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Eddie Nketiah answered Arsenal's call once again in the absence of Gabriel Jesus, netting a brace in a 3-0 FA Cup third round win at Oxford United.

Three second-half goals saw an under-par Arsenal past Oxford United to set up a mouth-watering FA Cup fourth round clash with Manchester City at the end of the month.

Mikel Arteta made seven changes for the clash against the League One side at the Kassam Stadium and the Premier League leaders struggled as a result, failing to muster a single shot on target in the first half.

But they improved massively after the interval, with Fabio Vieira producing two excellent assists to break the resistance of the hosts. The first was a fine free-kick, which was headed home by Mohamed Elneny and the second was a delightful through ball for Eddie Nketiah, who rounded Oxford keeper Ed McGinty to make it 2-0.

There was still time for Nketiah to add his second of the game, dinking a fine finish over the onrushing McGinty following Gabriel Martinelli's ball through.

In the end it was a convincing win for Arsenal, albeit after a very poor first-half display. But an injury sustained by Bukayo Saka, who seemed to pull up with 15 minutes remaining, will be a major concern ahead of Sunday's crucial north London derby at Tottenham.

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  The Winners

  Winner: Mohamed Elneny

  His first goal since 2021 and he gets a catchy new song from the away fans. It was a good night for Mohamed Elneny. You know what you are going to get from the Egypt international whenever he plays. He may not be the most spectacular of players, but he never lets Arsenal down when he is called upon and that's exactly why the club extended his deal at the end of last season. It was his goal that finally broke the Oxford resistance and opened the floodgates. It was the crucial moment of the game.

  Winner: Eddie Nketiah

  Two more goals for Nketiah will give his confidence another boost. Both were excellent finishes and will have been exactly what he was hoping for ahead of the north London derby this weekend. Nketiah now has four goals in four games since coming into the side to replace Gabriel Jesus and Arteta can't ask for much more than that.

  Winner: Fabio Vieira

  This was a strange game for Vieira. He was very ordinary in the first half, struggling to get into the game at all. So much so that it would have been no surprise to see Arteta replace him with Martin Odegaard for the second period. But he kept faith with Vieira and he was rewarded after the interval, with the Portuguese playmaker stepping up with two crucial assists, first for Elneny and then for Nketiah. They were two moments of class that highlighted Vieira's ability. The challenge for him now is showing that quality on a far more consistent basis.

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  The Losers

  Loser: Albert Sambi Lokonga

  This was another chance wasted for Albert Sambi Lokonga to make his mark in an Arsenal shirt. The Belgian midfielder has been at the club for 18 months now and it's still tough to work out exactly what he brings to the team. He's had plenty of opportunities to put some pressure on the more regular starters in midfield, yet is no closer to the starting XI now than he was when he first joined in the summer of 2021. He's neat and tidy when in possession, but he's yet to show he has much more to his game at either end of the pitch.

  Loser: Bukayo Saka

  The sight of Bukayo Saka limping off with 15 minutes remaining was a major worry ahead of the north London derby this weekend. It had been a frustrating night for Saka anyway up to that point, but the injury will now cast a bit of a cloud over the preparations for this weekend's game. He was holding the back of his leg while he was down receiving treatment and was not moving comfortably at all as he trudged round the pitch after being replaced by Emile Smith Rowe. Saka's fitness will now be a big concern for Mikel Arteta.

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  Arsenal Ratings: Defence

  Matt Turner (6/10):

  Comfortable night's work. Had very little to do.

  Takehiro Tomiyasu (6/10):

  Didn't offer much going forward, but solid at the back.

  Rob Holding (7/10):

  Never really looked under pressure.

  Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):

  Solid, winning plenty of aerial duels. Played in second gear.

  Kieran Tierney (6/10):

  Never really got into the game down the left, other than making a couple of overlaps.

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  Midfield

  Mohamed Elneny (7/10):

  Scored the crucial opener to get things moving.

  Sambi Lokonga (5/10):

  Disappointing. No impact at all.

  Fabio Vieira (7/10):

  Two fine assists in the second half.

Your votes have been counted and we can now confirm the overall winner of the men's GOAL50 2022!

GOAL50 is an annual award that gives fans the power to rank the 50 best footballers in the world over the previous 12 months.

This year GOAL50 featured three categories of players to vote on. In addition to the Men and Women categories, we added a special once-off World Cup Wonders category to pay tribute to the tournament legends of the past.

GOAL50 employs a unique voting system that sees fans voting on a series of head-to-head clashes between players in each category.

There were 2,450 possible player match-ups in each category, and the players with the most victories have now been crowned the GOAL50 2022 winners.

Here are the final standings, and the overall winner, of the Men's GOAL50 2022!

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  1Lionel Messi – PSG & Argentina

  The years roll on but Messi's class and his place among the best players on the planet have never been in question. He registred double figures for goals and assists in Ligue 1 last term, winning the title in the process, and lit up the World Cup with the kind of genius that convince many he's the greatest to ever touch a football.

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  2Neymar – PSG & Brazil

  At 30, Neymar remains one of the planet's most breathtaking talents, with his ability to beat opponents, flummox defenders with his twinkle toes, or make decisive contributions in the final third ensuring he's received heavy backing from GOAL50 voters. The Brazil superstar has already had a hand in 20 goals in 14 Ligue 1 games this season.

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  3Erling Haaland – Manchester City & Norway

  Haaland's impact in the Premier League since signing for Manchester City for a bargain £51 million in the summer has been frightening, with the 22-year-old already striking 18 league goals in 13 league games including three hat-tricks. Expect Haaland to continue terrorising Prem defences in 2023.

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• GOAL
  

  4Karim Benzema – Real Madrid & France

  Benzema's exploits with Real Madrid last season earned the 34-year-old a Ballon d'Or—the award's oldest winner since 1954 – with a 17-minute hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain en route to the Champions League title being one of several highlights. Injury cost the veteran the chance to spearhead France's World Cup campaign.

Liverpool have been tipped as one of the clubs who could make a move for Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale as speculation over his future mounts.

What’s the story?

The 31-year-old enjoyed a productive if tumultuous season-long loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur in 2020/21 but has refused to reveal his plans for the future.

According to TalkSport pundit and ex-Spurs striker Darren Bent, Bale could be the subject of interest from Reds over the coming months as Jurgen Klopp looks to wrestle back their Premier League crown.

Edwards must avoid

Speaking after Tottenham’s final-day win over Leicester City, Bale revealed he already knew his next move, but added that revealing it now would “cause chaos”.

His surprising revelation sparked wild rumours in Spain, claiming that the Wales international is set to retire after the delayed European Championships have concluded this summer, although well-known journalist Fabrizio Romano has already rubbished those suggestions.

However, Bale’s future still remains unclear, and it’s led to speculation over where the Southampton academy graduate will ply his trade next season.

Bent believes Liverpool could be an option for the four-time Champions League winner as the Anfield outfit aim to recover from an extremely difficult campaign.

“Bale, with the wages he’s on, is going to have to take a massive cut,” Bent told TalkSPORT on Tuesday, as per the Liverpool Echo.

“Man City wouldn’t (sign him), Man United probably wouldn’t. Liverpool? Potentially they may be in for Bale.”

The Madrid man struggled for regular game time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium throughout Jose Mourinho’s tenure, but still managed to score an impressive 16 goals in all competitions, laying on a further three assists for his teammate.

Nevertheless, while Bale is still undoubtedly a top-class talent on his day, he’s not the answer to Liverpool’s attacking problems.

Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino suffered from a season-long loss of form in 2020/21, resulting in the normally destructive duo bagging a combined 20 Premier League goals.

For a side with ambitions to win the title year in year out, that figure is nowhere near good enough but the likelihood of Bale improving it in the long term is extremely unlikely.

Mane, Firmino and Mohamed Salah will be 29 years old when next season starts, meaning the unpredictability and vibrancy that youthful legs bring to a football team will be required at Liverpool in order to return them to their winning ways, not Bale and his £650,000-per-week wages.

Director of football Michael Edwards must avoid the temptation to bring in a star name for a quick fix and remain faithful to the transfer strategy that brought so much success to the Merseyside outfit in the first place.

And, in other news…Edwards masterclass: Liverpool must swoop for “magnificent” £45m-rated maestro 

Fans will decide the order of this year’s GOAL50 lists but our correspondents are also sharing their picks during the voting period

With voting under way in this year’s GOAL50, fans around the world are having their say on which men’s and women’s players had the best 2021. 

Our team of correspondents are also getting involved, revealing their top 10s this week. 

Manchester City correspondent Jonathan Smith has now compiled his list, which you can see below. 

Remember, though, you can still cast more votes. The polls are open until November 16!

• 10Erling Haaland

  The Borussia Dortmund hotshot continues to enhance his reputation as the hottest young striker in European football and his growing influence sees him ready to take his game to another level.

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• 9Mohammed Salah

  The Liverpool forward is back at his very best, scoring some outrageous goals since the start of the new season, which will be a major concern for all the Reds' rivals in England and Europe.

• 8Karim Benzema

  As the stars continue to leave La Liga, the Real Madrid forward is now revelling in the fact that he's the biggest Galactico still in Spain after years of serving as a selfless support act.

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• 7Gianluigi Donnarumma

  Still only 22, but is quite simply the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment and he made a huge impact in helping Italy triumph at Euro 2020.

Eddie Howe’s proposed move to Celtic is on, according to the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Cherries’ Championship play-off woes

Bournemouth suffered play-off heartbreak on Saturday, which seems to have opened up Howe’s move to Scotland. The Cherries lost 3-2 to Brentford on aggregate in the Championship play-off semi-finals, with former Celtic target Ivan Toney starting the comeback for the Bees from the penalty spot.

Celtic’s hopes of landing Howe could have been dashed if the Cherries sealed an immediate return to the top flight, but their season is now over.

The Latest: Howe closing in on Parkhead move

The Daily Record ran a story shortly after Bournemouth’s defeat in west London, admitting that Howe is now closing in on a Celtic switch as a result.

The report claimed ‘all roads to lead to Parkhead’ – six words which appear to be huge when it comes to the Hoops getting their man, to whom they first spoke seven weeks ago. Richard Hughes is poised to become technical director, with coaches Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone also looking to move north.

Another man mentioned for a coaching role is former Celtic player Pete Grant, with Howe looking to put his mark on the club’s summer rebuild.

The Verdict: It looks as if the Hoops have got their man

Dermot Desmond was the man who met Howe in London at the beginning of April, and although reports briefly suggested that Roy Keane and John Kennedy were also in the frame for the full-time role, it seems as if Howe was always the club’s top target.

It should come as a huge boost to the Hoops if a deal officially goes through, and hopefully Howe will have already begun assessing Celtic’s squad.

Plenty of incomings and outgoings are expected over the coming months, but with Howe successfully leading a Bournemouth rebuild, taking them from League Two to the Premier League in six seasons, he appears to be the right man for the Celtic job.

In other news: Pundit thinks ‘brilliant’ £7.5k-p/w Celtic ace could seal exit before June 11, find out more here.

Footballers might not have a reputation for intelligence, but these players proved that plenty have brains on top of their talent

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  Vincent Kompany

  Not content with lifting Premier League titles as captain, rifling in screamers at crucial stages in title races and being beloved by seemingly all who cross his path, Vincent Kompany also has a Master's in Business Administration.

  He graduated from Alliance Manchester Business School in 2017, with a keen interest in the world of football off the pitch. It was hardly surprising, then, to see him step into a managerial role at Anderlecht.

  His final dissertation project, looking at how Premier League football clubs benefit from home advantage, received a distinction grade.

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  Socrates

  The Brazil legend built up a mystique not only around his ability on the field, but his deep thinking off it. 

  He completed a doctorate in Medicine during his playing career, and practised medicine after his retirement from the game in 1989 before also earning a PhD.

  Known as 'Doctor Socrates', he grew up in a house that half-resembled a library, stacked with philosophical books and other works by his father.

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  Juan Mata

  Juan Mata became one of the world's most universally popular footballers when he announced his Common Goal initiative back in 2017, but it wasn't the first sign of his thoughtful nature.

  During his time at Valencia and Chelsea, he earned two degrees from Madrid’s Universidad Camilo Jose Cela – one in Marketing, and one in Sports Science.

  About to start his seventh season at Manchester United, Mata has suggested he will go into coaching at the end of his career but also says he is interested in the field of psychology.

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  Iain Dowie

  Now 54, Iain Dowie made over 400 appearances across a 13-year career as a forward, winning 59 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

  As a youngster, though, his football career looked to be over before it had begun when he was released by Southampton. He went to the University of Hertfordshire, earned a Master's in Engineering and got a job at British Aerospace.

  Playing in non-league, he was spotted by Luton Town, where he decided to focus on football full-time. Now a pundit, in 2016 he was appointed the regional sales manager for Go To Surveys, a company which carries out homebuyers reports, building surveys and valuations.

Tyler Roberts came off the bench for the final 15 minutes as Leeds United put four goals past Burnley at Saturday lunchtime.

The Welshman replaced Mateusz Klich, the scorer of Leeds’ first goal, with 15 minutes remaining and Leeds 2-0 to the good. Fellow substitute Rodrigo then scored two goals in the space of three minutes to turn a comfortable victory into a rout.

Roberts drove forward soon after and opted to go for goal rather than slipping in the Spaniard for a possible hat-trick. His 20-yard effort was easily gathered by Burnley ‘keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

The Welsh international earned a SofaScore rating of 6.7 for his cameo appearance. He touched the ball 10 times, while six of his nine attempted passes were accurate. Before the trip to Turf Moor, the 22-year-old had been on a run of 12 consecutive Premier League starts.

Leeds’ victory in Lancashire kept them 10th in the table. They are within three points of Spurs, Everton and Arsenal ahead of their final two games against Southampton and West Brom.

Despite their splendid afternoon, however, some Whites fans took aim at Roberts over his “horrible” misjudgement in not teeing up Rodrigo for a potential hat-trick goal.

Tyler Roberts under fire after cameo against Burnley

“Tyler Roberts in a nutshell – knew he’d shoot”

Credit: @gjengland

“I don’t care what anyone says, Tyler Roberts needs to move clubs after that. Rodrigo was in for a hat trick then, and Roberts didn’t pass when Rodrigo would have been in. Incredibly frustrating player to watch, especially when he could have been so good.”

Credit: @reegzlufc

“Does Tyler Roberts ever score in training?”

Credit: @50Pagga

“Tyler Roberts, got a guy on a hat trick, could play him clean through yet he goes for a shot from 30 yards straight into keeper’s hands”

Credit: @AntVeress

“Nobody runs around aimlessly as well as Tyler Roberts”

Credit: @n6gold

“Oh dear Tyler Roberts”

Credit: @Mazzaleeds

“Bielsa surely only starts and brings on Roberts in hopes someone will take him off his hands in the summer, such an uncreative, selfish and lazy player, it’s genuinely so sad to see him play in a Leeds shirt”

Credit: @emogrrrl666

“Roberts just denied Rodrigo his hat-trick for a selfish shot on goal. A horrible and selfish decision”

Credit: @ChildishAlbeeno

In other news, many Leeds fans were much more complimentary about this defender. 

Teenage talent is among the most valuable in football with clubs looking to build for their futures but which young stars have switched for big money?

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  10Pietro Pellegri – Genoa to Monaco – €25m / £22m

  Already labelled the 'next Messi', Pietro Pellegri is the joint-youngest player to line up in Serie A. Born in 2001, he became the most expensive 16-year-old ever despite having played just 10 senior games for Genoa.

  Pellegri also scored twice against Lazio, setting the record as the youngest player to score two goals in a game in one of Europe's top five leagues.

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  9Anderson – Porto to Manchester United – €30m / £20m

  When Manchester United tried to sign Anderson from Porto in 2007, they saw their work permit application turned down due to a lack of experience. United argued that at 19, it was impossible for him to have any more experience having helped Porto to back-to-back Primeira Liga titles.

  The application was successful, but Anderson's time at Old Trafford was not as good as expected, despite playing over 100 Premier League games.

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  8Gabriel Jesus – Palmeiras to Manchester City – €33m / £27m

  An Olympic champion with Brazil, Gabriel Jesus won everything possible domestically before leaving Palmeiras for Manchester City. The striker made an immediate impact in the Premier League, scoring and assisting in his first league start for Pep Guardiola's side.

  Injury curtailed his debut season, but he still ended the campaign with seven goals and four assists in 11 appearances.

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  7Renato Sanches – Benfica to Bayern Munich – €35m / £27.5m

  A sensation with Benfica in his native country, midfielder Renato Sanches was bought by Bayern Munich even before he won the Young Player of the Tournament award at Euro 2016.

  Bayern had agreed to purchase him for €35m before the tournament, possibly saving themselves from a larger fee after his string of impressive performances as Portugal lifted the trophy.

The Barcelona icon tops a list based on effectiveness through the season, but Neymar is completely absent, and the Liverpool star outside the top five

The CIES Football Observatory ranks players who have played 1,800 minutes of football (1,440 for Germany), or 20 matches, on their efficiency and performance level. The rating is out of 100, and there are a fair few surprises…

(NB: Neymar only played 1,797 minutes for PSG in Ligue 1 this season, so just missed out on being ranked.)

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  20Ivan Rakitic | Barcelona | Rating: 88.18

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• 19Raul Albiol | Napoli | 88.46

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  18Marek Hamsik | Napoli | 88.53

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  17Lorenzo Insigne | Napoli | 88.58

According to a report by journalist Kevin Palmer, sharing his Sunday World piece on Twitter, Liverpool are closing in on a double swoop for both Ibrahima Konate and Ozan Kabak, prompting many Reds supporters to react excitedly as this news emerges.

The Reds have been publicly working on a deal for Konate for quite some time, with CaughtOffside reporter Leah Smith breaking the news that Liverpool have reached an agreement for the RB Leipzig defender (Twitter).

Fabrizio Romano also backed that claim (Twitter), but Sunday World reporter Palmer has now dropped a rather enticing development on the story. He claimed that, as well as Konate, Liverpool are also lining up a swoop for on-loan defender Kabak, with German sources expecting him to put pen to paper on an £18m deal.

Flocking to this news, many Reds supporters weren’t short of opinions,with one calling it ‘fantastic news’ given how well the Turkish defender is starting to adapt to the English top flight.

Find some of their verdicts on this transfer news below.

Liverpool fans buzz over Konate and Kabak claim

“Wow! Didn’t think we’d do both. Kabak at the price he is makes so much sense.”

Credit: @TheOnlyBrianG

“Love this, can we bag a striker too though”

Credit: @MrTazofficial

“GET IN + #FSGOUT”

Credit: @Daniel04139099

“Finally some good news”

Credit: @MoAshoor25

“Nice good start now onto a creative midfield and another forward”

Credit: @yeraya100

“Yay”

Credit: @LFC_JimBean

“Fantastic news. Kabak gets better with every game!”

Credit: @TheAnfieldTalk

In other news: Many Liverpool fans blasted this star after his Newcastle outing, find out more here.