Category Uncategorized

Liverpool's nightmare defence of their Premier League title took a turn for the worse on Saturday as Nottingham Forest ripped the Reds apart at Anfield. In a game that saw more than one moment of VAR controversy, Forest struck three times, courtesy of efforts from Murillo, Nicolo Savona and Morgan Gibbs-White, to leave a shellshocked Arne Slot potentially fearing for his job.

After Alexis Mac Allister and Milos Kerkez probably both should've scored, disaster struck for the hosts as Murillo slotted home following Liverpool's failure to clear from a corner. It was a controversial moment in a first-half that was full of them, with VAR ruling that Dan Ndoye wasn't interfering with Alisson depsite being very close to the Brazilian goalkeeper's eyeline. Moments later it could've easily been two – Igor Jesus somewhat harshly being adjudged to have handled the ball after controlling Ibrahima Konate's hopeless attempt to clear, with referee Andy Madley blowing to penalise the Forest forward and chalk off his goal.

If Slot had given his side a rollicking at the half-time break it didn't seem to have an impact as Forest came racing out of the blocks and found a second – Savona getting on the scoresheet this time after some suspect defending allowed Neco Williams to escape in the box and find the Italian completely free to be able to pick his spot. It would get worse before the end, too, with Gibbs-White making it 3-0 after 78 minutes to stun Anfield into silence and leave Slot wondering what on earth he needs do to get the Reds back on track.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Alisson Becker (5/10):

His first outing since September and could do nothing to stop any of the goals.

Dominik Szoboszlai (3/10):

Stationed at right-back but drifted inside and further forward to create the extra man. Should've got a lot tighter to Murillo for the first Forest goal.

Ibrahima Konate (3/10):

VAR saved him after he was caught out by Igor Jesus for the controversial handball incident. Sacrificed soon after half-time when Liverpool fell two behind.

Virgil van Dijk (3/10):

On his heels as the ball flew past him from Anderson's corner, leading to Murillo's opening goal. A visiting side shouldn't be scoring three at Anfield on his watch.

Milos Kerkez (3/10):

Should've done far better with a huge first-half chance perfectly set-up for him by Salah. Was a bit hit-and-hope with his crossing as Liverpool looked for a way back and was eventually hooked.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Ryan Gravenberch (3/10):

Heart-in-mouth moment when the studs in his right boot somewhat inadvertently made contact with Ibrahim Sangare's calf but VAR chose not to get involved. Nowhere near as dominant and majestic in midfield as he usually is.

Alexis Mac Allister (3/10):

Thought he'd scored in the first half only for Elliot Anderson's head to deny him a certain goal. Was weak in the challenge as Williams somehow escaped him to create Forest's second.

Curtis Jones (3/10):

Didn't contribute nearly enough. Caught in possession and at one point in the first half was turned all ends up by Anderson, an emblematic moment showing where both are in the England World Cup squad stakes.

Getty Images SportAttack

Mohamed Salah (5/10):

Flashes of brilliance at times, including the mazy run that set-up the Kerkez chance but had very few opportunities to cut in and shoot on that lethal left foot as Forest defenders gobbled him up.

Alexander Isak (2/10): 

Hardly had a kick. Still without a Premier League goal for Liverpool and he wasn't even close to breaking his duck here, with Slot deciding enough was enough after 68 minutes.

Cody Gakpo (5/10):

Looked a constant threat in the first-half with his driving runs but faded in the second. Fell asleep as Savona ran off him to score the visitors' second.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Hugo Ekitike (5/10):

Brought on for Konate but had little impact.

Federico Chiesa (5/10):

Replaced Isak but couldn't turn the tide, smashing one presentable chance over the bar.

Andy Robertson (4/10):

On for Kerkez with a little over 20 minutes left and couldn't get anywhere near Omari Hutchinson as he cut inside and shot to force the third goal.

Rio Ngumoha (N/A):

On late on and it was game over by that point.

Arne Slot (3/10):

An absolute shocker of a result. He would've expected to beat Forest at home to try to get things moving back in the right direction but this was truly the stuff of nightmares. The heat's now really on and things will need to change, and quickly. Dropping Isak wouldn't be the worst place to start…

It is hard not to feel a little bit sorry for Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl after he watched his team ship three goals for the second time in four matches, albeit after extra time.

The Ibrox giants were beaten 3-1 at Hampden Park by their Glasgow rivals in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Sunday, but it was fairly impressive that they even took the game to extra time after going 1-0 down and down to ten men.

Rohl, who arrived to replace Russell Martin in the dugout, will have learned a lot about his group of players after his first four games in charge, with two wins and two defeats.

The former Sheffield Wednesday boss should be pleased with the fight this team showed on Sunday, although his side seemed to lose their legs in extra time, as shown by how slow the defenders were to react to Callum Osmand’s goal in the clip below.

Celtic’s young striker scored his first goal for the club in his second senior appearance, both of which have come under interim manager Martin O’Neill.

That shows that a fresh pair of eyes in the dugout can unearth a talent that was overlooked by the previous management team, which should be a lesson to Rohl, with the players in the Rangers youth ranks.

The academy problem Rangers have at Ibrox

The Light Blues have a problem with their academy at Ibrox because there has not been enough of a reward for the work being done with their youth teams.

Most valuable former Rangers academy stars
Player	Market value	Rangers first-team games
Billy Gilmour	£18m	0
Nathan Patterson	£11m	27
Greg Taylor	£5m	0
Ross McCrorie	£2m	55
Lewis Morgan	£2m	0
Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the five most valuable former Rangers academy players all play for other clubs, and none of them made more than 55 appearances for the first-team before they left.

Only two of them, Nathan Patterson and Billy Gilmour, being worth more than £5m suggests that the club are not doing enough to bring in or develop high-value players in their academy.

On top of potentially not bringing the right players through their academy system, an issue could also be the lack of a pathway to first-team football at Ibrox.

Osmand for Celtic is the perfect example. He did not play a single minute under Brendan Rodgers for the Hoops, after signing in the summer window, and he made an instant impact in a huge match when brought in by O’Neill.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

If Rodgers had stayed in post and continued to ignore the striker, Osmand’s development may have stalled, and he could have gone on to leave Glasgow and thrive or fail elsewhere.

Instead, O’Neill provided him with a chance to shine and, after his goal against Rangers, he may kick on to become a star for the Hoops in the coming months because of the opportunity that he has been given.

Now, on the other side of Glasgow, Rohl could unearth his own version of Osmand by finally unleashing Findlay Curtis as a starter for the Ibrox giants.

Why Danny Rohl should unleash Findlay Curtis for Rangers

The Gers academy graduate was given a chance by Martin at the start of this season, with starts against Panathinaikos, and he showed real promise, with an excellent first goal for the club.

It was a terrific run and finish from the “Boy Wonder”, as shown in the clip above, but he has not started a game in any competition since those two games against the Greek side.

Curtis added to his goal tally for the club with goals against both St Mirren and Alloa Athletic, in the Scottish Premiership and the League Cup. Both of those strikes, though, came as a substitute.

Findlay Curtis’ appearances this season
Opposition	Minutes	Goals
Panathinaikos (H)	75	1
Panathinaikos (A)	59	0
Viktoria Plzen (H)	5	0
Dundee (H)	13	0
Alloa Athletic (H)	6	1
St Mirren (A)	14	1
Club Brugge (A)	45	0
Celtic (H)	8	0
Hibernian (H)	13	0
Dundee United (H)	14	0
Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the 19-year-old attacker has only made ten appearances in all competitions this season, starting two games, and has scored three goals in that time.

Per Sofascore, Curtis has been an unused substitute in seven of his last eight appearances in the matchday squad, with his only outing in that time coming off the bench against Dundee United in Stevie Smith’s game as interim head coach.

Despite his frustrating lack of game time on the pitch, only Djeidi Gassama (five) and James Tavernier (six) have scored more goals for Rangers in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, than the teenage winger.

Curtis has scored one goal in 49 minutes of action in the Premiership, across four appearances as a substitute, so far this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been effective with the minutes that he has had.

The Scottish forward, who produced four goals and three assists in eight matches for the B team, has delivered quality in the Premiership, in Europe, and in a domestic cup. He has shown that he can make an impact with the first-team.

Yet, as has seemingly been the case for academy players for far too long at Ibrox, Curtis has not been rewarded with regular game time to develop and improve in the senior team.

Rohl must change that by providing the 19-year-old attacker, who can play on the left or the right flank, with more chances to show what he can do on the pitch as a starter for the Light Blues.

Rangers saw firsthand what can happen when a young player is finally given a chance when Osmand found the back of the net against them, and they should learn from that lesson by finally unleashing Curtis.

Martin claimed Rangers star was a "huge asset", now he looks "rotten"

This Rangers signing was heavily praised by Russell Martin, now it looks like he needs to be sold.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 3, 2025

انتقدت قناة ريال مدريد، حكم مباراة الفريق أمام سيلتا فيجو، بعد الهزيمة مساء الأحد ببطولة الدوري الإسباني، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”.

وتعرض ريال مدريد للهزيمة بهدفين دون رد أمام سيلتا فيجو، وتلقى فريق تشابي ألونسو، ثلاث بطاقات حمراء، اثنتان خلال اللقاء لفران جونزاليس وألفارو كاريراس، وأخرى لإندريك على مقاعد البدلاء.

وعاد تلفزيون ريال مدريد ليوجه سهامه مجددًا إلى الأداء التحكيمي، وقال: “رغم أن قرارات كوينتيرو جونزاليس لم تكن مؤثرة بشكل مباشر في نتيجة اللقاء، فإن ما قدمه كان مخيبًا ومؤسفًا، لقد ترشّح، كما كان يحدث في عهد نيجريرا، لنيل الجوائز التي يستحقها، سواء بأن يصبح حكمًا دوليًا أو بإدارة أهم المباريات على المستوى الوطني”.

وأضاف: “حتى هو نفسه لا يعرف ماذا يحتسب، إنه من الحكام الجدد، لكنه… سيئ، ولنقل ذلك مؤقتًا فقط، ما يقدمه الحكم أمرًا فادحًا، وفوضويًا للغاية، هو جديد، لكن يبدو أنه تلقى التعليمات جيدًا”.

وخلال بث المباراة انتقدوا قرارات التحكيم فيما يتعلق بإضاعة الوقت، قائلين: “لم يطبّق المعيار نفسه على الطرفين، وكان متساهلًا جدًا مع تضييع الوقت من جانب سيلتا فيجو، قاعدة الثماني ثوانٍ أصبحت مهزلة، إنها صفعة على وجه المشجعين واللاعبين والجميع”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ماركا تكشف كواليس الفوضى أمام سيلتا فيجو.. فينيسيوس يتنبأ بقرار الحكم وطرد ثالث في ريال مدريد

وتواصلت التعليقات طوال المباراة: “سيلتا يجيد إضاعة الوقت، لكن حكم دوري نيجريرا، وهو سيء للغاية، يجب أن يمنع ذلك، نتوقع أي شيء من دوري نيجريرا، وتفاصيل نيجريرا”.

وتتابعت التعليقات: “هذا ليس يومًا نتحدث فيه عن ركلات الجزاء أو التسلل، لقد كان يومًا مليئًا بالبطاقات الصفراء وإضاعة الوقت؛ كل ذلك يُرهقك، ليس هذا سبب الهزيمة، لكن التحكيم لم يُفاجئنا، لأنه كان أداءً مؤسفًا آخر في مباراة سيئة للفريق”.

كانت هناك أيضًا شكوى بشأن طرد فران حارسيا لتراكم البطاقات الصفراء: “لم يُظهر البث المباشر تدخل فران حارسيا بالتفصيل من أفضل زاوية، لذلك لم نتمكن من تحديد ما إذا كانتا مخالفتين”.

وفيما يتعلق بالبطاقة الحمراء الثانية، التي شُهرت لـ كاريراس، قالوا: “شيء مذهل مدى سرعة مهاجمته لكاريراس عندما وُجه إليه اللوم، من السهل جدًا مهاجمة لاعب واحد وغض الطرف عن الآخرين، كانت هناك احتجاجات طوال المباراة، احتج سيلتا، واحتج جيرالديز؛ اللقطات موجودة، حتى لو لم تُعرض”.

وفي الختام، جاء ذكر فران سوتو، الرئيس الحالي للجنة الحكام: “هذا ليس تحكيمًا يليق بدوري يدّعي أنه من بين الأفضل في العالم، أريد أن أرى ماذا سيقول فران سوتو، وماذا سيُقال في برنامج (زمن المراجعة)، إن كانوا سيعرضون اللقطات أصلًا”.

أعلن نادي الزمالك، عن اعتزال شروق فؤاد لاعبة الفريق الأول لكرة الطائرة بالنادي. 

وكانت شروق فؤاد قد إنضمت إلى صفوف طائرة نادي الزمالك في صيف الموسم الماضي 2024، قادمة من صفوف الأهلي في صفقة انتقال حر. 

طالع.. خالد الغندور يوجه رسالة قاسية لمجلس إدارة الزمالك: النادي ينهار.. والوزير لن يُقدم حلولًا

ونشرت الصفحة الرسمية لنادي الزمالك للكرة الطائرة على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي صورة شروق فؤاد وعلقت عليها قائلة: “شكرًا شروق على كل ما قدمتيه”. 

وتعد شروق فؤاد، من أبرز اللاعبات في مركز صناعة اللعب، وسبق لها وحصدت لقب أفضل صانعة ألعاب في بطولة إفريقيا للأندية عامي 2016 و2019.

كما تُوجت شروق فؤاد لاعبة طائرة الزمالك بلقب أفضل صانعة ألعاب في البطولة العربية وإفريقيا في عام 2015.

The Sri Lanka captain returned to bat in the 23rd over after they lost their third wicket

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Oct-2025

Chamari Athapaththu was stretchered off early in the innings•Associated Press

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu was stretchered off the field early in their innings against England, raising serious concerns for the Sri Lanka camp. However, she returned to bat in the 23rd over after Sri Lanka had lost their third wicket.She had merely been cramping, but her having been carried away – rather than helped off the field – suggests Sri Lanka are not taking any risks with her, given their heavy World Cup schedule coming up. Athapaththu is vital to their chances in the tournament.In any case it was a largely unremarkable, jogged single that put Athapaththu out of commission. Having dragged a Linsey Smith delivery to deep midwicket in the sixth over, Athapaththu began to limp as she made her way to the other end. Almost immediately upon reaching the non-striker’s crease, she collapsed on to the ground, and lay face first until Sri Lanka’s physio arrived to treat her.After several minutes of stretching and treatment however, the stretcher and further medical staff were called for. At no stage after initially going down did Athapaththu get back on her feet.After returning to bat, Athapaththu added eight more runs before being bowled by Sophie Ecclestone for 15 in the 29th over.Athapaththu had been on the field for the entirety of England’s innings, and had bowled five overs for 21 as well. Conditions have been extremely humid in Colombo over the past few weeks, which is normal for this time of year.Sri Lanka’s captain had also been seen receiving extra stretching assistance from the support staff during training on the eve of the match.They were chasing 254, after England made 253 for 9, thanks to a Nat Sciver-Brunt hundred.

Yorkshire 475 (Agarwal 175, Hill 88, Lyth 69, Thompson 50, Raine 5-76, Ghafari 4-119) beat Durham 346 (Raine 101, Bedingham 93, Rhodes 50, White 5-69) and 85 (Hill 4-14, Bess 4-22) by an innings and 44 runsDurham threw away a golden chance to secure their Division One status in the Rothesay County Championship as they failed to bat out the final two-and-a-bit sessions of their season finale against Yorkshire at Headingley and were relegated in the process.Durham started their second innings 129 runs in arrears with a minimum of 89 overs left in the match against a Yorkshire side whose top-flight status had just been sealed by events elsewhere.With relegation rivals Hampshire losing to Surrey at 10.55am, Yorkshire were safe. And that result gave Durham a lifeline. Draw the game and they too were secure in Division One for next season.But they couldn’t grasp the chance, crumbling from 29 for 1 to 85 all out inside 45 overs during a remarkable afternoon collapse which saw George Hill and Dom Bess shine with four wickets apiece.Durham coach, Ryan Campbell, suggested afterwards that a “defensive mindset” had cost his side, as they attempted to survive rather than wipe out the deficit quickly.”I can’t explain it. It’s just a total capitulation,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s happened a few times this year. The pressure went on and our blokes couldn’t stop it. Obviously, there’s a room full of gutted people. We were handed a lifeline and we didn’t take it.”I’ve always said that we bat at our best when we look to score. When you look to score, you get yourself into better positions and make better decisions. I think, obviously, there was a very defensive mindset of trying to get through. What then happens is that if you lose a couple of wickets, you haven’t gone anywhere.”The facts are that we were 120-odd behind when we started, and we needed to get rid of that as quick as we could. That takes courage to back your skills and ability, and that’s something we’ve always done.”But today was one of those days that will probably go down in Durham’s folklore of hanging our heads in shame. We’re going to have to rebuild and come back bigger and better next year.”Yorkshire’s fourth win of the season – this by an innings and 44 runs – consolidated their position in seventh place, with Durham losing for the sixth time to join Worcestershire in Division Two next season.Play started here at Headingley with Yorkshire advancing their first-innings 465 for 9 to 475 all out.Jordan Thompson moved from 44 to 50 and was last man out to Ben Raine’s seam, drilling a catch to long-off. When Thompson reached his fifty off 112 balls, he tapped the white rose on his chest with his bat in an obvious acknowledgement of his love for his home county ahead of a winter move to Warwickshire on a three-year contract.Raine finished with excellent figures of 5 for 76 from 35.4 overs. Having scored a first-innings 101, he became the fifth man in Durham’s first-class history to hit a century and return a five-wicket haul in the same match. He didn’t deserve this outcome, despite an ill-judged shot with the bat in the second innings.So, with Durham’s task clear, there was absolutely no need for adventure with the bat in hand.They reached lunch at 27 for 1 in 23 overs, losing Emilio Gay caught behind off the inside-edge pushing forwards at Hill’s seam. But then came the drama, the visitors losing their last nine wickets for 56.Bess had Lees caught behind for 18 pushing forwards just after lunch, a beauty of a delivery to the left-hander.And when Thompson’s seam accounted for Ben McKinney and David Bedingham in successive overs, Durham were 62 for 4 in the 35th. McKinney was lbw offering no shot, Bedingham caught behind.Hill also trapped Ollie Robinson lbw with one that kept low shortly afterwards and struck again in his next over to get Graham Clark caught at backward point for his 50th Championship wicket of the season. Durham were 76 for 6 in the 41st over.It took less than four more overs for the game to finish in deteriorating light. Raine miscued to mid-off running around as he tried to hit Bess over the top before Matthew Potts was caught at short leg and Daniel Hogg was caught behind – three wickets falling in the 44th over.Will Rhodes was then trapped lbw by Hill to finish the game, the last four wickets falling for two runs in only 10 balls.Yorkshire were jubilant, especially Hill with 4 for 14 in 10.5 overs and Bess with 4 for 22 from 17.Durham were disconsolate, and it will take some time to work out how they let this one get away. Hamphire survived in their place after one almighty scare.

Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly considering an offer to sign a Premier League striker to replace the struggling Dominic Solanke for Thomas Frank in 2026.

Frank ready to replace Solanke

It’s been an excellent start for Frank in North London. After becoming the first Premier League side to win away at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday, Spurs now sit as high as third in the Premier League. Any thoughts about a repeat of last season are long gone and the Lilywhites are on course to earn their place back in the top four.

Not everyone is thriving under the Dane, however. In fact, the likes of Solanke have failed to win over the new manager entirely and now reports are suggesting that the former Brentford boss simply does not rate him.

The same reports also claimed that Spurs could replace the former Liverpool striker as soon as January, which could open the door to an early exit just over a year on from his £65m move from Bournemouth.

What hasn’t helped the forward’s case is his injury history. Since the start of last season, Solanke has missed 26 games through injury. For a £65m signing, that was always likely to give those in North London something to think about.

Tottenham now keen on "world-class" £35m star who Frank's already approved

Spurs are in the race to sign a new forward.

ByDominic Lund Oct 28, 2025

The early season form of Richarlison as well as the introduction of loan signing Randal Kolo Muani is also unlikely to help Tottenham’s record signing, who is facing an uphill battle to get in to Frank’s side for the first time.

Now, further reports have claimed that the Lilywhites are considering a 2026 offer to sign the 28-year-old’s replacement in a brutal decision from all involved.

Tottenham considering Igor Thiago offer

According to Caught Offside, Tottenham are now considering a 2026 offer to sign Igor Thiago from Brentford. Frank initially welcomed the forward to West London for a record deal in 2024 before the Bees broke that record to sign Dango Ouattara in the summer just gone. Now, the Dane could reunite with his towering striker in North London.

The Brentford star has recovered from a long-term injury issue and is now thriving under Keith Andrews – scoring seven goals in 10 games in all competitions so far this season. It’s, therefore, no surprise that Spurs are reportedly eyeing a €35m+ (£31m+) loan to buy offer for Thiago in the January transfer window.

Described as “selfless” by Andrews, Thiago could yet hand Frank an ideal replacement for the struggling Solanke, who takes up £140,000-a-week on Spurs’ wage bill.

New York Yankees right fielder and designated hitter Aaron Judge has been carrying his team all season—and now, his squad may have to return the favor.

Judge is out for the Yankees' game against the Philadelphia Phillies Saturday due to an elbow injury, manager Aaron Boone told reporters pregame. According to Boone, Judge will undergo imaging to determine the extent of the injury.

“Obviously concerned,” Boone said via Ronald Blum of the AP. “We’ll wait and see as they read the imaging.”

The news could not come at a worse time for New York, which has been in a 14-22 skid since peaking at 17 games over .500 on June 12. On Friday, the Toronto Blue Jays took possession of Major League Baseball's best record; they lead the Yankees by 5.5 games in the American League East.

Judge is slashing .342/.449/.711—he leads MLB in all three categories—to go with 37 home runs and an American League-best 85 RBIs.

New York has two games remaining against the Phillies before a critical four-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Mistakes sank the Cubs in Game 2 of the NL division series on Monday night. Now they'll head back to Wrigley Field and try to pick up the pieces, while the Brewers bask in a 2–0 series lead.

Chicago raced to a 3–0 lead in the top of the first as they jumped all over Milwaukee's opener, Aaron Ashby. A single from Nico Hoerner and a walk from Kyle Tucker set the stage for Seiya Suzuki, who launched a 440-foot bomb into left-center.

It took less than an inning for Chicago's good vibes to vanish.

In the bottom of the first, Shota Imanaga got the first two outs, then gave up back-to-back singles to William Contreras and Christian Yelich. Andrew Vaughn was next and worked a full count. That's when Imanaga made Chicago's first mistake of the night. The 32-year-old lefty tried to bury an 84 mph sweeper in on Vaughn's hands. He annihilated it, sending the ball 382 feet over the left field fence at 109.2 mph to tie the game 3–3.

Vaughn slugged .455 on breaking pitches this season, and all but two of his 22 home runs were pulled. Going soft in on him was a terrible decision, and the Cubs paid for it. That wasn't the last pitch Imanaga would regret.

The veteran starter settled down and retired six in a row after the Vaughn home run. With two outs in the bottom of the third, Contreras stepped to the plate. After throwing two splitters and running the count to 1–1, Imanaga again attempted to beat a pull hitter by going in and paid the price. His 91 mph fastball wasn't far enough inside, and Contreras punished it, launching the ball 411 feet to left field in a no-doubter that left the bat at 107.6 mph. The 27-year-old admired his work as it flew out of the park.

Again, Imanaga must have missed the scouting report. Contreras's xSLG on fastballs was .448 this year and .517 in 2024. Only 16 of his 45 extra-base hits went to the opposite field. He tried to beat Contreras in with a fastball, left it belt-high and paid the price.

Imanaga surrendered a whopping 31 home runs during the regular season, which was the second-most in the NL. He has now given up three in the postseason in 6 2/3 innings, tied with Cincinnati's Hunter Greene for the most allowed.

After those two massive mistakes, the Brewers led 4–3 in the third inning, and there was plenty of time for Craig Counsell's team to mount a comeback. Unfortunately, that task was made much more difficult because of a third mistake.

Daniel Palencia relieved Imanaga in the third inning. He had been excellent all season and showed up in a big way against the Padres in the wild-card round, picking up the win in each of Chicago's two victories. But the 25-year-old is going to want Monday night's outing back.

Palencia retired the final batter of the third inning, then got Sal Frelick to ground out to open the top of the fourth. After hitting Caleb Durbin, he struck out Blake Perkins before allowing a single to the light-hitting Joey Ortiz. Allowing a single to the weakest hitter in Milwaukee's lineup was a sin, but not his worst on the evening.

Jackson Chourio stepped in to face Palencia and fouled off two 101 mph fastballs. Palencia was feeling himself and his velocity, so he threw the 21-year-old star outfielder another four-seamer right down the pipe. Big mistake. Chourio had seen the pitch twice, and the third came in just above his belt in the dead center of the plate. He didn't miss it, crushing the ball 419 feet to dead center.

Palencia could have tried a slider to break up the sequence—or at least thrown the heater anywhere other than the middle of the zone—but instead attempted to fire another four-seamer by Milwaukee's most talented player. It didn't work.

That home run gave the Brewers a 7–3 lead that was never threatened as Chicago only mustered a single base runner the rest of the game. Three mistakes, three home runs, seven runs for Milwaukee.

That was all she wrote.

Jacob Misiorowski Earns His Stripes, and a Win

Brewers flame-throwing righty Jacob Misiorowski made his playoff debut in Game 2 and lived up to the hype. After a brilliant start to his career, the rookie All-Star faded down the stretch of the regular season. He posted a 6.06 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in eight starts over the campaign's final two months, but looked fantastic coming out of the bullpen Monday night.

Misiorowski went three innings and allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four. His fastball regularly registered triple digits, and his first eight averaged 102.6 mph. He was electric, and Chicago had no answer for him.

While Milwaukee has limited Misiorowski's innings over the past few months, expect him to be deployed in key spots as the team continues its postseason run. He's earned it.

Chicago's Bats Are Quiet

The Cubs are heading home down 2–0 with few cards they can play. They had one of baseball's best offenses all season, but in five playoff games, they're slashing .216/.217/.386. Chicago has also struck out 58 times, which is second-most in the postseason behind the Tigers (59).

In five playoff games, the Cubs have scored 12 runs. That's 2.4 runs per game, compared to the 4.9 they averaged during the regular season. The key so far has been the team's big bats not showing up.

Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong have been held without an extra-base hit thus far. Tucker is slashing .176/.263/.176, while Crow-Armstrong's line of .222/.222/.222 isn't much better. Dansby Swanson's defense may have won them the wild-card series against the Padres, but he's slashing a weak .176/.222/.235 and has struck out a team-high 11 times.

Michael Busch (1.077 OPS), Suzuki (.930), and Nico Hoerner (.929) have answered the bell, but the rest of the lineup is dragging. Something has to change, or a sweep is coming.

Tottenham are believed to be at the front of a queue for one of Europe’s most exciting strikers as we slowly head into the January transfer window, according to a new report.

Tottenham poised for active January after attacking struggles

Spurs’ struggles this season have exposed a glaring deficiency that threatens to derail their campaign — the absence of a reliable, clinical striker capable of converting chances on a regular-enough basis.

As January approaches, manager Thomas Frank faces mounting pressure to address what has become the most pressing issue hampering Spurs’ progress.

Since the start of 25/26, they’ve registered the second-lowest rate of shots on goal out of every Premier League team, and currently sit 17th in the division for expected goals per game.

xG

11.0

17th

Non-penalty xG

11.0

16th

Progressive passes

413

12th

Shots

110

19th

Shots on target

40

15th

Average shot distance

15.6 yards

17th

Their lack of attacking edge was on display for all to see during Spurs’ 4-1 defeat to North London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, with the Lilywhites barely managing to lay a glove on the home side, barring Richarlison’s out-of-this-world lob from the half-way line.

Dominic Solanke’s persistent injury troubles have crippled Tottenham’s forward line since pre-season.

The England international underwent ‘minor ankle surgery’ in October and has managed just 47 minutes of football all campaign, depriving Frank of his primary goalscoring outlet.

The absence of Tottenham’s club-record signing has left a massive void that nobody has adequately filled. His latest setback follows multiple injury problems throughout last season, with the 28-year-old’s record proving a major concern for Frank.

This, combined with Randal Kolo Muani’s own fitness problems, Richarlison’s inconsistency and Mathys Tel’s rumoured unrest, means that Spurs have been repeatedly linked with a new centre-forward.

One of their chief targets, according to multiple reports, is FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa.

The young Spaniard is being targeted by Spurs ahead of the January window, alongside the likes of Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney, who has reportedly held direct talks with Frank over a move to London in the winter.

Aghehowa was once close to joining Chelsea in 2024 before he pulled out of the move to Stamford Bridge, and that decision has paid dividends.

The 21-year-old has scored 36 goals in 60 total appearances in all competitions since the start of last season, with Aghehowa now having his pick of Premier League suitors ahead of 2026.

Tottenham lead Chelsea, Newcastle and Arsenal in race for Samu Aghehowa

According to CaughtOffside and journalist Mark Brus, Tottenham are currently leading the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle in the race for Aghehowa as they show the strongest interest.

This follows a report from Tuesday that Spurs are prepared to strike a deal for the forward as early as January, but Porto apparently won’t budge on his £88 million release clause.

The former Deportivo Alaves sensation, who Brus describes as ‘one of the most exciting young strikers in the game’ right now, has also been revered as a ‘madman’ number nine by other members of the press.

Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange, Spurs’ new co-sporting director duo, could have more funds to play with in January thanks to the Lewis family trust’s recent £100 million capital injection.

Some of these funds could be reinvested into their recruitment drive, and the signing of Aghehowa would certainly be a mid-season statement in Frank’s hunt for silverware and a top four finish.