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Declan Rice has vowed to end his lifelong sobriety if England beat Spain in the Euro final following the Wembley heartache to Italy three years ago.

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Rice is a teetotallerHas tried only beer with lemonadeWill break loose if England win the championshipWHAT HAPPENED?

The Arsenal midfielder made a similar pledge before the Euro 2020 final against Italy but had to stop short of fulfilling it as the Three Lions suffered a heart-wrenching defeat in a penalty shootout. However, after a stellar performance from the entire unit against a sturdy Netherlands side in the semi-final, Rice believes things will likely end differently this year.

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“I remember saying that before the last final," Rice told reporters.

"Since then, I’ve had a beer, but I had it with a bit of lemonade! If we win, I’ll have a proper beer. I’ll probably have to hold my nose, as I hate the smell!”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The journey to the final has been anything but smooth for England. The team faced intense scrutiny for their lacklustre group stage performances but somehow managed to find that individual inspiration to get over the line on each occasion. From Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick to the nail-biting penalty shootout against Switzerland, there is little doubt that the tournament has tested the team’s mettle.

"When Prince William came into St George’s Park, he said it would be a rollercoaster and that this tournament is brutal," said Rice.

"That’s what it’s been from the first minute. It started with Jude’s (Bellingham) overhead kick and then the pens (versus Switzerland) and Holland was a completely different challenge. Now we’re in another final. We are so together. What a night (on Wednesday). It was so emotional and meant everything. I’ve been in this position before and it feels just as good."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Rice admitted that the memory of Italy lifting the trophy at Wembley continues to haunt him. “Seeing Italy lift that trophy will haunt me forever,” he confessed.

This lingering sense of unfinished business serves as a powerful motivator for Rice and his teammates as they prepare to face Spain.

"We are now presented with another opportunity where we can write our own history," he said. "We are just so desperate to do it. Not only for each other but also for the manager. I think he deserves it. We know now what we have to do, compared to last time in terms of how to control the game, not to sit back like we did when Italy came onto us. We know how we can win this final, which I think is a positive.

"With the back five we’ve played in the last two games, we’ve kept the ball so well. When we’ve sat back in, we’ve felt solid. We feel together and strong. We have players at club level who are used to taking the ball under pressure and playing in pockets. The improvement from the last Euros on the back five is that we’re keeping the ball much better."

Mauricio Pochettino has been handed another Chelsea blow with news of a new injury to a "quality" Stamford Bridge star.

Chelsea manager latest

It has been a debut season to forget for Pochettino and Chelsea, with the club’s EFL Cup final defeat to Liverpool on Sunday the latest setback. The Blues have now lost their last six domestic finals and were dubbed the "Blue billion pound bottlejobs" by Gary Neville after their extra-time display against the Reds at Wembley.

Pochettino’s long-term future at Chelsea appears to already be in doubt, with reports suggesting the club and by extension owner Todd Boehly are looking at Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim and Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi as possible replacements.

The Argentine did hit back at Neville’s claim, saying: “I have a good relationship with Gary and I don’t know if that’s how I can take this opinion. But I respect his opinion. Of course, we made a few changes with [Conor] Gallagher and [Ben] Chilwell in extra time, it is true we didn’t keep the energy of how we finished the second half.

“But for sure I feel proud. I feel proud of the players, I think they made a big effort. We are a young team and, there is nothing to compare with Liverpool (just) because they finished with also a few young players. I think it’s impossible (to compare the two sides). He (Neville) knows the dynamics are completely different. I think it’s not fair to talk in this way, if he said that.”

Christopher Nkunku injury news

The Blues already have a host of first-team players sidelined and now have another in Christopher Nkunku, who was a used substitute against Liverpool on Sunday.

Fabrizio Romano shared the news on X of the unspecified injury to the Frenchman, which was confirmed by Pochettino.

It has been an extremely frustrating first. season for Nkunku, who has made just two Premier League starts. He was praised by Pochettino, though, after scoring against Wolves on Christmas Eve.

"I'm very pleased to see Nkunku score and it shows how important he can be for us. We cannot put too much pressure on him. He’s been out for a very long time and that is why he came on after 60 minutes, to help ease him in.

Thiago Silva

28th February

Marc Cucurella

2nd March

Romeo Lavia

11th March

Carney Chukwuemeka

11th March

Benoit Badiashile

11th March

Reece James

30th March

Christopher Nkunku

30th March

Wesley Fofana

June 2024

Lesley Ugochukwu

Unknown

"He’s a quality player who can score goals and we are pleased he did that today, although of course we are disappointed not to win the game. Christo needs time to arrive in this way but we are very confident in him to get to his best and be a key player for us."

However, he now looks to miss more games, starting on Wednesday against Leeds United in the FA Cup.

Star batsman needed allies and, much to Australia’s relief, he was able to find them

Daniel Brettig in Manchester05-Sep-2019Believe it or not, Steven Smith batted badly today, at least to start with.His first couple of overs were redolent of those passages in which, as he has described it, he forgets how to hold the bat. There was an edge short of the slips first ball, a couple of balls beating the bat, an inside edge past the stumps, and a dropped return catch by Jofra Archer when Smith bunted a full toss back towards the bowler who by the end of the day was still to dismiss him in a Test match.The fact that missed chance strolled on down the ground to the boundary, meaning Smith had still scored 10 runs from those ropey first two overs, rather suggested that this would be his day. He had, on day one, already proven that there were to be no after-effects from his Lord’s concussion and Headingley absence, save for a change in bouncer evasion technique against Archer and the successful adaptation to wearing a stem guard on the back of his helmet. In this he had plenty of help from Marnus Labuschagne, during a stand of 116 that gave Australia a foothold.But more needed to be done on day two, offering as it did far less likelihood of rain breaks, against an England bowling attack of uncertain stamina if they could be ground down. Smith, beyond his early jitters, returned to the combination of calm combat against each ball and exaggerated “eccentric stuff”, as he calls it, after. What he needed more than anything were batting partners, not something that he had been able to find in ready supply so far.Early in the day, the major obstacles for Australia’s left-handed batsmen were again on display, as Stuart Broad bent the ball fiendishly away from the bat after angling it in from around the wicket. Both Travis Head and Matthew Wade had plenty of now familiar difficulties against this angle of attack, and while they were there a wicket never seemed far away. Vitally, though, Head and Wade each hung around long enough for stands of 39 and 41, not much but enough to prevent England from generating the rush of wickets they needed.And even though Wade’s unsuccessful attempt to hammer Jack Leach into Stretford ended with a skied catch to Joe Root and much gnashing of teeth about his choice of shot – not least among those who may have preferred the retention of Usman Khawaja – his innings allowed Tim Paine to walk to the wicket facing spin and an old ball. In averaging little more than 12 for the series so far, Paine had made a point of spending extra time on his batting leading into this match, after the fashion of none other than Smith.On match eve he was the last man in the nets for Australia, working against left-arm spin throwdowns from the assistant coach Sridharan Sriram. They returned to the same spot bright and early the following morning, before the rest of the team had even arrived on the bus from central Manchester, trying to find the key to a better score than those of 5, 34, 23, 4, 11 and 0 he had managed over the first three Tests.What was soon clear, for both Paine and Smith, was that they had the opportunity to put the match more or less beyond England in terms of victory. The home side’s bowlers were looking increasingly sloppy, and fatigued, the fielders similar, while Ben Stokes was fighting not only a tired body but a sore bowling shoulder. As a result, their cricket was far from England’s most exacting this series, personified by how Archer’s speed and venom was demonstrably down, frustrated too by the fact that his short ball was being much better read by Smith.Here could also be seen the benefits Smith reaped from how the Australians had acquitted themselves without him at Headingley, putting 30-odd more overs into both Archer and Broad to contribute to an overall series ledger that always looked likely to favour Australia’s deeper battery of pace options. If the conditions at Lord’s had been more favourable for Archer against Smith, then so too had his preparation. By the time their battle was rejoined, Smith was facing a bowler experiencing the brutality of a long Test series for the first time in his life.It would not, of course, have been this bewitching series without a moment of sliding doors, leaving both sides pondering the consequences. They arrived when Paine was dropped by Jason Roy in the slips immediately after the interval, and again when Smith, having glided to a third century of the series before lunch, threw his hands at a Leach delivery that turned away nicely, drawing the edge straight to Stokes at slip.Steve Smith is embraced by Nathan Lyon as he leaves the field after being dismissed for 211•Getty ImagesStokes, already frustrated by how the day had gone, hurled the ball angrily into the ground by way of celebration; he soon had cause to repeat the act, only with a little more anger. When the umpires went upstairs to check, there was nothing of Leach’s front foot behind the crease either raised or grounded, allowing Smith the fortune of turning on his heels and walking back to re-mark his guard.That moment was both sapping for England and restorative for Paine and Smith, who took their stand to 145, the highest of the series, and underlined how Australia’s captain generally deals in key partnerships as opposed to large individual scores. When he finally fell for 57, first ball after tea, it was Paine’s 30th consecutive score of 50 or more in first-class matches that had not got as far as three figures. Annoying as that may be for him, his contribution was exactly what Smith had needed.All that remained was for Smith, equal parts quirk and command, to stride to the third Ashes double century of his career – only Sir Donald Bradman (eight) and Wally Hammond (four) have more. His grinding down of England’s bowlers, interspersed with the regular flourishes of 24 boundaries and two sixes, served to soften up the ground so effectively that Mitchell Starc was able to hammer a brisk half-century in the closing overs of Australia’s innings.Smith reckoned that Paine was at his best as a batsman when he was trying to score as much as survive.”We kept talking in the middle about building that partnership, just keep trying to put as many runs on the board as possible in that partnership,” Smith said.”I thought Tim played exceptionally well today. He came out with a really positive mind-set, put away the loose balls, defended the good balls, left the balls that he had to leave and was really disciplined. But he had that positive mind-set of really hitting the ball, and when Tim’s got that, that’s when he’s batting at his best. That was a good partnership.”And then Starcy as well came out and did the same. He hit the middle of the bat a lot, played some beautiful straight drives in the air and along the ground and that’s pleasing to see. We’ve seen how lower-order runs have been in big Ashes games. The fact that he’s been able to work on his batting during the three games he hasn’t played in so far, to come out and do that just shows a sign of someone who wants to get better and play their part for the team.”Save for Bradman, no-one can boast of more Test runs after 121 innings than Smith’s 6,678, a tally that for now has granted him the neat average of 64.64. His genius has been undimmed by the Lord’s blow, and perhaps even enhanced. His dealing with the Archer short ball has improved markedly, and he was able to find enormous reserves of concentration that if anything would have been refreshed by the time out of Leeds.What Smith needed most, however, were allies. And in this innings, much to Australia’s relief, he was able to find them. The Ashes, once again, look close to their keeping.

واصل الدولي المصري عمر مرموش لاعب آينتراخت فرانكفورت، التألق مع فريقه أمام بايرن ميونخ، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري الألماني.

وتواجه بايرن ميونخ مع آينتراخت فرانكفورت، في إطار منافسات الجولة السادسة من عمر مواجهات بطولة الدوري الألماني “البوندسليجا”.

وتعادل فريق آينتراخت فرانكفورت أمام بايرن ميونخ، بنتيجة 3-3، ليظل عند النقطة 13 محتلًا المركز الثالث في ترتيب الدوري الألماني.

بينما فريق بايرن ميونخ، يتصدر ترتيب الدوري الألماني برصيد 14 نقطة، من الفوز في 4 مباريات والتعادل في مواجهتين.

مرموش لعب أساسيًا في المباراة حتي نهايته، حصل على تقييم 8.9 وهو الأعلى بين لاعبي الفريقين، بحسب شبكة “سوفا سكور”.

عمر مرموش استطاع أن يسجل هدف فريقه الأول أمام بايرن ميونخ في الدقيقة 23، من انطلاقه في ظهر دفاع الفريق البافاري، انفرد بمرمى الحارس مانويل نوير. هدف عمر مرموش الأول أمام بايرن ميونخ

وفي الدقيقة 35، ساهم عمر مرموش في تقديم تمريرة حاسمة لزميله هوجو إيكيتيكي ليسجل هدف آينتراخت فرانكفورت الثاني في اللقاء. هدف فرانكفورت الثاني في مرمي بايرن ميونخ أسيست عمر مرموش

وعاد مرموش من جديد في الدقائق الأخيرة من عمر اللقاء، وسجل هدف تعادل قاتل لفريقه، لتصبح النتيجة 3-3، بعدما سدد كرة متقنة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، بعدما وصلته تمريرة رائعة من زميله إيريك جونيور دينا. هدف عمر مرموش الثاني أمام بايرن ميونخ

وصل عمر مرموش بعد هدفي اليوم، إلى الهدف الثامن له، ليعزز صدارته في ترتيب هدافي الدوري الألماني، ويبتعد عن هاري كين مهاجم بايرن ميونخ بـ3 أهداف.

طالع.. فيديو | في الوقت القاتل.. عمر مرموش يُسجل هدف تعادل فرانكفورت أمام بايرن ميونخ مهارة رائعة من عمر مرموش في مباراة فرانكفورت وبايرن ميونخ

وكان لـ عمر مرموش تسديدتين على المرمى، كما نجح في مراوغتين من أصل 3، وقدم تمريرات صحيحة بنسبة 78%، ولمس الكرة 31 مرة.

وفاز مرموش في الالتحامات الأرضية مع المنافس، 7 مرات من أصل 12، وفقد الاستحواذ 11 مرة. ملخص لمسات عمر مرموش في مباراة آينتراخت فرانكفورت وبايرن ميونخ 

MatériaMais Notícias

Em recuperação de uma lesão ligamentar no joelho esquerdo, o meia Gustavo Mantuan foi a campo na atividade deste sábado (3), no CT Joaquim Grava. Ainda assim, o jogador ainda não está em fase final de recuperação.

>> Confira a tabela do Paulista e simule os próximos jogos

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O trabalho foi leve, acompanhado dos fisioterapeutas corintianos, onde o jogador nem calçou as chuteiras, ficando apenas de tênis, e seguiu o seu cronograma de recuperação. Não foi a primeira vez que o atleta quebrou o praxe da recuperação na parte interna e foi ao gramado do Centro de Treinamentos.

Cria da base, Mantuan foi promovido ao time principal no ano passado, mas em outubro, durante um jogo treino pela Seleção Brasileira Sub-20, que enfrentava o elenco sub-23 do próprio Timão, acabou se lesionando e teve que passar por cirurgia.

Mesmo jovem, aos 19 anos, o central tem um histórico negativo de lesões no joelho, essa é a segunda vez que a prata da casa rompe o ligamento do esquerdo, a primeira havia sido em 2019, sendo que em 2018 ele já tinha rompido o lado direito da região.

Em abril, o jogador do Timão entrará no sétimo mês de recuperação, que geralmente é de seis a oito meses.

Mantuan tem sete jogos com a camisa do Corinthians com um gol marcado, este uma semana antes de se lesionar, na vitória corintiana por 2 a 1 contra o Vasco, em São Januário, no dia 21 de outubro, pela 18ª rodada do Brasileirão.

أعلن الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا”، عن رجل مباراة مانشستر سيتي وإنتر ميلان في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتعادل مانشستر سيتي مع نظيره إنتر ميلان بنتيجة 0/0، خلال المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين على ملعب “الاتحاد”.

اقرأ أيضاَ.. التعادل السلبي يحسم قمة الفرص الضائعة بين إنتر ميلان ومانشستر سيتي في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وحاز نيكولو باريلا لاعب إنتر ميلان على جائزة رجل المباراة، المقدمة من الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم يويفا.

وحصل اللاعب الإيطالي باريلا، على تقييم 7.2 من 10 في مباراة اليوم بحسب شبكة “فوت موب”.

وقام باريلا بصناعة فرصتين وسدد في مناسبتين على مرمى مانشستر سيتي طوال المباراة.

واستعاد الكرة في 7 مرات، وتمكن أيضاً من الفوز بالصراعات الأرضية في أربع مرات.

Tottenham Hotspur apparently have their eyes on a versatile 22-year-old midfielder as they also chase a deal for Chelsea star Conor Gallagher.

Spurs set sights on third January signing

As widely reported, Spurs are now looking to sign a midfield number eight after sealing deals for both defender Radu Dragusin and forward Timo Werner.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

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Dragusin joins in a £25 million deal from Genoa, while Werner put pen to paper on a six-month loan with the option to buy. Manager Ange Postecoglou will be thrilled as Spurs get a lot of their transfer business done nice and early in the transfer window, something which he said was imperative.

"If you can bring them in early, even if they don't play you can bed them into training and our style of football because it's not like we're going to sign somebody and they'll hit the ground running," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's transfer window.

"Maybe they could. Whereas if you leave it towards the end of January, it's potentially not until mid to end of February when they get up to speed, depending where they're coming from, the league they're coming from. So there's a whole lot of moving parts. So yes, I'd love to do something early in the window but even me saying that puts a challenge on us – because other clubs know we want to do something early."

Following Dragusin and Werner, Spurs have been heavily linked with a deal for Chelsea star Conor Gallagher. The 23-year-old is starring under Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge, and the likes of Fabrizio Romano have refused to rule out Tottenham signing Gallagher before January 31.

The west Londoners are thought to be demanding around £45-£50 million to sell him, as there has been no progress on talks over a new deal (Wayne Veysey).

The vast majority of Spurs transfer rumours are centered around Gallagher right now, but reporter Ben Jacobs has lifted the lid on another player who they're huge fans of.

Tottenham "looking at" Kasey McAteer

When asked who else Spurs admirer besides Gallagher and usual suspects, the CBS journalist pointed towards Leicester City sensation Kasey McAteer. It is believed Tottenham are "looking at" McAteer as a player they "really like", though Jacobs admits that a deal is unlikely for this month.

“The other player Tottenham are looking at, a different type of player to the ones we have mentioned is Kasey McAteer at Leicester, they really like him, " said Jacobs on the Spurs Chat Podcast.

"He started well for Leicester, but then he got an injury, with Leicester flying they’re likely to get promotion. I’m not sure anything is possible there in 2024 just because he’s in the right place for his development.”

Rotherham 1-2 Leicester City

8.98

Norwich City 0-2 Leicester City

7.77

Southampton 1-4 Leicester City

7.57

West Brom 1-2 Leicester City

6.65

Leicester City 2-1 Coventry City

6.62

The 22-year-old has been hailed for his "real versatility" by Johnnie Jackson, having also scored four goals in 12 Championship appearances for the Foxes this season.

If not in 2024, he could be one to watch for the future, as McAteer would also bolster Tottenham's homegrown numbers

Despite a couple of setbacks in the last week or so, Arsenal have started to move through the gears this season, and just like last year, they once again find themselves in the midst of a Premier League title race, only this time, it looks like Liverpool are set to challenge as well.

The Gunners are currently just a point off of the Reds in first place and three clear of Manchester City in fourth spot, and following their draw away to PSV on Tuesday, they can look forward to the knockout stages of the Champions League in the new year.

Mikel Arteta's team haven't been quite as free-flowing as they were this time last year, but a steely grit and determination have seen them create the joint-best defence in the league.

Arsenal could sign "one of the best centre backs in the world" to partner Saliba

The 24-year-old could make Arsenal’s defence even better.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Dec 14, 2023

That backline could be about to get even more robust, with the latest star linked with the club having abilities not too dissimilar from summer signing Jurriën Timber – Jules Kounde.

Arsenal transfer news – Jules Kounde

According to reports from Spain, Arsenal are "very interested" in the Barcelona defender and are willing to offer the Catalan side €40m – about £34m – to secure the player's signature.

The Frenchman joined the La Liga giants in the summer of 2022 for a fee in the region of £47m, despite heavy interest from Chelsea at the time.

The then 23-year-old also had an enormous £840m release clause inserted into his five-year contract, which is evidently more than the £34m price tag he has now, but considering he has made just 57 appearances across all competitions since joining and was said to be disgruntled in the summer due to being played at right-back, this isn't too surprising.

However, just because he hasn't lit the world alight in Spain doesn't mean that Arsenal should avoid signing the 25-year-old "warrior", as described by former French international Frank Leboeuf on ESPN FC – especially as his versatility could make him the next Timber.

Jules Kounde could be Jurriën Timber 2.0

Now, it might seem crazy to discuss the 'next Timber' before the current one has even had a run of games at Arsenal due to his unfortunate injury against Nottingham Forest.

However, there are some noticeable similarities between the two players, and if Arteta can get his hands on Kounde, there is no reason why the two promising defenders couldn't play together at the Emirates.

The first and most apparent similarity is just how versatile the pair are. The Barcelona man made 18 appearances at right-back last season and 11 at centre-back, while the former Ajax star has played at centre-back, right-back, left-back and defensive midfield so far in his career.

The pair also share some mightily impressive passing statistics, especially regarding progressive passing, and while Timber slightly edges it in a lot of the creative metrics, Kounde is still producing elite numbers.

Jules Kounde vs Jurriën Timber
Stats (per 90)	Kounde	Timber
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists	0.15	0.17
Progressive Passes	6.85	8.61
Progressive Carries	2.14	2.37
Attempted Passes (Completed)	75.0 (87.7%)	81.5 (91.6%)
Shot-Creating Actions	1.52	1.72
Successful Take-Ons	0.56	0.56
Blocks	0.89	0.68
Clearances	2.26	1.99
Tackles Won	0.85	1.01
Aerial Duels Won	1.59	1.34
All Stats via FBref for the 2022/23 Domestic Season

The "tenacious" Frenchman, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, does come out on top regarding the game's defensive side, suggesting that the two players could form a brilliant partnership in N5.

Ultimately, for £34m, Kounde looks to be a genuine bargain. His statistical and positional similarities to Timber should excite fans and prove that he could flourish in the red and white of Arsenal.

Real Madrid were crowned La Liga champions on Saturday as Barcelona lost 4-2 to Girona following Carlo Ancelotti's side's victory against Cadiz.

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Madrid beat Cadiz 3-0 on SaturdayBarca went on to lose to Girona Ancelotti's team crowned champions WHAT HAPPENED?

Madrid ran out 3-0 winners against Cadiz, with Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham and Joselu finding the net. That win meant that they would be crowned league champions if Barca failed to win their match against Girona. Xavi's team looked capable of going on to delay their rivals' title party as they twice went ahead in the match, but Girona fought back each time and eventually took a two-goal lead to seal the win.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With Madrid sitting 13 points clear at the top of La Liga with just four games left to play, there is no chance of Girona or Barca overtaking them. The capital club have lost just one match in La Liga this season, with summer signing Jude Bellingham particularly impressive throughout the campaign by scoring 18 goals and registering four assists. The England international gave Madrid a massive boost when he scored a late winner in their recent Clasico win against Barca.

DID YOU KNOW?

In taking the Spanish league crown off of Barcelona, Madrid have now won the top-flight a massive 36 times in their history. They can turn this season into an even greater success by going on to win the Champions League.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Madrid will not go too wild in their title celebrations as they still have plenty of work to do. They will take on Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie in midweek, with the two teams currently tied at 2-2 from the first leg.

Aston Villa returned to winning ways on Thursday night, as Unai Emery’s side beat AZ Alkmaar 2-1 at Villa Park on match day four of the Europa Conference League group stages.

It was crucial that the Villans claimed three points on home soil to keep within touching distance of Legia Warsaw, who were also victorious at home on the night, defeating Zrinjski 2-0 in Poland.

The results in the fourth round of games in Group E mean that Villa need a point to qualify for the next stage of the competition, with the crucial clash with Legia up next.

How Aston Villa beat AZ Alkmaar

It looked as though it could be a simple task for the hosts in the opening stages of the game, as Clement Lenglet opened the scoring within two minutes.

The Frenchman was denied his first goal for the club as it was ruled out due to corner taker Leon Bailey’s apparent inference, a decision that Ollie Watkins revealed post-match was deemed a “mistake” by the officials when speaking to TNT Sports.

The disallowed goal marked the summit of excitement in the first half, with AZ’s on-fire forward Vangelis Pavlidis putting the visitors ahead after the interval.

Luckily for Emery’s side, Diego Carlos claimed his first goal in claret and blue to level the scoring on the hour mark, before Watkins settled the destination of the points nine minutes from time with a sumptuous header.

The 63% of possession held by Villa, and their six shots on target didn’t tell the whole story of the game, that the hosts struggled to grow into as AZ asked a host of questions of the Spaniard’s rotated side.

Aside from the two goalscorers, another gem put in an impressive shift at Villa Park to contribute to the victory, as Bailey continued his fine run of form on the flank.

Leon Bailey’s performance in numbers vs AZ Alkmaar

Lauded for his “excellent” distribution throughout the match by journalist Tom Nightingale, the Jamaican recorded his fifth goal contribution in his previous five games with an assist for Carlos’ header.

Despite being frustrating with his decision-making at times in the battle, the winger proved to be too much for AZ to handle once again, with the Dutch outfit still recovering from his goal and assist in the previous meeting.

Leon Bailey stats vs AZ Alkmaar
Minutes played	90
Assists	1
Key passes	2
Crosses completed	5/9
Big chances created	1
Ground duels won	3/6
Tackles	3
Possession lost	20x
Figures via Sofascore

Aside from losing possession 20 times for his efforts in trying to move the ball forward, the 26-year-old switched on his playmaking skills for the benefit of his teammates, recording two key passes and creating one big chance, via Sofascore.

After being replaced in the final moments of the game, Bailey received a 7/10 match rating from Birmingham World’s Charlie Haffenden, who dubbed the former Bundesliga whiz as Villa’s 'main danger' on the night.

As also noted by Haffenden, the majority of the Villans’ chances spawned from Bailey’s area of the pitch, reinforcing the havoc he can cause when in top form on the flank in Emery’s free-flowing side.

With his form hitting its peak, the Jamaican’s argument to reclaim his spot in the favoured XI is strengthening game by game, leaving the manager with a decision to make going forward with his dynamic performances in mind.