Premier League
DOWNBEAT JOSE MOURINHO IS PICTURED LEAVING SPURS’ TRAINING BASE FOR THE LAST TIME
Jose Mourinho has been spotted leaving Tottenham’s training ground hours after the axe was wielded on his tumultuous reign.
The 58-year-old was dismissed on Monday morning with the club on course to miss out on the Champions League and having exited the Europa League in humiliating fashion.
The 2-2 draw at Everton proved to be the final straw for Daniel Levy and now, soon after being told of his sacking, Mourinho has been snapped being driven away from the Hotspur Way complex for the final time.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid coach, who has been sacked four times in England, was seen in the passenger seat of a sleek vehicle.
It looked as though dismay was etched across the face of the crestfallen Special One as he left.
He was seen leaving the Spurs training complex just after 3.30pm on Monday morning and arrived back in his west London home later on Monday afternoon.
Mourinho was seen taking his belongings from his Spurs office back into his home with goalkeeper coach Nuno Santos helping him. The items included several large images of the Portuguese coach’s career highlights.
As he arrived back at his home, Mourinho refused to open up on his Spurs exit, but insisted he is ready to take another job in football straight away.
He told Sky Sports: ‘No need for breaks and (recharging) batteries. I’m always in football.’
When asked by Sky Sports whether it was unfair he had been sacked just before a cup final, he stopped for a moment and grinned but made no further comment.
The bombshell announcement was made by Tottenham less than a week before they take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Mourinho also departs as the fallout continues following confirmation that the north London club will join a number of top-flight peers in the European Super League.
Mourinho will walk away with up to £20million as part of a hefty compensation package.
The amount will not surpass that figure, sources have said, due to the performance-related clauses written into his contract.
Mourinho will be placed on gardening leave, which means Tottenham will continue to pay him as normal until he takes up another job elsewhere.
Tottenham are seventh in the Premier League which, combined with failures in Europe, effectively means Mourinho is not entitled to his full compensation.
A statement confirming the sacking read: ‘The Club can today announce that Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have been relieved of their duties.’
‘Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a Club,’ chairman Levy said.
‘Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged.
‘He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.’
Ryan Mason, the former Tottenham and Hull City midfielder, will take the reins, assisted by Chris Powell, until the end of the season.
Mason, 29, took charge of first-team training on Monday.
The search for Mourinho’s permanent successor is now underway.
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has been identified as the favourite to take over.
Tottenham have been long-term admirers of Nagelsmann, who is widely deemed as one of the most talented young coaches in world football.
It is believed that Naglesmann, who is only 33, was under consideration for the Spurs hotseat after Pochettino’s departure in 2019, although Mourinho was later handed the job.
Leipzig will not allow Nagelsmann to leave this summer, however, without receiving a compensation package worth £17m.
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid coach Mourinho’s last game in charge at Tottenham came in the 2-2 draw against Everton on Friday.
Despite Harry Kane’s leveller at Goodison Park, the dropped points dealt a major blow to their hopes of securing a spot in the Champions League.
Sources have claimed that the underwhelming display proved to be the final straw.
Talisman and vice-captain Harry Kane paid tribute to Mourinho after the news broke.
‘Thank you for everything boss,’ Kane wrote on social media. ‘A pleasure to have worked together. I wish you all the best for your next chapter.’
The cup final next weekend represents a chance for Spurs to lift silverware for the first time since their triumph in the same competition in 2008.
Mourinho will no longer lead them out at Wembley, though, with little tangible progress made over the last season and a half.
He could only guide Tottenham to a sixth-placed finish during his first campaign in charge, albeit after taking over halfway through with the team languishing in 14th.
This term has been a step back, with the north London outfit knocked out of Europe in humiliating fashion by Dinamo Zagreb and reeling from other poor results.
For the first time in his managerial career, Mourinho was made to suffer 10 league defeats in a single season.
The on-field misery also saw Tottenham drop 20 points from winning positions this season. No other top-flight club has lost more when leading.
His options to take up another top job are likely to be dwindling after his latest sacking, having now been shown the exit door four times in England.
With Chelsea (twice), Manchester United and now Tottenham all choosing to axe him, Mourinho is sure to be running out of choices.
He has enjoyed great success in Italy, Spain and Portugal, so could be forced to take a job in one of those countries and move away from England.
-Daily Mail
Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi underlined his growing importance to Nottingham Forest’s survival push, coming off the bench to score in a crucial 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
In a match loaded with relegation implications, Awoniyi’s late strike capped a disciplined and clinical performance from Forest, who secured their first league win under manager Vitor Pereira and climbed out of immediate danger.
Forest took the lead on the stroke of halftime through Igor Jesus, who headed home from a corner delivered by Neco Williams. Despite Tottenham’s bright start, they failed to convert early dominance into goals, with Richarlison missing their clearest opportunity.
The hosts tightened their grip on the contest in the second half when Morgan Gibbs-White doubled the advantage just after the hour mark, finishing calmly to punish Spurs’ defensive lapses.
Awoniyi then delivered the final blow in the 87th minute, tapping in from close range to seal a comprehensive win and ignite celebrations among the Forest faithful. The goal marked another timely contribution from the Nigerian striker, whose physical presence and composure have proven vital in the club’s fight against relegation.
The result lifts Nottingham Forest to 16th place with 32 points from 31 matches, two points clear of Tottenham, who drop to 17th and remain perilously close to the relegation zone.
For Awoniyi, the goal not only adds to his season tally but also reinforces his reputation as a decisive figure in high-pressure moments. Introduced late in the game, his impact highlighted Forest’s improved attacking depth and ability to finish off opponents—qualities that could prove decisive in the final stretch of the campaign.
Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi scores their third goal REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Tottenham, meanwhile, saw their struggles continue despite recent signs of improvement. Even with Mathys Tel forcing a fine save from goalkeeper Matz Sels, they lacked cutting edge, failing to register a shot on target before conceding.
The defeat leaves Spurs just one point above 18th-placed West Ham United, who also slipped to a 2-0 loss against Aston Villa, deepening the tension at the bottom of the table.
While Forest manager Pereira cautioned that more work lies ahead, Awoniyi’s contribution offered a timely reminder that the club possesses the firepower needed to steer clear of relegation.
With the battle for survival intensifying, Forest will look to build on this momentum—and if Awoniyi continues to deliver at crucial moments, their chances of staying in the Premier League will receive a significant boost.
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Premier League
Manchester United tighten hold on third in the Premier League with win over Aston Villa
Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha buried a second‑half strike off a pinpoint through ball from Bruno Fernandes for a club-record 16th Premier League assist in a season to lift the hosts to a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.
Casemiro and substitute Benjamin Sesko scored United’s other goals in a result that tightened United’s grip on third place in the standings on 54 points after 30 games, while fourth-placed Villa have 51 points.
United, who were playing their first game in 11 days, were keen for a victory after interim boss Michael Carrick’s seven-game unbeaten run ended in a 2-1 loss to 10-man Newcastle United on March 4.
With 22 points from a possible 27 under Carrick’s leadership, Sunday’s win will invariably lead to more questions about his chances of becoming United’s permanent manager.
“It was a slightly different game today going into it being so close in the league and making the small jump we could if we won, off the back of a defeat,” Carrick said. “It was a small test and we haven’t really had that.
“The boys dealt with it really well, had a really good week and applied themselves well. Everything is so so encouraging. We’ve got a lot to play for.”
The game looked headed for a draw before Cunha scored from the left side of the box in the 71st minute, with Fernandes recording his 100th assist for the club across all competitions.
With eight games left, Fernandes is also four shy of matching the Premier League record for assists in one season of 20 held by Thierry Henry (2002-03) and Kevin de Bruyne (2019-20).
“He’s had so many big moments, to score a goal, to make a pass,” Carrick said of Fernandes. “Training or games, he’s always there. Really good with the corner. The pass to Matheus was fantastic to cap off a good performance all around.”
Sesko put the game out of reach 10 minutes later with a blistering shot from the centre of the box.
Casemiro put United ahead in the 53rd minute with a glancing header from a Fernandes corner.
Ross Barkley levelled in the 64th with a shot from the middle of the area. After a lengthy VAR check to determine whether the ball glanced off an offside Amadou Onana, the goal stood.
A better second half salvaged a decent game after a dreary first 45 minutes plagued by errant passes and slipping players.
United did have some decent first-half chances including a header from Amad Diallo that goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez stretched backwards to keep out of the net. Diogo Dalot had a terrific chance inside the box that he launched over the bar.
Leny Yoro’s block spoiled one of Villa’s best chances and led to a long-range shot from Fernandes at the other end that he sent just wide of the post.
Villa have not won a league game since February 11, and an animated manager Unai Emery spent much of the afternoon stomping his feet and waving his arms in frustration.
“How we are progressing after we did fantastic months in October, November, December, the last two months we are struggling,” Emery said. “It’s Manchester United here at home, and they are now in good moment. And of course, they played a very intelligent match.
“I think we can get better. The result at the end was a bad result for us. We must accept it and try to analyse now to get better for the next challenge.”
-Reuters
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England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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