Leeds went back to the top of the Championship after blowing Reading away in a lethal first-half display at the Madejski Stadium last night. Phew, right? 

A first-half brace from Pablo Hernandez, after Mateusz Klich had already put United ahead, were enough to secure the points before half time and — with Norwich not playing until this evening — restore Marcelo Bielsa’s side to the summit of the table.

Bielsa had a brief chat with his Reading counterpart Jose Gomez after the game, and it has become clear that there is a mutual respect between the two managers.

Leeds Live reported from the post-match press conference on what Bielsa said to Gomes, revealing that the Leeds boss told him that, in time, he could build a side at Reading to match the one he had in Portugal.

Gomes said: “He was saying that I should keep working because with time you can put get team playing like your previous team was playing in Portugal.

“So it means he was watching my games in Portugal, which is normal. But today the players showed very good things, that’s why he said this. We are on a good track.”

He went on to stress the importance of Bielsa to a Leeds side that will surely be playing top flight football next term.

“All the coaches in the world know him and know his job. He’s an important manager in football history.”

And on the gulf in class between the two sides, he added: “We played against a very strong team — maybe one of the strongest offensive dynamic in the league. They showed very good movements with intensity, very fast movements between all the players from the midfield to the wingers.

“After four shots, they scored three goals. Without any space — the third goal was just a small touch and the ball crossed Martinez’s hand. It was a fantastic goal.

“The quality they have is difficult to stop.”

We agree with the Reading boss, and with Premier League football beginning to look like a formality, it will be fantastic to see Bielsa’s philosophical, meticulous approach against other world class managers and opposition next season.

What are your thoughts on what the future holds Leeds fans? Is a Premier League return nailed on now? Let us know below…

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One more Premier League appearance for Mohamed Diame will trigger a one-year extension on his current contract at Newcastle United.

Indeed, Diame has 24 league appearances to his name this term and another would see his current deal extended for 12 further months.

The 31-year-old has found it difficult to secure minutes in recent months, though, and failed to come off the bench in the win over Everton last weekend.

Diame recently discussed his future plans, but refused to reveal whether he would still be with the Magpies entering the 2019-2020 campaign.

It is worth remembering that the 6ft ace has made more than 230 Premier League appearances, meaning that he is very experienced at this level of football.

It is unclear what is going to happen with the Senegal international, but a number of Newcastle fans have been on social media discussing his future.

Whilst some want to keep him as a squad player, others are not so keen.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]It would be fair to say that Tyrone Mings has been impressive for Aston Villa since joining the Championship club on loan from Bournemouth in January.Mings found it difficult to secure regular minutes at Bournemouth in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign, but has had no such trouble at Villa.Indeed, the centre-back has not missed a single minute of Championship football for his loan club, playing the full 90 in each of their last eight games.Villa have now won their last three to move into playoff contention; the last of which was a 3-1 success away to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.According to WhoScored, Mings won four aerial duels and made two tackles during the clash with Forest.Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…As it stands, the 26-year-old will be heading back to his parent club this summer, but the Villa fans are absolutely desperate for their club to sort out a permanent deal for the 6ft 5in ace.A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

It has been a tough season for George Boyd at Sheffield Wednesday, hasn’t it Owls fans?

The winger was initially frozen out at the start of the campaign by then-boss Jos Luhakay who only selected him on one occasion in the club’s first 22 games before his departure in December. However, since the arrival of Steve Bruce at the start of 2019, Boyd has been given a second chance to impress which he simply has to take.

With Rolando Aarons, who is the main competitor for the 33-year-old’s position, currently sidelined with an ankle injury (via the Star), the former Burnley ace was handed only his ninth start of the season in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Stoke City and delivered a promising performance.

In a game which saw Wednesday create a limited number of chances, Boyd thought that he had scored the winner at the bet365 Stadium for the Owls only for his strike to be ruled out for offside. This controversial decision means that the winger’s wait for a goal continues in what is set to be his worst season in terms of finding the back of the net since his first ever campaign as a professional footballer in 2001.

With seven games left to impress before his contract with Wednesday expires in the summer (via transfermarkt), it is imperative that he shows Bruce that he is still capable of delivering in the second tier of English football. If he fails to impress against Aston Villa on April 6th, it could be the start of the end of Boyd’s brief stint at Hillsborough as it will be extremely unlikely that he will be able to earn a new deal. However, a return to the form that he demonstrated during his time at Peterborough United could not only see him extend his stay with the Owls but it could also drive the club into the play-off positions in May.

What do you think Wednesday fans? Would you keep Boyd at the club next season? Or should Bruce cut ties with the winger? Let us know below.

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Michael Owen believes Manchester United will beat West Ham United this weekend, per BetVictor.

The former Red Devils striker insists that the Hammers will taste yet another defeat against the top six.

What’s he said?

Owen believes the Hammers’ record against one of the best clubs in the Premier League will ultimately hold them back against United.

Of course, West Ham beat this weekend’s opponents at the London Stadium earlier this season, running out 3-1 winners.

However, the club have been in poor form recently, losing to Everton and Chelsea in their two most recent outings, and Owen cannot see the Irons beating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men this weekend.

Writing in his BetVictor blog, he said: “West Ham improved in the second half at Stamford Bridge on Monday, but they were well beaten by Chelsea and I expect United to keep all three points as they look to continue their push for a Champions League berth.

“The Irons have lost six of their last seven away league games and have lost all four away games played so far this season against “big six” sides by an aggregate of 1-10.”

Particularly poor form

The Hammers have been struggling in recent weeks and never showed any likelihood of beating a Chelsea team that have looked vulnerable at points this term.

One would expect Owen to be right.

United are, of course, smarting from their Champions League loss to Barcelona and will surely be out to bounce back this weekend.

With Pellegrini’s men struggling to put a run of form together, one would expect United to stick a few goals past them and take out their frustration from their encounter with the Catalan giants.

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On Friday Birmingham’s worst fears became reality with confirmation arriving that the club is set for a nine-point deduction for a breach of spending rules.

It’s news that is set to plummet the club into relegation trouble, moving them from 13th in the Championship to 18th. As a result, they will now sit just five points off the drop zone. The Blues had initially been in with an outside bet of making the playoffs but any chance of that has now been swiftly eradicated.

As expected, supporters of the club have been busy reacting to the news on Twitter as some noted that it wouldn’t be a normal campaign for the Midlands club if they weren’t embroiled in a relegation battle.

There were split opinions though as some shared frustration and were shocked, calling it garbage and that financial fair play was flawed. Others demanded to know what the deduction was actually for.

However, with it originally thought to be in the region of 12 points, some fans feel as though the outcome isn’t so bad.

The club were put under a transfer embargo last summer whilst the EFL looked into their breach of profitability and sustainability rules so it’s a case that has dragged on for an extensive period of time.

During the embargo, Birmingham signed Kristian Pedersen which is something that is unlikely to have helped their cause either.

Although they are set to be nine points worse off, supporters will take comfort in the fact that matters have finally come to a conclusion.

Here’s how some segments of the St Andrew’s faithful have reacted.

واصل الدولي الإنجليزي، جوردان هندرسون، متوسط ميدان فريق ليفربول، انتقاد التحكيم بعد هدفه الملغي في شباك إيفرتون بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وسقط ليفربول في فخ التعادل الإيجابي 2-2 أمام إيفرتون في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما على ملعب “جوديسون بارك”، وكاد الريدز أن يخطف نقاط المباراة الثلاث في النهاية بهدف من هندرسون قبل أن يتم إلغاؤه من حكم المباراة بداعي التسلل على ساديو ماني، ممرر الهدف من خلال تقنية الفيديو. شاهد هدف ليفربول الملغي أمام إيفرتون

وكتب هندرسون عبر يومياته بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي “إنستجرام”: “من الصعب إيجاد الكلمات لشرح ما حدث الآن”.

وأضاف: “سأترك الآخرين يشرحون الأمر.. أداء رائع من اللاعبين!”.

هندرسون خرج بالأمس في تصريحات صحفية أيضًا، وانتقد الحكام بشكل علني، وقال: ” إنهم يقومون بلوي الخطوط ورسمها كما يريدون في بعض الأحيان!” (طالع تصريحاته كاملة).

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Marcelo Bielsa will be lacking a vital defensive lynchpin when Leeds United host Millwall at Elland Road after the international break, with Pontus Jansson set to be sidelined.

Dicussion over who exactly will replace the Sweden international is running rife in Yorkshire. The obvious solution is to restore Gaetano Berardi into the team, but he has spent a considerable length of time on the sideline through injury this season.

Kalvin Phillips, who enjoyed a decent spell in central defence during the winter months, also represents a viable option.

However, a handful of the Whites faithful have taken to Twitter to call for 6ft 4 colossus Aapo Halme to make only his second Championship start of the season.

Millwall are a side renowned for their added physicality, so it’s easy to understand why the fans have identified the Finnish defender as the man who is best equipped to replace Jansson.

The inexperienced 20-year-old has offered much more than just a commanding aerial presence when he has been called upon this season, and it’s his ability to combine his commanding aerial presence with a composed approach to possession-based football which has really caught the eye.

Here’s what the Leeds fans have had to say about Halme:

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Celtic loanee Timothy Weah has been speaking about his time at the club, and it certainly sounds like he is open to extending his stay in Glasgow.

Celtic fans have been largely underwhelmed by their club’s transfer business in recent windows, but the Bhoys secured two excellent loan signings in January.

Oliver Burke has scored four times in 14 games for the club while Weah has grabbed three goals in 12 appearances.

Now, Weah has spoken out about his happiness with the move to Parkhead and in doing so has opened the door for Peter Lawwell to make his move.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

What has he said?

“The players and the coach accepted me very quickly,” the 19 year-old said.

“The integration was easy, because I speak English although I continue to speak French with Odsonne Edouard, Dedryck Boyata and Olivier Ntcham.

“The people are really very nice. It’s easy for me there. I live incredible things through football right now.”

And the wonderkid even admitted there is something special about Paradise that he can’t get in Paris: “There is an amazing atmosphere at the stadium. In Paris it’s similar, but there’s something different at Celtic Park, which is an old stadium.

“I have never seen this. The team are playing well. I’m happy to be there, it’s a very good choice.”

In reference to his father, George Weah, he added: “In Glasgow, it’s not the same with my father. I am known as Tim Weah, the player. My dad did not play here, so people do not talk about that much.”

He’s fallen in love

Indeed, it can’t be easy following in the footsteps of the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner, so it’s fantastic to hear the teenager say he can forget about such ridiculous expectations and just focus on his football for the Hoops.

He has also clearly fallen head over heels in love with the atmosphere at Parkhead, something the customers that occupy most of PSG’s Parc des Princes on a weekly basis could only dream of matching.

While Weah made no direct reference to extending his staying green and white, this is about as close to a come-and-get-me plea as it possibly could be.

The American international is an immense talent, even if it is mainly down to his father that he is so well-known internationally, and was included on GOAL.com’s NxGn list of teenage talents, coming in at number 17 on their top 50.

Whether it be another loan move, which is the likely option, or a pricey permanent deal, Lawwell and the club must use Weah’s infatuation with Paradise to their advantage and secure at least another year of his services, because players like this don’t come around too often.

أكد مرتضى منصور رئيس نادي الزمالك، رغبته في تأهل فريقه لمواجهة الأهلي في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويستعد فريقي الأهلي والزمالك لمواحهة الوداد والرجاء في إياب نصف نهائي البطولة القارية يومي الجمعة والسبت المقبلين.

وقال مرتضى منصور في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “الحدث اليوم”: “أتمنى أن يعبر الزمالك الرجاء، وتقام مباراة نهائية بين الأهلي والزمالك بحضور جماهيري، ويذهب دخلها بالكامل لأي مشروع خيري في مصر”.

وأوضح: “أتمنى لأول مرة جلوس جماهير الأهلي والزمالك جنبًا إلى جنب في المدرجات، وليسوا منفصلين كما كنا نرى في الماضي، وهذه مبادرة سنقول من خلالها للجماهير إن هناك من يصنع فتنة في مصر، حاولوا أن يفعلوها بين المسلمين والمسيحين فلم تفلح فاتجهوا إلى أن يصنعوها بين الأهلي والزمالك لإشعال البلد”.

طالع | مرتضى منصور يعلن موافقته على تأجيل مباراة الزمالك والرجاء في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وأردف: “جماهير الزمالك هي من أتحدث معها، وجماهير الأهلي تنبهوا أنا أريد أن أفوز على فريقكم في الملعب بكل الألعاب ولا أريد أن أفوز عليه بالسب، التحفيل والسباب يأججان الفتنة، ولا أكون سعيدًا بأي تجاوز يأتي لي ضد الأهلي، وأشعر بأن من يفعل ذلك (دمه تقيل)”.

واختتم: “الأهلي والزمالك شرفا مصر، وأنا توجهت بالتهنئة على قناة الزمالك للأحمر، وقلت إن لاعبيه رجالًا وأثبتوا لكل من شككوا فيهم أن هناك أندية كبيرة لا يمكن التشكيك فيهم بأنهم يبيعون المباريات”.

يُذكر أن الزمالك قد فاز على حساب الرجاء بهدف وحيد، بينما استطاع الأهلي الفوز على الوداد بثنائية في ذهاب نصف نهائي أبطال إفريقيا.