Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola praised Phil Foden for his "aggressive" display in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, which marked his first start in a month.
Foden had been consigned to the bench in City's past four league games, coming on as a substitute in three of them, but got the nod from the start against Forest.
The 22-year-old English midfielder impressed Guardiola, having not started since City's Manchester derby loss to United on January 14.
"He played really good," Guardiola said. "First half he was so aggressive against [Renan] Lodi and he arrived many times to the byline.
"Still he didn't have the poise or composure that he had because it’s normal, because he didn’t play much.
"Everything today was so aggressive and he played really good."
The Spaniard assured that Foden, along with other players who have been rotated lately, will get their chances.
"He has to compete with everyone else," Guardiola said. "He trained really well with the other players. The competition is for them.
"What I have to say is don't be frustrated, perform as best as possible. And after that it will be easy."
Saturday's draw came despite City generating 23 shots compared to Forest's four, with six on target.
Guardiola felt his side did not get what they "deserved" but lamented their failure to capitalise on the chances they generated, referencing their midweek 3-1 win over Arsenal, who re-claimed top spot with their 4-2 win over Aston Villa.
"When I see expected goals after the game and the way we played and the chances we concede or create, always we are there, we are on top," he said.
"Arsenal played really good but they shot one shot or two chances in general. We try to play to create more chances, not concede goals and be as stable as a team. In general we have been there most of the games.
"I don't think we got what we deserved but football is not about getting what you deserve. At the end, you have to score the goals."
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they will finish in the top two.
Shaw – the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals – put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
Longstaff keen to repay Howe's faith for Newcastle
Sean Longstaff says Eddie Howe's trust is allowing him to play his best football as Newcastle United go in search of a third straight Premier League win against West Ham on Monday.
After a difficult period, Newcastle bounced back by beating Arsenal (1-0) and Nottingham Forest (3-1) to enter the international break eighth in the table, one point adrift of third-placed Chelsea.
Longstaff returned to Newcastle's starting lineup for those matches after temporarily losing his place in their midfield, with Joelinton being pushed into the frontline.
"The midfield group is really strong," Longstaff told BBC Radio Newcastle. "When you look around it's all internationals. It's just about trying to bring my strengths to the team.
"I know the manager trusts me which is the biggest thing. No matter what anyone ever says, the fact he trusts me gives me the most confidence."
Longstaff then continued: "The season we qualified for the Champions League, I tried to enjoy it as much as possible.
"Then, last year there was games every three days and with lads being injured, I think the burden of trying to win every game can mean the enjoyment leaves a little bit. I'm just trying to enjoy the games as much as I can and hopefully being a bit freer will help."
Opponents West Ham, meanwhile, are just five points clear of the relegation zone after signing off for the international break with a goalless draw against Everton, a result that followed on from a crushing 3-0 defeat at Forest.
The Hammers' underwhelming start to the campaign has seen Julen Lopetegui's position questioned mere months after he took the reins, and he is demanding a complete performance next time out.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the Everton game, Lopetegui said: "We had more chances than them. In the second half, we had more clear chances to win the game.
"The first half was a gift for them. We lost 45 minutes. In the second half we did better, we were aggressive and had chances to win.
"The matches aren't about 45 minutes. They are 90 minutes and stoppage time. That's why I'm not happy, for sure. I think we can, and have to, do better."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Newcastle United – Harvey Barnes
Only against Aston Villa (nine) has Barnes been directly involved in more Premier League goals than he has against West Ham (eight – six goals, two assists).
He has either scored or assisted in each of his last four against the Hammers (four goals, one assist), finding the net in each of the last three.
West Ham – Michail Antonio
Only Wolves frontman Jorgen Strand Larsen (16) has made more hold-ups while retaining possession in the Premier League this season than West Ham striker Antonio (15).
Antonio is retaining possession with 71% of his hold-ups in the competition this term (15/21), the highest ratio of any player to attempt 10 or more. Lopetegui's side are likely to spend plenty of time under pressure on Monday, but he could provide them with an outlet.
MATCH PREDICTION – NEWCASTLE UNITED WIN
Newcastle have won their last two Premier League games and are looking to win three in a row for the first time since September 2023 – this is the sixth occasion since then that they have won twice in a row in the league.
They have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League games against West Ham (five wins, four draws) and are unbeaten in all five against the Hammers under Howe (two wins, three draws). They triumphed 4-3 when the sides last met at St James' Park in March.
West Ham, meanwhile, have kept just two clean sheets in their last 28 Premier League away games, conceding 66 goals (2.4 per game).
Indeed, in 2024, they have conceded more away goals in the top-flight (35) than any side.
Lopetegui's men have also failed to score in their last two league games, as many as in their previous 14 beforehand. Only five teams have a worse difference between their expected goals (xG) and expected goals against (xGA) figures than West Ham (-2.97) this term.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Newcastle United – 58.9%
West Ham – 19.7%
Draw – 21.4%
Maresca confirms James will miss Leicester clash with hamstring injury
Enzo Maresca confirmed that Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea's Premier League fixture against Leicester City on Saturday.
James made 11 appearances in all competitions last season before undergoing hamstring surgery, which was designed to help him overcome his series of injuries.
He returned to action in Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool last month, completing his first 90 minutes in 569 days a week later against Newcastle United.
Though his latest injury setback is his eighth hamstring problem in four years, while also picking up thigh, ankle and muscle issues along the way.
Maresca played down concerns about a long-term lay-off but confirmed James will miss Saturday's match at the King Power Stadium.
"We have just one injured player and that's Reece, who unfortunately felt something small in training two days ago, and we don't want to take a risk for the weekend," he said.
"It's a hamstring, muscular problem. We will see, we don't know for how long, for sure [we want him fit for longer]. At the moment it is not happening, but we hope it will happen soon.
"He is out this weekend, but hopefully he can be back soon. It's probably difficult that he can be available for the Conference League [next Thursday], but hopefully soon."
Since his debut season in 2019-20, James' most appearances came in the 2020-21 campaign, featuring 47 times in Chelsea's Champions League winning season.
His best run of matches during that time is six in May 2021, but he managed just 482 minutes under Mauricio Pochettino in all competitions last season.
James has, however, managed more minutes (6138) in the Premier League since the 2020-21 season than any other player in the current Chelsea squad, though Enzo Fernandez (4375) is second, despite only joining the club in January 2023.
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