Arsenal sensation Max Dowman has caught the eye yet again with a sensational effort for the Gunners in a big UEFA Youth League win over Bavarian giants Bayern Munich. The 15-year-old brought back memories of club legend Mesut Ozil with a brilliant solo goal to help seal a 4-2 victory for the north Londoners on Wednesday at Mangata Developments Stadium.

Downman scores stunner in Arsenal win

Dowman finished off Bayern in some style to cap an outstanding performance for Arsenal's Under-19s. The youngster cut in from the right and showed off some outrageous skill to beat three Bayern defenders – including a nutmeg and wonderful pirouette – before keeping his composure to dink the ball over the goalkeeper. The goal was Dowman's second of the game, with Kyran Thompson and Ceadach O'Neill also on target, and capped a fine victory for the Gunners as they picked up their first win of their 2025-26 Youth League campaign in impressive fashion. 

The 15-year-old wasn't the only youngster to catch the eye during the game. Luis Munoz made history when he arrived as a substitute in the second half. The 13-year-old came on for the final five minutes of the match and became the youngest player ever to feature in the youth competition.

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Dowman on the rise at Arsenal

Dowman's goal against Bayern Munich highlights once again what a talented youngster the Gunners have on their hands. The 15-year-old has already made five first-team appearances this season and became the youngest player to appear in the Champions League when he came off the bench during Arsenal's 3-0 win against Slavia Prague at the age of 15 years and 308 days, breaking the record previously held by ex-Borussia Dortmund starlet Youssoufa Moukoko. Yet Dowman's appearance for the U19s means that he won't be with the senior squad again for their match against Bayern at the Emirates. Both teams head into the fixture with a 100% record so far in the Champions League, meaning something will have to give in north London on Wednesday night.

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'We have a massive player' – Arteta's praise for Dowman

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke glowingly about Dowman after he made his Champions League debut. He told TNT Sports: "It doesn't get any harder than this competition. Max at 15 takes the ball and straight away starts to take people on and win free-kicks. That shows the personality that these kids have. Really happy to see them with us in this journey, and hopefully they will continue to improve. The way he plays, he attracts a lot of contact. He's so good at timing the right moment to move the ball when the opponent makes the next step. We have a massive player there."

U.S. international Brian White sent a timely reminder of his quality, powering the Vancouver Whitecaps to their first MLS Cup final with a first-half brace. His early impact guided a commanding 3-1 win over San Diego FC, a match effectively settled before halftime as Jesper Sørensen’s side overwhelmed Mikey Varas’ team and added an own goal via Pablo Sisniega.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  What happened

  Vancouver struck first through White, who finished from close range on the right side of the box after a pass from Andrés Cubas. Moments later, the lead doubled via a Pablo Sisniega own goal, and before halftime White struck again – a low, composed finish inside the left post assisted by Ali Ahmed – making it 3-0.

  In the second half, Mexico international Hirving Lozano pulled one back for San Diego with a right-footed curler from outside the box after an assist from Anders Dreyer. But any hopes of a late push disappeared when Sisniega was shown a red card in the 79th minute.

  Thomas Muller started and played 60 minutes but was largely quiet, finishing with zero shots and 82 percent passing.

  Vancouver will now face Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami next Saturday in a highly anticipated showdown between two clubs making their first appearance in MLS Cup. San Diego, an expansion side in their inaugural season, can hold their heads high after a run to the Western Conference finals – an impressive debut year.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  The MVP

  Brian White was the clear standout, striking twice in the first half to send Vancouver to the MLS Cup final. The USMNT forward now has 18 goals this season, reinforcing his status as one of Sørensen’s key players. He heads into next weekend’s final in top form as the Whitecaps look to pull off an upset against Messi and Inter Miami.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  The big loser

  Mikey Varas will face criticism for choosing not to start Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano in San Diego’s most important match of the season. The Mexican star didn’t enter until the team trailed 3-0, though he scored their lone goal after coming on.

  The tactical approach also fell short. Playing at home, San Diego were outplayed and effectively eliminated within the first half – a disappointing ending to an otherwise historic inaugural season.

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• Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Manchester City are now considering a move for a new forward who Pep Guardiola called “extraordinary”, and they have identified him as a priority target.

Man City eyeing new forward amid overreliance on Erling Haaland

Man City are the joint-highest scorers in the Premier League this season, having netted 24 times, but to say they are reliant on Erling Haaland would be an understatement, with the Norwegian scoring 14 of those, finding the back of the net every 74 minutes on average.

No other City player has scored more than once in the league, and Guardiola called on his other attacking players to step up after the 2-0 victory against Everton last month, saying: “He [Haaland] could have scored four or five at the end. He’s our key man,”

“At the same time, we cannot do good things with just Erling. Our wingers, attacking midfielders and the other players have to make a step up.”

However, Maxime Esteve technically still remains the Blues’ second-highest scorer in the league this term, having scored two own goals in Burnley’s 5-1 thrashing at the Etihad Stadium, so it is no surprise a new forward is now being targeted.

According to a report from Spain, Man City are now considering a move for AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, amid concerns they are overreliant on Haaland, with the Ghanaian forward set to be available for a fee of £65m during the January transfer window.

Semenyo has now been identified as a priority target by City, given the fantastic start he has made to the Premier League season, although there could be competition for the 25-year-old’s signature from reigning champions Liverpool.

Talks could ‘accelerate soon’, with the Blues clearly keen on signing the versatile attacker, who is capable of playing on the wing, as a target man, or even as a second striker.

Man City preparing £158m+ bid for star who wants to work under Guardiola

The Citizens are keen to make new signings and could now look to acquire one of Europe’s most prominent attackers.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 24, 2025 "Extraordinary" Semenyo could boost City's title chances

In fairness, Jeremy Doku has stepped up to the plate in recent times, most notably scoring and winning a penalty in the 3-0 victory against Liverpool last month.

However, none of City’s attackers have been anywhere near as consistent as Haaland, so it would make sense to bring in a new forward this January, and Guardiola has made it clear he is a big fan of the Bournemouth star.

The Ghana international made a flying start to the campaign, meaning he is currently the joint-fourth highest goalscorer in the Premier League.

Top scorers in the Premier League

Club

Goals

Erling Haaland

Manchester City

14

Igor Thiago

Brentford

9

Danny Welbeck

Brighton

7

Antoine Semenyo

AFC Bournemouth

6

Jean-Philippe Mateta

Crystal Palace

6

With Haaland clearly in need of additional support in attack, Semenyo could be a fantastic signing for Man City, as they look to hunt down Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo inicia sua caminhada no Brasileirão 2024 tentando esquecer a decepção de não ter ganho o título em 2023. Após não conquistar a competição mesmo liderando grande parte no ano passado, o Alvinegro passou por reformulações tanto no elenco quanto na comissão técnica, e terá de escrever uma nova história no Campeonato Brasileiro.

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ELENCO E REFORÇOS

O elenco do Botafogo passou por muitas mudanças neste início de temporada, entre chegadas de reforços badalados e saídas de peças importantes. Além disso, houve troca também no comando técnico, com o português Artur Jorge assumindo o lugar de Tiago Nunes. Ao todo, 12 jogadores deixaram o grupo principal do Glorioso, com destaque para Lucas Perri, Adryelson, Victor Cuesta e Victor Sá.

Por outro lado, outros 13 nomes são novidades do Alvinegro para 2024. O principal deles é Luiz Henrique, atacante que vem do Real Bétis como a contratação mais cara da história do futebol brasileiro. Completam a lista John, Jeffinho, Lucas Halter, Alexander Barboza, Savarino, Pablo, Damián Suárez, Gregore, Raul e Óscar Romero, além de Allan e Igor Jesus, que assinaram pré-contratos e chegarão no meio do ano.

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INCERTEZAS E DESAFIOS

Após um início de ano abaixo do esperado, o Botafogo tenta se encontrar neste início de Brasileirão. O mal desempenho na Taça Guanabara – que rendeu ao clube apenas o quinto lugar e a não classificação às semifinais – fez com que a diretoria optasse por demitir Tiago Nunes, que teve problemas com o elenco. O interino Fábio Matias assumiu a equipe por 10 partidas, e a melhora no futebol apresentado culminou em oito vitórias, dois empates e uma derrota.

Apesar do bom desempenho de Matias, o Alvinegro decidiu por trazer um novo comandante. O português Artur Jorge deixou o Braga e aceitou o desafio de treinar o Botafogo. Em sua estreia, derrota para a LDU na altitude de Quito na última quinta-feira (11), pela Libertadores. Aos 52 anos e com apenas um clube no currículo, o treinador terá de se adaptar e implementar seu estilo de jogo no futebol brasileiro.

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➡️ Equilíbrio! Aposte R$100 e fature R$311 no Lance! Betting se você acredita no empate entre Cruzeiro e Botafogo pelo Brasileirão

Por último, os fantasmas de 2023 têm de ser deixados para trás. A reformulação no elenco parece o primeiro passo para uma nova caminhada no Brasileirão e no restante da temporada, no entanto, o assunto não deixa as manchetes alvinegras. Dono da SAF do Botafogo, John Textor fez acusações de corrupção nos dois últimos campeonatos e afirmou ter provas de que o Palmeiras foi favorecido. Enquanto os cartolas lutam nos bastidores, o Glorioso precisa focar no campo e esquecer o passado.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

PERSPECTIVAS PARA A COMPETIÇÃO

É difícil traçar espectativas para o Botafogo no Campeonato Brasileiro meio a um início de temporada tão turbulento, com altos e baixos. No entanto, o elenco elvinegro – principalmente no setor ofensivo – qualifica o clube como canditado à vaga na Libertadores, competição que já está disputando neste ano. Reforços na defesa, porém, podem elevar o time a outro patamar.

Contudo, a torcida alvinegra parece ter outra ideia sobre o que esperar do Botafogo no Brasileirão. Em enquete realizada no Canal de Whatsapp Lance! Botafogo, cerca de 56% dos participantes acreditam que o Glorioso irá brigar pelo título da competição. Você pode deixar sua opinião também no post abaixo, no Instagram do Lance!.

O Botafogo faz sua estreia no Brasileirão 2024 diante do Cruzeiro, fora de casa. A bola rola no Estádio do Mineirão às 17h de domingo (14).

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BotafogoBrasileirão

Mitchell Starc believes Pat Cummins won’t need much preparation to play in the first Ashes Test in Perth, saying the skipper remains upbeat despite not yet being cleared to bowl with six weeks to go before the series starts.Doubts are growing over Cummins’ availability for the first Test of the Ashes as he continues to rehab the hot spot in his lower back having not bowled a ball since Australia’s last Test against West Indies in July.While it is understood that Cricket Australia has made no decisions on Cummins’ return to bowling and his availability for the first Test of the Ashes and beyond, the tightness of the timeline for the skipper to build-up his bowling loads adequately has become a major talking point.Related

• Cummins says he's 'less likely than likely' to play in the first Ashes Test

• Cummins 'running out of time' as Perth D-day looms but Ashes hopes alive

• Ashes tracker: Labuschagne shines as Konstas stumbles

• Hazlewood, Starc in line for SCG Shield outing before Ashes

• Doubts over Cummins' fitness for first Ashes Test grow

Starc, who will return to the BBL for the first time in 11 years in the upcoming season, believes Cummins is so unique that he could play a Test match off very limited preparation.”Playing with Pat and being close with Pat, he doesn’t need much,” Starc said. “Whether he bowls three warm-up balls and the first over the game, he’s on the money, he just knows when to switch on or how to switch on really quickly. So what it looks like for him in his prep, it’s going to be certainly different to what mine feels and looks like, and that comes with experience and age.”Having spent so much time with Josh [Hazlewood] and Pat and myself and Scotty [Boland], we all prepare slightly differently. We all feel like we need different things. I feel like at times I need to bowl more around preparation stuff, whether it be training or after layoffs.”Starc has returned to bowling ahead of the ODI series against India after a lengthy pre-season having not played since the Caribbean Test tour. Both Starc and Hazlewood are also set to play in New South Wales’ round four Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the SCG from November 10-13 in preparation for the first Ashes Test which starts on November 21 in Perth.Starc said he had been in touch with Cummins but had seen less of him since returning to NSW training as the skipper continues to do his gym rehab.Mitchell Starc expects Steven Smith to be “the logical choice” to lead if Pat Cummins isn’t fit•BCCI

“He’s in good spirits,” Starc said. “He’s ultra-positive as always, and there’s still some weeks to go before we get to Perth for the Test prep. So we’ll see where that lands. Hopefully we see a lot of him through the summer, and we’ll see where we get to in Perth.”If Cummins were to be ruled out, the question of who replaces him as captain will be raised but Starc said Steven Smith would be the logical choice given he has captained Australia in 40 Test matches including deputising for Cummins in six over the last four years.”We’ve got a group of us that have played cricket with Steve as captain anyway,” Starc said. “And then the times that he’s filled in over the last few seasons for Pat, whether it be for personal reasons, for illness or for injury, it’s an easy transition for Steve. He’s obviously a very experienced cricket brain and thinks heavily about the game, and we have a team of experienced guys that can give their two cents worth along the journey as well.”Cummins’ potential absence has also raised questions about Australia’s fast-bowling depth beyond the big four of Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Boland.Starc cited Michael Neser and Sean Abbott as two experienced options and also mentioned another man who has played for Australia previously and took five wickets in an Ashes game in his most recent Test appearance.”There’s been a little bit of noise around Jhye Richardson coming back from his shoulder as well,” Starc said. “We know what skills he has. We’ve got a fairly talented group of 19-20-year-old bowlers, and then a lot of depth from there up to us that have played a lot of domestic cricket. I think the depth is there.”Richardson, speaking at another BBL event in Melbourne on Thursday, was confident he could play a Test this summer if required despite still progressing his bowling in the nets following shoulder surgery earlier this year.Jhye Richardson last played a Test match in December 2021•AFP/Getty Images

“I think so,” Richardson said. “Body’s really good. At this stage of the recovery what we wanted was for everything else to be right, and the only limiting factor to be my shoulder, which is the case at the moment, which is really good. I’m bowling off a full run, just waiting for a bit of ball speed to come back, which I think is a pretty good position to be in this time of year, or what we were hoping for anyway.”There’s no specific timeline in place at the moment, but I think returning to some sort of competitive cricket, whether it’s club cricket or second XI [for Western Australia] sometime in November I think would be a good start, and then build up from there, and then see where it takes us.”Richardson revealed he was still only bowling at speeds in the low 120s but expected the speed to come with more mobility and confidence in the shoulder, having been through the process before after previous shoulder surgeries. He is hoping to play round five or six of the Sheffield Shield, with WA’s two games starting on November 22 and December 4 respectively.”You never really know how linear the process is going to be,” Richardson said. “I think at the start of the year, we were sort of speaking around that [round] five or six mark leading into the Big Bash and potentially back-end Ashes.”But I don’t want to think too far ahead.”

Cole Young, a fast-rising infield prospect in the Seattle Mariners organization, played in the Futures Game in Texas last season as part of baseball's All-Star festivities. Less than a year later he's found himself with the big club, getting the callup for the Mariners' May 31 tilt against the the Minnesota Twins. The move paid immediate dividends as Young drove in the game-winning run in the 11th inning with a chopper to first base.

It was a magical moment for the young player as he realized the culmination of a dream. But an even better highlight from the weekend may be the phone call he shared with his parents to give them the good news that he was moving from Tacoma to Seattle and competing on the sport's biggest stage.

The Mariners released video of that emotional call and it's awesome.

This is the good stuff. Every single time we see one of these it's impossible not to think about the long journey from Little League to the big leagues and how much time and energy these player's entire families put into the realization of a dream. At one point Young says he's going to cry but he honestly keeps it together pretty well in front of the cameras. He says he was surprised by the opportunity and was minding his own business in the dugout when he got the update.

"I had no idea," he said. "That was so surprising."

Jac Caglianone's highly anticipated MLB career kicked off Tuesday after he was called up to the big leagues Sunday afternoon and was slotted into the Kansas City Royals' lineup as the team's designated hitter in their series opener in St. Louis against the Cardinals.

Caglianone, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 MLB draft, batted sixth for the Royals and got his first MLB at-bat in the top of the second inning. He swung through the first pitch he saw, a 95-mph fastball up in the zone. After a good take on the next pitch followed by a swinging strike two, he connected on a breaking ball low and away and sent the ball toward the right field gap at Busch Stadium.

The first ball Caglianone hit in play had base hit written all over it, but Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II made an incredible leaping grab on the warning track which sent him into the wall. The web gem took away extra bases for Caglianone in his first big-league at-bat and his family couldn't believe it.

The top Royals prospect spent less than two weeks in Triple-A Omaha before he received the call up Sunday. In 12 games with Omaha, he slashed .319/.370/.723 with 15 hits that included six home runs and 13 RBIs.

His first MLB hit will have to wait a bit longer. But if the first ball Caglianone hit into play told us anything, it won't take that much time at all.

Arsenal have held ‘new’ talks with the representatives of a Juventus star who Xabi Alonso has recommended to Real Madrid, according to a report this week.

Arsenal face Brentford after Man City steal dramatic win at Fulham

Arsenal return to the Emirates Stadium tonight seeking to reclaim their winning touch when they host Brentford in a vital Premier League clash, made all the more important by Man City’s dramatic 5-4 win at Fulham last night.

The Gunners have seen their lead at the top cut to just two points following their frustrating 1-1 draw at Chelsea over the weekend, even if Arsenal’s impressive 17-game unbeaten run continues since that early-season defeat to Liverpool.

Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Mikel Arteta’s side dominated possession at Stamford Bridge but could only manage a point, despite Chelsea playing with ten men for much of the contest.

Arsenal face a significant injury conundrum with Gabriel Magalhaes sidelined due to a thigh problem picked up on Brazil duty.

Related Fabrizio Romano: Berta eyeing "bargain" move for player likened to "top" Arsenal star

He could be a snip.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Dec 2, 2025

Arteta recently hinted that he could be unavailable until 2026, while Kai Havertz continues his recovery from a knee injury which has kept him out since the opening weekend.

William Saliba is also a doubt after missing the Chelsea trip, though Arteta has provided a seemingly positive update suggesting the Frenchman is just days away from returning.

Away from the pitch, sporting director Andrea Berta reportedly continues plans to reinforce Arsenal’s squad, even if they spent nearly £270 million on eight major signings in the summer.

Real Madrid star Rodrygo is believed to be a target for Arsenal, with Berta sensing an opportunity amid the Brazilian’s increasingly uncertain future at the Bernabeu.

Ironically, Arsenal are also after someone who Real could replace Rodrygo, as per Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.

Arsenal hold 'new' talks with Juventus star Kenan Yildiz

Corriere state that Alonso has personally recommended Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz to Real as a target, but they now face stiff competition from north London.

Juve are attempting to tie the 20-year-old down with fresh terms and ward off suitors, but these negotiations are still ongoing and there is currently significant ground to cover when it comes to Yildiz’s wages.

Yildiz is demanding nearly quadruple his current salary to bring him in line with top earners like Jonathan David, while the Old Lady have offered below his desired amount so far.

The forward also wants assurances about his role and Juve’s plan to win major trophies, so while the priority is to continue in Turin, talks over a new deal are believed to have stalled for now.

Corriere reports that Arsenal have made ‘new moves’ to discuss conditions with Yildiz’s representatives, and Arteta’s side are said to be ‘captivated’ by the Turkey international.

Unfortunately for Berta, other recent reports from Italy claim that Juve want around £88 million to part company with their young superstar, so it could require a major investment on Arsenal’s part after an already-massive summer outlay.

After the weekend defeat in the Premier League, what Arsenal really needed in the Champions League on Wednesday evening was a straightforward victory.

Thankfully for Mikel Arteta’s men, that’s exactly what they got, swatting aside Belgian side Club Brugge 3-0 with relative ease.

The Gunners were at their free-flowing best in the final third, notably scoring two outstanding goals courtesy of Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke.

It was a much-changed side as Arteta chose to rotate and many in red and white in midweek staked their claim for more regular opportunities.

Arsenal's standout performers against Club Brugge

This was a fantastic night for Arsenal’s wingers. With Leandro Trossard injured and Bukayo Saka part of the rested crew on the bench, it meant that Martinelli and Madueke started on the left and right flanks respectively.

Both players have struggled with injuries this season but Martinelli, in particular, has made an impact nearly every time he’s played.

The Brazilian scored the away side’s third and final goal on Wednesday, a beauty from the edge of the area.

That happened to be his fifth goal in his last five Champions League ties, the first player in Arsenal history to record such a statistic.

That said, his colleague on the opposite wing was even better. This was his finest day in Arsenal colours yet.

Signed from Chelsea in the summer, every man and his dog seemed to question why on earth Andrea Berta and Co had brought Madueke to the Emirates Stadium. Well, safe to say he’s proved everyone wrong.

The Englishman bagged his first goal for the club against Bayern Munich a few weeks ago and added two more to his tally this week.

His first was a scorcher from distance. The Arsenal winger burst away from his marker, headed towards the box and then unleashed a fierce effort which crashed off the bar and found the net.

By contrast, his second goal was about as simple as they come. Martin Zubimendi’s cross from the left found Madueke who headed home from a matter of yards out.

There were a number of real positives for Arsenal. It was great to see Gabriel Jesus back on the pitch for the first time after suffering an ACL injury back in January.

Emergency centre-half, Christian Norgaard, also stood out at the back, part of a backline that kept a clean sheet.

With Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera and Jurrien Timber all missing through injury, it meant a rare opportunity for the Dane and he took it with aplomb, even if he was playing out of position.

That being said, it wasn’t the finest of nights for another of Arsenal’s summer signings.

Arsenal's worst performer against Club Brugge

This was an evening for those on the fringes to stake their claim. Madueke, Martinelli and Norgaard all took their chances.

Viktor Gyokeres, on the other hand, did not. The question that was raised after this game was, when do we start to worry about the Swede?

When Berta first arrived in north London, his priority task was to find a new striker and one capable of scoring goals.

Well, it looked as though he’d acquired one of Europe’s finest. This is a player who bagged 54 times in 52 games last term for Sporting CP but he has so far failed to translate that form in English football.

To be fair to him, he has largely been starved of service. Arsenal struggle to create clear-cut opportunities for him to score from and that was the same story against Brugge this week.

Chalkboard

The only chance of note that Gyokeres had came in the first half but it was a half-chance at best, heading the ball straight into the arms of the goalkeeper with a few bodies challenging for the same ball.

Gyokeres did leave the field with three shots to his name but none of them were that noteworthy, which seems to be a familiar trend from his time in north London to date.

That said, the Sweden international does need to be doing more. Even if he has just returned from injury, his 45-minute cameo against Aston Villa at the weekend, combined with his 60-odd minutes on Wednesday, were not good enough.

Minutes played

62

Touches

12

Accurate passes

5/6 (83%)

Key passes

1

Crosses

0

Shots

3

Shots on target

1

Successful dribbles

0

Ground duels won

0/3

Aerial duels won

2/3

He had just 12 touches of the ball in Belgium, 25 fewer than goalkeeper David Raya. Furthermore, he also managed just five passes.

There is a sense that Gyokeres has vastly improved his hold-up play and ability to link things together at the top of this Arsenal team since signing from Sporting. However, he was brought to London to score goals and he’s simply not doing that with any regularity right now.

It is only December. We must not completely write off the big-money attacker before he’s had a full season. For now, however, it doesn’t look great.

Arsenal have looked a much better team with Mikel Merino as the number 9 and you’d expect him to start against Wolves in that role on Saturday night ahead of Gyokeres.

Arsenal star was playing like Saka, now he's being treated like Smith Rowe

The incredible Arsenal talent could end up following Smith Rowe’s trajectory instead of Saka’s.

3 ByJack Salveson Holmes 5 days ago

Wasn’t that all a little inevitable? Time and again, this Manchester United side proceeds to fluff their lines, having failed to take advantage of the chance to move fifth in the Premier League following Thursday’s draw with West Ham United.

Much like a week ago in the dismal defeat to ten-man Everton, there was a real lack of energy and urgency about the hosts at Old Trafford this time around, with Ruben Amorim’s side merely letting the game drift for much of the first half.

Even after Diogo Dalot had nudged the home side ahead just before the hour mark, there was a distinct lack of a killer instinct, with Amorim’s raft of pragmatic changes ultimately backfiring in the closing stages.

Up against a team firmly in the relegation mix, the Red Devils – after failing to push for a second – were served up arguably what they deserved, with Soungouto Magassa poking home for his first goal for the Hammers to draw things level.

Despite two late attempts from skipper Bruno Fernandes, there was to be no stirring finale in front of the Stretford End, with the stop-start nature of United’s campaign showing no sign of ending.

Man Utd's worst performers vs West Ham

Two moments of quality aside in Sunday’s narrow win over Crystal Palace, it’s fair to say that it’s not been a good week for United’s captain, with Fernandes again rather erratic on Thursday evening.

He may, as usual, have been in the thick of the action with six total shots and five key passes registered, but the Portuguese notably regressed as the game progressed, squandering the ball meekly far too frequently.

Indeed, the 31-year-old lost the ball 22 times in all, as per Sofascore, while his delivery from wide areas was also unusually off the mark, having successfully completed just two of his eight attempted crosses.

The former Sporting CP star wasn’t alone in struggling on a difficult, turgid night for the hosts, however, with surprise inclusion Ayden Heaven hooked at the break, following a shaky first Premier League start of the season up against the experienced Callum Wilson.

Far more will have been expected of those operating at the opposite end of the pitch for United too, with the returning Matheus Cunha somewhat anonymous in his number ten berth, before being withdrawn late on, while Joshua Zirkzee failed to build on his weekend heroics after producing another limp showing through the middle.

Rounding off that trio was emerging talisman, Bryan Mbeumo, with the usually dynamic winger putting in arguably his worst performance for the club to date, following his £71m switch from Brentford.

Man Utd star produced his worst performance under Amorim

Right from the off, during the opening weekend defeat to Arsenal, Mbeumo has provided the spark in United’s attacking ranks, netting six times already across league and cup, including in key away performances against both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Premier League’s Player of the Month for October has been riding high even amid a turbulent season for the club, although – with AFCON looming – his form appears to have stagnated, having failed to record a goal or assist in each of his last three outings.

That may be a case of a lack of service, although the Cameroonian was hardly able to create much for himself either on Thursday evening, registering just one key pass and attempting just two shots in all – albeit while forcing Alphonse Areola into a sprawling, clawing save early on.

The 26-year-old, like many of his teammates, was particularly ineffective as the game developed, looking weary late on as he failed to make things stick after moving into a central role, following the withdrawal of both Cunha and Zirkzee.

Like Fernandes, the left-footer regularly squandered potential openings after losing the ball on 15 occasions from just 52 touches, while failing to win a single aerial duel up against a physical visiting backline.

Such has been his impact in recent months, Mbeumo has set a high bar and raised expectation levels regarding his performances, although this was certainly not him at his best.

Typically the outlet for United when the going gets tough, the one-time Troyes man appeared to go missing late on, looking leggy and lethargic as Amorim’s men allowed the visitors back into the game.

With just over a week to go until the £150k-per-week star is set to head to international duty, Amorim needs him to find his best level again.

Let’s face it, while Mbeumo may have looked distinctly off it last night, even on his worst day, he still appears United’s biggest attacking threat.

Bad news for Mainoo: INEOS readying £30m Man Utd offer to sign "monster" CM

There appears to only be one outcome in the future of Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United.

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By
Robbie Walls

Dec 4, 2025