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Australia’s captain Steven Smith ranked a surprise hiding at the hands of Sri Lanka among the most deflating results of his career

Daniel Brettig30-Jul-2016Australia’s captain Steven Smith ranked a surprise hiding at the hands of Sri Lanka among the most deflating results of his career, after pledging his leadership would be focused upon improving the national team’s record in overseas territory.The 106-run defeat in little more than three days of actual playing time has put Australia’s No. 1 ranking at risk, being their seventh consecutive loss in Test matches in Asia and first to Sri Lanka in 17 years. Meanwhile a hamstring injury to the left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe means Smith will be relying on the ability of the Victorian spinner Jon Holland to hit the ground running when he links up with the squad in Galle for a match on what is expected to be an even sharper spinning pitch than that seen in Pallekele. A task considered well within the team’s capability ahead of the series now looks exceptionally steep.Familiar Australian weaknesses against spin bowling were laid bare by Rangana Herath and his wrist-spinning offsider Lakshan Sandakan, as they shared 16 wickets between them. At the same time batsmen like David Warner and Usman Khawaja were put to shame by an extraordinarily composed innings of 176 from the 21-year-old Man of the Match Kusal Mendis. Smith, too, had reason for self-recrimination, as his charge down the track at Herath’s first ball on day two had effectively swung the match.”It is disappointing,” Smith said. “I said before the game that we haven’t played well in subcontinent conditions for quite a while now. It’s something that under my captaincy I want to change. There were glimpses throughout this game that we’ve improved in some aspects but I think we just let ourselves down a lot as well.”I generally play spinners quite aggressively. I’ve hit that ball for four or six several times throughout my career. I got beaten on the inside of the bat. It’s just summing it up and making sure I play with a straighter bat if I’m trying to go over the top. I know it looked ugly and it probably didn’t look great. For me, it’s about making sure I still have that intent to score.”In expressing sorrow for O’Keefe’s exit, particularly after he had fought bravely alongside Peter Nevill to try to delay defeat on the final afternoon, Smith also spoke optimistically about the skills of Holland. The pair were fellow academy inductees nearly a decade ago, and will need to find quick rapport as captain and spinner to help bring Sri Lanka’s batsmen to heel.”Galle is the biggest spinning place here in Sri Lanka, or so we’ve been told so it’s going to play a big part again,” Smith said. “Jon Holland is a class bowler, he’s done pretty well in state cricket and having a left-arm orthodox bowler in these conditions is a must. He’s accurate, he hits a good area and hopefully we can see some of the same as what we saw from Steve and Rangana, with some balls spinning and some balls skidding. It’s incredibly hard to play against and I’m looking forward to him getting here and having a couple of days’ preparation with us.”He and I went to the academy together so we know each other reasonably well and I’m sure he’ll fit in well around this group. There’s always challenges when you’re playing international cricket, especially away from home. He’s going to have to get a game plan and the speeds that he needs to bowl together pretty quickly. We’ll be working with him to make sure he gets that in and I’m really excited for him to join us.”Holland for O’Keefe is likely to be the only change to the Australian side, with Smith looking for his team to atone for their missteps in Pallekele.

Aston Villa have been one of the stand-out teams in the Premier League this season, improving significantly since the introduction of Unai Emery.

When the Spaniard took over in November, Villa were on a run of bleak form with little sign of change under Steven Gerrard.

In just over six months, the 51-year-old has boosted the Midlands side from a team in relegation form to one charging towards a top-six finish and potential European football next campaign.

This summer, Emery will have his chance to undergo his first pre-season with the squad, as well as make changes on the business front in the lucrative summer transfer window.

The incoming of Mateu Alemany as Director of Football from Barcelona has boosted the club’s outlook ahead of the window, with a host of top talents in Europe linked with a potential move to Villa Park.

Earlier this week the contract details of a Premier League star were revealed, as he emerged as a potential target for the Villans.

What’s the latest on James Ward-Prowse's future?

Newly relegated Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse has been linked to many clubs, including West Ham, Tottenham and Villa.

That's according to the Daily Mail, the Englishman does not have a relegation clause in his contract which would allow him to leave the club upon the Saints' relegation.

The south-coast side are still “braced for bids” for their star man, however, who is “admired” by Villa with the club attempting to sign the midfielder for £25m last year, a deal that was ultimately rejected.

What could James Ward-Prowse bring to Villa?

Hailed as being “the best free-kick taker” he had ever seen by Pep Guardiola, a figure that has worked closely with Lionel Messi, Ward-Prowse is a player that will surely be on the move this summer.

It seems as though Emery is planning a rebuild of his inherited Villa squad, with the Spaniard admitting to The Athletic his desire to have a “stronger squad”.

The potential introduction of the 28-year-old, therefore, could well do that.

Indeed, the Englishman stands as a possible upgrade on Philippe Coutinho with another central addition set to be the final straw that sees the Brazilian step aside in the summer.

Set piece situations aside, the £100k-per-week midfielder is a stable figure to have in the middle of the park. Not just boasting an exceptional passing ability, Ward-Prowse is a player that will do the dirty work too.

Statistically, the Englishman boasts better stats on average per game than Coutinho in the critical areas of the advanced midfield role, as well as scoring and assisting.

The Southampton captain averages a successful pass rate of 85% (43.8 per game) to Coutinho’s 78% (14.1 per game), as well as making on average 1.4 interceptions per game compared to the Villa man’s 0.2 – showing his ability to dictate play and read the game.

The former Barcelona sensation has often been seen as a creative marvel but even Ward-Prowse trumps him in that area of the game this season, making 2.1 key passes per match to a dismal 0.4.

The midfielder’s potential arrival at Villa Park, therefore, would be a huge upgrade to Emery’s squad with regards to both depth and quality.

Erik ten Hag will be hoping for a much better performance from his Manchester United side as they face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Red Devils have lost their previous two league matches and are currently sitting just one point ahead of Liverpool in the hunt for the final Champions League spot, albeit with a game in hand over their rivals.

United weren’t quite at the races in their defeat to West Ham United last weekend, despite dominating the lion's share of possession (65%) yet they failed to take any of their chances, and if they aren’t careful, this defeat may prove to be very costly indeed.

There will no doubt be changes to the starting XI ahead of the visit of Wolves, with a few players failing to impress against the Hammers.

Christian Eriksen was uncharacteristically quiet, making zero key passes and losing possession seven times, while David de Gea must be worrying about his long-term future after making yet another mistake. However it is Wout Weghorst who must be ditched ahead of the crucial tie today.

Will Wout Weghorst be dropped for Manchester United against Wolves?

Against West Ham, Weghorst was deployed in an unfamiliar attacking-midfield slot, where he has played just twice before at United, with both games resulting in zero goals or assists, and it was yet another poor performance in this position last week.

The Dutchman played just 57 minutes, and failed to display any sort of attacking intent, taking one shot and making just one key pass, while he achieved a rating of just 6.5/10 as per Sofascore – the lowest out of the United starting XI.

The 30-year-old took just 28 touches and played 16 passes, suggesting he couldn’t get into the game whatsoever, and it’s evident that this position isn’t suited to his strengths.

The £35k-per-week flop has managed to score just two goals for the club since joining in January and Ten Hag may be better off going with someone like Marcel Sabitzer directly behind the striker as opposed to Weghorst.

Richard Keys branded him as the “worst player” he’s ever seen in a Man United shirt, and it looks abundantly clear that Ten Hag won’t be pursuing a permanent deal for him come the summer.

Whoever plays in that role today, they must be looking to supply Marcus Rashford as much as possible in order to secure another three points which may prove crucial in the hunt for Champions League football in 2023/24.

India’s new head coach Anil Kumble has said the question of conflict of interest will be fully addressed before he formally takes over the role

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-20163:58

Bal: Important to see the vision Kumble brings

India’s new head coach Anil Kumble has said the question of conflict of interest will be fully addressed before he formally takes over the role. Kumble’s involvement in Tenvic, a company “in the business of sports and consulting”, has raised concerns around a possible conflict of interest in the past. Kumble has always denied Tenvic, which has cricketers as clients, is a talent management company.Minutes after Kumble was announced as India’s next coach, though, he tackled the conflict-of-interest question. “We [BCCI and I] have already discussed that,” Kumble said. “Whatever needs to be done will be done before I take up this role officially. That has been discussed, and it has been clear with the BCCI as well. Something that can be easily resolved.”Later, when asked the same question in a separate Hindi interview, Kumble expressed displeasure at the repeated questioning around the conflict of interest. He compared it with a middle name erroneously given to him in the media during his playing days. “Whenever I am mentioned, the term conflict is added to my name,” Kumble complained. “I played for 18 years. When I used to play, a middle name, Radhakrishnan, was given to me. Don’t know where it came from. After I retired ‘conflict’ has become my middle name. I have spoken to BCCI. Whatever needs to be done we will do.”The BCCI expressed similar displeasure at being asked about the conflict of interest, but also suggested there was some action expected. “I think conflict of interest has become a very fashionable word to use,” the board secretary Ajay Shirke said. “That has been completely addressed, and whatever decisions around that have been addressed prior to making this decision. There will be no conflict of interest as such before he assumes his role.”Kumble was happier talking about the prospects of the new job. He was excited at once again teaming up with four of his long-standing India team-mates from the 90s to the late 2000s. “I think it’s a great thing for Indian cricket,” Kumble said. “I certainly believe that the five players I played with throughout my career… Sourav [Ganguly], Sachin [Tendulkar], [VVS] Laxman are in advisory roles. Sourav in administrative role as well. Then Rahul [Dravid] in charge of the junior teams. The five of us have had a wonderful relationship off the field, and on it as well. The five of us will have to sit and see what is needed for the best interest of Indian cricket. The other stakeholders as far as cricket is concerned will come in. I am looking forward to all that.”Ganguly, Tendulkar and Laxman formed the cricket advisory committee that interviewed the 57 candidates and recommended their choice for the coach’s job. Ganguly is also the chairman of the BCCI’s technical committee and president of the Cricket Association of Bengal. Dravid coaches the India A and India Under-19 teams.Kumble said it was not an easy decision to apply for the job given the travel that goes with it, but once his wife supported his decision he felt it was the right time to give back to Indian cricket. “It’s a big responsibility,” Kumble said. “I have seen the kind of pressure coaches have been under. They have the biggest accountability. I felt this was the right time to come back to the dressing-room environment, to be with the players, to help them prepare.”I have plans. Both long-term and short-term. I have plans for the coming matches and series, but I can’t plan alone. I will have to share my thoughts with the whole team. Will have to take their ideas too.”

Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move for Declan Rice and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the player ahead of the summer transfer window.

What's the latest on Declan Rice's future?

According to talkSPORT's transfer expert Alex Crook, Manchester United have the West Ham United captain on their shortlist.

As per the report, the Hammers are hoping to spark a bidding war with several Premier League clubs vying for the midfielder's signature this summer, with Chelsea and Arsenal also named as potential suitors who will need to meet the player's £120m price tag.

Would Declan Rice be a good signing for Man United?

It is safe to say that the Red Devils are on course to return to their winning ways with a League Cup already secured this season and an FA Cup final ahead of them in the coming weeks, but Erik ten Hag will surely be keen to continue refreshing the squad when the transfer window opens.

In midfield, Man United boast some of the best midfield talents in the Premier League, with Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes all comfortable in dominating the centre of the pitch, however, injecting some youthful prospects will ensure that high quality is maintained to avoid another trophy drought in the future.

As a result, the opportunity to snap up the services of Rice would be monumental for the Reds this summer with it potentially set to provide Ten Hag with his very own Sergio Busquets.

The Hammers midfielder is often referred to as the 'Basmati Busquets' by the supporters and has been compared on numerous occasions with the outstanding Barcelona legend over his career so far, with former Manchester City star Sergio Aguero most notably making the comparison:

"For me he is a great player and is at the same level as the best midfielders like Busquets, Rodri and Casemiro.

Not only that, the 24-year-old once claimed that he studies the legendary midfielder to implement his qualities into his own game: "Busquets is the one I’ve watched since I was a kid," Rice said. "He doesn’t move from the centre circle. He plays with 360 vision."

Like his role model, Rice is blessed with an extraordinary talent for reading the game alongside unrivalled composure that helps him to comfortably control play in the centre of the pitch, both attributes that have not only made him a standout performer at both club and international level, but earned him comparisons to Busquets.

Over 34 Premier League appearances, the England star – hailed for his "immense" and "monster" performances by David Cartlidge – has scored three goals, tallied up an 88% pass completion rate and successfully completed 61% of his dribble attempts.

It shows he is the complete midfielder, with his 1.1 key passes, 1.8 interceptions and 2.3 tackles per game only adding to that.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Man United to sign Rice this summer as the talented midfielder could offer the club years of service and outstanding quality in the centre of the pitch.

Justin Langer, Australia’s coach for the West Indies tri-series, said that he’s in awe of the young fast bowling talent he saw in the West Indies

Brydon Coverdale28-Jun-20162:47

Langer hopes for no more ‘dead’ WI pitches

West Indies cricket would go a long way to reaching its potential if Caribbean pitches regained the pace and bounce of yesteryear, according to Australia’s stand-in coach Justin Langer. After Australia won the tri-series final against West Indies on Sunday, Langer said he had been in awe of the talent he had seen among local net bowlers over the past month.However, the pitches offered up during the series tended to be on the slower side, as has been the case in the region for many years. Langer said he found it baffling that pitches were prepared that would help spinners such as Sunil Narine, who he said was “still going to be a star” on any surface due to his natural talent, instead of fast bowlers who could rattle opposing batsmen.”There is so much fast-bowling talent here,” Langer said. “You’ve got big, tall, beautiful athletes, and they run in and bowl fast and they keep bowling all day, but I don’t understand why they play on such dead, low, lifeless wickets. It doesn’t make any sense to us.”If you could harness the natural ability you’ve got in the West Indies with those tall fast bowlers … it would get the batsmen more used to facing fast bowling, more used to facing short-pitched bowling. And with the natural talent they’ve got it won’t take long. But you’ve got to face it. You’ve got to be exposed to it.”There’s so much natural talent. We’ve seen it in the net bowlers. I’m in awe of how many young fast bowlers you’ve got in the West Indies. We’ve seen it in Guyana, we’ve seen it in St Kitts, we’ve seen it in Barbados, and yet you play on wickets that bounce about this high. It doesn’t make sense to me.”The 19-year-old Leeward Islands bowler Alzarri Joseph was one such talent who impressed Langer with his work in the nets against the Australians during the St Kitts leg of the tour. Joseph was part of the West Indies side that won the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh earlier this year, and Langer said he was seriously impressed by what he saw at training.”He reminded me of Andre Russell,” Langer said. “He bowled fast, beautiful yorkers – and what an athlete. I reckon I’ve seen four or five who have really, really raw talent, and they just kept bowling. That’s what I kept loving. They just kept running in and bowling all day.”In a lot of parts of the world now it’s so structured with workloads and bowling loads. These kids just kept running in and bowling fast, and it was bloody hot … I do know they gave our batsmen a workout, and there was talent. The talent is very obvious.”Langer, in charge of the Australian squad while Darren Lehmann had a break at home, emerged from the tour with a series win to his name, but he said West Indies should have a bright future judging by their performances this year.”West Indies cricket is so exciting,” he said. “They won the T20 World Cup, they’re so dangerous. They’re like a boxer who’s got the big right hook and could knock you out at any time. They’ve got so much talent.”I really respect and admire the guys who are playing, Jason Holder and Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite to name a few – Narine, Pollard is always dangerous. [Johnson] Charles is a very dangerous player. Until we got him out I was nervous for the game, because he’s a serious player. He whacks it – not a lot of foot movement but he’s a dangerous player. If he could harness his ability and go out and score more hundreds … Darren Bravo got a brilliant hundred the other day.”There’s a lot of talent and I think they’re playing really well. They made the final, they beat South Africa very well, who are on paper an unbelievable cricket team. West Indies have a lot to look forward to.”

West Ham United took a huge step towards Premier League safety on Sunday evening as they beat Manchester United 1-0 at the London Stadium.

What happened in West Ham vs Manchester United?

It was the visitors who started the stronger of the two sides, as both Bruno Fernandes and Antony fired narrowly wide of Lukasz Fabianski's post, with the Polish shot-stopper well-beaten.

Marcus Rashford then hit the woodwork but United's missed chances came back to haunt them not long after, with David De Gea's howler gifting Said Benrahma the opening goal just before the half-hour mark.

Both sides had chances to score in the second 45, with Rashford and Anthony Martial denied by the impressive Fabianski, while Tomas Soucek also came close as his acrobatic effort struck the post.

However, Benrahma's goal would prove enough in the end, and the Hammers move seven points clear of the bottom three with just three games remaining, suggesting that David Moyes' side can now be considered all but mathematically safe.

Who was West Ham's best player against Man United?

While Benrahma, and perhaps more likely De Gea, will steal the headlines for the goal, it was arguably Lucas Paqueta who was the strongest performer at the London Stadium.

As per Sofascore, the former AC Milan man would earn an impressive 7.5/10 rating for his performance, which ranked him as the third-best player to feature in the game, with only Fabianski (8.1) and Benrahma (7.8) rated higher.

During his time on the pitch, the Brazil international would register an impressive two shots, two dribbles and three key passes, all of which are an improvement on his seasonal average of 1.8 shots, one dribble and one key pass per game in the Premier League.

Despite his reputation as a flair player and an attacking midfielder, Paqueta has shown in recent weeks that he is more than willing to get stuck in defensively, registering another three tackles on Sunday evening, which again is an improvement on his average of 2.5 tackles per game.

However, that Brazilian flair certainly hasn't deserted him and he has begun to show his quality on a consistent basis in recent weeks, with the Athletic's Roshane Thomas suggesting that he, along with Declan Rice and Benrahma, were simply "having fun" in the win at the London Stadium.

The club-record signing was unfortunate to be denied an assist when Soucek's effort came off the post, but his all-round display was excellent again, and he deserves a lot of credit for upping his game when the Hammers needed him most. Indeed, he was arguably the club's true hero last night.

Despite rapid half-centuries from Riki Wessels and Michael Lumb, Nottinghamshire needed the help of six penalty runs before scraping over the line to defeat Lancashire by two wickets

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2016
ScorecardRikki Wessels helped get the innings off to a flying start•Getty ImagesDespite rapid half-centuries from Riki Wessels and Michael Lumb, Nottinghamshire needed the help of six penalty runs before scraping over the line to defeat Lancashire by two wickets in their NatWest T20 encounter at Trent Bridge.Wessels made 58 and Lumb scored 53 but the home side then collapsed in pursuit of a victory target of 185, before a dramatic intervention from the rule book. Needing 15 runs from the last over, Notts were awarded those six penalty runs as the defending champions hadn’t been in a position to begin their last over before the allotted cut-off time.A Sam Wood maximum, heaved high over the leg-side boundary, either side of a couple of scrambled singles, left Luke Fletcher to clip Arron Lilley away for the winning run, with two deliveries remaining.After Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 56 had helped Lancashire to 184 for 4, Notts had been sent on their way by their openers, with Wessels scoring his runs from 31 balls, with seven fours and three sixes, while Lumb registered his first fifty in domestic T20 cricket since July 2013.The chase got off to an explosive start, with 72 runs coming from the six Powerplay overs. The opening partnership had been extended to 100, a county T20 record against the Red Rose, by the time Lumb hit Stephen Parry to deep midwicket. Wessels was then bowled by Jordan Clark, who also removed Samit Patel for nought, before George Edwards grabbed 3 for 38, as Notts slumped from 143 for 2 to 168 for 8.Earlier, Buttler’s 27-ball 50 ensured the visitors finished their innings on a positive note. Martin Guptill and Alviro Petersen had put 40 on for the first wicket, before Harry Gurney had the New Zealand international caught in the deep for 28. Petersen followed for 21, trapped lbw by Patel, one delivery after lofting the spinner back over his head for six.Patel also removed the dangerous Liam Livingstone, who edged behind to Wessels. The wicketkeeper then handed over the gloves to Brendan Taylor, with the former Zimbabwe captain remaining behind the sticks for the second half of the innings.Karl Brown followed up his Roses’ half century on Friday evening with another handy contribution, although he should have fallen on 39 when he received a grateful gift from a close friend – Steven Mullaney, Brown’s pal from their days together in the Lancashire academy, put down the simplest of caught-and-bowled chances.Wessels, out on the ropes this time, took his second catch of the innings to remove Brown but that only enabled Buttler to take centre stage for some belligerent hitting, late in the innings. Three sixes in four balls, two of them from consecutive Gurney deliveries, helped take Buttler to his half-century and onwards to an unbroken 59-run partnership with Steven Croft.After two defeats, Notts now have their first victory in this season’s competition, while Lancashire’s record now stands at one win and three losses.

Chelsea are reportedly leading the race for Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana.

What’s the latest on Andre Onana to Chelsea?

According to Sempre Inter, the Blues are currently ahead of Manchester United and Barcelona in the tussle to sign the 27-year-old, but a deal is “far from being agreed.”

The outlet has claimed that the Nerazzurri have made it clear that they expect a fee of nothing less than €40m (£35m) and won't accept either Kepa Arrizabalaga or Edouard Mendy as part of the payment.

It is believed that the Red Devils are likely to be the Blues’ biggest rivals for the Cameroonian as coach Erik ten Hag managed the player at Ajax for five seasons between 2017 and 2022.

Onana only joined Inter Milan on a free transfer in 2022, but the Italian giants could be tempted to cash in on this valuable asset to balance their books.

Would Andre Onana be a good fit at Chelsea?

With rumours rapidly circulating regarding the impending arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as the new manager, the Argentine has supposedly pinpointed a new goalkeeper as one of his primary target areas.

Due to Mendy’s uncertain future and long-term injury, which has kept him out of action since the World Cup, Arrizabalaga has deputised as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper recently.

However, the Spaniard's quality has been thrown into question on numerous occasions and the Blues are in dying need of a more consistent option.

In Chelsea’s recent 2-0 Premier League defeat against Brentford, the £150k-per-week man failed to make any saves or high claims and was beaten at his near post by a thunderous Bryan Mbeumo strike to put the game out of sight.

The 13-cap international has also conceded recent long-range strikes to Oliver Skipp, Matheus Nunes, and Julio Enciso – all of which were their first top-flight goals – to plunge his future into doubt.

Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot has previously struggled to defend Arrizabalaga saying: “I don't want to say that Kepa is not a good goalkeeper, but you don't want your goalkeeper to be a liability."

Meanwhile, Onana has been in imperious form for Inter this campaign. In 35 appearances in all competitions, the shot-stopper has only conceded 30 goals and kept an impressive 16 clean sheets, as per Transfermarkt.

The former Barcelona graduate also ranks in the top 10% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for save percentage.

Onana has been branded as a “superstar” by African journalist Oma Akatugba and standing at a colossal 6 foot 3, in comparison to Kepa’s far smaller frame, he retains a far more commanding and intimidating presence.

The signing of this £65k-per-week man-mountain would be a logical move for the west London outfit and a significant upgrade on the current crop at the Bridge. Indeed, it would be a fabulous first signing for Pochettino to get over the line.

Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League this season took their biggest blow yet at the Etihad on Wednesday.Their clash with Manchester City was billed as the title decider and indeed it feels as though we now already have a winner.Mikel Arteta’s men were five points clear at the start of the night but after a devastating 4-1 defeat are now only two ahead.What makes matters worse is that Pep Guardiola’s side have two games in hand as well.In truth, the Gunners never got out of second gear as Rob Holding was predictably bullied by Erling Haaland and the creative genius of Kevin De Bruyne.Ironically, Holding was the one that would later get on the scoresheet for those in red and white, although his sweet strike from just inside the penalty area was only a mere consolation.Despite the drubbing, there was an element of VAR controversy. When isn’t there?

Did VAR get a decision wrong during Man City vs Arsenal?

The visitors had begun to build up more possession towards the end of the first half but were undone late into that period of play by a set-piece.

Thomas Partey bundled Haaland to the ground which let to the concession of a free-kick.

De Bruyne whipped in a delightful cross that was subsequently headed home by John Stones.

The linesman quickly put his flag up for offside, only for VAR to overturn the decision in favour of City.

From the first couple of stills it looked as though the centre-back was miles offside but another angle appeared to show that Ben White’s foot was keeping Stones on.

Strangely, however, they still may have made an incorrect call.

That’s according to NBC’s coverage of the game in America who cited reports that the VAR had actually made a mistake.

This isn’t the first time this has happened to Arsenal this term with Howard Webb previously having to apologise to the club for incorrectly allowing Ivan Toney’s equaliser when Brentford came to the Emirates earlier in the campaign.

In a remarkable set of events, Lee Mason didn’t draw the lines the video referral team usually operate to determine whether someone is standing in an offside position.

Although that was a lot more clear cut, this incident in Manchester happened to be less convincing.

Either way, it’s unlikely that decision cost Arsenal too greatly, with City more than having enough to fend off the Londoners.