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• 'Worried' Michel bemoans Girona's lack of intensity in Mallorca defeat

  Girona head coach Michel insisted he was "worried" about his side's recent form after they slipped to a 2-1 defeat to 10-man Mallorca on Saturday. 

  Donny van de Beek had opened the scoring for Girona in the sixth minute, but they were pegged back by Cyle Larin's strike soon after. 

  Vedat Muriqi was then sent off 12 minutes later after a poor challenge on Bryan Gil, but Girona were unable to make their man advantage count in the second half. 

  Larin netted his fourth LaLiga goal of the season six minutes after the interval, with Mallorca able to hold on to move up to fifth in the table after 18 games of their season.

  Girona, meanwhile, sit 10th in the standings and are now without a win in their last six games in all competitions, leaving Michel frustrated with his side's display. 

  "The lack of intensity is always what worries me the most," Michel said.

  "In attack and defence you have to pin down the opponent and go for it. Passing the ball around without being vertical is not the football I want for my team. 

  "I don't like what I've seen. I'm worried about that mentality of having the ball without generating and the lack of connection, only trying to create individual situations."

  "We weren't able to attack well against 10 players," Michel continued. 

  "We made a mistake, and they made it 2-1, and we resorted more to hurrying than to football to turn it around.

  "We came into the game well but after the sending off we were too rash, we didn't create superiority."

  Girona mustered up an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.68 from their 13 shots, though only one of which was on target, which was Van de Beek's opener.

  Michel's side have scored just three goals in their last six games in all competitions, and the Girona boss acknowledged the situation his side find themselves in.  

  "I understand that my players want to do well, but we did poorly," Michel continued.

  "We didn't look the opponent in the face, we had a few vertical situations. Football is played collectively, and we didn't play well ... The situation is not good."

  Girona face second-bottom Real Valladolid next Friday before returning to league action on January 11 against Alaves, who are also struggling this season. 

  "We'll see if the Christmas break is good for us," Michel added.

  "(For now) I'm thinking that we have an important game coming up and I'm worried.

  "We do have the squad to fight for Europe, but (lately) I haven't found a way for the team to play well and be able to fight for this.

  "We are capable, of course, but right now I haven't found the key and the responsibility is mine.

  "I have to improve and make the players attack and defend together, not individually."

• McKenna delighted to be on right side of late drama as Ipswich sink Wolves

  Kieran McKenna was delighted to see Ipswich Town on the right side of late drama as Jack Taylor's 94th-minute header handed them a vital win over fellow strugglers Wolves.

  McKenna's men had been on the receiving end of late losses already this season, squandering valuable points at home to Leicester City and away to Brentford.

  The Tractor Boys had already lost 15 points from winning positions in the Premier League ahead of Saturday's action, the most in the division this campaign.

  Last weekend's home defeat to Bournemouth, which saw them concede two goals in the final five minutes to lose 2-1 having led for the majority of the match, was perhaps the most crushing loss of all and McKenna admitted it was a great feeling to experience the thrill of a late goal in their favour.

  He told BBC Sport: "It is a really nice and brilliant moment for us, the supporters and everyone at the club.

  "We have had some that have gone against us so it is nice to be on the other side of it."

  The Ipswich boss refused to be drawn on the importance of a win against a team close to them in the table but was pleased to see his side bounce back after a three-game losing streak.

  When asked whether the result could be crucial at the end of the season, McKenna responded: "Who knows?

  "We have missed out on points lately that we feel we should have won.

  "To pick up those points was really good. We will train this week and take each one as it comes. We will enjoy every one."

  Ipswich will try to claim back-to-back victories for the first time this season when they host Newcastle United next weekend.

   

• Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa: Dramatic Elanga strike takes hosts into top four

  Anthony Elanga played the role of super sub as Nottingham Forest scored two late goals to clinch a dramatic 2-1 win over Aston Villa and go fourth in the Premier League table.

  Forest and Villa entered Saturday's late kick-off fifth and sixth in the standings respectively, with both knowing a victory would lift them into the UEFA Champions League places.

  Chances were few and far between until the second half, when Jhon Duran – having replaced Ollie Watkins in the Villa attack – opened the scoring with a fine header, generating all his own power to guide John McGinn's cross into the roof of the net. 

  Chris Wood saw a potential leveller disallowed following a VAR review in the 82nd minute, with substitute Elanga adjudged to be offside when breaking into the box to cross for the New Zealander.

  However, Forest continued to push and equalised via a powerful Nikola Milenkovic header in the 87th minute, Emiliano Martinez getting two hands to the ball but failing to prevent it creeping over the line.

  Elanga then completed the turnaround four minutes into stoppage time, side-footing home after Elliot Anderson dispossessed Matty Cash to cross from the left-hand side.

  That goal ensured Forest climbed above Manchester City with 28 points, three ahead of Villa, ahead of visiting Brentford next Saturday.

  Data Debrief: Late show for Forest

  Forest emerged as the winning side despite trailing after 86 minutes and 14 seconds – the latest they have ever been behind in a Premier League game before going on to win.

  Meanwhile, it was the latest point at which Villa had led and gone on to lose in the Premier League since November 2019 versus Liverpool (1-0 up until 86:35, lost 2-1).

  With 28 points, Forest have managed their best start to a top-flight campaign through 16 games since 1994-95 (also 28), when they went on to finish third.