Today’s back pages: Aston Villa reach Wembley, Man Utd take ‘Bru turn’, fury over Folau
A round up of the sport headlines from UK newspapers on 29 January

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Villa victory
Aston Villa’s dramatic 2-1 win over Leicester City in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final receives plenty of coverage in the papers today.
“Roar emotion” is the headline in the Independent, while the Daily Mirror pays homage to Mahmoud Trezeguet’s injury-time winner with a “Trez for Prez” splash.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Villa opened the scoring when Matt Targett fired home on 12 minutes, only for the Foxes to score a crucial away goal through Kelechi Iheanacho on 72 minutes.
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.
But Trezeguet struck the winner in stoppage time to spark scenes of joy at Villa Park, and the Midlands club will meet the winner of tonight’s other semi between the two Manchester clubs.
The Carabao Cup final takes place at Wembley on Sunday 1 March (4.30pm, live on Sky Sports).
United get their man
Many papers carry the news that Manchester United have clinched the signing of Sporting Lisbon ace Bruno Fernandes, just 24 hours after it appeared the deal had fallen through because of a failure to agree a price.
“Bru turn” is the headline in The Sun, which claims that United will pay £55m for Fernandes after the two clubs found common ground.
Furthermore, the paper says that United sealed the deal despite an effort from Barcelona to “hijack” the move.
The Daily Express says United “boxed clever” to land the midfielder, agreeing to pay £46.6m up front, with an additional £8.5m in “realistic add-ons”.
That was enough for Sporting to sanction the deal and according to The Times, the 25-year-old Fernandes will have a medical today before his official unveiling as a Red Devil.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Fury over Folau signing
The news that controversial Australia rugby star Israel Folau has signed a one-year deal with Super League club Catalans Dragons is carried by several papers.
“Fury” is the word used by the Mirror, Guardian, Independent and the Express in describing the reaction in several quarters.
Folau, 30, was sacked last year by his former employers, the Australian Rugby Union, after making homophobic comments but he’s crossed codes to resurrect his career with the French rugby league outfit.
According to the Guardian, the Dragons believe Folau deserves a second chance but the paper says that “many across a sport which prides itself on inclusivity are furious that Folau has been allowed to return to rugby league”.
Today’s newspaper back pages
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Manchester United and Mason Greenwood: duty of care or double standards?
Talking Point The 21-year-old footballer’s possible return has provoked an outpouring of dismay from supporters
By Jamie Timson 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 Utd win the Carabao Cup: how Erik ten Hag has ‘transformed’ the Red Devils
feature United lifted their first silverware since 2017 after beating Newcastle at Wembley