New Zealand reached the World Cup for only the third time with a 3-0 win over New Caledonia but lost in-form Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood to injury.
The All Whites join already qualified Japan and co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico at next year’s finals thanks to three second-half goals.
But the victory in Auckland in the final of Oceania qualifying came at a cost, with skipper Wood suffering what appeared to be a hip injury.
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New Zealand’s Chris Wood goes down injured during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania qualifiers group final football match between New Zealand and New Caledonia at Eden Park Stadium in Auckland on March 24, 2025. (Photo by DAVID ROWLAND / AFP)Source: AFP
Soon after half time at Eden Park, Wood hurt himself swivelling for a shot and required treatment before hobbling off in the 54th minute.
“It’s not great for us losing our captain and our goalscorer. It was a difficult thing for the team but they came through so well,” said New Zealand’s English coach Darren Bazeley.
The hosts looked out of ideas after dominating the first half, but then up popped veteran defender Michael Boxall on 61 minutes to head home from a corner with his first goal for his country.
Five minutes later Wood’s replacement Kosta Barbarouses chipped the ball over advancing New Caledonia goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine.
Substitute Eli Just put gloss on the scoreline from close range with 10 minutes left.
New Caledonia’s unlikely World Cup hopes are not over and they will go into an intercontinental playoff.
Next year’s World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams, meaning direct entry for the first time for the team that won the qualifying competition in Oceania.
The region’s top side previously had to go through an intercontinental playoff, with New Zealand falling at the final hurdle to Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru in recent editions.
New Zealand have been to the World Cup twice before, in 1982 and 2010, but are yet to win at the competition in six matches.
“Once the World Cup expanded we expected this of ourselves,” said Boxall. “It’s not about getting there, it’s about what we do when we get there.”
Chris Wood acknowledges the crowd after their victory during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania qualifiers group final football match between New Zealand and New Caledonia at Eden Park Stadium in Auckland on March 24, 2025. (Photo by DAVID ROWLAND / AFP)Source: AFP
Facing a side ranked 152 in the world, 63 places below them, hosts New Zealand immediately went on the front foot.
New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory of about 300,000 people which has never been to the World Cup, twice cleared off the line in quick succession after 20 minutes.
Wood, who is in the form of his life at Forest with 18 goals in the Premier League this season, had a chance in the 32nd minute but Nyikeine saved comfortably.
The 33-year-old Wood then headed over the bar from a corner and at the half-time whistle, with the game unexpectedly level, the New Caledonia players mobbed Nyikeine.
Bazeley had seen enough and made two changes at the break, bringing on winger Just and defender Francis de Vries.
Despite losing talisman Wood, New Zealand’s pressure eventually paid off against a rapidly tiring New Caledonia to put the All Whites into the World Cup.
Manchester United’s dismal season hit a new low as the FA Cup holders crashed out after a 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat against Fulham in the fifth round on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
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Ruben Amorim’s side trailed to Calvin Bassey’s first-half opener at Old Trafford before Bruno Fernandes equalised to force a 1-1 draw after extra time.
Fulham keeper Bernd Leno was the hero in the shoot-out as he saved from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee, with the visitors converting all four of their kicks.
Booed off at half-time, it was another wretched result for United in a season that sees them languishing in 14th place in the Premier League.
The 13-time FA Cup winners had reached the final for the last two seasons and beat Manchester City to lift the trophy last year.
But there will be no trip to Wembley this season for United, who have only the Europa League left as a silverware chance.
It has been another testing week at Old Trafford, with 200 job cuts announced and United struggling to draw with Everton and barely beat lowly Ipswich.
Amorim admitted that life is “hard” just now for United and this was the latest hammer blow to the under-fire Portuguese coach, who only arrived in November to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag.
United head to Real Sociedad for the Europa League last 16 first leg on Thursday before hosting Arsenal in the Premier League.
It didn’t take long for Amorim to realise United were in for another dispiriting afternoon.
Rasmus Hojlund fired over from an acute angle after Christian Eriksen’s cross found the much-maligned United striker, whose goalless drought has now reached 18 games.
Eriksen’s curler was fisted away by Leno, but that did little to satisfy fans frustrated by years of underachievement.
– United woe –
Abusive chants directed at United owners the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe were audible in the first half, while banners criticising ticket price increases were displayed in the stands.
Fulham threatened for the first time when Sasa Lukic headed over from Alex Iwobi’s cross.
It was a warning United failed to heed as Fulham snatched the lead with their first shot on target seconds before half-time.
United’s weakness at set-pieces was exposed as Andreas Pereira’s corner was flicked on by Rodrigo Muniz and Bassey reacted quicker than Noussair Mazraoui to head home from six yards.
Amorim left Alejandro Garnacho on the bench for the first 53 minutes after the Argentine’s petulant response to being substituted against Ipswich.
The 20-year-old had stormed straight down the tunnel in an incident that Amorim said had been resolved after the winger agreed to buy dinner for his team-mates.
Amorim was forced to turn to Garnacho with United trailing, his introduction sparking a roar from the stands but little improvement from his team.
United keeper Andre Onana had to plunge to his right to stop Emile Smith Rowe increasing Fulham’s lead.
Not for the first time this season, United captain Fernandes papered over the cracks for a while.
Fernandes hauled his side level in the 71st minute, meeting Diogo Dalot’s cross with a superb low finish into the far corner from 12 yards.
Yet, although United had come from behind to beat Ipswich and draw with Everton, there would be no escape act this time.
Onana denied Smith Rowe in stoppage-time, setting up a scrappy extra-time period featuring few chances until Chido Obi nearly squeezed his shot past Leno.
Ryan Sessegnon went close with a powerful effort that Onana pushed away, but United’s fate was finally sealed in a nerve-racking shoot-out.
Shocking challenge rocks FA Cup | 00:45
– Man Utd’s goal should be Premier League glory again, says Amorim –
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said the Red Devils have to target a return to the top of the Premier League after exiting the FA Cup to Fulham on penalties.
Defeat to the Cottagers compounded a miserable start to Amorim’s time in charge with United down in 14th in the Premier League, 34 points behind leaders Liverpool.
However, the Portuguese coach said ending the club’s wait since 2013 for another Premier League title is his ultimate goal at Old Trafford rather than cup glory.
“The goal is to win the Premier League, so I know that we are losing games and losing trophies during this season but the goal is to win the Premier League again,” said Amorim.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take but that is our goal. If you think like that, we can suffer a little bit in these defeats, a lot sometimes, but we have a goal so we continue forward no matter what.”
The idea of United reigning supreme at the top of the English game again seems fanciful at the moment.
Amorim has won just five of his 16 league games in charge.
“It’s impossible to know (how long it will take),” he added. “But you start understanding. I think the players are better, we understand better the league, we know what to do with the squad, what is the future and we’ll see in the future.” United’s immediate attention turns to the Europa League, which is now their only hope of a trophy this season.
Amorim’s men face a tough last 16 tie against Real Sociedad and their chances were not helped by being forced to 120 minutes.
“It’s really important but we have to recover the players, try to push for the other players that are out because they were really tired,” said Amorim.
Man City survive scare from Plymouth | 01:03
– Man City travel to Bournemouth in FA Cup quarters –
Manchester City were handed a tough trip to Bournemouth in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final draw, while Aston Villa travel to second-tier Preston.
Fulham’s reward for beating holders Manchester United on penalties is a home tie in a London derby against Crystal Palace.
Brighton beat Newcastle 2-1 after extra time on Sunday and will face the winners of Monday’s tie between Nottingham Forest and Ipswich.
The FA Cup is City’s only realistic chance of winning a trophy in what has been a difficult season for Pep Guardiola’s men.
City are favourites for the competition with the Premier League’s top two Liverpool and Arsenal already eliminated.
However, they lost 2-1 in their trip to Bournemouth earlier in the season and the Cherries sit just four points behind the English champions in the Premier League.
Quarter-final draw in full:
Fulham v Crystal Palace Preston v Aston Villa Bournemouth v Manchester City Brighton v Nottingham Forest or Ipswich
Ties to be played on the weekend of March 29 and 30.
Nottingham Forest condemned Manchester United to a second straight Premier League defeat on Saturday, beating Ruben Amorim’s men 3-2 at Old Trafford.
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The visitors took the lead in the second minute through Nikola Milenkovic but Rasmus Hojlund levelled.
United were rocked again at the start of the second half by Morgan Gibbs-White, and Chris Wood made it 3-1.
Bruno Fernandes struck a fine shot from just outside the box to give United hope just after the hour mark but it was not enough.
Amorim started his United reign last month with a draw followed by two wins but predicted the club would “suffer for a long time” as he battled to improve their fortunes.
Reality is now starting to bite after a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in midweek followed by the Forest reverse at home.
Milenkovic left United goalkeeper Andre Onana rooted to the spot in the second minute, powering home a header from a corner — the third straight goal United had conceded from a corner.
The home side were level in the 18th minute after Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels could only parry Alejandro Garnacho’s shot and Hojlund steered home.
Forest made another lighting start to the second half, when Gibbs-White let fly with a swerving shot from distance that beat Onana.
Forest extended their lead in the 54th minute when Wood took advantage of more uncertainty in the United defence to head home.
Fernandes pulled one back after patient play from Amad Diallo, who laid it off to the United captain, who whipped it into the back of the net.
The win lifts Forest to fifth in the Premier League table but United are languishing in 13th spot and Amorim is facing a huge task.
MAN CITY HELD BY PALACE, MERSEYSIDE DERBY POSTPONED
Manchester City failed to win for the eighth time in nine games in a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday as high winds caused the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool to be postponed.
City had the chance to go second in the Premier League but failed to build on a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in midweek, which had appeared to stop the rot for the English champions.
Pep Guardiola’s men got off to the worst possible start at Selhurst Park when Daniel Munoz raced on to Will Hughes’ pass to fire Palace in front after four minutes.
Erling Haaland’s towering header from Matheus Nunes’ cross brought City back level and took the Norwegian level with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah on 13 Premier league goals in the battle for the Golden Boot.
The visitors started the second half strongly but were hit with a sucker punch when Maxence Lacroix powered home Hughes’ corner.
Rico Lewis found the top corner to level once more for City, but was then sent-off six minutes from time.
“We fought incredible. We came back twice,” said Guardiola.
“We gave everything and we take a point.” Fourth-placed City close to within eight points of leaders Liverpool, but more dropped points is another blow to their chances of making it five consecutive titles.
The final league derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park will have to be rescheduled after Storm Darragh battered western regions of England with high winds and heavy rain.
A decision was made just after 0800GMT local time to postpone the lunchtime kick-off due to safety concerns.
“Whilst we appreciate this will be deeply disappointing for supporters, the safety of fans, staff and players is of paramount importance,” Everton said in a statement.
Brentford enjoy the best home record in the division and made it seven wins from eight games at the Gtech Community Stadium with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Newcastle.
Bryan Mbeumo, who has been linked with a move to the Magpies, opened the scoring with a sensational individual effort.
Twice Newcastle quickly levelled in the first half through Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes, either side of Yoane Wissa’s second for Brentford.
But calamitous defending cost Newcastle in the second period when Nathan Collins prodded home from goalkeeper Mark Flekken’s long ball forward.
Kevin Schade then sealed the points for the Bees in stoppage time. Brentford climb up to sixth, while Newcastle drop down to 12th. “The players are growing, a lot of the players here for a while have taken another step up,” said Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
“I would like to carry on this home form but some wins on the road would be welcome too.” Aston Villa moved up to fifth thanks to a 1-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton.
Jhon Duran made his mark in his first Premier League start of the season with the only goal.
The Colombian took advantage of another defensive calamity for the Saints to run through and slot home his ninth goal of the season on 24 minutes.
Liverpool’s postponement means Arsenal and Chelsea have the chance the cut the gap at the top to four points when they travel to Fulham and Tottenham respectively on Sunday.
CITY SQUAD TOO THIN TO COPE WITH INJURIES
Bernardo Silva said Manchester City’s mounting injury problems are behind a dramatic collapse from the English champions after they failed to win for the eighth time in nine games in a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace.
Twice City were forced to come from behind at Selhurst Park through Erling Haaland and Rico Lewis after Daniel Munoz and Maxence Lacroix had put 16th-placed Palace in front.
Lewis was then sent off meaning he will be suspended for next weekend’s derby against Manchester United, adding to Pep Guardiola’s defensive problems.
Defenders John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji were all missing due to injury, while holding midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Rodrigo are also sidelined.
Phil Foden, last season’s Premier League player of the year, has missed the last two matches due to illness but could be back to face United.
“We have to solve our problem in terms of injuries. That’s so, so important,” said Silva. “If the squad is this short then it is always so difficult for all the players to play three days after three days.
“We don’t feel sorry for ourselves and have to fight anyway. Of course we have to fight with what we have at the moment. But with a squad of 20 players, if you only have 13 available, it is not good enough.” Five of the seven outfield players on City’s bench against Palace were youngsters from the club’s academy.
City face a crucial trip to Italian giants Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday before turning their attention to the derby on December 15.
Guardiola said he was “proud” of his players’ efforts for finding the resolve to at least salvage a point despite their struggles to hit top form.
“So proud of the team. I liked everything of the team, how we fought,” said the City boss.
“We have a lot of problems with our squad.. We fought incredible. We came back twice. We gave everything and we take a point.”
Mohamed Salah rescued Liverpool as the Egypt star’s late equaliser earned a pulsating 2-2 draw against title rivals Arsenal on Sunday.
Arne Slot’s side were on the brink of only their second defeat this season until Salah netted with nine minutes left at the Emirates Stadium.
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Liverpool had fallen behind to Bukayo Saka’s early opener and, although Virgil van Dijk equalised, Mikel Merino put Arsenal back in front before half-time.
Salah’s eighth goal in 13 games in all competitions this season was aided by Arsenal’s latest rash of injuries, with defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber both forced off in the second half.
Manchester City were the real winners on Sunday as the draw in north London ensured they finished the weekend on top of the Premier League.
Unbeaten City, who beat Southampton 1-0 on Saturday, are one point ahead of second-placed Liverpool, with third-placed Arsenal sitting five points adrift of top spot.
It was only the second time Liverpool had failed to win since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the close-season, starting his Anfield reign with 12 victories from 13 games in all competitions.
Barcelona pump Real Madrid in El Clasico | 00:59
Even so, Liverpool will be happier with the point after showing impressive resolve to twice come from behind against a fellow title contender.
Arsenal were left to lick their wounds after the defensive injuries that left them fatally exposed.
They were already without Riccardo Calafiori, sidelined by an injury suffered against Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek, while William Saliba served a suspension following his dismissal in last weekend’s loss at Bournemouth.
Mikel Arteta’s side have now gone two league games without a win, leaving them with only three victories in their last seven top-flight matches in a major setback to their hopes of a first title since 2004.
– Saka’s perfect start –
Saka, back from two games out with injury, had given Arsenal the perfect start in the ninth minute.
Ben White’s sublime long pass sent Saka surging down the right flank before he deftly cut back into the Liverpool area, leaving Andrew Robertson trailing in his wake as he lashed a fierce close-range strike into the roof of the net.
Merino nearly gifted Liverpool an immediate equaliser when he carelessly let the ball run to Salah, who rifled his shot just wide from the edge of the area.
So often over the last two seasons, Arsenal have been dead ball masters thanks to their set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, but for once they were exposed as Liverpool drew level in the 18th minute.
Luis Diaz beat Kai Havertz to flick on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner and Van Dijk got in front of Thomas Partey as the Dutch defender stooped to head home from close-range.
But Arsenal’s prowess from set-pieces enabled them to regain the lead in the 43rd minute.
Declan Rice’s teasing free-kick arrowed into the Liverpool area and Merino was perfectly placed to thump his header past Caoimhin Kelleher from six yards.
A lengthy VAR check followed to confirm Merino was just onside as the Spain midfielder celebrated his first goal since his close-season arrival from Real Sociedad.
Arsenal keeper David Raya plunged to his right to keep out Alexis Mac Allister’s header on the final seconds of a thrilling first half.
Arteta’s already makeshift defence suffered another blow when Gabriel limped off with a knee injury after a challenge from Darwin Nunez early in the second half.
Without their first choice centre-back, Arsenal adopted a more cautious approach and Raya was booked for time-wasting with over 20 minutes to play.
But the Gunners lost Timber to an injury in the closing stages as their defensive issues reached crisis point and handed Liverpool a lifeline.
With just nine minutes left, Arsenal’s under-manned rearguard was ruthlessly exposed as Alexander-Arnold’s lofted pass sent Nunez clear of teenage substitute Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Nunez slipped in the unmarked Salah and he slotted home as Arsenal slumped to the turf in frustration.
Defending champs fight back to 1-1 draw | 01:11
VAR FURY AS MAN U PLUMMET TO NEW LOWS
Manchester United’s under-fire manager Erik ten Hag said he could only fault his side’s finishing after a damaging 2-1 defeat for the Dutchman at struggling West Ham on Sunday.
United slipped to 14th in the Premier League table after Jarrod Bowen’s controversial stoppage time penalty winner handed the Hammers all three points.
Crysencio Summerville put West Ham in front against the run of play 16 minutes from time before Casemiro equalised.
Ten Hag was furious at the award of the spot-kick after VAR intervened when Matthijs de Ligt clashed with Danny Ings inside the box.
United captain Bruno Fernandes had a red card rescinded after being sent-off in a 3-0 defeat by Tottenham last month and Ten Hag highlighted the inconsistency of when VAR decides to challenge the referee’s on-field decision.
“Before the season they explained the process of VAR – only when (it is) clear and obvious they should interfere,” said Ten Hag.
Victory stun City in Melbourne derby | 01:07
“What they didn’t do against Spurs, that was a wrong decision. Now they make a wrong decision interfering and both have big impact on the games. I don’t criticise the personnel, I criticise the process.” However, it was a familiar lack of wastefulness in front of goal that cost United a much-needed victory.
Diogo Dalot missed an open goal, while Alejandro Garnacho and Fernandes were also guilty of missing huge chances in a dominant first-half display.
“We created so many chances, played so good football, especially in the first half. How I want my team to play in and out of possession,” added Ten Hag.
“Six or seven 100 per cent chances we should have scored. That is a point of improvement. But overall I had not so many criticisms of my team, apart from not scoring.” United’s return of eight goals from their first nine games is their worst in the Premier League era.
Ten Hag’s men have won just three of those matches and drawn all three of their opening games in the Europa League to leave their manager clinging on to his job.
But he claimed to have seen positive signs in a 2-1 win over Brentford last weekend and a 1-1 draw at Fenerbahce prior to their visit to the London Stadium.
“At this moment the luck is definitely not on our side. Last season was not different and near the end we turned it around,” said Ten Hag.
“We are so determined it will be the same (this season). We have to turn this around and it will turn around if we keep playing like we are now.
“Brentford, Fenerbahce, today, we played really good football.”
Ten Hag doubled down on his feelings of being hard down by at the moment when speaking to the BBC’s Match of the Day.
The Dutchman is firmly pointing the finger at the referees for contributing to their lowly start to the season.
“Three times this season we feel injustice,” he said.
“We have to score, we created so many chances. We should’ve been two or three up. Second half we were forcing it but we allowed them into the game. When you are losing 1-0 you need big personality and character of the team and showed resilience to get back into it. Unfair and unjust the way we conceded the penalty.
“I spoke with them (the referees). But the decision is made. There’s no way back and that’s football. That’s a third time I have felt injustice in the season and it has a big impact on our team and on our scores and where we are in the table. It’s not right.”
The under-fire manager boss is feeling little sympathy from fans and the English press pack, however.
Many believe it is a matter of when, not if, he will be given his marching orders and the UK Telegraph columnist Jim White believes the loss to West Ham is the sort of game that could be Ten Hag’s curtain call.
“When the obituary of Erik ten Hag’s time in charge at Manchester United is written, this match might well serve as exhibit A,” White wrote.
“Quite how his team managed to lose here for the third time is indicative of his time in charge – if never quite in control – at Old Trafford. “For the first half United looked smart, together, organised. They passed quickly and imaginatively, Bruno Fernandes at his quick-witted best. And they carved out chances. Loads of them. The trouble was, they wasted the lot.
“Diogo Dalot was the most culpable, blasting over an empty net after dinking the ball over Lukasz Fabianski’s head. So bad was United’s finishing, it was only the manner of their misses that silenced the growing insurrection in the London Stadium stands: it is hard to be too revolutionary when you are smirking at others’ incompetence in front of goal.
“And woeful as West Ham had been for 45 minutes, there was time for Julen Lopetegui to make adjustments. He duly did. Tightening, sharpening, probably reading the riot act, he managed to make West Ham look competitive again. So, the inevitable happened.”
Chelsea delivered a hammer blow to Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with a 2-0 win against their spluttering London rivals on Thursday.
Trevoh Chalobah’s first goal since March 2022 put Chelsea ahead in the first half at Stamford Bridge.
The much-maligned Nicolas Jackson wrapped up the points in the closing stages with his 14th goal of a difficult first season with the Blues.
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After losses to Arsenal and Newcastle, fifth-placed Tottenham’s third successive defeat leaves them seven points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Tottenham have four games left, while Villa have three to go, making the north Londoners rank outsiders to finish in the Premier League’s top four.
It was another painful setback for Tottenham, who have squandered the good will built by Postecoglou for much of the Australian’s first season in charge.
He was left furious on the night, dropping his often calm touchline persona to tear shreds off some of his players.
“He’s having a right go at Sarr and he’s having a right go at Romero,” said Gary Neville on Sky Sports. “Ange Postecoglou has snapped.”
While Postecoglou licks his wounds, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed a second win over his former club this season following the 4-1 success in November.
Pochettino had irritated Chelsea fans by admitting he couldn’t “hide his emotions” for the club he managed for five years and led to the 2019 Champions League final.
But he put those feelings aside to provide the result they wanted, keeping alive eighth-placed Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for Europe and making it just one defeat in 34 home league games against Tottenham.
Postecoglou had criticised Tottenham’s sloppy performance in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat against Arsenal and responded by making five changes, with Richarlison brought in and James Maddison dropped.
But in Pochettino’s 400th match in English football, the Chelsea manager should have been celebrating a goal inside five minutes.
– Reeling Spurs –
Jackson sprinted into the Tottenham area for a shot that went under Guglielmo Vicario but lacked the power to beat Mickey van de Ven’s clearance off the line, with Cole Palmer somehow scooping the loose ball over from close-range.
Moments later, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke embarked on a dynamic run before firing just over from the edge of the area.
Postecoglou was left furious with his side’s performance.Source: AFP
Four of the five goals conceded by Tottenham in their previous two games had come from set-pieces and they were punished for more woeful dead-ball marking in the 24th minute.
Conor Gallagher’s free-kick looped into the area and Chalobah was left unmarked to power a superb header over Vicario from 12 yards.
That made it 22 goals conceded from set plays in league games by Postecoglou’s creaky defence this term.
Tottenham claimed Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella had blocked Brennan Johnson from marking Chalobah, but VAR ignored their protests.
Mykhailo Mudryk’s deflected strike was held by Vicario before the Ukraine winger curled narrowly wide as Chelsea pushed for a second goal.
Undone by their set-piece frailties, Tottenham almost took advantage of Chelsea’s defensive deficiencies with a Cristian Romero header that clipped the post from Pedro Porro’s free-kick.
Postecoglou looked increasingly irate by the half-time whistle and his chastened players responded to their manager’s frustration with a more lively second half display.
Porro’s drive from a tight angle forced Djordje Petrovic to save in Tottenham’s most threatening moment.
But Chelsea landed the knockout punch in the 72nd minute.
Palmer’s fierce free-kick cannoned down off the bar towards Jackson, who reacted quickest to head home from six yards.
Son Heung-min’s late winner fired Tottenham to a 2-1 win over Luton but Aston Villa beat Wolves 2-0 to retake fourth place in the Premier League from Spurs on Saturday.
Meanwhile Manchester Untied were caught in staggering stoppage time drama after they thought they had done enough to beat Brentford when Mason Mount scored in the 96th minute, only for the hosts to hit back and claim a well-deserved point.
Chelsea remain in the bottom half of the table after they twice blew a lead at home to 10-man Burnley in a 2-2 draw.
An action-packed afternoon also saw Newcastle come from 3-1 down to stun West Ham 4-3 and Fulham hit back for a 3-3 draw at bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.
Son even had time to make friends with a young pitch invader.Source: AFP
Spurs have now come from behind to win in four of their last five home games and needed another second-half turnaround to keep their challenge for a return to the Champions League next season on track.
Tahith Chong’s strike after just three minutes gave Luton a shock lead, but the Hatters ended the day in the relegation zone as their winless run extended to 10 games.
An Ange Postecoglou halftime substitution again made an impact for Tottenham as Brennan Johnson’s cross was turned into his own net by Issa Kabore just six minutes after the Welsh international’s introduction.
Son had missed a number of chances earlier in the game but finally got some fortune when his deflected effort trickled past Thomas Kaminski for his 15th goal of the season.
“Until the end I was getting frustrated but I wanted to stay calm as captain,” said Son.
“We don’t want it to always end like this, it could be nicer when we have it (won) earlier.”
Tottenham’s victory briefly took them into fourth, but Villa responded as goals from Moussa Diaby and Ezri Konsa gave them the bragging rights from a Midlands derby.
Manchester United are now 12 points adrift of the top four ahead of their trip to Brentford later on Saturday.
Son celebrated emotionally after finally getting on the scoresheet.Source: Getty Images
UNITED STUNNED IN FINAL SECONDS
Mason Mount’s first Manchester United goal was not enough to snatch victory at Brentford as Kristoffer Ajer’s 99th minute equaliser earned the Bees a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
A point was the least Brentford deserved after dominating throughout and hitting the woodwork on four occasions.
However, it looked like Thomas Frank’s men were to be hit by a sucker punch when Mount struck to ease the pain of his injury-plagued first season with the Red Devils.
But United failed to hold out, inflicting another blow to their chances of Champions League qualification, as Ivan Toney teed up Ajer to smash home.
Victories for Aston Villa and Tottenham earlier in the day upped the pressure on United to respond in the battle for Champions League football next season.
A draw leaves Erik ten Hag’s men 11 points off the top four and eight adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham.
But it was the manner of the performance that was just as concerning for Ten Hag on the back of a thrilling 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool in their last outing before the international break.
It was back to the drawing board for the Dutchman as his side were comprehensively outplayed by a Brentford side that have won just twice in 16 Premier League games.
Captain Ivan Toney was just one of four Brentford players to hit the woodwork as they peppered the United goal with 31 shots.
BLUES BOOED OFF AFTER MINNOWS’ TWO RED CARDS
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was met with another backlash at Stamford Bridge after his side failed to make the most of an extra man for the entire second half against second-bottom Burnley.
The Blues appeared on course to cruise to victory after Lorenz Assignon was harshly sent off for pulling down Mykhailo Mudryk inside the area.
Burnley boss Vincent Kompany was also shown a red card for taking his protests too far.
Cole Palmer coolly chipped in the resulting penalty, but the 10 men levelled two minutes into the second half thanks to Josh Cullen’s super finish from outside the box.
Raheem Sterling had been booed off in Chelsea’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester a fortnight ago but thought he had set up the winner in style with a flick that Palmer stroked into the far corner.
Chelsea, though, failed to hold out again as Dara O’Shea headed in a corner nine minutes from time to leave Pochettino’s men still in the bottom half of the table.
“Today we didn’t show the capacity, the energy, the hunger that is the minimum to compete in the Premier League,” said Pochettino.
“In the defensive phase we conceded too much. That is why I am so upset and disappointed.”
He added: “It’s difficult to accept not to win. It was a must-win game.”
Chelsea’s Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino was furious after another disappointing day.Source: AFP
NEWCASTLE FIGHTBACK
Newcastle closed to within one point of West Ham in seventh after a remarkable fightback at St. James’ Park.
Goals from Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen wiped out the advantage given to Newcastle by Aleksander Isak’s early penalty.
However, a second Isak spot-kick 13 minutes from time sparked the turnaround before substitute Harvey Barnes struck twice to send Eddie Howe scurrying down the touchline in celebration.
Newly-capped England international Anthony Gordon had been involved in three of the four Newcastle goals but was then sent-off in stoppage time for kicking the ball away.
“A lot of emotions in that game, we were swinging all over the place,” said Howe.
“The last 10 minutes was amazing to be part of.”
Eddie Howe celebrated a wild win.Source: Getty Images
EVERTON’S HUGE RELEGATION BLOW
Everton’s winless run stretched to 12 Premier League games after a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth to leave the Toffees still perilously placed just three points above the relegation zone.
Dyche’s side looked set for a valuable point when Beto’s 87th minute goal cancelled out Dominic Solanke’s opener at the Vitality Stadium.
But in the final seconds, Adam Smith’s cross hit Everton defender Seamus Coleman on the chest before dropping into the net.
With a potential second points deduction for alleged financial breaches also hanging over them, Everton face a nervous end to the season but coach Sean Dyche remains confident.
“The question marks over this club have been here for two-and-a-half, three years,” he said.
“I believe in the players and I believe in myself.”
He added: “Obviously I’m frustrated and disappointed with the dying embers of the game.
“For such a simple moment we get confused and they get a goal out of nothing really.
“We find a goal and I’m pleased with that, because it’s an ugly goal and you can’t always score the perfect goal.
“We should go away with a point of course, but we can’t defend like that.”
Bournemouth took the lead in the 64th minute as Solanke got between James Tarkowski and Ben Godfrey to head home Lloyd Kelly’s cross.
Everton hit back when Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto dropped Dwight McNeil’s cross right at the feet of Beto for a simple tap-in.
But Dyche’s delight turned to despair after Coleman’s own goal sent Everton home empty-handed.
Seamus Coleman scored a ridiculous own goal.Source: Getty Images
FOREST HIT BACK AFTER DEDUCTION, FULHAM FIRE LATE
Nottingham Forest edged out of the bottom three on goal difference in their first match since receiving a four-point deduction as Chris Wood salvaged a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.
Sheffield United were denied just their fourth win of the season by Fulham’s late fightback at Bramall Lane.
Ben Brereton Diaz struck twice as the Blades led 3-1 with four minutes of the 90 left only for Bobby DeCordova-Reid and Rodrigo Muniz to snatch a point for the visitors.
Manchester United are now nine points adrift of the top five and desperately need to beat Brentford in Saturday’s late kick-off to maintain their hopes of Champions League football next season.
All of the three title challengers are in action on Sunday.
Liverpool have the chance to go top when they host Brighton before Manchester City and Arsenal kick-off at the Etihad in a clash of huge significance in the title race.
Scott McTominay kept alive Manchester United’s hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four as the midfielder’s late goal clinched a vital 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Monday (AEDT).
Erik ten Hag’s side desperately needed a victory at Villa Park to close the gap in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
United took an early lead through in-form Rasmus Hojlund before Douglas Luiz levelled in the second half.
That set the stage for United’s second late winner against Villa this term as McTominay came off the bench to head home with just four minutes left.
United remain in sixth place after their fourth successive victory in all competitions, but they are now just five points behind fifth-placed Villa and six adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham.
“It is a massive win for us. We’ve got closer and that was the aim for today. The way we did it, I liked it,” Ten Hag said.
“At 1-1 we had to fight back and we are really happy about that. It was so open, like a tennis match. It could go two ways, but we found the mentality and character to win.
“Scott is great. He is an example for many players these days. He is always ready to come on and make a difference.”
Villa boss Unai Emery added: “We were playing well against the mighty Manchester United, but we couldn’t score some clear chances.
“The result is tough for us and difficult to accept but that’s football. We played like we planned and deserved more.”
McTominay’s late winner secured a vital three points for Manchester United in the race for the top four. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
After failing to score in any of his first 14 games in the Premier League, Hojlund has become the second youngest player to net in five successive appearances in the competition, behind Nicolas Anelka for Arsenal in 1998.
Hojlund now has 11 goals in 29 matches in all competitions in his debut season after signing from Atalanta, with his latest arriving in the 17th minute.
Bruno Fernandes’ corner was headed down by Harry Maguire and Hojlund, just barely onside, calmly slotted past Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez from six yards.
Villa mounted a strong response as John McGinn’s powerful blast drew a fine save from Andre Onana.
Ollie Watkins wasted a golden opportunity to equalise when he raced onto McGinn’s pass, only to shoot straight at Onana.
Victor Lindelof replaced Luke Shaw at left-back for United at the interval and Villa immediately attacked the out of position Swede.
Onana kept United ahead with an instinctive save to repel Watkins’ close-range shot from Matty Cash’s low cross.
Fernandes should have done better than smash wildly over from Alejandro Garnacho’s cutback.
It proved a crucial miss as Villa deservedly equalised in the 67th minute. United failed to deal with a corner and when Onana saved Clement Lenglet’s close-range flick, Raphael Varane could only scuff the ball towards Bailey.
The Villa forward picked out a perfect pass to Luiz and the Brazilian fired home from five yards before celebrating in flamboyant fashion in front of Onana.
Onana got a measure of revenge for Luiz’s provocative celebration when he saved the midfielder’s scuffed effort.
And United snatched three priceless points in the 86th minute as McTominay rose highest to meet Diogo Dalot’s cross with a thunderous header that flashed past Martinez.
Villa have now lost two consecutive home games. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
‘WE SMELLED BLOOD’: RUTHLESS GUNNERS SMACK WEST HAM FOR SIX
Declan Rice scored on his return to West Ham as Arsenal smashed David Moyes’ men 6-0 in a statement of intent in the Premier League title race on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka struck twice, while Leandro Trossard and centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were also on target in a ruthless display from Mikel Arteta’s men as they set a new club record for a Premier League away win.
Victory takes the Gunners back to within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool and behind Manchester City only on goals scored.
“We were 4-0 up in the first half and we could have scored more,” said Saka.
“We smelled blood today and went for the kill.” The wheels of Arsenal’s challenge for a first league title in 20 years appeared to be coming off when they lost at home to the Hammers amid a run of one win in seven games either side of the new year.
However, they have bounced back emphatically since a two-week winter break to lay down the gauntlet to perennial title challengers City and Liverpool at the top of the table.
“I felt that the team had the right desire, straight after Liverpool, because it was something still in their tummy about what happened with West Ham at the Emirates and we wanted to put it right,” said Arteta.
“If you want to be at the top, we’re going to have to be really consistent and play at that level, and we certainly did it today.”
West Ham had beaten the Gunners twice this season, also dumping them out of the League Cup in November.
But they were outclassed to up the scrutiny on Moyes, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Saka scored twice in a ruthless display from Arsenal. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“They started the game brilliantly from minute one, let’s not kid ourselves, it wasn’t just those (four goals) 15 minutes,” said Moyes.
“I’m not used to my team conceding the goals like we have been.”
Arsenal’s title challenge last season began to wobble when they blew a 2-0 lead at the London Stadium last season.
This time there was never any doubt of the outcome once Saliba headed home Rice’s corner to open the floodgates on 32 minutes.
Saka missed a penalty in that draw last April, but made no mistake from the spot after he had been brought down by Alphonse Areola.
Rice led West Ham to Europa Conference League glory in his final game for the club before moving to north London for a fee in excess of £100 million.
The England international was given a clear demonstration of why he had to make the move to fulfil his ambition of more silverware as another wicked Rice delivery was nodded in by Gabriel.
Trossard pilled on the West Ham pain in first-half stoppage time as he cut inside to fire brilliantly into the top corner.
That goal was the trigger for many of the home support to leave for the afternoon as the second half was played out in front of vast swathes of empty seats.
Arsenal added two more goals in two minutes just after the hour mark. Saka’s first had been his 50th Arsenal goal and he cut inside to fire home in trademark fashion on his left foot.
Rice then rubbed salt in West Ham wounds with a stunning finish into the top corner from outside the box.
The 25-year-old refused to celebrate out of respect for his former teammates and supporters.
But after Arsenal were criticised by some members of the media for going overboard in their celebrations of a 3-1 win over Liverpool last weekend, there was even more for Arteta and his players to get excited about.
Liverpool remain on course to send Jurgen Klopp off as a Premier League winner after Chelsea were thrashed 4-1 at Anfield.
Conor Bradley was the star of the show as the 20-year-old right-back scored and teed up Dominik Szoboszlai for Liverpool’s third after Diogo Jota had opened the scoring.
Christopher Nkunku reduced Chelsea’s arrears, but Luis Diaz rounded off the scoring and an outstanding Liverpool performance.
Indeed, the scoreline flattered the visitors as Darwin Nunez hit the woodwork four times, including from the penalty spot in the first half.
Victory restores a five-point lead at the top of the table for Klopp’s men over Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and Arsenal.
Klopp had called for the news of his impending departure at the end of the season not to be a distraction and on this evidence it may only provide more inspiration for his side to deliver just a second league title in 34 years.
Once again the injured Mohamed Salah was not missed as Jota and Nunez provided a constant threat, while Bradley’s emergence is blocking Trent Alexander-Arnold’s return to the starting line-up.
Nunez had five shots inside the first 18 minutes as a combination of Djordje Petrovic and the woodwork on two occasions kept the Uruguayan at bay.
Jota was not so forgiving when he carved through the heart of the Chelsea defence to slam home his 13th goal of the season.
Bradley has been a revelation since a knee injury to Alexander-Arnold opened his path to the first team.
The Northern Irishman produced a finish that Alexander-Arnold would have been proud of as he burst down the right and fired low and hard into the far corner to double Liverpool’s lead.
Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo was booed after he turned down the chance to join Liverpool in favour of a move to Stamford Bridge for a British record £115 million ($A222 million) transfer fee in August.
The Ecuador international may now rue that decision as Mauricio Pochettino’s men were outclassed and sit 20 points adrift of Liverpool down in 10th.
Chelsea were handed a brief reprieve when Nunez hit the post from the spot after Jota had been stood on by Benoit Badiashile.
But Liverpool’s third did not take long to arrive after the break as another purposeful run and pinpoint cross from Bradley picked out Szoboszlai to head home.
Klopp could then afford the luxury of making a quadruple substitution as Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson stepped up their comeback from injuries.
Klopp on VVD and Mo Salah future | 00:53
The changes briefly knocked the hosts out of their stride as Chelsea grabbed a consolation.
Nkunku’s debut season in England has been ravaged by injury but the Frenchman now has two Premier League goals in less than 180 minutes on the pitch as he finished smartly into the far corner.
Nunez’s frustrating night in front of goal went on as he then headed against the crossbar to become the first Premier League player to hit the woodwork four times in a match.
But he still had a major role to play in Liverpool’s fourth as Diaz burst onto his driven cross to erase any possibility of a Chelsea revival.
ALVAREZ CELEBRATES B’DAY IN STYLE WITH BIG CITY WIN
Elsewhere, Julian Alvarez celebrated his 24th birthday in style as the Manchester City striker scored twice to inspire a 3-1 win against Burnley.
Alvarez bagged his brace in the first half to ensure City had no problems brushing aside out-classed Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.
The Argentine’s double took his goal tally for the season to 15 in all competitions, including seven in his last seven appearances.
Rodri netted City’s third goal after the interval as the Premier League champions made it eight successive wins in all competitions.
Ameen Al Dakhil’s stoppage-time goal was no consolation for Burnley, who sit second bottom of the table.
Second-placed City remain hot on the heels of leaders Liverpool as the title race gathers pace.
There was more good news for Guardiola as Erling Haaland came off the bench for the last 20 minutes, marking the City striker’s return from a foot injury that had sidelined him since December 6.
Alvarez stars as City skip past Burnley | 00:56
Alvarez’s goals have covered more than adequately during Haaland’s absence, but the Norwegian will add another level of menace to the treble winners as they try to overhaul Liverpool and win a fourth successive title.
After a worrying wobble before Christmas, City are rounding into form and fitness at just the right time.
Slowly worked back in the mix with three substitute appearances, Kevin De Bruyne captained City in his first start since suffering a hamstring injury in the opening game of the season at Burnley.
The Belgian midfielder almost made an instant impact with a free-kick that clipped the Burnley wall and looped just over.
City had won their previous 12 games against the Clarets, who had not taken three points from a league visit to the blue half of Manchester since 1963.
Alvarez made sure there was never any chance of City losing that dominant record.
City’s opening goal was a typically smooth move in the 16th minute, starting with Phil Foden unfurling a pin-point lofted pass towards Matheus Nunes.
Faced with a tricky angle as Burnley defender Dara O’Shea blocked his path, Nunes cleverly shifted his body to flick a perfectly-placed cross to Alvarez, who applied the finishing touch with a close-range header.
Spurs beat Bees in fiery 5-goal thriller | 01:18
Alvarez’s birthday party was just getting started and the Argentine was on target again six minutes later.
This one was a goal straight off the training ground as De Bruyne’s quick free-kick caught Burnley napping and Alvarez scampered clear of the flat-footed defence to slot a clinical finish past James Trafford from 12 yards.
Guardiola immediately made a point of getting out of his seat to hug his set-piece coach Carlos Vicens, suggesting it was his idea that led to the intelligently crafted goal.
Nunes nearly finished off Burnley with a stinging strike that forced a good save from Trafford.
Guardiola’s men were in complete control and even Josko Gvardiol felt emboldened to try his luck from distance, but the City defender could not keep his shot on target.
Rodri put the result beyond doubt just 24 seconds after the interval. Foden was the catalyst with a vibrant break down the left flank, the England forward pulling his cross back to the edge of the area, where Rodri smashed a superb first-time strike past Trafford.
Haaland was immediately in the action on his return, rising for a header that was scrambled away at the far post.
Al Dakhil prodded home after City failed to deal with David Datro Fofana’s cross, but the damage had long since been done by the rampant champions.
The Socceroos are through to the Asian Cup quarterfinals after a 4-0 win over Indonesia on Sunday night. The scoreline may have flattered the Australians who struggled at times, but there’s no doubting the excellent performances of some players.
Here’s how every Aussie performed in our Player Ratings!
Faced just one shot on target in the match (and that was a simple catch), but nevertheless had a busy afternoon. Ryan was often called into action to rush out and stifle long balls, while he was often passed back the ball under pressure. But he never panicked and distributed the ball well.
Gethin Jones: 4.5
Produced an inch-perfect cross for Martin Boyle’s headed goal to double the advantage on the stroke of halftime. It was just reward for Jones’s tireless attacking runs up the line … except he gave away the ball too often by running straight into packs of defenders. Made a few dubious decisions in defence, especially in the first half. And Jones almost lost his head when he lashed out at an opponent after being fouled. If the incident had been any worse, he would have seen a red card instead of yellow – but he lasted just three more minutes anyway before being taken off with an apparent groin injury.
Harry Souttar: 7
It was a sloppy start, and he was guilty of misreading a long ball into the box in the 16th minute that could have proved costly if not for some smart work from Ryan. But Souttar calmed those early nerves and was reliable from there out, before capping off the win in the 91st minute with a trademark header. He won all of his aerial duels in another commanding performance.
Kye Rowles: 5.5
He’s often overshadowed by his centre-back partner in the green and gold (literally as well as figuratively). But he made a number of crucial interventions to stifle the Indonesian forays into the area including a team-high four clearances and was an assured presence at the back.
Aziz Behich: 5
Had a nervy start but settled into the game. The Socceroos needed calm heads in the second half and he contributed to a more stable, disciplined defensive unit after the break. No Aussie touched the ball more, and he passed well, but couldn’t find a target on any of his crosses.
MIDFIELD
Jackson Irvine: 7
Irvine has been excellent so far this tournament, and he continued his strong run of form with another influential performance. No Socceroo was up for the fight in the early minutes as much as Irvine, who set up the opening goal with a barnstorming run past a pair of defenders. He wasn’t at his best in terms of passing – completing a lowly 63% of his passes – but Indonesia’s hard-pressing defence deserves credit for breaking up so many attacks. He won’t get that opening goal credited to his name, since it was a cross deflected into the net, and he was also extremely unlucky not to score the third Socceroos goal – which was well saved but fell straight to Craig Goodwin to finish off.
Keanu Baccus: 5
Baccus was overrun in the midfield in the first half as Indonesia dominated that area, but he worked as hard as ever and made a number of tackles and interceptions. Improved markedly after the break and became more influential with his passing. Taken off in the 86th minute.
Riley McGree: 3.5
McGree and Bruno Fornaroli were meant to provide the creativity and attacking impetus that the Socceroos have lacked so far this tournament, but it was another very quiet performance. He couldn’t build the kind of connected, smooth-flowing passing moves that he often orchestrates at his best, gave the ball away frequently, and was subbed off after 61 minutes.
ATTACK
Martin Boyle: 7
Boyle was switched on from the opening kick-off, and was willing to take on defenders from the first minute until the last. Boyle’s dangerous dribbling was on full display, completing six of seven dribbles (a game-high). He also won a remarkable 10 of his 11 ground duels, which are battles for the ball with a defender. His goal sums up everything we love about Boyle – a well-timed run that caught out a defender, followed by a desperate body-on-the-line dive for the ball. It was his second goal in as many games.
Jordan Bos: 5
Graham Arnold sees Bos as a winger rather than a left-back, but this was not the young gun’s best attacking performance by some distance. He played just one ball into the final third, despite getting into some excellent positions and showing off great technical ability. The potential is clearly there for him to be a dangerous attacking threat, and Arnold praised him after the game, but he lost possession in good positions when he could have done more to create effective chances. Defensively, however, he tackled well and made five recoveries.
Bruno Fornaroli: 5
The 36-year-old was brought in for his ability to control the ball in tight areas and create chances – an especially valuable skill against packed defences.
And he started well, fighting hard for the ball and even attempting an acrobatic bicycle kick that instead earned him a yellow card.
He didn’t have the kind of creative input Arnold would have hoped for, made some poor tackles and lost the ball a bit too frequently, but there were promising signs.
He faces a tough battle on his hands to retain the position for the tough quarter-final ahead, with Arnold often preferring Mitch Duke in big games. Fornaroli was replaced after 61 minutes.
SUBSTITUTES
Mitch Duke: 4
Like Fornaroli, he struggled to get on the ball, but made a number of good runs off the ball to create space. He made a horrible mess of a great opportunity to chip the keeper and seal the game when it was 2-0 soon after coming onto the park. It was a quiet day for the dependable veteran, but he’ll be buoyed after getting through half an hour on his return from a minor hamstring niggle.
Connor Metcalfe: 4
He hardly saw the ball in his half an hour on the pitch, and started slowly before settling into the rhythm of the contest. There were no major mistakes, so it perhaps seems harsh to give him just a four – but there was also little of note from the talented midfielder, besides a couple of nice driving runs into space.
Nathaniel Atkinson: 6
Having lost his spot to Gethin Jones after replacing him for the Uzbekistan game, Atkinson was forced into action when Jones went down with injury in the 69th minute. Atkinson showed good intent with a couple of nice dribbles and a long-range shot that drifted wide. He also delivered an excellent cross into the box to set up the third goal. Didn’t need to do much defensively, but Arnold will trust he can replace Jones for the next match if the new recruit can’t overcome what looked like a groin injury.
Craig Goodwin: 9
Goodwin delivered one of the all-time cameos off the bench, scoring then assisting in the space of just over two minutes. His volley was clinical and coolly-taken, before he delivered a perfect set piece ball for Souttar to head home in the 91st minute. His set pieces were very poor in the opening game of the tournament – and he hadn’t played since then – so it was the perfect reminder to Graham Arnold of what he can do.
Aiden O’Neill: N/A
Only had a handful of minutes and didn’t have much of an impact.
The Socceroos on Saturday will kick off an Asian Cup campaign they believe can deliver the team’s second-ever title – but their warm-up win over Bahrain proves they still have to address a worrying issue.
The Socceroos laboured past a physical and defensive-minded Bahrain, ranked 12th among Asian confederation teams, struggling to break down a low block in defence that stifled Australia’s creativity and attacking output.
But Australia emerged 2-0 victors thanks to an own goal from a Craig Goodwin cross before veteran striker Mitchell Duke nodded home from close range after a cross was directed back across goal by Goodwin.
After 2023’s schedule was dominated by tough friendlies against attacking opposition, such as world champions Argentina, England, and Mexico, playing against a team dedicated to sitting deep in defence and hitting on the counter was a crucial learning experience.
“For us, I think, for us, it’s the perfect fixture to have before the Asian Cup,” coach Graham Arnold said. “You know, when we play against these types of nations, they sit back. Most nations we played against in the last twelve months haven’t really done that.
“I think, you know, they’re a strong nation that’s getting stronger, and like a lot of the Middle Eastern nations, physically, they were quite bigger than what we expected.”
For years, the Socceroos have laboured against teams that sit deep in defence, lacking creativity or incisive passing in the final third to break down packed defences.
Scoring goals is arguably the biggest weakness in this Socceroos squad entering the tournament.
Consider this: just seven of the Socceroos 26-man squad have scored for the national team, contributing a combined total of 36 goals.
Group rivals Uzbekistan have 12 different international scorers with 55 combined goals in their squad, while first opponents India have an all-time great in captain Sunil Chhetri, who boasts 93 goals by himself. That’s fourth-highest on the all-time international scoring charts behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Ali Daei of Iran, and Lionel Messi.
Australia managed just three shots on target against Bahrain, but Arnold is confident that his team took the right lessons out of the match.
“You know, it’s very, very hard to train players against that type of opposition in that until you do it real.
“You saw that we were getting better and better as the game went on, breaking them down, but also making sure that we weren’t hit on the counter-attack, which they liked to do … So, as I said, it was probably the perfect fixture to have before we go into this Asian Cup. No doubt, we’ll get quite a number of teams playing like [Bahrain] as well.”
There have been some positive signs in the Socceroos’ recent matches – two World Cup qualifying wins over Bangladesh (7-0) and Palestine (1-0) in November, before the Bahrain game on Sunday.
Chief among those has been the form of Mitch Duke, who has scored three in as many games, while winger Goodwin has assisted in each of the trio of matches.
Duke echoed Arnold’s thoughts after the Bahrain game, but promised Australia ‘can be better’ at breaking teams down in the Asian Cup.
“I think we had a bit of a test of everything in that game and we got to learn how to deal with each experience. During the game when they sit in back in the block, not to get frustrated, and open them up and shift the ball side to side and know how to break teams down,” he said.
“We’re going to expect that in the Asian Cup with some Asian teams that we’ll be playing against. And they’re probably just going to try and get us on the counter.
“We can be better at that for sure. Finding pockets and maybe being a bit more ruthless as well, like when we’re in crossing areas, maybe to hit the ball in more and put it into dangerous areas.”
It’s clear that effectiveness in the final third against the low block has been a focus for Arnold in improving this team, which is at its best against teams that press high and allow the Socceroos to play in transition.
But it’s still a work in progress, as the Bahrain game attested. The Socceroos were often ponderous in possession in dangerous areas, with Arnold urging them to play faster and stretch defences.
Goodwin said: “There’s going to be a lot of times, I think, especially in the group stage where we might dominate possession, and we need to be patient, and at times, you know, have to move the ball around a lot more and just be patient for those opportunities.”
“I think it’s something that we’ve started to work on,” he said.
“That combination football in the final third, and obviously coming into this Asian Cup, we’re going to have a lot more of the ball. So we need to be very good in those areas. Be patient and be decisive.”
Mitchell Duke is the top scorer among current Socceroos, and he’s got three in his last three games.Source: News Corp Australia
Luckily for the Socceroos, as the tournament progresses they are more likely to come up against teams willing to play a more possession-based approach.
That could create more opportunities for the Socceroos in attack.
In the early stages of the tournament, however, they will need to sharpen up offensively.
But in a promising sign, right-back Gethin Jones showed plenty of promise on debut, bombing up the right flank as he habitually does for Bolton Wanderers.
For Australia’s second goal against Bahrain, Jones cantered into space and drew three defenders, which opened up the defence and created Duke’s scoring chance.
Jones said: “What we do here is exactly the same as Bolton – attacking football.
“Arnold told me that when the ball is on the left side and the space on the right in front of me, I need to just make those runs, and I’ll get the space.”
“When I get in the wide areas, I try and get as many crosses into the box while obviously doing my defensive duties as well.”
But if the Socceroos are struggling to score from open play, at least they have a not-so-secret weapon: height.
Centre-back Harry Souttar, listed by the AFC at 200cm and 101kg (other sources claim 198cm), is a man mountain – and he uses that heft from corners and wide free kicks to head home plenty of goals.
He now boasts 10 goals from 22 appearances in the green and gold, which is remarkably second-most in the team behind Duke’s 12 in 33.
Harry Souttar’s height advantage has turned him into a set piece beast.Source: AFP
But the crosses from the likes of Goodwin and Riley McGree – and Australia’s clear height advantage – could be the primary path to goal this tournament.
Besides Souttar, the Socceroos squad includes defenders Cameron Burgess at 1.94m, Lewis Miller at 1.87m, and Kye Rowles at 1.85m. In midfield, Jackson Irvine is 1.89m tall.
In attack, recent debutant Kusini Yengi is 1.89m, potential debutant John Iredale is 1.88m, and veteran forward Mitchell Duke 1.87m.
All eight of those players are taller than any of India’s outfielders, while Australia’s eight players at 1.85m or taller is more than Syria (four) and Uzbekistan (five). The latter two opponents both have 1.90m strikers – but that’s still comfortably shorter than Souttar and Burgess.
So dangerous is the combination of Souttar and Burgess at set pieces, that the pair were marked by two defenders each by Bangladesh at times – and even that didn’t stop Souttar from scoring from a Goodwin corner, just as he did against Palestine.
Cameron Burgess and Harry Souttar were double-marked by Bangladesh.Source: Channel 10
Bangladesh coach Javier Fernandez Cabrera demonstrated just how much rival teams respect Australia’s skill at set pieces, when he declared before that match: “For us, Australia as a whole is definitely one of the best teams in Asia and one of the best teams in the world.
“When we talk about set plays, probably if not the best, it’s top five in the world, no doubt.”
Australia coach Graham Arnold told Channel 10 after the Palestine game: “Set pieces are crucial, especially when you’ve got someone of Harry Souttar’s size, height.
“Then the delivery’s important and Craig Goodwin’s delivery on that corner was fantastic.”
Or there was Mitch Duke, who summed up Souttar even better: “To be fair, on set pieces he seems to be a bit of a cheat code.”
Chasing just a second Asian title after the Socceroos sealed success on home soil in 2015, it could be the key to fixing Australia’s struggles in front of goal.
