A crisp clear day in Galway gave way to a light drizzle across the city as darkness fell. Whatever breeze there was favoured Munster for the first half. Both squads showed an impressiveintensity in their pre-game warm-ups and this turned into pure ferocity as the game commenced.
Both sides showed impressive line-speed in defence, at times Munster were up suspiciously quickly. Munster’s work on the floor led to pressure relieving turn overs at crucial times. Tadhg Beirne was to the fore in this department. His man of the match award was more in recognition of the work he did over the ball rather than on it. However, the second row wasn’t alone in his work on the floor. Gavin Coombes won some crucial turnovers. CJ Stander won more again as Munster’s groundhog’s never let Connacht get clean quick ball.
Early action
A couple of strong early carries from Sam Arnold led to a Connacht penalty. The resulting line out was overthrown, but then snaffled up by Jack Carty and another penalty followed just to the left of the post less than thirty out. However, Carty pulled his kick and Connacht failed to take the three points on offer.
Munster won an early penalty in the scrum, Finlay Bealham adjudged to be the guilty party. Shortly after on ten minutes Shane Delahunt was sin-binned for collapsing the maul. JJ Hanrahan converted the resulting penalty. Munster turned the screw while a man up and from the line out they drove their maul forward. The ball was recycled twice before Chris Farrell ran in the try on 18mins. Hanrahan added the extras. By the time Shane Delahunt retuned Connacht had shipped ten points.
Chris Farrell dives over for the games opening try. Photo credit: Shane Tighe
Connacht enjoyed some good territory during the next phase of the game. However, they were unable convert this into points. A knock-on at a crucial stage while deep in the Munster 22’ was the closest they came to the line in the first half. Just before the break Jack Carty made amends for his earlier miss from a similar position by stroking the penalty over.
Half-time: Connacht 3 Munster 10
JJ Hanrahan restored Munster’s ten point lead two minutes into the second half. Sweetly striking over a breakdown penalty. Connacht won a scrum penalty and threatened the Munster 22’ once more in the next phase of play. However, the outcome was similar to their first half efforts.Gavin Coombes this time winning a crucial turnover.
Hanrahan kept the scoreboard ticking over with another 3 points for the visitors on 63mins. This came when Connacht were penalised for not rolling away.
Connacht preserverd and pressed for a try as the clock ticked into the final ten minutes. They turned down a kickable penalty in favour of chasing seven points. However, Munster drove them back out of the 22’ in an impressive show of defensive strength.
At 3-16 behind entering the final three minutes it looked as if all Connacht’s efforts were in vain. Then Rory Scannell received a yellow on 78mins, shortly after coming on. Connacht made their numbers count with a try in the corner from Peter Sullivan in the next phase of play. When Carty converted superbly from the touchline Connacht were back within losing bonus territory.
Shortly after Munster were down to 13 men. Nick McCarthy joined Scannell in the bin as the clock entered the red. This time it was for cynically killing the ball as Connacht pressed for a winner. Connacht opted for the scrum and pressed for a winning try. However, Munster came up with another crucial turnover when it mattered most.
Full-time: Connacht 10 Munster 16
Pro14 standings
Munster stretch their lead at the top of Conference B to eleven points. Now with eight wins out of nine they lead the way on 37 points. Connacht (on 26 points) by dint of their losing bonus move two ahead of third place Scarlets (24) who lost 29-20 away to Cardiff (22, who close to within two of their Welsh rivals. The Blues have, however, played a game more than Scarlets and two more than Connacht.
Teams
Connacht: 15. John Porch, 14. Ben O’Donnell, 13. Sammy Arnold, 12. Tom Daly, 11. Alex Wootton, 10. Jack Carty, 9. Caolin Blade, 1. Denis Buckley, 2. Shane Delahunt, 3. Finlay Bealham, 4. Ultan Dillane, 5. Quinn Roux, 6. Sean O’Brien, 7. Conor Oliver, 8. Sean Masterson. Replacements: Dave Heffernan – temporary sub for Masterson 15mins, Matthew Burke, Dominic Robertson-McCoy – for Bealham 51′, Gavin Thornbury for Masterson 56′, Paul Boyle – for O’Brien (HIA) 42′, Kieran Marmion – for Blade 55′, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Peter Sullivan – for O’Donnell (HIA) 48′.
Munster: 15. Mike Haley, 14. Keith Earls, 13. Chris Farrell, 12. Damien de Allende, 11. Shane Daly, 10. JJ Hanrahan, 9. Conor Murray, 1. James Cronin, 2. Kevin O’Byrne, 3. Stephen Archer, 4. Jean Kleyn, 5. Tadhg Beirne, 6. Gavin Coombes, 7. Peter O’Mahony, 8. CJ Stander. Replacements: Niall Scannell for O’Byrne 53′, Josh Wycherley – for Cronin 59′, Keynan Knox – forArcher 53′, Fineen Wycherley – for Kleyn 15′ (HIA), Billy Holland – for Coombes 65′, Nick McCarthy for Murray 73′, Ben Healy for Hanrahan 63′, Rory Scannell – for Shane Daly 70′.
Somehow, through all the madness, we’ve made it to 2021. It seems like forever ago since mass gatherings and pints in the pub with the lads was a guilt-free experience.
When covering your face in public was more likely to get you pulled over by your local law enforcement than it was an act of decency. And when Netflix and Chill was a euphemism rather than a government recommendation. But as much as we’d love to believe we are completely done with all the turmoil and mayhem the 2020 brought us, there is one massive issue that needs to be resolved. The 2020 NFL Season. Well, yeah, I suppose there’s still Coronavirus too, but as a Dolphins fan the NFL has been killing my hopes and dreams regularly for over 30 years so I’ll start with that. As anyone who has followed my babble since the preseason will be aware of, I’m not one to play it safe with my predictions and I don’t shy away from taking shots at whoever I think deserves it. So, sit back while my opinion on what we can expect to see from this season’s playoff football no doubt earns me yet more backlash but hopefully from a safe distance! Lets start with a quick look at who is in and who are conspicuous by their absence:
The AFC side is less dominated by who is in (don’t worry, we’ll chat about the Brows later) and more by the familiar name that is missing. Yes, The New York Jets. Just checking you’re still paying attention, of course I’m referring to the New England Patriots. Whether you love them (I suggest seeking psychological help) or hate them, there is no denying January football is always more fun when Hoodie and his evil empire are in the mix. But the lack of talent, which has been evident since last season, has finally caught up to them and they were well off the pace this season. Their torch of dominance has well and truly been passed to Cheeseburger Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs. They have continued to look borderline unstoppable at times and any money put down on them not being there in February is a brave call. The line of teams ready to take a swing at them are the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and even the Cleveland Browns are in there too. To be honest, all of these teams come to the table armed with legit ways to win it out and none can be counted out in any game. Whether it’s the ground and pound run games of the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans that suits playoff football so well. Or the suffocating defences in Baltimore, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. You know the saying, defences win Championships. Or the sheer QB mastery that Pat Mahomes and Josh Allen have displayed this year. This AFC race could provide instant classic after instant classic.
I’m not sure the same can be said for the NFC side. In comparison to the very competitive AFC, it’s fair to say the NFC needs to drop some dead weight before that will really get going. Although who knows, it may provide a heart-warming underdog story for the ages. Top of the mountain stand the Green Bay Packers and pissed off Aaron Rodgers (although if you’ve watch him on the Pat McAfee Show every week, he doesn’t seem all that pissed off!). They’ve got themselves a bye again this year, although this one is an actual bye and not just having to go through the formality of beating the Cowboys.
That also means the road to the SuperBowl runs through Lambeau which really stacks things in their favour, even in a crowd less environment. Speaking of home field advantage, the Saints can make it to the NFC Championship game playing in their dome, which will be a big source of confidence for Drew Brees. Familiar foes Seattle and the Rams go head to head for the 3rd time this season in a game that could hinge around the availability of QB Jared Goff. The list is made up with the Chicago Bears and Washington Football Team. Both these teams should be thanking their lucky stars they made it this far because neither should really be anywhere near playoffs if we’re being honest. I swear, if Mitch Trubisky wins a SuperBowl, Dan Marino can take it that God either hates him or has the worst sense of humour ever! But as much as I’d love to fire shots left, right and centre at Washington, I just can’t help but be delighted for the 2 guys who are spearheading that effort, Alex Smith and Ron Rivera. Both guys are the epitome of class, and the World and its mother knows that organisation could do with a hell of a lot more of it. So, I hope they can give a good account of themselves, though I don’t expect the dream to live past their trip to Tampa Bay and good old Tom Brady. The Buccaneers simply have too much weaponry for them, whether Mike Evans is available or not.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN:
Obviously, the landscape of these playoffs can change drastically in a very short space of time. The seeding system means one wrong result can throw an entire bracket prediction off completely. It’s impossible to predict injuries and Coronavirus circumstances pooping up at any given time but I’ll have a bash at what could happen:
WILDCARD ROUND:
The Packers and Chiefs have Bye’s into the Divisional Round.
#7 Indianapolis Colts @ #2 Buffalo Bills
Great game to kick this off. The Bills have been on fire lately and they will take some stopping. They won’t have it easy against a very live underdog in the Indianapolis Colts, however. I can see this game being decided late, but I think the Bills will just edge it. The Colts squeezed into the playoffs courtesy of the Bills win over the Dolphins. Josh Allen giveth, Josh Allen taketh away!
#6 Cleveland Browns @ #3 Pittsburgh Steelers
A nice in division rivalry and one that would have been a great game to look forward to if the Browns weren’t dealing with a mini Covid crisis which has already cost them their Head Coach for the game. It’s tough to see them overcome that going up against a Steelers team who have been effective all season in dealing with cannon fodder. I feel sorry for the Dawg Pound who have been waiting so long for this opportunity only to see them not get a fair shake at it.
#5 Baltimore Ravens @ #4 Tennessee Titans
A repeat of a Divisional Round game last season when an upstart Titans upset the in-form Ravens. I can see a similar result too; I just believe the Titans match up well against the Ravens. While Derrick Henry is lining up in that backfield, I have them as favourites over a Ravens team who will need a plan B that we haven’t see from them yet on offense to win this one.
#7 Chicago Bears @ #3 New Orleans Saints
As I expressed earlier, I think the Bears are extremely lucky to have gotten this far. But when you have a fantastic defense and your run game gets progressively better as the season goes on, that can happen. Whether that defense will be good enough to keep them in it against Brees and the Saints is a whole other animal though. I’m going safe with this one.
#6 Los Angeles Rams @ #3 Seattle Seahawks
Another divisional rivalry game that may fall victim to circumstances. At the time of writing, it looks like Jared Goff is unlikely to play. I’m no huge believer in Goff, but they aren’t set up to beat the Seahawks without him to be honest.
#5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ #4 Washington Football Team
Washington’s chances in this game relies purely on their defensive line causing enough disruption to keep Tampa Bay from putting this to bed early. And make no mistake, said d line is good enough to do it too. All 4 are 1st round draft picks and they have another in veteran Ryan Kerrigan. But staying in the game is one thing, winning it is another. And it’s hard to see them having enough to cause a shock. I’m taking the Buccs.
DIVISIONAL ROUND: #4 Tennessee Titans @ #1 Kansas City Chiefs
Can anyone stop the Chiefs? The one weakness we have seen from them in the last 2 years has been stopping the run game. And in Tennessee, they will be facing the best team possible to take advantage of that. Not only can Derrick Henry take a game over by himself, but they are experts at setting up and executing play-action off it to keep defences off balance. It’s an ideal scenario to go against the Chiefs. The question is whether their own defense can hold up. That is a far bigger issue and came up short in the AFC Championship game last year. For some reason my gut is telling me to go with the Titans. I don’t know why. It’s a huge leap of faith, especially given that the Titans defense was better last year and still couldn’t get it done, but I’m going with it.
#3 Pittsburgh Steelers @ #2 Buffalo Bills
The 2 biggest question that need answering here are 1) Just how good are the Pittsburgh Steelers actually? And 2) Can the Buffalo Bills, and more specifically Josh Allen, keep this for going or will the wheels fall off the cart at some stage? The Steelers have been a lot better than I ever expected them to be. But at the same time, I find it hard to remember any point in the season where I felt like I was looking at a legit SuperBowl contender. I knew the Bills had the potential to be a contender, but I also can’t shake the feeling that the old raw version Josh Allen is still lurking in there ready to pop out any given game. To me, the answer to the 2nd question outweighs the answer to the 1st in this game, because if Allen and the Bills play as well as they have been, the Steelers won’t have an answer. That may be me underrating the Steelers again, but I’ll run that risk. I’m going Buffalo here.
#5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ #1 Green Bay Packers
It’s Tom Brady vs Aaron Rodgers again. The 2 teams met earlier in the year and the Buccaneers put the Packers to the sword. Are we looking at the same thing happening again? I’m not so sure. That game happened in a pleasant Florida afternoon in October. This is going to be on a more than likely snowy day in January in a freezing cold Lambeau Field. Advantage Green Bay. As long as Rodgers is healthy, my money is on the Packers.
#3 Seattle Seahawks @ #2 New Orleans Saints
The other game on the NFC side sees the Seattle Seahawks travel to the Louisiana Superdome to do battle with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints will be hoping to avoid another heart-breaking playoff loss in, what looks likely to be, Drew Brees’ last season. The Seahawks have been impressive at times during the season but haven’t really solidified themselves as a major player in the SuperBowl race. Their secondary is one of the worst in the league, despite adding Jamal Adams. And I believe it will be their undoing against a dangerous New Orleans offense. I have the Saints going through.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME #4 Tennessee Titans @ #2 Buffalo Bills
I have the first SuperBowl participant being decided by the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills going head to head. The Bills will need to slow down the power run and play action game of Tennessee. If Henry gets into an early rhythm, I’m not sure Allen and their pass reliant offense can keep pace in what will surely be difficult conditions. But this Bills defense are a tough bunch and won’t shy away from smash mouth football. I genuinely don’t know what way this would go, should it come down to it. It could possibly be whoever has the ball last. I’m going with Buffalo but with absolutely no conviction in that.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
#2 New Orleans Saints @ #1 Green Bay Packers
The NFC comes down to the top 2 seeds in my predictions. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be close. I think Brees will find it tough to move the ball in Lambeau. Maybe they can lean on Alvin Kamara to stay in the game, but all my senses say the Packers win this pretty comfortably. It would be horrible to see Brees go out on a bad loss after all he has given to the game. But the NFL is an unforgiving environment and all the Packers will be focused on is booking their place in the SuperBowl in Tampa Bay. And that’s exactly what I think they’ll do.
THE BIG ONE:
SUPERBOWL LV: AFC #2 Buffalo Bills VS NFC #1 Green Bay Packers
32 has been whittled down to 2. This game features the 2 favourites for the 2020 NFL MVP award as Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills represent the AFC against the NFC’s Green Bay Packers led by pissed off Aaron Rodgers. And as talented as both those guys, and offenses, are, I think the big advantage in this game is for Buffalo because they have a much more reliable defense. Can Green Bay possibly take that defense apart? Absolutely. But I’d be more inclined to think that Buffalo’s defense has a better chance of holding up against Green Bay’s offense than Green Bay’s defense has of keeping Buffalo’s offense in check. But as I have said earlier, I couldn’t confidently say Josh Allen doesn’t have a disaster day left in him this year either. This could either be a barn burner or a complete blow out. I’ll go with Buffalo again though, although should these 2 meet, it’s the kind of game that my prediction would probably change 1000 times before kick-off.
SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS: BUFFALO BILLS
All I can be confident of, is between now and February 7th, there will be drama, controversy, tears, e
The Irishman is set to start ahead of Alisson for tonight’s FA Cup fixture.
Caoimhin Kelleher is set to make his first start of 2021 as Liverpool take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup 3rd round.
The Cork native played – and impressed – in a handful of games throughout December but Alisson’s return from injury demoted him to the bench as backup keeper.
Tonight he will be keeping out a youthful Aston Villa side comprised of their u23 and u18 players.
They get their opportunity after a coronavirus outbreak within the first team squad ruled out senior players from competing.
Liverpool, despite the inexperience of their opposition, have fielded a strong XI comprised of first team players.
The more notable players in the Liverpool squad include Mohamed Salah, Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane and Fabinho.
Every single player in the Liverpool starting XI has seen first team minutes this season. In contrast, none of the Aston Villa squad have senior minutes under their belt this season.
There were rumours that fellow Corkman Tyreik Wright may make his competitive Aston Villa debut tonight. He, however, has not made the squad list.
Wright trained with the Aston Villa first team during the summer. His exclusion may be a result of the teenager training with the first team recently.
Manchester United today announced that they have completed the signing of 18-year-old Amad Diallo from Atalanta on a deal until 2025.
The initial fee is thought to worth €21 million, however future add-ons could increase the fee to as a much as €41 million.
The deal between the two clubs was first announced in October, however the completion of the transfer was dependant on medical, work permit and personal terms.
Those terms have now been agreed, Diallo is awaiting a visa to be issued in order to travel to Manchester and train with the squad.
Amad Diallo expressed his thoughts on the move, commenting: “After waiting since the summer, it is finally a dream come true to complete my move to Manchester United. I am hugely ambitious and there is so much that I want to achieve in the game; when I spoke to the manager I knew that I had joined the perfect club.
“This is a really exciting squad with so many great players, I can promise that I will work hard every day to learn from them and give everything to develop my game. The coaches have been fantastic since I signed, we have been in touch regularly and they have already given me a lot of great advice.
“I have had time to prepare for this move, both physically and mentally, and I have worked really hard to be ready to make the step up to this amazing club.”
Diallo, despite his lack of first team experience, is a highly touted talent.
He made a total of five senior appearances during his time with Atalanta, including a cameo in this season’s Champions League against FC Midtjylland.
Diallo is a diminutive winger known for his pace, agility and dribbling ability. He primarily starts as a right winger but can also operate off the left and through the centre.
The quality of his attacking output is demonstrated by the fact he managed 57 goal contributions in 82 – recorded – appearances at youth and senior level for Atalanta.
It is unclear whether Diallo will go straight into the first team or to the u23s however Manchester United’s urgency in getting the deal over the line instead of waiting until the end of the season would suggest the former.
He will be assigned a shirt number in the coming days.
Signed ✍️
Sealed 🤝
Delivered 👋
We are 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙙 to confirm @AmadDiallo79‘s transfer to United has been finalised!#MUFC
Saturday night’s game at the Sportsground sees the home side looking to build on a big win in Dublin last weekend. It is also a chance to close an 8 point gap on Munster at the top of Conference B.
Last Weekend’s Action
Andy Friend’s men put in their most impressive performance of the season at the RDS last Saturday night. Their bonus point win was their first ever victory at the Ballsbridge venue and their first win in Dublin since a 2002 Magners League win at Donnybrook. However, as Quinn Roux pointed out to his teammates in the post match huddle, this victory should now be consigned to the record books and the westerners need to back it up against Munster this weekend. Roux provided vital leadership in a Connacht side missingBundee Aki, Jarrad Butler, Tiernan O’Halloran, Kieran Marmion and Paul Boyle.
Munster will know that they were luck to emerge from Ravenhill last weekend with a losing bonus point. They were outplayed for large portions of the match, but they hung on doggedly and were rewarded with a Darren Sweetnam try in the last play of the game. While I would expect Munster to field a much stronger side this weekend, Johann van Grann must balance his team selection. As Munster also have Clermont at home and Harlequins away in back to back Champions Cup clashes to come in the next couple of weeks.
Pro14 standings
Despite the probable changes in personnel this is an important game for both coaches. As always in any Inter-Pro game local bragging rights are at stake as well as points on the table. It’s first v second in Conference B. Munster are on top of the pile after 8 rounds on 33 points, with Connacht (25 points) closing the gap to 8 after an unexpected 5 point haul from the RDS. Both sides have a game in hand over third placed Scarlets (24), while Cardiff have a return of 18 points from 10 matches in fourth spot.
Familiar faces
There was a trio of summer switches from Thomond to Galway. Conor Oliver, Sam Arnold and Alex Wootton all made the move in search of more game time under Andy Friend. The first two were on a permanent basis, while in Wootton’s case it was on a season long loan. Friend confirmed during the week that there is no stipulation in the loan arrangement to prevent Wootton from featuring in Saturday’s meeting between the sides. All three featured in last weekends win in the RDS and one suspects that they will be given the chance to face their former teammates this weekend.
On the sidelines Munster’s attack coach Stephen Larkham will renew acquaintances with Andy Friend. Larkham first encountered Friend as a fresh faced youngster in the Australian academy of sport in 1994. Their respective careers crossed paths again when Friend signed Larkhamfor the ACT Brumbies in 2011. Speaking on Tuesday Friend said of Larkham “He was just such a talented footballer. You could see that he was very tactical and strategic in the way he played”. He added “like all young coaches you do develop and learn something new each year. You can see the bits and pieces he’s adding there at Munster, and it’s pretty exciting for them”.
Previous meetings
Munster won the last five meetings between the sides. A behind closed door meeting in the Aviva in August saw Munster hit Connacht for 42 points and six tries after an early red card for Connacht debutante Abraham Papali’i. He was followed down the tunnel by hooker Shane Delahunt before the interval.
The last meeting between the sides at the Sportsground saw a 14-19 win for the men in red in December of 2019. A Jack O’Donoghue try and four JJ Hanrahan penalties reflected the visitors physical dominance over the hosts on that occasion. Munster also won both clashes during the 2018/19 season on a scoreline of 24-31 at the Sportsground and 27-14 in Thomond. Connacht’s last win over this weekend’s visitors came early in Keiran Keane’s short tenure in Galway. A 20 – 16 win in October 2017 was one of few highlights of that season from a Connacht perspective.
Team News
There are three changes from the side that won at the RDS last time out. Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane and Ben O’Donnell come into the starting 15, With Robertoson-McCoy, Thornbury and Sullivan dropping to the bench. Bundee Aki has failed to recover from a knee injury in time for this clash.
Johann Van Graan makes a total of 14 changes to the side that lost in Ravenhill last weekend. Only Shane Daly is retained and he makes a positional switch – Daly moves from full-back to the wing. James Cronin returns from injury to make his 100th start in the red of Munster. Van Graan has also chosen to start Peter O’Mahony, CJ Stander, Conor Murray, Damian de Allende and Keith Earls ahead of a Champions Cup back to back games later in the month.
Betting
Munster are firm favourites for this one at 1.32, while Connacht can be backed at 3.65. The draw is priced at 30. The handicap betting see the Homeside given a 7 point head start.
They are due to face Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
Manchester City took on rivals Manchester United in tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final. This fixture marked the second Manchester derby of the season. The first ended in a bore scoreless draw so viewers were hoping for a more entertaining spectacle this time around.
Although not a match of the season contender, viewers were treated to better football this time. Manchester City came out on top as they defeated their neighbours after a hard-fought battle. Goals from John Stones and Fernandinho sealed the win for City.
FIRST HALF
The first 5 minutes of action seen both teams hit the net, however both goals were disallowed.
Manchester United thought they scored after a Marcus Rashford shot was saved by Zach Steffen before deflecting off a City defender and into the net. The flag went up almost straight away, though, as Rashford was offside after being played through.
Ilkay Gundogan played a key role in Manchester City’s win over Chelsea at the weekend and he thought he made it 1-0 in the 4th minute. Phil Foden played a brilliant ball across to Gundogan who was left unmarked in the box but upon further inspection he was clearly offside.
Kevin De Bruyne very nearly opened the scoring in the 12th minute. He struck a thunderous effort from just outside the box and David De Gea was well beaten only for the left-hand post getting in the Belgian’s way.
City had another goal disallowed in the 23rd minute. Phil Foden was played through and he finished calmly past the keeper before the goal was called back for offside.
The first half finished scoreless after 3 disallowed goals.
SECOND HALF
After having 2 disallowed in the first half, Manchester City managed to get their goal in the 49th minute. John Stones was the unlikely goalscorer. The Englishmen was quickest to react to his compatriot Phil Foden’s inswinging free kick before tapping in past Dean Henderson in the United goal.
City veteran Fernandinho made it 2-0 to City in the 82nd minute with a brilliant volley from outside the box. The Brazilian capitalized on Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s less than convincing clearance and fired low into the bottom left corner.
Manchester United struggled to decrease the deficit thereafter, despite their best efforts.
The match finished 2-0 to Manchester City on the night. They will now face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup final.
Burnley, Crystal Palace and West Ham United have reportedly shown interest in the young Irish international
Irish international Jason Knight has attracted the interest of several Premier League clubs, according to reports.
Knight is currently contracted to Championship club Derby whom he joined from Cabinteely in 2017.
The 19-year-old midfielder has been the shining light in Derby’s substandard Championship campaign this season. Despite his team sitting just 22nd in the table, Knight has produced consistently good displays which have led to the reported interest.
The clubs in question are Burnley, Crystal Palace and West Ham. Burnley are thought to be particularly keen on the teenager.
The transfer window opened at the beginning of the month, meaning clubs have until the 31st of January to secure a deal, if they so wish.
KNIGHT’S STORY SO FAR
As mentioned previously, Knight joined Derby County’s academy from Cabinteely in 2017. Cabinteely – as well as Derby – should be given plenty of credit for Knight’s development to this point. He joined Cabinteely at the age of 4 and stayed at the club until his move to England at the age of 16.
Knight progressed through the Derby County youth sides before making his first team debut on the 5th of August 2019 at the age of 18.
Since then, Knight has established himself as a key member of the Derby squad, particularly this season.
Despite his age, the young midfielder has already amassed bags of experience at a high level. Knight has made over 50 Championship appearances for Derby, scoring an impressive 8 goals from midfield in the process.
He has also earned senior international honours last year. He earned his first senior international cap against Finland in October and went on to make two further appearances, including a start against Bulgaria in a scoreless draw.
Knight has represented Ireland through u17 up to senior level.
WOULD A PREMIER LEAGUE MOVE BE GOOD FOR KNIGHT?
Of course, the thought of Premier League football would entice any young player to make the move to the highest level. Expectation is often different from reality, though.
While Knight is clearly a very talented player capable of playing at the top level, there is no guarantee of regular game time when moving to a new club, particularly in the Premier League.
He’s currently one of the first names on the Derby team sheet and there is a guarantee of football at a high level, something which he may not get in the Premier League.
Knight is still only 19, meaning there is more than enough time to establish himself as a Premier League player in the coming years.
In our opinion, he should stay at Derby, at least until the end of the season. That way Knight can continue to play in virtually every possible game until the end of the season and assess his position in the squad come the summer time.
Leinster’s long unbeaten run in the Guinness PRO14 stretching back 26 games came to a juddering halt after being blitzed by a superb first half-performance by Andy Friend’s Connacht side. Leo Cullen’s men tasted defeat for the first time in all competitions this season and for the first time in this competition since a 14-13 loss to Ulster in Ravenhill towards the end of the 18/19 season.
Match Highlights
Both sides had their preparation interrupted by COVID cases within their camp, a reflection of a worrying rise in case numbers in wider society. Both managers were forced to juggle their squads ahead of this clash.
Match Report
Connacht started with the greater intensity. In their opening attack, Shane Delahunt was stopped just short of the Leinster line after a double hit from James Tracy and Peter Dooley. The opening score came 9 minutes in when Jack Carty intercepted a Ross Molony pass off the base of a ruck 40 meters out, to sprint clear for the score. Connacht then extended their lead when Carty was on the end of a team move and crashed over from short range, with a good shove from Quinn Roux ensuring the Athlone man wouldn’t be stopped.
Leinster responded almost instantly when Scott Penny found space on the fringe of a ruck to sprint in untouched for a try which got the home side off the mark. Liam Tuner had entered the fray just prior to that score as a HIA replacement for Jonathan Sexton, who would fail to return to play. Rory O’Loughlin moved into the fly-half slot for the remainder of the match.
A brace of Jack Carty penalties stretched the lead for the visitors. An Alex Wotton try after a good break from scrum-half Caolin Blade just prior to the interval gave Connacht a scarcely believable twenty point lead at the break.
Half-Time: Leinster 5 Connacht 25
Leo Cullen’s side came out after the interval with a heightened intensity and set about eating into that deficit. Luke McGrath sniped over three minutes after the restart. Then the score was converted by Jimmy O’Brien who had taken over kicking duties from McGrath. Who had missed his own conversion effort in the first half.
Jack Carty was on target from a penalty on 47 minutes to re-establish a two-score cushion. Just before the hour mark former Connacht hooker Sean Cronin brushed off a couple of would-be tacklers. He then fed Ryan Baird on the short-side, the young flanker then dived over from close range. O’Brien’s effort at the extra’s from the left-hand touchline was pulled across goal.
Turning point
With the scoreboard now reading 17-28 Leo Cullen’s side began turning the screw. It appeared that Leinster had further cut the margin when David Hawkshaw cut in for a try a few minutes later. However, an infringement was spotted in the build-up by TMO Ollie Hodges. Sam Arnold’s path to make a tackle in midfield had been obstructed by Andrew Smith and the try was duly struck off.
Connacht weathered the Leinster storm. Both the win and the bonus point were ensured when Tom Daly intercepted on the 22’. He broke a covering tackle to grab a fourth Connacht try. An Ed Byrne try under the posts in the final play of the game gave Leinster the consolation of a bonus point themselves. However, all the plaudits go to the men from the west on their first win in Dublin since a last-minute Mark McHugh drop goal gave them a victory in Donnybrook way back in 2002.
Full-time: Leinster 24 Connacht 35
Pro14 standings
It’s first v second in both Conferences this weekend. In Conference A Leinster will host Ulster at the RDS on Friday night at 7:35. The northerners are now ten points ahead of Leinster. However, Leo Cullen’s side do have two games in hand. Meanwhile in Conference B Munster are on top of the pile after 8 games on 33 points. Connacht are 8 points behind on 25. For the home side, a win is a must if they are to catch Johann Van Grann’s side at the top.
The midfielder is set to announce his new club in a matter of days.
Jack Byrne has announced his departure from Shamrock Rovers through a heartfelt statement posted on Instagram.
“Today, with the heaviest of hearts, I would like to announce that I’ve decided to leave Shamrock Rovers and the people I’ve come to love and I do so with a huge lump in my throat”, he wrote after reminiscing about his time at the club.
There has been no shortage of speculation regarding where Jack Byrne’s future lies but Cypriot First Division champions APOEL seem the most likely suitors as things stand.
The move would make sense considering Byrne’s former international manager, Mick McCarthy, is the current APOEL manager, a post which he has held since November 2020. APOEL also regularly compete in European competition, namely the UEFA Europa League and Champions League.
That said, though, APOEL are having a substandard season so far. They’ve lost their last 3 games and currently sit 11th in the Cypriot First Division.
Byrne appeared twice for the Ireland national team under Mick McCarthy, making his debut against Bulgaria in 2019. He also impressed in a cameo appearance against New Zealand a couple of months later.
Byrne has been linked with several clubs in the past few months. Bournemouth, Stoke and Colorado Rapids have reportedly taken interest in the midfielder.
However, it is looking increasingly likely that Jack Byrne is set for a move to Cyprus. Several reports have already suggested that a deal has been agreed between Byrne and APOEL.
All will be revealed shortly with Byrne set to announce his new club in the coming days.
The Red Devils are now level on points with Liverpool at the top.
Manchester United took on Aston Villa in the 2nd Premier League game of 2021 – following West Ham’s win over Everton earlier.
Both teams had plenty on the line going into the game. Aston Villa had the chance to move into the top 4 with a win while United could have gone top of the table with a similar result.
Manchester United came out on top in the end thanks to goals from Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes. The match finished 2-1, meaning United are now level on points with Liverpool on top of the table.
FIRST HALF
Manchester United started the game brightly, attacking with pace and intent.
Emi Martinez had his first real tester in the 10th minute. Anthony Martial struck from outside of the box but the Villa keeper denied the Frenchman with an agile save.
Aston Villa had a chance of their own just moments later. Matty Cash’s overlap allowed him space to cross and his ball into the box fell to John McGinn. The Scottish international struck low on the volley before David de Gea got a good hand on it to avert the danger.
After a period where both teams had their half chances, Anthony Martial finally made the breakthrough for Manchester United in the 39th minute. The goal came a typical Manchester United counter attack. Aaron Wan-Bissaka bombed down the right flank before delivering a cross into the box which was met by the head of Martial before going into the net. He did well to anticipate and react to the opportunity. Tyrone Mings was at fault for the goal, having failed to intercept the cross into Martial.
The first half ended 1-0 to Manchester United as a result of Anthony Martial’s goal. Aston Villa showed signs of promise but also faded out of the game for large periods. A better second half was needed for Dean Smith’s side to warrant a good result.
SECOND HALF
Aston Villa started the second half much better than they played for the majority of the first.
Their pressure nearly culminated in a goal in the 51st minute. Jack Grealish was involved heavily as he crossed into the box and onto Ollie Watkins head. David de Gea produced a superb save to hook Watkins’ shot over the bar and out for a corner.
Aston Villa continued to knock on the door and their efforts paid off in the 58th minute with a Bertrand Traore goal. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was largely to blame for the goal. His poor positioning gave Jack Grealish of all people acres of space to work. Grealish took advantage of Wan-Bissaka’s error and crossed low into the box which was met and finished by Bertrand Traore.
Aston Villa’s equaliser didn’t last long. Manchester United were awarded a penalty in the 61st after some good work by Paul Pogba. VAR were called into action to discuss the validity of the penalty and after some consultation, the penalty stood. Bruno Fernandes stepped up to the spot and he dispatched his effort low and hard into the corner.
Paul Pogba had a great chance to make it 3-1 in the 72nd minute. Luke Shaw crossed in low from the byline to Pogba who was in space, but he fired wide of the post.
Emi Martinez was on hand again in the 76th minute, this time he kept out in-form Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese international shot from outside the box but Martinez managed to get a good hand to divert the ball behind.
Tyrone Mings had an excellent opportunity to atone for his mistake in the 83rd minute. Matty Cash delivered a fantastic free kick into the box from wide. Mings got his head on the ball after a battle with Harry Maguire but his shot went just wide.
Matty Cash had a good second half and he nearly ended the half with a goal. He struck well from outside the box but David de Gea was at hand to tip it behind.
Eric Bailly produced a brilliant challenge/block right at the death to keep out Keinan Davis.
The match finished 2-1 to Manchester United after Bailly’s heroic defending. The Red Devils are now level on points with Liverpool.
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