^ ^ Jason Cundy makes bleak Chelsea claim and FA prediction after Brighton defeat

Chelsea fell to a fifth straight Premier League defeat (Picture: Getty)

Jason Cundy labelled Chelsea’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton as the ‘worst performance’ he has ever seen from his former side.

Liam Rosenior’s side were totally outplayed away to Brighton, with goals from Ferdi Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck dealing a hammer blow to the Blues’ hopes of Champions League qualification.

Chelsea have now lost five league games without scoring a goal for the first time since 1912 and are seven points off Liverpool in fifth with only four games left to play.

Vocal chants from the away fans called for Rosenior to be sacked in the second half, despite the Englisman only replacing Enzo Maresca four months ago.

And ex-Chelsea defender Cundy pulled no punches when analysing his former side’s performance on Tuesday evening.

‘That was disgusting, absolutely disgusting,’ he told talkSPORT. ‘I am ashamed of that performance tonight. Absolutely ashamed. It’s gutless.

‘They absolutely battered us. They embarrassed us. At 2-0, I’m thinking the scoreline just doesn’t do it justice. And at 3-0, it still doesn’t.

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Chelsea are on a barren run of form (Picture: Getty)

‘The shape of the team, when they’re five at the back, wow, that just didn’t work. You saw that after about seven minutes. Could not get out of our box. Couldn’t get out of our half. Brighton, it was like a training game for them.

‘First half, I don’t know what that was. That was absolutely turgid. Disgusting. And do you know what? It’s getting worse. Brighton are a good side, but that is unacceptable

‘I think it’s the worst [Chelsea] performance I’ve ever seen, and I’ve played in a few. I can’t think of a worse performance than that. I genuinely can’t. I cannot think of a worse gutless spineless performance.’

Liam Rosenior apologised to Chelsea fans at full-time (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea’s only victory in their last eight matches in all competitions came in the FA Cup quarter-final against struggling League One side Port Vale.

But Cundy does not hold out much hope that the Blues will keep their FA Cup hopes alive on Sunday when they travel to Wembley to take on Leeds United in the semi-finals.

‘Do you know what? We got Leeds at the weekend,’ he added. ‘And I’m telling you now, we ain’t winning that game.

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‘We are not winning that game. We’re getting dumped out the FA Cup.

‘I don’t know where the next victory is going to come from. I don’t know where the next shot on target is going to come from. Absolutely disgusted.’

Speaking post-match, an equally infuriated Rosenior pointed the finger at his own players for what he described as an ‘unacceptable’ performance.

‘For the fans, honestly, apologise, that’s unacceptable,’ Rosenior told Chelsea TV after the game.

‘I will defend the players when they deserve to be defended. Three or four of them gave everything, I’m not going to name names but three or four is not good enough.

‘I have my own ideas about what needs to happen at this club moving forward. All I can do at the moment is apologise to the fans for what we put in today.’

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^ ^ Frank Leboeuf slams two Chelsea stars after Brighton thrashing – ‘They’re not leaders’

Frank Leboeuf says Chelsea won’t improve until they sign players with experience (Picture: ESPNFC)

Frank Leboeuf has torn into Chelsea’s two £100million midfielders for displaying a lack of leadership during last night’s humiliating 3-0 defeat at Brighton.

With hopes of Champions League qualification already hanging by a thread, Chelsea’s chances of securing a top five finish suffered a knockout blow following what manager Liam Rosenior described as an unacceptable performance.

A fifth consecutive Premier League defeat without scoring a goal – the first time a Chelsea side has embarked on such an ignominious run in well over a century – has heaped pressure on a manager who was already under intense scrutiny, despite only having been hired four months ago.

Leboeuf, however, believes the managerial situation remains something of a red herring and the men most responsible for the demise of his old club sit in the boardroom, overseeing a fundamentally flawed transfer policy.

An overreliance on young, up and coming talents has left Chelsea woefully short of the nous and experience required to navigate a full season and compete for the biggest titles.

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, two players signed for a combined total of £223million, appear ill-equipped to lead in the same fashion as the club legends listed by Leboeuf, several of whom he played alongside.

‘We have been players and we can see, My former teammate and compatriot Marcel Desailly two days ago said what we keep on saying what we have been saying,’ The France World Cup winner told ESPN FC.

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Chelsea manager for the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season

Liam Rosenior – 17/20
Filipe Luis – 5/2
Cesc Fabregas – 4/1
Oliver Glasner – 9/2
Xavi Hernandez – 6/1
Roberto De Zerbi – 15/2
Marco Silva – 9/1
Unai Emery – 10/1
Andoni Iraola – 10/1
Frank Lampard – 11/1
Fabian Hurzeler – 16/1
Luis Enrique – 20/1
Xabi Alonso – 20/1
Julian Nagelsmann – 22/1

Odds via Betfair

‘We do not have leaders in that team. We need a goalkeeper as a leader, we need a centre-half we need a midfielder.

‘Caicedo and Ezno Fernandez are not leaders. I’m sorry, I’ve seen leaders. I’ve played with Dennis Wise, I’ve played with Craig Burley, I’ve played with Roberto Di Matteo in the middle of the park.

‘They were leaders. I don’t even talk about defenders like Marcel Desailly, Steve Clarke and up front with Vialli, Gullit, Zola, those players who were successful at my time and I don’t even talk about after what we saw (under Abramovich).

Enzo Fernandez was suspended for two games by Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior (Picture: Getty)

‘But now enough is enough those players don’t deserve to play for Chelsea right now. They’re not good enough.

‘What can be changed now I don’t know. But next year, please to the board buy leaders. Otherwise Chelsea will never be the Chelsea we have known.’

Rosenior’s position may already appear untenable, but with a possible silver lining on the horizon in the shape of the FA Cup, Leboeuf believes it makes no sense to and the current manager’s tenure at this point in the campaign.

Moises Caicedo struggled against his former team in Chelsea’s defeat against Brighton (Picture: Getty)

He added: ‘You have to wait to the Leeds game. If Rosenior goes I don’t think it will change the mindset for me.

‘You have to wait for the end of the season and rethink your future and how you want to end up being the Chelsea we all want to see back.

‘Changing Rosenior for anyone else two months before the end of the season I don’t know if it will mean anything for me.’

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^ ^ Man Utd to launch £35m offer to sign ‘the new Estevao’ ahead of Man City and Arsenal

Eduardo Conceicao has admirers from across Europe (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United are set to launch a huge offer to sign Brazilian starlet Eduardo Conceicao from Palmeiras.

The 16-year-old is the latest attacking talent to roll off the production line in Brazil with a host of European clubs looking to secure his services.

Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are among those interested in signing the versatile attacker with Palmeiras already rejected bids in the region of £21million.

Conceicao is still to make his senior debut, with his performances in the recent Under-17 South American Championship sparking wider interest with Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona also admirers.

UOL report however United have shown the most intent so far having signalled to the player’s representatives they are ready make an offer of €40million (£34.8m) including add-ons for the left winger.

United are aware of interest from the City Group, the holding company that owns City and a string of other clubs across the world, and do not want to risk missing out on the Brazilian starlet.

Palmeiras have not recieved any official offers at this stage and will demand €50m, according to the report.

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Conceicao is still to make his professional debut but has shone for Brazil at youth level (Picture: Getty)

If they strike a deal, United will have to wait until Conceicao is 18 before he can make the move to Manchester.

The earliest he could join a major European club would be in January 2028, a month after his 18^th birthday.

Palmeiras has been a breeding ground for some of Brazilian’s most outstanding young talent over the years with Endrick their most notable recent export.

Estevao is another product of Palmeiras MA/Getty Images)

Real Madrid struck a deal worth €60m with the club when the striker was 16, then one of the most sought-after youngsters in world football, heading to the Spanish capital two years later in the summer of 2024.

Estevao Willian is another product of the Palmeiras academy with Chelsea winning the race for his signature, joining up with the Blues squad last summer. The winger turned down a move to United to link up with the Blues where he has been a bright spark in an otherwise underwhelming season at Stamford Bridge.

“Although he did not receive early recognition like his predecessors, the expectation is that Eduardo will achieve the same feats as the Lyon and Chelsea duo,’ said Transfermarkt’s Brazilian football expert Thiago Rabelo.

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^ ^ Paul Scholes names surprise Arsenal star as his ‘dream’ Manchester United signing

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes (Picture: Getty)

Paul Scholes has named three ‘realistic targets’ for Manchester United after making a U-turn and naming Arsenal star Declan Rice as his ‘dream’ signing.

United are expected to prioritise midfield reinforcements this summer ahead of Casemiro’s departure from Old Trafford.

The Red Devils were already planning to sign a new midfielder before Brazil legend Casemiro announced in January that he was leaving at the end of the season.

A number of players have been linked with moves to United, including Premier League stars Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Sando Tonali.

Scholes has backed Manchester United to prioritise the signing of a superstar midfielder this summer and surprisingly named Rice as his ‘dream’ signing.

The 11-time Premier League winner has repeatedly questioned Rice’s credentials over the past 12 months, recently naming three midfielders who are ‘better’ than the Arsenal star and also claiming the England star has not been Mikel Arteta’s best player this season.

But asked to name his ‘dream’ Manchester United signing ahead of the summer transfer window, Scholes said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast: ‘I think I would go Declan Rice.

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Arsenal and England star Declan Rice (Picture: Getty)

‘I know I’ve slagged him off a little bit but I think Manchester United need someone like Rice. I think they need a proper central midfielder.

‘I heard Rio Ferdinand say something the other day about who is a realistic managerial target for United. But every manager and player should be realistic for Man United.

‘Who isn’t a realistic target for United? I don’t believe that, I think anyone is possible for United.

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe (Picture: Getty)

‘The ones they’re talking about are Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Sando Tonali – that is a position United need to strengthen.’

Rice has been one of the most influential players in the Premier League since his £105m move from West Ham to Arsenal in 2023.

The 27-year-old is still waiting to lift his first major trophy with the Gunners, however, and was part of the Arsenal team that suffered a potentially costly defeat to Manchester City at the weekend.

Arsenal missed the chance to move 12 points clear of Man City last weekend and the 2-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium leaves Arteta’s side just three points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners have been title favourites for the majority of the campaign but Man City, boasting a game in hand, now hold that status.

Scholes’ former club Manchester United, meanwhile, got back to winning ways on Saturday, beating struggling Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Red Devils were fifth at the time of Ruben Amorim’s sacking in January but have climbed to third under caretaker boss Michael Carrick.

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^ ^ Ryan Giggs tells Michael Carrick to bring £72million star back to Manchester United

Ryan Giggs believes Rasmus Hojlund deserves second chance at Manchester United (Picture: Getty)

Ryan Giggs has back Michael Carrick to become Manchester United’s next permanent manager and has urged him to hand a lifeline to one of the club’s biggest flops of recent times.

Saturday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge saw United bounce back from Monday’s shock defeat against Leeds and take a major step towards securing Champions League qualifcation.

A return to Europe’s elite club competition looked a in severe doubt when Carrick returned to Old Trafford in January following Ruben Amorim’s shock departure.

Without adding to his squad in the transfer window, Carrick quickly restored optimism with back-to-back wins over Manchester City and Arsenal playing a more recognisable brand of football in keeping with the club’s ethos.

‘I think a strong personality and just the quiet way he’s gone about it,’ Giggs said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.

‘The way we played against Manchester City, that’s the United way pass and move, pass and move.

‘When you get into the ball into the dribblers you can make things happen, that’s when you can take risks.

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Marcus Rashford wants to stay at Barcelona (Picture: Getty)

‘Man United has always been about no player being quicker than the ball, you saw that in little triangle in the City game and that was after just a few days of training.

‘Let’s see what he can do with a pre-season and getting the players he wants.’

Should he get the job on a full-time basis, Carrick will have to make a judgement on a number of players who are currently out on loan before entering into the market for replacements.

Jadon Sancho is on loan at Aston Villa from Man Utd (Picture: Getty)

Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford are two of the most high-profile players currently enjoying temporary spells elsewhere and Giggs feels both England internationals would benefit from leaving the Theatre of Dreams.

In the case of Rasmus Hojlund, however, Giggs believes the Denmark international is deserving of a second chance and believes the 23-year-old was given the rough end of the stick at the club during the reigns of Erik ten Hag and Amorim.

‘He’s got big decisions with the likes of Marcus, Hojlund, Sancho all these players,’ said Giggs.

Rasmus Hojlund has impressed on loan at Napoli (Picture: Getty)

Asked if he would keep any of that triumverated, he added. ‘Maybe Hojlund, maybe. I thought he was unlucky he was just the only centre forward at the club.

‘Everyone expected him to come in and do great. I think Sesko gets more chances and scores more goals.

‘But you never know, if you’ve got two young, hungry centre forwards up front and say fight it out.

‘You see at United that’s always been a strength. I say training is harder than the games, if you’ve United centre halves at one end marking Sesko it’s going to be competitive.’

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^ ^ Freddie Ljungberg addresses Arsenal ‘bottlers’ label after ‘tough’ Man City loss

Mikel Arteta watched his team slip to defeat at the Etihad on Sunday (Picture: Getty Images)

Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg admits defeat to Manchester City is a big psychological blow which will be tough for his former team to recover from.

The Gunners suffered a huge setback in the Premier League title race on Sunday as they were beaten 2-1 by their closest rivals at the Etihad.

Rayan Cherki opened the scoring with a brilliant early goal, before Kai Havertz equalised with a bizarre one just two minutes later.

The German charged down City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and the Italian’s attempted clearance spooned into the back of the net.

There was not much in it and both teams created chances, but Erling Haaland completed the scoring on 65 minutes, finishing off a counter-attack in typically ruthless fashion.

Arsenal had a chance to draw level again at the death but Havertz put his free header in the penalty box over the bar.

Mikel Arteta’s team remains three points clear at the top of the table, but Manchester City have a game in hand and can leapfrog the Gunners if they win at Burnley on Wednesday.

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Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland are back on course for the title (Picture: Getty Images)

Ljungberg, who won two Premier League titles with Arsenal, admits the loss will be a hard one to take mentally and the prospect of another failed title race will be difficult for the players to deal with.

‘I think it will be big,’ the Swede told ViaPlay when asked how big a psychological blow the defeat will be for Arsenal.

‘Of course they’re professional football players and they have to deal with it. But they’ve been on top for so, so long and they’ve had history from different seasons, been called “bottlers”.

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‘Obviously I live in London, they’ve been talking about this now for the last two or three weeks. Their fans have been worried, it’s been a talking point.

‘It’s tough for them, but at the same time, you have to switch on and hope City drop points somewhere. The main thing is you concentrate on your own game, you take the points that’s needed if City slip up. But what City did today, I was impressed.’

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, who also played for Manchester City at the end of his career, feels Arsenal are failing to bridge the experience gap to their rivals when it comes to winning titles.

There now is a very real chance that Arteta’s side will finish second for the fourth season on the bounce.

Arsenal face yet more Premier League title disappointment (Picture: Getty Images)

‘The experience in this period is everything,’ said the iconic goalkeeper. ‘Understanding that even if there is a little bump here and there, you can still win it.

‘Arsenal don’t have it. It’s four consecutive years they find themselves in this situation and they still haven’t managed to get it over the line.’

The Gunners still have five Premier League games to play and there remains the chance that the destination of the title could come down to goal difference.

After City go to Burnley on Wednesday night, Arsenal are next in action at home against Newcastle on Saturday evening.

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^ ^ Gary Neville names one crucial mistake Arsenal made in Manchester City defeat

Arsenal suffered a huge setback at Manchester City on Sunday (Picture: Getty Images)

Gary Neville felt Arsenal were ‘really good’ in defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, but one lapse cost them in the crunch game in the title race.

Pep Guardiola’s side won the game 2-1 thanks to goals from Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland either side of a Kai Havertz equaliser.

It was a thoroughly entertaining contest as both teams played with energy and intent, while the stakes were incredibly high at the top of the table.

Arsenal came up short and Neville points to one moment in the build-up to the home side’s second goal which he believes cost them in an otherwise impressive performance in dealing with Manchester City.

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, he said: ‘The one mistake…on the goal where Manchester city counter-attack. What Arsenal did brilliantly in the first half was all push up together when Manchester City had the ball deep with Donnarumma or the centre-backs.

‘When they counter-attack they all get back really quickly and sunk in. I don’t know what went wrong, but Donnarumma plays a ball for the goal, he throws it, and it goes in between maybe Martinelli and Havertz on this side and all of a sudden there was acres of space. Why?

‘That shouldn’t happen. Something’s gone fundamentally wrong.

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"They're not really set" 😳Roy Keane breaks down what went wrong for Arsenal in the build-up to Erling Haaland's goal 👇 pic.twitter.com/9vkT4Szc0w

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 19, 2026

‘Either the back four haven’t pushed in and made it all compact high up the pitch with the forward players or the forward players have gone too high. I would say probably the midfield players and back players haven’t pushed in. In the first half, if you remember, Gabriel was pressing on the edge of the 18 yard box at one point.

‘Arsenal’s fatigue, maybe, and City wearing them out means that they’ve probably just not done the full press like they were in the first half. Half of them have gone and half of them have stayed back and that’s when you get big gaps from front to back

‘That was the mistake I think they made on the goal when they’re counter-attacking and Haaland gets that goal.’

Erling Haaland scored Manchester City’s winner (Picture: Getty Images)

‘That was a disappointing one because they really did work that defensively well. They either went full press or they all went back and defended deep. They got stuck in between, half and half.’

The tactical error was also spotted by Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira in the Sky Sports studio, but both pointed the finger at Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli for pressing too high and too early, leaving the space behind him.

‘Martinelli helps the goalkeeper by pressing too early, they’re not really set,’ said Keane. ‘And they don’t need to go chasing the game. Martinelli doesn’t have to press there and, if anything, it encourages the goalkeeper to throw it out.’

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His old rival said: ‘I completely agree. Even when Donnarumma gets the ball in his hand there’s a huge space between the Arsenal back four and the front players, a huge space that Arsenal wasn’t ready to put pressure.’

Neville may have pointed to one tactical mistake over the game, but Arsenal also missed chances to score which will haunt them if they do not win the Premier League title.

Mikel Arteta’s men remain top of the table, but maybe not for much longer as Manchester City can leapfrog them with a win at Burnley on Wednesday.

Kai Havertz missed two great chances (Picture: Getty Images)

‘They weren’t ruthless today, because I think the performance was there,’ said Neville. ‘That’s as good as you’ll see a team come and play at Manchester City. They were really good, however, they’ve missed three or four big chances.

‘Havertz misses the one-on-one when Donnarumma comes out, [Eberchi] Eze’s one off the post, then you’ve got the Gabriel header and the Havertz header at the end. Three or four massive chances.

‘If you said you’re going to get three or four chances like that against Manchester City here, you have to take one of them! They’ve not been ruthless and taken it.’

The title race is still very much on as victory for City at Turf Moor would only put them level on points with Arsenal, but ahead on goal difference or goals scored.

Then would come a sprint finish with five games to go and neither team able to afford a mistake.

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