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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after Andros Townsend won the ‘Goal of the Year’ award at the London Football Awards on Thursday evening.

The England international picked up the accolade as a result of his stunning strike against Manchester City at the Etihad earlier this season, in which he rifled a dropping ball into the top right corner from well outside the box.

His goal also meant more than just pure aesthetics. Townsend’s strike helped the Eagles beat the champions 3-2 on their own turf, becoming the only side to do so in the current campaign – the former Tottenham man has become the first player to win the ‘Goal of the Year’ award at the London Football Awards.

Impressively, the 27-year-old was also nominated for the ‘Player of the Year’ award after an impressive season in which he has already hit seven goals – a personal best – although he lost out to Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min.

Understandably, Palace fans are beaming with pride at Townsend’s achievement, and have taken to Twitter to react…

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Loads of Tottenham fans have been reacting to their latest setback at Burnley, and they’re not too happy with left-back Danny Rose.

Tottenham missed a golden opportunity to gain some ground on the Premier League leaders on Saturday, falling to a 2-1 defeat at Turf Moor.

Chris Wood opened the scoring in the second half with a lovely flicked header that came down off the crossbar, but Harry Kane equalised on his return to the side with a smart low finish from a tight angle.

Ashley Barnes then decided the match, tapping in from close range courtesy of a rather lucky cross-shot from Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

The Lilywhites could have closed the gap to just two points before Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford, but a seventh league loss of the season leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s side with a mountain to climb if they are to truly test the top two.

Few of the players covered themselves in glory, but the full-backs were particularly poor.

Serge Aurier looked lost playing on the right flank, while Rose completed just 75 per cent of his overall passes, the second-lowest of any Spurs outfield starter (Juan Foyth completed just 68 per cent).

The English international did set up Kane’s goal with a smartly taken quick throw, but the Twitter reactions down below do not make pretty reading for the 28 year-old…

Should Rangers manage to overcome Aberdeen in their Scottish Cup quarter-final replay then Steven Gerrard’s side will take on Celtic in the semi-finals.

Joe Worrall cancelled out a Sam Cosgrove penalty on Sunday afternoon as Rangers came from behind to draw 1-1 with the Dons.

The two teams will do it all again next week and the prize will be a last-four clash with Celtic.

Rangers have not won the Scottish Cup since 2009, but Celtic have lifted the trophy in each of the last two campaigns.

To suggest that they will be desperate to tackle their rivals in the semi-finals of the competition is a slight understatement.

Aberdeen will be no pushovers in the replay, though, and will certainly have their own ambitions of booking a last-four spot against the Hoops.

The Rangers fans have been on social media offering their views on a potential semi-final with their bitter rivals in the middle of next month.

And a selection of their Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Pat Cummins expects to be parachuted in to the New South Wales Sheffield Shield team on the final day of what is shaping as a potentially fiery encounter with a Queensland side not entirely happy to be facing as many as 15 players against their 11 ahead of the first Test at the Gabba.While Cummins has been left out of the New South Wales side for their Sheffield Shield match against Queensland, to start at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Friday, there is a chance the 19-year-old may be included as a substitute player for the last day of the match on Monday, with four of the Blues players due to join Australia’s Test squad.Returning home from a trophy-winning Twenty20 Champions League campaign with the Sydney Sixers, Cummins said he hoped to be able to take part in the final day of the match, his first involvement in a first-class fixture since his one and only Test match against South Africa in Johannesburg last year.”We mapped it out three or four months ago so I knew what the process was going to be, I obviously want to be out there playing cricket and Shield cricket especially,” Cummins said. “Hopefully, maybe I’ll play on the fourth day of this game, depending on what the selectors do with the Aussie side and then hopefully after that get into the next Shield game.”I have been playing T20 cricket for about two or three months and we mapped out a plan then and in between the games we knew we wouldn’t be able to fit in enough overs to get right for Shield straight away, so it’s probably building up for two or three weeks and then getting right for the shield game against Victoria at the SCG.”If NSW were bowling on the final day of the match, that would allow Cummins to ease his way back into Shield competition after spending the past two months playing Twenty20 cricket with Australia and the Sydney Sixers. Cummins, who has not played a first-class match for nearly a year, is expected to be considered for the third Test against South Africa in Perth, but only if his body and form holds up through Shield cricket in the meantime.Queensland are unhappy that they do not know the identity of the replacement players they may face, the coach Darren Lehmann pointing out that the side may be stacked with batsmen or bowlers depending on the game scenario.”It’s certainly not fair,” Lehmann said. “I’d like to know who the replacements are when we’re playing a game. They could be bowling or chasing runs and end up picking all batters to replace their bowlers. So I’d like to know who they are replacing them with.”If they don’t replace them, or rather don’t let us know who they are, then they can’t replace them. It’s first-class cricket.”New South Wales have named a squad featuring four members of Australia’s Test squad – Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, David Warner and Mitchell Starc – and only two players who have not played for or toured with the Australians. Brad Haddin will keep the wicketkeeping gloves ahead of Peter Nevill, who has been named as a specialist batsman.The Blues will be without Moises Henriques and Steven Smith, who will instead be part of the Australia A team to play South Africa in Sydney. For Cummins, the chance to play even a walk-on role in a first-class fixture is an enticing prospect after a year beset by injuries and countless T20 engagements.”In the past 18 months [Johannesburg] was the only game of cricket I played with a red ball, so I am itching to get back with the red ball and trying to get it swinging around for more than two overs,” Cummins said. “You want to play as much cricket as possible and it starts with the Shield and I haven’t played Shield cricket for close to 18 months now so I am chomping at the bit to get out there.”It’s ok that it is mapped out three or four months in advance but it does hurt when you are sitting on the sidelines and you feel relatively fit and there are other people playing.”New South Wales squad David Warner, Shane Watson, Scott Henry, Nic Maddinson, Michael Clarke (capt), Peter Nevill, Brad Haddin (wk), Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Trent Copeland, Josh Hazlewood, Doug Bollinger.

So the deadline day saga surrounding Bournemouth’s Josh King has just taken yet another twist.

Reports have claimed Manchester United were very much interested in bringing the Norway international back to Old Trafford before the close of play on Friday.

Indeed, it was even suggested King himself wanted a move, and that United had seen their first bid of £20m turned down by the Cherries as they looked to keep hold of one of their prized assets.

But now, according to Sky Sports, the Red Devils have cooled their interest in the forward and have moved on to other options.

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After hearing about the fresh update on their pursuit of King, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation, with many expressing their relief that they may not be signing the Norwegian after all.

A couple of fans however took the opportunity to insist that signing a new striker is still a necessity, with one supporter in particular urging them to do some late business with time running out.

Whilst some United fans appear to be thankful that they may be swerving on King, surely the Bournemouth man would be better than absolutely no-one?

Calling all transfer experts! Can you get all 15 questions right on our Deadline Day quiz?

He has plenty of Premier League experience by playing for the Cherries in recent seasons, and that means he could have hit the ground running upon arriving at Old Trafford. Perhaps the Red Devils have something else up their sleeves.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans discuss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s major deadline day update.

Wolves supporters have been making a lot of noise in recent times after seeing their team return to winning ways in impressive fashion over the weekend.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men went into their encounter with second place Tottenham off the back of drawing 1-1 with Fulham on Boxing Day, and thus seeking to go one better by recording what would be their eighth win of the campaign at Wembley on Saturday. And they did just that as goals from Willy Boly, Raul Jimenez, and Helder Costa inspired the visitors to a 3-1 victory at the national stadium, in turn moving them up to seventh place in the Premier League table.

As such, there have been many delighted Wolves fans up and down the country in recent times, with almost all of the 14 players used by Santo at the weekend against Spurs likely coming in for praise after an outstanding team display from the West Midlands club.

Yet one man in particular epitomised everything magnificent about last season’s Championship title winners, namely defender Conor Coady who, valued at £7.2 million by Transfermarkt, produced a stunning performance to help negate the attacking threat posed by Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

The 25-year-old has been a standout performer for Wolves this term upon their return to the Premier League, starting all 20 of their league games so far, and in that time producing many dominant defensive displays to help Santo’s side to the lofty heights of seventh place in the table.

And that was none-more-so evident than against Tottenham on Saturday, with the Englishman completing 45 of his 52 attempted passes to help Wolves wrestle control of the encounter – in fact, only Ruben Neves completed more passes (50) of those in a Wolves shirt (as per WhoScored).

But it was defensively in which Coady really proved his worth in doing a fine job on striker Harry Kane – the England captain may well have scored the opener for Spurs, but after that he didn’t get much of a sniff.

And that’s because 25-year-old Coady dominated proceedings in winning one of the two aerial duels he contested and indeed one of the two tackles he attempted, while his tally of two interceptions was the joint-most of any Wolves player to underline his excellent reading of the game.

Add in four clearances to help Santo’s side relieve some pressure, and the English defender was invariably in the right place at the right time to help Wolves to arguably their finest result of the season so far.

Thus, while it was a brilliant team display from Santo’s men at Wembley on Saturday, the outstanding efforts of centre back Coady epitomised everything magnificent about the Midlanders against Spurs.

Wolves fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Everton continued their winning ways on Saturday with a superb away performance at Leicester, and Gylfi Sigurdsson was once again the star of the show.

Of all the infuriating things that happened at Goodison Park last season, seeing Sigurdsson stuck on the wing was right up there.

The Icelandic international is immensely talented, but he simply doesn’t have the athleticism to function as a wide player.

Marco Silva clearly knows that too, as the new Everton boss has given Sigurdsson the freedom to roam about in the No.10 position.

While fans are all enamoured by some brilliant performances from the likes of Bernard and Lucas Digne, Sigurdsson has been on fire in recent weeks, scoring four times in his last four Premier League appearances.

The 29-year-old fired in four shots at Leicester, three of which were on target, including his incredible long-range strike to win the contest for the Toffees.

He showed his creative influence once again as well, creating four chances with key passes as well as whipping in a remarkable 13 crosses, four of which were successful.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”304908″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Spurs’ Impressive Run & A Premier League First”]

Silva demands a lot from his players at the other end as well though, and Sigurdsson has bought right into the new manager’s style as he made one tackle, two interceptions and three clearances at the King Power stadium.

Ronald Koeman’s big summer spending spree came under plenty of criticism, but Sigurdsson is now far and away the Toffees’ best player, and might even be next in line for the armband if Tom Davies loses his place.

So, Everton fans, how impressed were you by Sigurdsson on Saturday? How good can he become under Silva? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

It has been a frustrating window so far for Leeds United fans. They will want to see their club spark into action and bring some talent through the door. 

After a sub-par season last season, meticulous Argentine Marcelo Bielsa has been appointed as boss. His attention to detail and unique tactical approach have brought intense speculation on the West Yorkshire outfit. However, the lack of action on the transfer front has been disappointing.

Particularly considering the style of play Bielsa likely plans to employ, the lack of transfer activity is highly surprising. Bielsa mostly always employs a 3-3-1-3 formation, featuring an enganche between the midfield and attack. Whether the Argentine himself believes his current squad are capable of playing this system is doubtful. The former Marseille manager likes his players to be versatile, tactically aware and highly energetic. Whether this system will work with Championship standard players is questionable.

With that the case, Leeds should break the bank to sign Blackburn Rovers player Bradley Dack. The former Gillingham man is rated at £1m by Transfermarkt.

Attacking midfielder Dack would be perfect for the Enganche role Bielsa likes to employ, due to his high energy and game intelligence. Bradley Dack was undoubtedly the key man in Blackburn’s promotion winning League One season last time out, the 24-year-old netting 16 League goals from midfield.

There is very little the London-born player can’t do on a football pitch. A positive player who always looks to play forward, Dack would be perfect to sit in the hole between midfield and attack and dictate play. Quick in the pass, he would certainly get Bielsa’s team on the move. Long shots are another key element of Dack’s game, and the statistics show he knows where the net is.

With Dack being such a crucial player to Blackburn Rovers, it would be difficult for Leeds United to prize Rovers star man away from Ewood Park. They should drop everything and go after Dack, who could transform Leeds from a mid-table side to a side competing right at the top of the table.

According to reports in The Independent, Chelsea are demanding £44m for striker Diego Costa as they close in on the signing of Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata, who will cost an initial £58m according to The Telegraph.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Blues boss Antonio Conte told Costa that he wasn’t part of his plans for the upcoming season earlier this summer, and the Italian has been looking to bring in another striker ever since.

Having missed out to Manchester United for the signing of Romelu Lukaku, the Premier League holders turned their attentions to Morata and the club announced on their official website on Wednesday that they have reached an agreement with the La Liga giants.

Once the deal for the Spaniard goes through, The Independent says they will work out what they are going to do with Costa, who they value at £44m.

While his former club Atletico are interested, The Independent says the Spanish side only want to pay £25m and they also wouldn’t be able to complete a deal until their transfer ban is lifted in January.

It remains to be seen whether a compromise will be found, but the report adds that Diego Simeone has instructed the club to bring Costa back.

Is Costa worth £44m?

In this day and age and with some of the transfer prices we have seen already this summer, he certainly is.

The 28-year-old scored 20 Premier League goals last term and was an influential figure as the Blues cruised to the title, and he has netted 52 times in 89 top flight appearances for the Blues since moving to Stamford Bridge from Atletico in 2014.

The Spaniard is able to score any type of goal while his hold-up play and the problems that he gives defenders mean that he is a proven danger at the highest level.

Will they get that much for him?

Once the Morata deal is over the line, Conte and Chelsea will step up their efforts to offload Costa ahead of the new season and while they will be hopeful that they can get £44m for the Spain international, an offer of around £30-35m from Atletico for a player they don’t want could be too good to turn down.

As reported by The Daily Mirror, Real Madrid are hoping to seal the summer signature of Man City’s star striker Sergio Aguero.

What’s the story?

Sergio Aguero has long been a prized asset of Manchester City and a massive target for big clubs all around Europe, but that interest could soon be about turn into firm offers.

The Mirror reckon that the striker could be the subject of a summer bid from Real Madrid as they look to transform their attacking line-up.

They say Madrid have been interested in Aguero ever since he played at city rivals Atletico, who could also be interested in a move for the star at the end of the season.

Guardiola is insistent that he’s not for sale according to the paper but money talks, and besides, his place in the City line-up is not as guaranteed as it once was.

Aguero’s future

Sergio Aguero was once the first name on the team sheet at Manchester City but under Pep Guardiola he’s had to work hard for a consistent start. That’s never more than now with the arrival of Gabriel Jesus from Palmeiras.

The 19-year old striker has staked a claim to replace the Argentinian, at least in the short team, with a dynamite display against West Ham mid-week.

There’s an argument to say that while Aguero is obviously the more accomplished player, Jesus may just be a better fit in the high pressing, possession based system that Guardiola likes to play.

That said, City should try their hardest to retain the services of Aguero. He’s still one of, if not the most, lethal attackers in the entire Premier League. Despite his ‘problems’ with Guardiola, he’s still managed to score 15 goals this season already in all competitions.

He has a big part to play in the short term, medium term and long term at Manchester City and moves from Madrid, like the one reported in The Mirror, should be quickly rebuffed.

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