European Leagues

Nottingham vitory over Man United was ‘personal’ – Elanga

Anthony Elanga has admitted he was determined to prove himself against former club Manchester United over the weekend when Nottingham Forest dished out a shock Premier League win.

Elanga, who joined United at the age of 12 when his family moved to England from Sweden, played a key role and assisted Morgan Gibbs-White’s winning goal as Forest secured their first victory over the inconsistent Red Devils since December 1994.

The 21-year-old was sold by United to Forest in July for around £15m after making 55 first-team appearances but struggling to establish himself as a key player.

“Last season wasn’t easy for me because I’d play five or ten minutes then, I wouldn’t play [for] ten games, then it would be in and out,” Elanga told NBC.

“I’ve just stayed strong. I’ve had my family supporting me when it’s been difficult and I’ve not even been in the squad. This game [against United] was kind of personal for me, to prove that I am capable of playing at higher levels.

Anthony Elanga was never more than a fringe player at Man Utd
Anthony Elanga was never more than a fringe player at Man Utd / MB Media/GettyImages
“I’m just grateful for Nottingham Forest for bringing me in, especially [former manager] Steve Cooper. Now, he’s obviously left and Nuno [Espirito Santo] and his staff have come in and done a tremendous job so far.”

Elanga played 87 minutes of the win at the City Ground, with his assist adding to the two he got in a Boxing Day win over Newcastle United, having also scored in the pre-Christmas defeat to Bournemouth in the space of the last three Premier League games alone.

The player has started 14 Premier League games in his first half-season with Forest, compared to five in the competition with United across the whole of 2022/23.

As for United, the loss left them seventh in the Premier League table going into 2024. It was a ninth league defeat for Erik ten Hag’s team, which already matches the number for last season with 18 games still to play. The club has never lost more than 12 times in a single Premier League campaign.

Premier League

Scholes suggests Amorim may need to offload up to 14 players at Man United

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes that current manager Ruben Amorim may need to offload up to 14 players as part of a major rebuild.

Scholes stated that Amorim faces a far bigger rebuilding job than Mikel Arteta did at Arsenal, citing the challenges Amorim has encountered since taking over at Old Trafford. The 40-year-old manager recently referred to the team as the worst in the club’s history.

Scholes highlighted Arteta’s transformation of Arsenal, which began when he inherited a team in disarray. Arteta’s success came through significant player changes, such as moving on Matteo Guendouzi, Mesut Ozil, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Amorim appears to be following a similar path. He has left Marcus Rashford out of his matchday squad for over a month and has also sidelined Casemiro.

“The trouble Amorim’s got is there’s not just three of them,” Scholes told The Overlap fan debate. “You could be talking about 13 or 14 of them he doesn’t want.”

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Slot rests key players for Champions League clash against PSV

‘Something Is Wrong’ With Liverpool' - Arne Slot Admits Ahead Of AC Milan Clash

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has opted to leave out several key players for their upcoming Champions League match against PSV on Wednesday night.

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and seven other prominent players have not made the trip to the Netherlands, with Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Luis Díaz also being rested.

Slot is focusing on Liverpool’s busy schedule, with important Premier League and Carabao Cup fixtures ahead.

Caoimhin Kelleher is set to start in goal, while fringe players such as Wataru Endo, Darwin Núñez, Federico Chiesa, and Harvey Elliott are expected to feature. Cody Gakpo, a former PSV player, will also be part of the squad and could face his old team.

Liverpool’s squad for the match includes:

Goalkeepers: Kelleher, Jaros, Davies.
Defenders: Quansah, Bradley, Norris, Nallo, Tsimikas, Robertson.
Midfielders: Endo, Mabaya, McConnell, Morrison, Morton, Nyoni.
Forwards: Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Kone-Doherty, Danns, Núñez.

Premier League

PGMOL stands by referee Michael Oliver amid controversial red card, assigns him to key fixtures

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has decided not to drop referee Michael Oliver for the upcoming Premier League fixtures despite recent controversy.

Oliver has faced criticism for his decision to send off Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly during Saturday’s match against Wolves. The 39-year-old referee issued a straight red card to Lewis-Skelly after he caught Wolves defender Matt Doherty’s calf and ankle with his studs. The decision was upheld by VAR, and Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory at Molineux.

There had been speculation that Oliver would be sidelined due to the backlash and online abuse. However, he is scheduled to referee Wednesday’s Champions League clash between Barcelona and Atalanta.

The Premier League has confirmed that Oliver will officiate Ipswich Town’s match against Southampton at Portman Road on Saturday.

Additionally, he has been assigned to handle next month’s rescheduled Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park.