AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli insists his side’s match against Sassuolo is not do-or-die, but demanded a return to winning ways in Serie A.

The Rossoneri have picked up just one victory from their last three league appearances to slip 11 points behind rivals Inter Milan at the summit of the table.

But speaking ahead of Milan’s home clash against Sassuolo on Saturday, Pioli said: “We need a win and I expect a convincing performance.

“Tomorrow’s game isn’t about me, nor is it do or die, and there’s still a long way to go in the season.

“We’ve studied Sassuolo. They are a side that builds from the back and creates chances. But they also concede a lot, too, so we’ll have to take advantage of their frailties, especially in defence.”

Sassuolo sit in 15th, just three points above the relegation zone, and head to the San Siro with only one point from a possible 12.

But Pioli will be aware that they have claimed high-profile victims in Juventus and Inter so far this season.

He continued: “The players have no fear and they want to overcome difficulties. We must always give our all.

“We have made some mistakes so far that we’ve paid for. We can’t find that consistency, even within the same game. But we are united and continuously looking to get better. We’re creating a lot, but we need to be more clinical and concede less.”

Pioli will hope to have Luka Jovic available. The former Real Madrid and Fiorentina forward, who has scored three times in his previous three league matches, sustained an ankle injury in his side’s 2-2 draw against Salernitana last Friday.

However, he trained with his team-mates this week and could feature.

Olivier Giroud, leading scorer for AC Milan in 2023, is set to lead the line, but the Frenchman has netted just three league goals at the San Siro this season.

Philippe Clement admits the lack of Rangers supporters for his first Old Firm derby is “a pity for football”.

The Belgian, unbeaten in 16 games since arriving at Ibrox in October, is set for his first clash against the Light Blues’ arch rivals, but due to an ongoing dispute between the two Glasgow giants concerning away tickets when they meet each other, there will be no Gers supporters at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Clement is “curious” as to how his first game against the Hoops will pan out, even with no away fans in attendance although he admits that situation is disappointing.

“In our hearts they will be there,” said the Gers boss, who revealed defender Connor Goldson has trained, with the possibility of some others from his lengthy injury list also being available.

“It is a pity for football. It is always better to have two sides, it creates a certain atmosphere.

“It is a pity for football, but it is decisions made above my head, with knowing much more things than I know.

“I try to control the controllable, the things I can do, the things we need to do as a team, with my staff and players and the rest is not important. We are not focused on that, we are focused on the football.

“In the end it is always decided on the pitch between those four white lines and 11 against 11 – I hope.

“People can yell and shout whatever they like, but as long as they are not running on the pitch, it is OK with me.”

Goldson came off late against Motherwell at Fir Park on Christmas Eve with a groin injury while Rangers were already without Nico Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, Ben Davies, John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, Jose Cifuentes and Danilo with various injuries.

Asked about key centre-back Goldson, Clement, whose side are five points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with two games in hand, said: “He trained so we will assess this afternoon and tomorrow. But he did train today.

“There was also a couple of others. I will make my decisions tomorrow. I can’t answer today because some trained and I don’t know if there will be a reaction.”

Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss Saturday’s derby against Rangers but Liel Abada and Reo Hatate are likely to be on the bench following lengthy periods out.

Carter-Vickers went off during the Boxing Day win over Dundee with a tight hamstring and manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed the centre-back would not be available for the next two games.

Rodgers said: “It’s not longer term but you probably won’t see him until after the winter break.

“It is (a blow) of course but I always think it’s an opportunity for someone else. We had it in the last game (against Rangers) when Gustaf (Lagerbielke) and Liam Scales came into the team and for Liam it was the making of him.

“It’s always a sadness when you lose a top player but he will be back after this break and can hopefully stay clear of injury for the second half of the season.”

Rodgers has backed Stephen Welsh to fill the void after making a positive contribution in recent weeks following a lengthy spell out with an ankle injury.

“Stephen played against Feyenoord and played very, very well,” Rodgers said. “I really liked seeing him.

“I brought him with me as a young player when I was here first time round. He was only a kid then and he has really matured. He maybe hasn’t played as much as he would have liked but only because of the form of Cam and Carl Starfelt when he was here.

“That was the challenge for him but he has always been there as a loyal support to play and I know that I can trust him when I put him in.

“So if he is the guy that gets the chance to play then I have every faith that he can perform.”

Abada last featured in Celtic’s 1-0 Ibrox win on September 3 before suffering a thigh injury while training with Israel, and Hatate has been out for two months with a hamstring problem.

Rodgers said: “They have trained, Liel a little bit longer. We don’t want to rush them but if they come through then they will be involved in the squad.

“They are excited to be back. I am just mindful of the stage they are at but they have shown up well in training, they want to be involved, and hopefully they have come through with no ill-effects.

“They are both very good performers. Liel is a goalscorer who plays wide. His record goals to games is very good. He just wants to get back on the field again, it’s been a challenging few months for him with injury and everything else. But he looks really good in training and if I need him then I will be happy to do that. And Reo is a big talent so it will be great to have him back.”

There will be no visiting fans at Celtic Park but Rodgers is excited about the atmosphere ahead of his first home derby against Rangers since September 2018, when Olivier Ntcham got the only goal for the hosts.

“These are amazing games, it’s such an iconic game to be involved in,” he said. “We got a great result at Ibrox and now we are in front of our own supporters so we are really excited by it.

“It’s a fantastic game to be involved in, the atmosphere will be electric and that’s what I really can’t wait for. But it’s up to us to provide the intensity and urgency.

“There’s a real pressure about the game but I have always enjoyed seeing the team perform in that pressure.”

Rangers are unbeaten in 16 games under Philippe Clement and are five points behind the cinch Premiership leaders with two games in hand.

“Philippe has done very well since coming in,” Rodgers said. “He has come in with experience and common sense in terms of setting up the team. All the players together know their job and you can see they have benefited from that. They have good players.

“I am looking forward to the game because it should be a football game. The last few weeks we have played against back fives and teams sitting low in the field. This should hopefully be a really good football game.”

Jack Grealish could be available for Manchester City’s clash with Sheffield United on Saturday after nobody was harmed during a burglary at his house.

Raiders targeted the England midfielder’s Cheshire home while he was playing for treble winners City at Everton on Wednesday night.

Members of his family and his fiancee, Sasha Atwood, were at the property at the time when they heard a disturbance and raised the alarm.

It has been reported the thieves made off with £1million worth of jewellery and watches and police are now investigating.

A spokeswoman for Cheshire Constabulary said: “At around 9.50pm on Wednesday 27 December police were called to reports of a burglary. The caller reported that a number of items had been stolen.”

City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed his relief that nobody was hurt.

Speaking at a press conference, Guardiola said: “Fortunately nothing wrong happened where the family was inside.

“It is what it is today in the modern day, with many things happening. It was a bad moment for him and his family but, fortunately, what was not damaged were the people inside.”

City will again be without striker Erling Haaland and playmaker Kevin De Bruyne as they take on the struggling Blades, with defender John Stones the latest addition to the injury list.

Haaland has still not returned to full training after six games out with a foot injury and the game is too soon for De Bruyne as he nears a comeback.

Stones hobbled off at Goodison Park in midweek with an ankle injury and faces a short spell on the sidelines.

“Nothing has changed,” said Guardiola when asked about player availability. “We have the same injuries plus John Stones.”

The Blades are bottom of the table having found the going tough back in the top flight since their promotion last season, but they have produced some encouraging performances since Chris Wilder returned as manager.

Guardiola, whose side’s 3-1 win at Everton was their first in seven Premier League games, anticipates a difficult afternoon.

He said: “Always in the past, we’ve had problems against Sheffield.

“They made an incredible performance against Aston Villa. They were close to winning the game.

“It will be so so tough – a bit like Crystal Palace. In the last games at home we couldn’t get results, in terms of victories, so we will try to be focused on what we have to do.”

The game will be City’s last of 2023, a year in which they won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Asked to sum up the past 12 months, Guardiola said with some understatement: “Not bad at all. Not bad. Could be better – always – but don’t be greedy too much. It was really good.”

Mauricio Pochettino challenged his Chelsea players to match Luton’s fight and to expect “real football” at Kenilworth Road when the teams meet on Saturday.

The visitors have lost four in a row away from home in the Premier League and are without a win on the road since beating nine-man Tottenham early in November.

By contrast, Rob Edwards’ side go into the game off the back of their first consecutive victories of the season, having defeated Newcastle and Sheffield United to pull to within a point of safety.

A third straight win in the lunchtime kick-off would see them escape the bottom three at least until other sides play later in the day.

Plenty of big teams have struggled at Luton’s 11,500-capacity home ground this season, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all falling behind, though the Hatters took only one point from those three fixtures.

Victory against Eddie Howe’s side saw them finally hold on for a famous win, adding to three points won against Crystal Palace in November, to put life into their top-flight survival bid.

Pochettino admitted the trip to Kenilworth Road appealed to the football romantic in him, but warned his team against expecting anything other than a fight to end their poor away run against Edwards’ buoyant side.

“I’m an old man, I am romantic,” he said. “I love football of the past and this kind of stadium makes you remember when I started to play.

“It’s a stadium that smells different. It’s not luxury in the way that we recognise luxury today. This type of stadium is one where you love to be there. It’s history, it’s completely different.

“Today we are living in a different era, but when you go there, you feel real football.

“We need to go to Luton thinking that it’s going to be really tough. The stadium, the fans, it’s a team that loves to fight and work really hard.

“If we want to get a good result, we need to be ready of course to play football, but we need to match the desire, the capacity to fight for every single ball. It’s going to be a good test for us.”

Chelsea will assess Mykhailo Mudryk and Romeo Lavia ahead of the game after both picked up injuries during Wednesday’s 2-1 win against Crystal Palace.

Mudryk was withdrawn with 20 minutes to play having scored his side’s opening goal in the first half, whilst Lavia could be seen struggling towards the end having been sent on for his debut for the final half-hour.

“Lavia felt some issue and we need to check,” said Pochettino. “I’m a little bit worried.

“I changed his position at the end because he was struggling to run. I hope it’s not a big issue. It’s going to be a shame if we can’t use him in the next few days.”

Pochettino confirmed that time off for the players over the new year will depend on what kind of result they return with from Kenilworth Road.

“That is the plan, to win and then give (them) one or two days off depending on the circumstance.”

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has signed a new contract tying him to the club until the summer of 2026.

The 64-year-old Italian, who had been linked with taking charge of Brazil next year, has won 10 trophies across two stints with Los Blancos including two Champions League titles and one domestic league crown.

His most recent spell with Real began in 2021 when he left Everton to take up the position at the Estadio Bernabeu.

Ancelotti holds the record for the most Champions League titles won as a coach – having also claimed it twice with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007.

He also became the first manager to win the league title in all of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ competitions when Real won La Liga in 2022.

Ancelotti’s Real sit top of La Liga after 18 games and are through to this season’s Champions League last 16.

Erik ten Hag is confident incoming minority owners INEOS want to work with him despite admitting he has yet to speak to Manchester United’s new head of football operations.

The Old Trafford giants announced on Christmas Eve that a long-awaited deal has been reached for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to buy a 25 per cent stake in the Premier League club.

INEOS is taking responsibility for United’s footballing operations under the terms of a deal that is expected to take four to six weeks to receive regulatory approval.

Sir Dave Brailsford, INEOS’ director of sport, was at Old Trafford on Boxing Day for the stunning 3-2 turnaround against Aston Villa, and Ten Hag says he will be speaking to the new minority owners soon.

“The schedule is so condensed so I didn’t have the time so far to speak with them, but it will come and I look forward (to it),” the United boss, who has been the subject of scrutiny and criticism this season, said.

“They want to work with me, I want to work with them. We will have the conversations, the meetings, so we will see.”

Asked if he is expecting INEOS to be a regular presence at United’s Carrington training base, Ten Hag said ahead of Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest: “I’m focused on the game so far.

“So, I said, no, in this moment I don’t want to have distractions but in the coming days, weeks, there will be time for this and then I know more.

“But I think it’s a good thing, it’s very positive and, as I said, we are looking really forward to work together.

“INEOS wants to work with me, in this structure, and I want to work with them.”

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission filing related to the deal contains a provision guaranteeing that INEOS will be consulted on football matters at United in the interim.

This includes “appointing, dismissing or accepting the resignation of any director of football or first team manager of the company” as well as entering into or continuing any discussion concerning the purchase or sale of any player.

“We always want to win and it doesn’t matter who is in the lead (of the club),” Ten Hag said.

“We are appointed here to win, so in this area we need a winning culture no matter who is in the lead, no matter who is the owner. But, of course, the owners can inspire you.”

United head to Forest looking to build on Tuesday’s thrilling triumph against Villa at the end of a topsy-turvy 2023.

“I don’t think (players will be back), so it will be a similar squad as we had against Villa,” Ten Hag said.

“You see with them the reaction when the new manager (Nuno Espirito Santo) is coming in, you see the spirit. We have to be ready for that and it’s always about us but be aware of it.

“Be aware they have the right spirit and they built the confidence but that is what we did as well, so we have to continue in the performance.”

The trip to the City Ground could prove Andre Onana’s final United appearance for a while after the goalkeeper was named in Cameroon’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

“The situation is that we’re talking,” Ten Hag added.

“We have good relationships with all the federations – it’s about Sofyan (Amrabat), it’s about Hannibal (Mejbri), it’s about Andre – so we are talking with them.”

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has tried to temper expectations after he insisted nothing magical would happen in the January transfer window for his injury-hit side.

Spurs’ mini-revival hit a major speed bump on Thursday night after they were blown away in a 4-2 defeat by Brighton.

Nine players were unavailable for Postecoglou and he will lose the suspended Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and captain Son Heung-min for January due to international commitments after Sunday’s clash with Bournemouth.

While a centre-back is top of the club’s wish list and the PA news agency understands talks are under way with Nice over defender Jean-Clair Todibo, Postecoglou played down any assumption that a flurry of activity would occur in N17.

“Nothing magical’s going to happen in the January window,” Postecoglou said.

“What we need to do is just keep building. We’ve had one window with this team to change it around, to do things differently.

“The fact that we’re in the (fifth) position we are is a credit to the players. For all the challenges we’ve had, we just kept ploughing forward and that’s what we’ll do.

“We’ll see what we can do in January, but ultimately it’s about building a side that will get us to where we want to.”

One outgoing expected to be finalised in the coming days is Hugo Lloris’ departure with the former captain close to agreeing a move to Los Angeles FC on a free transfer, PA understands.

Postecoglou added: “Obviously there’s stuff happening but I’ve been focused on the game. I’m sure we’ll hear something next couple of days.”

Further movement in Spurs’ current squad could depend on incomings and especially with options light in midfield.

Tottenham’s long list of absentees means Postecoglou has used 27 players in all competitions this season, but he refuted suggestions this injury-crisis has enabled him to learn more about his team in a shorter space of time.

“I don’t think you need to go through injuries to see that,” he said.

“It would be unfair to judge some players. The way we play takes a fairly hefty physical toll, more than the way other clubs play. For us to sustain and maintain that and be a team, it’s no secret we need a strong squad.

“We’re nowhere near that at the moment, understandably so. Obviously we’ve only had one window. It was never going to happen (in one window).

“We’re still at the beginnings. Within that context, we want to compete. We’ve got ourselves in a position where we can compete. That’s what we need to keep pushing forward for.”

Meanwhile, captain Son urged his team-mates to bounce back from their Brighton humbling when Bournemouth visit on New Year’s Even.

He told SpursPlay: “Sometimes you have to be honest and take the result.

“Going 4-0 down is just hard and not the way we want to play, it is not our style of playing football.

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“It is very disappointing, but we have to move on because another game is coming very quick.

“A bad performance from us and it shouldn’t happen this, but the last 15 minutes we have to take that good energy into the next game because it’s at our home and we have to get three points before the new year starts.”

Oliver Skipp (knock) will be checked on, but Dejan Kulusevski is suspended for Bournemouth’s visit.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp faces a hugely-significant January without talismanic top scorer Mohamed Salah but is confident he can find an acceptable solution among the attacking options at his disposal.

Salah will leave for the African Cup of Nations after Monday’s visit of Newcastle, the first of at least six matches which includes an FA Cup tie at Arsenal and a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final with Fulham.

The 16-goal forward, second behind only Erling Haaland in the Premier League goalscoring stakes with 12 in the top flight this season, will link up with Egypt as they head to the Ivory Coast next week and will potentially be away for over a month.

Klopp has had to deal with it in the past and remains confident his side will do so again as they seek to maintain their place as Premier League leaders.

“It is not the first time, it is a really at least very average situation that you lose your goalscorer but we had it even worse in the past when Sadio (Mane) and Mo left,” he said.

“We came somehow through it and traditionally one of them went pretty far in the tournament, which made it worse.

“We knew the Africa Cup of Nations from time to time appears and Mo has to go and we have (Wataru) Endo as a participant of the Asia Cup (played at the same time) as well, so it is like it is. We have to deal with it and we will.

“Each long-term plan I could have had depends massively on who is available so why should I think in October who I can use when Mo is away when I have no clue who is available?

“We would have solutions today, I hope we have that after the Newcastle game as well.”

The timely return of Diogo Jota after a month out injured is a boost as the Portugal international scored a comeback goal against Burnley on Boxing Day.

Jota’s versatility means he can operate across the forward line, as can Cody Gakpo, while Harvey Elliott has played in Salah’s position even though he is more of a midfielder in Klopp’s system.

“The return of each of the boys is super-important but Diogo especially. Everybody was quite positive about our five options, but I don’t think we had it that often to be honest,” added Klopp.

“Especially with the amount of games we play it is so important these boys can rotate and now with Mo leaving and Endo leaving we need everyone to get back.”

On Jota’s return, Klopp said: “The game is blessed with some of these players who really understand the game on a different level and he is one of them.

“It gives him the chance to see the situations slightly earlier, to adapt to different things the opponent is doing a little bit quicker. On top of that, he is both-footed, a great finisher.

“For these last few games, even when the results were not always outstanding, we found a good rhythm, good fluidity, which is really important.

“It gives you a good feeling, you’d probably call it momentum, and for that you need to be connected and be together in the right moment.”

It is not all good news, however, with left-back Andy Robertson’s recovery from a dislocated shoulder likely to keep him out now for the whole of January.

The Scotland captain, sidelined since October, was expected to return next month but that now may be delayed.

“Robbo still needs more range in his shoulder. Obviously it was a big surgery. (He is) still not even close to team training or whatever,” said Klopp.

“For sure, I think, the full January he has to get closer and closer.”

Roberto De Zerbi saluted Joao Pedro after his two-goal display against Tottenham, but admitted he fears the forward’s stay at Brighton may be brief.

Pedro starred in a thrilling 4-2 win for the Seagulls on Thursday night, scoring twice from the penalty spot and also setting up Jack Hinshelwood’s opener.

Brazilian attacker Pedro only moved to Brighton in May for a fee in the region of £30million, but has hit 13 goals for his new club, with seven of them in the last nine matches.

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De Zerbi said: “He is the best player on the pitch, I think. He played another incredible game.

“I am really pleased for his improvement on mentality, on attitude. In defensive phase, incredible because he defended 90 minutes like a centre-back in terms of mentality.

“He is becoming, I think, a top player. I hope in the next year to work with him but I think it will be very tough.”

While Pedro tormented Tottenham all night long, it was a superb team display by Brighton, especially for the first hour on the south coast.

To top off an excellent end to 2023, Pervis Estupinan marked his first Premier League appearance since September with a superb 25-yard strike.

“It’s an incredible goal but the most important thing about Estupinan is we recover an important player because we are losing a lot of players on injuries,” De Zerbi admitted.

“We cannot play with 10 or nine players.”

Estupinan’s return from a muscle problem occurred at half-time with fellow left-back Igor Julio forced off with a tendon problem.

Youngster Facundo Buonanotte also had to be replaced with an injury concern and De Zerbi admitted they are initial doubts for the trip to West Ham next week.

He added: “Igor and Facundo suffered injuries. I don’t know if important and I don’t know for the next game in West Ham’s stadium but Igor couldn’t play the second half (due to) a tendon injury.

“And Facundo is a muscular problem.”

De Zerbi also fielded questions on Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma, who has been ruled out for four to six weeks with an ankle injury which has placed in doubt his participation in next month’s Asian Cup.

“I hope it can be less than four (weeks), but the medical staff say four, five or six weeks and I am working for Brighton, not for Japan. I can say nothing for Japan,” the Italian insisted.

“I hope for you that Kaoru can play in Asian Cup but I don’t know.”

Meanwhile, Brighton have confirmed long-serving board members Derek Chapman and Marc Sugarman will step down as non-executive directors on June 30.

Chapman has been involved with the club since 1999, while Sugarman first joined in 2009.

Jarrod Bowen praised a shift in West Ham’s mindset as they won at Arsenal in the Premier League for the first time since 2015.

The Hammers secured a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium to go four points behind the top four and prevent their hosts moving back to the top of the table.

Bowen capitalised on rocky Arsenal defending to cross for Tomas Soucek to open the scoring, the goal standing after a lengthy VAR check could not conclude if the ball had gone out of play before the England international’s centre.

Former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos then headed in his first West Ham goal to seal the three points – with David Moyes’ side now having beaten Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal this month.

While those victories have been tinged with setbacks – a 5-0 league thrashing at Fulham and a meek Carabao Cup exit at Liverpool – Bowen feels building on Saturday’s win over United with another three points against a title challenger shows progress.

“It’s a massive win,” Bowen told the club’s official website.

“We knew it was going to be difficult as these are top side, but we managed to build on what we did against Manchester United.

“I think, for us, we haven’t been consistent enough. We might have won one game and then the Fulham game springs to mind when we conceded five, and if we want to be spoken about to go to the top six and finishing higher in the division then we need to be consistent.

“Like I say, this was a hard game, but I said after the Man United game that we needed to come here with a mindset to take points and we’ve done that.

“It’s those consistency levels…We play Brighton in a few days (Tuesday) and we have to go there and win that as well.”

Things could have been even better for West Ham had Said Benrahma’s stoppage-time penalty not been saved by David Raya – but for Arsenal it was a night to forget.

Mikel Arteta’s men had 30 attempts on goal but could not trouble the scorers as they failed to produce the win required to usurp Liverpool at the summit.

“I think we created more than enough to score goals to win the game,” said captain Martin Odegaard.

“It was the little details and the little last pass or the finish that was missing. We have to learn from it and make sure we get sharper and better in front of the goals.

“The goals we conceded were too easy, so definitely in front of the goals, inside the boxes, that’s where the games are decided. We weren’t good enough.”

What the papers say

Mohamed Salah remains a target for clubs in the Saudi Pro League but they will have to wait beyond January, according to the Daily Mirror. Liverpool are not expected to agree to a mid-season sale for the 31-year-old forward with bids expected to come in the summer.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is likely to concentrate on loan deals in January, reports the Daily Mirror. The club needs to offload players before making any signings with reinforcements on the cards after a string of injuries.

Steve Cooper has emerged as a potential option as manager at Crystal Palace after his sacking at Nottingham Forest, according to The Daily Telegraph. Roy Hodgson’s future in charge of the club is uncertain.

Crystal Palace are interested in Paris St Germain striker Hugo Ekitike, 21, reports the Evening Standard. Palace have also been linked with Sunderland’s 21-year-old French midfielder Pierre Ekwah.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Dan Gore: Borussia Dortmund are keen on Manchester United’s 19-year-old English winger, reports Football Insider.

Serhou Guirassy: Manchester United, Tottenham and AC Milan are interested in the Guinea striker, 27, who is preparing to leave Stuttgart in January, according to Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy.

Blackburn signed Andy Cole from Manchester United for £8million on this day in 2001.

The then 30-year-old had slipped down the pecking order at Old Trafford following the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy and therefore ended his seven-year stay in Manchester to move to Ewood Park.

Cole said at a press conference on the day he signed: “It was a big decision. When you leave a club like Manchester United it’s always going to be a big decision.

“I am 30 and it’s very important that in the next few years I’m playing football. That’s all I want to do. I don’t enjoy being on the bench.

“I am really looking forward to playing here. I spoke at great length to the manager and at what he was looking to do at the club and that made my mind up.”

Graeme Souness’ side were struggling in the Premier League but Cole netted 13 goals in 20 games to help Rovers to a 10th-placed finish and a piece of silverware in the form of the League Cup.

Cole scored the crucial winner in the final against Tottenham, who were managed by Glenn Hoddle, a prominent critic of Cole.

Despite his good form, Cole was not selected for England’s squad for the 2002 World Cup and subsequently announced his international retirement.

Cole scored 13 goals the following season as Blackburn finished sixth and was reunited with his former United strike partner Dwight Yorke.

He finished the 2003-04 campaign as Rovers’ top scorer with 11 goals but the club struggled and Cole’s relationship with Souness deteriorated to the point where the striker reported his manager to the Professional Footballers’ Association, accusing him of unfair treatment.

Cole was allowed to leave on a free transfer that summer, signing for Fulham, after scoring 37 goals across 100 games for Blackburn.

Souness, who branded Cole and Yorke “babies”, said: “It’s no secret that Cole and I didn’t see eye to eye in how I wanted football played and I think it was best for everyone that he went.”

Mikel Arteta admitted his side came up short in both boxes as Arsenal slumped to defeat to West Ham to miss out on regaining top spot in the Premier League.

The Gunners remain behind Liverpool as they lost 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on what Arteta conceded was one of the most frustrating nights of his four-year tenure as Arsenal boss.

Tomas Soucek’s opener – awarded after the VAR could not determine whether the whole ball had gone out of play in the build up – and a second-half header from former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos earned the visitors a deserved win.

Things could have been even better had Said Benrahma not had a stoppage-time penalty saved by David Raya on a night where Arteta applauded the performances of the opposition.

“I congratulate West Ham and praise my players. That’s what I can tell you,” he said.

“This is football. When you look at how much we generated in the game, to see the result is very disappointing. But they were better than us in both boxes. They had two shots, with the penalty three. We had 30.

“If we don’t score with 30 shots, then we have to do 50 or 60 to try to score. That’s the only thing. I can’t imagine a game where we have more touches in the box, more dominance and less situations for the opponent against a really good West Ham side. Today though, it wasn’t enough to win the game.”

Asked if it was among the most frustrating nights of his managerial career, Arteta replied: “It is. But it’s football. Normally when the team generates so much it’s going to win games.

“That’s the way we’ve done it. Against Brighton, we generated so much and against Liverpool as well, but we score goals in different ways.

“We have to make another step in that area to win games more comfortably, that’s for sure, because today the team deserves to win the game. There’s no question about that.”

Arteta successfully fought a Football Association charge after he criticised the officiating and VAR in defeat at Newcastle last month and was less vocal this time.

He did, however, suggest technology needs to be further advanced to make close calls, adding: “They’re saying it’s not conclusive. It’s a shame that with the technology that we have, that it’s not that clear so that we can say whether it’s out or in. It’s done. It’s gone. There’s nothing we can do about it now.

“If the technology we have at the moment is not good enough to give us that answer, what we have to do is without that win the game. With the number of situations we generated in the game, that should have been more than enough.”

For West Ham and manager David Moyes, this was a rare taste of victory at the Emirates Stadium – Moyes had failed to secure victory in his previous 72 Premier League away games at Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United.

West Ham were 17th at the turn of the year but went on to win the Europa Conference League and now sit just four points off the top four after this hard-fought and deserved win.

Moyes is out of contract in the summer but, on the four-year anniversary of his reappointment as West Ham boss, feels a new deal will soon be ironed out.

“We’re getting ready to talk,” he told Amazon Prime.

“I don’t think any of us are jumping to get it done too quickly, I think we are just happy to make sure we get it done. We will do, I don’t see any problems with that at all.

“We are not one of the top teams. We are trying to get up and grow the team. For West Ham to be in Europe is a great period.”

Ange Postecoglou defended his “tired” Tottenham team after they were blown away in a six-goal thriller at Brighton.

Joao Pedro struck a brace of penalties while Jack Hinshelwood and Pervis Estupinan produced fine strikes in a well deserved 4-2 victory for Roberto De Zerbi’s men.

While Alejo Veliz and Ben Davies scored in the final 10 minutes, Spurs were second best for much of the night and suffered a fifth Premier League defeat of the campaign.

Both clubs have faced numerous injuries during recent months, with Brighton without eight players for this contest and Tottenham nine, which led to Postecoglou taking a philosophical view.

Postecoglou said: “Fair to say we were looking a bit tired and lacked our usual sharpness, especially at the start of the game. We’ve been starting games well.

“I guess that’s understandable, we’ve been on this run for a while now and asking players to perform at levels. It’s very demanding the way we play, physically, and today we kind of looked like a team that wasn’t at its sharpest.

“Brighton are a good side and they took advantage of that. Ultimately what I do know is the players, everything they had they gave and that’s all I can ask for.”

Pedro found the unmarked Hinshelwood to fire beyond Guglielmo Vicario, who had twice denied Danny Welbeck early on, and the Brazilian then rolled home a spot-kick after Dejan Kulusevski was penalised for pulling Welbeck.

Vicario was forced into action several more times, while James Milner also hit the post before Estupinan capped his comeback appearance with a goal from 25 yards.

The offside flag had denied Richarlison twice but Spurs’ miserable night was compounded when substitute Giovani Lo Celso brought down Evan Ferguson and Pedro slotted home to make it 4-0.

Tottenham fought back with Veliz scoring his first goal in English football with nine minutes left before Ben Davies headed home at the back post, but it finished 4-2.

Postecoglou had no qualms with either penalty decision, although did take umbrage with VAR not punishing Brighton captain Lewis Dunk for a poor tackle on Kulusevski in the build-up to Veliz scoring.

“It was obviously clear and obvious because it only took him (Jarred Gillett) three minutes to see it on the screen, and VAR picked up everything today except the one tackle which nearly cost me another player,” Postecoglou added.

“It’s been difficult this whole run. We’ve been stretched for a very long time and we’ve just tried to play on through it.

“We’re only in the position we are because of the enormous efforts of the players to do jobs that normally is not in their brief, but they do it willingly and they give everything. Today we fell short but not for the want of trying.”

De Zerbi toasted a brilliant end to a special year where Brighton finished sixth, made the FA Cup semi-finals and progressed into the last 16 of the Europa League.

“Yes, the best way to finish the year,” he added.

“We played a great game because we show incredible courage to defend men-to-men for 90 minutes and to play with that courage, that quality, that style.

“I am sorry we concede two goals and I am sorry we have no clean sheet.”