#roy-keane

#roy-keane

Man City won 2-1 to stay in touch with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, defeating Liverpool in a remarkable match on Merseyside. Erling Haaland scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in a bizarre period of injury time that culminated in a third City goal being disallowed on review. You may like Rayan Cherki scuffed his shot towards Liverpool's empty net with goalkeeper Alisson in the City half pushing for an equaliser.

But we do get one exception: Keane, played by Eanna Hardwicke, practising alone in the grounds. At the back of a court, the sullen, spartan athlete stands as a ball is fired up and over the net towards him. He tracks it with his eyes, opens up his right foot, takes the ball on his instep and kills it dead. And with that, his sporting bona fides are confirmed.

One of the toughest things for any player to get to grips with, when coming to the Premier League, is the language. Almost everybody speaks English, even the foreign stars, and so it's vital you learn quickly. Yet Kleberson, who joined Manchester United from Athletico Paranaense in 2003, at the age of 23, actually found the language barrier helpful on a couple of occasions.

McIlroy and Keane had a frosty first meeting on the Stick To Football podcast last year, but it was more ambicable this time

Why did you think he was going to do it properly? Power, control - that's how they work. Yes, you have to sack managers, but do it with a little bit of class - they can't do it. And then the players are coming in afterwards (saying) 'oh well, that's football', all that carry on when lads are missing the target from 10, 15 yards out.

When you're a centre half and you're a big player, last year we were on about who was going to stay and he signed a big contract, then you're giving up loads of goals. I'd be looking at him and asking what are you doing'? Particularly as a big leader of the team. A couple of years ago we talked about United parking the bus here and we were critical. Now they've scored two today and two last year and you're the centre half.

Liverpool did look edgy. They do look like they're forcing things. They do look like the balance, the chemistry, is not quite there. When you're the centre-half and you're a big player, and last year we were on about who's going to stay and he signs the big contract, and then you're giving up loads of goals, then I'd be looking at him. I'd be looking (and thinking), 'What are you doing?'

Shearer's move to Blackburn was a pivotal moment in the Premier League's inaugural season, backed by the ambition of their new owner Jack Walker. After an injury-hit first campaign where he scored 16 goals, Shearer exploded in the 1993-94 season with 31 goals from 40 games. The following season, he formed a formidable strike partnership with Chris Sutton and his 34 goals were crucial to Blackburn's title win, the only major honour of his career.

With a pre-prepared statement about a catastrophic international result as the starter of a press briefing that concluded with a response to a public lashing from Roy Keane, perhaps this is the day that David Courell truly arrived as FAI chief executive.

A managerial appointment in the Premier League has reopened old wounds between the famous bruisers Now that Noel and Liam Gallagher have buried the hatchet - at least until they get round to banking the proceeds from the Oasis reunion tour - the bad blood between Eamon Dunphy and Roy Keane may well be the last, best and longest-running celebrity feud.

"He's done a good job in Ireland, and he's just left a job," said Keane. "It's his dynamics; the way he speaks, the way he comes across. "Duffer's been up at Celtic, he's done his coaching with Ireland. He won the league with Shelbourne last year, but then he just left recently."