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Djed Spence’s call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for September’s World Cup qualifiers was a career highlight in itself – but it also carried huge significance far beyond the pitch.

By earning his place in the squad, the Tottenham Hotspur defender has become the first openly practicing Muslim footballer to receive a senior England men’s call-up. Should he feature in either of the upcoming fixtures against Andorra or Serbia, Spence is expected to make history as the first Muslim man to play for the Three Lions.

Speaking to BBC Sport about the achievement, the 25-year-old admitted the moment was hard to put into words.

“It’s a blessing – it’s just amazing. I don’t have the words really,” he said. “I pray a lot, I give gratitude to God. In the toughest moments of my life, the darkest moments, I’ve always believed that God has always been by my side. It’s a big thing for me, my faith.”

Spence’s call-up caps a remarkable turnaround on the pitch for the former Middlesbrough right-back, who was sent out on loan by Spurs three times – at Rennes, Leeds and Genoa – before breaking into the first team last season and playing a key role in their Europa League triumph.

Now, Spence says he wants to use his story as inspiration for others, while remaining focused on simply enjoying his football.

“I don’t really feel the pressure for certain things. I just play football with a smile on my face, be happy, and the rest will take care of yourself,” he explained. “If I can do it, you can do it. Not just Muslim kids, any child of any faith. Put your mind to something and you can do it.”

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The FA have marked the start of the grassroots football season with a lively new short film that shines a spotlight on the unsung heroes who make the game tick away from the limelight.

Rather than focusing on elite football, the film follows four familiar grassroots characters – The Organiser (Sandra), The Ringer (Nick), The Coaching Parent (Rashida), and The Groundskeeper (Greg) – showing them swap their daily grind for the chaos and charm of matchday.

From carefully manicured pitches to nervy last-minute penalties, it captures the humour, stress and joy that only grassroots football can provide.

The film also drops in a few surprise cameos. Lionesses and Newcastle midfielder Jordan Nobbs pops up to showcase her skills to a group of wide-eyed youngsters, while Hashtag United star and football creator PK Humble whips out his signature dance celebration after teeing up a goal.

Things wrap up with the four grassroots characters lined up on their own patches of turf, accompanied by a heartfelt message thanking the volunteers, parents and players who keep local football alive.

Jordan Nobbs said: “Being part of this film reminds me of my own journey — starting out at grassroots clubs where I learned the fundamentals of the game. It’s what it’s all about: creating spaces where anyone, regardless of their circumstances, can fall in love with football and feel part of a team.”

James Kendall, The FA’s Director of Football Development, added: “The magic of grassroots football comes from the people who are part of it — the volunteers, groundskeepers, coaches and players. This film is testament to the tireless efforts of clubs and volunteers across the country as we mark the beginning of the 25/26 season.”

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FROM THE LONDON STADIUM – West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur shared the spoils in a low-quality 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors, in confident mood after beating Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday, took the lead after a quarter of an hour following an error from home centre-back Max Kilman. The former Wolves captain, signed by West Ham for £40m last summer, was caught on the ball by Mathys Tel, and he rolled a pass across the penalty area for an unmarked Wilson Odobert to slide home his first Premier League goal for Spurs.

As has happened so often this season, Spurs weren’t able to hold onto their lead and were pegged back just before the half-hour mark by Jarrod Bowen’s tenth goal of the season, scored from an acute angle after he’d been played in behind by the lively Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Richarlison fired over for the visitors before half-time but both sides struggled to keep hold of the ball, leading to a back and forth contest that didn’t really live up to supporter expectations.

Bowen had a glanced header well saved by Guglielmo Vicario in the final ten minutes of the game, before James Ward-Prowse’s stoppage-time free-kick whistled just wide of the Italian’s post.

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Lukasz Fabianski (GK), Guido Rodriguez, Luis Guilherme, Danny Ings.

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Antonin Kinsky (GK), Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Brennan Johnson, Damola Ajayi.

Player of the Match: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham)

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FROM THE LONDON STADIUM – Jarrod Bowen’s tenth Premier League goal of the season earned West Ham United a 1-1 draw against rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors took the lead through Wilson Odobert’s 15th-minute goal, punishing a glaring error by Max Kilman, but Ange Postecoglou’s rotated side weren’t able to hold on against a West Ham team still looking to find their groove under Graham Potter.

Bowen’s equaliser from an acute angle was a tremendous finish, but it proved to be a rare bright spark on what was another fairly flat display in front of West Ham’s supporters.

How the game unfolded

With West Ham safe from relegation and Tottenham undoubtedly thinking about this Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg tie against Bodo/Glimt, it was perhaps no surprise that things took a little while to get going in east London.

A fairly drab 15 minutes then sparked into life not because of a brilliant piece of individual play, rather an unnecessary error from Kilman that sums up a lot of West Ham’s season. Caught dallying on the ball by Mathys Tel, he could only look on in horror – signalling to the referee for a potential handball that wasn’t there upon further inspection – as Odobert was presented with the ball on a plate.

The France under-21 international did the rest, slotting past fellow countryman Alphonse Areola from close range to score his first Premier League goal in Spurs colours.

The advantage didn’t last long for Ange Postecoglou’s side though, as West Ham hit back before the half-hour mark to level proceedings. A counter down the right side allowed Aaron Wan-Bissaka to slip Bowen in behind, and he advanced on goal before firing between the legs of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from the tightest of angles.

Despite over 60,000 being in attendance, the goals failed to bring the game to life as both sides lacked quality when it really mattered. Richarlison fired over the crossbar in the only other meaningful moment of the first half, and the second wasn’t much better as both teams cancelled each other out as soon as an attack was launched into the final third.

It took until the final ten minutes for another moment to get those in the stadium off their seat – Bowen’s flicked header from James Ward-Prowse’ set-piece superbly palmed away by the sprawling Vicario.

Archie Gray then diverted the ball just wide of his own near post as Bowen broke in behind again, but it wouldn’t have counted anyway as the offside flag was belatedly raised against the latter.

The final action of the game saw James Ward-Prowse fire a trademark dipping free-kick just wide of Vicario’s post, meaning he is still yet to score a set piece for West Ham.

The heavy rotation of Postecoglou was a sure-fire sign that the encounter with West Ham doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The Australian would have wanted to win, of that there is no question, but a back four of Archie Gray, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Djed Spence is evidence enough that the only important thing to Spurs is winning the Europa League.

If Spurs can do that, they earn the right to play in next season’s Champions League – increasing their ability to attract top-class players while enjoying the financial windfall that comes from playing in European football’s premier club competition.

What this game did tell Postecoglou is that further strengthening is going to be needed next season, if Spurs are to have the squad depth to compete on multiple fronts. Richarlison looked off the pace up front and rarely troubled West Ham with his movement, while there’s no doubt that Yves Bissouma can be upgraded in midfield.

Spurs are 16th in the Premier League for a reason and didn’t do anything here to suggest they are much better than a struggling West Ham.

The 2024/25 season for West Ham has, for all intents and purposes, been a complete write-off. The change demanded by supporters bored and fed up of David Moyes’ style of play hasn’t been delivered, and instead the Hammers have been rather lucky to be as far clear of the bottom three as they are. In any other season, they’d be bang in trouble.

Not even the appointment of Graham Potter has energised West Ham, who in reality have had very little to play for since they exited the FA Cup third round in early January. The past four months have been about readjusting to a new style of play, though not even the most optimistic of supporters would say that’s gone well.

The fact the two sets of teams walked out to near silence at London Stadium said it all – the musical powers that be forgetting to play the Premier League anthem as the players left the tunnel – and there was a distinct lack of energy and pizzazz for what’s meant to be a clash between two fierce London rivals.

There was the odd bit of unrest as handball shouts were waved away and Bowen’s goal certainly lifted the home mood. However, a complete reset is needed for West Ham to get back competing at the level they have for the past few seasons – the trouble being that this blip has coincided with the likes of Fulham, Bournemouth and Brentford getting noticeably better.

Tottenham’s desire to bring in a new forward led to the deadline day loan signing of Mathys Tel – a move that at the time looked like good business given he was wanted by a number of top teams across the continent.

Included in that agreement is the option for Spurs to make the deal permanent this summer by paying Bayern Munich in the region of £50m – a price that now seems to be commonly bandied about for any player who seems to have a shred of talent.

Whether or not Tel is actually worth splashing the cash on remains to be seen. The 20-year-old is clearly capable of mixing it at the highest level but it’s not entirely clear what his best position is. The Frenchman would argue it’s through the middle as a central striker, while Ange Postecoglou has opted to stick him out on the left more often than not.

With Son Heung-min sidelined, that’s where Tel operated again here. He forced the error from Kilman to set up Odobert’s goal but didn’t carry the kind of threat you’d want from a player you’re potentially committing a sizeable chunk of your summer budget to. Food for thought for whoever’s in Spurs’ dugout next season and for the controller of the purse strings.

West Ham’s formation has completely changed under Potter, with Bowen and Mohammed Kudus shifting into central areas to allow the width to come from wing-backs Wan Bissaka and Emerson, and there’s no doubting that from a shape and structure point of view, they look better.

But there’s one important ingredient missing for West Ham, that threatens to undermine everything Potter is trying to achieve unless it’s addressed. And that’s a player getting hold of midfield and dictating everything that happens.

Lucas Paqueta is in the team to perform that function and you can’t argue against his individual ability, touch and general weight of pass. But one thing that lets the Brazilian down is the speed at which he gets things going for the home side. It’s all a little too laboured and a little too pedestrian for what West Ham need, and he does get caught in possession at times to really put the Hammers under the cosh.

James Ward-Prowse, on the bench for this game, isn’t the answer and there’s every chance Paqueta leaves London Stadium this summer anyway. With that in mind, you can bet Potter and his staff are working on targets to bring in and add a different dynamic.

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FROM THE LONDON STADIUM – Two goals from Nicolas Jackson helped Chelsea ease past London rivals West Ham United 3-0 in Saturday’s early kick-off.

The Blues assumed control of proceedings at London Stadium after just four minutes as Jackson combined with Jadon Sancho to punish dozy defending from the home side. The 23-year-old doubled his tally soon after, latching on to Moises Caicedo’s slide-rule pass before arcing a wonderful outside-of-the-boot finish past Alphonse Areola.

Chelsea were in seventh heaven when Cole Palmer slammed home a third just after the interval, capping a fantastic away performance for Enzo Maresca’s side.

How the game unfolded

Maresca made three changes to the Chelsea side that beat Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, handing Sancho a first start alongside recalls for Enzo Fernandez and Tosin Adarabioyo.

And it didn’t take long for the former Manchester United winger to make an impact as West Ham fell behind for the fourth time in five games under Julen Lopetegui.

The Hammers switched off after Konstantinos Mavropanos committed a foul in Chelsea’s half, allowing Jackson to play a quick one-two with Sancho before the Senegalese striker raced through on goal. Having outpaced West Ham’s retreating defence, he slid the ball past Areola from a tight angle to stun the home crowd into silence.

Palmer could have made it two minutes later, firing just wide of Areola’s far post after more good work from Sancho, but Chelsea didn’t have to wait long as gaping holes in West Ham’s defence allowed Jackson to score a second.

Caicedo’s perfectly weighted through ball took Edson Alvarez out of the equation and Jackson fired home brilliantly with the outside of his boot to put Chelsea 2-0 up inside 20 minutes.

The impressive Mohammed Kudus had a goal ruled off for West Ham and Crysencio Summerville had a decent penalty appeal turned down by referee Sam Barrott, but that was as good as it got for the home side as Chelsea put the game to bed a minute after the half-time interval.

Poor judgment from Mavropanos allowed Chelsea to spring forward on the counter, with Jackson eventually feeding the ball into Palmer. He rifled the ball in off the inside of Areola’s near post, reinforcing his supreme composure in front of goal.

Maresca could afford to make a raft of changes thereafter, disrupting the flow of the game somewhat, but his side were well worth the win against a desperately disappointing West Ham.

GK: Alphonse Areola – 6/10 – Pretty helpless for all three West Ham goals, though he may feel disappointed to have let Palmer’s in at the near post. Did make one terrific stop.

RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 5/10 – Was instructed to press high against Cucurella, which invariably left him scampering back at pace to try and cover off Sancho. A systemic issue rather than a problematic individual showing.

CB: Konstantinos Mavropanos – 2/10 – Pressed far too high, far too often and rarely got his foot on the ball. Gaping holes left by the Greek were ruthlessly exploited.

CB: Max Kilman – 4/10 – A rather difficult afternoon for the former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain. Needs a fit Jean Clair-Todibo alongside him, pronto.

LB: Emerson – 5/10 – Got into some decent attacking positions but quality was missing to unlock the Chelsea door.

DM: Edson Alvarez – 3/10 – Asked to cover the pressing Mavropanos and was nowhere near up to the task. Wading through treacle most of the time.

DM: Guido Rodriguez – 4/10 – Played around far too easily by a mobile, engaged Chelsea midfield. Hooked before the half-time interval.

RM: Mohammed Kudus – 7/10 – A real bright spark in an otherwise deflating, dispiriting performance. Will be heading onto pastures new sooner rather than later if he continues to stand out so much.

AM: Lucas Paqueta – 5/10 – Didn’t offer the quality that West Ham needed on the ball and attempted to be too intricate at times.

LM: Crysencio Summerville – 6/10 – Looked bright on the left flank, perhaps feeling he had a point to prove on his first West Ham start. Afternoon ended prematurely as Lopetegui reacted to conceding a third.

CF: Jarrod Bowen (c) – 5/10 – Played centrally as many West Ham fans have been calling for but found himself a touch isolated against a well-drilled Chelsea defence.

Substitutes

SUB: Tomas Soucek (37′ for Rodriguez) – 6/10 – Brought on to try and stabilise West Ham’s wide -open midfield but the damage was already done. Did okay.

SUB: Carlos Soler (54′ for Alvarez) – 5/10 – Fairly anonymous as Chelsea hit cruise control in the later stages of the game.

SUB: Michail Antonio (54′ for Summerville) – 6/10 – Offered a different threat for Chelsea to combat with his movement and overall presence.

SUB: Aaron Cresswell (73′ for Emerson) – 5/10

SUB: Andy Irving (73′ for Paqueta) – 5/10

Subs not used: Lukasz Fabianski (GK), Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings, Jean-Clair Todibo.

Manager

Julen Lopetegui: 2/10 – Got it all wrong by asking Mavropanos and Wan-Bissaka to press high against Chelsea’s midfield. Jackson ran riot as a result, ably supported by Sancho, Palmer and Caicedo. Made alterations but had already lost West Ham the game.

GK: Robert Sanchez – 7/10 – Decent distribution from Chelsea’s goalkeeper, barring one or two of the usual hair-raising moments, and smart handling.

RB: Wesley Fofana – 7/10 – Covered for injured duo Reece James and Malo Gusto at right-back and, barring a rather dubious looking arm pull on Summerville in the penalty area, did rather well.

CB: Tosin Adarabioyo – 7/10 – Will have had far more taxing afternoons of Barclays action but can still be happy with his work.

CB: Levi Colwill – 7/10 – Composed throughout, the future of Chelsea’s defence is in safe hands with the 21-year-old.

LB: Marc Cucurella – 7/10 – Had the toughest task of the afternoon keeping Kudus quiet and did well for the most part. Niggly, gritty player that adds plenty of industry when inverting inside. Took a booking when needed.

DM: Moises Caicedo – 8/10 – Dominated the midfield battle against fragile, lethargic opposition. Wonderful defence-splitting pass for Jackson’s second.

DM: Enzo Fernandez (c) – 7/10 – Outshone by his midfield partner but still mightily effective in a very efficient Chelsea display.

RM: Noni Madueke – 7/10 – A quieter afternoon out on Chelsea’s right wing but showed flashes of his improving ability.

AM: Cole Palmer – 8/10 – Linked play up beautifully for Chelsea between the lines and took his goal supremely well. Fair to say his breakthrough year was no fluke.

LM: Jadon Sancho – 8/10 – Stretched the game at every opportunity, confidence seemingly restored after debut against Bournemouth. Seems to already have a good understanding with Jackson.

CF: Nicolas Jackson – 9/10 – Much was made of Chelsea’s decision not to sign Victor Osimhen this summer. On this evidence? They don’t need him. Jackson was brilliant, took his goals superbly and ran West Ham’s backline ragged.

Substitutes

SUB: Axel Disasi (57′ for Fofana) – 6/10 – Not troubled at all as West Ham switched their threat to focus on the right flank.

SUB: Pedro Neto (57′ for Sancho) – 6/10 – Good minutes under the belt for Neto but he’ll now be playing the role of substitute until he properly impacts a game.

SUB: Christopher Nkunku (63′ for Jackson) – 6/10

SUB: Joao Felix (63′ for Palmer) – 6/10

SUB: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (84′ for Fernandez) – N/A

Subs not used: Filip Jorgensen (GK), Benoit Badiashile, Mykhailo Mudryk, Renato Veiga.

Manager

Enzo Maresca: 8/10 – Probably couldn’t believe his luck at how West Ham set their stall out. But take nothing away from Chelsea, who played with confidence, freedom and discipline. Promising signs for Maresca.

Player of the match: Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)

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