The Football Association has fined Cardiff City £15,000 after the club's fans directed homophobic chants at Chelsea during an EFL Cup quarter-final in December 2025.
The game we played over there, we were outplayed completely in the first half for large parts. It's not a moment for us to see where we are in the development of this team. We've shown that, except that first half [against Man City] and the first half against [Crystal] Palace, that we can compete with any team that we've faced.
The 2025/26 EFL Cup final is looming large in the first major showpiece of the season in the top four divisions of English football. Last season's showpiece at Wembley Stadium was the highest-attended match of the weekend in Europe, attracting almost 89,000 fans. Millions more will again watch on TV around the world this time as the competition that began in August 2025 and has featured 92 teams comes to a close.
Getting the New Year underway with three consecutive Premier League stalemates, Manchester City have seen their domestic title dreams take a major blow over the past fortnight. Opening Saturday's trip to Old Trafford sat six points adrift of runaway leaders Arsenal, Pep Guardiola's men have an almighty battle on their hands in the race to recapture their English crown. However, putting in an eye-catching performance earlier in the week as they got their EFL Cup semi-final adventure underway with a 2-0 victory away at Newcastle,
Gyokeres scored and registered an assist as Arsenal triumphed 3-2 at Stamford Bridge to put one foot in the final, holding off an Alejandro Garnacho-led fightback in the second half. Having gone four games without a goal since netting in a 1-0 win at Everton on December 12, Gyokeres had attracted stern criticism from pundits and fans. His goal against the Blues - which arrived when Robert Sanchez spilled Ben White's cross in the 49th minute - was his first in the EFL Cup since netting for Brighton against Portsmouth in September 2020, and his eighth in all competitions since joining the Gunners.
Embarking on what has become a famous Premiership fairytale, Hearts have only continued to shatter a string of records. In the midst of an iconic purple patch and riding a major wave of momentum, Derek McInnes' men can once again widen their buffer at the top of the table to six points here. With the mood around Tynecastle at a red-hot high, the Jambos will be smelling the chance to make another title statement on Wednesday night.
"But I know who I am. I'm a hard worker. I love playing football. And yes, I hope I'm going to score many goals here. And I know I'm not 100%, but there's more to come for sure. "I hope I score a lot of goals, a lot of assists and a lot of wins. This is what we need now. We need a big momentum now as the season is getting tougher and tougher."
