Football

Madrid are unbeaten with five victories across seven games in all competitions this season (two draws), and they got off to a winning start in their Champions League defence on Tuesday, beating Stuttgart 3-1.

In LaLiga, they have won their last two games 2-0 against Real Betis and Real Sociedad, but have still come under fire for their performances.

Ancelotti, however, defended his team's style ahead of their clash at home to mid-table Espanyol.

"Real Madrid fans prefer winning over playing well," he said.

"Ideally you want both, winning while playing an attractive style of football, but our main objective is pleasing our fans who are very demanding, so we will keep our focus on winning as we know that our squad is still far away from ideal form.

"We are not at our best and that is normal in the beginning of a demanding calendar. We will improve as the season starts to get into the important things to play for.

"For the moment we are in, we are doing well." 

The Italian added he was not worried about the poor form of forwards Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, who are still a work in progress despite playing better each week.

Mbappe has scored five goals already this campaign, while Vinicius also netted in their last league game, and Ancelotti is confident they will be back to their best soon.

"[The criticism] doesn't bother me because I see that the fans are delighted," Ancelotti said.

"You can play better, but the fans are used to our 'rock and roll' football. Not a lot of touches. We try to make the Madrid fans happy. And our game is about intensity, pace... Without wasting too much time in reaching the opponent's goal.

"These are our characteristics. We have players with a lot of strength and speed, especially on the ball, and we have to take advantage of that.

"For me, I believe that beautiful football depends on the characteristics of the players I have. Attacking well, defending well... playing well on the counter. There are many facets and everyone has their own opinion..."

Barcelona top the LaLiga standings with 15 points, four ahead of Atletico Madrid, Madrid and Villarreal.

This, as three days post-launch, the league has encountered notable setbacks, including the cancellation of its opening ceremony, the withdrawal of two participating teams, and widespread confusion regarding the match fixtures and venues.

Anderson in a release through his Real Solid Action (RSA) team on Saturday, argued that the initial presentation of the JWPL lacks a coherent vision for the growth of women's football, as details on the league's strategic plans, as well as the announced sponsor, Sherwin Williams, were both absent from the launch. Furthermore, he said there was no information on the support to be extended to the participating clubs or efforts to promote the games and foster interest in women's football.

The inconsistency in messages regarding the inclusion of a knockout competition, Anderson believes further contributed to the perception that the launch was merely a superficial attempt to garner positive public relations.

"This approach mirrors the ongoing issues faced by the Senior Reggae Girlz, underscoring a pattern of inadequate management and planning by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). In light of these challenges, the RSA urges the General Secretary to promptly address these critical issues. Immediate action is necessary to rectify these flaws, which threaten to demoralize players and undermine the clubs' stability," Anderson's statement read.

"I firmly believe in the potential and significance of women's football in Jamaica and pledge to ensure the establishment of a well-structured, Tier 1 women's league, complete with substantial sponsor support, under his leadership. This commitment is a cornerstone of the manifesto (launched December 2023), reflecting our dedication to elevating the standard and visibility of women's football in Jamaica," it added.

Anderson, who is challenging incumbent Michael Ricketts, pledged that the JFF under his leadership would commit to revolutionizing women's football in Jamaica through a multifaceted approach. He also promised to prioritize and invest the necessary resources and effort into the development of the local women's football league, ensuring it reflects the high standards set by the national team's accomplishments on the global stage.

"Our manifesto emphasizes the importance of grassroots development, aiming to significantly increase girls' exposure to football from an early age, thereby laying a solid foundation for the future. Recognizing the critical role of competitive play in development, the initiative includes the establishment of a properly organised Professional Football of Jamaica Women’s League and support for annual competitions across various age groups and technical levels. This framework is designed to enhance skill development, experience, and national representation opportunities.

"The achievement of a women's squad qualifying for the World Cup twice would presumably serve as a significant incentive for investing in the local women's league. However, this expectation appears to have been unmet," the statement ended.

Last week, Anderson’s team expressed profound outrage and dismay at the recent uncovering of actions taken by the Michael Ricketts-led administration to disenfranchise constitutionally recognized voter organizations. 

Anderson's team said it has in its possession irrefutable evidence showing the JFF's repeated attempts to prevent legitimate voter organizations from exercising their right to vote in the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for January 14.

These tactics, the RSA team believes are a blatant disregard for democratic principles and are aimed at silencing voices that are crucial to the fair and transparent functioning of the electoral process.

They presented said evidence to members of the media and, thus, to the public during a press briefing at the Liguanea Club in Kingston on Monday. 

To better understand the questions at hand, we must first gain a better understanding of exactly how the voting structure for the JFF elections is made up. 

“There are 56 votes spread across what we refer to as three pillars,” according to RSA team member and current JFF director Denzil Wilks. 

“Pillar one comprises all the football parish associations and each parish has two votes so that’s 26 votes there.” 

“Pillar two comprises the top four clubs in the Men’s Premier League, the top four clubs in the Women’s Premier League, the top four clubs in what is referred to as the men’s tier two and equally in the women’s tier two. We are aware that in the current circumstances, because there has not been any tier two in the women’s area, there is a special arrangement as far as voting is concerned where the top four in tier one will vote on behalf of what should be tier two.” 

“Pillar three comprises the Referees Association, Jamaica Football Coaches Association, ISSA, Inter-col, Beach Soccer Jamaica, Past Players Association and the PFJL.” 

With that said, RSA’s major concerns have to do with the disenfranchising of two of these members-the Jamaica Football Coaches Association headed by Vin Blaine and Beach Soccer Jamaica headed by Pat Garel. 

The RSA argues that the current JFF administration masterminded the formation of two shell companies, namely the Jamaica Coaches Association led by Rudolph Speid, and the Beach Football Association of Jamaica Limited which listed current JFF vice president Bruce Gaynor, team manager for the Senior Reggae Boyz O-mar Stennett and current JFF director Patrick Malcolm as directors. 

These companies were formed to supplement votes for the current administration at the January 14 elections. Both companies were granted admission to the JFF.

The evidence provided against the Jamaica Coaches Association was a letter from the Companies Office of Jamaica stating “the name Jamaica Coaches Association Limited does not appear on our list of registered companies.” 

“When we looked at the coaches and we sat and planned, the only group we had in mind was the Vin Blaine-led group that was formed in 2009. There was no other group,” Anderson, who also the current vice president of the JFF, said. 

The board was essentially tricked into thinking that the Speid-led Jamaica Coaches Association Limited was a registered company as Anderson explained further. 

“When we as a board made that decision, the General Secretary Dennis Chung told us that all the boxes by the Speid-led association were checked and that the association led by Blaine had some outstanding boxes. If you look at it, the boxes that were not ticked for the Blaine-led group did not apply to coaches. It was an inside job. They went ahead and tried to register the company and it could not be registered so they just ticked that box and brought it to the board. Based on that, the board referred it to congress with all those boxes ticked. So, the decision congress made on the coaches’ association is not true. It is a lie!” 

A similar situation took place regarding Beach Soccer Jamaica and Beach Football Jamaica Limited.

Beach Soccer Jamaica, run by Pat Garel, is the internationally recognized body controlling the sport in the country by the global governing body, Beach Soccer Worldwide, whereas Beach Football Association of Jamaica Limited is not internationally recognized.

The latter was, however, chosen by the JFF to cast a vote at the upcoming election instead of the actual body overseeing the sport in Jamaica.

“On September 15^th, we (Beach Soccer Jamaica) were invited to what would be a congress on the 24^th of September to ratify the affiliates based on the mandates of the new constitution. Prior to that time, when we were having any kind of Beach Soccer event, all that was necessary was to send a letter to the JFF and ask them for a sanction letter,” Garel said.

“The congress took place and we were told that we need to be compliant in being a registered company which we did on September 18, then we sent in our membership application on the 19^th of September as instructed by the JFF so we thought that we would have gotten an acknowledgment letter which would have been the proper process,” she added.

Garel said that they followed up regarding their application on September 22 with JFF General Secretary Dennis Chung and even thought that they couldn’t go to the congress on the 24^th without it being ratified.

“The congress took place and they said don’t worry about it. We need more supporting documents-a short profile of your directors- and we duly obliged and sent those. We kept calling and we kept writing then he (Chung) sent to say that they are giving some of the pillar three people, who are not as compliant as we have been, time to get their documents in,” she said.

According to Garel, they wrote again on October 30^th and the message from the General Secretary was the same as before.

“On November 7, we heard through the media that there was consideration for another Beach entity and so we enquired and we were told that on October 18, a Beach Football Association of Jamaica Limited was registered,” she said.

“We got back in touch with Mr. Chung and he said they’re not understanding what’s going on. He told us to just send any other additional information we have regarding our qualification and I said ‘what else would that be?’ He said anything from the international body so we got a letter from the international body inviting both the JFF and Beach Soccer Jamaica to the World Cup in Dubai next February so we sent that letter only to understand, through the media again, that they decided on Beach Football Association of Jamaica Limited,” Garel added.

In fact, one of the listed directors of Beach Football Jamaica Limited, O-mar Stennett, denied any involvement with the company, stating that the furthest his involvement with the sport goes is being added to a WhatsApp group titled Beach Football Jamaica.

The other listed directors of the company- Bruce Gaynor and Patrick Malcolm- wouldn’t even be able to vote at the elections due to the JFF’s constitution. There was even evidence of Stennett's signature being forged on an official document signed by Gaynor.

To conclude, the RSA is appealing to the JFF’s electoral committee, including JOA President Christopher Samuda, Leighton McKnight, Acting Principal of Jamaica College Wayne Robinson and Steve Distant, will overturn the JFF’s decision and grant voting privileges to the legitimate, constitutionally recognized pillar three members, Jamaica Football Coaches Association and Beach Soccer Jamaica.

The 32-year-old goalkeeper has made 212 regular season starts for the Eastern Conference Champions and passes former teammate Ray Gaddis for the club's record. 

The Jamaican has amassed quite the resume in Philadelphia, making 648 saves in nearly 19,000 minutes of league regular season action. 

In 2022, the Jamaican international saved 79.4% of the shots he faced, which is the most among MLS goalkeepers who have appeared in at least three games.

With Blake in the net, the Union achieved the fewest goals ever conceded (26) by any MLS team during a 34-game season. 

The Jamaican is one of two Union players to play every single minute of the 2022 MLS regular season, where he led the league with 15 shutouts, another club record. 

“I’ve loved watching his leadership in the locker room; when he speaks, everyone listens. He is a big part of the culture change at this club and us getting to our winning ways,” said Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtain.

“I cannot say enough about Andre. To watch him grow and improve little aspects of his game every year. If you watch him now with his feet, he adds a layer to his game and he is never satisfied,” he added. 

For Blake, this is yet another momentous achievement, thanks to hard work. 

“This is a very proud moment for me to pause and look at all the work I’ve done to be in the Philadelphia Union history books again. I’m humbled by this achievement and the hard work continues. I just have to keep going, keep doing my best, and to keep motivating the youth,” he said. 

Blake has amassed four MLS All-Star Appearances (another team record), three MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Awards (the first player in MLS history to do so). In 2014, the then 23-year-old became the first goalkeeper in MLS history to be taken No. 1 in the MLS SuperDraft.

The 33-year-old Goalkeeper, who celebrates ten years in the nets for the Reggae Boyz, joins the JustBet roster as one of the faces of its new advertising campaign unveiled at the Jamaica Premier League semi-final on Sunday.

As part of the sponsorship, SVL will use Blake in their JustBet ad campaign and support his charity initiatives for 2024.

In welcoming Blake to the SVL family, Kamal Powell, Head of Marketing at SVL, noted that Blake is an excellent role model given his exploits as arguably the best goalkeeper in Jamaica's history, "Andre has represented Jamaica consistently and his talent is undeniable. We are impressed by his winning attitude, his passion for the sport and the high level of leadership and integrity that he displays, which are all the core values of Supreme Ventures and JustBet. 

"We are delighted to have him on board as we promote the exciting competitions we deliver to our customers, and we have a shared vision for sports development in Jamaica."

For Andre Blake, this will help to further his efforts to give back to the sport.

"Supreme Ventures has supported sports in Jamaica, including football, for many years, and so I'm excited to work with their team, not just in the new ad campaign but also by supporting the Andre Blake Foundation", commented Blake.

Other faces of the 2024 ad campaign include Race Car driver Fraser McConnell and Olympian Stacy-Ann Williams.

“The commitment and focus from all the goalkeepers was good, and the hope is that they will return to their clubs and schools realising what they need to work on to get to the next level," Blake said.

“Playing at the highest level teaches you a lot, and this is what I’m sharing. We may find gems slipping through the cracks here, so if we can find them and help them, that’s good for our country and their personal and professional development," he added.

The clinic exercises included handling, diving, cutbacks, repositioning, functional play and more.

“Over the two days, we did a lot of footwork because goalkeeping is changing, and if you can’t use your feet, you’re at a disadvantage, so if we can get them into that from now, we can set them up for success," Blake reasoned.

Clarendon College’s starting goalkeeper Roshae Burrell praised the clinic highly: “It was a great experience; I learned a lot from Andre Blake. He’s a good trainer, and Coach Phil is a vibe; he is a good coach!”

For Hydel High’s Tajarie Lee, it was a wonderful experience, “The clinic has been great; I learnt a lot and all that they teach us, I intend to put it on the training ground and the pitch going forward."

National Under-20 Coach Andrew Sewell was both a teacher and a student. “The experience was pretty wonderful, I must say. It was top-notch and professional. The clinic was well-needed, and I learned a lot as well. I must commend Mr. Andre Blake for this initiative.”

The Andre Blake Goalkeeper Clinic was made possible by the kind support of the JFF, ISSA, The Sagicor Foundation, Spectrum Systems, PrintWare Tech, Tru Shake, Powerade, Wata, Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Leep Marketing and Uhlsport.

The Terriers’ winless run stretched to six games, with Breitenreiter without a victory since his opening game in charge.

Bojan Radulovic broke the deadlock on the cusp of half-time with his first goal following a January switch from HJK Helsinki.

But Huddersfield’s lead proved to be short-lived as a beautiful Ki-Jana Hoever strike levelled the scores shortly after the restart.

The visitors rallied in search of a late winner but could not hand their survival bid a boost.

“We are happy with the performance of the team today,” said Breitenreiter.

“We had a lot of injuries and it was a young team, but we controlled the first half and we knew that there’d be opportunities to create chances.

“Second half, we conceded another goal of the month (contender), it’s unbelievable, but again we must defend better and tighter.

“At the end of the game, if it’s fair or not fair, we should take the lead again and we had some big chances. But we didn’t score and this has been a problem for many weeks.

“It was sometimes too easy to concede the goals and we don’t capitalise from our opportunities.

“We have players with potential and in my opinion, they showed that today – but to win the close games we need the goal.

“We have to do the best with the situation and every player has to give his best for 30, 45 or 90 minutes.

“The boys want to play this style and I’m sure that this is the style to lead us to success.

“For every team at the bottom, it’s important to win because of confidence – the performance was good so we have to believe and do it every matchday.”

Huddersfield had an earlier Matty Pearson goal disallowed but Stoke spurned a host of chances to complete their comeback, with Luke McNally’s header cleared off the line.

The Potters remain precariously above the relegation zone, five points above the dotted line with six games remaining.

“We could have won it, especially in the second half, but four points over the Easter weekend is okay,” said boss Steven Schumacher after his side beat Hull on Friday.

“That was a bit of a battle; we started the game well but lost our way, they got on top and deserved to take the lead.

“We played with a bit more tempo and urgency in the second half, so it’s pleasing to come from behind and get something from the game.

“It’s important that everyone contributes goals so hopefully Hoever keeps that habit up and it was a brilliant finish.

“After that, we grew in confidence and got into some good areas but just didn’t manage to make one of them count.

“It was a good reaction from the lads in the second half; we were excellent and could have won it and then defended our box well.

“It’s a real positive that we’ve done that in the second half because it’s not easy here and the disappointment affects everybody too much.

“Nobody likes to concede a goal but they are going to happen at home; we can’t overreact to it and have to stay positive and keep believing.

“We take the point and move on. It was important not to lose and let Huddersfield get any closer to us.”

Dozzell’s powerful strike from outside the area two minutes before half-time put Gareth Ainsworth’s side in command at the Riverside.

And the 24-year-old midfielder, who moved to Loftus Road two years ago from Ipswich, was among the celebrations 19 minutes from time when Jack Colback hammered in the QPR’s second.

It was a much-needed second victory of the season for QPR but one that has left Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough without a win in five league games.

Neither side posed a threat to either of the goalkeepers in the opening exchanges, despite QPR finding the space down the flanks.

Ilias Chair, who remained at QPR despite reported transfer window interest from Leicester, was involved down the left a couple of times in the opening few minutes.

The Morocco international was able to get to the byline and pick out a team-mate in the area on both occasions without troubling former Rs keeper Seny Dieng’s net.

When QPR did push forward through Chair, Kenneth Paal or Paul Smyth down the opposite flank, Middlesbrough were alert to prevent shots hitting the target.

And it was a similar story in the opposite direction, where Isaiah Jones, Sammy Silvera and Morgan Rogers looked the most likely to create something early on for the hosts.

But the only real chance of note in the first 40 minutes was when Jones controlled a Silvera pass before his shot was stopped by the foot of Asmir Begovic.

That arrived in the 25th minute and Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath was also denied by Begovic 10 minutes later when he tried to beat him from a tight angle.

Smyth highlighted what danger he could pose when he worked his way into the area from the right and his low delivery across the six-yard box was crying out for Sinclair Armstrong to stretch to meet the ball, but it evaded him.

Another Smyth run caused panic in the home defence seconds before Dozzell found himself in loads of space 25 yards from goal. The midfielder’s thunderous drive crashed in off the left-hand post to put QPR ahead.

And in the sixth minute of stoppage time Begovic dived to his right to turn away a downward Darragh Lenihan header from Jonny Howson’s free-kick to keep the visitors in front.

After the restart frustrations started to grow for Middlesbrough.

Lath, who had already been denied by Begovic again, wasted a fantastic situation when Boro had a three-against-one on a counter-attack. QPR were gifted the ball, broke and Dieng prevented Sinclair from scoring at the other end.

Middlesbrough handed second-half appearances to new signings Sam Greenwood and Lewis O’Brien following loan moves from Leeds and Nottingham Forest respectively.

And Begovic was on hand once more to prevent Lath scoring after the striker linked up with Silvera in the penalty area on the hour.

Soon after a phantom whistle brought a short interruption in play, QPR had the important second goal.

Smyth again got to the line and beyond full-back Lukas Engel. His low cross led to Chair’s shot being blocked before former Newcastle and Sunderland midfielder Colback powered his drive into the net, and there was no way back for Boro after that.

The 52-year-old’s decision was confirmed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited on Tuesday, two days after he took charge of his last fixture, Arsenal’s 5-0 Premier League victory over Wolves, his 391st in the top flight.

Marriner said: “I’ll miss the moments out on the pitch but I’ve got so many great memories to look back on – I’ve loved almost every minute of it.

“It’s been a long and hugely-enjoyable road since qualifying through the Birmingham County FA in my early 20s and I’m proud of what I’ve fortunately been able to go and achieve in the game.

“To officiate internationally, on domestic finals and in the best league in the world, I feel very honoured.

“I’ve had brilliant support along the way and I’d like to thank my family, my colleagues, PGMOL and The FA in particular – refereeing has been my life for years but it’s a tough job at times and they’ve been there for me which I will always appreciate.”

Marriner became a Football League official – initially an assistant referee – in 2000 and started to take charge of games in his own right three years later.

He was in the middle for Wigan’s 2013 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City and Manchester United’s Carabao Cup final success over Southampton four seasons later, and was on FIFA’s list for nine years.

It was the latest Champions League drama for the much-scrutinised goalkeeper and here, the PA news agency looks at his United record.

The 3-3 draw in Istanbul followed a 3-2 defeat in the first meeting with Gala and 4-3 losses to Bayern Munich and FC Copenhagen as United, top scorers in Champions League Group A, prop up the standings.

That contributes to Onana’s record of 33 goals conceded in 20 games since Erik ten Hag signed him from Inter Milan this summer to replace long-serving keeper David De Gea.

He has conceded only 16 in 13 Premier League appearances – a slight improvement on De Gea’s record under Ten Hag at the same stage of last season, when he had conceded 18 – but remarkably has topped that in only seven appearances in other competitions, which also include a 3-0 Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle.

By this date last season, United had conceded 25 goals in 21 games in all competitions – De Gea accounting for 23 in 20, albeit with his European appearances coming in the Europa League. Martin Dubravka was in goal for the 4-2 League Cup win over Aston Villa.

Onana has seven clean sheets with United, including a stoppage-time penalty save in the 1-0 home win over Copenhagen, but has conceded three or more on eight occasions – De Gea did so only six times the whole of last season, though they included losing 6-3 to Manchester City and 7-0 to Liverpool.

United have this season lost league games 3-1 to Arsenal and Brighton and 3-0 to City, in addition to the Newcastle tie and the four Champions League games.

Eight games represent 40 per cent of Onana’s United appearances to date, while De Gea conceded three or more in less than 10 per cent of games over his 12 years at Old Trafford.

That ‘one extreme or the other’ approach this season leaves only five exceptions in which United have conceded either once or twice. They have four clean sheets and have conceded three or four in their other four games since beating Sheffield United 2-1 on October 21.

De Gea won last season’s Premier League Golden Glove with 17 clean sheets and conceded 43 goals in 38 games, an average of 1.13 per game.

Onana’s current rate of 1.23 would equate to 46.77 goals over the full league season – only twice have United conceded 47 or more, 54 in 2018-19 and 57 in 2021-22.

De Gea was ever-present in the league for both of those seasons, comfortably United’s worst in the Premier League era. In 2018-19 they conceded 72 in 51 games in all competitions, an average of 1.41 per game.

Last season, Ten Hag’s first in charge, United conceded 63 goals in 62 games overall – 1.02 per game. De Gea was ever-present apart from four Carabao Cup games shared between Dubravka and Tom Heaton.

In mitigation for Onana, United have allowed more shots on target this season while dealing with injuries in defence. The Cameroon international has made 51 saves in 13 league games, already halfway to De Gea’s tally of 101 in 38 last term and averaging 3.9 per game, up from 2.7.

Radrizzani’s six-year stint at Leeds saw the club promoted back to the top-flight before being relegated to the Sky Bet Championship at the end of last season.

He has now sold his majority share in the Yorkshire club to 49ers Enterprises, who will be tasked with providing the infrastructure to take Leeds back to the Premier League once again.

“It was a very sweet time in my life but unfortunately it didn’t end in the way I wished,” Radrizzani told Sky Sports News. “But I take with me a lot of nice memories and good friendship… it was a unique experience.

“The criticism over the club’s relegation is justified because I failed, so I’m happy to take this blame.”

Owners of the San Francisco 49ers, 49ers Enterprises already held a 44% stake in Leeds but has now completed a takeover.

Radrizzani believes the new owners are more than capable of delivering another successful stint for the club.

“I want them (supporters) to know that the club is in good hands,” he added. “I’m sure if they don’t bounce back immediately under the 49ers, I’m sure they will come back to the Premier League.”

Radrizzani refused to rule out one day buying another English club as he revealed the errors he feels he made in the timings of sacking former managers Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch.

“He (Bielsa) actually said, ‘you should change me or you should change all the players because we can’t do better than that unless we make changes’,” Radrizzani continued. “I wasn’t brave enough to make such a decision after finishing ninth in the league.

“Jesse did a great job in that time but over a longer period I was expecting to see the coach come out and to show a similar playing style to Marcelo – personally, I wanted to make a change before the World Cup, then I was persuaded to hold on.

“I think it was a huge mistake as we had the slot of six weeks to make changes. Other teams successfully used this period but we ended up making the change in February, with very few options.”

Leeds would ultimately be relegated after Sam Allardyce replaced Javi Gracia for the final four games.

The Hammers were beaten 2-0 by Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the return match.

They then blew the chance to climb up to sixth place in the Premier League, and right back into the European shake-up, after two Andreas Pereira goals secured a first win in four for Fulham.

It was the first time the Cottagers had won away to West Ham since 2001 and having dominated the reverse fixture 5-0 in December, they completed a league double over their London rivals for the first time since 1966.

Leverkusen will not be quaking in their boots on the evidence of this timid display.

Yet West Ham should have gone ahead in the opening moments when Lucas Paqueta’s ball over the top saw right-back Vladimir Coufal burst into the area.

His initial effort was repelled by Bernd Leno and when the ball rebounded to the feet of Michail Antonio, the striker blazed over from eight yards.

Mohammed Kudus then curled wide narrowly wide before the lively Paqueta, who is suspended against Leverkusen on Thursday night, hit the side-netting.

But despite their bright start, West Ham conceded to Fulham’s first attack after nine minutes, a goal which would have had manager David Moyes tearing his hair out.

Konstantinos Mavropanos tried to bring down a deep cross from Alex Iwobi but succeeded only in gifting the ball to Pereira, who had been given a free run by Nayef Aguerd.

The Brazilian had the simple task of knocking the ball past Hammers keeper Lukasz Fabianski and finishing into an empty net.

Pereira almost had a second moments later when he slid in to meet Willian’s inviting cross, but he guided it wide.

Coufal has yet to score for West Ham since joining three and a half years ago, and he illustrated why when he crashed a good opportunity wide from Paqueta’s cross.

After the break Fabianski made a big save to tip Iwobi’s shot wide, but he was powerless to prevent Pereira doubling the lead after 72 minutes.

Paqueta was robbed in midfield by Joao Palhinha and Pereira laid the ball off to Rodrigo Muniz. He played in Iwobi, who burst forward before crossing for Pereira to apply another simple finish.

A damaging defeat for the Hammers had a sad postscript when teenage substitute George Earthy had to be carried off on a stretcher after suffering a serious head injury in a collision with team-mate Edson Alvarez, just two minutes into his Premier League debut.

Wife Claudia welcomed baby Dario on Friday night before Andreas Weimann snatched a late winner to cap a perfect weekend.

The Bristol City loanee netted his first Baggies goal, having joined last month, as Albion consolidated their play-off place.

They remain fifth in the Sky Bet Championship while Birmingham – who hit the post through Kevin Long – sit 18th, five points above the drop zone.

After the crowd trouble which marred last week’s FA Cup Black Country derby defeat to Wolves, Albion needed a quieter afternoon.

And if Corberan’s new arrival needed a nap he could have just watched the first half at The Hawthorns.

There was little zip to the derby, although it is one which is never seen as a grudge match, with Birmingham’s neon pink shirts the only bright spot.

Albion did at least engineer the first serious chance mid-way through the half, although Jed Wallace shot straight at Neil Etheridge.

There was commitment, even if the quality was missing, as the Baggies enjoyed most of the possession without being able to hurt their visitors.

Ivan Sunjic’s 30-yard effort almost slipped through Alex Palmer’s fingers to add a glimmer of excitement for Birmingham but it was brief.

Blues debutant Alex Pritchard was replaced by Jordan James at half-time but it was the Baggies who upped the derby tempo.

Alex Mowatt, though, wasted their best chance after 53 minutes when he headed wide from six yards before Brandon Thomas-Asante volleyed a corner over.

Birmingham had barely threatened but almost snatched the lead with 20 minutes left.

Andre Dozzell’s corner was flicked on by Long, with the ball arching across goal, hitting the inside of the post and bouncing into Palmer’s arms.

It was a huge let off for the Baggies and they cashed in with five minutes left when Weimann grabbed the winner.

Darnell Furlong was given too much time on the right and his cross was turned into the top corner by substitute Weimann.

The 33-year-old joined the Lions in 2021 and manager David Martindale sees the former Inverness, Birmingham and Luton midfielder as one of the senior figures in a dressing room that is about to lose captain Nicky Devlin – among others – under freedom of contract this summer.

Shinnie, who penned a one-year extension to the end of next term, is aware he might not be the first name on the team-sheet every week, but he is happy to help guide his younger colleagues.

“We’ll probably lose a couple of important players but Davie and the staff will hopefully recruit some gems like they normally find, and we’ve also got the nucleus of a strong squad that will still be here,” said Shinnie.

“As a senior pro, I want to really help the group kick on next year, on and off the park.

“I’ve spoken about it with Davie and I know I might not play as regularly as I’d have wanted when I was younger but I’ll still be doing my all to be on the pitch every week and if not, I’ll be there to try to push the boys on and support them in every way.”

Asked if leadership came naturally to him, Shinnie – whose brother Graeme is the captain of Aberdeen – said: “Probably, yes, but I’ve definitely developed it since I came to Livingston.

“There are quite a lot of young players here so I’ve taken that onus on. Davie’s helped me with it as well, he’s put a lot of responsibility on me, so I definitely think I’ve developed it.

“I think boys feel comfortable pulling me for little chats if they need advice or whatever, and I’ve quite enjoyed that side of it since I came here.

“You need to take that ownership as a more older, senior player to be there for the group and try and be a calming influence at rough times because football can be difficult. You need to be level-headed.”

Shinnie is currently trying to guide his team-mates through their toughest spell of the season. The Lions head to Kilmarnock on Saturday on the back of a run of eight defeats in 11 games in all competitions.

“We were really disappointed to miss out on the top six after having such a good two-thirds of the season,” said Shinnie. “We’ve tailed off a bit at the wrong time which has killed us.

“We’re still a couple of points ahead in seventh and we want to finish best of the rest (top of the bottom six).

“Killie are another team fighting for their lives and they have a great home record so it’s going to be hard. It’s another challenge for us.”

Shevchenko, the  only candidate standing for election, was unanimously voted in at the XXVI UAF congress in Kyiv on Thursday, with all 93 of his fellow delegates backing him.

The 47-year-old replaces Andriy Pavelko, a member of the UEFA executive committee who had been in the role since 2015.

Shevchenko, whose term will last for five years,  said on his X account “Today, I start my new role as the President of the Ukrainian Association of Football.

“A big and responsible task lies ahead – to develop Ukrainian football in the most difficult time in the history of Ukraine.”

He added on the Ukraine FA website: “Ukrainian football should be popular and accessible, national teams should be the pride of every Ukrainian, and clubs should be strong and effective. We plan to implement the best global practices for the rapid development of Ukrainian football and use football to overcome the trauma of war. There is a lot of work ahead.”

The former AC Milan, Chelsea and Dynamo Kyiv striker is Ukraine’s all-time leading goalscorer, netting 48 times in 111 games before hanging up his boots in 2012 and moving into politics.

The 2004 Ballon d’Or winner was also the head coach of Ukraine from 2016 to 2021 and helped guide them to the Euro 2020 quarter-finals, where they were beaten by England.

A brace from Andy Cook and a Tyler Smith strike saw Graham Alexander’s side turn the game on its head after Joe Ironside had given the hosts an early lead.

Ironside blocked an attempted clearance from Bradford goalkeeper Harry Lewis and curled in from close to the byline to give Doncaster the advantage after seven minutes.

Bradford responded well to falling behind and went close through Matthew Platt and Cook before finding the equaliser after 27 minutes.

Cook shrugged off his marker and planted a header home from a Jamie Walker corner.

And the Bantams went ahead after 43 minutes when Cook slid the ball into the box for strike partner Smith, who curled a fine effort into the far corner from 15 yards.

Chances were few and far between in the second half, but Cook wrapped up the win in the 85th minute when he swept home an Alex Gilliead centre from 12 yards.

Funso Ojo’s 87th-minute goal, tapping in from close range after Josh Thomas was initially denied by Ashley Maynard-Brewer, clinched a 3-2 victory over Charlton.

James Wilson and Ethan Chislett struck within the space of two minutes early in the second period to wipe out Alfie May’s opener.

Vale, smashed 7-0 by Barnsley on the opening day of the season, won on the road in the league for the first time since January 1.

Manager Crosby said: “This is a different group. It is in its infancy. There are only four players in the 18 who played here four months ago – that’s 14 new players. They deserve all the rewards.

“Credit to the players, it was a really good response to a poor opening 30 minutes when we lacked a little bit of energy and kept turning the ball over to Charlton.

“I said to the players at half-time: ‘We’re lucky it’s 1-0’.

“It was an excellent second half. It’s a great three points for us.

“It’s a good start, that’s all it is. When you’ve been defeated like we were in the first game, I said to the boys that the only way is up.”

On the winning goal, he added: “Josh has that power and pace when the game gets a little more stretched. He makes it difficult for the defender (Nathan Asiimwe), who makes the error. Josh showed great composure and Funso runs from I don’t know how far away – that’s what we train for, for those moments.”

It was a fourth straight defeat in all competitions for the Addicks, who drop to 18th in the standings.

Teenage striker Daniel Kanu netted for the second successive match to make it 2-2 in the 71st minute, but unconvincing defending once again was punished.

Charlton manager Dean Holden said: “We got a little bit careless with the ball. We invited the pressure on.

“After you get the first goal I want to see us take the game away from the opposition.

“The two goals we’ve conceded are really poor errors. You’ll never find me talking about individuals.

“We got back into it with a wonderful header from Daniel Kanu. We’ve created enough to win the game.

“We’re disappointed with two defeats at home in four days – no-one wants to see that. There’s no magic formula, we’ll keep working.

“We should have more points on the board. We’re very light, in terms of numbers. We’ve got what we’ve got at the moment.

“There are no excuses. The free week this week is good. The fans will have no complaints about the commitment – there are just glaring mistakes which we’re being punished for.

“The majority of the first period was played in their half. When you’ve only got a slender lead you are always at the mercy of a mistake or two.”

Garrity came off the bench to score in the 84th minute – his third goal of the season – and move Vale up to second in League One.

It came shortly after Sam Hoskins spurned a sitter to put the Cobblers in the driving seat after a backs-to-the-wall performance.

Vale are now unbeaten in nine games in all competitions since an opening 7-0 hammering at Barnsley.

“Our performance was exceptional,” said Crosby.

“It is difficult to break a team down when they put everyone behind the ball.

“They changed formation four times to try and stop us. But we kept probing and trying to move them around.

“The guys from the side of the pitch came on to impact the game. That’s what they are asked to do. There is a lot of frustration from some that they are not in the team.

“We have people on the side who can change a game and want to play. I get that. It is my decision.

“I won’t always get it right but they come on and do the job. We have a competitive group who deliver every single day.

“Our performances are a reflection of that. We just kept trying to find a way.

“It was a focus for recruitment in the summer to make ourselves more robust, more reliable, fitter and to run at high speed more often.

“When we train, we train at full pelt and that’s what you see out there on a Saturday.”

Northampton are still trying to find their feet in the third tier after last season’s promotion.

Boss Jon Brady said: “We know how tough this level is. Sometimes you are going to come away and not dominate the ball.

“They suffocated us on our shape and it was hard to stop their momentum. But we need to be better all round.

“It was a hell of a strike by Garrity. But we should be tighter and not give him an opportunity to shoot.

“You have got to be better defensively at this level. And we probably had the best chance of the game before that.

“Usually Sam puts that away for us. If it goes by him it goes through to Mitch (Pinnock) and he taps it in.”

Crosby took over for the last four games of the League One season after Darrell Clarke was sacked following a winless seven-game run.

The 50-year-old joined Vale in 2021 as Clarke’s assistant and also had a stint as acting manager from February to May 2022 as the club gained promotion from League Two.

Director of football David Flitcroft said: “We are delighted to announce Andy Crosby as our first-team manager.

“He has shown and proved in his time as assistant manager, acting manager, and in support of the manager that he has the qualities required to lead the football plan as we move forward in our next chapter of progression on and off the pitch.

“He is highly regarded and respected by the staff and players and we feel he is ready for this opportunity.”

Vale won one and lost three of Crosby’s games in charge as they finished four points above the relegation zone.