Jonas Eidevall revealed referee Rebecca Welch delayed Chelsea’s Women’s Super League clash with Arsenal when both teams were lined up in the tunnel.

Kick-off for Chelsea’s 3-1 victory was delayed by 30 minutes while Arsenal staff collected black socks from their opponents’ megastore, using blue tape to cover the Chelsea and Nike logos.

Arsenal had arrived to Stamford Bridge with the same colour white socks as the hosts and were forced to make a change.

“It was a clash of colour with the kits which came to mine, the players and the other team’s attention very late,” he said.

“We got told that we can’t go out and play with the kit we had so we had to adapt and that was definitely a first.

“I was not involved in the process in how it was resolved.

“We found out when we left the dressing room to go to the tunnel so it was a very late call and notice.

“It is what it is. It was the same for both teams.”

Emma Hayes admitted she was delighted with the incident and relished seeing Arsenal players wearing Chelsea lions on their socks.

Hayes also called for less criticism towards Arsenal’s kit man, acknowledging he was left red-faced after the mix-up.

“I’m not throwing the kit man under the bus,” Hayes said.

“He’s going to be feeling terrible tonight, it was a mistake. He’s a new guy, new into the position so please don’t slaughter him.

“Because we didn’t have our blue socks I couldn’t say ‘don’t worry about it, we’ll put blue socks on’.

“I was delighted to see lion crests on Arsenal players’ legs in the first half. Maybe that gave my players motivation, I don’t know.

“It was an earnest mistake and something which that poor guy is going home tonight and will feel bad about. I’m certainly not going to pile in on him.”

Mauricio Pochettino admits some of Chelsea’s younger players are struggling with the pressure of playing for the club.

The big-spending west London side have floundered in mid-table all season, with their summer overhaul of bringing in young talent from across Europe so far yet to bear fruit.

Chelsea had the chance to claim a trophy last month, but a number of missed opportunities cost them dear as they lost the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool after extra-time.

And Pochettino believes not all of the club’s signings have settled in as well as star man Cole Palmer, who scored his 11th Premier League goal of the season during the Monday’s 3-2 win over Newcastle.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup quarter-final with Leicester on Sunday, Pochettino said: “One thing we cannot change is to give time to the players to get experience and be more mature.

“In the same time that you ask me about Cole Palmer, not all the players have the same process of settling in at the club or to perform.

“Yes, we are in a process that the main group, the main young players…of course they struggle a little bit to deal with the pressure to play for Chelsea.

“That is the thing we are, of course, aware of and we are focusing on trying to help them in all the areas.

“Because when you have this young squad, it’s not only to help them in training, in the two hours maybe of that. We have spent a lot of time talking with the people that work around these guys, who are important too.”

Chelsea brought in over a dozen new players last summer – as well as coach Pochettino – as they looked to build on a hugely disappointing 2022/23 campaign which saw them finish 12th in the league and suffer early exits from both domestic cup competitions.

One of the newcomers was Nicolas Jackson, who joined the Blues from Villarreal for a reported £29.8 million, and, after a difficult start in England, he took his league tally for the season to nine goals with the opener against Newcastle.

That is one less than former Chelsea star Didier Drogba managed in his first year at Stamford Bridge and Pochettino believes the 22-year-old Senegal international is a player on the rise.

The Chelsea boss said: “You all are now seeing how he is improving. The most difficult thing was to support him when it was tough. I told you I really believe in him.

“I believe he is going to be very successful here.

“He has the quality and the capacity. Now he is doing much better but still needs to improve a lot. The numbers are similar to Drogba in his first season.

“That maybe gives the fans more belief in him and to be a little more patient with him, but always it depends on the circumstances.

“Now I hope people can start to understand he has the condition to be very good.”

Chelsea’s struggles this season sees them down in 11th spot in the table, but with seventh-placed West Ham only four points ahead and having played a game more, there is still a possibility of securing European football for next season.

That may be the Europa Conference League, but Pochettino says Chelsea – Champions League winners in 2012 and 2021 – will respect any competition they are in.

He said: “We need to accept the reality and if we arrive at the end of the season and we qualify for the Conference League, we need to accept and respect the competition and go to try to win the competition.

“We need to accept the reality. I am not going to say nothing, it is an international competition.”

Pep Guardiola hopes to have the Jack Grealish of last season back for the closing stages of Manchester City’s latest push for silverware.

Grealish, a key part of City’s treble success last season, has endured a frustrating campaign this time around.

He missed a month early in the season with a dead leg and a groin problem has limited him to just one appearance in City’s last seven games.

The 28-year-old also had a spell out through illness and had personal matters to deal with after a high-profile burglary at his home.

His form has suffered and, with other players excelling in his place, he has not been able to get a consistent run in the side.

Yet he could return as City take on Newcastle in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and Guardiola believes the player can get back to his best.

The City manager said: “We’ll see. We have this game and then two weeks where he will work hard and as clever as possible to be ready when we come back.

“He’s trained the last two or three days really good. He feels good and positive.

“Saturday maybe we’ll need him and then he has these two weeks especially to work well and come back.

“Then we can have the Jack that unfortunately this season we had few, few times – and he can help us.

“Always we dream of arriving at the last international break of the season in all competitions.

“Jack has helped us but not like last season. That’s why the most important thing is to recover well from this minor injury and take a good condition in case we need him.

“I’m not going to say how important Jack is – of course he is. But he has to be ready.”

City will come up against one of world football’s standout players in Jude Bellingham when they face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League next month.

The holders have been drawn against the Spanish giants for a third successive season and Guardiola recognises they are a tougher proposition with the Englishman in their midfield.

City overpowered Real in last year’s semi-finals with a 4-0 win in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola said of Bellingham: “His impact has been massive. It’s a different team from last season. His influence is obvious, and we have to try to discover what he does to control it.

“Facing Real Madrid is always a tough challenge, nobody can deny it. They are an exceptional club, and in this competition can control many things with the experience they have had in the past.

“We have made steps in the last few years but it could be so difficult.”

Lois Openda scored twice in the space of five minutes as RB Leipzig turned on the style in the second half to thrash Cologne 5-1 and move up to fourth in the Bundesliga.

Leipzig opened the scoring through Xavi Simons 15 minutes in but Sargis Adamyan equalised almost immediately and the scores were level at the break.

But Openda then struck in the 63rd and 67th minutes before Amadou Haidara and Yussuf Poulsen padded the score for the visitors.

Leipzig move two points above Borussia Dortmund, who take on Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

In LaLiga, goals in either half from Mikel Merino and Arsen Zakharyan saw sixth-placed Real Sociedad ease to a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Cadiz.

Substitute Giovanni Fabbian struck in the last minute as Bologna snatched a 1-0 win away to Empoli, consolidating their hold on fourth place in Serie A as they opened up a six-point advantage over Roma who host Sassuolo on Sunday.

Late goals from Rayan Cherki and Jake O’Brien saw Lyon come from behind to win 3-2 at Toulouse in Ligue 1.

Lyon led through Alexandre Lacazette’s 34th-minute goal, but Thijs Dallinga equalised early in the second half before Vincent Sierro’s penalty put the hosts in front.

Cherki then tied things back up in the 78th minute before O’Brien won it eight minutes from time.

Chelsea dominated Arsenal 3-1 in the Women’s Super League in a game which was delayed by 30 minutes due to a clash of socks.

The league leaders moved three points clear of Manchester City, who have the chance to respond against Brighton on Sunday, and six ahead of the Gunners.

The reigning champions avenged their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates in December through goals from Lauren James and Sjoeke Nusken’s brace.

The German midfielder’s double put her on six league goals for the season and substitute Catarina Macario’s own goal was mere consolation for the north Londoners.

The first whistle at Stamford Bridge was paused while Arsenal staff collected black socks from their opponents’ megastore, using blue tape to cover the Chelsea and Nike logos. Arsenal’s white Adidas socks, the same colour as Chelsea’s, had been deemed not fit for purpose by referee Rebecca Welch.

Once the delay was over the hosts started aggressively in front of a crowd of 32,970.

They fought for 50-50 challenges and the physical James bullied her marker as she was unleashed down the right before Erin Cuthbert was unable to convert her inch-perfect delivery into the box.

Arsenal looked to counter but Blues full-back Eve Perisset won the applause of manager Emma Hayes when she showed great strength to hold off and turn Caitlin Foord, setting the tone for a competitive encounter.

James’ electric start went up a level when she opened the scoring in the 15th minute.

Guro Reiten found the England forward who surged forward into space before she showed her technical capabilities, turning Steph Catley inside-out with a feint before her powerful effort was parried into the net by Manuela Zinsberger, who should have done better.

Chelsea refused to sit back, instead continuing to pile on the pressure, and their efforts were rewarded with another goal.

A dangerous cross into the box from Reiten was teed up for Cuthbert, whose shot from the edge of the box was deftly diverted home by Nusken to make it 2-0.

If that finish was instinctive, Nusken knew nothing about her second as Chelsea stretched their lead before half-time.

Leah Williamson’s crossfield pass was intercepted by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, who drove forward towards back-pedalling defenders. Kaneryd chose to shoot and the ball fortunately deflected off the unaware Nusken into the left-hand corner.

James could have had a second but Zinsberger denied her from close range. The elusive winger picked up a neat pocket of space in the middle and went through on goal but her near-post effort was stopped by the Austria keeper’s quick reflexes.

Kim Little’s well-struck half-volley deflected in off the unfortunate Macario in the 85th minute to pull one back for Jonas Eidevall’s side but it was too late as Chelsea held out for a deserved 3-1 win.

Chelsea’s Women’s Super League clash with Arsenal was delayed by 30 minutes because of a clash of socks.

The Gunners arrived to Stamford Bridge with the same colour white socks as the hosts, causing referee Rebecca Welch to delay the match until a solution was found.

Arsenal sported black socks from Chelsea’s megastore in order for the match to go ahead. Blue tape was used in a makeshift attempt to hide the Chelsea logo on the socks.

As the scheduled kick-off time approached, a crowd of more than 30,000 in west London were instead treated to loud music.

Former Arsenal men’s striker Ian Wright, a keen supporter of the women’s game, posted on social media site X: “Embarrassing this. Ridiculous.”

Things did not improve for Arsenal once the match began, as a Lauren James goal and two from Sjoeke Nusken gave Chelsea a 3-0 half-time lead.

The effects of the fallout between Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz World Cup players and the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), has started to set in, as the country continues to slip down the FIFA/Coco-Cola Women’s World Rankings, and now sit 42nd.

After achieving an all-time high of 37 and 1589 points in August, following the Reggae Girlz historic Round of 16 FIFA Women’s World Cup exploits in Australia, the country’s women’s programme slipped five places and now has 1543 points on the latest rankings released on Friday.

This follows 0-2 and 1-2 defeats to Canada, as well as a 1-2 defeat and 1-1 stalemate against Panama, followed by 2-2 and 1-1 stalemates with Guatemala, over the September and December windows. Their most recent fixtures in the February window ended in 1-5 and 0-1 losses to Chile.

By virtue of the slip, Jamaica’s women lost ground on Concacaf rival Mexico, who inched four places up to 31st on 1668 points. Other Concacaf teams United States slipped to fourth despite their Women’s Gold Cup triumph, while Canada inched one place up to ninth.

World champions Spain remains atop the rankings, with England, France in second and third. Germany (fifth), Sweden (sixth), Japan (seventh), Netherlands (eighth) and Brazil (10th), completing the top 10.

Other Concacaf teams, Costa Rica slipped one place to 44th, Haiti slipped two places to 53rd, Panama held firm at 55th, and Trinidad and Tobago inched one place up to 77th.

Meanwhile, Guatemala held firm at 80th, with Puerto Rico making a big move up 18 places to its best ever ranking of 85th, while Guyana and Cuba both slipped three places to 90th and 92nd, respectively, with El Salvador (97th), the other team from the confederation in the top 100.

Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid are in “better shape than ever” with a seven-point LaLiga lead and a Champions League tie against Manchester City to look forward to.

Real travel to mid-table Osasuna on Saturday afternoon knowing victory will take them 10 points clear ahead of second-placed Girona kicking off at Getafe.

“It’s a hugely important game that will demand the best of us, especially going into the international break,” Real boss Ancelotti said at a press conference ahead of taking charge of his 900th top-flight match in Europe’s top leagues.

“We want to finish this part of the season strongly. We’ve done pretty well so far and we’re heading into the break in a good position.

“I’m a pretty optimistic guy and we’re in better shape than ever. We have a lead in LaLiga and we’re in the Champions League quarter-finals, with (Eder) Militao and (Thibaut) Courtois on the way back.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t slip up, which we may.

“We have to be excited about the upcoming games. Right now, we should be happy, satisfied and hungry going into our next matches.”

Ancelotti confirmed Brazil defender Militao and Belgium goalkeeper Courtois have resumed training with the first-team group.

Courtois sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training just before the season started, while Militao tore the ACL in his left knee in the opening game of the campaign.

The pair could return for the LaLiga game at home to Athletic Bilbao after the international break on March 31.

Real play Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at theBernabeu on April 9.

Ancelotti said: “We’ll take advantage of the break to give them some minutes in a couple of friendlies with the academy and I think they could be back in contention.

“Our plan is to have them ready for the game against Bilbao without taking any risks – and I think they’ll be there.”

Real were thrashed 4-0 by City at the Etihad Stadium last season in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, losing 5-1 on aggregate.

But Ancelotti dismissed the idea of next month’s tie being a revenge mission, saying: “We want to beat opposition who are playing in the same competition as us.

“There’s no sense of revenge on our part. Each person has their own thought process.”

Osasuna have won three of their last five league games but were beaten 4-0 at the Bernabeu in October.

Head coach Jagoba Arrasate said: “If you give things away, they won’t forgive you.

“It is one of the keys and the other is for us to be brave and for them to see that they have a rival in front of them who wants to win too.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk takes inspiration from world’s best sportsmen and tries to live by NBA great LeBron James’ ‘strive for greatness’ mantra.

Last week the pair were pictured together in an advertising campaign for the Los Angeles Lakers – and Reds’ minority shareholder – star’s signature clothing collection for the club.

It is the second collaboration from the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer and while Van Dijk has yet to meet or even speak to LeBron, they have exchanged messages and the 32-year-old believes he can learn from someone seven years his senior.

Lebron sent him a video message in which he said: “I know you will lead this club on amazing things. Strive for greatness.”

“We haven’t spoken but we have had messages passed between us. I saw the billboard this week and it is amazing,” said the Netherlands captain.

“That phrase that he uses is perfect and it could be used for a lot of things. For me personally I definitely try and follow that because I want to achieve the most I can in life and get the maximum out of myself, the team and the position we are in. We are in a good place to do that this season – again.

“Funnily enough I look at all the top athletes at the highest level because I feel like they all have a big role, either as a big role model or for their team and community and there are so many things you can learn.

“The way they conduct themselves on the pitch or on court, also what they do in order to be great.

“There is LeBron, (Novak) Djokovic, Roger Federer, Tom Brady – I could name so many. I like to listen to these guys and learn with how they dealt with being at the top and dealing with difficult moments but also good moments.

“We always hear about the negative sides but you also have to deal with the positives.”

Van Dijk’s assertion that Liverpool are in a good place is down, in no small part, to the return of the imperious form which made him the world’s best defender a few years ago before an ACL injury.

He scored the goal which won them the Carabao Cup last month and is the cornerstone of a team which sits second in the table behind Arsenal only on goal difference.

Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester United represents the third leg of a potential quadruple, with Atalanta awaiting in the last eight of the Europa League.

“Every season is always a challenge but this season we are in a special situation,” added the Dutchman.

“There are no guarantees but we feel like it is quite special with the way we have overcome things as a group, situations like the news of the manager (leaving at the end of the season).

“I feel very comfortable this season in every aspect of the game. Obviously confidence is a big driver but in general I think I have made big steps in possession. I think there are a lot of things that just clicked again.

“I feel really good and the responsibility I have has helped that but I feel that I have made steps again in possession, in the way I defend and I really enjoy that, I want to continue enjoying it and see what it leads to.”

After lifting his first trophy as Liverpool captain at Wembley, Van Dijk aimed a barb at his critics by saying ‘They thought I was finished’.

“I shouldn’t have said that. That was part of the emotion coming out of me because there were so many emotions going through my whole body that day,” he explained.

“Last season was disappointing. Not disappointing in a way that I was bad, I didn’t feel like that at all, I was just below my standards and the consistency wasn’t there that I have had and set for myself in every game.

“I fully understand the noise that came with it but I am a human being and not immune to any of that.

“Maybe in one way it was good to say because it gets it out of me – but I don’t like noise around me.”

The FA Cup returns this weekend as the remaining sides look to seal a semi-final trip to Wembley.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the main talking points around the four fixtures.

Can underdogs Coventry tame Wolves?

The lowest-ranked side left in the competition travel to Gary O’Neil’s impressive Wolves on Saturday lunchtime looking to cause an upset. Coventry sit eighth in the Sky Bet Championship and are hoping to return to Wembley, where they suffered an agonising play-off final defeat to Luton at the end of last season. The Sky Blues are dreaming of a first FA Cup semi-final since they went on to win it 1987, while Wolves are determined to reach the last four for the first time since 2019.

Newcastle attempt to dump City out of another cup

Treble winners Manchester City had dreamt of making it a quadruple this season, but Newcastle had other ideas. Alexander Isak’s goal knocked Pep Guardiola’s men out of the Carabao Cup in September and the Magpies have the chance to end their other domestic cup campaign on Saturday night. The FA Cup holders are favourites to progress at the Etihad Stadium, but they will have to do without star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne through injury.

Leicester try to give Chelsea the blues

The Foxes’ main focus is making an immediate return to the Premier League, but Sunday offers the Championship leaders a free hit and break from their stuttering promotion push. Enzo Maresca’s men had looked dominant until a month ago, losing three and drawing one of their last five league matches.  The 2021 FA Cup winners travel to a Chelsea side looking to put a poor Premier League campaign behind them and continue towards another final. Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered an extra-time defeat to Liverpool in February’s Carabao Cup final and will look to avoid a shock slip-up at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool look to compound Man United’s misery

The quarter-final weekend ends with the most mouth-watering fixture as bitter rivals Manchester United and Liverpool go toe-to-toe. Jurgen Klopp’s men already have one cup under their belt this season and have the chance to end United’s last hope of silverware in his penultimate visit to Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag is under pressure after a poor season impacted by a swathe of injuries and progress to the semi-finals would be a huge shot in the arm. If United lose, there is sure to be plenty of talk about his future throughout the international break as ambitious Ineos look to turn the club around.

Having selected what, he believes to be a formidable squad, Trinidad and Tobago’s Head coach Angus Eve is now hopeful that is Soca Warriors will deliver the goods when the lock horns with Canada in their Copa America playoff encounter in Frisco, Texas, next week.

In fact, Eve would love nothing more than for March 23 to mark another special day in the annals of the twin island republic’s football history by taking the Canadians scalp and, by extension, securing a spot in the prestigious CONMEBOL Copa America.

The winner of the one-off encounter will make a debut appearance at the Copa America tournament, where they will contest group A alongside Chile, Peru and reigning Fifa World Cup champions Argentina. United States, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama are the other Concacaf teams in the tournament.

“We know how important the game is, this would be one of the most prestigious tournaments to go and represent our country in, if we get the victory. (A win) will put us on a different level, on a different map. That would open up a lot of doors for our players,” Eve said during a press conference shortly after naming his 23-player squad.

However, in order to win, Eve is well aware that the first need to defend well to keep the Canadians at bay, and also showcase their attacking prowess.

“We need to defend well—it’s like David against Goliath. It’s top players that they have, so we have to be astute defensively but also offensively. We have to express ourselves so that we can come out with a victory,” Eve declared.

The tactician has included Greece-based brothers, Levi and Judah Garcia in his squad, as both recently signalled a return to form from respective injuries.

“We’re very optimistic of Levi being fit and ready to play. He’s been doing well in [the Greek] League. He’s gone through injuries but we’re very happy to see the form that he’s in. Judah had a back injury and then a groin injury, so he was not available for us. He is back playing, he’s scoring goals, and we think that he can add goals from midfield,” Eve shared.

He also welcomed the return of Atlanta United midfielder Ajani Fortune to the Soca Warriors setup after a series of injuries.

“Ajani had some injuries that affected him, also he was fighting for a place in [his] team. We left him out sometimes by mutual consent, based on injury or a particular situation that was happening at his club,” Eve revealed.

That said, Eve declared that he selected his 23-man squad with a specific skillset in mind.

“[We looked at] the flexibility of the players, players being able to play multiple positions, based on the fact that we may want to change something during the game, and also the level of competition that the players are playing in, at this point in time. Also, giving the players who brought us to this point the opportunity to finish the job,” he ended.

Soca Warriors Squad: Christopher Biggette (Defence Force), Adrian Foncette (Police FC), Denzil Smith (Club Sando FC), Aubrey David (CS Cartagines), Ross Russell Jr (La Horquetta Rangers), Jesse Williams (Chattanooga FC), Robert Primus, Alvin Jones (both Police FC), Andre Raymond (GD Vilar De Perdizes), Shannon Gomez (San Antonio FC), Justin Garcia (Defence Force), Noah Powder (Northern Colorado Hailstorm), Daniel Phillips (St Johnstone FC), Kevon Goddard (Defence Force), Neveal Hackshaw (Oakland Roots), Andre Rampersad (HFX Wanderers), Nathaniel James (Mount Pleasant FA), Kaïlé Auvray ( Mount Pleasant FA), Real Gill (Northern Colorado Hailstorm), Levi Garcia (AEK Athens) Judah Garcia (AEK Athens B), Reon Moore (Pacific FC), Ajani Fortune (Atlanta United).

Gary O’Neil is refusing to getting carried away by dreams of FA Cup glory at Wembley, insisting Wolves cannot afford to look any further than their quarter-final date with Coventry.

O’Neil’s side have a big opportunity to book a place in the last four when they take on the lowest-ranked team left in the tournament on Saturday, but nothing is being taken for granted at Molineux.

“None of my attention is on winning it, it’s on beating Coventry tomorrow,” said O’Neil.

“It’s tough (to win a cup), you need a lot to go your way. This will be a huge test and we need to get through it.

“I’m desperate to give the fans more enjoyable moments. We will need the fans to help, especially when you have players missing.”

O’Neil was deliberately coy about exactly which individuals would not be available, eager not to offer the Sky Blues a helping hand in their planning.

“We’ve decided not to do injury updates today, with a big game tomorrow,” he said.

“I’m sure our fans will understand giving team news away before an FA Cup quarter-final will hand unnecessary advantages to the opposition. It’s important we keep stuff in house, that’s why we haven’t named the team yet.”

Pedro Neto and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde are two obvious concerns having picked up knocks in the 2-1 Premier League victory over Fulham last time out, though there is more encouraging news on Matheus Cunha.

He has been out for more than a month with hamstring trouble but is ahead of schedule with his comeback.

“He’s in a great mood and the lads are really pleased to have him back in training,” said O’Neil.

“It’s an unbelievable effort for him to get back into full training as quickly as he has.

“It’s now on us to manage him the best way we can and get the best out of him. We were expecting to be without him a lot longer than we have been.

“We’re delighted to have him back in training and it’s given the group a real lift.”

Wolves last appeared at this stage in 2018-19, upsetting Manchester United 2-1. Republic of Ireland full-back Matt Doherty is the lone survivor from the XI that defeated the Red Devils and is ready for a different challenge this time.

“I managed to get into a semi-final a few years ago with Wolves, and we should have won, so I really want to get back there this year,” he said.

“Our run hasn’t been filled with ‘huge’ games against United and all the other teams, but that’s the whole point of the cup competitions, you play a variety of teams from different leagues.

“Obviously, we’ll be favourites against Coventry, and we are at home. We’re not going to take anybody lightly, but we’re pretty confident.”

Goalkeeper Jean Luke Wilmot emerged as the star for Constant Spring FC in the mid-season final of the Wray & Nephew KSAFA Championship League.

His heroics between the sticks, during both regulation time and in the ensuing penalty shootout to decide the winners, ensured that his team defeated Olympic Gardens FC 5-3 on penalties to secure their first title of the season.

The 24-year-old, who has been a player at the club since the age of sixteen, has experienced the highs and lows at Constant Spring for eight years. In that time, Wilmot has tasted victory and endured defeat in finals appearances. These experiences helped him deal with the pressure in the mid-season final, especially during the dreaded penalty kicks.

“Penalties are something that we were working on in training. For me personally, the final was just a regular game. I was simply doing my job to help the team win,” he explained.

“This win is very, very good for us because we reached the final last year and fell short. This time, we were determined not to settle for second place. We aimed to win, and we did,” he continued.

Wilmot hopes that the mid-season final victory will serve as a catalyst for the club to achieve their ultimate goal this season and surpass last year's performance.

“It's a booster for the team, for everyone. A victory always boosts morale. But the real aim for the team this season is to go one step further than last year and become the Championship League champions.”

Wilmot celebrated the win with his two brothers, Javier and Tariq, who also play for the club. However, he believes this victory is just the beginning for the trio.

“It's a dream come true, but it's not the ultimate dream. The dream is to win everything there is to win with my brothers. For this season, it's to be the champions at the end of the season. That's just the tip of the iceberg.”

His only league title win came back in 2018, and Wilmot believes that the arrival of Neville “Bertis” Bell as head coach in January is the key factor that will help them achieve their goals.

“If you asked the players, we would say yes, however, he would say no because we are the ones who play, and it is down to us to execute what we practice.”

The Manuel Neuer and David de Gea fan spoke of the impact Bell has already made in his short time at the helm at Constant Spring.

“There is a sense of familiarity. He has brought the team closer together. The team is now functioning as a family. He is a role model to the players, not just as a coach but as an individual. It is amazing. He is an amazing person and an amazing coach.”

The former Mona High School Manning Cup player says that they will not get carried away with their mid-season success and that they will quickly return their attention to the main job at hand.

“We will take each game one step at a time as we always do for the rest of the campaign,” he concluded.

Ange Postecoglou said it was a joy to meet Owen Bright again and a number of other Tottenham fans after the club recently showed its support for Down Syndrome Awareness Week.

A group of young people with Down’s syndrome were invited to the training ground along with their families to watch Spurs players take part in a training session on Wednesday.

The Tottenham players wore a range of colourful mismatched socks, provided by Nike, to show their support for the #LotsOfSocks campaign, which embraces the fact that no two people are the same regardless of the number of chromosomes they have.

Individuals born with Down’s syndrome typically have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two, with mismatched socks the perfect way to illustrate no two people are the same ahead of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21.

Postecoglou met the group of young people with Down’s syndrome and got the chance to see Spurs fan Bright again, who stole the show at the club’s Fans Forum event in September with a question to the Tottenham boss.

Bright greeted Postecoglou with a big hug before the Australian coach showed the young Tottenham fan a picture of the pair from the Fans Forum event, which took pride of place in his manager’s office at the training ground in Enfield.

The young fans, who are members of Tottenham’s official disabled supporters’ association SpursAbility, also got to meet players from the men and women’s teams.

Asked ahead of Saturday’s trip to Fulham if providing joy to fans was one of the best parts of his job, Postecoglou replied: “Yes it is but it is also reciprocal.

“I get a lot of joy out of it too, mate.

“It is not every day you walk out to training and someone runs up to give you a hug. It’s not the usual greeting I get!

“And it wasn’t just Owen. There were quite a few of his friends there and I walked out and saw a bunch of Spurs supporters buzzing. There is no better feeling.

“As much as we understand particularly the players, they are their heroes and the joy they give them, we get equal joy out of it mate because it’s such a fantastic feeling to see people who are passionate about their football club and how much joy it gives them.

“Yeah, it’s just a privilege to be in that space.”

Pep Guardiola is relishing another clash with Real Madrid after Manchester City were pitted against the Spanish giants for a third successive year.

Champions League holders City will take on the competition’s record 14-time winners in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition next month.

The two clubs have met in the semi-finals for the past two years, with Real winning in 2022 but City avenging that loss – wrapped up with a 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium – last term.

“It looks like a little bit of a tradition, three years in a row playing the kings of the competition,” said City manager Guardiola following Friday’s draw.

“Hopefully we can arrive in a good moment but there are still a few weeks before the first game in Madrid.

“When people say draws are easy, you undermine the other opponent but it’s not necessary to say what Real Madrid are in this competition. When you play the latter stages you play against the best teams in Europe and Real Madrid are totally there.

“But all the opponents are really tough, everybody knows it. We were excited before the draw because it’s a privilege every time we are here. It is a special competition.”

City’s immediate priority is Saturday’s home FA Cup quarter-final tie against Newcastle.

It will be the fourth time the two clubs have faced each other this season, with City edging both Premier League meetings but the Magpies prevailing in the Carabao Cup.

Guardiola said: “This season and the previous one, and the previous one – since Eddie Howe was there and the people from Saudi Arabia took over – they have always been tight games.

“I don’t expect differently but we have an incredible chance at home with our people. From now on, until the end of the season, we need at every home game the support of our fans like we had against (Manchester) United.

“I can’t remember an environment like that for a long time and we need that tomorrow.”

City will be without key players Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson but Jack Grealish is back in contention after missing six of the last seven games with groin trouble.

“He’s getting better,” Guardiola said. “He’s in the group.”

De Bruyne was this week left out of the Belgium squad after it emerged he carried a groin injury into last week’s draw at Liverpool.

“He’s not ready,” Guardiola said. “He played at Anfield with some problems but he’s getting better.

“He’s not ready for tomorrow and we spoke with the Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco and he decided not to go. I’m grateful because he didn’t feel good.

“He can recover for the last part of the season. All the players today in modern football are not clean, always they have problems. It’s better to take a step back.”

Goalkeeper Ederson, who suffered a thigh injury as he fouled Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez to concede a penalty, should also return after the international break. Stefan Ortega will deputise this weekend.