RED CARD MADNESS: WHY MICHAEL KEANE’S ACCIDENTAL HAIR-PULLING NEVER WARRANTED A SENDING OFF
Everton finished with nine men after Michael Keane and Jack Grealish were sent off in a chaotic 1-1 draw with Wolves. Read the fallout.
Everton really shot themselves in the foot in this one. Michael Keane and Jack Grealish both saw red in a 1-1 draw that kept Wolves’ momentum rolling.
Keane, who actually scored for Everton, got his marching orders after yanking Tolu Arokodare’s hair during an aerial tussle. That alone had the Hill Dickinson crowd and David Moyes fuming. But things got even uglier when Grealish picked up his second yellow—his first ever Premier League sending off—after he sarcastically applauded referee Tom Kirk. That was only Kirk’s second game at this level, and the whole stadium just lost it.
Funny thing is, Keane’s third goal of the season now makes him Everton’s joint-second top scorer in the league. That says a lot about the problems Moyes is juggling right now.
Everton actually looked comfortable after Keane’s 17th-minute poacher’s finish. They just didn’t build on it, and suddenly they fell apart at the back. Matheus Mane, who’s only 18, punished them—his second goal in as many games.
Wolves, somehow, have clawed their way out of a deep hole. Five points from three matches, including draws at Manchester United and now Everton, have pulled them out of that horrible run of 11 straight league defeats. Still, they’re 14 points from safety, so it’s not exactly time to relax.
Everton doesn’t have to worry about the drop, but just one win in their last six, and only two in seven at their new home, has pretty much killed off any wild dreams of Europe. If they’d won, they’d be just four points off the top four. But with a negative goal difference and only 23 goals in 21 matches, it’s clear why they’re falling short.
Moyes says January signings are basically off the table. Still, with survival sorted and Europe not a total fantasy, maybe it’s time to reconsider.
Now, with Keane banned for three games and Grealish out for one, things get even trickier. Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye are still away at AFCON, four more are injured, and the squad’s stretched so thin they had to recall 18-year-old Harrison Armstrong from Preston. The kid started his first Premier League game in midfield.
Everton’s goal came off a set piece. Dwight McNeil swung in a deep free kick, James Tarkowski nodded it across, and Iroegbunam scuffed a shot that landed right at Keane’s feet. He smashed it straight into the roof of the net. Later, Keane almost doubled the lead with a header from another free kick, but it bounced off the post.
Wolves looked like a different team after halftime. Just two simple passes cut Everton wide open. Yerson Mosquera had all day to play a ball down the middle to Jorgen Strand Larsen, who’d just come on. He slipped Mane through, and the teenager beat Jordan Pickford.
Pickford had to pull off an acrobatic save in stoppage time to keep out Hugo Bueno’s shot and save Everton from even more embarrassment.
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.
_1777914166.webp)
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.
Must Read
