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Category: Sports

  • ‘The mood is buzzing’ – Palace thrash Villa as Wharton shines

    ‘The mood is buzzing’ – Palace thrash Villa as Wharton shines

    “The mood is buzzing, the music is bouncing and everyone is happy.”

    Those were the words of Crystal Palace striker Eddie Nketiah after he scored his first Premier League goal for the club in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.

    Palace have turned a corner after a slow start to the season, winning just one of their first 10 league games, and are now on a run of just three losses in 15 matches.

    They sit 12th in the Premier League table, but are just eight points off Manchester City in fifth, having played a game more.

    “We know that we can perform very well and this is what we showed today,” said manager Oliver Glasner.

    The thrashing of Villa felt like a key moment with a number of milestones for players in the Crystal Palace squad.

    England midfielder Adam Wharton started his first league game since October after injury, France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scored again, England playmaker Eberechi Eze looked back to his free-flowing self and striker Nketiah scored his first goal for Palace in the Premier League since signing from Arsenal in the summer.

    Senegal forward Ismaila Sarr, meanwhile, scored two goals on his 27th birthday.

    The Eagles have the chance to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals if they beat London rivals Millwall on Saturday and are now chasing a second successive top-half finish.

    “I think we all get the reward and the players get the reward for their hard work,” Glasner said.

    “We expected it and I mentioned it quite often that the start [of the season] would be quite bumpy. Pre-season not going in the perfect way, many players arriving late. The most important thing is that we stayed together and worked hard.

    “I think now we can see the progress and development of individual players, of the system and the players know how we have to play and what we have to do.

    “One thing is theory and the other thing is transform it on to the pitch and that’s one thing that they are doing really well in the last few weeks and months.”

    Glasner was quick to point out, however, that just 10 days ago he was sitting in the same spot disappointed after a 2-1 home defeat by Everton.

    “It is always to work on your football and work on the group and stay together,” he said about his targets. “This is what we are doing regardless of what the results are.”

    Wharton and Mateta grab the attention

    England head coach Thomas Tuchel was in attendance for the game and will have been delighted by the performance of midfielder Wharton.

    The 21-year-old, who signed for the Eagles in February last year, was so impressive in his first season that he was included in the England squad that reached the final of Euro 2024, after just three months of Premier League football.

    Wharton had a hand in three of the Palace goals on Tuesday and his first-time forward passing shone throughout the match.

    “We know the tactics that the gaffer has given us and if we stick to the plan, we know we have a great chance in every game we play.” Wharton said.

    Glasner said Wharton “adjusted so quickly to the pace of the Premier League again after being out a few months”.

    The performance could not have come at a better time, with Tuchel set to name his first England squad next month.

    A player who will be delighted with Wharton’s return to the team and forward passing is Mateta.

    The Frenchman has scored eight Premier League goals in 2025 – the joint-most of any player in the competition alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

    Mateta, who scored 16 league goals last season, has 12 this campaign and is arguably the most improved player since Glasner arrived.

    He is the focal point of the attack and his much-improved hold-up play allows the likes of Eze and Sarr to make runs off of him.

    With a top-10 finish in their sights and a potential FA Cup run, things are looking positive at Selhurst Park

  • Keep smiling and goals will come, Maresca tells Palmer

    Keep smiling and goals will come, Maresca tells Palmer

    Cole Palmer has been encouraged to keep working and laughing by manager Enzo Maresca, who believes the goals will then return.

    The 22-year-old, who is Chelsea’s top scorer in the Premier League this season, has not found the net in his past seven appearances.

    However, despite his latest blank against Southampton on Tuesday night, Chelsea returned to the top four with an emphatic 4-0 win over the Premier League strugglers.

    While four Chelsea players did get on the scoresheet, Palmer missed a hatful of big chances throughout the game.

    But, despite their star man unable to end his goal drought, Chelsea manager Maresca said his team remain “happy” with Palmer – and that the player should also stay upbeat.

    “He has to continue to work, continue to be happy, continue to laugh the way he does,” Maresca told BBC Match of the Day.

    “It is normal to go through a moment where you struggle to score but it doesn’t matter. Just continue and you are going to score many goals.”

    Palmer started the season in red-hot form for the Blues, scoring 14 goals and creating six assists across his first 21 Premier League appearances. However, he has zero goal involvements since.

    Many Chelsea supporters, as well as Fantasy Football fans, had pencilled in Chelsea’s home match against a Southampton side who sit bottom of the league and have the worst defensive record as the fixture where Palmer would restart his goalscoring form.

    And the former Manchester City man did find himself on the end of several chances, having seven shots – the joint-highest total for a Chelsea player in the league this season.

    Palmer missed two glorious opportunities when one-on-one in the first half with one effort saved by Aaron Ramsdale and another dragged wide. After the restart he blasted a cut-back over the bar.

    In total, his chances accumulated to an expected goals (xG) figure of 1.07.

    After he had a late free-kick saved by Ramsdale, Palmer reacted by smiling, appearing to see the funny side of his barren run, which Maresca praised in his post-match press conference.

    “It is how you react. He is reacting perfectly. He is smiling and he is happy. We have no doubt he will score more goals,” Maresca said.

    “He’s a human being. All human beings, all big players, all the normal players, big club, big manager – we all go through a bad moment.

    “Even if he is young, he shared time in a big club and he knows that all the big players go through moments like this.”

    Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City in September, 2023 and has since scored 39 goals across all competitions.

    Stepping up on Tuesday were forwards Christopher Nkunku and Pedro Neto who both scored one and assisted another.

    With striker Nicolas Jackson absent with a thigh injury, Neto, who was signed as a winger, once again played centrally in a false-nine role.

    “We needed to find a solution,” added Maresca. “We tried one game with Palmer and we tried one game with Nkunku, Brighton away – didn’t work well.

    “So the week after, we tried with Pedro in the week and we saw that it could work. I think Villa away he did fantastic. He probably give us a threat in-behind.

    Neto scored Chelsea’s second, running on to a Nkunku through-ball before calmly finishing past Ramsdale.

    “He is not just receiving the ball at the feet,” added Maresca. “He also likes to attack in-behind something which Cole and Christopher struggle [to do].”

    Neto has scored just three goals and created four assists in the Premier League this season, although two of those goals and two of those assists have come in the past four games.

    ‘Fans have to trust’ after protests

    Before the match with Southampton about 100 Chelsea fans protested against the club’s ownership with banners and chants.

    It has been nearly three years since the BlueCo consortium fronted by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali acquired the club.

    “The only thing I can say is that in this moment the fans have to trust,” said Maresca.

    “We’re in the right process and the right direction. Since we started we’ve been top four most games of the season.

    “The fans have to trust the players. They are doing a huge effort every day to bring this club to the Champions League.”

  • Messi on target as Miami reach CONCACAF Champions Cup last 16

    Messi on target as Miami reach CONCACAF Champions Cup last 16

    Lionel Messi was on target again as Inter Miami surged into the CONCACAF Champions Cup last 16 with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Tuesday, winning the tie 4-1 on aggregate.

    Messi scored in the 1-0 first-leg win in icy Kansas City last week and it took him only 19 minutes to find the target at a much warmer Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale in the return.

    Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez chipped the ball across to the Argentine, who was given too much space by the Sporting defence and punished them by burying the ball into the bottom corner.

    The visitors thought that they had levelled when Dejan Joveljic, a recent signing from Los Angeles Galaxy, had the ball in the net after rounding Miami keeper Oscar Ustari, but the striker was ruled offside.

    Miami doubled their advantage in the first minute of first-half stoppage time when Messi sent Jordi Alba down the left and the Spaniard’s low cross was turned in from close range by Tadeo Allende.

    Miami made it 3-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate two minutes later when a dreadful miskicked clearance from Jacob Davis flew across his own area and Suarez hooked the bouncing ball into the corner.

    Kansas City got a goal back in the 63rd minute when Memo Rodriguez’s long-range effect deflected off the back of Maximiliano Falcon and past the wrong-footed Ustari.

    Miami will face Jamaican club Cavalier, the Caribbean Cup champions, in the next round with the first leg to be played in Florida in the first week of March.

  • Gasperini was emotional, made mistake with Lookman criticism, says Atalanta co-owner

    Gasperini was emotional, made mistake with Lookman criticism, says Atalanta co-owner

    Atalanta co-owner Stephen Pagliuca has admitted that head coach Gian Piero Gasperini “made a mistake” in publicly criticising Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman but reaffirmed his belief in the Italian manager’s passion and coaching abilities.

    The controversy arose after Gasperini harshly criticised Lookman for missing a crucial penalty against Club Brugge in the Champions League, calling him “one of the worst” penalty-takers. His comments sparked widespread debate among fans and analysts.

    Speaking with Gazzetta dello Sport, Pagliuca sought to defuse the situation, emphasising Atalanta’s collective approach to setbacks.

    “We want to put this situation behind us, and I think we have, considering the 5-0 victory (against Empoli),” he said, as quoted by Football Italia on Tuesday.

    Pagliuca added: “These matches are always intense. We love the passion with which they are played. We have a great coach, very passionate. He made a mistake by speaking about an individual. At Atalanta, with the Percassi family, we have a policy: if things go wrong, we take responsibility. We look at ourselves and how to improve.”

    Pagliuca also highlighted Lookman’s significant contributions to the team, reiterating the club’s commitment to unity and resilience.

    “The players are having an extraordinary season; we wouldn’t be where we are now without the contributions of Lookman, De Ketelaere, and the whole team,” he said. “I should name them all.

    “We faced Brugge without five key players, all injured. Gasperini’s reaction was emotional and unfortunate, and it was a mistake that went against our policy—something we are not proud of. But I repeat, Gasp remains a great coach.”

    Beyond this controversy, speculation has also surrounded Gasperini’s future at Atalanta. The 66-year-old has stated he will not sign a contract extension, meaning he could depart as early as the end of this season or in 2026 when his current deal expires.

  • Liverpool glory would boost Salah’s Ballon d’Or chances: Slot

    Liverpool glory would boost Salah’s Ballon d’Or chances: Slot

    Arne Slot says Mohamed Salah will have a “far better chance” of winning the Ballon d’Or if runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool win silverware this season.

    The Egyptian superstar, 32, is favourite to win the award, regarded as the top individual prize in football, after a sensational campaign so far.

    Salah, who is yet to sign a new deal to keep him at Anfield beyond the end of this season, has scored 30 goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions during the current campaign.

    But Liverpool manager Slot said Tuesday that despite those stellar numbers, the club need to win major trophies to help their forward win his first Ballon d’Or.

    “It’s a good thing that Mo is in the discussion because it means he does well and it means we are doing well,” the Dutchman said on Tuesday.

    “But for him to stay in that discussion, he should bring in the same performances as he’s done for seven or eight months now.

    “And I think, in general, someone that wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something as well, so it’s a great challenge that is in front of us, but also in front of him.”

    Liverpool, who host Newcastle on Wednesday, are 11 points clear of second-placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with 11 games to go but Slot said he does not fear complacency.

    “We all know these players are so long in this competition, even much longer than me, so they know how difficult every single game is, and if you have to play 11, it’s still a long way to go,” he said.

    Liverpool are also in the final of the League Cup, where they will face Newcastle again, and will meet Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.

    Slot was asked at his pre-match press conference whether Salah’s current form could be compared with that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at their peak but he shied away from direct comparisons.

    “He (Salah) has had some outstanding seasons here at Liverpool, and we hope he can continue this for a longer period of time, but to do that he first has to extend his contract of course,” he said.

    The Liverpool boss was also asked whether Salah’s red-hot form would make it easier or more difficult for the club to agree a new deal.

    “You can look at it in both ways,” he said. “You can say the better he does, the more expensive he might become, and if he would do really worse, we would have second thoughts if we wanted to extend his contract.

    “So I think for everyone it’s the best that he brings in the performances he does now. Maybe only for the one that has to pay him it’s not the best, but for everyone else it’s the best.”

  • Real Madrid doing well despite ‘absurd, unsustainable’ schedule – Ancelotti

    Real Madrid doing well despite ‘absurd, unsustainable’ schedule – Ancelotti

    Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Tuesday his team were doing a good job given their packed fixture list, describing the football calendar as “absurd” and “unsustainable”.

    If Madrid progress as far as possible in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, as well as the Club World Cup in the summer, they could play 72 games this season.

    Madrid have already won the Intercontinental Cup and the European Super Cup, but lost against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.

    “Taking into account the absurd calendar we have to deal with, that all teams have to, not just us, we’re doing very well,” Ancelotti told reporters.

    “All teams that are fighting and battling in these moments are doing very well, because it’s an unsustainable calendar.”

    Los Blancos face Real Sociedad in a Copa del Rey semi-final first leg clash in the Basque country on Wednesday.

    “In the span of 52 days, tomorrow will be our 17th game,” continued Ancelotti.

    “If I look back to my time (as a player), in a season we’d play 30 league games, so we’d already be in the second half of the season.”

    Real Madrid demolished Manchester City 6-3 on aggregate in the Champions League play-off round to reach the last 16 and are level on points with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

    Ancelotti said he, his staff and players needed a break.

    “I am tired and I imagine you (reporters) are tired too, from what I see and hear, you are tired. You need rest… we need rest,” he added.

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    Kylian Mbappe did not take part in the club’s training session on Tuesday due to a dental problem, but Ancelotti said he would be travelling to San Sebastian and could feature.

    Ancelotti praised Mbappe’s attitude since arriving in Spain from Paris Saint-Germain.

    “Mbappe arrived with humility and keeping a low profile,” said the Italian coach.

    “He improved the dressing room atmosphere, there’s a lot more confidence because one of the best players in the world arrived… (and) in terms of ego, absolutely nothing has changed.”

    Ancelotti also fired a barb at La Liga president Javier Tebas, who called Madrid a “cry-baby” club following their recent complaints about Spanish referees.

    “He talks too much about Real Madrid, since I’ve been here,” said the Italian.

    “There are more important issues and he should focus more on solving the problems of Spanish football.”

  • Norrie beaten by qualifier Tien in Acapulco opener

    Norrie beaten by qualifier Tien in Acapulco opener

    Britain’s Cameron Norrie has been beaten by teenage American qualifier Learner Tien in the opening round of the Mexican Open in Acapulco.

    Norrie, who is now 74th in the world, was beaten 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 by the 19-year-old, who is ranked nine places below him.

    The Briton had won the only previous meeting between the pair, in Hong Kong earlier this year.

    Tien led 4-1 in the opener before Norrie recovered and served for the set at 5-4. But he was broken and Tien went on to take the subsequent tie-break and control the match after that.

    Second seed Casper Ruud advanced to round two by beating France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-4 6-3 while American pair Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton, the third and fifth seeds respectively, also went through.

  • Is Salah set for greatest individual Premier League season?

    Is Salah set for greatest individual Premier League season?

    There seems no stopping Liverpool or Mohamed Salah this season.

    The Reds are 11 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League as they look to become champions for the 20th time.

    Egypt forward Salah has been integral in that success and again played a starring role with a goal and an assist in Liverpool’s 2-0 win at reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday to continue his incredible form in 2024-25.

    But is the 32-year-old on course for the best individual campaign since the Premier League era began in 1992?

    We take a look at the stats to see how he compares to other great strikers and what records he could break.

    More than a goalscorer

    Salah has won the Golden Boot as the league’s top scorer three times (outright in 2017-18 and shared in 2018-19 and 2021-22) and is leading the race this season.

    His best campaign featured 32 goals, but he could beat that in the next few months.

    He has 25 goals in 27 games – six clear of Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, the player who won the award in the past two seasons.

    Haaland’s 36 goals two seasons ago is a Premier League record, although no-one will probably ever pass Dixie Dean’s incredible 60 league goals for Everton in 1927-28.

    Only Arsenal’s Thierry Henry has been top scorer in four seasons of the Premier League, while only Jimmy Greaves at Chelsea and Tottenham in the 1950s and 60s (six) and Derby County’s Steve Bloomer in the 1890s and 1900s (five) have been top more often in the English top flight.

    In the ‘big five’ leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1), Salah is again top, four goals ahead of Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui and five clear of Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

    But Salah is more than just a goalscorer.

    He is well clear in assists too with 16 – six more than anyone else in the Premier League and five more than Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who is next across Europe’s big five leagues.

    Salah has 11 games to break the single-season Premier League assists record of 20 shared by Henry in 2002-03 and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne in 2019-20.

    When you combine goals with assists, Salah has 41 goal contributions. The Premier League record is 47 – shared by Blackburn’s Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole at Newcastle, although they did that in 42-match campaigns.

    In a 38-game season, the best is 44 by Haaland two years ago (36 goals, eight assists) and Henry in 2002-03 (24 goals, 20 assists).

    Since 2006-07 only four players in England, Spain, Italy, Germany or France have reached 50 goal contributions in a single season: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (three), Barcelona’s Luis Suarez (one) and Paris St-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic (one).

    Messi’s best league total came in an incredible 2011-12 season with 66 goal contributions (50 goals and 16 assists).

    Salah has scored and assisted a goal in 49 league matches in his career in Europe’s big five leagues.

    Since Opta has recorded data (from 2006-07), only Messi (102) and Ronaldo (65) have scored and assisted more often.

    Lethal home and away

    Salah has scored in six league games in a row. If he gets a goal against Newcastle on Wednesday it would match his best run at Liverpool after scoring in seven consecutive matches earlier this season and also in 2021-22.

    Jamie Vardy holds the record of scoring in 11 successive Premier League games.

    Salah has four more games in which to set records for most Premier League goals away from home as well as most assists away from home.

    He has 16 league goals on his travels, a figure matched only by Kevin Phillips at Sunderland in 1999-2000 and Harry Kane at Tottenham two seasons ago.

    Salah has the joint most away Premier League assists in a season, level with Cesc Fabregas’ 11 that he set in his first campaign with Chelsea in 2014-15.

    Salah has 182 Premier League goals and sits sixth overall. Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero is fifth with 184 and Cole fourth with 187, while Shearer is top with 260.

    Asked on Sunday if he was playing better than ever, Salah told Sky Sports: “It is opinion. Maybe people prefer my first seasons, but I prefer now because winning the league, helping the young players, it is special.”

    The big concern for Liverpool fans will be whether this is Salah’s last season at the club. He is out of contract this summer and talks about his future remain ongoing.

    ‘We’re talking Ballon d’Or now’

    It is no surprise that Salah is being talked about as a potential winner of the Ballon d’Or, awarded to the best footballer in the world.

    Liberia striker George Weah is the only African to win the award – in 1995 at AC Milan – while Salah came fifth in 2019 and 2022.

    “Mo Salah is having a Messi and Ronaldo season,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. “This is going to end up being the greatest season we’ve seen from an individual, I have no doubt about that.

    “It’s not whether he will finish above those players in terms of [goal contribution] numbers. It’s how far he can go and can he set the bar so high in future no-one can ever get there again?

    “We’re seeing something special. This is now an all-time season. When you talk about the Premier League, you put Thierry Henry on top, but for me Mo Salah is definitely second. If he signs a new contract that will be a fight to the finish.”

    Daniel Sturridge, a former team-mate of Salah, said: “We’re talking Ballon d’Or now. We have to start putting him in that conversation.

    “What Mo is doing season in, season out is ridiculous. It’s mind-blowing. When he came to the club nobody thought he would be close to a guy that scores 25 goals a season.

    “His motivation is there and his professionalism. In the summer he comes back in unbelievable shape every single season. He wants to be the best and be recognised as the best in the world.

    “I know from having conversations with him in the dressing room, he wants to be the best player in the Premier League and the best player in the world.”

  • Spain stronger after battles on & off pitch – Codina

    Spain stronger after battles on & off pitch – Codina

    Spain defender Laia Codina says the world champions have become stronger because of their battles both on and off the pitch over the past few years.

    The most notable of those was the furor and subsequent repercussions caused by former national football federation boss Luis Rubiales kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso without her consent.

    Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault last week in a case in which Codina testified in support of Hermoso.

    “As a group, for sure, I can feel it – we are all so much stronger. We, all of us, have suffered a lot off the pitch,” Codina told TodayPriceNG Sport.

    “A good example is against Belgium [last week when they came from 2-0 down to win 3-2]. Two years ago, I think we would have lost that game.”

    The assault occurred as Spain’s players received their medals after defeating England to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup, with Rubiales grabbing Hermoso by the head and kissing her on the lips.

    A group of 81 players boycotted the team afterward and Codina, 25, appeared at the trial in Madrid in February to give testimony in support of Hermoso’s account of feeling overwhelmed.

    She returned to London the same day and was an unused substitute in Arsenal’s Women’s League Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City on 6 February.

    “The week that I had to go to Madrid as a witness was a difficult week. It was tough for me obviously personally,” added Codina.

    “A lot of my team-mates at Arsenal could see that there were a lot of emotions. I was up and down. There was a feeling of everything again.

    “But that week is done and I feel good. I feel I did what I had to do in that moment and I’m always supporting Jenni [Hermoso] and my teammates and the women.

    “It is something that made me proud, so I’m happy. I don’t feel like it affects us right now in the team because we don’t speak about it. It is not something we can control, so why should we speak about it.”

    ‘They have to see us as football players’

    Codina says she hopes now the case is over, people will talk about Spanish players’ achievements in football.

    After becoming world champions in 2023, Spain went on to win the Women’s Nations League the next year, and they are currently preparing for Euro 2025.

    “I just hope that everything now goes well and we speak about football finally,” she said.

    “We speak about this team that has been World Cup winners, Nations League winners. We want to speak about football because it is why we are here.

    “It is our job and that is something that is going to be better for us and everyone in women’s football. I hope that – for Spain in general and for society.

    “They have to see us as football players – as women’s football players – and they have to feel that they are proud of us. Just this.”

    Spain – who face England at Wembley on Wednesday (20:00 GMT) – came from 2-0 down to beat Belgium 3-2 in their Women’s Nations League opener on Friday.

    Wednesday’s opponents England have voiced their support for the Spanish players throughout the Rubiales trial.

    Last Thursday, England defender Lucy Bronze described them as “incredibly brave” for speaking out.

    “I saw some words from Lucy Bronze and [England manager] Sarina Wiegman. I’ve heard them and it’s really nice to be honest. I really want to thank them,” said Codina, who is one of the first Spanish players to speak publicly after the verdict, following captain Irene Paredes, who discussed it last week.

    “Feeling that super [kindness] from them, from a big national team like them… England in general, how they work for women’s football, is something that we have to look for.

    “It’s nice that we receive those words. I’m really grateful for that.”

  • Ampadu faces surgery in blow for Wales and Leeds

    Ampadu faces surgery in blow for Wales and Leeds

    Ethan Ampadu is expected to undergo knee surgery and is a major doubt for the start of Wales’ World Cup qualifying campaign at the end of March.

    Leeds United manager Daniel Farke says his captain will miss their upcoming Championship games with a second serious leg injury of the season.

    The 24-year-old was sidelined for 10 weeks after injuring his left knee against Coventry in September, and was forced to miss Monday’s 3-1 win at Sheffield United with a similar problem on his other leg.

    “It’s probably a serious injury,” said Farke.

    “It’s a different knee. It’s a bit too early to assess it but it looks like a cartilage injury and it’s pretty clear he will need to have surgery in the upcoming days.”

    Ampadu, who plays both in defence and midfield, missed four matches of Wales’ autumn Nations League campaign and sat out 12 Leeds games.

    He now faces missing crucial matches in Leeds’ title run-in, plus qualifiers at home against Kazakhstan on 22 March and in North Macedonia three days later for Craig Bellamy’s national team.

    “It’s a bit too soon to give a time frame for how long he will be out for,” added Farke.

    “It depends a bit on how it works, but he definitely won’t be available for the next upcoming games at least and it’s a big blow for us.

    “What are the chances of two big injuries in one season after not missing a minute last season?”

    Despite missing Monday’s top-of-the-table encounter at Bramall Lane, Ampadu took a full part in celebrating Leeds comeback victory which extended their Championship lead over Sheffield United to five points.

    Farke’s side are now seven points clear of third-placed Burnley with 12 games to go in their bid to return to the Premier League after two seasons out of the top flight.

    They host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, their only remaining game this season against a side currently in the top six.

    After March’s opening two games, Wales’ next qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup are in June when they host Liechtenstein before travelling to Belgium.

    Their four remaining matches in Group J come at the start of the 2025-26 season.

    Better news for Bellamy has been the form of Leeds’ Welsh winger Dan James.

    The 27-year-old former Swansea City and Manchester United forward provided two assists as the Championship leaders scored three late goals to beat Sheffield United.

    James has scored 10 goals for Leeds this season, including two in the 4-0 win at Watford on 11 February.