European Leagues

De Bruyne goal, assist guides Man City to 3-2 Newcastle win

Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne sparked a late comeback 3-2 victory for his side at Newcastle United on Saturday in his first Premier League game since the opening day of the season.

The influential midfielder — out since August because of a hamstring injury — came off the bench in the 69th minute with City trailing 2-1 and equalised with a clinical low finish.

He then played the perfect pass in stoppage time for fellow substitute Oscar Bobb to secure the three points that moved champions City into second place, two points behind Liverpool.

Bernardo Silva, the man De Bruyne replaced, had given City a 26th-minute lead with a sublime close-range finish but Pep Guardiola’s side were soon rocked back on their heels.

Alexander Isak curled in an equaliser in the 35th minute and Anthony Gordon sent the home fans wild with an almost identical finish two minutes later.

But De Bruyne came on and inspired City to victory, and his return will be a welcome one for teammates and fans.

“I missed this. It is what it is, I had a big injury and I needed the time. I enjoyed myself. I think it was more willpower than anything else. It was crazy,” De Bruyne said told TNT Sports.

“I know I’m not able to do that for 90 minutes at the moment. I can put in a shift for 30 minutes at the moment. I feel it in my lungs, especially with the cold.

“It’s great to score the goal. The ball is good, but the run from Oscar [Bobb] is amazing. It was top from him. I look at his run. If he doesn’t run then I can’t pass the ball.

“I think to come here is always difficult. Everyone was really happy for me. We want to try and compete for the league again. We are up there. It was a tough game.”

City boss Pep Guardiola was pleased with his side’s fighting spirit as well as De Bruyne’s return.

“That was really good, sometimes it is better winning that way for the team, for everything. Incredible team the way we played with a huge personality. They showed me they want to be there, to fight until the end that they want to retain the title,” Guardiola told the BBC.

“I am a little bit upset and grumpy with him [De Bruyne] because he didn’t score from the free-kick! When opponents are more tired, Kevin and Oscar provide another pace at the end.

“Oscar’s was a fantastic goal for the control. We were really impressed in pre-season, I knew from information for the second team he was special.

“When Kevin has the ball and we have runners, Kevin is unique in the world but the finish by Oscar, I am so, so happy for him.”

City have 43 points from 20 games with Liverpool on 45 while Newcastle’s fourth successive defeat left them 10th in the standings.

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.