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Chelsea currently sit in a superb position under boss Enzo Maresca, looking to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League, subsequently claiming a Champions League place next season.

The Blues currently have a one-point advantage over fifth-placed Manchester City with just nine games to go in 2024/25, holding the cards over a return to Europe’s greatest competition.

However, the Italian will want to correct the recent slump in form that has seen his side lose three of the last five league outings, with the prospect of Champions League football one that will financially benefit the club massively.

If they are to return to their best form, many will hope the injury suffered by one player isn’t a serious one, allowing him to make a positive impact between now and the end of the campaign.

An update on Cole Palmer’s recent injury

Attacker Cole Palmer has struggled to produce his best form in recent weeks, failing to register a single goal or assist since the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on the 14th of January.

However, his drought may look to be extending further, after withdrawing from the recent England squad following a muscle injury picked up in training last week.

The 22-year-old missed the 1-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates last Sunday, pulling out of international duty and subsequently being treated by the medical staff in West London.

Palmer was sent for a second scan earlier this week to determine a timeline for his return, with the hope that he can return for the clash with Tottenham Hotspur on April 3rd.

His time on the sideline coupled with his lack of impact when fit has seen one former academy star outscore the club’s talisman this campaign, potentially making the wrong call in allowing him to depart.

The former Chelsea academy star who’s outscoring Palmer

Whilst Palmer has endured a torrid run of form in recent weeks by his usual standards, he’s still managed to star this campaign, registering 14 goals and six assists in his 33 appearances to date.

He’s managed to score the most league goals of any player in Maresca’s squad, proving to be worth every penny of the £40m fee forked out for his signature in 2023.

However, whilst the attacker signed during that window, the club also allowed one other player to depart in the form of academy star Malik Mothersille, who left on a free transfer after his deal expired.

The 21-year-old spent three years at Cobham after joining from Leyton Orient in 2020, catching the eye at various youth levels with his goalscoring exploits.

Mothersille registered 19 goals during his time as a Blue, but it wasn’t enough to force himself into the senior ranks, leaving to gain valuable game time elsewhere to further his development.

The attacker, who’s been dubbed “outstanding” by journalist John Verrall, has certainly done just that, going from strength to strength after joining Peterborough on a free transfer back in September 2023.

Whilst he only managed six goals and five assists in all competitions last campaign, he’s found his goalscoring touch once again in 2024/25, playing a huge part in their relegation battle.

Morhersille has registered 15 goals and eight assists for Darren Ferguson’s men, currently sitting as their top goalscorer and managing to outscore Palmer as a result.

It’s great to see such a promising youngster finally find his feet in the professional game, starting to transfer his talents from youth level – subsequently allowing him to make a name for himself.

Whilst it may only be League One, his record in recent times is evidence of the superb work done by the academy in West London, with the club capable of producing talents just like the 21-year-old for many years to come.

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Jose Mourinho has taken aim at former club Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy after their Europa League Final win over Manchester United.

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Spurs end trophy drought with Europa League titleMourinho gives his verdict on TottenhamTakes aim at Daniel LevyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Mourinho is never shy when it comes to sharing his thoughts and has been asked for his verdict on Tottenham's Europa League win over Manchester United. The final brought two of Mourinho's former clubs together and saw Spurs prevail 1-0 to end their 17-year wait for a trophy.

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The Portuguese coach was unable to win a trophy during his time at Spurs and was famously sacked by Daniel Levy just days before a League Cup final clash with Manchester City. Mourinho has now taken aim at the Tottenham chairman and revealed what he thinks will please Levy most about the Europa League win.

WHAT MOURINHO SAID

He told Sky Sports: "The impact is obvious, Tottenham plays Champions League and of course for Mr Levy, the millions that the Champions League gives for him is the best news. For the fans, for the players, for Ange, it's a title."

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AFPWHAT NEXT

Postecoglou's future at Tottenham remains in doubt despite the Europa League win, although the Spurs boss has made it clear he wants to continue in north London.

Darwin Nunez has been tempted by an offer from the Saudi Pro League, though the Liverpool striker is also open to joining Napoli this summer.

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• Nunez expected to leave Liverpool this summer
• Uruguay international wanted by Napoli and Atletico Madrid
• Saudi Pro League teams also eager to snap him up

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Uruguayan forward has been linked with a summer transfer, with Serie A title hopefuls Napoli and La Liga club Atletico Madrid interested in signing him. Saudi sides are also eager to snap him up, as recently reported that Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are all candidates.

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  According to , the prospect of accepting a lucrative contract in the Middle East is a tempting one for Nunez, but claims that he is fascinated by the possibility of joining Napoli and will give a response to their offer in the coming days.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The 25-year-old is expected to be sold this summer following a disappointing campaign. He has made 45 appearances for Liverpool this season but only 17 of those have been from the start.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DARWIN NUNEZ?

  The ex-Benfica star came off the bench in Liverpool's last three league games and will hope to make another appearance when they face Brighton in their penultimate match of the 2024-25 campaign before the Reds end the season with a home game against Crystal Palace.

Liverpool swallowed their pride during the 2024 summer transfer window and held off from any knee-jerk reactions.

After nine high-octane, stop-for-nothing years at the helm, Jurgen Klopp had had enough and was replaced by Arne Slot, who only welcomed Federico Chiesa to the first team, signed for just £12.5m and used sparingly, yet to even start in the Premier League.

Liverpool are ahead of schedule and then some, and if Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes can get it right in the market this summer, the Reds could be set for an entertaining series of years.

The frontline does need more balance, lessening Mohamed Salah’s load. Darwin Nunez certainly isn’t living up to his price tag and offering the expected prolific support.

Darwin Nunez's regression under Arne Slot

Nunez has scored four Premier League goals this season. He has missed four big chances. Good, right?

After all, Erling Haaland has missed as many big chances as he’s put away in 2024/25. The difference is he has 20 goals for struggling Manchester City.

This is a stark difference on Nunez’s own barometer. He missed far more big chances across his opening two seasons in the Premier League – 47 were squandered to be specific, only 19 goals scored – though his overall threat and impact was greater too. What’s changed?

Well, forget about the goalscoring metrics for a moment and take a look at Nunez’s underlying data.

Shots total

4.46

4.70

2.59

Shot-creating actions

2.87

3.47

2.09

Touches

33.61

34.16

28.51

Touches (att pen)

8.18

8.44

5.48

Progressive carries

3.24

2.55

1.89

Ball recoveries

2.34

2.46

3.19

Tackles + interceptions

0.74

1.10

1.89

Is it any surprise FSG and Slot are ready to sell Liverpool’s club-record man and move for, as TEAMtalk report, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak?

Nunez wants to succeed, but is playing like a striker who knows their days are numbered. As the club has shown, they will cash in when they know a talent has reached the end of their road, especially when suitors such as Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr have shown a willingness to pay the big bucks, £70m in the winter window.

After all, they did so with another promising star last summer, and it proved to be an excellent piece of business.

Liverpool hit the jackpot selling Jurgen Klopp signing

Liverpool don’t enjoy the same gripping and thick-plot transfer windows of some of their Premier League rivals, but then they leave their most exciting times for the field.

However, FSG aren’t averse to transfer activity, and while incoming activity was almost negligible last year, the Reds did hit the jackpot with one under-the-radar sale.

Indeed, Fabio Carvalho has long been regarded as a top talent on Merseyside but hasn’t exactly hit the ground running at Brentford this year.

Klopp, to whom Carvalho is an “unbelievable” young forward, signed the then-19-year-old from Fulham for a sharp £5m fee in 2022.

Though the silky attacking midfielder enjoyed a fast start to life at Anfield, notably being compared to Philippe Coutinho, he petered out and was scarcely used across the latter half of the 2022/23 campaign.

A mixed bag on the loan front followed, and while the 22-year-old enjoyed a promising pre-season with Slot’s first team over the pond, when Brentford offered £27.5m for his services last August, cashing in was a no-brainer.

Given that equates to about 450% profit for a player who has failed to nail down a starting berth in Thomas Frank’s squad, Liverpool will hardly rue their decision.

He’s played 19 times, starting three games and scoring twice. That, of course, means Nunez is outscoring him this season, and given the flak the Uruguayan has received, it shows Carvalho’s fortunes haven’t been as he would have hoped in west London.

His quality isn’t up for debate. See the attacking midfielder’s wonder goal for Hull City on loan in the Championship last term (he scored nine goals and added two assists across 20 games).

However, the Portugal-born talent still hasn’t been able to bring it all together at the highest level.

That £27.5m figure is starting to look like an absolute steal.

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The latest update on Ousmane Dembele's injury ahead of next week's Champions League semi-final second leg might spell bad news for Arsenal.

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• Dembele walked off in discomfort in first leg
• His participation for the return leg seemed to be in doubt
• Fresh medical update might be unfavourable for Arsenal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arsenal have been dealt a blow ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg, as PSG’s latest medical update on Dembele strongly suggests the former will be fit to feature. The club described his condition as “progressing well,” a phrase that hints at his availability for the crucial clash, boosting Paris Saint-Germain’s attacking options at a pivotal moment.

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  The Frenchman, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins, was absent from team training on Thursday and was confirmed to be unavailable for this weekend's Ligue 1 clash against Strasbourg. Since the extent of Dembele's hamstring issue was unknown, there were fears in the French capital that their talisman might not feature in next week's return leg at Parc des Princes.

  However, PSG officially released a new update on Dembele, which will come as a huge boost to Les Parisiens' ambitions of reaching their first Champions League final since 2020. "Ousmane Dembele has strained his right hamstring. His condition is progressing well. A further assessment will be carried out shortly," the medical report read.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Arsenal are dealing with an injury crisis of their own. Stars such as Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Riccardo Calafiori, and Jorginho are currently recovering from their respective injuries on the sidelines, while Thomas Partey was also absent for the first leg.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Although the extent of Dembele's hamstring sprain is not that severe, it remains to be seen what role he'll play in the second leg. Should his recovery not go as planned, it's highly unlikely that he'll start for Luis Enrique. Fans will be desperately anticipating further updates on the 27-year-old's fitness in the coming days.

Tottenham Hotspur are now eyeing a potential late move to sign another exciting talent for Ange Postecoglou in the dying hours of the January transfer window.

Tottenham trust in youth

Despite an awful Premier League campaign to date, one bright spark has been the young talent on show in north London.

Perhaps as much by necessity as by choice, Postecoglou has handed significant opportunities to summer arrivals Lucas Bergvall (19) and Archie Gray (18) alongside academy talents Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore when fit.

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In addition to that, the club have placed their faith in young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky this month after he arrived from Slavia Prague, while the signing of Wilson Odobert over the summer demonstrated further the north London side’s aims to sign talented youngsters rather than established stars going forwards.

To do this, they have used the Championship to good effect, with Lankshear joining Ashley Phillips and January addition Yang Min-hyeok on loan in England’s second tier, while both Gray and Odobert were signed from clubs currently in the Championship after impressing, in Gray’s case, a level below the Premier League.

Elsewhere, Luka Vuskovic is another young talent that Tottenham have lured to north London and he is currently enjoying a fine season on loan with Westerloo, before officially joining Tottenham from Croatian side Hajduk Split in the upcoming summer window.

Now, they are looking to continue that trend by plucking a young talent out of the Championship once more, with a potential 11th-hour bid to sign them now being mooted.

Tottenham want "very strong" Championship forward

That is according to a fresh report from The Boot Room, who report that Spurs have joined the race to sign exciting Sunderland winger Tom Watson, who is heading into the final 18 months of his contract at the Stadium of Light.

The 18-year-old forward has impressed in his first season of senior football, appearing 10 times for the Black Cats and grabbing two goals in that time, while he has earned the praise of manager Regis Le Bris.

“He works well. The system is well-designed for him. We can use him very quickly and play to his main strengths”, the Sunderland boss explained after he scored against Stoke in December.

“He’s powerful, he can dribble, he can move inside and outside and he scored. He’s very strong, a very good winger in this league.”

Brighton have already had a bid worth a reported £2m turned down to sign the teenager, who Sunderland are still hoping to tie to fresh terms. However, the report suggests that there is now added Premier League interest with Crystal Palace, Everton and Tottenham all keeping tabs on the winger.

Tom Watson in the Championship 24/25

Appearances

10

Starts

6

Goals

2

Assists

0

Indeed, Spurs are eyeing a potential late move with the Lilywhites “looking to make more additions” before the transfer window closes.

It is claimed that “one option for an interested party could be to sign him and allow him to remain on loan at Sunderland until the summer”, something that Tottenham have already done to good effect with both Bergvall and Vuskovic in the past. Could they repeat the trick with Watson?

Manchester United’s academy is one thing that will never fail them. The Red Devils have produced some exceptional players over the years, going back as far as the legendary Busby Babes. In the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Class of ‘92 rose to fame, and, more recently, the likes of Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay have flown the Carrington flag.

Nowadays, Ruben Amorim’s squad includes Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and, more recently, Toby Collyer, who have become important first-team players at Old Trafford. They are blessed with academy talent, which has been the case for decades.

Incredibly, the Red Devils might battle it out towards the end of the transfer window to resign another former academy star.

United target former academy graduate

The player in question here is Lille and England international midfield Angel Gomes. The 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from the French club, and it could leave the door open for a potential return to the Premier League.

Transfer Focus

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At least, that is according to a report from Caught Offside. They claim that United ‘have thrown their hat into the ring’ in an attempt to re-sign Gomes before the January transfer window closes on Monday. A price is not clear at this stage, but Gomes’ contract expires next summer, so the fee could be fairly cheap.

However, they are not believed to be the only side targeting a move for the Englishman. London clubs Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have already eyed up a move, as have fellow Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

He is also of interest to German sides Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, ensuring it will be a battle for the Red Devils, who may need to move quickly – as per the report.

Why Gomes would be a good signing

Should the Red Devils get the deal for Gomes done, it could be an excellent signing. Before looking at his current season with Lille, let’s address his United career to date. He played ten times for his boyhood club, making his debut as a 16-year-old in 2017, becoming the youngest United debutant in over 60 years.

This season, the now 24-year-old has been an important player for Lille, although has struggled with injuries. He has played 18 times for the French side this term, scoring twice and grabbing an assist, with one strike coming in the Champions League against Feyenoord in the 6-1 win.

It would be a happy homecoming for Gomes, who has changed a lot since leaving Old Trafford. He is incredibly versatile in midfield, able to play as a number ten, or even as a defensive midfielder.

Indeed, that is similar to another United academy graduate in the current squad, Mainoo. The 19-year-old has been making waves since first breaking into the team in 2023/24, and could now be considered a key player in Amorim’s side.

Like Gomes, an extremely press-resistant and progressive player, Mainoo can play in several positions in midfield. Most recently, he thrived as a number ten on Thursday night in the Europa League but can play deeper, too.

Gomes and Mainoo games by possession (min 45 mins played)

Position

Gomes (G/A)

Mainoo (G/A)

Defensive midfield

11 (2)

30 (2)

Central midfield

37 (6)

21 (4)

Attacking midfield

42 (12)

4 (2)

Stats from Transfermarkt

The pair are statistically similar too, and their in-possession qualities are highlighted by the FBref statistics. For example, over the past two seasons, Gomes averages seven progressive passes and 1.79 progressive carries compared to Mainoo’s 3.24 progressive passes and 1.23 progressive carries per game.

Singing Gomes could be an excellent piece of business for United. Their academy graduate, once described as an “unbelievably gifted player” by football statistician Statman Dave, would add quality depth to their midfield, and excellent versatility just like Mainoo brings.

For United to have two versatile midfielders in their squad, capable of playing as a six, an eight or a ten, would make things unpredictable for opponents and certainly a handy for Amorim.

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Man United are looking to add goals to their side

Posts ByJoe Nuttall Jan 31, 2025

Arsenal are one of the best teams in the Premier League, with ample quality to capitalise on Manchester City’s downfall and clinch their first title in two decades.

However, injuries have been a key factor in stuttered results this term, and with Liverpool flying so high at the top of the table, Mikel Arteta knows that an emphatic run of form needs to be maintained throughout the new year.

In fairness, the Gunners started with a bang on New Year’s Day, dispatching Brentford in their own backyard to move within six points of the league leaders, and now, against Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal need to extend a winning run on the road.

Brighton started on strong footing under 31-year-old manager Fabian Hürzeler but have failed to win any of their past seven matches, falling into tenth place, 12 points away from Arsenal.

24/25

Premier League (H)

1-1 draw

23/24

Premier League (A)

3-0 win

23/24

Premier League (H)

2-0 win

22/23

Premier League (H)

3-0 loss

22/23

Premier League (A)

4-2 win

Arsenal might have a number of key absences, but Arteta will be confident that his side can build on their promising run of form against the Seagulls, losing one of their past five matches in all competitions and avoiding defeat in each of their previous four visits to the AMEX.

Arsenal team news

Jurrien Timber joins his teammates on the sidelines as he serves a one-match ban, meaning that Thomas Partey will probably return to right-back as Ben White works toward a comeback from injury at the end of January.

Further up the pitch, Kai Havertz will be looking to restore his starting presence in the team after overcoming illness, though Bukayo Saka is of course still out for an extended period.

Raheem Sterling and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also out in a further weakening blow to Arsenal’s right-hand side.

Many fans will hope to see Ethan Nwaneri playing from the outset after his impressive start at the Gtech on Wednesday, but the 17-year-old may be better off entering the fray after the interval. Here’s why.

Why Arteta should drop Ethan Nwaneri

Arsenal have a bit of a habit of producing starboys, with Saka establishing himself as one of Europe’s best forwards under Arteta’s wing and posting nine goals and 13 assists across 24 matches this term.

Saka, 23, has been a treat for the Emirates crowds for several years now, but in Nwaneri, Arsenal might have a talent capable of rising just as high.

Described as an “absolute diamond” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Nwaneri made his first Premier League start in Saka’s stead at Brentford, impressing with his silky passing, energy and progressiveness, notably making two key passes and completing two of his three attempted dribbles, as per Sofascore.

However, Arteta needs a clinical edge against a Brighton side that is susceptible to a poor piece of defending, largely due to being stretched by their own expansive style of football.

Saka’s absence heightens the need for added potency, and though Gabriel Martinelli and the in-form Gabriel Jesus bagged last time out, it might be wise to unleash Leandro Trossard for this one.

Leandro Trossard could send Brighton packing

Trossard has been a shrewd signing indeed over at the Emirates, scoring 22 goals and assisting 15 more across 94 appearances for Arsenal, only starting 50 of those matches.

As per Understat, Brighton are underperforming their goal concession rate by 2.49, meaning that their somewhat shaky backline are actually keeping out more goals than has been expected from the opportunities provided to their opponents.

This calls for someone like Trossard, who can ease Jesus’ burden at number nine and ensure he plays freely in search of goals but also crucial link-up connections.

As per FBref, the Belgian ranks among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored (0.53) per 90, suggesting that his skill set could indeed be the secret recipe for success on the South Coast.

Trossard might not have been in the finest form recently, with only one goal scored across his past 13 Premier League matches, but there’s no denying his enduring ball-striking ability, still only missing three big chances this year having scored three goals, creating six big chances moreover.

Last season, journalist Sam Dean waxed lyrical about the 29-year-old’s natural-born goalscoring edge, saying: “Leandro Trossard may not be Arsenal’s most skilful, quick or powerful forward. But he is their most deadly.”

As previously stated, there’s also the matter of Nwaneri coming on and influencing the play from a bit deeper, carrying forward with electricity and threading balls forward to, say, Trossard to latch onto and fizz into the bottom corner.

Arteta will be reluctant to drop Martinelli after his recent improvements, tentative though they may be, while Jesus is in inspired showing right now and it would be ludicrous to pull the same goal threat out of the side – especially in Saka’s continued absence.

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England’s match-winner opens up on strains of leadership after return to the ranks

Andrew Miller05-Jun-2022

The emotion was plain for Joe Root as he soaked up the acclaim from an enraptured Lord’s crowd. A phenomenally composed 115 not out, his 26th Test hundred but his first in the fourth innings, had guided England to a gripping five-wicket win over New Zealand in the first Test of the English summer, and ended a barren run of results that stretched back 10 months to the Headingley Test against India.But perhaps more significantly, it was a century in Root’s first appearance back in England’s ranks, after stepping down from a role that he had held with pride for five years and a national-record 64 matches, but which he admitted after the match had become an “unhealthy relationship” in its grim final throes.England won just one of their last 17 Tests under Root’s leadership, including a 4-0 defeat in the Ashes and a further 1-0 reverse in the Caribbean in March. And though he insisted in the immediate aftermath of that campaign that he still had the drive to take the team forward, Root conceded upon his return to the UK that the pressures had become too much to bear.”It had become a very unhealthy relationship to be honest, the captaincy and me,” Root admitted after his innings on Sunday. “It started to really take a bad toll on my own personal health. I couldn’t leave it at the ground any more, it was coming home. It wasn’t fair on my family, on people close to me, and it wasn’t fair on myself either.Related

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“I had thrown everything at it and I was determined to help turn this team around but I realised over that time at home that it would have to be in a different way. I’m very excited to do that now and to do everything I can to help Ben [Stokes] really turn this team around and make this team the force it should and can be.”There was little about Root’s form with the bat in the latter months of his captaincy that let on about the mental toll the role was taking – quite the contrary in fact. He amassed an England-record 1,708 runs at 61.00 in 2021, just 80 runs shy of Mohammad Yousuf’s all-time record, and though he endured a dip in form towards the end of the Ashes, his back-to-back hundreds in Antigua and Barbados earlier this year seemed to have signalled his determination to keep leading from the front.Privately, however, Root acknowledged he was feeling the strain of propping up an under-performing team, and while taking a break from cricket at the end of the Caribbean tour, he announced it was time to step down.”I obviously tried as much as I could, but I think I was unaware of how much it was grabbing hold of me,” he admitted. “I just needed to make the decision, and I knew it was the right thing to do. I felt like a big weight had been lifted and I immediately felt a lot better.”As hard as it was, obviously it’s been a huge privilege and something that I’m extremely proud to have done, but it’s time for a new phase in my career. And it’s one that I’m very much looking forward to, seeing one of my best mates now take this team forward and start in a way that he has.”Stokes himself played a big part in securing victory in his first outing as official captain, scoring a chancy but vital 54 to help break the back of a 277-run chase on the third afternoon. But, once he fell to Kyle Jamieson with 118 runs still needed, Root stepped up his own tempo to score his final 81 runs from 81 balls, and ease England home in company with Ben Foakes.”This is a very nice feeling,” Root said in the aftermath of England’s win. “It’s felt like a long time. But it’s one that you want to feel over and over again. So, again, having experienced that this week, it’s one that we want to make sure that, when we turn up to Trent Bridge, we’re on the right side of it again, and can feel it again.”