Chelsea were held to a lively goalless draw by Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge as both sides squandered opportunities to settle their FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team had scored six in their previous outing, dispatching Middlesbrough to reach next month’s Carabao Cup final, but found Unai Emery’s Premier League high-flyers a more obdurate hurdle as a combined 23 shots from both sides failed to yield a winner.
John McGinn spurned Villa’s best chances in either half, while Emiliano Martinez twice denied Chelsea as Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer found themselves frustrated.
It was a theme of the night in west London as a replay at Villa Park beckoned.
Villa should have led after 10 minutes, Youri Tielemans with a free header from six yards out that he thumped downwards into the ground, the pace taken off the ball allowing Djordje Petrovic to save.
Visiting supporters were on their feet when Douglas Luiz tapped in from almost on the goal line, but their delight was curtailed after VAR determined the midfielder had handled as the ball deflected to him off Alfie Gilchrist.
Palmer fed Madueke who might have done better with his low finish, aimed towards the corner but instead fired against Martinez.
Palmer was then the recipient of a ludicrous gift from Clement Lenglet, the defender’s square ball easily cut out by the former Manchester City man who again found only the goalkeeper with his shot.
Madueke was next to go close, he knocked an effort from close range against the legs of Martinez after Raheem Sterling had dazzled Matty Cash on the right and fed Palmer who crossed.
With virtually the final act of the first period, Moussa Diaby raced down the right and centred for McGinn, who with a sweep of his right boot hit a curling strike that cleared the crossbar by inches.
Villa ended a run of eight straight FA Cup defeats with their third-round victory at Middlesbrough but here they were made to weather a first half in which Chelsea had the better of the chances, though as so often this campaign Pochettino’s side lacked cutting edge in front of goal.
Palmer tried to benefit from another Villa howler at the back midway through the second half.
Martinez hit a clearance with insufficient height that struck Chelsea’s top scorer, who seemed in too much of a hurry to execute the finish. Trying to catch out the backtracking goalkeeper, he missed his kick entirely, as Emery breathed a sigh of relief.
Thiago Silva flung his head at a goal-bound Luiz effort as the game started to become stretched.
Ollie Watkins took a touch and hit a fizzing drive that Petrovic beat away, then the goalkeeper made the save of the match diving low with a stunning reach to claw Cash’s left-footed piledriver from the foot of the post.
McGinn had the chance to settle it and dodge a replay four minutes from time, arriving at the near post to meet Nicolo Zaniolo’s cross at the near post. However, he got too much of a glance on the ball under pressure from Silva, as the chance and the game fizzled out.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines stun El Salvador with 2-1 victory in Nations League action
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines delivered a stunning performance on Sunday, defeating El Salvador 2-1 in a dramatic Concacaf Nations League clash at Arnos Vale Stadium. The victory cut El Salvador’s lead at the top of Group A in League B to just two points, reigniting the Vincy Heat’s hopes of advancing in the competition.
Heading into the match, El Salvador was on the verge of earning promotion and securing a direct spot in the 2025 Gold Cup with a win. However, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines had other plans, rallying in front of their home fans to secure a crucial three points.
The hosts took the lead in the 39th minute when Shakeem Adams capitalized on a bouncing ball in the box, slotting it home from close range to send the crowd into early celebrations. Despite El Salvador's efforts to find a quick equalizer, they were unable to break through the Vincy Heat defense in the first half.
El Salvador, however, responded with intensity in the second half, and their persistence paid off in the 71st minute. Captain Rudy Clavel headed in a redirected ball from a corner kick to bring La Selecta level, putting them back in control of their promotion ambitions.
But the drama was far from over. In the 88th minute, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines snatched the win with a moment of brilliance. Diel Spring slid in to connect with a perfectly placed cross from Bishon Richards, sending the ball past the El Salvador goalkeeper and sparking wild celebrations at Arnos Vale.
With the win, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines moved to seven points, closing the gap on group leaders El Salvador, who remain at the top with nine points. Meanwhile, Bonaire leaped to third in the group with four points after a 1-0 win over Montserrat, while Montserrat now sits at the bottom of Group A with three points.
The victory marks a significant moment for the Vincy Heat as they continue their push for qualification, while El Salvador will now have to regroup to secure promotion in the final stages of the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League.
Guardiola has 'not decided anything' amid England job speculation
Pep Guardiola has played down expectations that he has decided to take over as the next permanent England manager.
The 53-year-old would be a popular choice for the job, given the success that has followed him at every club since becoming a manager.
Guardiola has won six Premier League titles at City, including each of the last four, while he won three league titles each with Bayern Munich and Barcelona. He is also a three-time Champions League winner and 10-time domestic cup winner as a manager.
But when asked about the England job amid reports claiming his next step had been decided, he was not drawn on any speculation.
"It's not true. I'm Manchester City manager," he told Che Tempo Che Fa, as per transfer football expert Fabrizio Romano.
But despite his dismissive comments, Guardiola stopped short of shutting down the rumours that he could be considering becoming the next England manager.
"I've not decided anything, everything can happen. So I don't know," he said.
"Let's see on my future. I still need to reflect and decide what I want to do."
Guardiola's contract at City is up at the end of the 2024-25 season, with the Spaniard yet to make a decision on his future at the club.
Alongside any potential sanctions that City might face in their long-running battle with the Premier League, speculation about their manager's future has been rife in recent months.
He is far and away City's most successful manager of all time, maintaining a win percentage of over 70% after 483 matches in charge, while he is second to Alex Ferguson as the manager with the most Premier League titles.
Mbappe free to do what he wants, says Deschamps after nightclub controversy
France manager Didier Deschamps believes Kylian Mbappe should be allowed to do what he wants, playing down rumours of a rift between the two.
The comments came after Mbappe was spotted in a nightclub in Sweden on Thursday, the same night France beat Israel 4-1, having been left out of the squad by Deschamps to recover from an injury.
Mbappe had suffered a muscle injury with Real Madrid last month and was given the international break to rest by the France manager.
But Deschamps was both unconcerned and unaware of the striker's excursion.
"I don't follow the news of players who are not here," he said. "Kylian is following a programme with Real Madrid. I don't know if he was away or not."
The controversy stems from rumours that Mbappe had asked Deschamps to only play him in 'important' international matches, as he prioritises winning the Ballon d'Or.
Given that Mbappe had returned from injury for Real Madrid, coming off the bench against Lille in the Champions League earlier this month and starting the 2-0 victory over Villarreal in LaLiga a few days later, the decision to leave Mbappe out raised questions.
Deschamps, though, was quick to give a logical explanation for the absence of their biggest player, who is just nine goals behind Olivier Giroud (57) as France's all-time top scorer.
"Like any player for his club, he follows a programme. If players have days off, they are free to do what they want," added Deschamps.
France face Belgium on Monday without Mbappe, having beaten them 2-0 at home in the reverse fixture last month.
The striker only made a 23-minute cameo off the bench in that game, though he had the joint-most shots in the game (four) and the second-most touches in the box (five) among his team-mates.
Deschamps' side are, in fact, unbeaten in their last five matches without their captain in the starting XI. They are a point behind group-leaders Italy at the halfway point.
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