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Leicester confirm Smith appointment

Leicester have confirmed the appointment of Dean Smith as their new manager until the end of the season.

The ex-Aston Villa and Norwich City head coach has agreed a deal to replace Brendan Rodgers at the King Power Stadium after Jesse Marsch walked away from negotiations with Foxes chiefs. Smith, who was sacked by the Canaries in December, will look to keep the 2016 Premier League winners in the top flight after a nightmare season for the Midlands club.

They are currently in the midst of a real battle at the bottom and sit 19th, two points adrift of 17th-place Nottingham Forest.

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Ferdinand hits back at Carragher

Rio Ferdinand has hit back at claims from Jamie Carragher which brought the quality of his former team-mate Nemanja Vidic into question.

Man Utd deadline day live updates as Sabitzer completes loan move

Carragher, who came up against Ferdinand and Vidic during his Liverpool days, claimed current Reds defender Virgil van Dijk is "far better" than the Serbian. The ex-England defender also pointed to Vidic's performances against Fernando Torres during the Spaniard's time at Anfield.

This didn't go down too well with Ferdinand, who partnered Vidic in March 2009 when a Torres-inspired Liverpool won at Old Trafford. United still ended that season as title winners, and the pundit made his feelings clear on the matter.

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Tuchel's awkward response to Lampard question

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel refused to be drawn on his former club Chelsea reappointing Frank Lampard as caretaker manager.

Tuchel spent 20 months in charge of Chelsea, having been appointed as Lampard's replacement in 2021. He went on to guide the Blues to victory in that year's Champions League, masterminding a 1-0 win over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the final.

However, Tuchel was then sacked by new owner Todd Boehly earlier this season after a disappointing start to the campaign. Chelsea then poached Graham Potter from Brighton as Tuchel's replacement, but he lasted less than seven months before getting sacked himself.

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Reynolds and McElhenney 'worn out'

Someone needs to tell Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney that football isn’t really like this at all. Actually, scrub that, because Ben Foster already has!

The former England goalkeeper - who came out of retirement at the age of 40 to join this astonishing Wrexham story - produced a moment he described as the best of his illustrious career to write a fantasy finale to a titanic game which even Hollywood would surely shy away from.

With his side leading 3-2 and set to go back to the top of the National League table, their great title rivals Notts County were awarded a penalty in the sixth and last minute of stoppage time. A point was enough to keep them as leaders…and favourites to take the single automatic promotion spot.

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Man Utd face Ferguson blow

Brighton are confident of agreeing a new deal with teenage forward Evan Ferguson in a bid to ward off interest from several clubs, including Manchester United.

Ferguson has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season, having scored eight goals in 18 appearances for the Seagulls in all competitions. The 18-year-old also recently made his international debut for Republic of Ireland and Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi is confident he will become a "great player".

"His best quality is to score and it's a very important quality but I think he has potential to improve in other parts of the pitch, to play with the other players, to play more for the team," De Zerbi said after Ferguson scored in Brighton's 2-0 win over Bournemouth earlier this month.

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Ramsdale provides England conundrum

The hands and the agility of Aaron Ramsdale prevented some fantastic drama from turning into an Arsenal crisis at Liverpool.

Preserving a point with that magnificent late lunge to palm away Mo Salah’s deflected effort didn’t just rescue a point at Anfield. It maintained Ramsdale’s bid to join Reds’ keeper Alisson and Manchester City ’s Ederson as the only men to keep goal as their sides lifted the Premier League title since 2017.

It also maintained Arsenal’s bid to stave off City in the title race. And it confirmed the size of the conundrum facing Gareth Southgate.

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Terry backtracks on Chelsea comments

Leicester will join Dean Smith's backroom staff at Leicester - despite playing down talk of a coaching career earlier this month.

Smith is set to be confirmed as Leicester's new manager, with Craig Shakespeare and Terry joining him in the dugout. Terry was Smith's assistant at Villa between October 2018 and July 2021, winning promotion to the Premier League in May 2019.

Chelsea legend Terry returned to Stamford Bridge in a coaching consultancy role in December 2021 and was tipped to join Frank Lampard's backroom staff for a Champions League campaign, but is now heading to the King Power for a relegation scrap instead.

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Reynolds reacts to Foster heroics

After Ben Foster pulled off a heroic stoppage-time penalty save to secure a crucial 3-2 win for Wrexham over promotion rivals Notts County, Ryan Reynolds joked he was going to hug the former England goalkeeper so hard he would break his ribs.

Foster came out of retirement last month to rejoin Wrexham, having previously played there on loan in 2005. The 40-year-old signed a short-term deal to try and help Wrexham push for promotion from the National League.

The club has not played in the English Football League since 2008, but are flying high under the ownership of Hollywood stars Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Wrexham and Notts County have dominated the National League this season, but only one side can achieve automatic promotion to League Two.

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Ten Hag plans Man Utd clearout

Erik ten Hag is considering getting rid of 13 players this summer, as his Manchester United revolution gathers pace.

Ten Hag was appointed a year ago and is enjoying a good first season in charge, with the Red Devils on course for a top-four finish in the Premier League. They have also won the Carabao Cup and are still in the hunt to lift the Europa League and FA Cup.

Despite this, United are still some way off challenging for the Premier League title. Humiliating defeats to Brentford, Manchester City and Liverpool were painful reminders of how much work still needs to be done by Ten Hag and his staff at Old Trafford.

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Ziyech told to leave Chelsea

Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf believes Hakim Ziyech needs to leave the club this summer, with the winger looking "sad and lost" at Stamford Bridge.

Ziyech has not even made the bench for Chelsea's last four Premier League matches and has only featured in 13 of the Blues' 30 league games so far this season. Since making the move to Stamford Bridge from Ajax in 2020, Ziyech has failed to establish himself as a regular in the starting XI.

In 102 appearances, the 30-year-old has scored just 14 goals and provided 11 assists and Leboeuf believes his time at the club is up. When asked who he feels should leave in the summer Lebouef, who spent five years at Chelsea, told ESPN : "Well, definitely Ziyech.

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Foster rugby-tackled in celebrations

Ben Foster was joyously hauled to the ground by reserve goalkeeper Mark Howard after his match-winning penalty save on Monday afternoon.

Foster's Wrexham, who are owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, defeated Notts County 3-2 at the Racecourse to go three points clear of their promotion rivals at the top of the table with a game in hand. The Welsh club need just seven points from their final four National League fixtures to secure promotion.

Notts County seemed destined to snatch a point when the ball was handled in Wrexham's box, but Foster produced a stunning stop to deny Cedwyn Scott from the penalty spot. As such, the former England goalkeeper was lauded as Wrexham's hero at full-time.

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Cancelo can hurt Man City

Manchester City face the prospect of playing against one of their own players on Tuesday night, with Joao Cancelo in contention to start for Bayern Munich.

City host the German giants at the Etihad for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Cancelo has made 154 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side – and remains contracted to the club until June 2027 – yet could play a part in ending their Champions League dream.

The 28-year-old full-back joined Bayern on loan until the end of the season in January after falling out with Guardiola. He had been a regular part of the City side since arriving from Juventus in 2019 and defender Ruben Dias has admitted it will be odd going up against him.

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Bostock goal was first in seven years

John Bostock scored his first goal in nearly seven years on Monday afternoon... but it wasn't enough to stop Wrexham's Hollywood comeback.

The Welsh club, who are owned by American actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, recovered from a goal down to beat promotion rivals Notts County 3-2. There was a dramatic conclusion at the Racecourse, as Ben Foster saved a last-minute penalty.

The result leaves Wrexham three points clear of Notts County at the top of the National League with a game in hand. Although he was on the losing side, former Premier League star Bostock thought he was going to be the hero after scoring a stunning free kick.

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Foster questions promotion rules

Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster asked questions about the National League only getting two promotion spots after his stoppage-time penalty save gave Phil Parkinson's side victory over Notts County in their top of the table clash.

With the two sides locked on 100 points and with just a handful of games remaining, the winner at the Racecourse Ground was bound to gain the upper hand in the race for the one automatic promotion spot from the National League. John Bostock gave Notts County a half-time lead, but Wrexham battled back to lead 2-1 and 3-2 going into second half stoppage-time.

Just as Elliot Lee's goal looked to have sealed victory, County were awarded a penalty for a handball in the box. Cedwyn Scott stepped up to take the kick, but former England keeper Foster pawed the ball to safety to send the home crowd wild.

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Liverpool's stance on assistant referee incident

Liverpool will offer their full co-operation to both the FA and referee body, the PGMOL, as they conduct enquiries into controversial assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis.

And the Anfield club will watch with interest to see if any action is taken against the official, following his apparent elbow into the face of Reds defender Andy Robertson, which produced such shocking images during the game against Arsenal on Sunday.

There has been no official complaint from Robertson or anyone associated with the club, but there was some real surprise at the incident. The Scotland captain did briefly pull the official by the arm to speak to him, and was booked for that action, but the contact from the elbow wasn’t a result of that situation.

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Mount to Liverpool?

Mason Mount is a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea may have backed themselves into a corner whereby selling the player, who joined the Blues aged six, is the logical option.

The 24-year-old has less than 15 months left on his current deal at Stamford Bridge, having come through the club’s youth ranks and progressed into an integral first-team player. Mount last signed a new contract in July 2019 after impressing on loan at Derby but is now coming to the final section of that agreement.

Mount is not currently one of the top 20 paid players at Chelsea and with multiple attacking arrivals at the West London club across the past two transfer windows, his future has come into question. Talks over a contract extension have stalled.

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Foster heroics win it for Wrexham

Wrexham's National League title hopes were saved by Ben Foster, as the newly-signed goalkeeper kept out a 96th minute penalty to earn a historic 3-2 win over Notts County.

John Bostock's stunning free-kick on the stroke of half-time put Notts County ahead, and it looked as though Wrexham had been rocked after a frustrating 45 minutes. But they came out firing in the second half, with Paul Mullin once again becoming the hero as he levelled the scores shortly after the restart before assisting Jacob Mendy who put Wrexham ahead again.

But the game was far from over, as Kyle Cameron fired Notts County level to rock Wrexham again before a howler in defence gifted Elliott Lee with the eventual winner. But just when Wrexham thought they'd won the game, Notts County were awarded a 96th minute penalty.

Catch up with all the talking points here

Guardiola cites Jordan as City motivation

Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players not to be burdened by past failures in the Champions League ahead of tonight's showdown with Bayern Munich.

City have yet to win the Champions League, but Guardiola sought to reassure his players by reminding them even the greatest in the history of sport lost more times than they won.

Guardiola acknowledged the focus on City's failure to conquer Europe and cited golfing great Jack Nicklaus and basketball legend Michael Jordan to prove his point.

“We tried to win the Champions League last season, the season before, we tried three seasons ago - every single season,” said Guardiola.

Read more here.

Silva returns to Chelsea training

Thiago Silva has returned to first-team training ahead of Chelsea's vital Champions League clash against holders Real Madrid.

The first leg of the quarter-final tie takes place in the Spanish capital on Wednesday. As Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League and do not have a realistic chance of finishing in the top four, they must win the Champions League to qualify for next season's tournament.

Blues chair Todd Boehly is hoping caretaker manager Frank Lampard, who was recently reappointed, can pull of a miracle by lifting the European Cup. If they beat Real, Chelsea will face the winners of Bayern Munich's tie with Manchester City in the semi-finals.

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McAteer aims dig at Keane

Jason McAteer has reignited his feud with Roy Keane by aiming a sly dig at the former Manchester United captain on social media.

Keane was in the Sky Sports studio to cover Liverpool ’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon and made headlines with his comments about Andy Robertson. The Irishman had no sympathy for the Liverpool left-back after he was elbowed in the chin during a confrontation with assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis.

At half-time Keane said : "Do you know what it is, that Robertson? I've watched him a number of times. He's a big baby. That's what he is. Just get on with the game and concentrate on your defending. He does grab the linesman first."

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Cooper under pressure at Forest

Having received a vote of confidence from owner Evangelos Marinakis last week, Steve Cooper would have been hoping for a response from his Nottingham Forest side against Aston Villa on Saturday.

However, the Forest boss got exactly the opposite. The Reds were comfortably beaten at Villa Park courtesy of second-half goals from Bertrand Traore and Ollie Watkins as they dropped back into the bottom three.

It was a damning afternoon for the visitors, who had just two shots on target and recorded 34 per cent possession, with errors costing Cooper's men in the defensive third. Jonjo Shelvey gifted Traore his second goal in as many matches with a sloppy pass, while some slack defending allowed Watkins to dink home late on.

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Hatzidakis' career in jeopardy

Former referees’ chief Keith Hackett has warned assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis that his career could be in tatters after he appeared to elbow Andy Robertson at Anfield.

Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal was tainted by an extraordinary incident that was picked up the Sky Sports cameras, Robertson approached Hatzidakis shortly after the half time whistle, seemingly to voice discontent. And upon being confronted, the official appeared to throw up his arm and catch the left back in the face with his elbow - with an irate Robinson having to be dragged away by teammates as he was booked in the aftermath.

On Monday, the PGMOL confirmed he will now be suspended while the incident is investigated, stating: “PGMOL will not be appointing Constantine Hatzidakis to fixtures in any of the competition it serves whilst The FA investigates the incident involving the assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield.”

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Wiegman responds to Houghton

Sarina Wiegman has responded to former Steph Houghton's comments on still wanting to play for England, stating she doesn't want to leave out her current defenders.

Houghton had said publicly her international exile from the England team over the past year was "frustrating" and that she wanted "closure." But speaking ahead of Tuesday's clash with Australia, Lionesses' boss Wiegman explained that due to the quality of player she has a centre-back, it was unavoidable that some players will be left disappointed.

The Dutch coach did add that she would not close the door on anyone ahead of selecting her squad for the 2023 World Cup finals in July.

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Dele Alli pictured with balloon in his mouth

Dele Alli has been pictured with a balloon in his mouth while appearing to be surrounded by canisters of laughing gas.

The 26-year-old returned to the UK for an assessment on a hip injury last week, seemingly curtailing his season long loan at Besiktas. Despite hopes that heading to the Turkish Super Lig would revitalise him, the midfielder has made just 15 appearances in all competitions.

And just days after returning to these shores , the former England midfielder has been snapped sitting around a table with friends. Bottles of nitrous oxide, often dubbed as 'hippy crack', were visible along with bottles of alcohol and chewing tobacco.

Read more here.

Exclusive: Calls for new refereeing rules

A charity which represents referees has called for huge changes to be made to the laws of the game after linesman Constantine Hatzidakis was involved in a confrontation with Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.

Ref Support UK, an independent charity which represents the interests of officials, is worried by the spate of incidents and is calling for immediate action from the FA.

They want a two-metre rule to implemented to protect referees and for clubs to be deducted points, rather than fined, if they break the rules.

Read more here.

Rashford injury worry

Manchester United are fearful over the extent of Marcus Rashford's groin injury that cast a shadow over Saturday's 2-0 win over Everton.

Rashford hobbled off with the problem late on at Old Trafford, sparking fears that the club's top scorer could be set for a spell on the sidelines at a crucial juncture in the season.

The England international was making his 350th appearance for United and assisted Anthony Martial for the decisive second goal that ensured an uplifting three points for Erik ten Hag's side. But he pulled up minutes later after stretching to reach a Christian Eriksen pass, and was replaced immediately, limping down the tunnel in clear discomfort.

Read more here.

Arsenal's result at Liverpool debated as Gunners positive claims under the microscope

The faces of the Arsenal fans in the Anfield Road end when Gabriel Jesus put the Gunners 2-0 up told their own story.

Wild celebrations followed the Brazilian's header, and suddenly a match which had long been billed as so significant for their Premier League title hopes was only going one way.

Liverpool looked tired and weak, as they have for much of their season, and the possibility for a huge three points for the visitors was clear.

But by the end those three points had become one, thanks to a combination of a foolish Granit Xhaka push, a Reds resurrection on and off the pitch and a comeback which should have ended in Jurgen Klopp's side taking all three points.

See what Mirror Sport's very own thought of the result

Maguire meets Ten Hag demand despite lingering Man Utd staff concerns

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag hailed Harry Maguire after the centre-back impressed on a rare start against Everton.

The 30-year-old made just his 12th Premier League appearance of the season in the comfortable 2-0 victory over the Toffees as he replaced Raphael Varane in the starting XI. Despite his lack of first-team football, Maguire did well throughout as he helped the Red Devils keep a second successive clean sheet.

It was a show of confidence from Ten Hag to hand Maguire a start in the first place and the England international did exactly what he needed to and impressed. After the game, the Dutchman heaped praise on Maguire and explained why he played so well.

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Ex-Premier League referees agree on linesman elbowing Robertson in face

Former referees Mark Clattenburg and Mark Halsey have questioned the reactions of assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis after the official appeared to throw an elbow at Andy Robertson during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, and both say he could now face a ban.

Shortly before half-time during what proved a dramatic clash at Anfield, the left back approached the official and appeared to shove him, with Hatzidakis responding by raising an elbow which caught Robertson in the face. The incident incensed the Scot, who was then yellow carded for dissent as he and teammate protested to referee Paul Tierney.

The PGMOL have since confirmed they will be investigating the flashpoint, stating they were "aware of an incident involving assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at half-time during the Liverpool v Arsenal fixture at Anfield", adding it would "review the matter in full."

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