Tony Mowbray praised “super talent” Jack Clarke after his double helped Sunderland to a 3-1 victory at Blackburn.
The Black Cats rode their luck early on and needed two brilliant heroic blocks from Dan Ballard to save certain goals.
It gave Sunderland and Clarke the platform to flourish. He won and converted the opener – a calm finish from the penalty spot – and although Harry Leonard’s header pegged them back, Dan Neil restored the lead before half-time.
Dilan Markanday hit the woodwork in the second half, but a composed Sunderland looked increasingly dangerous. It was typified by the imperious Clarke, who rounded off the scoring by nonchalantly rolling in from close range.
After their third successive win, Mowbray challenged “amazing” Clarke to keep working hard. He said: “I was extremely unhappy with him for half an hour. He was right in front of me and he wasn’t listening!
“He was amazing tonight. Scored two great goals, earned the penalty, he stuck it away, which shows the confidence level he’s got to stand up and take the penalty, and the composure for his second goal.
“But not just the goal. The more the game went on, the more this team knows to give it to Clarke who can run it 40 yards up the pitch, he can cut inside, pass it to people in the box, he can shoot.
“He’s a super talent, he’s a great kid and I don’t apologise for shouting at him and telling him he has to work hard because all the best players work harder than anybody else and their talent shines through.
“That’s what he has to do, to learn to work really hard out of possession for the team.”
Jon Dahl Tomasson felt Blackburn should have been “out of sight” in the first half.
He said: “We are very disappointed with the result. If you look at those chances we created, we should at least have scored three or four goals in the first half.
“Also, the way we created it and the amount of big chances, we should have been out of sight in that way. We saw some excellent football.
“I think we gave three unnecessary goals away. Of course, sometimes when you chase the game in the second half, it was a little bit more open. But we conceded a penalty and I think that’s the first time they were in our box. Then a corner just before half-time.
“Second half, I think we started well. Dominant again, created chances again. When you look at those amount of moments, it is crazy that we didn’t get a result.
“The team have done a lot of things right. Of course, we need to be more clinical.”
Norwich City 0-0 Leeds United: Championship play-off finely poised for second leg
Norwich City and Leeds United could not be separated in a goalless draw in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, leaving it all to play for at Elland Road.
Junior Firpo put the ball into the back of the net in the 30th minute, but it was ruled out for a marginal offside by Georginio Rutter in the build-up at Carrow Road.
Marcelino Nunez failed to take Norwich's best chance in the first half, firing wide of the left post after Leeds had an early penalty shout for a foul on Wilfried Gnonto by Borja Sainz dismissed by the referee.
The sides will meet again on Thursday at Elland Road for a winner-takes-all-decider and a place in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium on May 26.
Data Debrief: Stalemate
Norwich have failed to score in a home game for the first time since December. It is also the first time they have failed to win an EFL play-off at home, winning both of the previous two by a 3-1 scoreline (vs Wolves in 2001-02 and Ipswich Town in 2014-15).
Leeds only attempted six shots in this game (two on target), their lowest total in a single match in the Championship this season.
Messi fury sees Martino call for MLS rules revision on injuries
Lionel Messi was left frustrated by being kept on the sidelines after an injury scare in Saturday's win over CF Montreal, with Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino calling for a revision of MLS rulings.
The former Barcelona superstar was visibly furious after being forced off temporarily from a George Campbell foul, with the Miami forward missing a chance to take a presentable free-kick opportunity.
New MLS regulations state players must leave the pitch for two minutes if the referee stops play due to a potential injury that leaves them on the ground for over 15 seconds.
Following the 3-2 triumph over Montreal, Martino questioned the ruling and suggested it punished the wrong party.
"There are situations that must be revised," the Herons boss said.
"In Leo's situation, he was clearly fouled. The player deserved a yellow card, which would mean Messi would've never left the field for two minutes.
"As I understand it, the team that suffered the foul was punished. With these new rule changes, some situations must be revised.
"The infraction was clear and was a yellow card, and ultimately it was us that lost Leo for two minutes."
Miami were left further aggrieved despite making it five straight wins to move three points clear at the Eastern Conference summit.
Luis Suarez failed to leave the pitch in under 10 seconds when replaced by Leo Campana in the 92nd minute, with new MLS regulations meaning the fourth official delayed the substitution for another minute.
"In the case of Suarez, we had a very important difference with the fourth referee in respect to the minute," Martino added.
"We thought Suarez exited the pitch in under a minute, he did not see it that way and so Leo Campana's entry to the game was delayed."
Navas to leave PSG at end of season
Keylor Navas has confirmed that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Navas joined PSG in 2019, making 113 appearances for the club while keeping 51 clean sheets. He won nine major honours with the French club, including three Ligue 1 titles and two Coupe de France medals. He also collected a Champions League runner-up medal in 2019-20.
Navas served as the first-choice goalkeeper for the first two seasons but has struggled for playing time since Gianluigi Donnarumma joined the club in 2021.
Since returning to PSG after a loan spell at Nottingham Forest, Navas has made just three Ligue 1 appearances this campaign.
In a statement on social media, Navas confirmed that he would be leaving the French capital and will use their home game against Toulouse on Sunday to say goodbye to the fans.
He said: “Every second spent at the Parc des Princes was wonderful.
“Thank God, I have always felt love and encouragement.
“It was an honour to defend this badge in this incredible stadium.
“I still have some goals to accomplish, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to say goodbye to what used to be my home.”
His departure follows the news that Kylian Mbappe will also be leaving the Ligue 1 champions, with the forward making his announcement on Friday.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
