Unai Emery refused to blame his team selection as Aston Villa missed out on the EFL Cup quarter-finals after their 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
Villa were dumped out of the competition in the fourth round, as Palace stunned the home crowd with Eberechi Eze's headed opener.
Both Eze and Adam Wharton were forced off injured in the first half, during which Jhon Duran levelled proceedings, though Daichi Kamada slammed into the bottom-left corner from outside the box to snatch the win.
Leon Bailey, John McGinn and Diego Carlos were the only regular starters Emery fielded in a rotated lineup, though the Villa manager defended his decision after the full-time whistle.
"We started with 11 players who are in the first team," Emery told Sky Sports. "We started with Tyrone Mings and Diego Carlos, and they can play normally in the starting 11.
"We started with [Ian] Maatsen, [Boubacar] Kamara, McGinn, Duran and [Emiliano] Buendia. I don't know if I can have any regrets.
"Today, we competed and we lost, but we competed with the idea of players getting performances. Of course, we are frustrated, but if I repeated it again, I would play with the same players."
Oliver Glasner's Palace have struggled in the Premier League, leaving this result as somewhat of a surprise against Champions League opposition.
Victory came at a cost, however, as Eze limped off with a hamstring issue and Wharton suffered a groin problem.
"[We] started the game well," Glasner told Sky Sports. "The problem [with Eze] was his hamstring, and we don't know how serious it is.
"We concede and then have Adam's [Wharton] groin issue. [On Tuesday] he said he was fine, but his pain got worse. It's too early, but I am positive as it's nothing new. He has had groin problems for many months.
"We thought he needed a break, but yesterday, he gave the thumbs up."
Dortmund's Sahin running out of time and players ahead of crunch Leipzig clash
Nuri Sahin is seemingly running short on time and players ahead of Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig.
Dortmund have not won any of their away matches in the league this season and have lost their last five games on the road in all competitions following Tuesday's loss to Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal.
They have been solid at home in the league, winning all four games, so any slip-up at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday would certainly pile more pressure on Sahin.
"This is not about my personal situation," Sahin said following his team's DFB-Pokal exit.
"It is about developing the club and getting back onto the winning track as quickly as possible.
"So it is not about me. It is about the club and I, as a coach, have the responsibility. Believe me, for me it is extremely bitter and disappointing to be in this situation we are currently in.
"We cannot do anything else other than keep working."
That has proved challenging this week, however, with Wednesday's open training scrapped and turned into individual fitness sessions due to a lack of available players.
Dortmund are without wingers Karim Adeyemi and Julien Duranville, attacking midfielder Gio Reyna as well as defenders Niklas Sule, Julian Ryerson and Yan Couto among others.
Midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is also nursing an injury but is likely to play while fellow defender Waldemar Anton, recovering from his own injury, could be an option by Saturday.
The mood could not be any different at Leipzig who are undefeated in the league and winners of their last four league games to join leaders Bayern Munich on 20 points.
They also had little trouble disposing of St Pauli 4-2 in the Cup on Tuesday.
Dortmund have won each of their last eight home games in all competitions, their longest run since between November 2022 and May 2023 (11).
BVB are the only team yet to drop a point at home in the Bundesliga this season and have collected 12 of their 13 points in Dortmund – the discrepancy between home and away points is not as big for any other team in the league.
Koyana Horne resigns from SVG Football Federation Executive Council citing governance concerns
In a bold move highlighting longstanding issues within the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Football Federation, Koyana Horne has tendered her resignation from the Executive Council, citing concerns over governance and transparency.
Horne, who was elected in March for a four-year term on the executive council, led by president Otashie Spring, said she wanted to serve based on the promise of good governance, transparency, accountability, and football development.
As such, Horne expressed disappointment with the federation's approach to governance, noting a lack of both transparency and inclusivity in decision-making processes. She added that her decision to resign with immediate effect reflects her commitment to personal integrity and to what she believes is in the best interest of SVG football.
“Please note that I did not take up the mantle to serve without careful thought, nor am I giving up at this point without the same careful considerations. However, I will like to maintain my sanity, integrity, and reputation at the end of the day. So allow me to express my disappointment in not being able to honour the period for which I was elected, and why,” Horne said in her letter, a copy of which was obtained by SportsMax.Tv.
“Too many questionable actions and decisions have not been sitting well with me. Though an elected member of the council, I feel ostracized from a lot of decision-making, and information sharing seems selective. As such, I don't think I am making or is allowed to make a real impact,” she added.
Horne pointed out that she witnessed persistent issues that, in her view, have hindered the growth and development of football in the islands. The first of those issues, she said, surfaced when Spring sought outside counsel from Mr Venold Coombs, who was even invited to attend executive meetings.
She explained that though the president’s decision was met with rejection, he maintained that Coombs would serve as his personal advisor.
“Now, while I have no personal problems with Mr Coombs, in my humble opinion, a relationship of the sort seems reckless until clarity is given by/from the relevant authority about his permitted level of involvement in the administration of football," said Horne, who was the Chairperson of Match Commissioner, venue coordinator, and
field accreditation committee.
She continued: “Then there was segregation within the Council, the setting up of an executive within the executive, labelling it as an Emergency Committee, as opposed to simply having emergency meetings. Some council decisions were made without an invitation for all council members to part-take. My objections to this were futile and are made to seem conscientious with the addition of a fifth council member; even that in itself is another issue.
“The misrepresentation of the discussions held and agreements made at meetings is written as Council Minutes. Statements without context and paddings of unheard discussions comprise these legal documents, not to mention proclamations passed as decisions made.”
That said, Horne pointed to a lack of transparency and inefficient communication from the federation's hierarchy, leaving council members oblivious to the organization’s true financial standing, among other things.
“One may expect council members to know the financial status of the organization, but secrecy seems to be the order of the real powers that be. To date, only one monthly financial report has been shared with the entire executive council, yet extraordinary meetings are called to make decisions with great financial implications,” she argued.
“Communication is the icing on top of the cake. Internally, there seems to be a rationing of information on a 'need to know' basis. In attempts to question things so I could have clarity and understanding, too many of the things asked were left without answers or given partial responses. Information is received after the fact or from alternative sources (thank you to the many grapevines out there). The lack of trust is felt, but it goes both ways,” Horne said, adding that she will continue to lend her support and knowledge when and where possible.
Slot given something to think about ahead of Brighton rematch on Saturday
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said that the players he gave gametime to in their 3-2 victory over Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek gave him something to think about ahead of their league meeting with the same opposition this weekend.
“I really liked what I saw from players who haven’t played much so far this season. That makes it even harder for me to make line ups in the upcoming weeks,” he told The Mirror.
Cody Gakpo scored a brace in midweek and is now pushing for what would be only his third league start of the season.
“In the second half of last season Cody scored a lot of goals so he’s been a good player for Liverpool for a long time now. He continues doing that and that’s a good thing.
“For me, he is a regular starter. Not starting every game, but he’s started on a regular basis. There is tough competition with Luis Diaz.
"It’s normal at a club like Liverpool to have two quality players for every position. If you look at Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah, who was unlucky with the goals we conceded, their overall performances I liked and they are in competition with Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate].
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Joao Pedro is back in first-team training and could play a part, while Matt O'Riley is also on the road to recovery after an injury nine minutes into his debut.
"We have to see – he [Joao Pedro] is coming back after a long injury – if he will be an option, but he is back in training," he told a pre-match press conference.
"Matt O’Riley is back in training. We have to see when he will be ready for potential playing in the squad."
Hurzeler also expressed excitement about his first experience of managing at Anfield, although stopped short of fawning over the thought of it.
"It is not on my bucket list to manage there but it will be a great experience, for sure. I am really looking forward to the atmosphere there," he said.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Liverpool - Mohamed Salah
Salah has been Liverpool's most effective player in the final third this season with 11 goal contributions (six goals, five assists). He is their top scorer and tied fifth among the league's top goalscorers.
He has scored nine Premier League goals against Brighton in total, including three in his last two meetings.
Brighton - Danny Welbeck
Like Salah, Welbeck has also scored six league goals so far this season and is his team's top scorer.
The 33-year-old has scored three goals in his last three league appearances and four in his last five. Notably, he also scored against Liverpool at Anfield in their previous league meeting last March.
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Liverpool will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to six league games (W4 D1) as they meet Brighton on Saturday, having drawn 2-2 away to Arsenal last weekend.
They are currently second in the Premier League on 22 points after nine matches, one point behind leaders Manchester City.
They have won seven of their nine Premier League games under Arne Slot so far (D1 L1). Victory here would see him pick up the most victories by a Liverpool manager in their first 10 top-flight games in charge of the club.
Liverpool have an impressive home record so far this season (W3 L1), while they also have the best-performing defence in the league with just five goals conceded.
Brighton were beaten 3-2 by Liverpool in midweek, albeit with both sides having much-rotated XIs in the EFL Cup fourth round, and will have their work cut out on Saturday.
They travel to Anfield with two away victories out of four in the league (D1 L1), although the games they failed to win came against Arsenal and Chelsea.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Liverpool - 64.1%
Draw - 18.6%
Brighton - 17.2%
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