X reacts as Dominic Calvert-Lewin bullies Liverpool in Merseyside derby

Everton won their first Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in more than 13 years on Wednesday night, putting a huge dent in Liverpool’s Premier League title credentials in the process.

It was Jurgen Klopp’s last derby ahead of his impending Liverpool departure at the end of this season, but it won’t be one that he remembers fondly given how his team were second best.

All in all, Liverpool trail Arsenal by three points with four games left and could be five points worse off than Manchester City once their games in hand fully unravel.

Is the league title now too far out of reach?

Jurgen Klopp’s sunset quadruple might end up being a lonely Carabao Cup.

Everton took a deserved lead in the first half through Jarrad Branthwaite.

Calvert-Lewin touched the ball into the net…after it was already over the line.

…but his time would soon come.

He was too much for Liverpool’s centre-back pairing.

It was not a night for Mohamed Salah, who continues to look off his game since a January injury.

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Barcelona vice-president reveals Xavi’s terms for extending manager stay

Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste has revealed Xavi has not demanded any big-money signings to continue his stay as manager and instead simply wants the chance to continue developing young players.

Despite publicly vowing to step down this summer, Xavi agreed to stay for at least one more season during a meeting with Yuste, president Joan Laporta and a handful of high-ranking officials on Wednesday evening.

Reports had claimed Xavi had demanded Barcelona break the bank and splash out on the likes of Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva if they wanted to retain his services, but Yuste has now shot those suggestions down.

“I am delighted because I have always defended the continuity of the model that we started two-and-a-half years ago,” Yuste told the media. “It was a friendly meeting, we talked about the club in the hope of making history again, which we will.

“We did not talk about changes at all. It was not difficult to convince anyone because Xavi has shown his enthusiasm. We must give him and his staff the support needed to continue with this project.

“Xavi is very excited about the project. He continues out of enthusiasm, because he is a Cule and because he loves us. There is a project that he wants to develop and continue. It is based on youth.”

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Xavi will speak to the press on Thursday / Pedro Salado/GettyImages

Yuste added: “We are improving the team’s game and generating enthusiasm with young people like [Pau] Cubarsi, Lamine [Yamal], Fermin [Lopez]…For me, this gives a big plus and Xavi has achieved it.”

Further stressing the absence of transfer talks, Yuste insisted Barcelona are prioritising balancing their finances to a point where they can spend all the money they generate this summer.

“First of all we have to work to achieve the 1-1 formula,” Yuste explained.

Xavi is expected to speak to the press on Thursday afternoon to confirm his decision to remain manager.

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Football transfer rumours: Man Utd eye Onana replacement; Grealish wanted by European giants

90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world…

Manchester United are eyeing a summer move for Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin as a replacement for Andre Onana, but will have to fend off competition from Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain for the 25-year-old’s signature. (Eduardo Inda – Spain)

Also potentially coming in at Man Utd is Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong, with talks between the two clubs stepping up in recent days. (SPORT BILD – Germany)

Chelsea have joined the race to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich at the end of the season. (Fichajes – Spain)

Arsenal have agreed a fee of £51.6m to sign Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee, with talks now on with his agent over personal terms. (Tuttosport – Italy)

Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy is wanted by Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd and Newcastle as the Spanish side prepare to replace him with Alphonso Davies. (L’Equipe – France)

Arsenal will accept bids worth close to £25m for midfielder Thomas Partey this summer and could reinvest that money in Aston Villa‘s Douglas Luiz. (Football Insider)

Victor Osimhen is close to joining PSG from Napoli but Chelsea remain keen to hijack the transfer. (Il Mattino – Italy)

Victor OsimhenVictor Osimhen

Osimhen is reportedly close to PSG / Gabriele Maltinti/GettyImages

Atletico Madrid are readying an ambitious bid to try and lure Jack Grealish away from Manchester City this summer. (Trigger The Press)

Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande is closest to joining Newcastle at this point despite significant interest from the Premier League’s elite sides. (A BOLA – Portugal)

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to offer Genoa the chance to sign on-loan defender Djed Spence permanently as part of a deal which would bring Iceland striker Albert Gudmundsson over in exchange. (Calciomercato – Italy)

Bayern Munich want to sign Jonathan Tah from Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, who plan to offer the centre-back a new contract. (Sky Sports Germany)

Another German centre-back, Malick Thiaw of AC Milan, is of serious interest to Real Madrid. (BILD – Germany)

Barcelona are tracking the progress of 25-year-old Valencia midfielder Pepelu, who recently met with Xavi for a discussion about his form this season. (MARCA – Spain)

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How many Inter Miami games will Lionel Messi miss during Copa America 2024?

Copa America 2024 will be here before we know it this summer, and that means Inter Miami will have to make do without superstar Lionel Messi.

Messi has been in full force in 2024 outside of a hamstring injury that saw him miss a handful of games back in March and early April. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has logged seven goals and six assists in just six appearances in MLS action, just one goal behind the Golden Boot leader Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango.

The Argentine’s brilliant play has cemented the Herons atop the Eastern Conference standings with 18 points from 10 games played, but they’ll face a tough challenge in keeping the number one spot in the division when Messi and Luis Suarez depart for Copa America.

Here’s the games that Miami’s No. 10 could miss during the summer as he looks to guide Argentina to a second-straight Copa America title in what might be his last major international tournament.

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Messi starred vs the Union in Leagues Cup 2023 / Mitchell Leff/GettyImages

Messi and his Argentine pals will more than likely receive their call-ups to the national team roughly one week before their first tune-up friendly against Ecuador on June 9. Should Messi steer clear of injuries form now until then, he’ll without a doubt be included in Lionel Scaloni’s squad for the competition.

Argentina will also take on Guatemala in their second tune-up friendly on June 14.

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The Herons will clash with Columbus Crew / Megan Briggs/GettyImages

Just one day before Argentina kick things off in Copa America, the Herons will square off against defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew on June 19 at Chase Stadium. Even without the game’s best-ever player, it should still be an intriguing contest between two of the most entertaining teams in Major League Soccer.

Meanwhile, Messi will look to propel the Herons to victory over Canada in Argentina’s first group stage contest against Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 20.

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Messi loves playing against Nashville / Megan Briggs/GettyImages

Argentina will aim to just about qualify for the knockout stage when they take on Chile on June 25 at MetLife Stadium, and will round out their group stage campaign against Peru on June 29 at Hard Rock Stadium — ironically, that game is taking place in Miami. Depending on if they finish in first or second place out of Group A, Argentina will take on one of Mexico, Jamaica, Ecuador and Venezuela in the quarterfinals.

On the other hand, Miami will renew their rivalry once more with Nashville SC on June 29 at GEODIS Park. The two clubs have had some feisty encounters over the last year in Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup action, but this time Messi won’t take part.

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Charlotte will play host to Miami / Matt Kelley/GettyImages

Should Argentina fulfill expectations and progress to the quarterfinals, they’ll aim to advance to the next phase of the competition when the last eight will take the field from July 4-6. At the same time, Miami will return to action on July 3 to square off against Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium.

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Miami’s last trip to TQL Stadium was eventful / Andy Lyons/GettyImages

Miami’s last visit to TQL Stadium to take on FC Cincinnati was a rather eventful one, with the Herons escaping out of Ohio on penalties en route to lifting the Leagues Cup title. Miami are all set to take on the Orange and Blue on July 6, looking to make it two wins in a row over the Herons.

However, the Herons might not have Messi available this time around should Argentina continue to win in Copa America. After the quarterfinals, the semifinals are slated for July 9-10, when Messi and Co. will still hope to be in the conversation and just a game away from the final.

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Miami will have to make do without Messi / Simon M Bruty/GettyImages

Miami will square off with Toronto FC at home on July 17, just three days after the Copa America final on July 14. Even if Argentina are eliminated in the semifinals just a few days prior, the reignign World Cup winners will still take part in the third place contest on July 14.

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The Herons will take on Chicago Fire near the end of July / Megan Briggs/GettyImages

Miami’s last Major League Soccer contest before Leagues Cup comes against Chicago Fire at Chase Stadium on July 20. Although Copa America will be done and dusted by the time this game comes around, Messi will more than likely sit this one out in order to recover from the international tournament and to recharge for Leagues Cup.

Miami will want their superstar to be fit and firing in order to repeat as champions following their triumph last year over Nashville in the final when the club lifted their first-ever title.

Xavi agrees sensational Barcelona job U-turn – report

Xavi has performed a sensational U-turn on his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of this season and will instead stay with the club until at least the end of his current contract in 2025.

Having delivered a first La Liga title in four years last season, the Camp Nou legend had only agreed a contract extension in September. Yetut by January, he shocked the world by announcing his plan to step down this coming summer.

His decision came after a difficult run of results, including a heavy Supercopa de Espana defeat to Real Madrid, with the explanation that he felt drained and underappreciated.

Barcelona were subsequently linked with a number of names, including the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Hansi Flick, but there was always an underlying feeling that the issue of Xavi’s future wasn’t over.

On Wednesday evening, local reports from Mundo Deportivo and SPORT broke the news that the 43-year-old is now expected to stay on instead. It followed a meeting between Xavi, his brother Oscar, and sporting director Deco earlier in the day, after which the trio went to president Joan Laporta’s house. The president is now tipped to announce the change of heart on Thursday.

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Xavi guided Barcelona to La Liga glory last season / David Ramos/GettyImages

Speaking in January, Xavi gave damning reasoning for his desire to leave, describing the job of being Barcelona head coach as “cruel” and “unenjoyable”, issues that have presumably had to be resolved.

“I think that the work has not been valued enough and this causes wear and tear on me. This is my feeling. It is not because I can’t stand the pressure. We arrived at one of the most difficult moments in the history of the club,” he explained at the time, referring to the crippling financial problems.

“I made the decision [to leave] a long time ago. Our work is not valued enough. And at the beginning of the season I already thought it would be the last. I don’t rule out returning. Barca will have me for whatever they need, but now I think they don’t need me. I think work is not valued.

“That’s how I feel. It’s like that. They make you feel worthless every day. Speaking with Pep [Guardiola], he already told me that. It also happened with [Ernesto] Valverde. I saw Luis Enrique suffer. We have to reflect. We have a problem with the demands of this charge. It seems like you’re risking your life every moment. That’s why I say it’s cruel, it’s not enjoyable.”

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