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Arsenal fans on Twitter have been raving about the excellent performance of wing-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles against Rennes on Thursday evening.

Following his wonderful Manchester United showing, the 21-year-old started at right wing-back for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium, within a 3-4-1-2 formation.

He was instrumental in a 3-0 victory that saw Unai Emery’s men overturn a 3-1 deficit to progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, capping off his first goal in European football with impressive statistics like 79 per cent pass completion and five completed tackles.

And Gooners were absolutely lapping up the homegrown player’s showing on social media with one proclaiming that he’s getting “better game by game” having found a settled position for now, despite becoming something of a utility man in his short career so far.

Meanwhile, other supporters congratulated the starlet by calling him his affectionate nickname of “Birdman,” praised up Maitland-Niles’ all-around performance on the special night and advocated for the England youth international winning the Man of the Match award in a game of many eye-catching individual Arsenal displays.

Check out our list of the best reactive Tweets from Gunners fans to one of their own’s big contribution below…

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It may have taken Diogo Jota until December to score his first Premier League goal but since then he’s become one of the most dangerous threats in the division.

That was evident against Manchester United on Tuesday evening as the forward was again in top form, scoring the club’s equaliser as they won 2-1. The win was symbolic of the way they’ve played this term, securing yet another victory over a top-six side.

There were some key performers against United but Jota stood out with fans flocking to Twitter to praise the star.

One fan noted his transformation since the back end of last year whilst another claimed he’d finally arrived after taking a while to adapt.

Supporters were left salivating from the mouth over the 22-year-old, calling him a legend and describing his performance as immense.

Jota recently received his first call up to the Portuguese national team, just reward for his exceptional displays over recent months.

Raul Jimenez is turning it on for Wolves and Mexico right now! He definitely deserves the song in the video below…

In 30 matches in all competitions this season he has scored eight goals and registered four assists.

Wolves fans will now be hoping he can replicate his performance as they take on Watford at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday.

Here’s what the Molineux faithful have been saying about Jota on Twitter…

Arsenal’s recent form has left them in a perfect position to see the season out and secure a spot in Europe’s main club competition again next season.

Five wins from their last seven matches in all competitions have seen the Gunners climb to fourth spot in the Premier League, one point behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur, while they also booked their spot in the Europa League quarterfinals after overturning a two-goal deficit to come out on top against Rennes in the Round of 16 of the competition.

And, having played all of the top six clubs twice already, the Gunners fans have reason to be optimistic about the direction they’re heading in with the international break taking place this week.

But, the Gunners have shown in the past that they are a team that can easily lose their momentum if any sort of change is made to their playing or training routine and that’s why the two weeks off might actually be harmful to Unai Emery and his squad.

Arsenal have a number of players who are on international duty this coming week and Emery will be hoping these players can stay injury free in that time, but the mere fact that the squad had to split up could be just as disruptive as an injury. Indeed, some of the stars appeared to have a great energy and bond between them in recent weeks, with Mesut Ozil, in particular, making a return to the first team against Manchester United and Rennes.

Now, that confidence and energy could go out of the window due to the fact that they only play on the first day of April again.

Arsenal face Newcastle United that Monday evening at the Emirates, but given their recent performances they probably would’ve preferred to continue playing together as a team at least twice or twice a week.

For Emery, this is now a big test to keep his players together when they return from the international break and get them straight back into that confident and determined mindset they had up until now.

Arsenal fans, do you think you’ll finish in the top four? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Watford got involved in the April Fools Day festivities by cleverly responding to leaked images of their 2019/20 kit season with the supposed ‘real kit’ – later on Monday, though, the club addressed the images formally and it turns out that the leaked pictures were accurate after all. Some fans are disappointed; others love it.

The Hornets currently sit 10th in the standings and will be hoping to push for seventh place in the remaining weeks of what has been a fantastic season. The Hertfordshire outfit are just one point off current league-of-14 leaders Wolves and it’s still all to play for – regardless of whether they usurp last season’s Championship winners, Javi Gracia’s side have been exceptional this campaign.

Whether you pay much attention to superstitions or not, Watford have found success with their black and yellow stripes this season and some of the Vicarage Road faithful, who have become accustomed to the club making big changes in recent years, think that it would be unwise to stray too far from the current design.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

Meanwhile others pined for the ‘banter kit’ to return and replace the plain half-and-half strip – you can find the best of the reaction below…

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Jordan Pickford has rather foolishly admitted that Newcastle fans got to him during their dramatic comeback over his Everton side, and fans are responding by turning up the heat even more.

It is standard procedure for a player to attract boos when they visit their former rivals with a new club, but the performance and behaviour of Pickford at St. James’ Park was truly bizarre.

The ex-Black Cat appeared to forget that football is a game of two halves, winding up the Toon Army at every opportunity after his side took an early 2-0 lead.

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

Of course, the Toffees collapsed in the second half, and Pickford was solely at fault for the second Magpies goal.

The 25 year-old has finally had his say: “With me being a Sunderland lad, in front of 52,000 Newcastle fans hurling abuse at you for the full game . . . too much stuff; it was just all about being a Sunderland fan.

“That sort of language, maybe it did get to me a bit too much. But I’m only 25. It’s a learning curve. Next time I go there, I won’t be getting involved as much. I bounced back with a solid performance against Chelsea. It’s ‘How do I improve for the next game?’”

While Pickford’s honesty is somewhat admirable, it does seem rather foolish, as it will only invite even more abuse the next time he visits his old foes.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where the Newcastle faithful have absolutely no sympathy for the England international…

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That’s a pretty poor name, isn’t it? It’ll become even worse if Daniel Levy fails to sell the naming rights and any possible success is thwarted because of it.

When Arsenal moved grounds, the naming rights were immediately sold to Emirates and they’ve reaped over £100m through that deal since its opening in 2006. Despite this, Arsenal have still been notoriously strapped for cash since moving from Highbury.

So even with a stadium sponsor, Spurs’ neighbours haven’t had the money required to invest enough in a squad capable of winning the league. Imagine if Levy fails to make a deal at all. They could spend years out of pocket, particularly after throwing so much cash at workers to get the stadium done.

It’s a truly amazing ground, and it should be a symbol of opportunity and success, but it could quickly turn into the most expensive mistake of the club’s history if they don’t manage it properly.

Clearly, Spurs are on the cusp of a title challenge and have an exciting team that, with some expensive additions, could win trophies. If there’s no money to spend though, that opportunity is missed and the mentality of fans won’t morph into an optimistic one.

Sell it well and Spurs could be bringing in enough money to build on their already talented squad, but if Levy doesn’t manage to sort a deal then the club may have to go without spending as much as everyone else for a lot longer.

Spurs fans, who would you add to your squad to mount a title challenge next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Liverpool fans on Twitter are in a confident mood after it was revealed that they would be facing Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Portuguese side are perhaps the weakest team left in the competition, and the Reds supporters will be keen to see a repeat of the previous campaign’s meeting between the pair at the last 16 stage of the tournament.

Is Jurgen Klopp a “serial bottler”? The fan in the video below certainly thinks so…

Jurgen Klopp’s men thrashed Porto by five goals to nil on their own turf, before playing out a dead rubber affair at Anfield which saw the final aggregate result stand at a comprehensive 5-0.

The Merseysiders will still be bearing the wounds of their shambolic defeat to Real Madrid in the final of last season’s competition, in which Mohamed Salah was forced off injured and Loris Karius almost single-handedly lost the game for his side.

Liverpool will face either Barcelona or Manchester United in the semi-finals if they can overcome Porto, so let’s see what the club’s supporters are saying about the draw on Twitter…

أشاد مرتضى منصور رئيس الزمالك، بفوز النادي الأهلي على الوداد المغربي في دوري أبطل إفريقيا، مؤكدًا أنه يتمنى ملاقاته في مباراة النهائي أمام القلعة البيضاء.

وقال منصور في تصريحات تلفزيونية ببرنامج “زملكاوي” عبر فضائية “الزمالك”: “جمهور الزمالك العظيم، وباتشيكو مدير فني محترم جدًا، رغم اختلاف البعض عليه”.

طالع | إسماعيل يوسف: تألق أبو جبل أنقذ الزمالك.. وباتشيكو جريء

وأضاف: “أبارك لجهازه المعاون والجهاز الطبي والإداري، إسماعيل يوسف وأحمد مرتضى، صعوبة مباراة الرجاء والزمالك أكثر من لقاء الأهلي والوداد، الرجاء كان يريد ان يفوز بعد خسارة الوداد أمس، فكان لقاء صعب واللاعبين كانوا رجالًا”.

وأردف: “الأهلي شرفنا أمام الوداد، وأتمنى مواجهته في النهائي، لاعبو الأحمر كانوا على أعلى مستوى وشرفوا جماهيرهم، والأهلي كان يمثل مصر”.

واستكمل: “اليوم كان هناك إصابات وإجهاد، (نصف الفريق ناقص ولكن ربنا كرمنا في المغرب)، ومن هنا ستبدأ الصفحة على كل من تأمر على الزمالك”.

واستطرد: “الصفحة لم تغلق بعد يا عمرو الجنايني وهشام حطب”.

وتابع: “حدثت فضيحة اليوم في المحكمة، العصابة الإجرامية التي تحارب الزمالك ليس لصالح للأهلي ولكن لصالح قطر، سأحصل على حقي بيدي من داخل اتحاد الكرة ياجنايني بعد سبابك لي”.

واختتم: “جاء لنادي الزمالك رئيس قوي ومحترم بعد أن كان النادي مديون بمليار جنيه حاليًا هناك وفرة مادية، هناك رئيس نادي قوي وأغلق حنفية الفساد”.

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Manchester United fans on Twitter have been busy discussing the prospect of Gary Neville becoming the club’s sporting director, a topic which appears to have split the fanbase.

The conversation had been started after Eni Aluko tipped the former United right-back as the ‘perfect choice’ for the role.

Watch the video below to find out what Jesse Lingard is like off the pitch in the latest Match Of The Bae with Emma Conybeare…

It is common knowledge that the Red Devils currently do not have a sporting director to assist Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with all things football, but most notably, transfers.

The 20-time Premier League champions seem to have lacked direction in the transfer market of late, with their botched deal to sign Alexis Sanchez more than concrete proof of that.

For a job of this size, it would be a hugely controversial move to appoint Neville as sporting director given the magnitude of the task ahead.

Neville does have a good knowledge of the club having spent his entire career at Old Trafford though, and has some business experience from his role as co-owner of Salford City.

However, that hasn’t been enough to convince all of the United fanbase on Twitter that he is the man for the job…

West Bromwich Albion have some decisive weeks coming up.

Not only is their Premier League promotion at stake, the Baggies need to plan heavily for a new manager and their squad for next season. No matter what division they’re in, it’s clear the Hawthorns needs to house a rebuild.

While Jimmy Shan’s long-term replacement is still up in the air, they need to prioritise holding onto their prized assets next season. To that end, Dwight Gayle’s deal is still not permanent and according to reports from the Chronicle, there are other suitors circling around him.

Rather scarily, Fulham are reportedly interested in signing him, but the Baggies cannot allow that to happen.

Gayle’s been an excellent addition to their squad, adding mobility, excitement, goals with his natural instincts. He’s linked up with the experienced Jay Rodriguez really well to create one of the most dangerous combinations in the Championship.

It’s no surprise the Baggies are experiencing one of their best goal-scoring seasons in years thanks to their clinical attack. Yes, there are obvious concerns as to his ability to score goals in the Premier League but for any side either looking to go up or just about survive once there, the former Crystal Palace ace has previous.

The 28-year-old’s netted 21 times for the Baggies in his debut season, showcasing prime striker’s instincts and few would doubt he’s a wonderful addition to any side in West Brom’s position. He’s remained alert and agile in the final third, benefitting from West Brom’s direct system to showcase his all-around finishing ability. However, Gayle’s ability to move in from the wings or kick-start attacks by going deep are invaluable to West Brom’s success.

Irrespective of whether they’re playing in the Premier League or not, the Baggies need to retain their dangerous combination next season.

Gayle’s solidified himself as a fan-favourite with his excellent goal-scoring run and breaking up his lethal partnership with Rodriguez would be a grave mistake from the Baggies.

West Brom fans, would you be disappointed if Gayle’s deal isn’t made permanent? Join the discussion by commenting below…