All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United will release Kiko Casilla when his Elland Road deal expires, and it looks as if Victor Orta is finally ready to accept defeat when it comes to the goalkeeper.

The Lowdown: Casilla’s Leeds career

Marcelo Bielsa gave Orta the green light to bring Casilla to Yorkshire back in 2019 from Real Madrid. The Spaniard signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Leeds but fell out of favour just over a year into his stay after being found guilty of racially abusing Jonathan Leko, where he was handed an eight-game ban by the FA.

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Illan Meslier took over as first choice and hasn’t looked back, with Casilla making just three Premier League appearances last year. He’s spent the current campaign out on loan back in Spain with Elche, where he has also slipped to second choice, with an update now emerging on his future.

The Latest: Set to be released next year

Sports Witness relayed an update from Diario Informacion regarding Casilla on Tuesday. They claimed that he will return to Yorkshire in the summer and ‘will be released after the end of his contract with Leeds’.

However, Casilla’s deal at Elland Road still has just over 12 months left to run, implying he could soak up wages on the sidelines for another year or return to Spain for another loan spell.

The Verdict: Do it sooner

Leeds could find themselves back in the Championship next season, where a number of big earners could be moved on as a result.

Casilla is amongst them as he reportedly picks up £40,000-a-week. He has been described as a ‘mistake’ by Leeds TV podcaster Oscar Mario and doesn’t seem needed at Elland Road, with Kristoffer Klaesson signing last summer to provide back up to Meslier.

On that basis, it could make sense for Andrea Radrizzani and Orta to sit down with the player’s representatives and look to reach an agreement where his final 12 months of his contract are terminated.

You could say that it was a mistake at the time to hand a ‘keeper a four-and-a-half-year deal back in 2019 when he was already 32, but it looks as if they have finally recognised he is no longer needed on the books, which can only be a good sign.

In other news: Journalist now shares fresh Leeds injury concern from Thorp Arch on ‘perfect’ star pre-Brentford. 

Phil Hay has dropped an update on the future of reported Leeds United transfer target Calvin Ramsay.

What’s the word?

In a recent Q&A on The Athletic, the Leeds United correspondent revealed that, following reports of Victor Orta’s interest in a £4m move for the Aberdeen right-back, the 18-year-old is indeed a target of the Spanish sporting director in the upcoming summer transfer window.

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When asked for an update on the Whites’ potential summer targets, Hay said: “Calvin Ramsay at Aberdeen too.”

A big upgrade

Considering the sheer amount of potential Ramsay quite clearly possesses, in addition to the fact that Luke Ayling has endured a disappointing 2021/22 campaign for the Whites, the argument that the Scotland U21 international would be an upgrade on the 30-year-old is a rather easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 24 Scottish Premiership appearances this season, the £540k-rated talent has been in exceptional form for Jim Goodwin’s side, scoring one goal, registering five assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.8 key passes, 0.8 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and winning 3.4 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per game.

These returns have seen the £880-per-week prodigy average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as the Dons’ sixth-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

In comparison, over Ayling’s 26 Premier League outings this term, the £3.6m-rated full-back has bagged two goals, provided two assists and created four big chances, in addition to making an average of 0.5 key passes, 1.1 interceptions, 2.8 tackles and winning 5.8 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per fixture.

These metrics have seen the £35k-per-week defender average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.61, ranking him as Jesse Marsch’s eighth-worst player in the English top flight.

As such, while it is true that Ayling betters Ramsay’s returns in some areas of his game, considering the fact that the Englishman is 12 years the 18-year-old’s senior, it is undeniable that the Aberdeen starlet represents a long-term upgrade on the Arsenal academy graduate for the Whites.

However, with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool also reported to be extremely interested in a move for Ramsay at the end of the current campaign, Orta must act quickly if he is to replace the potentially outbound Ayling with the Scottish sensation this summer.

AND in other news: “Someone they really want”: Hay drops huge Leeds transfer claim, Marsch surely buzzing

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has made a claim on Stuart Dallas following his season-ending injury on the weekend.

The Lowdown: Dallas stretchered off

Dallas, who has started 121 of Leeds’ last 122 league games, became the latest Whites star to suffer a serious injury this season.

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The full-back was involved in a heavy collision with Jack Grealish at Elland Road in the 4-0 defeat on Saturday and had to be stretched off shortly before half-time.

Leeds have since confirmed that the 31-year-old faces a lengthy period out with a fractured femur, with Dallas himself taking to Twitter on Monday to provide an update.

The Latest: Hay’s claim

Hay shared a story on The Athletic regarding Dallas on Monday, highlighting how rare the injury is. He stated that there has been just one other case of a top-flight footballer suffering a fractured femur on the records of Premier Injuries, coming back in 2016 when Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare was involved in a car crash.

Hay added that Dallas was transferred to London by ambulance on Sunday for surgery and further scans, hinting at the possibility of knee ligament damage alongside the fracture, something which Leeds are yet to confirm.

The Verdict: New problem

At numerous points this season, Dallas has been the answer to Leeds’ injury issues, with Jesse Marsch recently selecting the versatile star at left-back due to Junior Firpo’s knee problem.

However, Marsch will now have to find a way to cope without Dallas for the final four games of the season and possibly large parts of his first full campaign in charge, something which could prove tricky due to the club’s ongoing injury troubles and small squad.

Dallas has made the majority of his appearances this season as a full-back but has also turned out as a midfielder, so the club’s transfer plans may well have changed due to the unfortunate injury.

In other news: Leeds want to sign ‘X-factor’ attacker despite possible relegation.

West Ham United will need to do all they can to claim victory against Norwich City and cement their hopes of finishing in one of the Premier League’s European spots.

The Hammers were knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday at the semi-final stage after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. David Moyes’ side now face another huge battle to secure European football next season by finishing in the top seven, and it begins with a trip to Norwich.

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The Canaries are already relegated which will be a boost to West Ham’s hopes, with Wolverhampton Wanderers securing a draw yesterday and now only two points behind the East Londoners.

You can forgive Moyes for prioritising the Europa League as it would have provided the club with Champions League football and a first European trophy for over two decades.

However, with full focus now on the remainder of the league campaign, here’s Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up for the Hammers against Norwich…

We predict that the Hammers will make three changes with the obvious move seeing goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański return between the sticks for the league encounter.

There will also be a return for Ben Johnson who will replace Vladimir Coufal at right wing-back who could be a more clinical threat offensively. When you compare both players, the Englishman comes out on top in quite a few areas.

He has a higher pass completion percentage than Coufal and also performs better when it comes to stopping dribblers with him tackling 15% more than the Czech.

Coufal moved to the London Stadium in 2020 and earns £27k-per-week. He has performed consistently well for the club, but at 29-years old and with his contract expiring next year, now is the time for the club to look ahead. After all, his side of the pitch has been described as a “problem” when he’s in the team this season.

The final change we expect Moyes to make sees Benrahma replace Lanzini in the front three. The Algerian is the third-highest scorer for the Hammers this season with nine goals, and will be hoping to reach double figures before the campaign ends.

Being a bigger threat in front of goal will give West Ham a chance to strengthen their goal difference against a weak Norwich defence who have conceded the second-most goals in the league in 2021/22.

The 26-year old has been labelled “exquisite” by former player Joe Cole and could be the difference-maker today.

IN other news: Moyes must finally unleash “magical” £17.5m West Ham monster, he’d terrify Norwich…

Newcastle United will be looking to extend their winning run to five matches in the Premier League as they host Liverpool at St James’ Park this afternoon.

The Magpies face off against the Reds as Jurgen Klopp’s team are battling with Manchester City to land the title this season.

It will be a difficult match for Eddie Howe’s men but they head into the game off the back of wins over Norwich, Crystal Palace, Leicester and Wolves.

Despite that fine run, one change that the 44-year-old must make from their last outing, a 3-0 win against the Canaries, is to bring Fabian Schar back into the starting XI.

Howe must unleash Schar

The centre-back, who signed a fresh two-year contract earlier this week, was rested at Carrow Road after 14 straight top-flight starts leading up to the game in Norfolk. Newcastle picked up a whopping 29 points from those 14 matches, which shows how important the Swiss defender has been to the club in 2022, as he has played a key role in their resurgence.

Toon legend Alan Shearer previously hailed him as “commanding” and a “danger” going forward in 2019. The 30-year-old was also dubbed “absolutely outstanding” by journalist Dominic Scurr earlier this year, with these comments illustrating how well he has performed over the years.

Upon the announcement of the defender’s new contract, Howe heaped praise on the Swiss hulk as he said: “I’ve been delighted with Fabian’s form. He is the ultimate professional and a hugely important player in our dressing room.

“I’m delighted he has committed himself to the club. He is very driven for future success and I’m pleased he will be a part of our future.”

This shows how highly the head coach rates the £40k-per-week defender, and Schar’s statistics this year prove that he is deserving of such applause.

He averaged SofaScore ratings of 7.2, 7.3 and 6.9 throughout January, February and March respectively and is currently averaging a score of 7.2 in April. This means that he is roughly averaging a score of 7.15 in the Premier League in 2022, consistently delivering excellent displays at centre-back.

For context, Bruno Guimaraes (7.25) is the only Newcastle player with more than five appearances this term to average a higher rating in the top flight for the club. Schar has established himself as one of Howe’s key players and he must be brought back into the team for a big clash with a Liverpool side which has only lost two games in the entire league campaign.

AND in other news, “I’m told”: Insider reveals deal NUFC are set to complete, supporters will be buzzing…

Tottenham secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday evening, strengthening their bid for automatic Champions League qualification with a commanding performance.

Thomas Frank’s side also extended their 100 per cent home record in Europe with their third consecutive N17 victory, all without conceding a single goal in that time.

Spurs have now climbed into a coveted top eight place as a result, and there were a few star performers on the night.

David Zima’s bizarre own goal opened the scoring on 26 minutes, with the Czech defender inexplicably heading Pedro Porro’s dangerous corner past his own goalkeeper after Cristian Romero’s initial flick-on.

The opening period proved slightly chaotic, with Tottenham dominating possession yet struggling to convert superiority into clear-cut opportunities against Slavia’s resilient defence.

Richarlison should have given Spurs the lead within 45 seconds, heading Wilson Odobert’s excellent cross straight at goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek from point-blank range.

Slavia threatened sporadically, with Stanek producing several outstanding saves to deny Tottenham’s attack. The Czech international frustrated Mohammed Kudus and substitute Mathys Tel — who was named in the squad despite being left out of their original 22-man list — with exceptional saves.

Thomas Frank confirms injured Tottenham star won't be back for a "long time"

The timeline is unclear.

ByEmilio Galantini 6 days ago

However, two second-half penalties then secured Tottenham’s victory.

Kudus converted their first spot-kick before Xavi Simons completed the scoring after being fouled inside the area, though Slavia’s Igoh Ogbu escaped a second yellow card for the challenge that conceded the penalty.

In some bad news, Micky van de Ven received a booking that rules him out of the crucial Borussia Dortmund clash, representing the evening’s only negative for Frank.

Ben Davies made his first appearance of the campaign during stoppage time, providing a sentimental moment with Son Heung-min watching from the stands following his emotional farewell visit to North London.

The victory maintains Tottenham’s remarkable 22-match unbeaten run at home in European competitions whilst extending Slavia’s winless streak to six Champions League games. The Czech champions also remain without a goal across their last four European matches.

Tottenham now need just four points from their remaining fixtures against Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt to guarantee at least playoff qualification, with top-eight automatic progression firmly within reach.

A lot of the noise has centered around yet another convincing performance from Simons, his second on the bounce after Brentford last weekend, but according to Hargreaves, it was another man who stole the show.

Owen Hargreaves praises 'exceptional' Mohammed Kudus

While the media have lavished Simons’ 9/10 display, it was Kudus who attracted serious praise from TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves.

Speaking after the match, Hargreaves told TNT that Kudus was Tottenham’s ‘best player by far’ and put in a truly ‘exceptional’ display.

The Ghanaian will be facing off against England at the World Cup, potentially Djed Spence, who jokingly said that he was going to pocket his teammate in the States.

However, if we were Spence, we’d certainly be worried.

Kudus has been Tottenham’s standout attacking star by some way this season, and it’s hard to imagine where Frank’s side would be without the former West Ham sensation, who crossed the London divide in July.

The 25-year-old, on top of his nine goal contributions in all competitions this season, has also averaged more successful take-ons per 90 than any other player in the Premier League — marking himself out as England’s most devastating dribbler (WhoScored).

Last night was yet another example of the excellent business done by Spurs to tempt Kudus to north London, and the best could still be yet to come.

Despite slipping to a late defeat on the road at Crystal Palace on Saturday, Liverpool remain at the summit of the Premier League for the time being.

Arne Slot and Co had five straight league wins to thank for their table-topping position, but the concerning nature of their defeat at the hands of Oliver Glasner’s Palace will make those with connections to the Anfield giants worry about more crushing losses to come.

It’s too soon to be furiously pounding the panic button, but there will still be an uneasiness in the air surrounding Mohamed Salah’s poor performances of late, as the ageing winger now inevitably faces the winding down of his esteemed playing days.

Salah's poor performances in numbers

Staggeringly, if you remove his opening day strike against AFC Bournemouth from the equation, Salah only has a last-minute penalty against Burnley to shout about for his goalscoring efforts this season.

He does also have two assists next to his name, but it was a worryingly sub-par showing from the usually enigmatic Egyptian against the tough to break down Eagles, with Tyrick Mitchell managing to make the “world-class” ace – as he was once dubbed by Jurgen Klopp – look ordinary.

Salah was arguably lucky to last the full 90 minutes, with the lacklustre number 11 managing to complete none of his dribble attempts to try and catch out a resolute Palace defence, while also squandering two big chances to try and keep the Reds’ 100% record intact.

It does feel rather far-fetched that Salah will be dropped, though, even with these off-days popping up, but Slot will have one eye on the future now, surely, with the left-footed ace coming in at 33 years of age.

Thankfully, Liverpool do have some shiny starlets in the youth set-up who will be desperate to make more considerable strides in the first team picture soon, with one rising attacker maybe even aiming to become the next Salah in time.

Liverpool's up and coming Salah heir

When the day comes that Salah leaves Anfield behind, it will be an extremely tough task to try and instantly replace the Egyptian’s unmistakable star quality.

Despite visible chinks in his armour now appearing, Salah does boast an unbelievable 248 goals and 116 assists for the Reds, with two Premier League triumphs and a Champions League trophy lifted off the back of his blistering heroics.

Still, everybody has their day in the sun before they have to walk away, and with Liverpool already beginning to put the pieces together for a new-look attack with Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz in through the door this summer, there could soon be a queue of candidates wanting to take over from the modern day icon as Liverpool’s electric spark down the flanks.

Rio Ngumoha might well fancy his chances at being a long-term successor to Salah’s throne, having already lit up the Premier League this season with a Salah-like moment of quality when breaking Newcastle United hearts with a last-gasp winner at St. James’ Park.

In the right place at the right time to smash home that decisive strike, the tricky 17-year-old also managed to complete one successful dribble, despite only being present on the Tyneside turf for eight minutes.

Having also scored and assisted for fun in pre-season for Slot’s men – with two goals and two assists registered against the likes of Athletic Bilbao and AC Milan – it does feel like only a matter of time before Nguhoma enters into the Dutchman’s first team plans and remains there.

The future is immensely bright for this talented teen, with his former youth coach in Saul Isaksson-Hurst even going as far as to say he could one day make the Ballon d’Or shortlist like Salah.

Nguhoma’s current moment in the spotlight at Anfield could have well been Chelsea’s own success story in an alternate reality, with the teenage sensation lining up nine times for the Chelsea U18s before moving to Merseyside.

Liverpool U18s

10

0 + 3

Chelsea U18s

9

1 + 1

Liverpool U21s

9

2 + 0

Liverpool first team

3

1 + 0

Liverpool youth league

6

0 + 1

Of course, Salah was also once let go of prematurely by the Blues, before turning into a world beater donning Liverpool red.

With a Salah-like directness present in his game, also making him “one of the best young wingers in Europe” according to Secret Scout, there is an unbelievable level of hype already surrounding the 17-year-old’s name.

It will be up to the England U19 international and those around him to ensure he is brave enough to ride these choppy upcoming waves, but a homegrown Salah potentially being in the works is an absurd thought.

Slot has found the new Nunez in Liverpool star who's "struggling" big time

Liverpool have problems to fix after suffering their first league defeat of the season at Crystal Palace.

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 28, 2025

When it comes to the best academies in world football, Chelsea’s Cobham ranks right near the very top.

The Blues have developed an army of incredible players over the years, and not just attackers either, as they’ve helped create some top-quality defenders like John Terry, Reece James, Fikayo Tomori and Trevoh Chalobah.

Unfortunately, as the club is prone to selling youngsters, they have also missed out on some of the gems they’ve produced, with Marc Guehi being one of the most notable when it comes to defenders.

Yet, there is another international that Chelsea were was perhaps too happy to move on, someone who looks set to be a future England star alongside Guehi.

Guehi's rise to England international

Guehi spent most of his childhood and teenage years in Chelsea’s academy system, and while he did make two competitive appearances for the club, his first real taste of senior football came when he joined Swansea City on loan in January 2020.

The Abidjan-born ace would rejoin the Swans for the entirety of the 20/21 campaign, and by the time he left South Wales, he had made 59 appearances for the club.

Unfortunately, first-team football was once again an unlikely prospect upon his return to Stamford Bridge, so instead of going out on another loan, the Englishman opted to move south of the river and join Crystal Palace permanently.

As we all know, that was an excellent decision for his own development, as since then he’s made 161 appearances for the Eagles, 135 of which have been in the Premier League, and even captained them to FA Cup glory.

Moreover, his performances at Selhurst Park were enough to catch Gareth Southgate’s eye, and he won his first senior England cap in March 2022.

Since then, the 25-year-old has become a key part of the Three Lions setup, winning another 24 caps and being one of the nation’s most impressive players in Euro 2024.

This international break has been another positive one for the defensive titan as he helped to keep two clean sheets and even scored his first England goal away to Serbia last night while providing the assist for Ezri Konsa’s strike.

Minutes

93′

Goals

1

Assists

1

Clearances

3

Interceptions

1

Tackles

1

Ground Duels (Won)

1 (1)

Lost Possession

1

Touches

83

Accurate Passes

72/74 (97%)

Key Passes

3

Long Balls (Accurate)

3 (2)

Big Chances Created

1

Shots on Target

1

More than that, though, he really showed why he’s one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the game by completing 72 of 74 passes, taking 83 touches, playing three key passes, losing the ball just twice and creating one big chance.

In all, it would be fair to say Chelsea got it wrong selling Guehi, and unfortunately, it looks like they may have made a similar mistake with another player.

The future England great sold by Chelsea

Given the nature of how Chelsea approach the transfer market, they are always going to let one or two potential stars slip through their fingers, and that might be the case with Lewis Hall.

Where Are They Now

Like Guehi, the Slough-born defender came up through Cobham, playing for the club’s U18s, U21s and UEFA Youth League sides and even making 12 appearances for the first-team.

However, despite having just signed a seven-year contract, the boyhood Newcastle United fan moved to the Magpies on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy for £35m in August 2023.

He endured a slow start to life at St James’ Park, but he was finally given a starting berth last season, and before injuring his ankle, he looked elite.

For example, in just 27 league appearances, totalling 2193 minutes, he was able to amass five assists, which might not sound like an outrageous amount, but given his age, it’s an impressive early indication.

Moreover, he put up some seriously impressive underlying numbers.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 5% of full-backs in the league last season for progressive passing distance and shots blocked, the top 8% for dribblers challenged, the top 10% for long passes completed, the top 12% for crosses and more, all per 90.

In other words, his numbers painted the picture of a progressive full-back who is comfortable in attacking scenarios but is also no slouch when it comes to the defensive side of the game.

It’s likely this brilliant combination that saw him called up to England duty and win his first two senior caps under Lee Carsley last November.

It’s also likely why respected analyst Ben Mattinson predicted that in the long term, it’ll be a “battle” between him and Myles Lewis-Skelly for England’s starting left-back role under Tuchel.

Ultimately, Chelsea have got plenty right in the transfer market, but just as selling Guehi was a mistake, it looks like selling Hall will be considered the same, especially if he continues to play so well “at the highest level,” per Mattinson.

Enzo Maresca dealt another Chelsea injury blow as club release statement

The Blues are set to be without a few key players.

ByEmilio Galantini Sep 10, 2025

Crystal Palace have now moved ahead of Leeds United in the race to sign a Championship playmaker, according to a recent report.

Crystal Palace receive UEFA Europa League boost

Not only did the Eagles secure their first major trophy in their history by winning the FA Cup, but they also booked a place in next season’s Europa League. This is unprecedented for Palace, but since that famous FA Cup win, their participation in the Europa League has been under threat due to multi-club rules.

Glasner wants Crystal Palace to sign £40m ace as possible Guehi replacement

Oliver Glasner has identified a defender he would like to bring to Selhurst Park if his captain departs.

ByBrett Worthington Jun 9, 2025

John Textor’s Eagle Football Group also has a controlling stake in French side Lyon. Both clubs are in the Europa League next season, and things heated up this week as Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest wrote to UEFA over an alleged breach of multi-club rules.

However, according to talkSPORT, UEFA don’t see Textor as someone who has a controlling influence at Selhurst Park, and they recognise the value of having the South Londoners in the competition next season due to their FA Cup win. Therefore, as it stands, UEFA are in favour of keeping Palace in the competition.

Crystal Palace ahead of Leeds in race to sign £20m Championship ace

So, as Palace receive a Europa League boost, they can now concentrate on building a squad that is capable of competing in the Premier League as well as Europe. According to the Irish Examiner, relayed by Football League World, Crystal Palace are now leading the race to sign Finn Azaz from Middlesbrough.

The Eagles are looking to bulk their squad up for the 2025/26 campaign and have identified Azaz as a potential target. It’s already been reported that Palace chiefs have been keeping an eye on the attacking midfielder but face competition as Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth have also registered their interest in the Boro man.

The 24-year-old joined Boro in January 2024 for a fee of £2.5 million, and it’s now been claimed that were he to leave the Riverside Stadium, he would cost any team interested around £20 million. Indeed, he is still under contract until the summer of 2028, has been capped seven times by the Republic of Ireland and has just come off the back of a season in which he scored 12 goals and assisted 11 in 45 Championship games.

Apps

45

Starts

43

Goals

12

xG

9.53

Assists

11

xAG

7.62

Big chances created

10

Key passes per game

2.0

It is looking very likely that Palace could lose Eberechi Eze this summer, as he continues to be linked with a move to some of the biggest clubs in England. So, while Azaz won’t be seen as a like-for-like replacement, Oliver Glasner may see him as someone who could help fill the void left by the Englishman.

Chelsea have done it. Enzo Maresca’s side have won the UEFA Conference League, beating Spanish outfit Real Betis 4-1 in Poland.

The Blues have made history in winning the title, becoming the first side to have won all three major European titles currently on offer, a historic achievement for the club.

In terms of the game, it got off to the worst start possible for Chelsea. Their LaLiga opponents took the lead just nine minutes into the clash, with left winger Abdessamad Ezzalzouli firing a well-struck effort into the bottom right corner past goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.

It took Chelsea until the 65th minute to equalise. Cole Palmer set Enzo Fernandez up with a teasing ball. The Argentine midfielder ran onto his cross and headed home into the bottom left corner to score a crucial goal for his side.

From there, the floodgates opened. First, Nicolas Jackson struck, once again set up by the irresistible Palmer. Second-half substitute Jadon Sancho soon got in on the act to make it 3-1. His strike was sublime, bending a shot from the left-hand corner of the penalty area into the top right corner of the Betis goal.

Moises Caicedo’s strike from distance capped off the night for Chelsea, who were unstoppable once they got into their groove. One of the stars of the show was the scorer of the second goal, Jackson.

Jackson’s performance vs. Betis

When his side needed him most, Blues striker Jackson came up clutch with the goal which won them another European title. It was a hard-working night’s work for the Senegal international, who ran the channels diligently and looked to link up play all night long.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

His goal, which saw Chelsea take the lead in the game, was a smart finish. The 23-year-old miscued his effort, surely meaning to head Palmer’s cross home, instead bouncing the ball past Adrian off his chest. However, the run was clever, darting into the six-yard box to put the ball in the back of the net.

Jackson’s performance earned him a 7/10 rating from Standard journalist Malik Ouzia. He explained that, whilst the striker did take a ‘hideous touch’ when attempting to seal the deal late on, he ‘repaid the “debt” he owed his team-mates’ with his crucial strike, having missed the final two league games of the season through suspension.

It was certainly an impressive performance from Jackson, stepping up in a European final when his side needed to. However, he was perhaps overshadowed by another of his teammates.

The Chelsea player who outperformed Jackson

Just over 13 years ago, Chelsea legend Didier Drogba inspired his side to a heroic Champions League final comeback against Bayern Munich. He scored an 88th-minute header at the Allianz Arena, before sinking their opponents with the winning penalty in the shootout, to deliver Chelsea the Champions League.

Well, little more than a decade later, Palmer has just put in a performance worthy of rivalling Drogba’s iconic effort. His two assists breathed life into a flat Chelsea side, putting them into a title-winning position.

Those contributions will be remembered for the next decade, just like Drogba’s have been. His first assist was a delicate cross to Fernandez, who rose highest to nod home an inch-perfect cross.

The second was magical, teasing the Betis defenders, twisting on the spot before turning into space and delivering another perfect cross for Jackson to convert.

It was not just the assists that were exceptional from Palmer, but his overall performance. As the stats on Sofascore show, he ranked highly for several metrics on the night.

For example, no player completed more dribbles than his four, nor did they create as many as his two big chances.

Ground duels won

5/8

1st

Dribbles completed

4/6

1st

Assists

2

1st

Big chances created

2

1st

Key passes

2

3rd

Passes completed

32/38

7th

The Chelsea number 20 was so good, he earned himself a 9/10 for his efforts from Ouzia. The journalist was full of praise for Palmer, describing him as a ‘genius’ following the former Manchester City man’s two moments of magic.

So, the Blues have another European title to their name, and with it, another memorable performance from a genuine superstar. Perhaps Chelsea have found their new version of the legendary striker.

Palmer, player of the match, delivering a performance worthy of rivalling Drogba’s heroics 13 years ago. Sensational.

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