Wayne Rooney is determined to turn things around at struggling Birmingham after a 3-0 defeat against Leeds left his side facing a Championship relegation battle.
Birmingham sit in 20th place in the table but the former Manchester United and England striker is refusing to throw in the towel despite his own team’s fans calling for his sacking after the final whistle at Elland Road.
Asked where the result and the chants left him, Rooney said: “I’m a fighter and I get football fans’ opinions.
“I have to draw on my career, my playing career wasn’t always about success.
“I was in a relegation battle with Everton, I believe in myself.
“We’ve got a very young squad and it’s difficult for the players as well. The second half wasn’t good enough, but we have to keep fighting.”
Rooney will continue to back his players but would like to add to his squad during the January transfer window.
Rooney added: “I think what is clear is we need some players coming in to help the quality of the team and some fresh faces around the building.
“We are working extremely hard to get players in.”
Rooney was disappointed his defenders gave Patrick Bamford too much space for the opening goal.
He said: “It was not the result we wanted. We knew it was going to be a tough game here.
“Until they scored the first goal, I thought we played well. The first goal makes a big difference to the game.
“You can’t leave Bamford free in the six-yard box because he will punish you. After they scored the second, I felt if we got the next goal we could get back in the game.”
Bamford marked his first Leeds start of the season with the opening goal in a victory which ended a run of two successive defeats for Daniel Farke’s side.
Bamford met a Dan James cross from the right with a perfectly timed header before James doubled the home side’s lead in first-half stoppage time and Crysencio Summerville picked his spot for the third midway through the second half.
Birmingham’s best chance came early in the second half, but Juninho Bacuna chipped wide after being set clear from halfway by Siriki Dembele.
Farke said: “When you head into the fourth game in 10 days on the back of back-to-back defeats, the confidence level you could feel was low in the first 20 minutes.
“We needed to dig in and get the opening goal. Then we controlled the game and didn’t allow them to have chances.
“It was a really good performance. A big win today to return to the dressing room with a clean sheet.”
Bamford’s scoring return was also a high point for his boss, who said: “I’m delighted for Patrick. He has had a really difficult time.
“He had a pretty good pre-season then a long-term injury, he was eight weeks out.
“There was a period where he lost his confidence, but I had a good feeling about today from his performances in training.”
Man Utd thrashing a 'big statement' but Palace are not surprised, says Eze
Eberechi Eze says Crystal Palace's 4-0 thrashing of Manchester United is a "big statement" but insists there should be little surprise that it happened.
Micheal Olise scored twice as Palace ran riot against the sorry Red Devils at Selhurst Park on Monday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell also got in on the act as Palace sealed their first league double over United.
Palace have now won four of their last five Premier League games, with Oliver Glasner having turned the tide in the past few weeks.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Eze said: "It says a lot, it's a big statement, but we're not surprised.
"We know what we're capable of, we know what we can do. The quality we've got in the dressing room is high – we don't see it as a surprise. We know what we came here to do today, it worked.
"You can see we’re creating chances, we're not worried about what's going on behind us. We're attacking, pressing, we're aggressive – we're going to continue to create chances for sure."
Also speaking to Sky Sports, Glasner said: "Congratulations to the team. I think in the first half, we didn't play as well as we could, but we were very efficient and scored very nice goals.
"At half-time, we made some adaptations, and the second half was much better. We created a lot of chances, scored some nice goals, and it's a great win.
"We know we have quality when we get our players in situations to score a goal.
"Good players, a good team spirit, but we must always stay humble. It's not so long ago we were struggling [in a relegation battle]. We are doing well, but we have a lot to improve."
This was Palace's biggest Premier League win since beating Leeds United 5-1 in April 2023, while it also marked their biggest on home soil in the competition since a 5-0 victory over Leicester City in April 2018.
Al Ahli 1-2 Al Hilal: Malcom saves league leaders' winning streak
Malcom’s stunning solo goal finished Al Hilal’s second-half comeback to earn a 2-1 win over Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Monday.
The forward started his run from inside his own half before slotting in the winner, after teeing up Aleksandr Mitrovic for the equaliser just after the interval.
Feras Al Brikan had given Al Ahli the lead in the 30th minute, but the hosts could not hold onto it against the league leaders.
Al Hilal continue their unbeaten league campaign to a 30th match, moving 12 points clear at the top of the table, while Al Ahli remain in third, now 22 points off the AFC Champions League spot.
Data Debrief
Malcom was one of Al Hilal's most influential players; as well as playing a hand in both goals, he had the joint-most shots (five), and the joint-most shots on target (two), and created two chances for his team.
Al Ahli also struggled to cope with Mitrovic's threat, as the Serbian created an xG of 0.61 from his five shots, having 11 touches in the opposition box.
Ronaldo delivers another hat-trick as Al Nassr ease past Al Wedha
Cristiano Ronaldo crafted a decisive hat-trick as Al Nassr hammered Al Wedha 6-0 in Saturday's Saudi Pro League meeting.
Portugal veteran Ronaldo found the net twice in the first 12 minutes at Al Awal Park before completing his treble after the interval.
Sadio Mane teed up Ronaldo's third finish, as well as an 18th-minute strike from Otavio, who returned the favour for the Senegal international to score on the stroke of half-time.
Mohammed Al Fatil added a late sixth as Al Nassr recorded their seventh straight league win since their March 7 loss against Al Raed, moving them back within nine points of leaders Al Hilal.
Jorge Jesus's Al Hilal swept Al Tauwoon aside in a 3-0 away triumph on Friday for their fourth straight victory across all competitions.
Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium before Saud Abdulhamid and Saleh Alsherhi wrapped up a win that kept Al Hilal in charge of the title race.
There was no such fortune for fifth-placed Al Ittihad as they fell to a third straight defeat in all competitions after a 3-1 loss away against Abha.
Jota levelled after Grzegorz Krychowiak's 57th-minute penalty, only for Hassan Al-Ali and Fabian Noguera to power hosts Abha to a comfortable win.
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