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Alexandra Takounda contributed an assist despite Djurgardens suffering a 2-1 defeat to Kristianstads in Saturday's Swedish Damallsvenskan game at Kristianstads Football Arena.

The Cameroonian had joined the Swedish outfit two weeks ago and came off the bench to make a cameo debut in Djurgardens' 1-0 victory over Orebro at the Stockholms Stadium last week.

The 20-year-old striker was handed her first start of the season against  Kristianstads but her fine contribution was not enough to help Pierre Fondin's team avoid their first defeat of the season.

Following a winning start over Orebro, Fondin's ladies were aiming to consolidate against their hosts and Nellie Lilja gave the hosts the lead eight minutes from half time off Takounda's assist.

However, the hosts bounced back in the second half when Sveindís Jane Jonsdottir teed up Mai Carlsson to net the equaliser five minutes after the restart of the encounter.

Six minutes from time, Jonsdottir secured the match winner for Elizabeth Gunnarsdottir's team thanks to Therese Åsland's assist.

Takounda, who played for 58 minutes before she was replaced by Ellen Andersson has now provided an assist in two outings for her new club.

Besides the Cameroonian, South Africa's Linda Motlhalo and Ghana's Portia Boakye played the entirety of the encounter for Djurgardens.

The result keeps Djurgardens in fourth position with three points from two games and they aim to return to winning ways in their next fixture against newcomers AIK on May 2.

Mostafa Mohamed was the Galatasaray hero as his side recorded a 1-0 away win over 10 men Antalyaspor.

The Egypt international was introduced for Emre Akbaba in the 64th minute, and 13 minutes later, he found the net after beating goalkeeper Ruud Boffin.

With the Scorpions’ backline failing to clear an inswinging cross from Sener Ozbayrakli, the Zamalek loanee put the ball past a stranded Boffin.

Having missed his side’s last two games after contracting Covid-19, the club announced that the 23-year-old would be available against Ersun Yanal’s men.

“Our player Mostafa Mohamed, whose Covid-19 quarantine period was completed and the last of which came back negative in all three tests conducted this morning, was included in our team's Antalya camp in accordance with the relevant guidelines of TFF and the Ministry of Health. It is announced with respect to the public,” a statement from the Galatasaray website read.

After a goalless first half at the Antalya Stadium, the second 45 minutes began on an intriguing note.

For Antalyaspor, their ambition of amassing all three points suffered a big blow as Lukas Podolski was given his marching orders a minute before the hour mark.  

Following a foul on Ozbayrakli, the German was cautioned the second time – prompting referee Mete Kalkavan to show him the way out.

Despite playing a man down, Yanal’s men were brave to probe the visiting side’s backline.

When the game was heading for a no-winner, no vanquished note, it was the African star who handed Fatim Terim’s men all the points at stake.

Peter Etebo was handed a starter's role, however, he was substituted for Taylan Antalyali in the 90th minute. Whereas, his compatriots Henry Onyekuru and Valentine Ozornwafor including Christian Luyindama (Congo) and Sofiane Feghouli (Algeria) were not dressed for action.

On the other hand, Cote d’Ivoire’s Jean Armel Drole and Angola’s Fredy were not included in the matchday squad.

This result is a big boost for manager Terim, whose men are chasing a record 23rd Super Lig diadem.

Galatasaray are third on the log having accrued 69 points from 35 matches. They are six points below leaders Besiktas. For Antalyaspor, they occupy 13th position with 42 points.

Toni Payne found the back of the net but her late effort could not save Sevilla from a 3-2 away defeat to Rayo Vallecano in Saturday’s Spanish Primera Iberdrola encounter.

The Nigeria international bagged her 24th start for Sevilla and she made a tangible contribution even though their side lost at Rayo.

Prior to the contest, Sevilla had bounced back from a four-match winless run to a shock 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid but they could not replicate their fine performance against Carlos Santiso's side.

The visitors got off to a flying start as Claudia Pina converted from the spot to hand them an early goal after just two minutes of action.

However, Santiso's ladies were also gifted their own penalty and Paula Fernandez fired home to level matters 10 minutes later.

With the score 1-1 heading into the half-time break, the hosts found a breakthrough to gain a late lead when Teresa Morato struck deep inside injury time off a fantastic assist from Patricia Hidalgo.

After the restart, Rayo kept their nerves to defend their narrow lead until Sheila Garcia compounded the visitors' woes when she struck a third of the match in the 78th minute.

However, the visitors fought late for a comeback when Noelia Ramos set up Payne to pull one back seven minutes from time but her late effort was not enough to rescue her side from defeat. 

Namibia's Payne, who turned 26 on Friday, featured for the duration for Sevilla and she has now grabbed her fourth goal of the season plus four assists in 27 appearances.

Her teammate and Namibia international Zenatha Coleman was in action from the start to finish on her 24th game.
 
Despite the loss, Sevilla remain in eighth position, with 36 points from 27 games, and will visit Levante in their next tie on May 2. 

Timo Werner says Chelsea team-mates Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham predicted he would score after the German ended his 12-game goal drought with the winner at West Ham.

The Germany international converted Ben Chilwell’s low cross in the first half at London Stadium as Thomas Tuchel's side secured a vital win that puts them three points clear of the Hammers in fourth place.

It was Werner’s ninth goal in all competitions for Chelsea this season but his first since a 2-0 win over Newcastle in February, with the striker celebrating by pointing to Hudson-Odoi and Abraham on the substitutes' bench.

What did Werner say?

Speaking to Sky Sports , the former RB Leipzig striker said: "I’m very happy that we won this game. It’s a big win for us in the race for the top four. It’s the best feeling after winning a game to score a goal. It was really important for me and for the whole team. It’s great to be back on the scoresheet.

Explaining his celebration, Werner added: "Callum [Hudson-Odoi] said to me I’ll score today, and 30 seconds later Tammy [Abraham] came to me and said I’d score today. They told me to point to them when I score.”

It could have been even better for Werner but he somehow fired the ball wide from close range after Mason Mount’s shot was parried into his path early in the second half.

The forward, however, was not too downbeat about the miss, saying: "The second chance I have to score, but I have to come back slowly. One goal is enough. Two goals might be too much for the beginning!”

Werner arrived in England with high expectations having struck 34 goals in 45 appearances for Leipzig last season.

His current tally of 11 from 44 appearances represents something of a disappointment in comparison, though his nine assists means he has been directly involved in more goals than any Blues player in all competitions so far.

"This season it’s not only the confidence, maybe it’s also luck,” said Werner, reflecting on his performances for the Stamford Bridge club so far. “Last year the ball always went in, this year it’s different. I’m confident that the chances like my second one will also go in in the next weeks and months.”

The bigger picture

After a week dominated by the aborted European Super League and the ensuing furious fallout, Chelsea will be delighted to make some positive headlines on the pitch.

Tuchel’s side, who were held to a goalless draw by Brighton in midweek, are now in pole position in the race for fourth place and are just one point behind third-placed Leicester, alberit having played a game more.

With a vital win in the bag attention will now turn to next week’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid.

"The draw against Brighton was tough for us because we wanted to get the win before the West Ham game,” said Werner.

“Now we have this gap to West Ham. It was really important ahead of a big game on Tuesday, when we play against Real Madrid."

Further reading

Funso Ojo stated Wigan Athletic will be happy with their League One 1-1 draw with Burton Albion.

In the keenly contested encounter against the Brewers on Saturday evening at the DW Stadium, the Latics had to fight hard to pick up a point at home.

Still hurt by their 1-0 home defeat to Lincoln City in their last time out, they started strongly and opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Joe Powell fired his free-kick past Jamie Jones.

Eight minutes before the half-time break, the hosts leveled matters through Will Keane after profiting from a Lee Evans assist.

Wigan threatened to take the lead in the 70th minute, albeit, Ojo’s goalbound strike was denied by a brilliant block after Tendayi Darikwa squared his cross to the midfielder.

After the final whistle, Leam Richardson’s men settled for a point in the hard-hitting encounter

“It was a very scrappy League One game from the start. It was one of those games where at the beginning, it was scrappy and it could go either way,” Ojo told Latics TV.

“They started well in the first 15-20 minutes, but after that, I think we got the upper hand. They scored a great free-kick, but I think we recovered well and went into half-time with the score at one-all.

"It was difficult. I think overall, we wanted to get the three points, but you need to look at the bigger picture, and it’s another point.

“It’s a draw, we’re on a very good run, compared to when I came in at the end of January, and we will take it."

The Super Eagles prospect also admonished his side to continue with their good run of form as the League One season draws to a close.

“I think, first of all, we’ve got a lot of lads who have had a lot of minutes in their legs,” he continued.

“A lot of the lads who came in haven’t really played in the first half of the season, and came in and played a lot of minutes and covered a lot of ground.

“We need to rest up, get back together, stay positive like we have been, and work towards Hull, and stay on the good run."

With this result, Wigan are now four points clear of the relegation zone with two matches left to play. They will travel to face league leaders Hull City next weekend.

Andrea Okene made her Primer Iberdrola debut in Levante’s 2-0 victory over Tenerife in Saturday’s game at Estadio La Palmera.

The teenager – a product of the Levante academy, was handed her maiden appearance for María Pry’s ladies following the substitution of Macedonian star Natasa Andonova.

Before her first-ever senior action, Okene had featured on the bench of the first team nine times, including in the 2021 Supercoppa final against Atletico Madrid.

After two consecutive winless games, Pry's side went to Champions League bidders Tenerife with high hopes of returning to winning ways and put up a fine display to earn a clinical triumph.

Esther Gonzalez's brace thanks to assists from Alba Redondo and Claudia Zornoza ensured Levante got back on track and inched closer to their Champions League return for the first time since 2009.

The victory saw Levante open a four-point gap in second position on the Iberdrola table with 58 points after 27 games.

Born in Valencia to a Spanish mother, Okene is eligible to represent Nigeria at U20 and senior level, through her Nigerian father.

The 19-year-old has been part of the Levante youth team since 2013, and shone brightly in the Spanish Reto Iberdrola with team B, scoring eight goals in 12 games this season.

Following her senior team bow, she will hope to earn more first-team action in the upcoming games, as Levante host Toni Payne's Sevilla in their next Spanish league fixture on May 5. 

Ugandan defender Paul Musamali has explained why he does not receive salary at Premier League side Malaba Youth Sports Association FC.

Musamali joined MYDA just before the transfer window was closed from Buildcon of Zambia.

“I am not on salary here,” Musamali said as was quoted by Football256 .

“I am playing football for MYDA purely for the love of it. And I know the club would not be in a position to meet my demands even if I made them known to them anyway.”

The former Kampala Capital City Authority FC star, however, said he is always receiving some amount of money from the club for his survival.

“I want to be a little realistic here,” he added. “I play my football, and the club gives me what they can. I take home whatever they have to offer because I am aware of the situation at hand.”

“MYDA are a very great club, finding its way up to the top-tier from the very bottom of Uganda’s football structure is historical. But I did not come home to sit in my comfort zone. I push for greater challenges every day.”

After an impressive stint with Kasasiro Boys under Mike Mutebi, Musamali left for Zambia’s Super League and upon his return, he said he could not sign for a top club as most had finalized deals.

“Playing at the top level of any league is a priority, and it is true that my agent approached some of the Ugandan big teams before my switch from Zambia but it was a very crucial time towards the transfer deadline date,” said the defender.

“Most clubs had fully registered the players they intended to fit into their new full-season plan.

“I left Buildcon because my contract expired. They wanted me to renew my contract but I wasn’t impressed with the new terms because they were not favourable to me. Prior to that, I had gone up to seven months without payment.”

At MYDA, he is one of the players looked upon to help salvage the season of the Malaba club.

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer felt his side’s performance against Swallows FC at the Dobsonville Stadium warranted three points and not just one.

It was indeed Pirates who dominated the game both in terms of possession and chances on goal, making head coach Zinnbauer’s frustration understandable.

“Difficult, the first chance of the opponent was the own goal. It’s not easy to come back against the deep block in the first half, but we came back,” the German told SuperSport TV in his post-match interview.

“We had a post shot, we had other chances, we could have got the equaliser earlier, we [could have gone] ahead.

“In the second half it's the same. We dominate completely the game. Yes they have counter-attacks, but that’s normal if you need a goal,” Zinnbauer added.

Having equalised through Mabasa in the 75th minute, the Sea Robbers coach felt his side could have gone on and won it.

“We didn’t make the equaliser and then stay (defensive), no, we go forward and we want the next goal. And we have also the next opportunities to score, a lot.

“That’s the reason why I cannot say I’m happy (with the result). The performance was very good, but the result is not enough for this performance which we have today, normally you get three points.”

Zinnbauer also added that he was pleased with the effort and intensity his men showed throughout the 90 minutes in Soweto.

“There was not a conditioning aspect today. They were not tired, they wanted to go forward and win the game and this is the right direction to what we must go.

“But I say it again, normally for this performance, you have to get the three points.”

The draw leaves Bucs fourth on the table on 39 points, one place and one point above Swallows, for whom this was a 14th draw of the season. Log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who play Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday, are on 47 points.

Ghana international John Boye was in full-time action as his Metz side suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1 on Saturday.

The Maroons, whose consolation goal was scored by Fabien Centonze, had hoped to secure a stunning win but a Kylian Mbappe double and a Mauro Icardi effort secured victory for The Red and Blues in the matchday 34 clash at Stade Saint Symphorien.

Metz sit 10th on the league table while PSG have moved from second to first with the result.

Saturday’s match, which came just a day after Boye celebrated his 34th birthday, was the defender’s 32nd league appearance of the season.

"We all know it's going to be a tough game. PSG is a very good European team. We will have to do our best. Everyone knows what Paris is capable of. We will have to stay focused on the game and give 100 percent,” the Ghanaian and Metz captain, said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the game.

“We remember the frustration of the [reverse] leg [0-1 defeat in the last seconds of the match]. It's part of football, but I know my team is ready for this new meeting.

“As a captain, I talk to young players a lot. We know that we will talk about us if we have a good performance. This is what I insist on with them. For that, we have to give the maximum of ourselves this Saturday.”

Real Madrid-linked Mbappe broke Metz in just the fourth minute, latching onto an Ander Herrera through-ball over the top, to shoot past goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja.

Just a minute after the break, Centonze drew the hosts level, heading home from a Farid Boulaya in-swinger into the box.

In the 59th minute, Mbappe scored once again as his shot from outside the box proved too strong for the goalkeeper.

Argentina striker Icardi then wrapped things up from the spot a minute to full-time.

Boye, who formerly played for Rennes in Ligue 1, is in his third season with Metz since moving from Turkish side Sivasspor.

Azam FC assistant coach Vivier Bahati has insisted playing Yanga SC at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in the Tanzania Mainland League assignment will not give their hosts an advantage.

The two Tanzania Mainland League heavyweights will be playing on Sunday night, each side being desperate for maximum points to boost their chances of winning the league. Timu ya Wananchi will be at home against the 2014 champions.

Wananchi won the last meeting at the Azam Complex in Chamazi by a solitary goal scored by Deus Kaseke in the 49th minute. 

"We cannot say that we are going to play away because we are used to that stadium," Bahati told Goal ahead of the game.

"They do not have an advantage against us, we are going there to fight, hoping to get maximum points. Yes, they will host us, but in our minds, it will be like we are playing at home.

"We made a mistake the last time we hosted them and ended up dropping the three points. So we want to give our best and ensure we also get maximum points away."

The Burundian went on to shed light on the team's preparations and on who will be missing from the game against the 27-time champions.

"Preparations have been top-notch, we all understand it is not going to be an easy game," Bahati continued.

"We are not expecting [Yanga] to be like Dodoma Jiji [who we drew 2-2 with], they will be tougher and we have prepared for that. It is a game that will be played with a higher tempo.

"Everyone is available and ready for the game apart from Emmanuel Charles who is nursing an injury. So we will, as usual, field a strong team and hope to get maximum points from the match."

Timu ya Wananchi will be targeting maximum points to get back on top of the table. They were relegated to second position on Saturday by reigning champions Simba SC who defeated Gwambina FC by a solitary goal scored by Mohamed Hussein.

A win for the third-placed Ice-cream Makers will reduce the gap between them and the top two sides.

Manchester City captain Fernandinho compared his side's winning mentality to being in the eye of a hurricane - and revealed how Pep Guardiola whipped the team back into shape when their season was in danger of going off the rails. 

City look set to take back the Premier League title from Liverpool in 2020-21, as they sit 11 points clear of rivals United with just a handful of games still to play. 

But as recently as January the crown looked a distant possibility for the club, until a brilliant run of victories turned the tables. 

What was said? 

At the beginning of 2020 City sat a lowly eighth in the league standings, and their captain admitted morale was at rock-bottom.

"The attitude, the body language, the effort from some players, it was just obvious. You know exactly the kind of session I’m talking about, right? Misplaced passes, players not tracking back, not running, not looking interested," he told the Players' Tribune of that period.

"This was not us. This was not the team that had won two titles in a row, or that had set a record points total. 

"After that session, Pep came and spoke to me as captain, as the leader of the team. He was blunt. He told me that not everyone was at 100%. And, in this team, when you come to train, you do it at 100%, or you stay home. Once you enter the pitch, there is no conversation, no negotiation. 

"He was right. And he made it clear that the responsibility for keeping those standards rested with me.

"We were still at a point in the campaign where we could turn things around. Or we could passively watch it slide away.

"Our next game was away at Chelsea, who were flying in the league at the time. Before the match, I thought to myself, 'If these guys don’t run here, that’s it, I’m done!' I was ready to lose all morale.

"But, of course, we won. We won well. By half-time we were 3-0 up. We ran almost too much! 

"Thank God, since then we’ve been on an amazing, record-breaking run.

"We got back into the hurricane."

The bigger picture

That Chelsea win was one of 15 consecutive victories in the league achieved by Pep's charges between December and March, a run that transformed them from Premier League also-rans to overwhelming title favourites. 

And while the Blues ended their FA Cup aspirations at the semi-final stage last weekend, City are still on course to complete a treble in 2020-21. 

Sunday sees the club take on Tottenham in the Carabao Cup final, while on Wednesday they travel to Parc des Princes for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Further reading 

Mohamed Salah's strike against Newcastle on Saturday was Liverpool's earliest home goal in the Premier League since April 2019 when Naby Keita scored against Huddersfield.

The two-time African Footballer of the Year found the back of the net after two minutes and 59 seconds while Keita’s effort came 15 seconds into the game at Anfield two years ago.

The strike put the Reds in control for the majority of the encounter until Joe Willock’s stoppage-time equaliser for Steve Bruce's side drew both teams level.

Salah's opener was also his 20th Premier League goal of the season for Jurgen Klopp's side, making him the first Liverpool player to score at least 20 goals in three league seasons, after scoring 32 goals in 2017-18, and 22 goals in 2018-19.

The Egypt captain played the duration of the game alongside Senegal forward Sadio Mane while Guinea's Naby Keita was an unused substitute.

With 20 goals in 32 league appearances so far, Salah now trails the Premier League top scorer and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane by one goal as the race for the Golden Boot heats up.

Despite Salah's record-breaking contribution, the draw dealt a blow to Liverpool's top-four aspirations as they remain sixth on the league table with 54 points after 33 matches.

Klopp's men will be aiming to get back to winning ways when they travel to Old Trafford for their next Premier League game against Manchester United on May 2.

Since he joined the Reds from Serie A club Roma in June 2017, Salah has established himself as the Reds' goalscoring machine with 93 Premier League goals in 140 games.

The 28-year-old won the top scorer's award in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, and he was honoured as the Premier League Player of the Season in his debut campaign.

Later this summer, Salah is in contention to play in Tokyo having been included in Egypt's preliminary squad for the Olympic Games.

They are drawn against Argentina, Spain and Australia in Group C.

Bryan Mbeumo scored the winning goal, while Dominic Solanke, Tariqe Fosu and Arnaut Danjuma were on parade as Brentford secured a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in Saturday’s EFL Championship game.

Mbeumo came off the bench, replacing Fosu, to make a significant contribution for the Cherries, helping his side to clinch all three points at Vitality Stadium.

Brentford had played out two consecutive draws, against Millwall and Cardiff City, before the Cameroonian fired them back to winning ways.

Solanke was handed a starting role in the encounter along with Danjuma and made their contribution in the game but could not help Bournemouth avoid defeat.

The Anglo-Nigerians combined well in their last outings for the Cherries against Millwall scoring and providing assists in the encounter, however, struggled to beat the solid defence of Brentford at Vitality Stadium.

The game started with both sides aiming for an early goal but failed to convert the few chances that came their way as the first half ended all square.

In the second half, Brentford suffered a setback when they were reduced to 10 men after Pontus Jansson picked up his second yellow card and was subsequently sent off.

They, however, bounced back from the setback and soon got the opening goal when 75th-minute substitute Mbeumo hit the back of the net, two minutes after his introduction in the game.

The goal was enough for Brentford to clinch all three points at Vitality Stadium and boost their promotion chances.

Besides his goal, Mbeumo provided three passes in the encounter as part of his contribution while Solanke and Danjuma featured for the duration of the game for Bournemouth.

Danjuma was one of the stand-out performers for the Cherries, along with his Anglo-Nigerian teammate.

The victory ensured Brentford moved to the third spot on the Championship table after gathering 78 points from 43 games.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, dropped to the fourth spot with 77 points from 44 outings and will hope to bounce back to winning ways when they face Wycombe Wanderers on May 1.

Brentford will slug it out against Rotherham United in their next Championship game on April 27.

Amissi Tambwe has revealed Yanga SC have reached out to him stating they have paid him the money they owed him but he will only confirm it when he checks his bank account in Burundi.

The Jangwani giants were ordered by the world governing body Fifa to pay the Burundian forward Tsh43.5m accrued from sign-on fees and salaries after his unceremonious exit from the club at the end of the 2018-19 season.

Nevertheless, they did not pay the money owed right away, a move that saw Fifa hand them a ban of three years from transfer activities.

However, Yanga's head of information and communications, Hassan Bumbuli, on Thursday said they had transferred the USD22,791 (Tshs 52,603,000) as directed by Fifa.

The player, who currently plies his trade in Djibouti, has since said he had received a phone call from Yanga officials who told him they had paid his money by depositing it in his account, but insisted he would know the truth when he returned to Burundi to check with the bank.

“You know I am currently in Djibouti finishing one league match and I have managed to score 17 goals in 16 matches but about Yanga they actually called my lawyer and confirmed they have paid the money I was claiming in the past by putting it in my account,” Tambwe said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“I have accepted their decision but I am still not sure because I am currently away from my country, so it is difficult to know if they have really settled the matter but since I finish the league here in three days, I will be in Burundi, so I will believe if they really paid the amount or not when I go home.”

In a recent interview, Tambwe confirmed he was yet to be paid by the club as ordered by Fifa.

“Personally, I don't know anything from Yanga at the moment other than they have not paid me yet despite receiving a phone call from Engineer, Hersi Saidi and telling me to calculate the amount I claim, my lawyer did so and sent them the amount but nothing new until now,” Tambwe explained.

“As far as I know, Fifa gave them 45 days to pay but so far they have not communicated to me nor paid anything, so as it stands, they cannot sign any player until they have paid and contacted my lawyer to return the information to Fifa.”

The striker left Yanga in the 2018-19 season when then-head coach Mwinyi Zahera dropped him for the 2019-20 season, however, he left behind a debt of Tsh43.5 million, a decision which Cas ordered the club to pay within 45 days, from December 1, 2020.

Thomas Tuchel is eager to avoid coming across as "rude", but admits he is looking for his striking crop at Chelsea to start doing their job as nobody in his squad has scored more than six Premier League goals this season.

Tammy Abraham, who has not figured for the Blues since February 20, has hit that mark along with midfield colleagues Mason Mount and Jorginho.

Timo Werner has five top-flight efforts to his name, while World Cup winner Olivier Giroud has four, and the man calling the shots at Stamford Bridge admits more is required from those in the final third as he faces questions of attacking selections and future recruitment.

What has been said?

Tuchel has told Sky Sports ahead of a derby date with London neighbours West Ham on Saturday: "Tammy had a very good training week and he's very welcome to show his quality. We need more goals and we want to trust anybody who is capable of scoring.

"But you just need to read the numbers, our top scorers have six goals. This is clearly not enough for the demands, the expectations and the targets Chelsea football club has and what we demand.

"I say this without any anger and without being rude to any of the offensive guys, I think they're very well aware of it. But when we put the goalkeeper in goal for Chelsea we expect him to have a clean sheet. When we let the defenders play, we expect them to produce clean sheets and the best possible outcome straight away. And this is what we expect from the midfielders, we expect passing percentage, we expect the rhythm of the game. And when we put strikers in we expect goals and assists and nothing else.

"This is one of the most challenging clubs in European football, and if the challenge is on you simply need to accept that we didn't produce the kind of numbers that we expect from our strikers. This explains a little bit the situation in which we are. We don't struggle to have touches in the opponent's box, we do not struggle to produce Expected Goals but we need to improve on the conversion, this is clear.

"We try to create even more chances for them to have more clear chances… don't get me wrong, they are clearly part of a very successful team and they play their role also in defence and counter-pressing. But still sometimes we wait a little bit for somebody to catch the momentum, and score game after game after game after game, which could be an extraordinary help.

"But it does not help to wish for something that does not exist, so we try to make the most of the situation as it is now but this is the pressure you live up to naturally when you sign up for Chelsea."

The bigger picture

Abraham is Chelsea's top scorer across all competitions on 12, but has figured just five times under Tuchel to see questions asked of his future.

Defensive stability has been making life easier for the Blues, with 15 clean sheets collected through 20 outings under their current coach.

That record has helped them into the FA Cup final and Champions League semi-finals, but there is still work to do in order to secure major silverware and wrap up a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Further reading

Football fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with Liverpool’s 1-1 result versus Newcastle United in Saturday’s Premier League encounter.

Before welcoming Steve Bruce’s team to Anfield, the Reds had played out the same scoreline at Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, where they conceded a late equaliser.

Against the Magpies, Jurgen Klopp’s side started on a good note – with Mohamed Salah giving them a third-minute lead.

The visitors, though, ensured that the fixture ended all square courtesy of an equaliser from super-sub Joseph Willock with the last kick of the game.

This result is a massive blow to Liverpool’s Champions League qualification hopes, and that has evoked a barrage of criticism from Twitter users.