Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Newcastle United's centre-back pursuit.

The club are looking to strengthen their back-line, however, a recent development could stop the pursuit.

What is the latest Newcastle transfer news?

Newcastle have made a number of moves so far this window.

The biggest signing the Magpies have made is undoubtedly the £55m arrival of Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, but the Tyneside club have also added Harvey Barnes from recently relegated Leicester City and Tino Livramento from Southampton, whilst the side have also agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign youngster Lewis Hall on a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

However, the side do look a little bit short in the central defensive area. Beyond the starting partnership of Sven Botman and Fabian Schar, the Tyneside club only have Jamaal Lascelles as an out and out centre-back option, with Dan Burn able to play the position if required.

Throughout the summer, the Magpies have been linked with a number of central defenders, with Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen and Benfica’s Antonio Silva being names considered according to the Daily Mail's Craig Hope. However, he believes that those players will sit outside the club's price range at this point in the window.

A more realistic target would be Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, who according to Football Insider is a name high on manager Eddie Howe's shortlist, with the club considering a hijack on Tottenham Hotspur, who have been interested in the player all summer long.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano revealed that Tapsoba, who has been called a "dangerous" player, and Silva are the names that Howe admires, however Financial Fair Play concerns could curtial any potential bid: "I think it’s almost impossible to make it happen because of the Financial Fair Play situation. Edmond Tapsoba and Antonio Silva are two centre-backs that they love. But at the moment they are way too expensive for Newcastle because with the Financial Fair Play situation, it’s complicated. So they would need to sell a player of the same value, and it means someone around €55-€60m, so it’s more than complicated.”

How will Newcastle end this window?

It seems that due to FFP constraints, the Magpies will have to complete loan deals if they want to bring in any more players.

One player being considered is Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney. According to Football Insider the player is open to making the switch to the North East, having fell out of favour at the Emirates following the arrival of Oleksander Zinchenko. According to the report, the Scotland international is eager to make the move as he searches for more regular first-team football. However, there are two real obstacles for Newcastle to overcome to complete the deal. The first is the stiff competition from La Liga outfit Real Sociedad, and the second and more pressing issue is the fact that Arsenal want to sell the defender, whilst Newcastle can only really make a loan deal work, so the Gunners would have to compromise to complete the deal.

Another player being considered is Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips. The 27-year-old has had a torrid time since his £45m switch from Leeds United, with injury problems limiting the midfielder to just 593 minutes last season across all competitions. According to reports, Newcastle are interested in the midfielder this summer as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of their first Champions League campaign in over two decades.

The Hong Kong government has asked for explanations from Inter Miami as to why Lionel Messi was able to play against Vissel Kobe.

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• Messi and Miami asked for explanation
• Argentine missed Hong Kong match
• Played three days later against Vissel Kobe

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Inter Miami's pre-season tour of Asia has has been mired in controversy after their Argentine superstar failed to appear for a friendly match against Hong Kong XI due to an injury, despite having a contractual obligation to do so. However, the Herons have now been asked for a 'reasonable explanation' for his absence after the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner appeared just days later in a friendly against Japanese side Vissel Kobe in Tokyo.

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• WHAT THEY SAID

  The Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau of Hong Kong expressed their disappointment at Messi's nability to play in the city and questioned his involvement against Vissel Kobe in a statement: "However three days later, Messi was able to play actively and freely in Japan … the government hopes the organisers and teams can provide reasonable explanations."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Over 40,000 people attended the match in Hong Kong, with some supporters spending close to HK$5,000 ($640) for a ticket. The Consumer Council of Hong Kong stated it had received 547 complaints on Messi's absence, involving a total of HK$3.64 million (US$465,466), according to the Chinese state-run Global Times. Fans in China admitted to feeling a "bit scammed" after missing out on seeing the World Cup winner.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

  The Herons have had a rather poor pre-season so far with just one win in six games. They started with a draw against El Salvador, followed by losses against Dallas, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr before the win against Hong Kong followed by the shootout loss against Vissel Kobe. They will play their last friendly against Messi's former side, Newell's Old Boys before starting their MLS campaign against Real Salt Lake on February 21.

After missing out on the Scottish Premiership in a campaign to forget last season, Rangers now have the hard task of preventing Celtic from making it three consecutive title wins.

The man in charge of standing in the way of Brendan Rodgers' new side is Michael Beale, who will be hoping to use the remaining days of the transfer window to gain an edge over his Old Firm rivals.

As things stand, however, reports suggest that Celtic have already taken the lead off the pitch, potentially beating Rangers to their transfer target.

What's the latest Rangers transfer news?

So far this summer, Rangers have welcomed a total of eight reinforcements, with Feyenoord's Danilo and Atalanta's Sam Lammers the pick of the bunch, alongside Jack Butland and Kieran Dowell.

With seven days still remaining in the summer transfer window, however, Rangers may yet hope to welcome even more fresh faces. It's clear so far that Beale's side could do with all the help that they can get if they are to dethrone Celtic this season.

After two games in the Scottish Premiership, Rangers have lost one and sealed all three points in the other, with their opening day defeat against Kilmarnock a particular shock.

Of course, the Gers have since defeated Livingston with ease to get back on track on the pitch, but off the pitch, things aren't going quite so well.

According to The Daily Mail, Rangers' rivals Celtic have launched a £3.5m bid to sign Gers target Luis Palma. Rangers reportedly viewed the winger as a replacement for Ryan Kent, who left the club earlier in the window, but now look likely to miss out following Celtic's reported bid.

No matter which club takes pole position in Scotland, however, they will still have to reportedly battle it out for Palma's signature against Watford and Anderlecht this summer.

Is Luis Palma any good?

Currently plying his trade for Greek Super League side Aris, Palma was involved in an impressive 21 goals last season, scoring 13 and assisting a further eight in all competitions.

Meanwhile, so far this season, the 23-year-old has already found the back of the net twice and made three assists in five appearances. From Beale and Rangers' perspective, they could be missing out on a player in form who looks likely to only get better. Worse is the fact that it is Celtic who could secure Palma's signature, too.

At his best, the Honduran has earned plenty of praise, including from Aris manager Apostolos Terzis, who said, via Daily Record, after Palma scored twice in his side's 4-2 victory in the Europa Conference League: "Luis has done that all season. He has been a huge player for us. We know there has been a lot of interest in him and it's not surprising. Hopefully, playing in Europe next season will persuade him to stay with us."

Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…

Palma, himself, also commented on his future at the end of last season, saying, via Daily Record: "First of all, there have been no concrete proposals or offers for me. It's just been speculation.

"I am completely focused on my team. Nothing can distract me during this important time. In my mind, I am only thinking to try and help Aris to get as many points as possible. If a good proposal comes after that, then we can talk. But for now, I only care about this season and Aris."

The striker cannot afford to go out clubbing and miss training after the dire season he and United have had – he needs to wake up and grow up

Xavi Hernandez famously once revealed that when you hear a footballer is suffering from gastroenteritis "you think there's something else going on". At Manchester United gastroenteritis has been replaced by the word "illness" and in the case of Marcus Rashford missing training this week and not travelling to the FA Cup tie at Newport County, there is definitely something else going on.

Rashford may well have been feeling too sick to train on Friday but we can surmise that he was not suffering from a cold or a sore throat. It was revealed that the England striker had been in Belfast during the week seeing old friend Ro-Shaun Williams and had gone nightclubbing, not once but twice.

Rashford had been given a day off on Thursday and there was no issue with him going out to see Williams after Wednesday's training session, even with him being seen at Laverty's bar in the Belfast city centre. The problem was he was seen at Thompson's Garage nightclub later on Wednesday and then again on Thursday, not leaving until the early hours of Friday morning. He would have got only minimal sleep before returning to Manchester on a private jet at 8am on Friday.

It was hardly ideal preparation for a full training session and he did not even make it through the doors at Carrington. It is far from his first trespass and he has given Erik ten Hag yet another disciplinary problem to resolve, just two weeks after finally seeing the back of Jadon Sancho.

Ten Hag is not the only person Rashford is disrespecting with his juvenile behaviour. He is shirking the responsibility that comes with being a senior member of United's squad as well as the club's highest paid player. He is also letting down the fans. But most of all, he is letting himself down…

Getty No room to mess around now

Rashford's trip to Belfast is not the first time he has made negative headlines for his lack of discipline. He turned up late for a team meeting before the visit to Wolves last season and was dropped from the starting line-up by Ten Hag. However, he was in such good form at the time that the Dutchman could not make a real example of him and, with the score 0-0 at half-time, he turned to Rashford, who went on to win the game.

All was forgiven and Ten Hag lovingly embraced him after the game, when Rashford opened up on the reason for his punishment: oversleeping. This was the season that Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions and for a three-month period he was one of the hottest forwards in the world. The odd indiscretion could therefore be brushed aside.

But this season his form has fallen off a cliff. He has just four goals and has slipped out of the starting line-up due to his consistently bad performances, losing his place on the left of the attack to the effervescent Alejandro Garnacho.

He has been one of the main culprits in United's miserable season and the fact they are eighth in the Premier League and finished bottom of their Champions League group. In other words, he does not have the wiggle room he had last year and he cannot afford to mess about.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesClubbing after derby defeat

And yet he keeps messing around. After the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in October he went out to a nightclub to celebrate his birthday. There was no suggestion of misbehaviour or over-indulgence and he was with his family. But it sent out the wrong message. A humiliating thrashing to your local rivals is no cause to celebrate and certainly not in public. A player that has grown up in Manchester and spent his life with United should have known better.

When Real Madrid were hammered 4-0 by Atletico Madrid in 2015, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos opted against going to Cristiano Ronaldo's birthday party later that night. When word got out that Madrid's players had partied after such a heavy loss, the Spanish media had a field day and the fallout led to their results nosediving, with them ending the season empty-handed while Barcelona won the treble.

Ten Hag made it clear how he felt about Rashford's indiscretion after the derby, labelling his actions "unacceptable". That should have sent out a warning to Rashford. But just three months later he has done it again. And his latest infraction is far worse as it led to him missing training.

Getty ImagesStruggling for consistency

What is most frustrating about Rashford's behaviour is that it indicates a lack of hunger to keep proving his quality. Since breaking into United's first team in 2016 at the age of 18 he has looked like he had the makings of a top class player without ever being truly world class.

Until last season he had only once passed the 20-goal per season barrier. He has been a good player for England without ever being a nailed-on starter for Gareth Southgate. And just two seasons ago there were serious doubts about where his career was going.

He had been reeling from the effects of having back surgery and looked shorn of confidence as well as unhappy. Everything changed in the summer of 2022, when, before pre-season began, he went on an intense training camp at Nike's headquarters in Oregon to work on his explosivity.

His hard work paid off and last season he was truly incredible, scoring 30 goals and adding 11 assists, firing United to their first trophy in six years and back into the Champions League. He used his form as a negotiating tool when discussing a new contract with United and eventually sealed a bumper deal that made him the club's highest-paid player, earning an estimated £375,000 ($476,000) per week . His off-the-pitch charity work and the courage he showed to take on the Conservative government over school meals made him an excellent ambassador for United, the type of asset they were desperate to keep.

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GettyShow some responsibility

Some suggested at the time that his upsurge in form was a classic case of a footballer playing for a new contract and that his resurgence would not last. For whatever reason, he has gone backwards since signing the contract.

Rashford, of course, is not playing badly on purpose and he has appeared very frustrated with his drop in form, often looking angry and dejected on the pitch. But only he can turn things around and going out clubbing is not the way to do it.

On one level his night out was refreshing. A footballer letting his hair down and spending time with one of his old friends. The choice of venue in Belfast, hardly a clubbing mecca, was also intriguing. Thompson's Garage is regarded as a rough-and-ready night out, not the type of exclusive venue where elite footballers are normally seen.

But if Rashford wants to keep moving forward as a footballer and make his performances of last season a trend rather than an anomaly, he needs to grow up and show some responsibility.

A wonderfully absorbing one-day international which ebbed and flowed throughout was eventually won by New Zealand as they squeezed home by three wickets with four balls to spare

The Report by Andrew McGlashan in Hamilton25-Feb-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA wonderfully absorbing one-day international which ebbed and flowed throughout was eventually won by New Zealand as they squeezed home by three wickets with four balls to spare despite Ben Stokes’ intervention on his return to international cricket. Mitchell Santner was the hero at the end, hitting 45 off 27 balls, including consecutive sixes off Adil Rashid and finishing the match with another off Chris Woakes to ensure Ross Taylor’s 18th ODI century, and a 178-run stand with Tom Latham, did not go to waste.Stokes, playing for England for the first time since September 24, was brought back for a second spell in the 38th over, with New Zealand strongly placed, needing 98 off 13 overs with two well-set batsmen, and revived his team when Latham pulled to mid-on and Colin de Grandhomme edged a slower ball behind. Between those scalps Henry Nicholls also departed and when Taylor charged at Rashid, being stumped for superb 113, it appeared England would get home. New Zealand needed 41 off 25 balls with three wickets in hand.However, the move to keep going with Rashid backfired as Santner twice cleared the leg side and then after the first four balls of the penultimate over from Tom Curran had gone for just four he found a vital boundary over square leg leaving nine off the final over. Santner inside-edge the first ball to fine leg, Woakes sent down a wide, then Santner cleared deep midwicket. It was a thriller.England’s innings, in which Jos Buttler top-scored with 79 off 63 balls, was not one of their dynamic performances, yet a commendable effort on a slow pitch where few batsmen found fluency. New Zealand were impressive at the death with just 67 coming off the final 10 overs – and 25 of those off the last two – but 284 for 8 looked formidable when the chase was reduced to 27 for 3 by excellent new-ball spells from Woakes, who claimed his 100th ODI wicket when Colin Munro edged a charge, and David Willey.Ross Taylor marks his 18th ODI hundred•Getty ImagesTaylor and Latham played expertly. Taylor became the third New Zealand batsman to pass 7000 ODI runs, after Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle, while Latham responded to the scrutiny over his position with just his second fifty-plus score in 32 home ODI innings. Latham gave the innings momentum, moving into the 40s at better than a run-a-ball, although was given a life on 47 when Buttler couldn’t hold a thin edge down the leg side off Rashid. The pair nursed the innings into a far more stable position, ensuring the required rate didn’t rise much above the seven-an-over mark while they were together.Eoin Morgan returned to Stokes – whose first spell was four overs – and his first over back cost 11, but in his second Latham clubbed a pull to mid-on. In the next over, from Tom Curran, Nicholls drove a low catch to backward point and then Stokes struck again as England surged back into the favourites’ position.Taylor brought up his hundred off 107 balls then took two boundaries off Stokes as he showed signs of tiring and it proved his last over. It felt as though Taylor would need to do it all himself, but Santner proved otherwise.England will rue some sloppiness in the field – particularly the second half of New Zealand’s chase when dew may have been a factor – but they had managed a competitive total. It was hard especially at the beginning and the end against Tim Southee and Trent Boult, while Santner was also a challenge. Jason Roy and Joe Root had set a solid platform having realised gung-ho batting wasn’t the order of the day, adding 79 in 14 overs, before New Zealand’s spinners started to have their say.Roy was defeated by Santner’s arm ball, Morgan chipped Ish Sodhi’s googly to mid-off the ball after pulling a six and Stokes’ first innings back in the side ended on 12 when he became over-eager against Santner, top-edging to short third man. At 139 for 4, England needed to stabilise things.Root, returning to the side after his T20 tri-series break, played serenely with some lovely touches during a 53-ball fifty – his eighth in 11 matches since the start of the Australia tour – but another hundred went begging when he was defeated by Munro’s knuckle ball.Buttler had provided a kick to the innings with consecutive sixes off Sodhi, striking wonderfully down the ground, but even he struggled to get the death bowling of Southee and Boult away until a late six off each to take his tally to five. In the end that finish proved vital for New Zealand, who continued their strong recent record of chasing on this ground, but in such a compelling match it was difficult to pick out one defining moment.

Chelsea and Luton Town have been playing one another on and off for almost 100 years, with the first match taking place back in January 1927. Football FanCast has everything you need to know about this fixture before the Blues host the Hatters tonight in what will be the first time the two sides clash in the Premier League.

While it's still far too early to make any wild assumptions about form going into this weekend's round of fixtures, things are looking much less rosy in West London compared to this time last week. Chelsea followed up their brilliant opening day performance against Liverpool with a tepid 3-1 defeat to West Ham United, a game that saw record-breaking Moises Caicedo concede a penalty on debut.

Things don't look much better for Luton, either. In their first-ever Premier League game, the Hatters fell to a 4-1 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. That said, there were glimpses of quality from the league's new boys, but not enough to salvage anything from the match. Their second game – a home tie against Burnley – had to be postponed as Kenilworth Road still requires work to reach League standards.

Chelsea vs Luton Town: After previous matches, what's their head-to-head record?

Chelsea and Luton have met 44 times in all competitions since that first meeting almost a century ago, and unsurprisingly, the Blues have come out on top more often than not. Although, it's closer than most might assume, due in part to many of their clashes coming well before Chelsea's takeover in 2004.

In all, the West Londoners have won almost half of their encounters with the Hatters, while Luton have only just edged out the number of draws.

Chelsea wins: 19 Draws: 12 Luton Town wins: 13 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their record at Stamford Bridge?

When it comes to games in the West End, it's clearly advantage Chelsea. The Blues have hosted Luton 22 times at the Bridge and come out as victors over half the time, with 12 wins under their belt.

On the other hand, Luton have quite the miserable record away from home, having won just four times when making the trip to Chelsea, coming away with a single point six times.

Chelsea wins: 12 Draws: 6 Luton Town wins: 4 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their record at Kenilworth Road?

Home advantage evidently means something to Luton. In their 21 home matches against Chelsea, the Hatters have come out as victors in almost half of them, while the West Londoners have only managed to win as many games as they have drawn when journeying to Bedfordshire.

With the Premier League full of modern, spacious and state-of-the-art stadia, can Luton utilise Kenilworth Road's old-school and claustrophobic nature to get something out of the reverse fixture later in the season?

Chelsea wins: 6 Draws: 6 Luton Town wins: 9 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their record at neutral grounds?

Chelsea and Luton have only met once at a neutral ground, with the majority of their clashes coming in either the league or early rounds of the FA Cup, but this wasn't the case in April 1994 when the pair met at the Old Wembley for an FA Cup Semi-Final.

The Blues were hoping to reach a first FA Cup final since they had last won the competition in 1970. For Luton, it was the opportunity to make a second cup final appearance since their defeat in the 1959 final at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

Ultimately, the West Londoners won out in the end thanks to a brace from Gavin Peacock that saw him score in both halves to deny Luton Town.

Chelsea wins: 1 Draws: 0 Luton Town wins: 0 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their First Division record?

With the Premier League coming into being at the start of the 1992/93 season, Luton Town have actually never played in the competition, having been relegated from the old First Division in the 1991/92 season.

That said, the two clubs have faced off against one another plenty of times in England's top flight over the years, and whilst Chelsea have been the more dominant side overall, the Hatters have given a good account of themselves.

Chelsea have won just under half of the side's clashes in the First Division, with Luton picking up a win in less than a third of their games.

Chelsea wins: 12 Draws: 7 Luton Town wins: 7 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their Second Division record?

While the sides have played one another 26 times in England's top flight since 1927, they have also clashed 12 times in the country's second tier, with the most recent example of this coming in May 1982, with Luton winning 2-1.

In fact, the Hatters were the more dominant side when it came to playing in the second tier. In their 12 matches, the Bedfordshire side won five times, while Chelsea only won on three occasions, with the other four games ending in a tie.

Chelsea wins: 3 Draws: 4 Luton Town wins: 5 Chelsea vs Luton Town: Which team has the most goals?

With the fixture generally going the way of Chelsea more often than not, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to hear that they have also outscored their new Premier League rivals over their shared history.

In all competitions, the Pensioners have found the back of the net 73 times when playing against the Hatters. On the other hand, Luton have only been able to respond with 57 goals of their own. That said, there isn't a huge disparity there, and again shows that whilst Chelsea have had the edge in this fixture, it hasn't been totally one-sided throughout.

Chelsea goals: 73 Luton Town goals: 57 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What is Luton Town's biggest win?

Despite losing more games against Chelsea than they have won, Luton have enjoyed some significant wins over their West London opponents over the years, with the biggest coming in December 1976, when the Hatters put four past them to no reply in the old Second Division.

It was a bitterly cold winter's day with snow completely covering the pitch, but with 17,000 fans in the stands, the game kicked off. Lil Fuccillo – now chief scout of Crawley Town – opened the scoring for Luton, with Brian Chambers adding another before 12 minutes had even been played.

Another one from Jimmy Husband and a penalty from Steve Buckley gave the home side the victory.

Chelsea vs Luton Town: What is Chelsea's biggest win?

When it comes to Chelsea's biggest victory over their Bedfordshire opponents, two games share that accolade, and both are again 4-0 scorelines. The first instance came in the very first meeting between the two teams in the 1927 edition of the FA Cup.

The match was held at Stamford Bridge, and as the scoreline suggests, it was a totally one-sided affair. It was 27 year old forward Albert Thain who opened the scoring for the hosts before grabbing another not long after that. It was then the turn of 32 year old Robert Hamilton Turnbull to grab a brace of his own to take the game away from Luton entirely.

The same scoreline would once again emerge from the team's clash at Kenilworth Road exactly 30 years later, in what was the old First Division at the time. Once again, two braces won Chelsea the game, this time with Jim Lewis grabbing two before Ron Tindall did the same.

Chelsea vs Luton Town: What are the recent results?

Across the last five fixtures, it has been pretty much all Chelsea. The most recent match – an FA Cup tie in March 2022 – ended 3-2 to the visiting Blues, thanks to goals from Saul Niguez, Timo Werner, and Romelu Lukaku, all players that have either left the Bridge or have been frozen out.

The game before that – in January 2021 – was another FA Cup match in which the Pensioners emerged as the victors thanks to a hattrick from Cobham graduate Tammy Abraham. However, the three games prior to that one all took place in the early 1990s, and so there isn't a lot we can go off to predict how the two teams will fair this weekend.

Chelsea vs Luton Town: When is it?

Chelsea host the Premier League debutantes tonight, Friday 25th August at 8pm British Summer Time, and while it isn't one of the league's most illustrious fixtures, it could well be a cracker.

Both sides have an enormous amount to play for this year, and with Chelsea's miserable showing against West Ham last week, the Hatters might be able to spring an upset and put more pressure on Mauricio Pochettino before his tenure truly gets underway.

There is also the chance that the Argentine could give new £115m man Caicedo his full debut on Friday night, and after his personal contribution to the defeat against the Irons, he'll want to lay down a marker as well.

Rob Edwards will also have a new signing of his own, as Ross Barkley could be given his debut against his former club, having joined the side on a one-year deal just a couple of weeks ago.

ScorecardHong Kong scored their first ever ODI win over a Full Member when they beat Afghanistan by 30 runs on a rainy afternoon at the Bulawayo Athletic Club. The victory was built around Anshuman Rath’s half-century and was sealed by an outstanding spell of offspin bowling from Ehsan Khan, backed up by some inspired fielding.As a result, Afghanistan were left needing a miracle to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. They have lost three out of three matches in this tournament so far and will need several things going their way to stay in contention.Afghanistan were trundling along steadily in pursuit of 242 when Ehsan was brought on from the clubhouse end in the 16th over. With loop and flight, he tempted Rahmat Shah into an expansive drive. With dip and turn, he spun the ball sharply in between bat and pad to disturb the stumps. With that, Afghanistan were 56 for 2, and Hong Kong had their opening. Before his first over was up, Ehsan had also dismissed the set Ihsanullah for 20, a gloved sweep landing in the hands of Rath, tumbling to his left at slip.At 57 for 3, with Mohammad Nabi still to bat, Afghanistan might still have considered themselves in a favourable position. But Hong Kong’s bowling attack never let the pressure drop, with Tanwir Azfal’s medium pace particularly effective. Bowling a wicket-to-wicket line with Scott McKechnie up to the stumps, Afzal didn’t give the batsmen much to work with. Having made the first incision with the wicket of Javed Ahmadi for 22, his figures in his first spell were 6-0-15-1.The pressure built up by the bowlers brought desperate strokes against Ehsan at the other end. With the required rate closing in on six an over, Samiullah Shenwari bent low to sweep but missed the ball entirely to be bowled for 9, as Afghanistan slipped to 73 for 4.Hong Kong gather around wicket-taker Ehsan Khan•ICC

Still, though, Afghanistan were not entirely out of the match. Mohammad Nabi shepherded the middle order, helping to keep a fidgety Najibullah Zadran in accumulation mode. They nudged and pushed their way through a 59-run stand.With the required rate climbing and ominous rain clouds closing in from the north, Najibullah eventually decided to have a go at Nadeem Ahmed’s left-arm spin. He couldn’t get anything on his slog sweep, however, with the ball crashing into his pad and the umpire upholding a vociferous lbw shout. Two overs later, Sharafuddin Ashraf missed a huge slog across the line and was bowled for 1; Afghanistan 134 for 6.Hong Kong’s discipline soon brought results, Ehsan Nawaz sprinting around at short third man to cut off a dab, and firing a flat throw to McKechnie to find Nabi short of his ground and run out for 38.Fifteen minutes later, rain, thunder and lightning arrived to force the players from the field. When they returned, Afghanistan’s total was revised to 226, with three overs left to play. Dawlat threw the bat around, but they were never going to get close. For his career best figures of 4 for 33, Ehsan was named Man of the Match.Earlier in the day, Rath provided the bedrock of Hong Kong’s innings, helping them recover from an early wobble which saw them reduced to 43 for 3. He put together stands of 50 with captain Babar Hayat and 67 with McKechnie to keep Hong Kong ticking over, looking particularly effective when playing off the front foot through the covers.Rath, who was Hong Kong’s leading run-scorer during the World Cricket League Championship with 678 runs at 75.33, started in measured fashion against both pace and spin. His innings eventually gained momentum, and he came out on top during a fascinating duel with Afghanistan’s quicks, cutting and pulling both Dawlat and Shapoor Zadran. With Tanwir Afzal smashing 22 from just 9 deliveries towards the end, Hong Kong reached a total that would prove more than enough.

It appears referee David Coote may have made another huge mistake on top of harshly sending Takehiro Tomiyasu off in the most recent Arsenal game.

What's the latest on David Coote and Arsenal?

On Monday night, the Gunners travelled to Selhurst Park as they took on Crystal Palace in their first away match of the new Premier League season.

It was a closely contested fixture and this is reflected by the scoreline as a single penalty – won by Eddie Nketiah and scored by Martin Odegaard – was enough to see the Gunners win 1-0.

It could have perhaps been a more comfortable win for Mikel Arteta and co, however, had the refereeing been a little more favourable from an Arsenal point of view.

After all, left-back on the day Tomiyasu picked up two yellow cards in the second half which both seemed to be for pretty minimum offences as his dismissal looked to be quite unjust.

He was first booked for time-wasting. Although, statistician Scott Willis pointed out that before conceding, Crystal Palace had throw-ins that took 27, 25, 22, and 22 seconds. And yet it was the Japan international who was punished for being partially involved when Arsenal's throw-in took 24 seconds to be taken – according to Sky via afcstuff), Tomiyasu held onto the ball for just eight of those seconds before being booked.

As for his second yellow, it appeared as though next to no contact was made with Jordan Ayew and yet referee Coote deemed it sufficient enough to warrant the consequential red card.

This is questionable enough. But to make things worse, footage shared on the game on Twitter shows that the Palace winger – who was also already on a yellow card – made an even worse foul on Bukayo Saka and yet he wasn't sent off for a second bookable offence.

What was said about Jordan Ayew and Takehiro Tomiyasu?

This sort of inconsistency was noted by a number of journalists and football writers online. For instance, Charles Watts wrote: "That's so harsh [on Tomiyasu] for a second yellow. There is no shirt tug. Especially as Ayew just got away with a similar foul having already been booked."

He later added: "The more you watch the clips of Ayew's foul which didn't get a yellow and Tomiyasu's which did, the crazier the decision to send Tomi off becomes. The inconsistency is incredible."

Writer for football.london Aaron Catterson-Reid added: "My issue with that is Ayew had a yellow then held Saka’s shirt for the foul. But no second yellow was given. Consistency just doesn’t exist."

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

After the game was finished, manager Arteta was understandably annoyed but managed to bite his tongue, telling the press: "I prefer not to make comments because for me it’s so obvious."

All in all, it's not hard to see why many have been left baffled by the level of officiating in this game and after Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana avoided punishment for his wild challenge against Wolves on the opening weekend, it hasn't exactly been the best start to the seasons from the PGMOL.

As for Arsenal, they managed to cling on for the three points away at Palace, and so they've made a perfect start to the season – even in the face of this adversity – with two wins from two.

Mikel Arteta issued an optimistic update on Bukayo Saka after the winger was forced off during Arsenal's 3-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday.

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Arteta says Saka 'should be fine'Expresses more concern over ZinchenkoGunners have free week to rest upGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Saka opened the scoring as the Gunners put the Premier League leaders to the sword at the Emirates Stadium, but was substituted late on after receiving treatment for an injury. Arteta, however, did not seem concerned and does not expect to lose the England star for any significant length of time. The Spaniard was more concerned over an injury sustained by full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who seemed to aggravate a pre-existing calf issue.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

Speaking after the game, Arteta appeared optimistic about Saka, as he told reporters: "He should be fine. He got a kick I think on the ankle or on the back of his foot, but he should be fine."

On Zinchenko, the Arsenal boss seemed a lot more uncertain. "With Alex (Zinchenko), we don't know," Arteta added. "He had this feeling in his calf again and we had to take him off."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Arteta's initial prognosis follows a familiar pattern for both players. Saka's driving runs frequently see him pick up knocks but it's very rarely anything that prevents the 22-year-old from lining up for his club.

Zinchenko, meanwhile, has encountered a number of issues since moving to north London from Manchester City, with three separate spells on the sidelines attributed to calf problems. Arteta will be hoping this latest issues is a minor one.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

After Sunday's big win, Arsenal's calendar offers some respite with just one game a week to prepare for in the next fortnight. There's a full six days for the bumps and bruises to heal before the Gunners make a short trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham next Sunday.

Several England players have moved teams ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018Several England players have moved teams ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League (KSL). Sarah Taylor has left Lancashire Lightning for Surrey Stars, with Alex Hartley going the other way, while Tammy Beaumont moves to Southern Vipers from Surrey.There has also been a straight swap between Loughborough Lightning and Yorkshire Diamonds of Jenny Gunn for Beth Langston.The changes are overseen by the ECB and aimed at keeping a balance between the six sides, ahead of the third edition of the T20 competition. Each of the teams will still be able to recruit their own overseas players.”The latest player movements are to ensure the best balance between the six sides and to maintain a fair and competitive competition with the over-arching principle of trying to ensure a best versus best competition,” KSL general manager Jo Kirk said.”We want the KSL to continue to go from strength to strength in its third year. Attendances rose by 44% last year and we’re looking forward to even more fans attending games this summer, hopefully culminating in a sold-out Finals Day down in Hove.”This year’s KSL begins on July 22 and features an expanded group stage, with the teams now playing each other twice. The top three will then go on to Finals Day at Hove on Bank Holiday Monday, August 27.