JUST IN: SEAN DYCHE QUESTIONS REFEREE TAYLOR: SHOCK FOREST DEFEAT REVEALED AFTER FULHAM CLASH TONIGHT
Sean Dyche slams Nottingham Forest's lack of edge after a 1-0 defeat. REVEALED: His thoughts on Anthony Taylor’s calls.
After Nottingham Forest lost 1-0 to Fulham, head coach Sean Dyche wasn't happy with their lack of sharpness.
The Reds went into the game wanting to make it three wins in a row. Their 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur had given them a five-point lead over the bottom three in the Premier League, and they had a chance to make that even bigger.
But they missed that chance when Raul Jimenez scored a penalty in the first half. Dyche didn't argue with the ref's decision to call a foul after Douglas Luiz's challenge on Kevin, but he wanted more from his team.
When asked about the penalty, he said it was a tough call. Now, if you get touched in the box, you go down.
He thinks that Anthony Taylor is a good referee, but he just didn't have his best game. He thinks a lot of calls were made that didn't need to be.
He isn't blaming the result on that, but it was still worth mentioning because it felt off, and they didn't get many calls.
Those calls might not win you the game, but they could give you an advantage. But the penalty was just one of those things—if you touch someone in the box, they go down.
Dyche thought the game wasn't great in terms of quality. He said both teams put in a lot of effort, but it didn't amount to much.
When they started the game, they got into some good spots and had a couple of okay chances.
They never really broke through or challenged them enough. They were too slow. It's tough to score when teams sit back, and they just couldn't find the right openings. They didn't impact the game like he hoped, especially after their big win last time.
Sometimes that's the hardest part. He talked to the team about how they need to keep pushing even after getting praise. They have to keep doing the good things over and over.
They weren't too far off, but they didn't have the same fire as in the last game.
ANTOINE SEMENYO CHRISTMAS EVE UPDATE REVEALS ADVANCED TALKS BETWEEN MAN CITY AND BOURNEMOUTH
Antoine Semenyo chooses Manchester City in a 65 million pound move that could send Savinho to Tottenham this January.
Word is, Antoine Semenyo might go to Man City, and that could shake things up for Tottenham and Aston Villa, maybe helping them get the players they want.
David Ornstein from The Athletic said that Semenyo wants to join Man City this January; he has a £65m release clause.
Fabrizio Romano, who knows a lot about transfers, said Man City is trying to wrap up the deal after speeding things up this week.
Romano tweeted that Man City is getting closer to signing Antoine Semenyo soon. The city pushed hard in the last day or so to get talks moving. Semenyo likes Man City the best, even though Man United tried hard, and Chelsea and Spurs are out of the running.
Romano mentioned later that Man City and Bournemouth would talk this week about Antoine Semenyo. The £65m release clause is good until January 10, but Man City will talk to Bournemouth about other ways to structure the deal and payments. Semenyo would rather play for Man City.
If Semenyo goes to Man City, Tottenham might still try to sign Savinho from City, and Aston Villa really wants Brennan Johnson from Spurs.
Man City thought Savinho was worth £61m this summer, but he might not get much playing time if Semenyo comes. Dean Jones told TEAMtalk that Savinho was interested in going to Spurs this summer.
Jones said that Savinho played for 20 minutes against West Ham, but lately, that's about the best he can hope for in the league.
He added that if City signs Semenyo, he thinks Savinho's spot in the team is questionable.
It'll be a tough call because they just gave him a new contract.
Tottenham was interested in him, and he seemed interested because he would be a really good player for them.
The city also has to decide what to do with Oscar Bobb if it gets offers.
But he does think Spurs are still interested in Savinho if they can't get other players like Semenyo, Maghnes Akliouche, and Yan Diomande.
If Tottenham gets Savinho or another winger, then Aston Villa might be able to get Johnson.
TEAMtalk says Aston Villa wants Johnson to add speed and the ability to play different roles to their attack. Harvey Elliott's loan move from Liverpool didn't go well, so it will stop.
Tottenham is okay with selling Johnson permanently or loaning him out. Sources told TEAMtalk that Spurs want £30m-£40m for him.
THE SECRET TEXT MESSAGE MICKY VAN DE VEN SENT TO INJURED ALEXANDER ISAK
Thomas Frank defends Micky van de Ven as Arne Slot fumes over the challenge that left Isak with a broken leg today.
Tottenham's Micky van de Ven said he apologised to Liverpool's Alexander Isak after accidentally hurting him during their game. Isak is out for a while after getting surgery on his leg, which he broke during Liverpool's 2-1 win at Tottenham.
Isak got hurt at Tottenham.
Isak, who came on for Conor Bradley at halftime, scored for Liverpool about ten minutes later. Later, Hugo Ekitike made it 2-0.
Richarlison scored late for Tottenham, but Liverpool won. Sadly, Isak got seriously hurt while scoring.
When Isak shot, Van de Ven tried to block it. He couldn't stop the shot, and Isak's leg got twisted, forcing him off the field.
Van de Ven said he messaged Isak after the game to say sorry and wish him well.
Van de Ven: I didn’t want to hurt him.
Van de Ven told Sky Sports, “I texted him because I didn’t want to injure him.” I was just trying to block the shot. His foot landed awkwardly. I texted him afterwards and wished him all the best. I hope he's back soon. He replied and appreciated the message.
Liverpool's coach, Arne Slot, wasn't happy with Van de Ven's tackle, calling it 'reckless.' Isak had surgery on his ankle, and Slot is sure he'll be back this season, but he's upset about the situation.
Slot said, It was reckless. The tackle of Xavi Simons was unintentional. But Van de Ven's tackle? There’s a good chance of a player getting hurt. It’s a long injury, which is disappointing for him and us.
Frank defends Van de Ven.
Tottenham's boss, Thomas Frank, disagreed with Slot, saying any defender would try to block a shot like that.
Frank said, I don't agree. Van de Ven was trying to stop the goal. He was sprinting back and slid to block the shot. Isak's foot was planted there, making it look worse. Any defender would do that.
If my defender didn't do that, I wouldn't think they were a real defender. He's fair and competitive. Also, the players sorted it out, which is good.
Frank needs to improve things.
Tottenham's boss, Frank, hopes to win again when they play Crystal Palace this weekend. He might be the next Premier League manager to leave after only winning one of their last eight games.
After losing to Liverpool, they're 14th in the league, nine points above the drop zone. Frank needs to turn things around.