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‘It was an excellent performance’ – Kieran McKenna waxes lyrical over Ipswich

Chaplin scored the only goal of the game at the end of the first half and only a good performance from goalkeeper Devis Vasquez saved the home side from suffering a heavier defeat.

McKenna said: “I loved the game, the performance and of course the result. I thought this was a big one for us today and the season, not having managed to win here in the last couple of visits. It’s a barometer for us as a team.

“I thought it was an excellent performance in the first half. Coming back from international duty, I thought we imposed ourselves on the game and dominated the game.

“We created some big opportunities, pressed well and didn’t give them anything. It was an excellent performance.

“Probably on 65 minutes, we should have been 2-0 or 3-0 up.

“The last 20 minutes was really pleasing as well because when you don’t get the second goal, you have to see the game out in a different way and defend with organisation and resilience.

“To do that for the last part of the game, against Sheffield Wednesday and this crowd is a terrific thing for the boys to go through as well.

“I thought we had a couple of absolutely picture-perfect moves for us on what we like to do, going through the pitch quick and getting through teams and behind teams.

“It’s great that we got the goal before half-time because to go in at half-time 0-0 would have been really disappointing with some of the opportunities and positions that we got in.

“There was lots to enjoy about the performance, on and off the ball, really. We gave away very little.”

The result leaves Wednesday still searching for their first Sky Bet Championship win of the season and the players were booed off the pitch at the final whistle.

Manager Xisco Munoz issued an apology to the supporters after being disappointed with his team’s first-half performance in particular.

Munoz said: “All I can say is sorry because I’m very, very disappointed about the first 45 minutes.

“It is important the first 45 minutes. After that, the team had a good reaction, but not enough. I am very disappointed about the first half.

“We can speak about the positive things. It is true. We can speak about the reaction in the second half, but I don’t like what I see in the first half because we did not play at the level we are.

“This is one of the problems we have right now about the situation. We need to try and find a balance.

“We need to stay 90 minutes in the game, 90 minutes with the personality, 90 minutes with the concentration, 90 minutes with ambition.

“For me, we need to give for 90 minutes the same level and the same intensity.

“I can say ‘so sorry’ to the fans today because I was very, very frustrated about the first half.

“If we don’t change, it is impossible to take the points because the Championship is a very, very, very high level.”

‘It was Gordon Banks-esque’ – Gareth Ainsworth hails John Ruddy save in QPR draw

Asmir Begovic, the former Chelsea, Bournemouth and Stoke goalkeeper, and ex-Wolves shotstopper Ruddy – both 36 – produced a string of saves as Birmingham missed the chance to climb into the Sky Bet Championship’s top six overnight.

But Birmingam keeper Ruddy’s late stop to deny Lyndon Dykes’ downward header from Albert Adomah’s cross was the pick, after Begovic denied Scott Hogan in a one against one.

“I thought there were some fantastic blocks from us, two magnificent saves from Asmir – the one where he came out and smothered (from Hogan) was world class, and it was,” said Ainsworth.

“But then John Ruddy at the other end – it was Gordon Banks-esque; he put the ball up in the air and away from people.

“When Lyndon headed it, you’re hoping it’s going into the side of the net. It was further out than I thought and a great cross and great header.

“I’ve said Lyndon is going to get double figures this season and it’s going to be his biggest haul.

“But when you come up against someone as good as Ruddy it’s tough to get past him – as Birmingham saw with Begovic.”

Only a desperate, acrobatic goalline clearance from QPR midfielder Sam Field prevented Blues taking a 21st-minute lead, after Lee Buchanan’s fierce cross flicked off centre-back Steve Cook and looped over Begovic.

Ruddy denied Paul Smyth and Field before his late heroics to prevent Dykes’ heading home, while Begovic matched him by foiling Cody Drameh, Krystian Bielik and Jay Stansfield.

Birmingham head coach John Eustace agreed the two goalkeepers were on top in a game of chances at both ends.

“I think that’s why John won Player of the Year last season. John’s a very good experienced goalkeeper,” he said.

“He’ll be disappointed with a couple of goals he’s conceded this season but tonight he showed his class and that’s what top goalkeepers are all about.

“So to not concede is also very good and very encouraging because we’ve had two very tough away games and to keep our levels of concentration in difficult moments was very pleasing.”

Birmingham’s Hogan missed the game’s other standout chance when Begovic denied him.

“You’d have to ask Scott (about his confidence) but what is pleasing is his workrate and his effort is still there,” said Eustace.

“He’s still working his socks off and we have to create more chances for him as well – he can’t just be having one or two.

“We have to create more opportunities for our front players. But Scott will score goals as long as he keeps going and keeps believing.”

‘It would mean everything’: T&T’s Kaile Auvray and Cavalier FC hungry for Caribbean Cup glory

As Cavalier prepare for Tuesday’s decisive second leg against Cibao FC in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, Auvray is embracing the magnitude of the moment and the opportunity to etch his team’s name in the annals of Caribbean football history.

“Being part of such an exciting match, such as the Caribbean Cup final, it's really an honor,” said the Trinidad and Tobago native, who has been a pivotal figure for Cavalier throughout the competition.

“I think this title would mean everything, honestly. I know that last year we came close to winning it, so this year, [we] just want to go one step further and bring it home,” he added.

The two clubs were evenly matched in the opening leg in Kingston, Jamaica, where Cavalier claimed a narrow 1-0 victory. Shaquille Stein’s decisive strike extended his tournament-leading tally to eight goals, setting the stage for a tantalizing conclusion at Cibao FC Stadium.

Auvray has played an instrumental role in Cavalier’s road to the final, notably contributing in the semifinals with a multi-goal performance alongside Stein. His creativity and attacking instincts will be critical as Cavalier aim to protect their slender advantage and secure the club’s first Concacaf Caribbean Cup title.

Despite the first-leg setback, Cibao FC remains confident in its ability to overturn the deficit in front of its passionate home crowd.

The Dominican club had been unbeaten in the competition until the loss in Kingston and will look to its leading scorer, Rivaldo Correa, to inspire a comeback.

Correa, who has netted five goals in the tournament, led Cibao’s charge in the first leg with seven shots on goal. His determination to deliver for the home fans was evident in his pre-match comments.

“We are going to give our all. The team's spirit is that we are very focused, that we are going to turn it around, that we are going to do things in the best way. We are going to be very concentrated to turn this match around and take us to the championship.”

With the aggregate winner set to be crowned 2024 champions, every moment of the second leg promises to be high-stakes.

Should Cibao win 1-0, the match would proceed to extra time and potentially penalties to determine the victor. Away goals serve as the first tiebreaker, adding another layer of intrigue to the contest.

For Auvray and Cavalier, this is a chance to solidify the club’s place among the Caribbean elite and bring a sense of pride to their supporters.

“This is about going one step further. We’re ready to give it everything we’ve got,” Auvray emphasized.

‘Let’s stop the games’ – FIFA chief wants refs to halt action when racism occurs

Infantino, who met Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior to discuss the problem after the Brazil international spoke out after being targeted this season, labelled the racists “criminals” and said football authorities had to “shoulder responsibility”.

Last month Real Madrid filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office claiming the racist abuse of Vinicius constituted a hate crime after the player was targeted during the LaLiga defeat at Valencia.

“It’s very important not just to talk about racism and discrimination, but to take action in a decisive and convincing manner – zero tolerance,” Infantino said after meeting Vinicius and the rest of the Brazil squad in Barcelona.

“There is no football if there is racism – so let’s stop the games.

“The referees have this opportunity in FIFA competitions as we have this process for stopping the game, and actions have to be taken at every level, at national level as well.

“It’s a football-related problem and we mustn’t look for excuses like: ‘It’s society’s problem, therefore, it’s fine in football.’ In the world of football, we must act in a very forceful way.

“We want to identify racists in stadiums and across social media. They are criminals. They have to be banned from stadiums across the globe.

“The authorities need to take these people to court and we will say this to all of them. Racism is a crime.”

Infantino said FIFA would set up a task force, with Vinicius taking a prominent role, to make specific recommendations.

‘Matter of when not whether’ UK hosts Women’s World Cup – sports minister

The 2023 World Cup is currently being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand and FIFA is scheduled to announce the hosts for the 2027 finals in May next year.

Andrew told the PA news agency: “I would really be looking forward to the day when we can host a World Cup. It’s a matter of when not whether.”

Four bids remain in the race to host the 2027 World Cup – a joint bid from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, a second joint bid from the USA and Mexico, plus separate bids from South Africa and Brazil.

When asked if the UK is considering to apply to host the tournament finals in 2031, Andrew said: “We’ll have to wait and see.

“We’ve got a lot of bids in for a lot of events at the moment. The thing I think that makes us a really good country at hosting these is we know that when we’ve got them we’ll do it right.

“The perfect timing is just as important as actually securing the bid. So that will be part of our considerations.”

England hosted a successful Euro 2022 last summer when the Lionesses captured the hearts of a nation by winning their first major trophy.

“I think we’ve got a great reputation of holding major events,” said Andrew in Sydney, where he is currently following the Lionesses.

“I’m open to thinking about all these sorts of things. What I’ve seen here is amazing. We obviously think about these things in the spending rounds, we’ll have to give that consideration.

“But of course it will be something that we would give careful consideration to.”

Following the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph, the squad wrote an open letter to the government urging them to ensure “every young girl” can play football at school.

The government announced in March plans to invest £600million so that girls and boys in English schools will have equal access to sports.

Andrew said one of his “key jobs” was to work closely with the Department of Education “because making sure that sport and physical activity is available to everyone is really important”.

“Schools have an amazing role to play in that,” he said. “That’s why we’ve given the £600m, secured that for the next two years, that’s going to be really important. As we go forward we want to ensure that we’re delivering the best sport and PE.

“We’re announcing the school sports strategy that’s coming out and then we’ll have our own sports strategy as well. All of this is government working closely together with stakeholders and with other departments to ensure that we’ve got the best facilities for everybody who wants to be active.”

Andrew, openly gay, wore a OneLove armband at the men’s World Cup finals last winter in Qatar, but had no misgivings that it was not available at the women’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

“Here this is, you know, a different situation,” he said. “Australia has great legislation and laws for protection of the LGBT+ community.

“And I think what we need to do is continue that journey that is happening, so that actually all sport is open and inclusive for everyone because it benefits us all at the end of the day.”

Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, a vocal figurehead on issues of diversity and the LGBTQ+ community, has faced criticism following his move to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, where being gay is illegal.

Andrew said he would continue in his role as sports minister to ensure British values and human rights were allowed to be expressed on and off the pitch.

He added: “We recognise that sport is independent. It has to be. Government shouldn’t be interfering, but yes, when we have those meetings, when we have those discussions, of course we will raise those issues. We want to ensure everything is being considered.

“I actually did, when I was in Qatar, that gave me a voice. That gave me an opportunity.

“And we have seen some progression. We see a whole host of armbands that are now available, and I think that is a good step forward. Let’s see if we can go all the way now.”

‘Moment of quality’ lacking for Stockport – Dave Challinor

The league leaders came to Gillingham after sustaining back-to-back losses at the hands of Crewe and Tranmere.

Struggling in both defence and attack in recent weeks, Challinor is hopeful that keeping a clean sheet against Gillingham can renew confidence for his team after conceding seven goals in their previous two outings.

Having scored only once in three games since their 3-1 win over Grimsby at the start of February, Challinor’s next hope for his side is that they rediscover their touch in front of goal as they look to confirm automatic promotion to League One by the end of the season.

Challinor said: “After the last two games, we got back to where we were defensively and I thought we were really good there today.

“I’ve been critical of the team and they’ve been critical of themselves at times; we’ve got to be better and we were tonight and that gives us a platform to go on and get a result. If you’re not going to defend properly and to the level consistently then you’re going to struggle to win games.

“Before the game, would I have taken the point? No because I want to win, but will I have taken a clean sheet as a minimum? Absolutely.

“We needed to find that moment of quality. In fact, we found moments of quality but not moments of quality that gets us the goal, if that would have been the case it would have been the perfect away performance, but we’ll take that point.”

Each team had their chances at Priestfield Stadium but neither team were able to find the cutting edge to end the encounter with three points in hand.

Stockport did have a late opportunity to return to the north-west as winners, although Paddy Madden’s shot was blocked by Gills defender Shadrach Ogie.

A point has now put Challinor’s team two points ahead of second-place Mansfield, who have a game in hand and will welcome Salford to One Call Stadium this Saturday.

Thanks to Crawley beating AFC Wimbledon 1-0, Gillingham have now moved to eighth in League Two and are level on points with Harrogate, with only goal difference separating Stephen Clemence’s team from a playoff berth.

Clemence said, in a video interview posted by Gillingham on X: “It’s a very difficult game, they’re the top scorers in the division so we knew we had to be spot on defensively.

“They tested us at times but I don’t think they threatened us too much – one or two shots, and they hit the post with a wide free-kick that was probably a cross.

“Defensively we were very, very sound and we had to work hard for the clean sheet so I’m really proud of the boys’ efforts tonight.

“Yeah, we didn’t create enough ourselves, but we were better in the second half than the first and that’s a good point there today.”

‘My responsibility’ that Cole Palmer left Manchester City – Pep Guardiola

The champions sold Palmer, one of their highly-rated academy prospects, to Chelsea last summer.

The 21-year-old, a member of City’s treble-winning squad last season, has shone since the switch and been the London club’s standout player this term.

Guardiola admits he did not give the youngster, who faces City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, the minutes he wanted and understands his reasons for moving.

The City manager said: “For young players, we always want them to stay but this is normal. After two or three seasons he wanted more minutes than he had the last season. I understand completely.

“If Palmer had the minutes I gave to Phil (Foden) from the beginning, Cole Palmer would be here – but I didn’t give them to him. That is my responsibility.

“Why? Because of Bernardo (Silva), Riyad (Mahrez), Phil. In that moment, I chose the other ones.

“After one season it is nice, and the second season, but the third season it is, ‘Oh guys, I want to play, I don’t want to sit on the bench’.

“It’s normal. We understand as a club. We got an offer from an incredible top club like Chelsea and I’m really happy for him. In all clubs these types of things happen.”

Palmer scored Chelsea’s late equaliser against City from the penalty spot when the sides met at Stamford Bridge in November.

He is Chelsea’s leading scorer this season with 12 goals in all competitions and their top assist-maker with nine.

Guardiola said: “We knew the quality he has and the impact he has shown this season is enormous.

“It is not just goals and assists, it is the quality. He is an incredible threat for Chelsea.”

While Palmer may be excelling elsewhere, City have hardly missed him as they have moved into a strong position to retain all three of the major trophies they won last season.

Their consistency and dominance in games led pundits including Gary Neville, the former Manchester United defender, to debate recently whether City are actually a boring team to watch.

Guardiola is pleased his side have reached a level where this is being discussed.

“Thank you for the compliment,” he said. “What can I say? It’s fine.

“Everything is so difficult in football. You have to do so many things to try to win games and what these players have done for many years, and this season as well, is admirable.

“Hats off to my players. It’s just unbelievable the way that my players are consistent and take seriously our opponents.”

Guardiola does not feel such debates suggest he or his team do not get due credit for their achievements.

He said: “Of course we have credit. We are admired, I am pretty sure of that.

“People in the world of football know how difficult it is, being there for six or seven years in all competitions.

“In the future you will not forget. It looks easy, but it’s not.”

‘Never-say-die’ Preston delight boss Ryan Lowe

In a frenetic encounter, North End rode their luck and were grateful Arnor Sigurdsson’s volley came back off the crossbar before skipper Alan Browne gave Preston the lead with a terrific left-foot finish.

Rovers hit the woodwork again before half-time and equalised just after through Sammie Szmodics’ 10th Championship goal this season.

It felt as though the hosts would go on to win but Duane Holmes struck a post for Preston, who dramatically secured a 2-1 victory when Liam Lindsay’s low header gave them a 90th-minute winner.

Preston are fourth after a second consecutive win at Ewood Park and Lowe felt his side gave ‘everything’.

He said: “When you win derbies, you’re always going to enjoy it.

“I thought the lads were fantastic. They had to deal with large parts of their pressure and how they play. They’re a good footballing team but we withstood all that.

“Disappointed with the goal but again, the lads showed that real character and desire, never-say-die attitude. To score the winner in front of our fans, it probably can’t get much better.

“The players gave us everything. The players coming on the pitch, the players starting, the bench behind. They’re fantastic, and that’s what I say to them all the time.

“We are a strong, resolute team that can overpower some teams. I think you see that with the goal. They give us everything, and as long as they keep giving me everything, and the staff, and the football club, then we’ll win a lot of games.

Blackburn have lost four of their last five at home and though manager Jon Dahl Tomasson felt defeat was harsh, he accepted Rovers did not create ‘clear’ chances.

He said: “We are of course extremely disappointed to lose the game. I don’t think we deserved to lose the game.

“If you look at the overall performance, we were the better team, created chances, more than the opponent. We were probably lacking a bit of clear chances in the final third, we were missing runs in behind. When we did that, we created chances immediately.

“We know Preston are extremely good at passing long, winning second balls, crossing, set-plays and transition. There were two occasions where we didn’t deal with those and it cost two goals.

“This young group gave everything so (I’m) disappointed to concede that late in the game.

“You need to deal better with those situations. I think with the possession we had, we should probably have created a little bit more clear chances in my opinion. But still there were plenty of good opportunities to win this game.”

‘No complacency’ for Darren Ferguson and Peterborough after huge win

Posh, who snuck into the top six on the final day, put the shell-shocked Owls to the sword at the Weston Homes Stadium.

Cameron Dawson’s howler from Jack Taylor’s strike before Joe Ward’s shot took a cruel deflection saw the hosts go 2-0 up before half-time.

Kwame Poku and Jonson Clarke-Harris, with his 29th goal of the season, finished the job and left Wednesday with an absolute mountain to climb in the return fixture next week.

“It’s 4-0, but we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves,” insisted Ferguson, who is bidding for a fifth promotion with the club.

“There will be no complacency from us going to Hillsborough.

“We want to go to Hillsborough and try to win the game, that’s the attitude that we’ve got.

“I felt we couldn’t go there after losing the game tonight, it’s been a great night for us.

“I have to say that Will Norris has made a big save for us (from Michael Smith) at 0-0. That was a really big save. That would have changed the course of the day.

“It was a really, really top performance. Overall it was a very pleasing performance, but it’s only halfway.

“I’ve been in this game long enough to know anything can happen, but it was a really good night for us. I have to say that.

“It’s not about me, the players have got to take all the credit after a performance like that. They have to get the credit. It was a very good performance against a good team.

“The fans were outstanding. I’ve had it before here in the play-offs, it was amazing again.”

The Owls’ bid for a Championship return has already had chapters of heartache.

Last season they lost in the play-offs to eventually promoted Sunderland.

And this term their 96 points was the highest total ever in the Football League without earning promotion after they finished third.

Punch-drunk Owls’ boss Darren Moore reflected: “It’s a bad night for us tonight.

“It’s a huge task, we know that. They’ve got the four-goal advantage, but all we can do is reflect on the game and get ready for next week. It is a big uphill task.

“I can totally understand the disappointment and frustration because there was real hope. There was vigour among the boys and our supporters.

“It’s a disappointing night, but as manager you’ve got to try and keep your composure and get the lads ready for next week.”

On Dawson’s mistake for the first goal, Moore added: “There’s a lot of negativity when mistakes happen in games. Nine times out of 10 Cameron deals with that situation.

“On a night like that when your emotions are a little bit more flared it’s probably a lapse in concentration.

“It’s normally a routine save and the other one’s a deflected shot and then we’re two down.”

‘No heroes in this case’- former T&T footballer Nakhid insists plenty of blame to go around following TTFA suspension

Nakhid was quick to point out that he has no sympathy for Wallace because the deposed official “did several things subsequent to his appointment without consulting the board.”

 “A situation like this calls for compromise, it calls for mediation, it calls for some level of consultation between parties and we never had that,” Nakhid said in an interview with the SportsMax Zone.

“What we had was a lot of hotspot meetings and disjointed efforts by parties here and parties there,” he added.  In the mind of the former Soca Warriors captain, however, Wallace was far from the only one deserving of criticism. 

As such, he also turned his attention to the world governing body FIFA, for whom he had some particularly strong words.  He accused the global football organisation of being ‘hypocrites’ and seeing the Caribbean region as just part of a voting bloc and not much else.

“FIFA has always been an organisation that has the Caribbean and by extension Latin America as just a voting bloc.  Basically, we are still indentured labourers to them," he said.

The former Caribbean Footballer of the Year was also critical of leaders of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), past and present, who he accused of leaving no legacy for the Caribbean and ensuring that the region did not have a genuine voice on the world stage.

 Nakhid launched a longshot bid for the FIFA presidency in 2015 but was disqualified from the race after receiving a double nomination.  At the time, his proposed candidacy never received wide support across the Caribbean, garnering a total of five votes.

On Thursday, FIFA suspended the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) for its failure to withdraw a case that is currently before the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago, within the prescribed timeframe that came after a previous extension.  The ruling will see the twin-island republic immediately deprived of all its rights as a member of FIFA, which comes with other consequences.

‘Not glamorous’ but Graham Coughlan hails fine win for Newport

On what proved to be a disappointing first night for new Shrimps boss Ged Brannan, goals from Will Evans and Seb Palmer-Houlden either side of the break earned the Exiles a comeback win after Michael Mellon had given the home side an early lead.

Coughlan said: “That was a brilliant performance from our lads.

“You saw a different side to us tonight. It wasn’t glitzy or glamorous and it wasn’t tippy-tappy, it was sheer character, grit and determination and that’s what you have to do in this league.

“Against West Ham a few weeks ago we made 550 passes and didn’t win the game. We didn’t have too many passes tonight but we won the match and that is what football is all about.”

Mellon gave Morecambe the lead on 12 minutes with a fine turn and shot from the edge of the area that squeezed into the bottom right corner of Nick Townsend’s goal.

After a sluggish start the visitors hit back on 29 minutes when the home defence failed to clear a corner and Evans hammered home the rebound.

JJ McKiernan hit the crossbar with a close-range header for the home side on 44 minutes and Adam Mayor was within inches of sliding home a Tom Bloxham cross two minutes into the second half but it was the Exiles who went ahead on 57 minutes.

Morecambe keeper Adam Smith and midfielder Eli King failed to deal with a bouncing ball in the Morecambe box and Palmer-Houlden took advantage of the gift to score from close range.

Mellon forced Townsend into a late save with a shot from 12 yards but the visitors held on to make it two wins from two.

Shrimps boss Brannan said: “I’m disappointed with the result obviously but I’m not disappointed with the performance.

“I thought the first 20 minutes or so was the best I’ve seen us play in the three months I’ve been here as a coach and now manager. We passed it superbly and the move for our goal was brilliant and it’s a shame we couldn’t build on that.

“They came back into it when we didn’t defend a corner well enough and they made it hard for us from there and we then gave away another really sloppy goal and couldn’t pull it back.”

‘Not my decision’ whether I get time to transform Chelsea – Mauricio Pochettino

The Argentinian will be the fifth coach to lead the team in a Premier League match since Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium bought the club last May and is tasked with picking up the pieces of a disastrous campaign that saw Chelsea finish 12th last season.

As with Boehly’s first two transfer windows, there has been a significant turnover of players this summer, with 10 first-team players released or sold and a further six brought in.

That flux has been a feature of the American’s time at the helm, with a sweeping clearout of both playing staff and personnel behind the scenes during his first 12 months in control.

The previous manager appointed by the ownership, Graham Potter, was sacked just seven months and 31 games into a five-year contract, with the club insisting up until days before he was removed that his job was safe.

Pochettino pointed to the path taken by three of Chelsea’s Premier League rivals – Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool – all of whom had to wait for success to arrive under their current managers.

Since their appointments, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta have helped their respective clubs recover from states of relative uncertainty, but the Chelsea coach accepted it will ultimately not be up to him whether he is afforded the same window of time.

“I celebrate that these managers can be in place for a long period,” he said. “I was explaining my situation in Paris St Germain and how I knew that we weren’t going to be there the next season (after losing to Real Madrid in 2021), because it was all about winning the Champions League.

“It was difficult, because it was a different pressure. We knew about that. I’m not going to complain. We need to work and then it’s not my decision if Chelsea want to be in a similar situation like Liverpool or Arsenal or Manchester City.

“I need to work, we need to give our best. Then if the owner is happy with us, then everyone is happy. But it’s not my decision.

“But I celebrate when I see coaches like Arteta, Klopp and Pep have a very good run, a nice process at the same club, even when they finish a cycle and they have the opportunity to restart the cycle.

“There’s no doubt they are fantastic coaches, it’s only that sometimes you need to renew the team. If they believe in you, fantastic.”

Pochettino was asked whether he agreed with the impression of Chelsea as a club in chaos that had been created by a tumultuous last year.

The team’s league finish was their worst since 1994, while their goal return was the lowest by a Chelsea side in almost a hundred years.

Eliminated from the FA Cup by Manchester City in the third round, they were soundly beaten over two legs by Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, an exit confounded by Boehly’s ill-judged declaration that the team would beat the then-European champions 3-0.

He was also criticised for entering the dressing room to address the players after defeats, most notably immediately after the loss to Brighton in April when he described the season as “embarrassing”.

“If that (chaos) is the impression people have on social media or the fans or people outside of Chelsea, then we need to change the impression,” said Pochettino. “My impression from the outside was that this is a club with the capacity to win.

“We talk about Chelsea and Manchester United in the last 10, 15 years. Winning the Premier League, the Champions League. That was my (view).

“But of course, (there has been) a difficult situation for the people here, for the fans, for the players, when there is a big change. They need time to settle here. People need time to settle in a big club like this.

“For me now it’s about work. We need to create a different vision and for people to trust the club again, to get the result and to try to play good football for the fans. We are selling entertainment.

“(The owners) didn’t say to me, ‘If you don’t win the Premier League, we will sack you’. What I want to achieve is everything. To fight for the three competitions we are going to play, the Premier League and the cups.

“We need to create this good environment for the players to perform in the best way and then I’m not going to spend energy thinking, ‘If we don’t achieve this…’.

“After many years working in different clubs, I’m more relaxed, more mature, more experienced. We’ve improved a lot. One of things we’ve improved in is to be more relaxed. It’s not to think too much when you cannot affect the decision of the people.”

‘Professional’ Posh please Darren Ferguson as injury-hit Burton are seen off

The Peterborough manager’s only frustration would have been that his team did not rack up a more emphatic scoreline as a host of other chances went begging in another dominant performance at London Road.

First-half goals from Joel Randall and Ephron Mason-Clark put the hosts in cruise control, then a Cole Stockton own goal and Kwame Poku’s close range finish completed the rout after the break.

Dino Maamria’s patched-up Brewers side were on the rack for most of this one-sided encounter, although Stockton nearly capitalised on a mistake from Posh goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic, only to see his first-half stoppage time volley headed off the line by Josh Knight.

It was a rare moment of panic for fifth-placed Peterborough, who have dropped just two points from their last six home matches – a run which includes a 5-0 derby day demolition job on local rivals Cambridge.

Ferguson said: “When you’re a manager and you enjoy watching your team play, that’s always a good sign.

“In the last two home games I’ve seen a different level of maturity. Especially when we’re 3-0 up to Cambridge at half-time, they’ve gone on and been really professional. And today, the same again.

“The quality has always been there for me. It’s just getting it on a consistent basis now.

“These games are never easy. Burton are a decent team. We spoke about how to match them in every area, and we did that.

“These games are better results for me than when we play against your Portsmouths and your Derbys. Those game just take care of themselves. These are the games you’ve got to have the correct mentality in, and make sure you do the basics right.

“We started really strongly and were aggressive. We spoke about that in terms of having the correct mentality in a game that everyone on the outside would expect us to win. That’s not always the case so we had to make sure we were correct from the first minute, and we were.”

Burton manager Maamria was forced to field his second year scholar Will Tamen, aged just 17, as a centre-half against one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.

Maamria admitted: “It was a difficult afternoon, and we expected that. It’s a tough place to come and they score a lot of goals.

“We knew it would be difficult with our best team but, with our back four all out, and our holding midfielder out, they are our five best players. If you take five of Manchester City’s players out they will suffer.

“A club like ours, we’ve got what we’ve got when you come up against a team like these with half of your team out.

“To pick up points against teams like Peterborough you’ve got to disturb their rhythm and manage the tempo of the game. You’ve got to show controlled aggression as they have good players if you allow them to play.

“This afternoon we didn’t show enough passion to compete in terms of duels, and that’s the biggest disappointment.”

‘Proud’ Glasner insists Palace are on the ‘right pathway’ to success

Despite leading on two occasions against the Villans, the Eagles have just one victory in the Premier League this season (D5 L6); their joint-fewest after 12 games of a single campaign in the competition.

While Palace have failed to replicate the form they showed at the start of Glasner’s tenure at Selhurst Park, he is confident that they can build on their latest result when they welcome Newcastle United to south London this weekend.

"I’m very proud of the team's performance. We’re missing some key players in attack, but we still scored two amazing goals,” Glasner said.

"I’m very proud how they played together, worked together, fought together and believed in getting a point here. Overall, it was a good performance for us, and we go home very pleased with the point.

“I think we're on the right pathway, getting a point here at Villa is a good result for us. And now we want to improve our performance to take the win against Newcastle, because this will be necessary.”

The latest round of fixtures concluded at St. James’ Park, though Newcastle faltered at home to West Ham, with Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on target either side of half-time.

The Magpies have now lost two of their last three Premier League home games (W1), as many defeats as in their previous 20 league matches (W13 D5), leaving them 10th in the table and four points behind the top four.

And Newcastle boss Eddie Howe lamented his side’s inability to put away their chances against the Hammers, while also citing the manner in which his side conceded both goals.

"I don't think anything takes me by surprise in the Premier League. We know every team has qualities. We were the dominant team at half-time and the game would have been very different if we had equalised before the end of first half,” Howe said.

"We know we made individual mistakes for both goals. It was disappointing from our perspective. Very uncharacteristic from us because we've defended well in recent weeks.

"At the end we had players out of position, so I didn't like the way we looked at the end. But up until that 60-minute mark, I thought we were the dominant team.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Crystal Palace – Jean-Philippe Mateta

While Mateta has failed to hit the heights of last season for the Eagles so far this term, the Frenchman’s assist against Aston Villa will give him confidence about returning to home soil.

All five of his goals for Crystal Palace in all competitions this season have come in home games. Since Glasner’s first game in charge of the Eagles in February, Mateta has scored 16 goals in just 13 starts at Selhurst Park in all competitions.

Newcastle – Anthony Gordon

After failing to make the desired impact against West Ham last time out, Gordon will be keen to add to his two Premier League goals this season.

The England international has created more chances (24) than any other Newcastle player this season, and has two goals in six appearances against Crystal Palace, one for the Magpies and one during his time at Everton.

MATCH PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE WIN

While Newcastle are favoured by Opta’s data-led simulations, after winning their first four Premier League away games against Crystal Palace, they have won just one of their last nine visits to Selhurst Park in the competition (D5 L3).

After being unbeaten in eight Premier League away games against London sides between October 2022 and October 2023 (W4 D4), Newcastle have also now lost six of their last eight visits to the capital (W2), shipping at least two goals in seven of those games.

Newcastle have lost three of their last five Premier League games (W2), as many as they had in their previous 17 combined (W9 D5).

However, the Magpies have kept 14 clean sheets in their 26 Premier League games against Crystal Palace. Only against Aston Villa (19) and Arsenal (15) have they recorded more in the competition, while it’s their highest percentage of clean sheets against sides they’ve faced 20 or more times (54%).

Crystal Palace won this exact fixture 2-0 in April, last winning consecutive league meetings with Newcastle between 1971 and 1972 (a run of three).

But the Eagles have just one win and eight points from their 12 Premier League games this season, their lowest points haul at this stage since 2018-19 (also eight), and fewest wins since 2017-18 (also one). This will be the first time they’ve played a Premier League match while starting the day in the bottom two of the table since December 2017 (2-1 v Watford).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Crystal Palace – 33.6%

Draw – 26%

Newcastle – 40.4%

‘Proud’ Nuno lauds Forest togetherness after scooping Premier League awards

Forest earned victories over Crystal Palace and rivals Leicester City last month along with claiming a point against Chelsea, starting November with a 3-0 win over West Ham.

Nuno, along with in-form striker Chris Wood, scooped the Manager and Player of the Month awards, with the Tricky Trees sitting in the top four ahead of their meeting with Newcastle on Sunday.

However, the Forest boss insisted that his side’s success went beyond two individuals, saying: "I'm very proud of the way we've been doing things. All of us - starting from the owner to the staff in the training ground.

“Everybody has been working very hard, and it's very nice to be recognised. I think it's an effort from the club.

"Very pleased also for Chris. It reflects the hard work, but it's more important you remain humble. He's much more than the goals. It's what he represents and what he means to us.

“He puts everybody together, his presence in the dressing room, his voice, his experience. We are delighted."

Eddie Howe, meanwhile, also showered praise on one of his Newcastle players after Lewis Hall earned a first senior England call-up for the Three Lions’ upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Hall has been in impressive form for the Magpies this season, with the left-back’s 11 successful crosses and 15 chances created are totals only bettered by Anthony Gordon (15 and 20) in the Premier League for Newcastle.

Howe expressed his delight for the 20-year-old, but believes there is still more to come from the Magpies' youngster this season.

"I am delighted for him. He has a had a really good start to the season. He's very consistent, [has produced] really mature displays,” Howe said.

“There is still a lot to come from him, we are seeing him evolve week in, week out. He is adding layers to his game all the time. It’s a great achievement for someone so young, and we are delighted for him.”

Howe did, however, expect a tough test against Forest, who are four points ahead of them in the table after 10 games this season.

"Yeah, they are [having a great season]. Nuno deserves credit for the job he has done. They have recruited very well in recent transfer windows,” he added.

"They are very tough to play against. What a test that's going to pose for us to score against them. They have a solid defensive base, really good pace in wide areas and threats in the forward positions."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood

Having already scored against one of his employers in Leicester last month, Wood will be confident of striking against the Magpies, a side he scored five times for in 39 outings.

He has netted eight goals from just 21 shots for Forest in the Premier League this season – no player to have had at least 20 attempts has a better conversion rate than the New Zealander (38.1%) in the competition this term.

Newcastle United – Alexander Isak

Isak has scored three goals in his two Premier League games against Forest, only netting more against Tottenham and West Ham (five each).

He’s looking to score in three or more consecutive Premier League appearances for the fourth time since the start of last season, which would be the most different such runs of any player in that time.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Forest have won each of their last three Premier League games, last winning four in a row in the top-flight in April-May 1995, a season that saw them finishing third in the table.

Only Liverpool (six) have conceded fewer goals than Nottingham Forest (seven) in the top-flight so far this term, with only Brighton managing to score more than once against them in a league match. It’s the fewest goals they’ve conceded after 10 games of a top-flight campaign since their title winning season of 1977-78 (also seven).

With Nuno’s side sitting pretty in third, this is the first time Forest are facing Newcastle in a top-flight match while above them in the table since March 1989, when they drew 1-1 at the City Ground (Forest 5th, Newcastle 19th). 

However, Forest have won just one of their 12 Premier League games against Newcastle (D3 L8), picking up a 3-1 win at St James’ Park last season with Wood netting a hat-trick.

Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Arsenal last time out ended a five-game winless run for the Magpies in the Premier League (D2 L3). All four of their league wins this term have been by a single goal – 67% of their victories last term were by a margin of at least two goals (12/18).

But Howe’s men will arrive in the East Midlands with confidence. Against no side have they played more Premier League away games without ever losing than Forest (six – W3 D3). Their last top-flight defeat at the City Ground was in May 1987 (W4 D4 since).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Nottingham Forest – 35.4%

Draw – 27.4%

Newcastle United – 37.2%

‘Really strong performance’ at Exeter delights Northampton boss Jon Brady

Sam Hoskins ran through to open the scoring in the 20th minute before Patrick Brough sealed victory in stoppage time, ending a run of three consecutive League One defeats.

The Cobblers could easily have been bigger winners against an Exeter side that were a far cry from the one that beat Premier League Luton 1-0 in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

“It was a good day all round,” Brady said.

“It was a really strong performance from the group. I felt the movement for the first goal was excellent and the way Sam goes in one-on-one and finishes it, brilliant.

“Sam has run in from 35 yards and put it in the corner and he has beaten a very good keeper and he has finished it well.

“In the second half, we were brave to stay in the shape we were for as long as we did. And we kept catching them on the counter-attack and we had a fair few chances to be fair.

“They didn’t have a chance second half and we nullified them. We were aggressive and did the ugly side well, won our battles and played forward really well and it was a good performance.

“We reduced Exeter to one shot on target and it is really pleasing, everyone in the team was great in terms of how they worked. Exeter have got a massive squad and we haven’t, we need those players.

“Our fans were brilliant, they have travelled and we wanted to give them something back.”

Exeter boss Gary Caldwell had few complaints with the outcome.

He said: “It was a really disappointing performance. We didn’t get going at any point or didn’t deserve anything from the game. All credit to Northampton, they were better than us and deserved to win.

“I think we were sluggish and that’s a result of Tuesday night. I think it’s the realisation of playing Saturday-Tuesday but if we want to be a big team and a big player, then you have to stand up to that test.

“We did everything to recover the players on Wednesday and Thursday and prepared yesterday, as we normally do, but when the game comes, you have to be ready emotionally, physically to give everything to win a game of football and we were nowhere near the level we expect.

“Some players are getting opportunities and not taking them. Coming out and showing what you are all about on a Saturday is the true test of a footballer but, too often, people have come out and not delivered and we have to change that very quickly if we want to have a successful season.”

‘Ruthless’ Middlesbrough hit a new high at home to impress boss Michael Carrick

The Lilywhites, who started the evening sixth, had no answer to Boro’s first half display that earned them a three-goal advantage at the break.

Preston struggled to make an impact in the final third and were cut open too easily by a home side, who won 4-0 and closed the gap to the Sky Bet Championship play-off zone to three points.

Middlesbrough winger Isaiah Jones’ calmly-taken double in the 16th and 37th minutes sandwiched Rav van den Berg’s first senior goal in the 26th minute after he scored from a corner.

Even though the points had already been secured at half-time, Middlesbrough full-back Alex Bangura curled in from just inside the area to make it 4-0 in the fourth minute of added-time at the end of the contest.

And Carrick, whose side head to fourth-placed Leeds on Saturday, said: “We played well in spells, that’s football. Performance-wise we have played better in some games, but goals at both ends tell the story.

“We were ruthless, we created and defended very well in terms of limiting them. It was a new back four who hadn’t played together before, they played well.

“We will definitely take 4-0. I can’t fault the boys, sometimes it will work and sometimes it might go against us.

“I was confident going into the game, there was good balance even if it was quite new in terms of the changes. I thought we were in good shape and that proved to be the case.

“We lost Dael Fry and Hayden Hackney (groin and hamstring injuries) from Saturday, it tends to be the way we are going. We had eight senior players out tonight.

“That’s why the squad is vital and we can’t make excuses. The boys cracked on and we are now preparing for Saturday.”

Preston have now won just two of their last 11 matches having started the season with six wins from the opening seven fixtures.

Boss Ryan Lowe, whose side did not record a shot on target until the final 20 minutes, said: “I’m angry, disappointed, but they are my group of players, win, lose or draw.

“There were harsh words in the dressing room. They have given us some fantastic football, but when we went one down there was fear that set in.

“The first half performance was nowhere near the levels we expect. If we want to keep being a mid-table team those are mid-table performances, but we don’t want to be that team.

“The lads know that the first half was nowhere near the levels we require.

“We came here with full belief we could challenge. Boro are not the formidable side from last season, even though they still have good players and a fantastic coach, but I expect us to be better.

“I will stick with the players. They know it is not good enough. We have let everyone down and what we have to do now is put it right as quickly as we can.

“I will give them the benefit of the doubt tonight, but if we don’t get it right then we will flip it around because we want to keep progressing. The first 45 minutes was not acceptable.”

‘Special’ Salah pivotal for Liverpool in Merseyside derby, says Slot

Salah starred once again for the Reds in midweek, scoring twice and notching the assist for Curtis Jones’ goal in their enthralling 3-3 draw with Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.

The Egyptian suggested his glittering spell with the club could be drawing to a close in the aftermath of last week's win over Manchester City, but Slot is confident that Salah will put that at the back of his mind ahead of this weekend’s encounter.

“It is difficult for me to predict the long-term future. The only thing I can expect or predict is he is in a very good place at the moment,” Slot said. “He plays in a very good team that provides him with good opportunities, and then he is able to do special things.

“What makes him even more special for me is before we scored for 1-1 you thought, 'He is not playing his best game today,' but then to come up with a half-hour with an assist, two goals and having a shot against the bar.

“So, that is also what makes him special, apart from if you just look at the goals. His finishing is so clinical. A special player, but that's what we all know.

“What I noticed from the start, when he came in [in pre-season was] how fit he was, how ready he was to make it a very good season for him. That he led by example from the first day onwards in pre-season. So, it's not a surprising thing for me that he's done so well until now.”

Everton, meanwhile, earned a vital victory at Goodison Park on Wednesday, thrashing fellow strugglers Wolves 4-0 to give them some breathing space from the bottom three.

The Toffees piled more pressure on Gary O’Neil with two goals in either half from Ashley Young, Orel Mangala and Craig Dawson turning into his own net twice, sealing the victory.

Manager Sean Dyche, however, called for level-headedness from his squad after earning a first Premier League win since October, with immediate refocus the priority ahead of Liverpool’s visit.

"It is an important game, they all are," Dyche said. "I don't change my tune just because we've won – they are all important games. I think the feeling of the performance was right. I think [it was a] good reaction from the weekend.

"[Tonight] we haven't made mistakes and I think we've had that real intent and desire to score goals. We mixed our performance and played well. 

"There's still things to work on, but the mentality has to stay strong here. I've been questioned many times in my life, including here, and so have some of the players, but that glue that bonds us together is really important here.

“I think the group showed again tonight with our performance. There is a glue that bonds us together. They've shown it tonight with different players coming in, some players coming out, players coming on."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Everton – Dwight McNeil

Only McNeil (three goals, three assists) has been involved in more Premier League goals for Everton this season than Ashley Young (one goal, three assists).

Along with that, the Toffees midfielder has created 33 chances in the top-flight this term, a total only bettered by Leif Davis (34), Youri Tielemans (35), Cole Palmer (36) and Bukayo Saka (38).

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

Salah’s inspired display against Newcastle in midweek has now seen him score and assist in 37 Premier League matches, the most of any player in history.

He has netted in each of his last seven games but has never scored in eight in a row. Daniel Sturridge is the only Liverpool player to do so, achieving that feat in the 2013-14 season.

The Egyptian has also scored seven Premier League goals against Everton – only Steven Gerrard (nine) has scored more Merseyside derby goals in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

This weekend’s action starts in the early kick-off at Goodison Park, and while former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp moaned about the fixture, since the start of last season, Liverpool are unbeaten in all eight of their Premier League games kicking off at 12.30 on Saturday (W6 D2), including a 2-0 win against Everton.

This, however, is Slot’s first meeting with Everton as Liverpool manager. Only one Reds boss has won their first ever league Merseyside derby when that match has come away from home, with Kenny Dalglish overseeing a 3-2 victory in September 1985.

Liverpool’s 2-0 loss in this exact fixture last season ended a 12-game unbeaten away run in the Premier League against Everton (W3 D9). They’ve not lost consecutive visits to Goodison Park since a run of three between 1992 and 1994.

Everton, meanwhile, have won just four of their 47 Premier League matches against teams starting the day top of the table (D9 L34). Only Tottenham (35) have lost more games against table-topping teams in the competition than the Toffees.

Dyche has lost 12 Premier League matches against Liverpool (W3 D2), only losing more against Manchester City (14) and Arsenal (13). However, should he win this game, he’ll have more wins against the Reds (two) than the previous seven Toffees managers combined.

Everton vs Liverpool is also the fixture to have seen the most red cards (23) and been drawn 0-0 the most (12) in Premier League history. No side has scored more 90th minute winners against an opponent in the competition than Liverpool have against Everton (five).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Everton – 15.5%

Draw – 20.9%

Liverpool – 63.6%

‘Struggling’ Tommy Spurr steeled for charity fundraiser in aid of his son

The ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn full-back has had to endure every parent’s worst nightmare as his four-year-old boy Rio was diagnosed with Wilms Tumour – a form of kidney cancer – last April.

The disease spread to his lungs and contained anaplastic features which made it harder to cure and more likely to return.

But after nine months of a punishing chemotherapy treatment and 10 days of radiotherapy Rio got the great news last month that there was no longer any evidence of the cancer.

However, because of the anaplasia, doctors have said the cancer has a 50 per cent chance of returning and if it does not only does the survival rate plummet to just 10 per cent, there are no further treatment options on the NHS.

Alongside Rio’s treatment, the Spurr family have been fundraising, with the former player quitting his job as a teacher, in case the worst does happen.

But although they are able to enjoy seeing their little boy start to live a normal life again, the worry of what might be to come has been hard for Spurr and his wife Chloe to deal with.

“The first meeting when you hear them say what it was was just horrific,” Spurr, who retired four years ago aged just 31, told the PA news agency.

“It turned our world upside down and I don’t think it’s something that will ever leave me or my wife.

“We were petrified because we knew he was up against it and the thought of losing our little boy was horrendous.

“But fast forward to a couple of weeks ago to be told there was nothing there was a massive relief.

“You want to get on with your life and forget about it but you know the risk of it coming back is still there.

“My wife and I are still struggling to deal with that and live normally, it is hard to put that out of your mind, knowing he is going to get scanned again and praying and hoping they come back with nothing on.

“It has been really hard. I am lucky that I have got my wife. Mentally it has been really hard, the fundraising has been keeping us going because it feels like we are trying to do something positive for Rio but even now I don’t want to sound negative but it is difficult not knowing where we are going to be in a year’s time.”

If that news ever does come, Spurr wants to be in the best position possible as their only likely option is going to be treatment in America and that will not come cheaply.

“This is the difficulty at the moment. We would more than likely have to access a clinical trial or something that is not available in this country,” he added.

“What that is yet we don’t know because we are hoping we don’t get to that point.

“We know another family whose child had an identical diagnosis to Rio had treatment in America and their hospital bill for that trip was £650,000 so it is what it is. We will be as prepared as we can be but every day we are praying we are not going to be in that position.”

The next step of the fundraising sees Spurr staging a charity match this Sunday, where former Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United players will go head-to-head in a Steel City Derby at the Olympic Legacy Park.

Ron Atkinson and Neil Warnock will be in the dugouts, with a number of high-profile ex-players giving their time.

Spurr said: “The lads are giving up their time to come and play, it’s been amazing that people want to be involved.

“The number of people that have bought tickets and wanting to help has been overwhelming. Me and my wife are so thankful.

“I think I’ll be playing the whole thing but I might have to give Big Ron a sign if I am struggling. Some of the lads I used to play with I have not seen for 10 years, it will be nice to catch up.”

‘Test plans for Champions League final at Wembley to destruction’ says FA chair

There is immense pressure on the FA and UEFA for the event to be a success after problems arose at the last two finals.

The 2022 match in Paris almost became a “mass fatality catastrophe” according to an independent report commissioned by UEFA. Liverpool fans found themselves penned against stadium perimeter fences ahead of the match against Real Madrid due to organisational failings, and were then tear-gassed by French police.

While the problems around this year’s final in Istanbul were less severe, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin admitted last week that “not everything was perfect”, with supporters reporting problems getting to and from the Ataturk Stadium and in accessing drinking water and toilets.

Ceferin assured delegates at the European Football Fans Congress in Manchester that the 2024 final would be “a unique experience” for supporters.

That appeared to ratchet up the pressure on Wembley, a venue which itself hosted a chaotic Euro 2020 final two summers ago.

An independent review by Baroness Casey identified more than 20 near-miss incidents that could have resulted in serious injury or death at the match between England and Italy on July 11 2021, as ticketless individuals stormed turnstiles to force entry.

FA chair Hewitt insisted there was “healthy paranoia” among organisers around what could go wrong at every Wembley event, and pledged everyone involved would aim to work out the pitfalls and how to respond to them.

“It isn’t the regular stuff that goes wrong,” Hewitt said.

“It is the stuff that hasn’t happened. In that particular tournament (Euro 2020), it was the first time we had 30,000 empty seats (due to Covid-19 capacity restrictions).

“It’s really easy for me standing here and saying ‘well, that was obvious, that was the thing that was different’. You have to search for the thing that is different. You don’t make the same mistakes, you make different ones. So what is the thing that is different?

“Secondly, it is about making sure every one of the stakeholders completely and utterly understands, and tests to destruction, the plan.

“It is no good the police doing their bit in one room and the stewards doing their bit in another and us doing our bit in that room and UEFA doing theirs in that room. It is getting everyone in the same room and testing each other’s plans to destruction.

“I believe in a process called pre-mortem, not post-mortem. I use it a lot in business, what could go wrong and how do we deal with it? It’s a bit like pretend crisis management in a way but it is much more deep than that.

“There is pressure on every event we host at Wembley. We have got paranoia, healthy paranoia I would say, but we are paranoid. Yes, there is pressure but there is pressure on everything we do.

“You write about (the pressure) because of the fact there have been two finals where things have gone wrong. But every time we host something at Wembley – (a) Tyson Fury (fight), Harry Styles, Coldplay, no matter what, where you have groups of people together, something that can go wrong will go wrong, and it is times so many multiples because it is the national stadium.

“We are paranoid about it and we try to test to destruction. I am sure we will make some mistakes that have yet to be made in other stadiums, but it won’t be because we didn’t try and test. That is important to us. It is very important we learn the lessons from Paris and Istanbul.”

Asked if she was confident there would be no repeat of the storming of the turnstiles at Euro 2020, Hewitt said: “You can never be confident with something like that can you? It would be very over-confident for me to say that. Because anything can happen.

“It is one of the biggest events in Europe and anything can happen. You just have to be confident you have thought through what you would do if something did happen. Rather than say ‘I am confident that will never happen’, the question is ‘what if it did? What would you do?’ That kind of testing is crucial.”

By the time Wembley hosts the Champions League final on June 1 next year, the FA will also know whether or not the stadium will host the Euro 2028 final.

The UK and Ireland is bidding to host that tournament in competition with Turkey, with a decision due to be taken by UEFA’s executive committee on October 10 this year.

Hewitt is expecting tough questions given the chaos of July 2021 and knows it is important to have the answers.

“We are on our feet in October convincing people why we should win,” she said.

“One of the things I am absolutely convinced UEFA’s Exco will ask us is ’how can you assure us nobody will storm the turnstiles?’.

“Being well rehearsed – and not just having the answers but having worked through what is the answer – that is an important part of the bid. We have to convince every one of those Exco members we have not only thought about it but that we have planned for it – that we know what we would do in what order and who is accountable, and that is why they should vote for us.”