Carabao Cup
TOTTENHAM BEAT CHELSEA ON PENALTIES TO ADVANCE IN CARABAO CUP
Tottenham are in the last eight of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night after beating Chelsea on penalties.
At the end of an absurd tie, Mason Mount missed the 10th kick of the shootout and Spurs went through in a competition written off by Jose Mourinho.
The Tottenham manager had bemoaned a fixture schedule that left them unable to compete for the lesser pickings. But, having gone behind to Timo Werner’s first-half strike, they levelled through Erik Lamela before triumphing in the shootout.
Penalties was an appropriate end for a berserk match of drama, tantrums and, in the case of Eric Dier, an unscheduled toilet break.
It started with Werner’s first goal for Chelsea on 19 minutes, which for the better part of an hour appeared to be enough to put his side through.
Spurs had been dreadful for much of the first half but finally managed to apply pressure in the second. They had a flurry of chances, two of which were well saved by Chelsea’s new goalkeeping hope Edouard Mendy, but appeared to be heading out in a blitz of anger.
Mourinho seemed ready to blow, but they were saved by Lamela’s equaliser seven minutes from time.
Despite Tottenham’s win, there will be further questions over the future of Dele Alli. In the ongoing saga of his place at Spurs, he was dropped for a fourth matchday squad out of four. If it is the end for Alli, then what a shame. And what a waste, too.
Of course, it could be just one more twist in the Mourinho shuffle — another cold shoulder to make Alli run hot. Or maybe it is just what it looks like — a loss of trust and the start of a goodbye. With Mourinho, in his world of thick smoke and circus mirrors, it really is so hard to tell.
But the brighter prognosis, that this is all a prelude to a grand revival, does feel a little like wishful thinking. Just as it felt timely when the stadium staff decided partway through the warm-ups to show footage of Alli’s magnificent lob over Arsenal in this competition two years ago.
While that homage to the past played out on the big screens, the newer blood had their chances below. For Spurs, featuring nine changes to cater for their third game in five days, that meant a debut for Sergio Reguilon, at left wing back next to three centre halves in a tweaked system.
Only Dier and Hugo Lloris were retained from the Newcastle draw, but no towels were being thrown in. In the context of selection, they were weakened, but far from weak. So perish the thought that Mourinho may have attempted to mislead with a few of his pre-match comments, but the waiting presence of Harry Kane on the bench suggested his manager held more than a passing interest in going through.
Lampard made eight changes but also put out a strong side, with Mendy given his debut in goal and Ben Chilwell handed a first start.
The upshot of that tinkering? Chelsea dominated. And Spurs let them. Or perhaps that is the kind interpretation of a Mourinho strategy that seemed geared towards counter-attacks but which didn’t deliver on the second part of the brief.
So while Chelsea pushed, and indeed held 71 per cent of the possession for the first 45 minutes, Spurs sat deep, swallowed up what they could, and looked bloated any time they attempted to get off the couch.
The early warnings that might not work came from Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who each saw enough of goal to get off shots.
The breakthrough followed on 19 minutes after an unforced error, and cruelly it was also the opening contribution in a Spurs shirt for Reguilon. His first mistake was to get caught in possession by Cesar Azpilicueta, and he was then quickly dropped on his backside in buying a feint from the Spaniard when attempting his recovery. From there, Azpilicueta rolled low to Werner and the German finished well.
The only sign of life from Spurs came when Mourinho had an entertaining row with Lampard on the sidelines. At one point he told his former player to back off and Lampard held his ground. To think, they all used to listen.
In terms of Spurs chances, it was a limited bunch. One attack that saw Gedson Fernandes close on goal, only for Kurt Zouma to stop him with a tackle of quite brilliant precision. Erik Lamela also got a shot off that Mendy saved well with his feet. Maybe Lampard’s goalkeeping worries are drawing to a close.
He managed a second excellent save early in the second half in rerouting a Reguilon drive over the bar, and by that point Spurs were managing a period of consistent pressure. Both Steven Bergwijn and Serge Aurier had chances in a stretch of 15 or so minutes when Chelsea struggled to break from their half.
But for all the improvement, there was no cigar. Kane came on with 20 minutes remaining and with his only opening, hooked a shot off his left boot over the bar. That appeared to be it for Spurs, before Lamela stretched onto a Reguilon cross and nudged in the equaliser.
The first nine penalties were all converted in order by Eric Dier, Tammy Abraham, Erik Lamela, Cesar Azpilicueta, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Jorginho, Lucas Moura and Emerson, before Mount’s kick was saved by Hugo Lloris.
Daily Mail
August is not yet over, the season is only three games old, yet Manchester United find themselves at a familiar crossroads.
Ruben Amorim’s future as head coach is no longer whispered speculation—it is now the subject of his own public hints, with the international break looming as a possible inflexion point.
The bluntness of Amorim’s words after United’s humiliating exit at the hands of League Two side Grimsby Town was striking.
Defeat on penalties after clawing back from two goals down was bad enough, but the symbolism of being outworked and outfought by a rotated fourth-tier team cut deeper.
Amorim’s candour in interviews—telling ITV that “you’re not going to change 22 players again” and that “something has to change”—suggested a man weighing whether to walk away before being pushed.
The optics could hardly have been worse. Amorim trudged back onto the pitch at Blundell Park to the taunts of jubilant home supporters chanting “sacked in the morning.”
The narrow walkways, cramped dugouts, and fans heckling United’s £700m squad offered a setting that underscored how far the club’s prestige has slipped. Even Matthijs de Ligt resorted to sitting on the floor for lack of bench space, a scene that felt like parody.
Behind the scenes, the defeat complicates the delicate power structure reshaping Old Trafford. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, both hired from Manchester City to inject competence, now find their reputations bound to Amorim’s.
They must answer to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose firm grip on football matters means he will ultimately decide whether Amorim is worth persisting with. Ratcliffe admires Amorim’s directness, but admiration may not outweigh results.
Amorim’s frustrations are not new. As recently as pre-season, he admitted he had considered his position before recommitting to the project.
Optimism appeared to return over the summer, but the fragile unity has evaporated quickly. His repeated claim that the players “spoke loudly with their actions” was not so much a critique of effort as an indictment of systemic malaise.
The failings in Grimsby were not limited to individuals, though goalkeeper Andre Onana’s calamitous errors highlighted United’s lack of reliability at key moments. Amorim was quick to deflect blame from his keeper, but his remark that “this is a fourth-division team, Andre should play just with his feet” captured the gulf between expectations and reality.
That gulf is the essence of United’s crisis. The infrastructure brought in by Ratcliffe and Berrada is meant to harden the club’s soft underbelly, yet here were United bullied by Grimsby reserves. The culture Berrada spoke about instilling—courage, pride, and resilience—looked like empty rhetoric on a rain-soaked night in Cleethorpes.
Burnley visit Old Trafford on Saturday in what now feels like a precarious fixture. The two-week pause that follows gives space for reflection but also invites speculation. Amorim’s language has ensured that speculation will intensify, whether or not results improve immediately.
In that sense, the Portuguese coach has shifted the spotlight. By acknowledging so openly that “something has to change,” he has forced United’s hierarchy to show their hand.
Either they back him more firmly than ever—or they accelerate a search for alternatives. What is clear is that United’s season, just three games old, already carries the weight of existential questions.
Adapted from The New York Times
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Manchester United plumbed new depths as fourth-tier Grimsby Town knocked them out of the League Cup 12-11 on penalties after a 2-2 draw on a tumultuous night at Blundell Park on Wednesday.
Goals by Charles Vernam and former Manchester United youth player Tyrell Warren put the hosts in charge of the second-round tie by halftime against the six-time winners.
But after thunder and lightning and a torrential rain squall, United finally came to their senses with Bryan Mbeumo’s first goal for his new club offering them an escape route.
Grimsby defended their lead valiantly but Harry Maguire’s 89th-minute header sent the tie to penalties.
A nerve-shredding shootout that lasted 18 minutes saw Matheus Cunha have his effort saved when he had the chance to seal it for United. The next 15 penalties were all scored before Mbeumo struck the crossbar to send the home fans into delirium.
United manager Ruben Amorim watched the penalties hunkered down in the dugout and the Portuguese coach, who replaced Erik ten Hag last season, will now find himself under intense scrutiny after a horror show on the banks of the Humber River.
“I know that the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch, the best players lose,” a cryptic Amorim told Sky Sports. “I think that the team and the players spoke really loud today, so that’s it, we lost, the best team won.”
There were no such problems for the other Premier League sides in action with Brighton and Hove Albion winning 6-0 at Oxford United, Everton beating Mansfield Town 2-0 and Fulham overcoming second-tier Bristol City 2-0.
After picking up one point from their opening two Premier League games, this was supposed to be the night United got their season moving. Instead they suffered embarrassment in the fishing town and the sharks are now circling for Amorim.
BIG-MONEY SIGNINGS
Since being appointed he has taken 28 points from his first 29 Premier League games and steered United to their worst season since 1974. He has been backed in the transfer window with some big-money signings but on the evidence so far he is no closer to reversing the club’s decline.
Amorim gave a first start to 73 million pounds ($99 million) signing Benjamin Sesko and also included Kobbie Mainoo for his first appearance of the season while Andre Onana was back in goal after being left out for the first two games.
United were shambolic in the first half and Grimsby, unbeaten in League Two, deservedly went ahead in the 22nd minute when Darragh Burns picked out Vernam who calmly controlled the ball before rifling a shot that beat Onana at his near post.
Grimsby, facing United for the first time in 77 years, doubled their lead eight minutes later when Onana flapped at a cross and Warren tapped in the loose ball from close range.
Amorim sent on captain Bruno Fernandes and new signing Mbeumo after the break but his side were lucky not to be 3-0 down when the hosts had a goal by Cameron Gardner ruled out harshly for offside.
Mbeumo eventually injected some top-tier quality into United’s display with a silky low finish to set up a nervous finale for the hosts. And when Maguire, so often the scorer of vital goals for United, headed past Christy Pym in the 89th minute it seemed he had got his side out of jail.
Sesko could even have sealed it at the death after a goalmouth scramble.
Onana redeemed his earlier errors with a save from Clarke Oduor in the shoot-out but Brazilian Cunha had his abysmal spot kick saved by Christy Pym.
It seemed like the shootout could go on all night as kicks hit the net but while Grimsby’s players were ice cool, Mbeumo cracked, sending his effort against the crossbar.
“The way we started the game, without any intensity, any idea of pressure, we were completely lost, and it’s hard to explain,” Amorim said.
-Reuters
Carabao Cup – Second Round – Grimsby Town v Manchester United – Blundell Park, Grimsby, Britain – August 27, 2025 Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo looks dejected after he misses a penalty as Grimsby Town players celebrate after winning the shoot-out Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Tens of thousands of Newcastle United fans gathered in the city on Saturday to celebrate the club’s first domestic trophy in 70 years, with the streets turning a sea of black and white for the open-top bus parade.
Newcastle United Victory Parade – Newcastle, Britain – March 29, 2025 General view of Newcastle United fans during the victory parade REUTERS/Scott Heppel
About 150,000 people were expected to catch a glimpse of the League Cup that Newcastle lifted on March 16, after a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the final at Wembley Stadium.
For manager Eddie Howe, Saturday’s event was an emotional moment as the city honoured him with a massive banner, unfurled outside St James’ Park.
“I can’t thank everyone enough, from Newcastle, the way they’ve embraced me and my family and I’m glad to have given them some joy,” he said atop the bus that carried the team around the city.
As the bus and crowd approached the Town Moor site, white smoke blanketed the area as the crowd sang Hey Jude, replacing ‘Jude’ with ‘Geordies’, and ABBA music was played over the speakers for a party expected to last long into the night.
-Reuters
l
Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- U20 FOOTBALL2 days ago
Flying Eagles Bank on ‘Magic of October 8’ to overcome Argentina
- World Cup6 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers
- World Cup1 week ago
Osimhen Returns as Chelle Names 23-Man Squad for Crucial World Cup Qualifiers
- U-20 FOOTBALL3 days ago
Nigeria, Argentina Renew Rivalry as Flying Eagles Target Quarter-Final Spot in Chile
- U-20 FOOTBALL5 days ago
Nigeria Face Must-Win Battle Against Colombia in Chile
- Premier League6 days ago
Mount and Sesko fire Man United to victory over Sunderland