ودع منتخب مصر الثاني بطولة كأس العرب 2025، من دور المجموعات، بعد الخسارة أمام الأردن بثلاثة أهداف نظيفة، اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات.

وتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثالثة رفقة منتخبات الأردن والإمارات والكويت.

وتعادل منتخب مصر في الجولة الثانية أمام الإمارات بهدف لكل فريق، كما تعادل بنفس النتيجة أمام الكويت في الجولة الأولى.

طالع|فيديو | الأردن يسجل الهدف الثاني أمام مصر في كأس العرب

وجاء هدف الأردن الأول عن طريق اللاعب محمد أبو حشيش في الدقيقة 12، بعد تسديدة قوية ارتطمت بدفاع المنتخب المصري، لتصل إلى أبو حشيش الذي تابعها ووضعها في شباك محمد بسام.

أما الهدف الثاني، فقد جاء عن طريق محمد أبو زرايق في الدقيقة 41 بعد تسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، فيما سجل علي علوان الهدف الثالث من ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 92.

وودع منتخب مصر بطولة كأس العرب بعد احتلاله المركز الثالث برصيد نقطتين، بينما الأردن حقق العلامة الكاملة بتسع نقاط، فيما صعد الإمارات في الوصافة، برصيد 4 نقاط، بعد الفوز على الكويت 3-1 في لقاء أقيم في نفس الجولة اليوم. أهداف مباراة مصر والأردن في كأس العرب 

Defending champions Liverpool moved up to eighth in the Premier League table after a 2-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Goals from Alexander Isak, who netted his first league goal for the club, and Cody Gakpo secured all three points for the Reds for the first time since the 1st November against Aston Villa.

Arne Slot will surely be pleased with the win and the clean sheet to end a run of three successive losses in all competitions, whilst the Dutch boss will also be buzzing with the performances of several of his players.

Ranking Liverpool's top performers against West Ham

When ranking the team’s top performers against the Hammers, it is hard to look past Gakpo as the standout star because he was directly involved in both of the goals, with a goal and an assist.

Ibrahima Konate also deserves credit for his colossal display at the heart of the defence, winning 100% (5/5) of his aerial duels and making a team-high ten clearances, per Sofascore.

Both the France international and captain Virgil van Dijk kept Alisson quiet with their dominant performances, but Konate was the standout centre-back with four more clearances and three more aerial duels won than his skipper.

1

Cody Gakpo

2

Florian Wirtz

3

Ibrahima Konate

4

Virgil van Dijk

5

Alexander Isak

As you can see in the table above, Isak also has to be in the top five performers on the pitch for the Premier League champions, as he netted his first league goal for the club with a brilliant first-time finish into the bottom corner.

You will also notice that £115m signing Florian Wirtz ranks in second place, just behind Gakpo, after he caught the eye whilst playing in a central position for the Reds.

The Liverpool star who could be their new Thiago Alcantara

Recruitment analyst Jan Riha stated that the “incredible” Wirtz made him “feel about football the same way Thiago Alcantara” did at Liverpool, after his performance against the Hammers.

It is hard to argue with that assessment because his metronomic display at the London Stadium was incredibly impressive, even if it lacked the punch of a goal or an assist to add some extra flavour to his season.

Thiago ended his playing days with a 90% pass accuracy, per WhoScored, and Reds supporters got to enjoy his midfield majesty for three seasons, with plenty of exceptional raking passes and cultured through balls, as shown in the clips below against Man United in 2022.

Wirtz may not play in a deep-lying midfield role like Thiago did, but his technical ability is comparable to the Spaniard’s, and he showed it off plenty of times in the win over West Ham.

The Germany international has failed to deliver a goal or an assist in the Premier League this season since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen, but his display on Sunday was a step in the right direction because it was his best of the campaign.

Sofascore rating

6.51

6.9

Passes completed

25

42

Pass accuracy

82%

93%

Passes completed in oppo half

18

32

Passes accuracy in oppo half

76%

91%

Passes accuracy in own half

86%

100%

As you can see in the statistics above, Wirtz’s use of the ball on Sunday was on another level to what he has previously shown in the top-flight for Liverpool.

Playing centrally, rather than being out wide on the left or the right, allowed him to float around and knit play together with his technical brilliance, much like Thiago used to do further back on the pitch during his time at Anfield.

Slot must continue to play the German star in the middle of the park, rather than out wide, because he could flourish as a metronomic number ten who is able to buzz around the pitch and control the tempo of the match.

The hope, then, would be that the goals and assists naturally follow as he becomes more comfortable and confident on the pitch in the Premier League.

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Whilst there will be understandable disappointment that a £115m attacking midfielder is yet to provide a direct goal contribution in the top-flight, Wirtz’s performance against the Hammers was his best of the season and he appears to be on the right track to become a success at Anfield.

Liverpool turned a corner at the weekend, professionally defeating West Ham United at the London Stadium to arrest the shocking slump that has sent Arne Slot’s project into a spin.

However, it’s important for those of a Red persuasion not to get too excited. West Ham are hardly in good form, teetering on the edge of the Premier League relegation zone.

But there were some positives to be taken after that industrious win. Particularly, Liverpool looked sharp in attack, with Alexander Isak netting his first league goal for the Reds and Cody Gakpo notching a goal and an assist. Florian Wirtz sparkled in his creative role.

There has been talk of FSG and sporting director Richard Hughes dipping into the transfer market for a new forward in January, but if anything, the win over the Hammers and Liverpool’s abject form highlight a different area that needs attention.

Liverpool's winter transfer plans

It’s clear that Liverpool need a centre-back. Top sources have also linked the Premier League champions to prolific Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause valid from January.

However, the centre of the park appears to have been overlooked. Certainly, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have not formed a convincing partnership this season, and a tough-tackling and dynamic option could be worthwhile for a Liverpool side looking to bounce back.

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool are expected to table a €60m (£53m at current exchange rates) bid for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, with the French midfielder no longer considered untouchable at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It’s understood that Los Blancos have held informal discussions about the 23-year-old’s future after an injury-affected few years, but Camavinga is one of the best in the business, and Liverpool could hit the jackpot by signing him for a comparatively affordable fee.

Why Liverpool want Eduardo Camavinga

Camavinga has been at Real Madrid for most of his professional career, having left France and Rennes and joined the Spanish giants in a €40m (£34m) package back in 2021.

He’s won the full gamut, and, on an individual level, been hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig as “a real war machine in midfield”. One of the sternest criticisms Slot’s side have faced pertains to their lack of physicality and bite in midfield this season, outduelled in most of their defeats – and there have been a whole host of losses.

Camavinga would fix that, settling into the six berth. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 12% for successful take-ons, and the top 1% for tackles won per 90, emphasising his ball-playing quality and the gritty defensive acumen that would stabilise Slot’s sinking system.

Looking at those metrics – and more – in a different format, see how Camavinga could add more defensive solidity to the engine room when assessing his data against that of Mac Allister, whose form has plummeted this season.

Goals

0.11

0.18

Assists

0.11

0.20

Touches

76.18

63.79

Pass completion (%)

90.8

83.3

Shot-creating actions

2.44

3.80

Progressive passes

4.76

5.76

Progressive carries

1.93

1.46

Successful take-ons

1.13

0.67

Recoveries

5.72

4.65

Tackles won

2.72

1.46

Interceptions

1.25

0.91

Aerials won

1.30

0.56

But those metrics are taking across a year-long stretch, and the Argentine was among the creme-de-la-creme last year as Slot’s Reds romped their way to the title.

Semenyo might be a stellar addition to a Liverpool side who opted against a direct Luis Diaz replacement this summer, but Gakpo has held down the fort measurably well, and Rio Ngumoha, 17, was entrusted with a regular first-team role after an impressive emergence season.

Real Madrid are in a state of upheaval right now, and signing a player of Camavinga’s ilk for a decent figure won’t come around too often. Wataru Endo is scarcely used by Slot and Gravenberch and Mac Allister need proper competition.

Should Liverpool instil some French flair into their midfield in the form of Camainga, they would be sure to level up, adding the joie de vivre that has been lacking this term, and a tough-tackling presence that would ease the defence’s burden and free up the forwards to reach new heights.

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Reddy has been released from India’s squad for the first Test while Pant is back from injury, having missed the West Indies series

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Nov-2025

Dhruv Jurel scored twin tons in the second unofficial Test against South Africa A•PTI

Dhruv Jurel is set to retain his place in India’s Test XI despite Rishabh Pant taking back his spot as wicketkeeper. Allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy *has been released from India’s Test squad and will make way for Pant, who returns after missing the two Tests against West Indies last month with a fractured foot.Reddy will rejoin India’s Test squad for the second match against South Africa, which will be played in Guwahati from November 22 to 26 after participating in the three-match one-day series against South Africa A, which will run from November 13 to November 19 in Rajkot.India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate more or less confirmed Jurel’s retention in his press conference two days out from the start of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata.Jurel played the West Indies series in Pant’s absence and scored his maiden Test hundred in the first Test in Ahmedabad. That innings came in the middle of a run of four hundreds in eight first-class innings, including one in each innings of India A’s second unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bengaluru last week.Related

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“I don’t think you can leave him out for this Test, is the short answer,” ten Doeschate said when asked about Jurel’s run of form. “But obviously, you can only pick 11 as well, so someone else will have to miss out. I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of the combination.”Having three spin-bowling allrounders in the squad in Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel, ten Doeschate said, gave India the flexibility that would allow them to play an extra batter in Jurel without losing potency with the ball.”Given the way Dhruv’s gone in the last six months, scoring two hundreds in Bangalore last week, he’s certain to play this week. Again, like what I mentioned about Washy [Washington Sundar], Axar [Patel], Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja], for me, you’ve actually got three batters there. So it does give us a lot of flexibility. But I’d be very surprised if we don’t see Dhruv and Rishabh playing in this Test this week.”India played three allrounders in the West Indies series, in Jadeja, Washington and Reddy. In that, Reddy only batted once and bowled just four overs. He went on the white-ball tour of Australia after that, but a back injury cut short his participation to just the first two ODIs. He has since recovered, though, and is fit to play in Kolkata.Through the West Indies series, India said they were looking at Reddy as a long-term prospect as a seam-bowling allrounder, and were looking to give him as much game time as possible, even in home Tests, to help him grow as a Test cricketer. This series against South Africa, the World Test Championship [WTC] holders, may not give India the chance to pick a player with an eye on long-term development.”The primary thing is to set out a strategy to win the game, and then if you can accommodate giving guys a chance for development, that comes in,” ten Doeschate said. “Our position certainly hasn’t changed on Nitish. He didn’t get much game time in [the white-ball series in] Australia, but I would say, given the importance of the series and given the conditions we think we’re going to face, he might miss out in this Test this week.”South Africa come to India on the back of a 1-1 Test result in Pakistan, where their three main spinners – Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy – picked up 33 wickets between them in two Tests, with all three averaging below 22. Ten Doeschate felt these three would present a stiff challenge, and said India’s batters were looking to improve how they play spin, particularly in the wake of last year’s 3-0 home-series defeat to New Zealand.”[M]ost likely they’ll play three [spinners], and it’s a little bit like playing against a subcontinent team,” ten Doeschate said. “You normally worry about the pace attack first [when you face South Africa]. And I’m pretty sure they’ll go with two seamers and three […] spinners.”But that is also the challenge when you’re playing in the subcontinent. It’s something as a team that we need to get better [at]. We addressed it early on. We’ve come up short a few times, so it’s a great challenge. Hopefully we’ve learned from the New Zealand series. We’ve put some plans into place [about] how to play the spin. And you’re right, it’s going to be so important over these two games, particularly how well they did in Pakistan about four weeks ago.”

The ability to bowl with both arms, along with his developing top-order batting, makes the Tasmania allrounder a fascinating cricketer to follow

Deivarayan Muthu14-Sep-2025When Chennai-born Nivethan Radhakrishnan returned to his roots in August as part of a select group of Australian emerging players who trained at the MRF academy, he sensed that the city had changed.Radhakrishnan had enjoyed stints in Chennai’s robust league structure before moving to Australia along with his family in 2013. The recent trip to Chennai was his first since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. During this period, Radhakrishnan, now 22, has changed as a person and professional cricketer as well.Just weeks after steering Australia to a third-place finish in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean, Radhakrishnan made the step-up to the Sheffield Shield for Tasmania, batting at No. 7 and bowling spin. Not just your average spin – he can bowl both right-arm offspin and left-arm fingerspin. The only known male ambidextrous spinner in Australia’s system has been trying to push the envelope even further in recent times by trying his (right) hand at wristspin.Related

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Radhakrishnan has also moved up the order since and having learnt from Australia’s next-in-line opener Jake Weatherald, he’s keen to establish himself as a Tasmania regular in the upcoming domestic season. Since making his debut in 2022, Radhakrishnan has played just seven Shield games, scoring 317 runs at an average of 22.64 and taking three wickets.While Radhakrishnan is an unorthodox bowler, he prides himself on being an orthodox opening batter. Some of the traits were on display during his 68, spanning 298 minutes and 243 balls against eventual Shield champions South Australia at the Adelaide Oval in February 2025. Radhakrishnan reckons that his old-school approach complements Weatherald’s more aggressive ways.”I’ve had the privilege of opening the batting with Jake Weatherald pretty much like every game I played last year and he was so ultra-aggressive with his feet,” Radhakrishnan recalls. “It’s not necessarily about just scoring [runs], but his movements are so sharp and precise. It’s a learning for me – I might not be able to score as fast as he can but that’s no excuse for me to not look to score like trying to be real aggressive with my footwork and still identify balls [to hit].”So that’s been a big focus for me in the pre-season. Just really nailing down traditional simple things like where’s my off stump like, when to play a few balls on top of the bounce, when to score off the pads. As long as my feet and head are in a nice position, I think I should be sweet.”With the more experienced Matthew Kuhnemann, who has played ten internationals for Australia, likely to be Tasmania’s frontline spinner in the Shield supported by former Under-19 World Cup-winning offspinner Raf MacMillan, Radhakrishnan is happy to play a support role with the ball.”I’m trying to really sort of hone in with my bowling with the way Shield cricket is played,” Radhakrishnan says. “Kuhnemann and Raf are more likely to be the first spinners, so my role might be a bit more defensive. Maybe a holding role to get us to the second new ball or just change it up to get a breakthrough.”While Radhakrishnan has played just one List A game so far, he believes that he has a lot more to offer with his ambidextrous bowling skills in white-ball cricket. On his List A debut against South Australia in Adelaide in February earlier this year, he knocked over right-handed batters Daniel Drew and Ben Manenti with left-arm fingerspin and bowled right-arm offspin to left-handed opener Mackenzie Harvey.Nivethan Radhakrishnan in his offspin delivery stride•Getty Images”From a white-ball perspective probably my biggest strength is being able to execute those two different skill sets,” Radhakrishnan says. “It is an asset to a captain considering if I do execute with a certain level of consistency that’s different match-ups that I can actually have a say in. I might be able to turn it the other way or bowl a particular ball to a particular batter and survive in that match-up.”Radhakrishnan has been keeping a close on eye on how other ambidextrous spinners such as Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis, who had also bowled with both hands in IPL 2025, are adapting to top-flight cricket.”I think I was five or six years old when I started doing it [bowling with both hands],” Radhakrishnan says. “I see Kamindu doing it and a domestic spinner in India [Akshay Karnewar]. I’ve not seen Ben Kellaway do it but I see footage of Kamindu and Karnewar.”What I saw was their actions literally look like mirror images whereas for me I feel like I’m a little bit more like Ravi Ashwin in the way I do change my action up a lot like depending on like what I’m vibing at the time and speaking tactically and technically, I might let my action evolve a little bit.”Radhakrishnan, who was recently in action for the Hobart Hurricanes Academy in the Top End T20 tournament, which also involved Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh A, is aiming to expand his variations and win his maiden BBL contract in the near future.”I do bowl the odd leggie, especially with the right arm,” Radhakrishnan says. “It’s easy to bowl as a variation, but once you want to execute in a particular situation, it’s a lot of pressure and you need to work on it more. But I do try to execute a leggie or a wrong’un or trying to a copy a Sunil Narine [or] Sikandar Raza like hiding the ball behind my back and stuff like that.”Having ticked off a number of boxes like fine-tuning his bowling, scoring a half-century against former Ranji Trophy champions Saurashtra and reconnecting with old friends in Chennai, Radhakrishnan returned to Australia with a bagful of happy memories and takeaways.

Find out which player has moved to what team

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2025Sanju Samson: Traded to Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals in exchange of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam CurranShardul Thakur: Traded to Mumbai Indians from Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2 croreSherfane Rutherford: Traded to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans for INR 2.6 croreArjun Tendulkar: Traded to Lucknow Super Giants from Mumbai Indians for INR 30 lakhMohammed Shami: Traded to Lucknow Super Giants from Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 10 croreMayank Markande: Traded to Mumbai Indians from Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 30 lakhNitish Rana: Traded to Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals for INR 4.2 croreDonovan Ferreira: Traded to Rajasthan Royals from Delhi Capitals for INR 1 crore

Manchester United are now on red alert in the race to sign a Real Madrid star ahead of Manchester City in a shock £69m deal next year.

Amorim "angry" at "frustrating" West Ham draw

Like the rest of Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim was left angered by Man United’s 1-1 draw against West Ham. The Red Devils were in control for the large part and deservedly got their opener through unlikely goalscorer Diogo Dalot in the second-half, but that’s when things started going wrong.

With seven minutes remaining, the visitors sent a timely reminder of United’s struggles courtesy of Soungoutou Magassa, who scored his first Premier League goal to snatch a point for West Ham.

Amorim, left frustrated at full-time, told reporters: “Yeah, it’s frustrating, it’s angry. That’s it.”

The former Sporting CP manager also pinpointed where things went wrong, saying: “Yeah, but there are second halves that we lose control of the game.

“Today, I think it was not that case. Maybe after the first goal, we lost some second balls and Matheus [Cunha] won one or two second balls there and made it a transition.

“We try to defend all the time far from the goal because we knew it. They tried to make a cross, win a corner. Like it happened, long ball, they win a second ball against three guys of us in the defence. So, we need to be better in the second half.”

Any assumption that United have turned a corner under Amorim is quickly evaporating and the Old Trafford boss desperately needs further reinforcements in 2026.

Midfield stars such as Conor Gallagher and Elliot Anderson have already been mooted, but United could still set their focus on welcoming Rodrygo from Real Madrid. The Brazilian is attracting plenty of interest and could yet swap the Bernabeu for the Premier League.

Man Utd on red alert in Rodrygo race

According to reports in Spain, Man United are now on red alert in the race to sign Rodrygo next year and could land the talented winger ahead of rivals Man City, as well as a number of other Premier League sides.

The Brazilian has struggled for game time under Xabi Alonso – starting just three La Liga games all season – and looks destined to leave Real Madrid next year.

Sparking a flurry of interest, Madrid reportedly value their winger at around €80m (£69m). Whether INEOS and others deem that fee reachable for a player who’s yet to impress Alonso remains to be seen, however.

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At his best, Rodrygo played a key part in Madrid’s success in the Champions League and in La Liga. Now, he’s been cast aside to hand United the opportunity to land arguably their best signing yet under Amorim.

Dubbed “spectacular” by former Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti in 2023, Rodrygo is still just 24 years old and is full of potential – even if he’s forced to realise it with a move to Old Trafford in 2026.

Amorim's £150k-p/w star just had his worst game for Man Utd vs West Ham

AC Milan have made contact with Nottingham Forest over a deal for a £26m Nuno signing who now wants to leave.

Forest on the up under the helm of Dyche

Ange Postecoglou didn’t last long after replacing Nuno earlier this season, but Sean Dyche has really managed to turn things around, with his side now four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone, after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

The Tricky Trees edged out a 1-0 victory against the bottom-placed side, courtesy of an Igor Jesus goal with just under 20 minutes left to play, meaning they finally have some breathing room, and survival is looking increasingly likely.

Dyche praised his side’s mindset in the narrow victory, saying: “They kept going and throwing things at us. I’m pleased with our mentality. You saw the way we dug it out, they threw a lot at us second half and we dealt with it well.”

In fairness, given that Forest qualified for the Europa League last season and spent heavily in the summer, relegation shouldn’t be on the cards, but it would be fair to say some of their recent additions haven’t hit the ground running at the City Ground.

Arnaud Kalimuendo, who arrived from Rennes for £26m, has particularly struggled to make an impact, having failed to score in his opening seven Premier League games, predominantly being utilised as a substitute.

According to a report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the striker could be offered an exit route soon, with it being revealed that AC Milan have made contact with Nottingham Forest CEO Lina Souloukou over a potential deal.

Kalimuendo now wants to leave Forest, amid a lack of game time, featuring for just 81 mintues across his seven Premier League appearances this season, and clubs from Italy are lining up to sign him, with AS Roma also being named as potential suitors.

Forest should sanction Kalimuendo departure this January

In truth, it is probably best for all parties if the centre-forward moves on this summer, given that he clearly hasn’t managed to impress all three of Forest’s managers this season, given the lack of game time in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old has impressed at times in the Europa League, most recently scoring in the 3-0 victory over Malmo FF, but he was unable to make an impact as a substitute against Brighton in the following match, failing to register a single shot.

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In fairness, it is difficult to have a major impact coming on late in the game, and Kalimuendo may need to be given a Premier League start if he is to prove himself.

However, with Jesus recently scoring his first Premier League goal, and Chris Wood still to return from injury, opportunities are likely to be even more limited going forward, and it may be worth Forest cutting their losses in the January transfer window.

Seamer Bray finished with four wickets after Dunkley’s 43 helped Sixers to 142

AAP15-Nov-2025Sydney Sixers rising star Caoimhe Bray needed to be told she’d taken a hat-trick as the 16-year-old added another WBBL highlight in a thumping derby defeat of Sydney Thunder.Bray took a wicket on the last ball of her second over and the first two of her next over in Sydney on Saturday, the third thanks to a fantastic diving catch at point from Erin Burns. The excitement of that wicket may have been to blame for Bray and her team-mates’ poor maths, who were all shocked to hear of the feat when the ground announcer informed them over the speakers.Bray is also the Junior Matildas goalkeeper and hit the winning runs as a 15-year-old in her WBBL debut last year. She took a classic catch earlier in this tournament and on Saturday finished with 4 for 15 from her four overs and Thunder were restricted to 118 for 8 chasing Sixers’ 142 for 9.”It’s pretty crazy. I didn’t realise; one of those weird ones that was at the end of the over,” Bray said. “I want to play sport professionally for as long as I can (but) oh yeah, it’ll definitely have to come [to a decision between football and cricket].”Women’s sport is getting more and more professional. If you want to go to the highest level, you can’t be doing that forever.”Maitlan Brown was also effective on a night that favoured the bowlers but Sixers will wait on scans for New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr, who injured her quad in the warm-up and was forced out of the game.Sixers had Sophia Dunkley (43 off 35) and Mady Villiers (24 not out) to thank for scraping together their total, while Alyssa Healy (26 off 15) threatened to explode.But Thunder’s star-studded batting order failed to fire in reply, with 18-year-old debutant Lucy Finn (49 not out off 34 balls) valiant in a losing cause after they had slipped to 49 for 7.Finn (1 for 27) also picked up Ashleigh Gardner’s wicket but Thunder joined Brisbane Heat at three defeats in three outings.

Just a matter of weeks ago it looked like Chelsea were in the title race but things have rather unravelled for Enzo Maresca and Co in recent weeks.

The Blues did pick up a point against Arsenal with ten men but results since then have been bleak, losing 3-1 to Leeds United and drawing 0-0 with Bournemouth.

Cole Palmer’s return to fitness has been timely, but according to the manager, he’s still not up to full speed just yet.

The latest Chelsea injury news

Palmer returned from the bench against Bournemouth at the weekend but in a fresh blow to Maresca and Co they have decided that the attacking midfielder will not travel with the squad for the Champions League trip to Atalanta.

That said, no fresh injury has been sustained. The manager has confirmed the forward is simply being rested as part of his recovery.

Palmer had missed a period courtesy of a groin injury and then had to spend an extra week out after breaking a toe at home.

That said, he is now slowly working himself back. Maresca said: “Cole is in part of his process in this moment. He’s not available, he can’t play two games in a row in three days. So we planned that, and it’s just a way to protect him.”

As far as Liam Delap is concerned, the news isn’t ideal there. The striker injured his shoulder against the Cherries and will now miss a period of time.

Commenting on the striker’s situation, the Chelsea boss stated: “Liam, fortunately, there is not any fracture, so that is good news. In terms of how long he will be out, we are not sure at this stage to be honest.”

What Delap's injury means for Chelsea

Well, it certainly means that Joao Pedro is likely to play a lot of minutes over the festive period and there could well be a rare slice of minutes for Marc Guiu who has barely kicked a ball this season after being recalled from his early-season loan spell with Sunderland.

That said, it’s unlikely we’ll see a recall for a certain Raheem Sterling who remains out in the cold alongside centre-back Axel Disasi.

A January exit looms for both players and it would be a surprise if we saw either in a Chelsea shirt again.

Maresca said in his press conference: “In terms of Raheem, once again it’s the same thing I said about Axel, they are Chelsea players. Now also we are in December, January is coming, so anything can happen, obviously.”

Sterling signed at Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £47.5m back in the summer of 2022 but has not lived up to expectations, scoring just 19 goals in 81 outings. A season-long loan spell with Arsenal in 2024/25 failed to get his career back on track either.

As for Disasi, he had a loan spell with Aston Villa in the back end of last campaign but has not been seen in Chelsea blue this season. He once cost the club a whopping £38.5m but there is seemingly no way back for him.

Chelsea flop has fast become their biggest liability since Bakayoko

Chelsea and Maresca need to move on from the walking disaster as soon as possible.

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

3 days ago