Erling Haaland sets another record! Man City superstar completes Premier League feat only previously accomplished by Harry Kane following Brentford winner

Erling Haaland equalled a Premier League feat set by Harry Kane after he scored the crucial goal in Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Brentford.

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Haaland scored winner against BrentfordNorwegian has now netted against every PL team he's faced City climb to second in table WHAT HAPPENED?

Despite a resilient performance by Brentford, Haaland's composed finish in the 71st minute secured the win for City, reigniting their pursuit of a third-straight Premier League title. With this goal, Haaland joins Kane (32/32) as the only players to have scored against every team they faced in the Premier League. However, the Norwegian achieved this feat in just his second season in England, which speaks volumes about his goal scoring prowess and the impact he has had on the English top-flight since he moved from Borussia Dortmund.

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Kristoffer Ajer had an unfortunate slip which provided Haaland with a clear path to goal. The 23-year-old kept his composure to score past Mark Flekken, who had come off of his line, to register his 22nd goal of the season.

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City had taken 17 shots on goal in the first half, but only five of them were on target. However, they were more clinical in the second half and kept six more inside the frame of the goal out of eight attempts.

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The victory sees City leapfrog Arsenal into second place and close the gap to one point behind league leaders Liverpool. Looking ahead, City will aim to continue their winning streak as they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, while Brentford will seek to bounce back against West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Middlesbrough fans keen to secure Kamil Grosicki deal

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According to Football Insider, Middlesbrough have opened talks with Hull City over a potential deal for Kamil Grosicki before the transfer window closes.

Grosicki has been in impressive form for Hull this season, scoring four times and registering six assists in 22 Championship appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

The 5ft 11in ace is also a 64-time Poland international and has proved his class at this level over the last couple of campaigns.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Boro are fifth in the Championship table as it stands but have only scored 31 league goals this term, which is one of the poorest records in the division.

According to Football Insider, Tony Pulis is keen to bring Grosicki to the club, but will face competition from Monaco for the 30-year-old.

The Boro fans have been on social media commenting on the transfer report.

And it would be fair to say that the majority are desperate for their team to get this particular deal over the line.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

'I genuinely couldn’t give a f*ck about me' – Wrexham star Paul Mullin opens up on son Albi's struggles with autism & admits his worries off the pitch can hit him like a 'cannonball'

Paul Mullin admits he "couldn’t give a f*ck" about himself, with son Albi and his struggles with autism the most important thing in his life.

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Red Dragons star remains a prolific presenceCan be relied upon to deliver on the fieldFaces as many challenges off the pitchWHAT HAPPENED?

The prolific Wrexham striker has forged quite the reputation for himself in recent times, with a 47-goal haul last season helping to fire the Red Dragons to promotion back into the Football League. Mullin is a firm fan favourite in North Wales – with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney among his many admirers – but the 29-year-old is eager to point out that events and challenges away from the pitch will always be his top priority.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MULLIN SAID

Mullin, whose famous ‘A’ hand signal goal celebration offers a nod towards his young son, has said in his new autobiography : “People say going to an autism discussion group will help me, but I’m not arsed about me. The last person I’m arsed about in this whole situation is me. I genuinely couldn’t give a f*ck about me. I care about Albi. I spend every minute thinking about how I can help him overcome barriers that he, as a child, can’t foresee. As soon as I work out he can jump one, in my head the next one appears. Sometimes the worry hits me like a cannonball. I sit on the couch and cry. Or I’ll watch him when he’s asleep and feel wave after wave of emotion. I don’t know why, because I don’t care that he’s autistic.”

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Mullin added: “What I am, though, is scared. For him, not me. Not knowing how it affects him is what I hate. Does it affect him? Does it not? Does he care? Does he not? I’m constantly trying to get inside his head and sometimes I just hit the wall. It’s as if my own head has split open and a flood of emotion has come pouring out. If one week he isn’t as vocal as the one before, I’ll feel a massive weight of guilt – it’s my fault. Those emotional episodes are necessary in a way, because when I wake up the next day I feel ready to go again. The other side of me is back – I’m on the train again. My focus is there, and it’s a positive focus. ‘You’re being stupid,’ I tell myself. ‘You spend so much time with him that you do know how he works. You know what’s inside his head.’”

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Mullin has earned plenty of plaudits for the work that he continues to do regarding autism awareness, with funds being raised for several charities. He can always be relied upon to give his all professionally, with the 29-year-old as ambitious as any other player, but there will always be more important things for him to worry about than where his next goal is coming from.

Buy your copy of Paul Mullin's brilliant new autobiography My Wrexham Story on Amazon.

'It's not because Momma can't play' – USWNT legend Julie Ertz explains decision to retire at 31 ahead of final outing & cap 123

Julie Ertz has explained her decision to retire at the age of 31, with the USWNT legend preparing to earn her 123rd and final international cap.

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Winner of two World Cup titlesA centurion at international levelPlans to enjoy more family timeWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite still being at the top of her game, Ertz – who is married to NFL star Zach of the Arizona Cardinals – has decided that she wants to spend more time with her family. She bowed out at club level with NWSL side Angel City FC in August, having suffered a surprise last-16 exit at the 2023 Women’s World Cup with the United States national team.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT THEY SAID

She hinted after a shock defeat to Sweden that she was done, but has agreed to take in one more outing for the USWNT against South Africa on Thursday. Ertz has said of calling it a day, with the next Olympic Games in Paris only 10 months away: “There's always the next opportunity, and your whole career as an athlete, you're like, ‘I don't want to regret anything’. And I think when I get to a point to be able to choose myself, when I could step away… I do feel I could step away and be like, 'It's not because Momma can't play. Momma can play. She has just adapted [her] priorities.' And I think that just comes with age and just I feel like I've been so blessed to have the career that I've had. I think time with my family is just irreplaceable, especially with just where [son] Madden is and his age.”

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Ertz savoured World Cup glory with the U.S. in 2015 when operating as a centre-half, before then moving up into a midfield holding role to help defend that crown four years later. She has been a model of consistency for the States and returned to action in 2023 just eight months after giving birth to son Madden.

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Ertz was unable to complete a hat-trick of World Cup wins in Australia and New Zealand and added on what needs to happen in order for the USWNT to restore global dominance: “It's really about how you learn from this. And I know that there was obviously plenty [of] first-timers at the World Cup, and I'm excited to see their comeback. The way to get back on top is you've got to win. So that's a bunch of things. I feel like it's so obvious. I could sit here and be like, well, this and that. At the end of the day, you have to score goals, you have to get them back in the net and you can't make excuses.”

'Sold out again!' – Wrexham star George Evans praises amazing support as SToK Racecourse set to be full when Ryan Reynolds-owned side take on Yeovil Town

Wrexham midfielder George Evans has praised the "amazing" support from the club's fans after their upcoming match against Yeovil Town sold out.

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Second round tie a sell-outClub has rich FA Cup historyEvans praises home supportGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The midfielder, who joined last summer from Championship side Millwall, was fulsome in his praise for the Wrexham support as tickets sold swiftly for their second round tie on Sunday. The Welsh club have a proud history of knocking out higher-ranked clubs in the famous competition, but will be in that position themselves on Sunday. Evans is keen for there to be no accidents when their opponents from the National League South arrive at the Racecourse Ground.

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"These are the games that people remember, the FA Cup brings a lot of memories," Evans told reporters on Friday. "It is such a historic cup and you want to make sure you do as well as you can, it's a massive competition for us to be in. You can't take anyone lightly and we will make sure that we are ready because it is a big game for us, we want to do well in the competition.

"Obviously the league is the priority but we want to go as far as we can in the cup. We want to win every game we go into. It is sold-out again thanks to our amazing fans so it will be a massive game for Yeovil as well. We need to make sure we are in the right mindset and we go on and win."

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Evans quite openly states that winning promotion is the priority but Wrexham will not overlook a competition which has seen them eliminate top-flight sides like Arsenal, West Ham and Middlesbrough over the years, and one the fans clearly have an affinity for. Victory on Sunday brings the possibility of drawing a Premier League side in January's third round with either a rocking Racecourse or a big away trip to a top-flight ground – something Wrexham fans and co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney would revel in.

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Manager Phil Parkinson will make sure his men focus on the job in hand when the game gets underway on Sunday afternoon. Main marksman Paul Mullin has his own scoring streak to keep alive in a competition he's come to thrive in.

Harry Kane is on fire again! England star saves Bayern with late winner against RB Leipzig to give Thomas Tuchel's team hope of catching Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga title race

England captain Harry Kane scored twice to carry Bayern Munich to a scrappy win over RB Leipzig and stay in the Bundesliga title race.

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Kane scored before Sesko equalisedEngland captain won it in stoppage timeBayern eight points behind LeverkusenTELL ME MORE

Kane came the closest for the Bavarians in the first half, seeing a free header denied by an acrobatic stop. He didn't miss in the second half, creating space inside the box before lashing a left-footed effort into the bottom corner. But Leipzig battled their way back, Sesko bagging the equaliser with 20 minutes to play. Kane had the last laugh, though, guiding home a fine finish in second half stoppage time.

AdvertisementGettyTHE MVP

It hasn't been an easy few weeks for Kane. The English striker was toothless against first Leverkusen, then Lazio, going missing in the Bavarians' biggest games of the season. And although he scored in a losing effort against Bochum last week, he failed to convince. On Saturday, he turned in a far more convincing performance. He was unlucky not to open the scoring after five minutes, and took first his goal well when the moment came. The second was even better – a fine left footed finish. A welcome return to form.

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It's on nights like these that big players need to show up. And Leipzig's Lois Openda simply didn't. The pacey forward has been excellent in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 16 goals and adding four assists. But he was almost anonymous here. He managed just 27 touches – only four of which came in the Bayern box – and didn't put a shot on goal. In the end, Leipzig were perhaps unlucky that the opposition had a truly elite striker leading their line. But they could have done with a better contribution from their own centre-forward in this one.

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Bayern will face a scrap to stay in the Bundesliga title race – as current leaders Bayer Leverkusen keep winning. Thomas Tuchel's side continue that effort with a clash with Freiburg on Friday, before turning their attention to the second leg of their Champions League last 16 clash with Lazio.

Wayne Rooney suggests ex-Man Utd team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is 'selfish' as he reiterates belief that Lionel Messi is the GOAT

Wayne Rooney has labelled former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as 'selfish'.

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Rooney labelled Ronaldo as selfishStill considers Messi the bestClaimed Portuguese only thinks of goalsWHAT HAPPENED?

Rooney claimed that he considers Lionel Messi to be less selfish than Ronaldo as he stated that his former Manchester United colleague only thinks about goals while the Argentine gives more effort on the pitch and tries to create chances.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT WAYNE ROONEY SAID

Former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard recently claimed that he considers himself to be a better 'pure footballer' than the Al-Nassr star. Now Rooney has supported the Belgian's statement while speaking to YouTubers Lyes Bouzidi and CultureCams.

The former England striker said: "So for instance, Cristiano Ronaldo, his mindset is goals. He doesn’t care about anything else, it’s goals, that’s all he wants. Whereas you look at Messi, he wants to play a bit more.

"I suppose that’s what Hazard is saying, he liked to play – exactly like myself. I saw something that Gary Neville said recently, that Alex Ferguson always used to have a go at me for coming too deep, but it was because I wanted to play football. And I could have been a bit more selfish and stayed up top, and maybe scored a few more goals, but I wanted to play. I wanted to enjoy the game and I imagine that’s what Hazard means."

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The Portugal captain had attacked his former colleagues Rooney and Neville in an interview with Piers Morgan in 2022. Ronaldo went on to claim that he no longer considers the duo as his friends after they criticised him towards the end of his second stint with the Red Devils.

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The 39-year-old will be next seen in action for his club on Saturday against Al-Fateh in the Saudi Pro League while the Inter Miami star will be in action in his club's season opener against Real Salt Lake on February 22.

PGMOL chief Howard Webb under pressure to end UAE jaunts for Premier League officials after seeing VAR Darren England make huge error in Tottenham vs Liverpool clash 48 hours after Middle East trip

PGMOL chief Howard Webb is under pressure to block Premier League match officials from travelling to the Middle East for midweek fixtures.

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Referees working in the Middle EastHead back to England for top-flight gamesMistakes making unfortunate headlinesWHAT HAPPENED?

It has been revealed that Darren England and Dan Cook – who were in the VAR booth for Liverpool’s controversial clash with Tottenham on Saturday – formed part of an officiating team in the UAE on Thursday evening, giving them just 48 hours in which to complete a long-haul flight and recover in time to keep an eye across top-flight action in north London.

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They failed to spot that a Luis Diaz effort in the first half of Liverpool’s game with Spurs had been wrongly ruled out for offside, leading to PGMOL having to issue an apology for a “significant human error” impacting proceedings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

WHAT THEY SAID

Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has told of the midweek jaunts to the Middle East: “I understand that they officiated on Thursday evening, which means on Friday they will have had a minimum seven hours in the air. This impacts on their recovery and a loss of sharpness in their performance. In my time in office if they were in Europe on Thursday then they would not officiate until late Sunday or Monday at the earliest. This is yet another example of poor management of these professional sports persons and actual changes must be made to stop these mounting errors.”

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Concerns have been raised regarding a potential conflict of interest as match officials split their time between the Premier League and lucrative wages on offer in the Middle East, although there is no evidence of that being the case at present. Webb is, however, under pressure to bring an end to the trips – outside of those taken in as part of European competition – in a bid to remove any potential distractions and bring about an end to the regular debates regarding costly errors being made in the VAR department.

'Selfish and immature' – Sergino Dest takes to Instagram to apologize after inexcusable red card in USMNT's loss to Trinidad & Tobago

Sergino Dest took to Instagram to apologize after being sent off in the U.S. men's national team's 2-1 loss to Trinidad & Tobago on Monday.

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Dest sent off for arguing with refereeDefender apologizes for 'immature' behaviorU.S. loses, but qualifies for Copa AmericaGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Dest was sent off in the first half of the 2-1 defeat, leaving his team with it all to do after an inexcusable red card. The defender was having a solid game at the time of his dismissal, having already assisted Antonee Robinson's opener. The Barcelona fullback was shown a red card with his team up a goal from that opener and, more importantly, up 4-0 on aggregate. Dest appeared frustrated with a decision and, after a stoppage in play, hoofed the ball into the stands. After being given a yellow card, he continued to yell at the referee, blowing kisses at the official before being sent off.

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Dest's teammates were noticeably angry at the defender, with Tim Ream and Matt Turner both seen yelling at him after his dismissal. Dest's exit left the U.S. with plenty of hard running to do and, just moments after, they conceded a goal to make it 1-1. After the match, Gregg Berhalter and Ream blasted the defender for his behavior, although the coach said that the team will welcome Dest back after he apologized for his mistake.

WHAT DEST SAID

"I want to apologize to my Teammates, Staff, Fans and whole nation for my behaviour," Dest wrote on Instagram. "It was unacceptable, Selfish and immature I let my team down! It’s something I have to learn from and it won’t happen again!"

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GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Dest is the first player to claim an assist before being shown a red card in the same game since he accomplished the same feat in the Nations League win over Mexico earlier this year.

Nothing Christian Pulisic or Yunus Musah can do! USMNT stars put in decent shifts as anemic Milan capitulate against PSG

AC Milan's Champions League hopes are now in big, big trouble following a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.

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Milan fall in ParisMusah and Pulisic both startSerie A side yet to score in three Champions League games

U.S. men's national team stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started the key match in this season's group of death, with Milan entering with two points from their first two games. However, they were undone in a 3-0 loss in Paris behind goals from Kylian Mbappe, Randall Kolo Muani and Lee Kang-in.

Through three games, Milan remain without a goal, and this loss leaves Milan with it all to do as they head into the second half of their group stage campaign.

GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Both sides were content to feel each other out a bit from the beginning, with no clear-cut early chances. Rafael Leao generated a half-chance with a driven shot early on, but it wasn't until Mbappe's goal in the 32nd minute that the game truly opened up.

It was a typical finish from the PSG star, who benefitted from a fantastic run and pass from Warren Zaire-Emery. Once on the ball, though, there was no stopping Mbappe, who cut inside to find space past Fikayo Tomori to make it 1-0.

Milan had chances to equalize, one of which saw Pulisic square a pass just past an outstretched Olivier Giroud, while PSG saw a second goal from Ousmane Dembele ruled out due to a foul on Yunus Musah in the buildup.

That second goal did come, though, as Kolo Muani tapped home from close range in the 53rd minute to seal all three points for PSG. Lee's goal was just icing on the cake as he added a third to complete the lopsided win.

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It''s a bad result for Milan, who now have a lot of work to do if they want to remain in Europe following the group stage.

With the loss, Milan are in last place in Group F with just two points from their first three matches. PSG are top, now with six points to show for their efforts, while Newcastle and Dortmund are both on four through three matches.

Pulisic, Musah and Milan will still have plenty of hope, though, heading into the second set of fixtures, where they'll host PSG and Dortmund before visiting Newcastle. They'll have to, ultimately, figure out a way to score, though, as a team that has scored 16 goals in Serie A cannot seem to find the back of the net in the Champions League.

Getty ImagesUSMNT IMPACT

It's been a tough Champions League week for the USMNT contingent, with PSV's draw with Lens on Tuesday harming their hopes of advancing as well.

While there was at least one bright spot for PSV in Malik Tillman's assist, as simple as it was, there was none here as neither Musah nor Pulisic did anything too notable in the defeat.

Pulisic's best moment came in the second half, although he likely should have taken the shot rather than passing to Giroud. In general, he was the most active of Milan's three attackers, but was unable to add anything tangible to Milan's anemic attack.

As for Musah, his biggest contribution was getting fouled to prevent PSG's second goal, although he was relatively solid in the midfield against a talented PSG team.

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GettyGOAL'S RATINGS

Christian Pulisic (6/10):

To his credit, was the bright spot in the attack, but that isn't saying too much. Put in plenty of work and you can't fault the effort, but there was just nothing going on for Milan in the attacking third yet again.

Yunus Musah (7/10):

A good shift, particularly in the first half. Won the ball several times and was fairly solid defensively, even though many around him weren't.

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