14th December: Emiliano Martinez Makes Save of the Season
Aston Villa’s goalkeeper pulled off a world-class save against Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa travelled to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening, with Emiliano Martinez assuming his usual place in Villa’s goal. Although the Argentine did not have much to do in the first half of the game, he had to be at his best to produce a world-class stop after half-time.
With Forest swinging in a corner, a close-range header appeared goalbound until Martinez swivelled on the line to get a huge glove on the ball, palming it to the ground to prevent the hosts taking the lead. The entirety of the City Ground were convinced that it was in, but the reactions and agility which make Villa’s goalkeeper one of the best in the world meant otherwise.
12th December: Chelsea Fans Given Special Gift Ahead of 3-1 Win vs Astana
Travelling fans had to endure temperatures of minus 15 degrees
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea ensured their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Conference League on Thursday after picking up a 3-1 win over Baku-based Astana in freezing conditions. Much had been made of the Blues’ trip to Kazakhstan, with Maresca slamming the more than 7,000-mile round trip.
The game had an earlier kick-off time of 3:30 PM in the United Kingdom, which was 8:30 PM local time. This was because the treacherous temperature was only going to decrease later in the day, meaning that the game was forbidden from starting any later. In the end, 500 Chelsea supporters packed out the away end and saw a superb Marc Guiu effort en route to the 3-1 victory.
As a thank you for their dedication and for braving such a cold climate, fans were handed a commemorative keychain to remember the experience. It is believed that these were handed to supporters when they went to collect their matchday tickets, and it had the words “Over land and sea” carved onto it. It also included the distance between Stamford Bridge and Almaty – the city in which the game took place – which was 3,485 miles.
10th December: Raphinha and Szczesny Slammed For Treatment of Ball Boy
Fans have been quick to critcise the pair for their disrespect
Barcelona duo Raphinha and Wojciech Szczesny have been slammed on social media after they were seen refusing to let a ball boy collect footballs at the end of their warm-up prior to the clash with Real Betis. The Brazilian was practising free-kicks against his Polish teammate when the ball boy approached them to put the balls away as their allocated warm-up time had come to an end.
The former Leeds United winger repeatedly told the youngster to leave the balls alone as he had not finished his warm-up, blatantly disregarding the rules surrounding how much time he was allowed on the field. The ball boy was seen approaching a Barcelona coach for help, leading to the two players allowing the volunteer to do his job. That was not before Szczesny decided to mess with him, pretending to give one ball back on multiple occasions before dropping it on the floor for the kid to pick up.
In response, fans online have slammed the duo for their conduct. One person said: “Regardless of whatever the scenario – club, rivalry – rich asses looking down on people doing their jobs is absolutely disgusting.” Another shared a similar sentiment, adding: “And there’s no excuse – no mid-match passion, no anger-inducing trigger, nothing. Still. Again, disgusting.”
Chelsea supporters believe midfielder shouted ‘Go home!’
Fans believe they captured Romeo Lavia telling the Tottenham Hotspur fans to ‘go home’ once the final whistle blew at the end of Chelsea’s 4-3 win in the Premier League over the north Londoners on Sunday afternoon. Jadon Sancho’s first-half strike, Cole Palmer’s brace of penalties and Enzo Fernandez’s cancelled out Tottenham’s early two-goal lead, while Son Heung-min notched a consolation late on.
Lavia – who enjoyed a 45-minute cameo on away soil – immediately turned to the home support as Anthony Taylor called time on the north London-based seven-goal thriller, and it was captured in its entirety by a fan in the home end. While it’s difficult to decipher exactly what the ex-Southampton prospect bellowed, fans are under the impression that he told the losing fans to ‘go home’.
8th December: Bayern Retire Number 5 Shirt
Decision made by members to honour a club legend
Bayern Munich confirmed that their members had decided to retire the number five shirt to honour club legend, Franz Beckenbauer. ‘Der Kaiser’ passed away in January 2024 and was considered by many to be the best defender in football history.
The decision to hang up the shirt was made unilaterally at their AGM meeting on Sunday, with club president Herbert Hainer stating that the former two-time European Player of the Year “made this club what it is today”. Beckenbauer now joins the likes of Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff as club legends who have seen their kit numbers retired.
8th December: Garnacho Appears to Like Damning Post About Teammate
Potentially awkward for Lisandro Martinez
Manchester United’s surprise 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest is a big blow to the club’s optimistic mood with big things expected of Ruben Amorim’s tenure. The Red Devils have now been beaten in back-to-back Premier League games, having fallen 2-0 away at Arsenal during the week.
The game got off to the worst possible start with Nikola Milenkovic heading Forest into the lead after just two minutes. This moment was notably difficult for Lisandro Martinez, who was called a ‘little boy’ by Jamie Redknapp after the game for looking so weak.
Making matters worse, it now appears that Alejandro Garnacho appeared to like a critical social media post about the incident. Indeed, a post read: ‘Unfortunately Lisandro Martinez got beat in the air,’ beside a photo of the United defender losing the aerial duel to Milenkovic.
It’s certainly not a good look for the young winger, although there have been some claims that it was merely an accident. Either way, it’s an awkward moment which will potentially add to the growing list of issues Amorim has to contend with.
5th December: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Savage Response to Van der Vaart
The legendary forward hit back at his former teammates recent criticism
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a brutal put-down of former teammate Rafael van der Vaart after the Dutchman slammed the legendary forward for being selfish. Van der Vaart, who also starred for Tottenham during his playing days, has not been shy about giving controversial takes during his retirement. His latest claim suggested that Ronaldo would be unhappy if his team won and he failed to score, but would be okay if he grabbed a brace en route to a defeat.
“Ronaldo was so unbelievably selfish, if we won 6-0 and he did not score, he was not happy. When we lose but he scored twice, it’d be alright!”
The former playmaker’s comments were posted to social media, which prompted Ronaldo’s short and sharp response. The Al-Nassr star simply replied to the post asking, “Who is that guy?” despite the fact that they shared the pitch together 21 times.
4th December: Gary Neville’s Reaction to Newcastle 3-3 Liverpool
The former Manchester United full-back got carried away as Fabian Schar equalised late on
A lot has been made of different pundits’ allegiances in recent weeks. While Jamie Carragher has been slammed by Liverpool fans and players for his negative outlook, despite the Reds being top of both the Premier League and Champions League, his partner – Gary Neville – made no attempt to disguise the fact he would loathe to see Arne Slot’s side claim a 20th league title.
In what could only be described as one of the most thrilling games of the season so far, Liverpool fought from 1-0 and 2-1 down to gain a 3-2 lead against Newcastle United in the 83rd minute on Wednesday night. But in one of the last kicks of the match, Fabian Schar found a 3-3 equaliser, and Neville went delirious in the Overlap’s live stream as a result.
4th December: Olise’s ‘Battle’ With Borussia Dortmund’s Stadium Volunteers
The Bayern Munich star was unhappy with his warm-up interrupted
Footage of Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise warming up ahead of his team’s clash with rivals Borussia Dortmund has caught the eye of fans online. The former Crystal Palace man was going through his paces with his teammates ahead of the game. As they warmed up, the Bayern men moved the advertising banners out of the way, to avoid tripping on them. However, Dortmund volunteers quickly moved them back in to place.
While other Bayern players simply ran over the sheets, Olise refused to put up with it, dragging them out of the way time after time – to the evident exasperation of the volunteers. The comedic nature of the video led one fan to explain on Reddit: ‘I think I saw this Looney Tunes episode.’
Olise came off the bench to assist Jamal Musiala’s equaliser as Bayern drew 1-1 away from home in the Bundesliga clash.
3rd December: Amad’s Reply to Mazraoui’s Player of the Month Award Win
The Ivorian, whose goal contrbutions have increased, has made his feelings known
Amad Diallo’s reply to teammate Noussair Mazraoui winning Manchester United’s November Player of the Month gong, with him posting a gif of a referee heading to the VAR pitchside monitor, has gone viral. The former Bayern Munich defender has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, but it’s safe to say that his Ivorian colleague is not best pleased with his latest accolade.
The winger, who boasts six goal contributions (two goals and four assists) in his last four appearances across all competitions, has endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful – and thanks to his upturn in impact in the final third, he feels as if he should have added the award to his personal trophy cabinet. Maybe next month, Amad!
2nd December: Salah’s Action While City Players Raged about Penalty Go Viral
The Egyptian, unphased by the pressure, converted his spot kick
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was spotted juggling the ball while skipper Kyle Walker and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega were arguing with referee Chris Kavanagh over him giving the table toppers a penalty in their recent Premier League meeting. After Ruben Dias lost the ball deep in his own half, the aforementioned German shot stopper rushed out and clipped Luis Diaz as he went to ground. Kavanagh had no choice but to point to the spot.
Salah, whose assist to Cody Gakpo saw him soar into joint-11th in the division’s all-time assist tally, was voted Man of the Match against the reigning champions and his pre-penalty antics have got fans talking. As cool as you like, unflustered by the pressure of converting his effort from 12 yards out, he was busy doing keepy ups as the City players contested the decision. The Egyptian, of course, stepped up and slotted home to make it 2-0 – but talk about calmness personified.
1st December: Cole Palmer’s Viral Instagram Post After MOTM Display vs Aston Villa
Palmer added to his goal tally for the season in the 3-0 win
Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer’s recent social media activity has gone viral after it was revealed he predicted that he would win the man of the match award following his side’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa. The Englishman was in top form, grabbing a stunning goal and an assist to help the Blues climb to third in the Premier League table.
After his match-winning display, Palmer took to social media with a picture of his player of the match trophy and a screenshot of a conversation he had with Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers ahead of the game. Rogers had told Palmer that he wasn’t scoring on Sunday afternoon, to which Palmer coldly responded by saying that he was going to bring the MOTM trophy home with him.
The pair are known to be friends in real life, having both featured in the Manchester City academy. Rogers even once claimed that Palmer’s trademark celebration was stolen from him. Only one of them will be celebrating as the weekend draws to a close.
1st December: Jude Bellingham’s Ice-Cold Penalty
Englishman’s spot-kick for Real Madrid vs Getafe was as cool as you like
Jude Bellingham scored a contender for the coldest penalty of the 2024-25 season during Real Madrid’s La Liga clash against Getafe on Sunday afternoon. Los Blancos were aiming to get back to winning ways after losing 2-0 to Liverpool in the Champions League in mid-week.
Real Madrid’s fans got behind the players, despite last Wednesday’s loss at Anfield, and were celebrating in the 30th minute when Bellingham opened the scoring from the spot. He made Getafe’s goalkeeper David Soria look silly in the process, stroking the ball past him after a Jorginho-esque hop before producing an equally cold celebration. It’s clear that Bellingham’s confidence levels remain sky-high.
30th November: Man Utd Fans Slam Rashford’s Disrespectful Gesture
‘It costs nothing to treat people with respect’
Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford has caused a serious stir for his actions on the sideline, just before replacing Mason Mount in the 59th minute of their 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt in Thursday night’s Europa League clash. The Englishman approached the touchline and was making his final preparations – and within that, he decided to remove his gloves.
Instead of handing them to a Red Devils staff member who was standing just yards behind him, the forward opted to throw them on the ground. The member of staff, after watching him throw the first glove, offered an outstretched arm to collect the second glove but that, too, was thrown to the floor by the 27-year-old. Alongside posting the footage, one X (formerly Twitter) user suggested that the 27-year-old should be docked wages for his pre-substitution antics. “It costs nothing to treat people with respect” a fan replied.
30th November: Liverpool Physio Refuses Guler’s Water Request
Physio was on the pitch to treat an injured Darwin Nunez
A clip of Liverpool’s physio refusing to give Real Madrid superstar Arda Guler some water when the Turkish youngster reached out to grab one has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter). It was a night to forget for Guler and his teammates on Wednesday as the Reds ran riot in a 2-0 victory with Vinicius Jr’s absence proving too onerous for Carlo Ancelotti and his entourage. However, an incident while Liverpool staff were attending to an injured Darwin Nunez has picked up traction online.
A concerned Virgil van Dijk protected the Uruguayan from a sea of white shirts as Guler, 19, casually approached the opposition’s physio in order to get some much-needed fluids in board. Instead of simply handing one over after the youngster’s pretty standard request, the physio pulled back and refused. Usually, irrespective of the club the player is plying his trade for, the physio will let them at least take a sip – but not the Liverpool man.
In response, one fan said: “This is such pathetic behaviour.”, while another is hoping that the two European giants lock horns again in the knockout rounds of the competition: “I really hope we meet them again in the knockouts.”
28th November: Ronaldinho Scores Sublime Free Kick
Ronaldinho was some player to watch during his prime, capable of leaving defenders baffled with a moment of magic or a fleet-footed dribble through a team’s defence. And he was up to his usual tricks again in a legends match between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Although his playing days are far behind him, the former Barca player lined up a free-kick from just outside the penalty area, bending the ball into the top corner with ease. The opposition goalkeeper could only watch as it nestled in the back of the net, with Ronaldinho shrugging as he walked away.
27th November: Virgil van Dijk Wipes Out Kylian Mbappe
Defender took no prisoners with his challenge
Liverpool hosted Real Madrid in a mammoth Champions League tie during the league phase, with star power galore taking to the field in a bid to secure three points. Virgil van Dijk and Kylian Mbappe were two of the biggest names on the pitch at Anfield, and both were involved in a viral moment during the first half.
The Frenchman drove at Liverpool’s defence with the football, only to be confronted by a sea of red shirts, including Van Dijk – and the Dutchman took no prisoners with his challenge. He barged into Mbappe, sending him flying head over heels, much to the love of the home crowd. Not exactly what the Real Madrid star would have been expecting when he picked up possession.
26th November: Micah Richards in Tears During Champions League Coverage
Pundit struggled to contain laughter after being banned from speaking in TV segment
The Champions League returned for the fifth week of the new league phase on Tuesday night, which meant that all of Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards were back covering the fixtures for CBS. Their attention turned to Barcelona’s match against Brest but, after his comments a few weeks ago, Richards was ‘banned’ from speaking by host Kate Abdo.
What followed was agony for the former Manchester City defender, as the rest of the cast cracked several jokes about the name of the French team. Richards was writhing on set as he tried to contain his laughter, although he was eventually allowed to weigh in on the matter by his co-hosts.
