Today's back pages: Nice one Son, Walker's keeper capers
A round up of the sport headlines from UK newspapers on Thursday 7 November
The back pages focus this morning on the exploits of Spurs striker Son Heung-min and Manchester City defender Kyle Walker in the Champions League.
Son prays for Gomes
Son scored twice for Tottenham as they beat Red Star Belgrade 4-0, three days after he was red carded and left the field in tears after his tackle on Everton’s Andre Gomes which broke his ankle.
There were concerns that the South Korean was not mentally ready to play again but he was handed a starting berth by Mauricio Pochettino.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“After scoring his first goal, which was a well-worked team effort, Son went towards camera and said sorry down the lens, aimed at Gomes, and also appeared to pray for the injured Portuguese midfielder,” reports the Daily Mirror.
England's new No 1
Walker made headlines of a different sort when he was forced to don the goalkeeping gloves after Manchester City keeper Ederson was injured and his replacement Claudio Bravo sent off against Atalanta.
“Walker has been the subject of many chants — positive and negative — from the stands over the years but not until last night had he been hailed as ‘England’s No 1’ by supporters,” says The Times.
“That is the moniker that the 2,900 Manchester City fans gave Walker after he managed to keep a clean sheet during his nine-minute cameo in goal to save his team from defeat.”
'Strip Saracens of titles'
The day’s other big story concerns English rugby champions Saracens, who have been handed a 35-point deduction and £5.4m fine for breaching salary cap regulations. But there are now calls for the club to be stripped of their two most recent Premiership titles, while former England captain Chris Robshaw has accused them of “cheating”.
“We like to think our sport is cleaner than everyone else. It is not any more. It is not. We have to be realistic about that,” he told the Daily Mail.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City’s financial charges: what next for the Premier League champions?
feature The club is alleged to have breached financial rules around 100 times over a nine-year period
By Mike Starling Published