⚽️ Kick-off time: 8pm local/11am AEST/2am BST/9pm EDT⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail JonathanIn case you missed it, international manager par excellence Hervé Renard will go to the ball after all. He of the fitted white dress shirt qualified with Saudi Arabia, only to lose his job on the eve of the tournament. The Frenchman has answered Tunisia’s SOS and will replace Sabri Lamouchi in the dugout for the remaineder of the tournament after the former Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City boss was sacked following a grisly opening defeat to Sweden.Michael Butler compiled the latest Football Daily roundup, featuring Pico Lopes, Marcelo Bielsa, and the late Roy Hattersley. Continue reading...

⚽ News, discussion and buildup before the day’s action⚽ Fans’ verdicts: the season review | And email us hereToday’s Premier League fixturesBrighton v Manchester UnitedBurnley v WolvesCrystal Palace v ArsenalFulham v NewcastleLiverpool v BrentfordManchester City v Aston VillaNottingham Forest v BournemouthTottenham v EvertonSunderland v ChelseaWest Ham v Leeds Continue reading...

Minute-by-minute report on the action at Old TraffordManchester United: who to keep, who to sell, who to signPremier League table | Golden Boot | Email MichaelManchester United’s men will wear next season’s home kit against Forest. The strip was debuted by the women’s team in their WSL game at Chelsea on Saturday.Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo. Subs: Bayindir, Dorgu, Heaven, Malacia, Mazraoui, Yoro, Mount, Ugarte, Zirkzee. Continue reading...

⚽ Premier League updates from the 2pm BST kick-offs⚽ Live scores | Tables | Follow on Bluesky | Email Simon And we have some teams! Here they all are: Continue reading...

⚽ News, discussion and more before a huge day of action⚽ Today’s fixtures | Tables | Follow on Bluesky | Email usToday’s Premier League fixturesNottingham Forest v FulhamCrystal Palace v EvertonBurnley v Aston VillaWest Ham v Arsenal Continue reading...

Jadon Sancho made a cameo appearance during Aston Villa's 4-1 win against Nottingham Forest on Thursday which sent Unai Emery's side through to the Europa League final

Villa thrash Forest to reach Europa League final‘We didn’t want to leave these games with regrets’John McGinn said Aston Villa took a giant step towards proving they are not “nearly men” after securing their spot in a first European final since 1982 in front of Prince William, who afterwards joined the players in the dressing room.Villa’s captain scored twice late on as Villa romped to a 4-0 Europa League semi-final second-leg win over Nottingham Forest to maintain Unai Emery’s hopes of a record fifth title in the competition. Villa will face Freiburg in Istanbul on 20 May. Continue reading...

In the end, it was a rout, Aston Villa sailing into their first major European final since 1982. There were fist pumps from Prince William high in the Trinity Road Stand after Emiliano Buendía’s penalty approaching the hour put Villa in command of the tie and then pure delirium as John McGinn buried two near-identical first-time finishes inside five minutes to kill the game. In between serenading Unai Emery, who is hunting a record fifth Europa League title, and drinking in the celebrations, Villa supporters could think about booking flights to Istanbul, where Villa will face Freiburg in search of their first trophy since lifting the League Cup in 1996.For Nottingham Forest, probably safe in the Premier League, defeat extinguished Evangelos Marinakis’s hopes of silverware and represented a hard stop to their 10-game unbeaten run. Continue reading...

ASTON VILLA 4-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST (4-1 agg): Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendia and a John McGinn brace were enough to send the Villans all the way to Istanbul

⚽ Updates from the 8pm BST kick-off; (agg 0-1)⚽ Palace v Shakhtar – live | Scores | Mail JohnWill Unwin on Vitor Pereira, fourth time lucky for Forest.Dyche did what he had to, settling things down after a tumultuous start to the season, whereas Pereira wanted to offer greater freedom. Forest are the highest scorers in the league since his arrival, with 19 in nine matches, and have the third-best defence and would sit sixth over the period, according to Goalpoint. Under Pereira, Forest have scored 8.02 goals above xG, arguably a result of the increase in confidence and risk-taking. Continue reading...