20/01/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | JAN 20, 2026

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Howe left frustrated after draw at Wolves

Guardiola unable to see a way out of Haaland problem

Ű BY RICHARD JOLLY

City also have an injury concern with Phil Foden after he went off with a suspected broken hand in the Manchester derby defeat on Saturday. While Guardiola bolstered his attack with the signing of Antoine Semenyo this month, the £62.5 million (RM362m) winger is ineligible for the next two Champions League games, against Bodo/Glimt and then Galatasaray. And Guardiola is looking forward to getting Marmoush back, adding: “Omar is an exceptional player. But he will be so poor for me to say there is a why we didn’t get results (against Manchester United) or the previous night because Omar is not here. “So it’s not fair for him, not fair for the team, not to all the guys are here day by day to try to do it.” – The Independent

sees the versatile Omar Marmoush as the natural deputy, the Egyptian has been away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Guardiola does not expect Marmoush back in time for tomorrow’s (1.45am Malaysian time) Champions League game away at Bodo/Glimt after his tournament in Morocco ended with him missing a penalty in the third-place playoff defeat to Nigeria. “I don’t think so,”he said.“We need Erling and we need all of them. I don’t know when Omar comes and Erling is going to play. Erling is so important for us. We are lucky to have Erling with what he has done. “We’ll see what happens next game. We have to travel to Norway right now and go in there and see how they recover. Not just physically, how they… I can smell how they feel.”

PEP GUARDIOLA has admitted he is struggling to give Erling Haaland a rest by saying he “needs” his top scorer, even as his goals have dried up. Haaland has only scored one goal in his last seven games – after getting 24 in his first 23 matches for Manchester City this season – and is the player Guardiola has used most. The striker has made 30 appearances for City this season, second only to Tijjani Reijnders, who has played 31 times, but he has been on the pitch for 2,480 minutes, 239 more than anyone else, and only one of his outings has been as a substitute. But Haaland is the only senior specialist striker in the City squad and while Guardiola

Ű BY SUNNY BADWAL

NEWCASTLE Howe displayed frustration at his side’s struggles in front of goal away from home after they were held to a 0-0 Premier League draw by rock-bottom Wolves at Molineux. The visitors failed to register a shot on target in a first half low on quality in the final third, and Wolves had a couple of opportunities – through Mateus Mane and Yerson Mosquera – which needed to be saved by Nick Pope. The Magpies attempted to ramp up the pressure in the second period and Jose Sa was required for the first time to keep out Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton with a double save late on. The result meant Newcastle’s stumbling goalscoring form on the road continued as they have now failed to score in six of their 11 away games so far this campaign. Howe said: “We needed to do more in attack. I expected us to do better and create more. We attacked better the longer the game went on, substitutions helped and some good openings towards the end, but a frustrating day. “The expectation was on us to create and we needed to do it better. Too many balls going across the front of their goal with not enough black and white shirts in the box, so that was a disappointment for us. “Football is such a strange game. We score four against Leeds and look free scoring, attack and create at any moment but today was a different game and we struggled. “I don’t think our attacking output today was good enough. We have to find a way to score more goals on the road.” The goalless draw meant Wolves picked up their second-successive clean sheet at home and stretched their unbeaten run to five matches across all competitions. Manager Rob Edwards said: “I’m really pleased with that, it’s another step forward and a clean sheet against a top team. We are looking solid, there is no doubt about that. “It’s good now we have a couple of difficult decisions because the form is good. “Earlier there was a few people that were struggling for confidence and belief so had difficult decisions the other way, it’s a bit different now. “I don’t want to be disrespectful but I do feel like we are solid, resilient and more belief there. We are certainly trending in the right direction.” – The Independent further damage to the “image” of football. “Football is something special, the world was watching, the world loves football and I think football is a pleasure so we have to give a good image for football,” Mane said afterwards. “I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game? I think that would be the worst thing especially in African football. I’d rather lose than this kind of thing happen to our football. “I think it’s really bad. Football should not stop for even ten minutes but what can we do? We have to accept that we did but the good thing is that we came back and we played the game and what happened happened.” BOSS Eddie

Frustrated Villans Emery says Villa are ‘not top five contenders’ in bizarre interview U NAI EMERY bizarrely insisted that Aston Villa are “not top five contend ers” after a 1-0 loss against Ű BY JONATHAN VEAL & WILL CASTLE

Everton. Villa could have climbed above Manchester City and cut the gap on leaders Arsenal to four points with victory but their 11-game winning streak at Villa Park ended thanks to Thierno Barry’s second-half goal. A frustrating afternoon high lighted how Villa are perhaps not serious title challengers, given the fragile state of their squad and they will need some reinforcements in the coming weeks if they want to remain in the hunt. And that led to Emery reminding people of his real ity. “We are not contender to be in the top five. We are still not being contenders,” Emery told Sky Sports . “There are other teams with more potential than us.” The interview raised the eye brows of Jamie Redknapp and for mer Villa and Everton player Ashley Young, who branded the interview “weird”. “It was certainly one of the odd est interviews I have ever seen,” Redknapp said. “The bit at the end, when he goes quiet. It was a very sensible question. “I don’t know what he is trying to allude to. I guess he is just genuinely devastated with that performance and result. They do need players.” Emery later added: “We are doing a fantastic season. When we played at Everton (in September), we drew and we were worse than now. “Of course today we lost a very good opportunity and we are in front of other teams who are com peting to be in the position we are.

Everton’s Jack Grealish (centre) shoots at goal as Aston Villa’s Lamare Bogarde (left) and Ezri Konsa react during yesterday’s Premier League match at Villa Park. – REUTERSPIC

rivals Liverpool – who currently occupy fourth position – and are also in contention for European contention. On his side’s display, David Moyes said: “It’s a brilliant perform ance, with what we had coming here, it looked a big challenge with the players we had out. “It was a huge day for two or three players who stepped up.” – The Independent

“We are frustrated, disap pointed, but everything we did before is for something and we lost the opportunity to be second in the League. But our target in the Premier League is to try to get our best in 38 matches and that day, I’m not going to speak about where we can finish.” Everton became the first team to win at Villa Park since August and they are just four points behind city

We lost the opportunity to be sec ond in the league, something fan tastic. “But after feeling our frustration at losing this match, we must try and recover our good, positive way we are doing. “Football is to win, to lose, or to draw. When you lose you are sad, like we are now, when you win you are happy and mostly we have had more time happy than sad.

SHORTS

Mane praised after ending Senegal protest

matters is that football won,” Mendy said of the farcical scenes which saw Senegal coach Pape Thiaw order his players off the field and talisman Sadio Mane persuade them to return. “Morocco has been waiting for this trophy for over 50 years. They had everything going for them, but we responded in our own way, and tonight we celebrate Senegal,” added Mendy. “We were determined to win this final, to bring the trophy home. Millions of Senegalese are happy, and we’re going to enjoy this. “We need to put this controversy behind us,”he said, although there is likely to be a stiff punishment for Senegal, who spoilt an otherwise impressive month-long tournament.

Mendy explains walk-off SENEGAL’S decision to storm off the pitch during the Africa Cup of Nations final came in the heat of the moment but football won in the end, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy said following his side’s controversial Afcon final win. Senegal left the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them in stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes before returning to beat the hosts with Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner. “We’re not going to talk in the heat of the moment. Things happened, but in the end what

SADIO MANE was praised for his role in avoiding further chaos at the Africa Cup of Nations final as the Senegal talisman convinced his teammates to return to the pitch after Morocco were awarded a controversial penalty. Former Liverpool winger Mane notably remained on the pitch and, following a discussion with former Senegal player El Hadji Diouf, returned to the Senegal dressing room. After appealing to his teammates, Senegal remerged onto the pitch. Afterwards, Mane said he had to act to prevent