AC Milan's Christian Pulisic has sent a heart-warming throwback birthday message to fellow USMNT star Haji Wright.
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Having dismissed Australia A early in the first session, opening batsmen R Samarth and Easwaran brought India A back into the game
The Report by Varun Shetty in Alur09-Sep-2018R Samarth clips to the leg side•PTI
Having dismissed Australia A early in the first session through Kuldeep Yadav’s five-for, after conceding the momentum to a lower-order partnership on Saturday, India A came roaring back into the game. At stumps on the second day, they were in a strong position at 223 for 3. Openers R Samarth and Abhimanyu Easwaran led that effort, putting on 174.Samarth and Easwaran had small passages of trouble. They batted solidly until lunch, but the tougher task was posed immediately after they returned, with fast bowler Brendan Doggett immediately adopting a short-ball strategy. The most eventful over of the middle session ensued, with Samarth nearly fending the first ball to short leg, then running the next one fine with control. Doggett kept at it though, banging it short and enticing Samarth to play the hook. The batsman obliged as well, but under-edged twice in a row, nearly being bowled the second time. The next ball was gloved over leg slip as he played the shot again, but when he got on top of the next one and punched it through cover, the challenge had ended.Easwaran was adept against the short ball, choosing the cautious approach as opposed to Samarth’s method. When they’d successfully played out that spell, Australia were set for a long day. The spinners got little help from the wicket, despite extreme sun exposure on the hottest day of the match. This was largely because they constantly strayed full. Samarth and Easwaran, who have shown affinity to drive through the off side, kept taking the scoring opportunities.They weren’t letting the singles go either, taking on many half-chances in the in-field, and only once getting into a mix-up. With the fast bowlers getting nothing out of the surface and the spinners unable to gain control, the openers batted through the entire middle session to take India to 124 for 0. At that point, Australia had used seven bowlers in 37 overs. Marsh himself was one of them – having refrained from bowling in the first Test – but his return with the ball was ineffective.While Samarth had been the aggressor, hovering at a strike rate close to 70 for most of his innings, Easwaran gave himself time before opening up. He dominated the play in the lead-up to Samarth’s wicket. Agar, who improved drastically through his second and third spells, got an arm ball to slip through Samarth’s defences and trapped him in front. The openers had put on 174 and halved the deficit by then.But India offered Australia a way back in. Off the first ball of Agar’s next over, Easwaran called for a run from the non-striker’s end when Shreyas Iyer had dabbed one to cover’s left. However, Iyer, still new to the crease and considerably into a forward stride, wasn’t keen on the run. Easwaran tried desperately to make his way back, but was caught short by a run-out. India’s batsmen haven’t made a hundred in this series yet, and Easwaran was the latest on the list of those who came close.While Australia managed to slow things down after and having produced some nervy moments for Iyer and Ankit Bawne, they didn’t look any closer to getting a wicket until Mitchell Swepson changed the angle against Bawne in the penultimate over of the day. The legpsinner kept cover open and tossed one wide outside off from around the wicket, getting the batsman to attempt a drive that he wasn’t close enough to play. Matthew Renshaw held on at first slip.Australia’s brightest period in the day had come early when Marsh, having survived an lbw shout and narrowly escaping when an arm ball missed off stump on 91, pushed on to make his eighth first-class century. At the other end, he’d lost overnight partner Michael Neser in the second over of the day, and the rest of the lower order was powerless against Kuldeep. Marsh attempted to up the run rate as a result, but with one ball to survive in the 109th over, Doggett stretched forward to defend a Kuldeep wrong’un that he hadn’t picked. The edge was taken at first slip and Kuldeep completed his eighth five-wicket haul. Australia added only 56 to their overnight score.
Lancashire have won the race to sign Northants seamer Richard Gleeson.Gleeson, one of the quickest bowlers in the county game, was of interest to several of the bigger counties but has chosen to return to the county of his birth.Although he was not out of contract at Northants, he had a release clause in his contract that allowed him to leave if compensation terms were met. It is understood the cash-strapped club had advertised his availability and received a substantial payment from Lancashire.Although aged 30, Gleeson has played only 22 first-class games having been something of a late developer in the game. After impressing in Minor Counties cricket for Cumberland, Gleeson made his first-class debut in 2015 and played for Northants on a match-by-match basis in 2016. He claimed his best innings and match figures in first-class cricket – 6 for 79 and 9 for 95 respectively – earlier this week.Until winning his late opportunity, Gleeson worked as a community coach for the Lancashire Cricket Board. So quick has his progress been, however, that he was called into the England Lions squad in the Caribbean earlier this year.Injury has disrupted his Northants season but he sits at the top of both their Championship and Vitality Blast averages.
Manchester United’s season went from bad to worse as they lost to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup last night, ending their defence of the trophy in the process.
If Erik ten Hag was feeling the heat before the match, then this abject display will pile even more pressure on him heading into the Premier League fixture against Fulham on the weekend.
United were poor throughout the tie, going into the halftime break trailing by two goals, and it didn’t get much better during the second period either as Joe Willock nailed the door shut by scoring the third with 30 minutes left on the clock.
Not a single United player received pass marks after the woeful loss, but some players were worse than others – including Diogo Dalot.
Diego Dalot’s statistics against Newcastle United
The Portuguese right-back was not at his best against a Newcastle side who were clearly in the mood to cause some havoc to a United defence which looked shaky right from the start.
The defender was caught out on numerous occasions and was criticised by journalist Samuel Luckhurst, who said that theformer Porto man was “having a nightmare” which summed up his performance in a nutshell.
Dalot – who was caught napping for Miguel Almiron's opener – completed just 16 passes during the first half while losing possession 11 times and being dribbled past once.
The 24-year-old failed to support the attack as he attempted zero dribbles along with just one cross, which wasn’t accurate, and was subsequently subbed off at half-time.
Although Dalot endured a terrible display, Antony was arguably their worst performer as he offered nothing yet again.
Antony’s numbers vs Newcastle United
The Brazilian winger failed to score or assist across eight matches prior to taking to the pitch against the Magpies, and he didn’t offer any meaningful attacking threat going forward.
He did take 58 touches during his time on the pitch, suggesting he was looking to make an impact, yet the former Ajax man failed to deliver in what was another disappointing performance.
Antony delivered four crosses into the box, yet none were accurate, and he managed to take just one shot during the whole match, which was of course, off target.
Touches
58
Pass Accuracy
89%
Cross Success
0/4
Dribble Success
1/5
Duels Won
5/14
Possession Lost
15x
Stats via Sofascore.
Defensively, the 23-year-old lost possession 15 times – more than Dalot – and won just five of the 13 ground duels that he contested, clearly indicating that he struggled to impose himself in the physical battles against the Newcastle defence.
In a 'one dimensional performance' – as Luckhurst noted for Manchester Evening News – the polarising enigma yet again failed to live up to the vast £86m transfer fee Ten Hag shelled out on him last summer, as he increasingly looks like a massive, costly mistake.
It was yet another woeful performance by the Old Trafford side, and it hasn’t been the first time they have been humbled at home. With the Premier League looking out of reach and qualification in the Champions League not looking promising, the League Cup was seen as a chance to secure another trophy.
This result means the Red Devils could end the season trophyless and with the way they are playing, it wouldn’t be a surprise in the slightest.
Dalot was underwhelming and Antony was uninspired, yet the whole team showed a lack of character and fight which was so prevalent under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The captain and her understudy hit fifties to lead Australia’s comeback after they were reduced to 4 for 45 in a chase of 163
The Report by Daniel Brettig29-Sep-20182:29
Keen to change poor T20I record against New Zealand – Lanning
Australia’s captain Meg Lanning and her leadership understudy Rachael Haynes took command of a steep chase to fire the hosts to victory over New Zealand in the opening Twenty20 international, in front of an enthusiastic North Sydney Oval crowd and a prime time television audience on the new free-to-air broadcaster, Seven.This match was the first televised international on Australian soil not broadcast by Channel Nine in almost 40 years, signalling the start of a new era for the game in Australia, and Lanning and Haynes ensured that it would be marked with a winning result for the home side. Katey Martin and Sophie Devine had led New Zealand to 162, a total that had not appeared likely when the tourists were 5 for 120 with fewer than four overs remaining.However Martin’s clean hitting, with help from Bernadine Bezuidenhout, presented the Australians with a more challenging task, and early wickets in the pursuit did not aid their cause. Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani fell in the space of a single Devine over, while Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner also fell swiftly. At 4 for 45, New Zealand appeared very much the more likely winner.But Australia’s women have never lost a T20 international at North Sydney, and Lanning’s team consider the ground their most valued home advantage. A fierce intent to protect that record was write large across the partnership that subsequently developed between Lanning, who missed last year’s Ashes series due to shoulder surgery, and Haynes, who had successfully deputised for the captain.It was actually Haynes who played the more dominant role in the stand, unusually given Lanning’s pre-eminence as a power hitter and stroke maker in the women’s game. This dynamic flummoxed New Zealand and their captain Amy Satterthwaite, who was unable to summon any bowling combination to limit the Australian pair.Having initially allowed the required run rate to drift out, Haynes and Lanning reeled it in steadily, before ultimately cruising past the total with 14 balls to spare with a flurry of boundaries towards the end of the chase. Devine’s 2 for 31 was the only analysis that sufficiently contained the Australians, with victory arriving as the stand swelled to an unbeaten 119 for the fifth wicket – Australia’s star allrounder Ellyse Perry was not even required to bat.She had bowled with notable economy in New Zealand’s innings, a trait also shared by the spell of Sophie Molineux. While Martin and Devine were able to find the boundary regularly against the rest of the Australian attack, they were unable to climb high enough to prevent Lanning’s collective from preserving their proud North Sydney record as a new era began.
MatériaMais Notícias
Após um dia de folga, a reapresentação do Flamengo nesta quinta, no Ninho do Urubu, foi de boas notícias para o técnico Rogério Ceni. Além de Isla não ter lesão constatada, o centroavante Pedro foi ao campo do CT e fez uma atividade, ainda separado do grupo principal, com bola. Em recuperação de lesão muscular na coxa direita, sofrida em passagem pela Seleção Brasileira, o camisa 21 realizou “trabalho de transição”, conforme divulgado pelo clube, e é preparado para retornar contra o Racing, na próxima terça, pela Libertadores.
Pedro atuou pelo Brasil, contra o Peru no dia 13 de novembro, e retornou ao Flamengo, no dia 15, com o problema muscular. Desde então, desfalcou o Rubro-Negro contra Atlético-GO, São Paulo, Coritiba e Racing, da Argentina.
Confira imagens do trabalho realizado pelo centroavante nesta quinta-feira.
RelacionadasFlamengoFlamengo se reapresenta no Ninho do Urubu; Isla não tem lesão constatadaFlamengo26/11/2020FlamengoFilipe Luís tira sarro da ‘cera’ de Diego Alves pela LibertadoresFlamengo26/11/2020FlamengoRecuperado de lesão, meia-atacante do Flamengo volta aos treinos após nove mesesFlamengo26/11/2020
O atacante @Pedro9oficial realiza trabalho de transição no campo #CRF pic.twitter.com/yIJXouN1vY
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) November 26, 2020
Acompanhado pelos fisioterapeutas do Flamengo, Rodrigo Caio também trabalhou no campo no CT, ainda individualmente. O zagueiro, com uma sequência de lesões e problemas musculares, não atua pelo Flamengo desde 22 de setembro. Confira a publicação feita pelo Rubro-Negro nas redes abaixo.
Até por conta deste longo período de inatividade, o retorno de Rodrigo Caio ao time do Flamengo diante do Racing é mais incerta do que a de Pedro na próxima terça-feira, no Maracanã. O retorno, contudo, ganhou “tom de urgência” diante dos erros consecutivos e das expulsões de Gustavo Henrique e Natan no jogo de ida, no empate em 1 a 1 no El Cilindro, em Buenos Aires.
O zagueiro @RCaio03 faz exercícios no campo acompanhado pelos fisioterapeutas. #CRF pic.twitter.com/bUcynojWuz
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) November 26, 2020
Kobbie Mainoo made his England debut on Saturday, coming on for Conor Gallagher after 75 minutes against Brazil.
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Mainoo comes on for England18-year-old makes debutYoungster has impressed for United(C)GettyImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
With the score at 0-0, Gareth Southgate turned to the Manchester United midfielder to make his senior debut for the national side. Mainoo has impressed for United this season and the England boss listened to the demands to call up the 18-year-old, with the European Championships in mind.
AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Mainoo has not had to wait long to receive his first England call up having only made his full Premier League debut in November 2023 against Everton. Despite his lack of experience, there may be place for the youngster to feature at the major tournament in the summer.
GettyDID YOU KNOW?
Mainoo is just the 14th player to make his England debut aged 18 and younger this century with his teammate Jude Bellingham the last to do so. Theo Walcott shocked the world when he was called up for the World Cup in 2006 aged 17, and Mainoo may be the next youngster to be named in a major tournament.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MAINOO?
Mainoo may begin dreaming of playing for England in the European Championships. He will hope to feature again for England and make his first start against Belgium on Tuesday.
His efforts on Saturday, however, were in vain, as a late Endrick strike sealed a 1-0 victory for Brazil.
How fortunes change in football. In the blink of an eye, heroes can plummet to zero and rags can turn to riches; Tottenham Hotspur currently revel in the brighter side of this expression, having undergone a remarkable transformation under Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs currently perch atop the Premier League table after ten matches, boasting a two-point lead over London rivals Arsenal after enduring a miserable term last time out, lumbering to an eighth-placed finish and consequently losing club-record scorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
Postecoglou has spruced up the squad and glued it together in swift time, and while the focus is firmly fixed on sustaining their brilliant purple patch, reports indicate that Tottenham are already preparing to bolster the side in 2024.
Tottenham's transfer targets
Despite Kane's sale, Postecoglou refrained from adding a first-rate centre-forward during the summer, instead deploying Son Heung-min (the newly-appointed captain) as the focal frontman, where he has scored eight times in his past seven matches.
The South Korean star looks set to dominate as the arrowhead for the foreseeable future, which seemingly consolidates Postecoglou's decision to spread the offensive quality across other areas of the attack instead, and this is something that could continue, following recent news from Italy.
According to Calciomercato, Serie A giants Juventus have made Federico Chiesa available for transfer ahead of the January transfer window, setting a £52m asking price for the Italy international.
The winger's contract at the Allianz Stadium expires in 2025, and with no resolution in sight, officials of the financially imperilled side are hoping to claim some monetary succour.
With Newcastle United also intrigued by the player's availability, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will need to start putting a plan into action to secure his services, though indications suggest that this has already happened.
Why Tottenham are interested in Federico Chiesa
Chiesa was an important member of the Old Lady after signing from divisional rivals Fiorentina in a €40m (£35m) transfer in 2022 having spent two years on loan.
The whiz would plunder 14 goals and ten assists across all competitions during the 2020/21 season – his first in Turin – having also played an integral role in Italy's triumph in the European Championship the following summer.
Indeed, scoring twice across seven matches for his nation, Chiesa also completed 80% of his passes, created three big chances, took 2.4 shots per game and succeeded with 60% of his dribbles, emphasising his knack for striking in big moments.
However, knee injuries have proved detrimental to his progress over recent years, having missed 62 matches after sustaining an ACL injury in 2022, consequently rebuilding at the business end of the 2022/23 term and returning to form with four direct contributions across the final five league outings.
The £175k-per-week Juve ace has since harnessed his prolific ability, scoring four goals and providing one assist from eight matches across all competitions this term.
As per FBref, the 26-year-old ranks among the top 4% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for progressive passes, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 6% for successful take-ons and the top 5% for tackles per 90.
Player
Club
Cody Gakpo
Liverpool
Alexis Sanchez
Inter
Antoine Griezmann
Atletico Madrid
Rodrygo
Real Madrid
Gabriel Jesus
Arsenal
*Statistics sourced via FBref
As the table above outlines, Chiesa is among the most nimble, creative and fleet-footed forwards around, and the esteemed company he perches in regard to his playing style suggests that Tottenham could make good use of his talents.
Once hailed as a "wizard" by writer Roger Bennett, Chiesa has this season been deployed in a sort of shadow-striker role behind the centre-forward and blending his attributes to thread the team together, and his goal haul suggests that he is more than competent in the position.
An adept ball-player and a growing force in front of goal, Chiesa is exactly the kind of forward that Postecoglou could throw right into the starting fold, with his ability surpassing that of Richarlison, who has ebbed and flowed in terms of form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A "world-class" Richarlison upgrade
Unfortunately, Richarlison's transfer to north London just doesn't appear to have worked out, and while Tottenham are thriving, the Brazilian is still moored in mediocrity – and certainly not an immovable force in Postecoglou's starting line-up.
Signing from Premier League rivals Everton for £60m in July 2022, the 5 foot 10 forward was poised for immense success, having been an effective talisman on the blue half of Merseyside for several years, even claiming that former boss Carlo Ancelotti projected him to win the Ballon d'Or in the past.
The £90k-per-week Lilywhite ranks among the top 15% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 5% for touches in the attacking box and the top 4% for aerial wins per 90, illustrating his aptitude as a focal point.
Postecoglou has stated that he maintains faith in his relentless runner given that he is a "constant nuisance for defenders", and in fairness, there's no denying that there have been improvements under the Australian's wing.
But in Chiesa, Spurs could unleash a monster of a different breed, one of immense technical quality and a tenacious, indomitable energy that comes only from those who have conquered severe injury and returned to form thereafter.
Described as "world-class" by former Italy international Alessandro Pierini, Chiesa can play across the frontline and would be a sterling addition to a fast-rising team in Spurs, who are nurturing their fluidity and ferocity at an alarming rate.
The Juventus dynamo is a protean threat with a proven track record for posting both goals and assists in abundance, and as Tottenham look to strengthen their burgeoning squad, Chiesa's is the signature worth throwing the kitchen sink at.
Liverpool's recruitment strategy is admired these days for their ability to be proactive rather than reactive in the transfer market, sticking to a plan and being prepared to wait for the player they want to become available rather than settling for a fall-back option.
During the Jurgen Klopp era, this has been particularly prevalent, with this strategy enabling the German to construct a squad capable of challenging for the top prizes in England and Europe.
The consistency of this approach has elevated Liverpool's modern-day recruitment to its current level with the club channelling their ability to find and secure some of the world's best players before their rivals, breaking the bank on stars, some of which have been instrumental through their trophy-laden period.
Darwin Nunez (Benfica)
£85.6m
Virgil van Dijk (Southampton)
£76.2m
Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig)
£60m
Alisson Becker (AS Roma)
£56.3m
Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton)
£55m
All fees via Football Transfers.
When Alisson joined Liverpool he became the world's most expensive goalkeeper and Van Dijk smashed their transfer record, but both repaid their hefty price tags by forming the bedrock of the club's golden period.
While those two are examples of big-money deals paying dividends, scouring the globe for talent often comes with its pitfalls, as was the case when the Reds broke their club transfer record in 2004 to bring in French forward Djibril Cisse.
How much did Djibril Cisse cost Liverpool?
The Reds were assembling a squad capable of stars that ended up elevating them towards their Champions League triumph. Xabi Alonso arrived from Real Sociedad to form an instrumental partnership with Steven Gerrard in the engine room, silky winger Luis Garcia was snapped up from Barcelona and Djibril Cisse was prised away from Ligue 1 side Auxerre for £14m, a pretty penny 19 years ago.
The 23-year-old had been on Liverpool's radar for some time and this was hardly surprising given his compatriot, Gerard Houllier, was the man at the helm when he emerged as one of Europe's top striking talents.
Despite his tender age, the Frenchman was devastatingly plying his trade for Auxerre, smashing in a sensational 90 goals in 169 appearances before his Liverpool move, but it was in the 2001/02 season when he truly announced his name to the football world.
One of the finest goal-getters by his pace, power and nerveless finishing, Cisse finished as the Ligue 1's top scorer in that campaign with 22 goals from only 29 appearances to help Auxerre finish third and qualify for the Champions League.
With an already impressive CV to his name, Cisse's attributes were expected to flourish in the English game and become one of the league's destructive strikers.
How did Djibril Cisse perform at Liverpool?
After scoring 100 goals before the age of 23, Cisse's move to Liverpool was greeted with a hefty dose of excitement.
He had been targetted by Houllier but after joining found out that the man who engineered the transfer had been sacked and replaced by Rafa Benitez, a manager who labelled the striker as "fantastic".
While a change like that can do damage to a player's progress, it was a freak incident against Blackburn Rovers, in which Cisse broke his leg, that ultimately threatened to derail the career of a star who looked destined to reach the very top.
Despite missing large parts of his first season at Anfield, he did score a penalty in the 2005 shootout against AC Milan as the Reds scooped the Champions League in Istanbul, and the French prodigy experienced pure elation after a torrid campaign.
He started his next term on fire, scoring four goals in five Champions League qualifiers, but his most important goal of that campaign would come against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup final, kickstarting their comeback.
What is Djibril Cisse doing now?
Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the striker at Anfield, departing on loan to Marseille in the summer before leaving permanently the following year after scoring 24 goals in 79 appearances for the Reds.
Later on in his career after being sold for £6m to Marseille, Cisse would turn out for Premier League sides Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers before announcing his full retirement from the sport in 2018.
Now 42-years-old and enjoying life as a worldwide DJ, Cisse has devoted his passion from scoring goals to playing sets across the globe.
West Ham United have endured a rollercoaster of a year, from the disappointment of finishing in 14th place in the Premier League to the highs of securing their first piece of silverware in 43 years as they won the Europa Conference League in June.
Having subsequently qualified for the Europa League, the Hammers overhauled their squad significantly last summer, receiving a staggering £105m from Arsenal for their captain Declan Rice and used that war chest of funds to bring in several quality additions.
The likes of James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus have hit the ground running in claret and blue, with Ward-Prowse, in particular, projecting magic from his wand of a right foot having produced a whopping ten assists in his first 17 appearances.
While that trio represent astute pieces of business, West Ham haven't always hit the sweet spot in the recruitment department, as demonstrated by their tendency to throw away large sums of money.
David Moyes has been backed by the board with plenty of funds to bolster his squad and chronic spending in the window has largely resulted in their trophy-winning success.
Unfortunately, there have been a number of questionable moves made by the Scotsman during his time at the London Stadium and the decision to pay £35.5m for Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo in 2022 was one of them.
While it didn't work out for the Italian in east London as he was instantly offloaded to Atalanta this year for £27m, the misfiring marksman has now outscored current West Ham striker, Michail Antonio, since leaving the club.
Scamacca's goal record for West Ham
Scamacca ticked the box of every attribute Moyes looks for in a striker – aerially dominant, incredibly strong at holding up the ball and a clinical finisher in the box.
It was those above attributes – married with his goal record – that got supporters salivating over the prospect of seeing him become the talismanic figure in the Hammers attack.
He arrived in England on the back of a 16-goal season in Serie A, an impressive tally which saw him finish above the likes of Victor Osimhen, Edin Dzeko and Rafael Leao in the scoring charts.
The 6 foot 5 brute was the perfect fit in Moyes' direct system, he had the physicality to deal with the challenges presented in the Premier League and the scoring record to boot, but he still struggled – like many before him – to carry his scoring powers across to the London Stadium.
Sebastien Haller, for instance, is someone who served as a timely reminder that strikers tend to lose their scoring touch in claret and blue but rediscover it after departing.
In 54 appearances for the Irons, he only scored 14 goals, however, once he joined Ajax in January 2021, he became one of the deadliest strikers in Europe, outscoring the likes of Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2021/22 Champions League campaign with an eye-watering 11 goals in eight appearances.
It appears that being released from the shackles of a Moyes system does wonders for a striker's exploits in front of goal with Scamacca following that trend.
While he only netted three goals in 16 Premier League appearances for the club, he has gone on to become a revelation for Atalanta so far.
Scamacca's goal record for Atalanta
Since returning to Italian shores, Scamacca's confidence has gone through the roof and this was demonstrated by his audacious backheel goal against Empoli which saw him win the Serie A Goal of the Month award.
That delightful piece of skill didn't just earn him that accolade but also drew in a whole host of plaudits with journalist Zach Lowy labelling the 24-year-old as "sensational" for managing to pull it off.
One of five goals he's scored in nine Serie A appearances this term, the West Ham flop is flying for the Champions League challengers, who are currently one point behind fourth-place Napoli in the table.
What's more impressive about Scamacca's goal record, he's scoring at a rate of 100 mins per goal – a statistic only bettered by Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez – who tops the charts with 12 goals this season.
Progressive passes received
10.80 / top 2%
Shots total
4.68 / top 2%
Non-penalty goals
0.90 / top 6%
Carries
30.06 / top 9%
Touches (Att Pen)
6.84 / top 9%
Goal-creating actions
0.54 / top 13%
Assists
0.18 / top 20%
Successful take-ons
1.62 / top 24%
All stats via FBref
As shown by the table above, when comparing his attacking statistics to his positional peers in the division, Scamacca's metrics prove that he's one of the most dangerous strikers.
If only Moyes persevered with a man who has outscored Antonio since departing the club, perhaps he would have thrived with the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta and Ward-Prowse feeding him.
Michail Antonio's statistics this season
Antonio's rapid decline this season – and their failure to replace him – has made the decision to sell Scamacca look even worse.
The Jamaican powerhouse – who boldly stated earlier this year that Scamacca was not suited to Moyes' style of play – has only scored twice in 12 appearances this term and is currently on a barren streak of nine matches without a goal.
To make matters worse, it isn't just in the goal department where the 33-year-old has let the Hammers down, producing just 0.8 shots per game, an xG of 1.85, a measly pass completion of 63% and only one big chance created, as per Sofascore.
If West Ham have aspirations of becoming regular European challengers, they'll need to sign a quality striker to replace Antonio, which is something they've failed to do in recent years.
While it is difficult to rue the decision to sell a striker who only netted three times in 16 top-flight matches, the Hammers could regret not putting that money to good use last summer come the end of the season, unless they splash the cash on a prolific striker in January.