The latter two are absent until March at the very earliest.

These are three vital players to Leeds, so it’s no wonder they have struggled in their absence, even flirting with the prospect of a relegation dogfight – something that still isn’t out of the realms of possibility.

As you can see in the direct replies to Hay’s latest update, there aren’t many supporters who are happy to hear of such news. “Absolute joke,” one fan claimed, whilst another one deemed it to be a “shambles of a window.” Victor Orta was also slammed as a failure and some were left very worried about the chances of relegation now.

This development is certainly not going down well around west Yorkshire, and the fan base will be livid if they fail to sign someone by Monday night – that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Leeds United eyeing late January bargain in £10m “phenomenon”, Bielsa would love him…

Tottenham Hotspur have edged one step closer to sealing Adama Traore before deadline day this month…

What’s the word?

Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano delivered a fresh update on the situation to Twitter over the weekend, where he said:

“Adama Traoré deal not done/fully agreed yet but Tottenham are confident to reach the agreement soon. Negotiations with Wolves will continue in the next hours and days.

“Personal terms already discussed with Adama. Spurs are on it.”

It remains to be seen exactly how much the Spain international will cost the Lilywhites but some reports suggest that it could be in the region of £20m after they had a £15m bid rejected last week.

One step closer

This latest development is sure to leave both manager Antonio Conte and the Hotspur faithful absolutely delighted as it seems as if it’s only a matter of time before Traore becomes a Spurs player.

It’s thought that the Italian head coach does not trust summer signing Emerson Royal at right wing-back and Spurs believe their manager can convert the Wolves star into a solid option in the role, just like he did with Victor Moses at Chelsea.

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The 25-year-old possesses the natural speed and strength to thrive in this position and considering his disappointing end product, it really could be the best fit for him and his future.

For instance, this season, Traore has scored just once from 20 league appearances but that’s without factoring in the eye test as he’s often double marked in most outings. That’s because he’s a pacey and strong threat out wide.

He leads the league for average number of successful dribbles per 90 minutes (seven) and that clearly makes him difficult to defend. An average of 1.5 key passes per 90 also suggests that he’s a creative influence, too.

BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand once dubbed him a “machine” who is built like a “powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer”, whilst Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has often deemed him to be “unplayable”.

The fact that Spurs have agreed to personal terms is hugely encouraging news and it should have the Lilywhites faithful absolutely buzzing as they close in on the first signing of the Conte era.

AND in other news, Spurs have a “long interest” in £40.5m-rated “beast”, he’s miles better than Sanchez…

Liverpool are ready to launch a bid that would see Barcelona’s teenage midfielder join the club in what could be a bargain in today’s transfer market.

Gavi’s current contract with Barcelona is set to expire in the summer of 2023.

His performances this season have put him on a pedestal in which he can negotiate contract details with Barcelona, knowing that he has piqued the interest of some of Europe’s finest clubs.

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With this being his breakout season, Gavi is understandably one of the lowest-paid players at the club, and although the 17-year-old is willing to renew his contract with the Blaugrana, a large stumbling block is that he wants his contract to reflect his value to Barcelona.

Liverpool’s interest has intensified, with the Anfield side looking to test Barcelona’s resolve by offering to pay Gavi’s £41m release clause, according to reports from Sport.

Iniesta revived

If Liverpool can acquire Gavi’s services for around £41m, then that is an absolute bargain for a player who is currently valued at £54m by Transfermarkt.

Perhaps the best thing to happen to Gavi was the financial debacle that Barcelona found themselves in, which meant that they were forced to rely on youth to get them out of trouble.

The scenario meant that Gavi, who has been described as “phenomenal” by The Athletic’s Dermot Corrigan on Twitter, was given the platform to shine in Spain’s top division.

Which has now lead to the 17-year-old having the world at his feet, with pending contract talks bound to worry Barcelona fans.

Comparisons have been made to Andres Iniesta with Jamie Redknapp hailing his performance against France last year and claiming he takes the ball on the half-turn like the great Spaniard. Further compliments come courtesy of reporter David Sánchez de Castro who suggested he is “Iniesta revived.”

The LaLiga Twitter account meanwhile dubbed him a “magician” after his first-team debut, providing evidence that he has been highly rated for a considerable period of time.

As a result, the Reds faithful will be keen for the club to get this deal wrapped up, with the likes of Henderson and Thiago (both 31) not exactly getting any younger.

Liverpool have space in their midfield for Gavi, and his playing style would enable him to slot into Klopp’s set-up seamlessly.

This could be the cheapest Gavi will ever be, and the recent success of Liverpool could persuade the young Spaniard to join one of his idols in Thiago in the Premier League.

In other news: Liverpool plotting bid for £83m “sensation”, he is Klopp’s next “leader”…