GARY NEVILLE'S VERDICT: NEWCASTLE TACTICS 'LOOK BAD' AGAINST LESSER EXPERIENCED FOE
Gary Neville delivers a scathing review of Eddie Howe's strategy against Sunderland. He argues the Black Cats' strong spine was the difference.
Gary Neville praised Sunderland's strong core players as the difference in their win against rivals Newcastle United.
The game wasn't full of great attacking plays, but Sunderland fans are happy after Newcastle's Nick Woltemade's own goal gave their team bragging rights this season.
Neville criticized Eddie Howe's game plan against Sunderland, a team he considers to have less top-level experience.
I felt Newcastle's approach was too negative. If that tactic fails, it looks really bad for a big club, especially against a team with less quality and Premier League experience, Neville said on his podcast.
Neville mentioned Sunderland's summer spending, which is closer to £150m before add-ons, saying they need to see some results from that big investment.
It wasn't a high-quality game. Newcastle wasn't at their best, and Sunderland wasn't amazing either, he said.
But Sunderland's center-backs, Alderete and Ballard; their central midfielders, Xhaka and Sadiki; and Brobbey up front—that central group was strong. Sunderland’s key players played better than Newcastle’s.
Since the start of the season, I've said that for a team coming up from the Championship, Sunderland has spent a lot—around £160 million. So, we should expect a return.
They have players who can compete, who are physical, and who can run a lot. I didn't think their wingers, Traore or Talbi, or Le Fee played that well.
But their core players were very strong and determined. A strong core can carry the rest of the team in the Premier League.
Neville also mentioned the great atmosphere at Sunderland's stadium, saying fans were still singing loudly an hour after the game ended.
He said Sunderland deserved to win. The atmosphere was amazing before, during, and after the game.
I was stuck in the parking lot for 40 minutes because they close the roads for the away fans.
Even 40 minutes after it ended, I could still hear the Sunderland fans singing.
It was a great day and night for them, the first like that in years.
They also have a good recent record in this game. I am happy to be at my first Wear-Tyne derby. And remember, it's the Wear-Tyne derby!
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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