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Jurgen Klopp’s final Merseyside derby, of course, his 19th.

Record won 11, drawn six, lost one.

• ‘Anchoring’ would tie wages to bottom club’s TV revenue
• United said to prefer model of higher investment across league

Manchester United will push back against new proposals that would change the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), creating the possibility of more discord within the competition.

The club is understood to be strongly opposed to the introduction of “anchoring” for the top flight, a system whereby the biggest spenders in the league would be tethered to the income of the last-placed club.

• Saif Alrubie denies intimidating Marina Granovskaia
• Kia Joorabchian left UK before due to give evidence, jury told

The football agent accused of sending an intimidating email to a Chelsea FC executive has said it would be “a suicide mission” to threaten anyone connected to the club’s former owner Roman Abramovich, a court has heard.

Saif Alrubie is charged with sending an “electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety” to the former Chelsea director of football Marina Granovskaia – as he attempted to collect £300,000 in commissions he believed he was owed in 2022.

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After four minutes, and a Leandro Trossard opener set up by Declan Rice gliding unhindered, Liverpool and Manchester City fans were already flicking to the Championship battle between Leicester and Southampton in disappointment. Could Arsenal’s utter dominance fade and Mikel Arteta’s touchline anxiety take hold of his players? No chance. Once Arsenal realised that Chelsea really are “Cole Palmer FC” and Wythenshawe’s finest was resting up with a bug, the match turned into a rout, Chelsea offering less than zero resistance. Placing any hopes in this iteration of Chelsea has been a lost cause for two years. Still, the rebrand has its unique selling point in the marketplace of ideas. Question: what’s Chelsea best known for? Answer: the billion-pound team that lets down fans each week.

Congratulations are in order to Chelsea for finding a way to embody an entertaining inversion of the Harlem Globetrotters – expensively assembled and individually skilful performers turning up to play a series of opponents, but with the unique twist of being absolutely and hilariously awful” – Charles Antaki.

Re: ‘Més Que Un Desesperado Club’ (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition) and your continued obsession with ‘Nottingham Forest’s paranoid take on the selection of VAR officials’. Please read this article and you might understand why we are paranoid. Yours paranoiacally” – Charlie Harvey.

Such a biased article about David Moyes and West Ham (yesterday’s Football Daily). Shame on you. ‘Soulless’ is a completely wrong description of the London Stadium and should be corrected or the writer sacked” – Tom Smith.

Thanks for pointing me to Rúben Amorim’s Wikipedia page (yesterday’s Football Daily). So much interesting stuff. His wife has a degree in telecommunications engineering. He has 14 caps for Portugal. He shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. Oh wait – that’s Johnny Cash’s page. Sorry” – Mike Wilner.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Charles Antaki.

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

• Socceroo great sees 10-man team beat South Korea’s Ulsan
• Shootout ensures showdown with UAE’s Al-Ain

Harry Kewell has enjoyed the greatest moment of his coaching career by guiding 10-man Yokohama F.Marinos, against all the odds, into the Asian Champions League final after a dramatic penalty shootout triumph over Ulsan.

The former Socceroos great has gone where even his illustrious Australian predecessors Ange Postecoglou and Kevin Muscat could not by reaching the biggest club showdown in Asian football.

Police said two 19-year-old men were arrested after a report of a rape was made to them on 19 April

Two Premier League players were arrested at the weekend in relation to an allegation of rape.

Police said the two 19-year-old men were arrested after a report of a rape was made to them on Friday 19 April.

• Ex-footballer disqualified as director for three and a half years
• John Barnes Media failed to pay more than £190,000 in tax

The former England and Liverpool footballer John Barnes has been banned as a director after his company failed to pay tens of thousands of pounds in tax, following an investigation by the HM Revenue’s Insolvency Service.

The investigation revealed that between 2018 and 2020, John Barnes Media – which offered media representation services – failed to pay more than £190,000 in corporation tax and VAT. His ban, which started on Wednesday, prevents him from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

• Title contenders’ 20-goal striker not fit for Thursday’s match
• ‘It is not a big issue,’ adds manager boosted by Foden return

Title-chasing Manchester City will be without their leading scorer Erling Haaland for Thursday’s Premier League meeting with Brighton. Haaland missed the FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea on Saturday with a muscle problem and has now been ruled out of his side’s trip to the Amex Stadium.

Pep Guardiola insisted the matter was not a serious one for the 20-goal striker, who could come back into contention Sunday’s match against Nottingham Forest, and was boosted by Phil Foden and John Stones both getting the green light after their own fitness concerns.

• Former Wolves manager in frame for summer overhaul
• Pursuit of Rúben Amorim may stall on €15m buyout clause

West Ham have held productive talks with the former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui over replacing David Moyes this summer.

Lopetegui, who has been out of work since last summer, has been on West Ham’s radar for several months and made a strong impression during discussions over the job. A final decision has not been made and there are alternative options to the 57-year-old Spaniard, who has spoken to Milan about replacing Stefano Pioli.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Ben Fisher, Sanny Rudravajhala and George Elek as Arsenal beat Chelsea 5-0 and to run through the EFL as those divisions reach a conclusion in the coming weeks

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today; Arsenal keep pace at the top of the Premier League – were they brilliant or are Chelsea inexcusably bad? It’s probably a touch of both.

The latest MLS franchise is owned by the Right to Dream academy. They plan to use a model inspired by LeBron James to carve out a new path in US soccer

Major League Soccer will integrate its 30th club at the beginning of the 2025 season when expansion side San Diego FC joins the Western Conference.

But the league’s latest addition will arrive with a model for on-field success, development and business unlike the other 29 teams.

Plus: players injured warming up on touchline, points-per-game differentials of long-serving players and more

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“Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title win has broken Kingsley Coman’s remarkable run of winning the league in each of the last 11 seasons (with PSG, Juventus and Bayern). Can any player in world football ever boast of a longer run of consecutive league titles?” asks Richard Forsythe.

“It’s worth bearing in mind that Coman technically won 12 league titles in 11 seasons,” writes Sean DeLoughry, who gets the ball rolling as we spin off from this 2022 question and answer. “He played once for Juventus in Serie A at the start of the 2015-16 season before joining Bayern.

Hashtag United’s Emma Samways was stunned to receive a £9,200 bill after suffering an ACL injury in a cup match

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For any player, the prospect of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is incredibly daunting. The Arsenal winger Beth Mead described her experience as “mentally and physically gruelling,” while the England captain, Leah Williamson, doubted she would return from her own setback.

Suffering an ACL injury means a prolonged period on the sidelines, usually between nine and 12 months. Professional players receive the best treatment to ensure they can return as soon as possible and without financial strain. But that isn’t the case for every player in England, especially female footballers playing outside the Women’s Super League and Championship. The Hashtag United winger Emma Samways, who plays in the third tier of English football, ruptured her ACL during a National League Cup semi-final against Halifax. It was an incident that put her life on pause.

• 45-year-old Dutch coach understood to fit Anfield profile
• €10m compensation could prise him from KNVB Cup winners

Liverpool have opened talks with Feyenoord over appointing Arne Slot as their new manager with the 45-year-old open to the idea of succeeding Jürgen Klopp at Anfield.

Slot has emerged as the frontrunner for the Liverpool job with his track record of improving young talent, success on a relatively modest budget, European experience and a style of play that is not a dramatic departure from Klopp’s, all appealing to Anfield’s recruitment team.

• Bayern Munich, Barcelona among those monitoring Spaniard
• Emery now under contract at Villa Park until summer of 2027

Aston Villa have triggered the one-year option in Unai Emery’s contract to extend his stay until at least 2027, in the face of interest from Bayern Munich.

Emery is on course to lead Villa into the Champions League and, after reaching the Europa ­Conference League semi-finals, he could deliver the club’s first major trophy since 1996. Villa host Olympiakos in the first leg of the Conference League semi-finals next month. After victory over Bournemouth on Sunday, Emery underlined his commitment to the club. “I am focused here, 100%,” he said.

Departing manager’s strong record against Everton will be tested at Goodison Park with team’s title hopes on the line

Jürgen Klopp will not miss the Merseyside derby when his Liverpool reign is over. To hear him explain why ahead of a final encounter with Everton was further evidence of the Liverpool manager’s need to recharge once one more title race has been run.

Klopp could look favourably on the most played derby in English football, which reaches the 244th edition on Wednesday with the local rivals both in desperate need of victory but for very different reasons. He has lost only one of 18 Merseyside derbies, and that was behind closed doors during the pandemic. He has never lost at Goodison Park and a 10th win over Everton would also be Liverpool’s 100th in the fixture’s history. Beyond the release of victory, however, it is not an occasion that Klopp has ever truly enjoyed.

• MPs vote in favour of progressing the Football Governance Bill
• Calls for regulator to have scope to amend parachute payments

MPs have called for the ­Independent Regulator for Football to have the scope to reintroduce replays to the FA Cup, amend the parachute ­payment system and to enforce an effective financial settlement between the Premier League and the EFL, as they voted in favour of progressing the Football Governance Bill.

The second reading of the bill was approved without a vote after a debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday. MPs from all sides of the house spoke in favour of the bill, including Conservative MPs who said they had previously been opposed to regulation. A number of politicians, ­however, called on the government to go ­further in granting the regulator power to achieve financial stability for the football pyramid.

• Alrubie on trial over alleged threats to Marina Granovskaia
• Super-agent relieved of his watch at a restaurant, jury hears

One of the Premier League’s best known football agents was confronted by about 12 debt collectors at his office – and separately relieved of his expensive watch at a ­restaurant – as part of an effort to put pressure on him into repaying money, Southwark crown court has heard.

Kia Joorabchian – whose clients have included Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Philippe Coutinho – was “accosted” by associates of another agent, Saif Alrubie, as part of efforts to “intimidate him into handing over bundles of cash”, the jury was told.

• Dutchman hits out at claims that FA Cup win was ‘embarrassing’
• Manager also defends Antony over ear-cupping celebration

Erik ten Hag has called negative media comments regarding Manchester United’s brittle victory over Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final “a disgrace” and insisted that his side will have over-performed if they lift the trophy.

United were 3-0 ahead against the Championship side going into the 71st minute only for Coventry to force extra time, with their third goal ­coming in the 95th minute. While United ultimately progressed to the final by winning 4-2 in a ­penalty shootout, they received criticism for the manner of their triumph. Before Sheffield United’s visit to Old Trafford on Wednesday, Ten Hag was asked if he could understand this ­reaction and made clear his feelings on the matter.

Chelsea’s mega-splurge bought a lot of deeply room-temperature footballers – against Arsenal they were dismal

Wait. Is this a twist? Is this a sting, a surge, a volte-face? Or is it just how it feels to play Chelsea, opponents so poor they seemed at times to be indulging in a kind of protest activity, non-sport, football as an act of extended standing around waiting for it to be over.

It is a measure of Manchester City’s dominance that the last week has brought a peculiar feeling that Arsenal’s season is already over, despite still being top of the table. Here Arsenal went three points clear of Liverpool and four clear of City (who have two games in hand) with a performance that felt, if nothing else, like a kind of liberation.

Our cartoonist on the scrapping of replays, fixture congestion, drama at Wembley and that Nottingham Forest statement

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Simone Inzaghi’s thrilling tactics have seen Nerazzurri pull clear of their city rivals – and the rest of the Italian top flight

How else could it end but like this: tempers boiling over and the red card being shown to one player after another as Inter sealed their 20th league title with a win over neighbours Milan? Denzel Dumfries and Théo Hernández were first to be sent off after squaring up in midfield at the start of injury time. Milan’s Davide Calabria followed moments later for throwing a forearm into the face of Davide Frattesi at a corner.

And then the final whistle went, transforming a ruck into revelry as the rest of Inter’s players and staff rushed from the dugout to join their colleagues on San Siro’s pitch. They carried giant Scudetto shields displaying the No 20 against the colours of the Italian flag. The two Milan clubs began this season tied on 19 league titles apiece. Now Inter will be the first to affix a second gold star to their club badge.

For the teams at the bottom of the food chain, England’s top flight has come to resemble an abusive relationship

And you may ask yourself: how do I work this?

And you may ask yourself: what happened to that three-man midfield?

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack for an interview with Fifpro representatives, Sarah Gregorius and Alex Culvin, plus Dutch international, Merel van Dongen, to discuss how footballers are being affected by the packed schedule. Also, Sophie Downey rounds up the weekend action in the Champion’s League and WSL

Today’s pod features an exclusive interview with representatives from the global players’ union, Fifpro, who, alongside the Netherlands defender Merel van Dongen, share their views on how footballers are being affected by the packed schedule.

The panel also discuss Chelsea's inspired Champions League win against Barcelona, Manchester City retaking the WSL lead, Arsenal securing European football, Palace's Championship title charge and relegation for Lewes …

Head coach has been hampered by injuries but has not established a discernible playing style – while Thomas Tuchel will be available

With Erik ten Hag’s job at Manchester United safe until the summer, the focus turns to whether or not the club will, and indeed should, keep the Dutchman in the long term. While Sir Jim Ratcliffe controls United’s football policy, the final decision on Ten Hag’s future may well be influenced by the judgment of Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada, the incoming technical director and chief executive respectively. (Presuming compensation is not agreed with Newcastle that would allow Dan Ashworth to begin his role as head of football at Old Trafford before the summer.) We assess the case for and against those in power sticking with the current manager beyond the current campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino refused to blame his players for Chelsea's record defeat to Arsenal but lamented the inconsistency of his team. The Blues manager said: 'Our standard doesn’t sustain the bad days. When we have bad days, you know, we are so bad. And then when we are good, we are capable of everything.' Pochettino's comments come after Arsenal defeated his side 5-0.

Erik ten Hag has called media coverage of Manchester United's win over Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final a 'disgrace'. Having a 3-0 lead at Wembley with 20 minutes to go and then won on penalties, United were criticised by pundits and fans. Asked if he understood the response, Ten Hag said: 'No, absolutely not ... is it [the result] embarrassing? No, the reaction from you [the media] was embarrassing ... For me as a manager, four cup finals in four years. The comments are a disgrace.'

• Ten Hag calls reaction to Manchester United’s win over Coventry a ‘disgrace’

A 2-1 win against Milan clinched the Serie A title for Inter. The two Milan clubs began this season tied on 19 league titles each but now Inter will be the first to add a second gold star to their club badge for a 20th Scudetto. Not even the rain could dampen the spirits of the Nerazzurri and their fans: flares and fireworks were set off in the city centre as fans sang and danced through the night.

• Inter could not have imagined a more satisfying way to win 20th Scudetto

• Inter seal historic 20th Serie A title with derby victory over Milan

Mark Robins, the Coventry City manager, was full of praise for his side after they fought back from three goals down to almost knock Manchester Untied out of the FA Cup. Coventry narrowly missed out on a place in the FA Cup final after losing on penalties following a dramatic game. Robins' side thought they had won right at the end of extra time when Victor Torp had put them 4-3 up but his goal was disallowed for a marginal offside against Haji Wright, sending the game to penalties. Despite walking away as victors, Ten Hag insisted that United 'got away with it' and have a lot to learn.

• Manchester Utd survive epic Coventry comeback to reach FA Cup final

• Erik ten Hag bemoans Manchester United’s ‘very low levels’ in FA Cup scare

• Victor Torp’s torment: the greatest ever FA Cup moment that wasn’t

Manchester City came from behind in their quarter-final second leg at the ­Etihad Stadium, after Kevin De Bruyne’s 76th-minute strike cancelled out Rodrygo’s opener early in the first half. Despite the holders dominating ­possession, Real held on until the end of extra-time and eventually prevailed following a penalty shootout. 'We did everything, I don't have any regrets with what we have done,' said Guardiola.

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal 'lacked that magic moment' after losing to Bayern Munich and missing out on a first Champions League semi-final since 2009. Joshua Kimmich’s second-half goal was enough to secure a 3-2 aggregate win. 'I thought we had the capacity and the quality to win the semi-finals because the margins have been very small,' Arteta said. 'But those margins are coming from something else that maybe we don't have yet and we have to learn it.'

• ‘Small margins’: Arteta says Arsenal have plenty to learn after Bayern defeat

• Arsenal knocked out by Bayern after Kimmich header secures last-four spot

• Hardened Bayern show true colours and hand Arteta biggest challenge

Having reached their first playoff semi-final, the eastern Indian club are looking to make the most of their untapped potential

It was an unforgettable weekend for Raj Athwal. On Friday night, the only British chief executive of an Indian Super League (ISL) club, Odisha FC, watched them beat Kerala Blasters 2-1 to reach the last four of the Championship playoffs in the most dramatic fashion. On Sunday, he then saw his beloved Coventry City, where he worked for over a decade, lose to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals in the narrowest fashion.

Wembley outdid Kalinga Stadium in the drama and excitement stakes, but not by much. With three minutes remaining, Odisha were a goal down and a fine season was coming to an end.

• Lamine Yamal’s strike in 3-2 loss on Sunday not given by VAR
• Barça believe ball crossed the line and could demand replay

Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, has threatened legal action and could demand a replay after his side were denied a goal against Real Madrid at the weekend.

Lamine Yamal thought he had scored in the 28th minute of Sunday’s 3-2 clásico loss at the Bernabéu but the on-pitch officials did not rule the ball had crossed the line, and after a lengthy VAR check, their decision stood. La Liga does not use goalline technology.

Memories of an underwhelming start to his managerial career are fading as the Australian targets a continental final with Yokohama

Harry Kewell’s coaching journey has been unconventional, to say the least. His previous job ended at the bottom of England’s fifth tier, but he is now just three games away from a continental title and a place in the Club World Cup. Fifa’s expanded 2025 tournament in the United States would be worth an estimated $80m to Yokohama F Marinos but for the Australian’s coaching credentials it would be priceless.

On Wednesday, the five-time Japanese champions, coached by Kewell since the turn of this year, host Ulsan HD in the second leg of their Asian Champions League semi-final. The South Korean side have a 1-0 advantage from last week, but there is all to play for at Yokohama International Stadium.

Return of Mikautadze, last year’s Ligue 2 player of the season, from Ajax has been mutually beneficial for player and club

By Eric Devin for Get French Football News

In Ligue 1’s maiden season with 18 teams, one had the feeling that some had little chance of staying up. Fewer teams theoretically projects to a higher average standard, but it also means sides lacking in quality are likely to be found out.

That axiom has generally held true – through the course of the season, most sides, even in the bottom half, have been able to call on a player who is superlative in their position, or at least capable of conjuring something out of nothing. Le Havre may be an exception owing to the hard-driving ethos put in place by Luka Elsner but Nantes (Moses Simon), Montpellier (Téji Savanier) and Toulouse (Thijs Dallinga) all have players with a bit of magic.

The Adelaide United sensation has started taking German lessons but is happy to let his football do most of the talking for now

His head is mostly bowed. In front of the TV cameras he sways with nerves, sometimes even giggles. The shy demeanour of Australian prodigy Nestory Irankunda off the field stands in juxtaposition to his powerful, decisive presence on it.

Three months away from his eagerly anticipated move to German giants Bayern Munich from Adelaide, the 18-year-old was, on Tuesday, one of the first players named for the A-League All Stars’ clash against Newcastle United in Melbourne on 24 May.

Football Australia imposes interim suspension after Torres arrested over alleged incident in March

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The Central Coast Mariners’ star striker Angel Torres has been stood down from playing in the A-League Men after he was charged with sexual assault.

Torres, 24, was arrested at a property in Terrigal on Monday in relation to an alleged sexual assault of a woman on 24 March.

Inter clinched their 20th Serie A title by beating Milan in a feisty derby at San Siro, giving Simone Inzaghi’s side an unassailable lead in the standings. A goal from Francesco Acerbi and Marcus Thuram in each half proved sufficient to secure Inter’s victory, with Fikayo Tomori scoring late in the game to reduce the deficit.

The match also featured three red cards in stoppage time, with Milan being reduced to nine men as tensions flared. Theo Hernández and Davide Calabria got their marching orders along with Inter’s Denzel Dumfries.

A big European win and a disappointing domestic draw this week sums up Dortmund, who remain in an identity crisis

On a night like Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park really is every bit as special as they say, maybe even more so. It is a formidable tidal wave of unfettered emotion, impossible to fairly explain if you aren’t in it and futile to resist if you are.

After the drunken revelry of that Champions League win over Atlético Madrid a reality check might have been needed, and my goodness this was it. True, they came close to being the first team to beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this season, but Josip Stanisic’s header in the seventh minute of stoppage time salvaged a draw for the newly crowned champions, with Xabi Alonso releasing his inner Mourinho to charge down the touchline and join the bundle in front of the celebrating away fans.

English midfielder ended ‘goal drought’ with impeccable timing, in a season that could hardly have gone better

Jude Victor William Bellingham, this is your league. The title opened with him and effectively closed with him too, told the way it had to be, an inevitability to it all. In the beginning he had stood arms wide in front of 48,927 people at San Mamés, the ground so revered they call it the Cathedral, having scored his first Real Madrid goal on his debut. In the end, he stood arms wide in front of 77,981 at his new home, having just scored his 21st, 17 of them in La Liga. From August to April, Bilbao to the Bernabéu, via Almería and Vigo, Cádiz and Seville, Braga and Naples, more than 800,000 people have seen a celebration that may not be new but which became his and is now the mark of the champions; symbol of this season.

It had been seen after every goal except one but, it turned out, even that was right somehow, as if Bellingham knew. In his first clásico, the game he had watched growing up, he scored the equaliser at Montjuïc. He didn’t go all Christ the Redeemer then but did when he got the winner Madrid-style: after the stadium clocks had stopped, 92 minutes in, an early taste of the epic. Now, six months on, he only went and did it again, a 91st-minute goal carrying Madrid to another clásico victory, 3-2, and towards the league title, nodding as he welcomed the Bernabéu into his arms. With six games left, they lead Barcelona by 11 points. “He arrived at the right time,” Carlo Ancelotti said. “It had been a while since he scored.”

Erling Haaland has been voted the best player in the world for 2023 by our 218-strong panel, with Jude Bellingham finishing second

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Aitana Bonmatí, Sam Kerr and Salma Paralluelo top the list of female footballers in the world in 2023 according to our judges

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The Norwegian is only 23 but his devastating goal record has seen him voted as the No 1 player in the world by the Guardian’s expert panel

When Pep Guardiola tearfully claimed Manchester City could not replace the departing Sergio Agüero in May 2021, he didn’t just create a meme. Guardiola was soft-launching a global audition for his team’s new attacking talisman. An unsuccessful pursuit of Harry Kane in the summer of 2021 came between two title-winning seasons where Ilkay Gündogan (13) and Kevin De Bruyne (15) were the club’s top league goalscorers. Guardiola’s slick creative machine needed a new front man, and they found him in Erling Haaland.

Like Agüero before him – and in contrast to many of City’s most successful Pep-era signings – Haaland arrived as a bona fide superstar, a plug-and-play addition to an already stellar lineup. Whether he was a bargain is another question. The release clause paid was €60m (£51.2m), but some reports suggest Haaland’s five-year deal could cost the club in the region of £300m. And while there was an ominous logic to the move for City’s rivals, questions remained.

Aitana Bonmatí the clear winner of the Guardian’s best 100 female footballers in the world with 15 Spaniards on the list

• The 100 best female footballers in the world 2023

After Alexia Putellas reigned in 2021 and 2022, her Barcelona and Spain teammate Aitana Bonmatí has been crowned the top female footballer of 2023 by the Guardian’s panel of 112 experts. The World Cup winner triumphed by a clear margin, finishing more than 500 points ahead of second-placed Sam Kerr.

Injuries and a World Cup meant there was a definite changing of the guard feel to this year’s list, sadly emphasised by the fact last year’s top two – Putellas and Beth Mead – missed a large chunk of our 12-month voting period with ACL injuries.

As the Premier League continues to hike ticket prices and shut out local fans, Bayer’s Bundesliga title shows the value of a club rooted in its home town

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A corner from the left, seven minutes into injury-time. The Croatian defender Josip Stanišić rises at the near post. His header is too firm to be described as glancing, but it is well directed and flashes across goal and in for an equaliser. The black and red corner of the Signal Iduna Park erupts. Several minutes after the game they were still celebrating with their players. The Bundesliga title is already won but there should be no doubt that Bayer Leverkusen care about their unbeaten record.

Until that moment, there had been a sense of anticlimax about Borussia Dortmund against Leverkusen. What had, a month or so ago, looked like potentially being the game at which Xabi Alonso’s side would wrap up the title instead became, thanks to Bayern Munich squandering a two-goal lead against Heidenheim two weeks ago, the first game on their five-game victory lap. Dortmund, similarly, were on a comedown after Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final win over Atlético. Fifth place is all but secure and, with Germany looking very likely to have five Champions League slots next season, it doesn’t much matter whether they catch RB Leipzig, who are two points clear in fourth.

I’ve seen plenty of setbacks down the years – enough to become desensitised, I thought. But then came an entirely new kind of trauma

“Respect Coventry, please,” said Pep Guardiola on Saturday evening when a presumptuous TV reporter asked Manchester City’s manager about the prospect of another all-Manchester FA Cup final. Guardiola knew Coventry City would be no pushovers for Manchester United in Sunday’s semi-final, yet even he couldn’t have envisaged how close they would drag Erik ten Hag’s side towards ruin in the most scintillating and sickening football experience of my life.

I’ve watched plenty of Coventry defeats down the years – enough to become desensitised to it, I thought. I cried at Villa Park when we were relegated from the Premier League in 2001; I watched from the press box with weary resignation as Doncaster consigned us to League One in 2012; and I experienced mixed emotions when Luton denied us a Premier League berth last May. But watching us lose to United at Wembley after a preposterous three-goal comeback was an entirely new kind of trauma.

The 82-year-old’s impact on football goes far beyond his own success with the advice he gives to up-and-coming managers

At around this time in 2006, soon after Chelsea beat Manchester United at Stamford Bridge to secure a second successive league title, Sir Alex Ferguson’s phone rang. It was some bloke called Aidy Boothroyd, at the time just some gobby, upstart young coach who had somehow landed his Watford team in the Championship playoffs. “I phoned him up, asked for some advice and he gave me some pearls,” Boothroyd said later. “He lent me a couple of books and he’s always been at the end of the phone if I ever need any help. I think he does that for everybody.”

I remember being surprised by this at the time. Ferguson was 64, had already retired once, had won eight English league titles, was at the time the subject of savage and, it soon transpired, wildly misplaced criticism due to his side’s poor performance (they still finished second), and was just gearing up to win the league again in each of the next three years and five of the next seven. He had, in short, plenty on his plate already without being pestered for tips by fanboys. And yet there he was, lending books to Aidy Boothroyd. “He will always pick up the phone or phone you back if he can’t get to you the first time,” Boothroyd said the following year. “I’ve never known him not to call back.”

Chelsea earn chance to make history, City keep the pressure on at the top and the Holmgaards produce some magic for Everton

“Our team did a lot to limit chances as a whole. You can only do that together and not individually. The team as a whole did that job well today. Everything has to be perfect for you to get close to winning a game of football [against Barcelona],” said Emma Hayes after Chelsea’s 1-0 win over in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semi-final and that, really, was the crux of their success. They defended as a team, attacked as a team, held their shape collectively and achieved perfection when executing the gameplan. Can they do it again in the second leg at Stamford Bridge? It will be difficult to make lightening strike twice, but the belief will be there. Hayes wants to see a sellout crowd at Stamford Bridge because her players “deserve to play in front of a full house to give ourselves the best possible chance.” There is certainly no greater opportunity for a sellout crowd than history beckoning. Suzanne Wrack

Match report: Barcelona 0-1 Chelsea

WSL roundup: Shaw double helps City move top

Minute-by-minute report: Manchester Utd 2-2 Tottenham

Minute-by-minute report: Arsenal 3-0 Leicester

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Troy Townsend and John Brewin as Coventry go so close to one of the greatest FA Cup comebacks ever

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today; total agony for Coventry, inches away from a winner in injury time that would have seen them complete the most unlikely of turnarounds to beat Manchester United 4-3 and reach the FA Cup final.

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If there’s one thing West Ham fans probably wish more than anything else, it’s that people unconnected with their club would stop telling them to be careful what they wish for. These put-upon C0ckneys have, in recent months, heard why a Moyes in the hand is better than any number of Rúben Amorims, Julen Lopeteguis or turtleneck-wearing young Germans they’ve never heard of in the bush because … well, they should be careful what they wish for. The implication is clear – that having seen their team win Tin Pot and to still be in with a slim chance of qualifying for it again this time – West Ham fans have been spoilt and should be grateful for their lot in life. Never mind that it involves paying through the nose to sit in a soulless athletics stadium, near a soulless shopping mall, watching an often soulless team dotted with some outlandishly talented players surrender 80% of possession to rivals, many of whom are their significant inferiors. Just be careful what you wish for.

Re: Pep Guardiola on players kept in fridges (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). I’m sure I’m one of 1,057 readers who would agree with our former prime minister that, at times of stress, the best place to be is in a fridge. Perhaps Pep should try it himself, it might cool him down” – Giordy Salvi (and no others).

It’s great fun to support a Championship team and be able to celebrate a goal, given by a referee. What a shame the top six in the Premier League didn’t get their breakaway. We could have had the remaining 14 with the top 10 from the Championship, on Football League rules” – Steve Roberts.

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

Manchester United snatch chaos from jaws of serenity, Nicolas Jackson misfires and Liverpool stay in hunt

Jammy, jammy Man United. To be fair, they did find a new way to be hopeless. Instead of the usual mayhem, they were in total control for 70 minutes, barely letting Coventry have a shot. But then, somehow, they snatched chaos from the jaws of serenity. ITV, and all their teatime viewers, couldn’t believe their luck as a cakewalk turned into a classic. United threw away a 3-0 lead, and for a minute, right at the end of extra time, they were 4-3 down – only for the VAR to come to their rescue, after he had failed to when they conceded a penalty. We were witnessing history, comedy, tragedy, the lot. Casemiro took the first penalty and missed. Destiny was surely calling to Coventry, but André Onana rose to the occasion, flying to his right to paw away one penalty, craftily engineering a miss from another, and saving Erik ten Hag’s job. For now, anyway. Tim de Lisle

Match report: Coventry 3-3 Manchester United (2-4 pens)

Match report: Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea

Match report: Fulham 1-3 Liverpool

Match report: Wolves 0-2 Arsenal

Match report: Everton 2-0 Nottingham Forest

Match report: Sheffield United 1-4 Burnley

Match report: Aston Villa 3-1 Bournemouth

Plus: winning a title from way behind, even further-apart country clashes in the Euro and long-throw fatigue

• Mail us your questions or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU

“Chris Wood is having a pretty good season,” begins Iain Cargill. “Being from New Zealand, whose Fifa ranking is 104, which Premier League players come from countries with lower Fifa rankings?”

“If we discount players at clubs who have yet to make their first league appearance then Wood is the player from the second lowest-ranked country currently represented in the Premier League,” writes Tom Reed. “Marvelous Nakamba at Luton comes from 122nd-ranked Zimbabwe (all rankings measured from the current list).

Gunnar Nielsen Manchester City 2009-10, ranked 125th with Faroe Islands

Gaël Bigirimana Newcastle 2012-13, ranked 135th with Burundi

Stéphane Sessègnon Sunderland 2011-12, ranked 136th with Benin

Florent Hadergjonaj Huddersfield 2018-19, ranked 141st with Kosovo

Helder Costa Wolves 2018-19, ranked 142nd with Angola in January 2019

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing Cardiff 2018-19, ranked 149th with Guatemala

El Hadji Ba - Sunderland 2013-14, ranked 159th with Mauritania

Alex Nimely Manchester City 2009-10, ranked 161st with Liberia

Dexter Blackstock Southampton 2004-05, ranked 163rd with Antigua and Barbuda

Al Bangura and Albert Jarrett Watford 2006-07, ranked 165th with Sierra Leone

Bobby Bowry Crystal Palace 1994-95, ranked 176th with St Kitts and Nevis

Jason Roberts Blackburn 2007-08, ranked 176th with Grenada

Zesh Rehman Fulham 2004-05, ranked 178th with Pakistan

Emerson Boyce Wigan 2012-13, ranked 178th with Barbados

Modou Barrow Swansea 2016-16, ranked 179th with Gambia

Onel Hernández Norwich 2019-20, ranked 179th with Cuba

Vurnon Anita Newcastle 2013-14, ranked 183rd with Curaçao

Kyle Lightbourne Coventry 1997-98, ranked 184th with Bermuda

Mesca Fulham 2013-14, ranked 184th with Guinea-Bissau

Neil Danns Blackburn 2003-04, ranked 185th with Guyana

Jordi Amat Swansea 2016-17, ranked 191st with Indonesia

Frédéric Nimani Burnley 2009-10, ranked 202nd with Central African Republic

Ruel Fox Spurs 1998-99, ranked 202nd with Montserrat

Our cartoonist looks back on a dramatic weekend in which Pep Guardiola’s machine powered back up to the summit

• Get yourself a copy of a cartoon in the Guardian Print Store
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Organisers around the UK work with venues to ensure parties are free to attend, LGBTQ+ inclusive and accessible

On a Wednesday night in late March, the inside of Stamford Bridge’s Tea Bar is decked out by Baller FC, a collective which hosts women’s football watch parties. The group’s DIY decor taps right into women’s football fandom. There is a cardboard cutout of Chelsea’s Emma Hayes. “In Sarina we trust,” reads a flag with an illustration of the Lionesses’ manager. Posters commemorate the seven grassroots teams invited here to celebrate their achievements. This evening’s party culminates in Chelsea’s Champions League fixture against Ajax at Stamford Bridge, with tonight’s guests given free tickets.

It’s the second time Baller FC has teamed up with Chelsea – Fran Kirby popped by at the last event – and is indicative of the collective’s success since being set up by a group of friends in 2022. As women’s football fans, they were tired of scouring the capital trying to find a pub that would put on games. For the Women’s Euros in 2022 they took over a pub in east London, hosting watch parties for every one of the tournament’s 31 games. Crucially, they wanted the women’s football to be the main focus and not shunted to the sidelines for, say, a clashing men’s sports fixture.

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack, Robyn Cowen and Chris Paouros to discuss the FA Cup semi-finals and preview the upcoming last-four ties in the Champions League

On today’s pod: the panel discuss the FA Cup semi-finals, as Manchester United make the final for the second successive season and Tottenham create history by reaching their first.

The panel also discuss what this means for Chelsea, as their hopes of a quadruple have now been slashed in half. They now have two competitions to fight for as Emma Hayes’ tenure heads for its conclusion.

Micah Richards laughing uproariously behind a lighted TV plinth? That’s the kind of noise football is being distilled into

Before anybody knew anything at all, around the same time a series of speculative bronze-age books were being encoded as the foundation of much organised human society, there was a theory that everything in the world was made from one substance.

There were different combinations of The Substance. But it was all essentially One Substance – probably, you know, God’s fingernails or the like.

Midfielder thrived in team’s disciplined performance to give them upper hand for Champions League semi-final second leg

“We kept it alive,” was the verdict of Chelsea’s goalscorer, Erin Cuthbert, after their phenomenal and tactically astute 1-0 victory over the European champions Barcelona on Saturday. “It’s all to play for in the second leg.”

Chelsea did more than keep the tie alive going into the second leg at Stamford Bridge: they made the seemingly impossible possible. It has been more than five years since Barcelona lost at home and they had not lost home or away since May 2023. Their last defeat in the Champions League came in December 2022.

The former Arsenal and Spain midfielder, now 38, is loving playing for his home club Real Oviedo in the second division

The day Spain’s history changed for ever, Santi Cazorla scored in the shootout. He scored on his Recreativo de Huelva debut in 2006, the first of 143 goals going back 18 years, got his last for Arsenal in front of 59,962 at the Emirates in autumn 2016, and netted a 96th-minute equaliser in Moscow 754 days and 10 operations later, having been told to settle for walking again. He scored in the FA Cup final at Wembley, at the Santiago Bernabéu and the Camp Nou, at Old Trafford and Anfield, in the north London derby and at San Mamés, a place so revered they call it the Cathedral.

Nothing, though, compared to a deflected shot in front of 3,823 people on a random Saturday afternoon against tiny Alcorcón in the second division, and which didn’t even count. “The goal I’ve lived with most feeling,” Cazorla calls it, a VAR review ruining everything. “And I had already celebrated.”

Times writer probably closest thing football journalism had to a celebrity but the game, and how we consume it, has changed

For more than three decades, English football media was a Winter wonderland. An eternal Winter. Winter extending an icy grip over the landscape. But even Winter, it seems, can end up being frozen out. Given the cold shoulder. It’s time to wrap up for Winter, now this particular Winter’s tale has reached its final chapter.

That, with apologies, was the opening paragraph to a column about Henry Winter’s dismissal by the Times, written in the style of Henry Winter for the Times. On the other hand, it’s entirely possible you haven’t the faintest idea what, or who, I’m talking about. Which to an oblique and probably self-defeating extent is actually the point.

From Warren Zaïre-Emery to Endrick, we select some of the best players born in 2006. Check the progress of our classes of 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018

• Next Generation 2023: 20 of the best Premier League talents

We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of our classes of 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 … and look at the editions from further back

• Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best talents around the world

Five years ago we picked 80 of the most talented players in the world to follow their progress in a cut-throat business

It is the time of year when we check in on the Next Generation players we picked in 2018 to follow for five years, to assess their progress amid success, setbacks, injuries, trophies won and transfers made.

Next Generation started in 2014 with the aim of showing the difficulties that even the best prospects in the Premier League (we pick one from each club at first-year scholar age) and the rest of the world (we choose 60 born in a specific calendar year) face on their way towards the top.

A defensively minded midfielder who is incredibly strong (he used to be a wrestler) but with an excellent touch to go with his physicality. Made his debut in the Swedish top flight as a 16-year-old last year and captained Sweden as they reached the quarter-finals of the Euro Under-17 tournament in England this summer. Has taken an unusual path to the top. He left the top-flight side IFK Göteborg for sixth division Angered MBIK as a 14-year-old as he felt that he was not getting the right support for his football education. Another Gothenburg club, Häcken, snapped him up in 2017 and he made his senior debut that season. Has signed a new contract with the club from Hisingen until 2021 despite interest from Real Madrid and Benfica and trials at both Manchester clubs.