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Sunderland dropped down to 12th in the Championship table on Tuesday night as they lost 2-0 to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

Ben Brereton Diaz opened the scoring with a spectacular left-footed strike from the edge of the box in the 32nd minute. The ball fell to him kindly after a good block by Danny Batth and the Chile international wrapped the ball into the top left corner of Anthony Patterson’s net.

However, there was controversy around the goal as Jack Clarke was tripped up in the box at the other end of the pitch just seconds before Diaz’s strike, but referee Craig Pawson did not see the contact and waved away the appeals.

Rovers then sealed the three points as Scott Wharton flicked a free-kick into the back of the net with his head, beating Luke O’Nien at the near post and giving Patterson no chance to stop it.

Tony Mowbray’s side may feel aggrieved by the referee’s no-call for the apparent foul on Clarke but they did not create enough high-quality chances or make the most of the opportunities they did get for the rest of the 90 minutes to warrant taking home the three points.

There were, however, some positives to take out of the game; one of them being the performance of captain Corry Evans in the middle of the park.

He was the shining light for Sunderland in midfield as he put in an excellent display against his former club. The 32-year-old helped the Black Cats to control the game, ending the match with 60% possession, but his teammates were not able to make the most of the domination that he played a role in creating.

Evans was almost faultless in what he did in possession. As per SofaScore, he completed 98% of his attempted passes (58/59) and all nine of his long pass attempts, which allowed his team to enjoy plenty of time on the ball.

He had 65 touches, more than Alex Pritchard’s 54, as he set the tempo for Sunderland which consequently presented the forwards with the opportunity to make things happen at the top end of the pitch. Unfortunately, Pritchard did not create a single chance after teeing up Dennis Cirkin in the second minute and Patrick Roberts did not provide any key passes from his 70 touches.

Evans won 80% (4/5) of his individual duels off the ball and made four tackles and interceptions combined. This shows that he was strong out of possession and that – along with his play on the ball – is why the midfield warrior was the star of the show for Mowbray on the night.

Crystal Palace put on a resilient performance at Selhurst Park this afternoon after losing 3-0 to Everton last week, beating Southampton 1-0 in front of their home support.

The three points for the Eagles means that they have now broken into the top half of the table and are currently 10th, with their position hanging in the balance of other results around them this weekend.

Patrick Vieira will be proud of his team, who despite having less possession (45%), fewer shots on goal (12 v 14) and fewer big chances (one v three) showed their determination and hard-working attitude throughout the game in south London.

In a relatively uneventful first half, Palace showed how clinical and threatening they can be when in possession, which was inevitably rewarded with a 32nd-minute goal from Odsonne Edouard after he was set up by left-back Tyrick Mitchell.

Despite the Saints doing their best to make a second-half comeback, their desperate efforts were not converted, with 10 of their 14 shots taken in the final 45 minutes of the game, and the Eagles duly reigned victorious, claiming all three points with their first-half goal.

Although Edouard’s goal was the obvious lynchpin in Crystal Palace’s success, there was another player who was key to their victory today.

Luka Milivojevic was an absolute star in the engine room and put on a midfield performance of which Vieira would be proud.

Over his 90-minute display, the 31-year-old took 60 touches, made 33 accurate passes and won 72% of his duels, along with making one key pass, four clearances, four tackles and two interceptions, proving that he ran the show in his role.

The Serbian midfielder’s display against the Saints was his highest-rated performance of the season so far in eight Premier League appearances according to SofaScore, so Milivojevic will be really pleased with the positive impact and hard work that he put in this afternoon.

There are just two more opportunities for Palace to pick up points in the league before the World Cup starts next month, and Vieira will be hoping that this win can inspire further victories when the Eagles face Nottingham Forest and West Ham United over the next couple of weeks.

Unai Emery has held further talks with Aston Villa officials over potential signings, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: ‘Huge’ January budget

The 50-year-old has officially begun work in the Midlands ahead of his first game in charge at Villa Park against Manchester United this weekend.

The Spaniard already has his eye on the January transfer window and is set to be backed with a ‘huge’ budget in the New Year from owners NSWE.

Villarreal pair Nicolas Jackson and Yeremy Pino have already been linked with a reunion with Emery, who has held more talks with Villa officials.

The Latest: Further talks

Football Insider shared a story on Sunday afternoon where they spoke to pundit Tam McManus.

They added in the report that the latest from their ‘Villa source is that further talks have taken place among the club’s recruitment team and Emery about potential targets’, and therefore his first signing in charge of the club.

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The Verdict: Good news

It is good to see that Emery and Villa chiefs are being proactive ahead of the New Year, which you’d expect could be a busy time in regards to both incomings and outgoings.

A left-sided centre-back appears to be high up on Emery’s wish list, which has left Tyrone Mings’ future in doubt; and with Jackson and Pino also linked, additions in the final third could also be a priority.

Hopefully Villa will be laying the groundwork during the World Cup for winter arrivals, and the sooner they secure Emery’s targets, the better.

Glasgow Rangers will be looking to get back to winning ways today following yet another Champions League defeat in midweek.

The 3-1 loss to Ajax condemned the Ibrox giants to a record that surely nobody would have envisioned after the highs of beating PSV Eindhoven in the play-offs – statistically the worst-ever Champions League group stage showing.

With a trip to Perth to face St Johnstone marking a chance for the Light Blues to move on swiftly from a dispiriting European campaign, thoughts now turn as to who will make the Rangers team today.

Truth be told, Giovanni van Bronckhorst doesn’t have a lot of options to call upon due to various injuries. Nonetheless, we at Football FanCast have predicted the Gers’ starting XI for another vital league clash…

Predicted Rangers XI: McGregor; Tavernier, King, Sands, Barisic; Lundstram, Kamara; Sakala, Tillman, Kent; Morelos

Allan McGregor will continue in goal for Rangers and will be hoping to record just his third clean sheet of the season.

James Tavernier and Borna Barisic will start at right- and left-back respectively, while Leon King will partner James Sands at the heart of the defence. Ben Davies missed Tuesday night’s clash against Ajax due to injury, and despite Van Bronckhorst saying that the former Liverpool man should be available for the weekend, he will likely start on the bench.

John Lundstram will keep his place in the centre of midfield and will be partnered with Glen Kamara, who is available for today’s match after returning to the squad following an injury. This means that Steven Davis, who was dubbed “over the hill” by Daily Mail journalist Calum McClurkin following the defeat to Ajax on Tuesday, will drop to the bench.

Fashion Sakala and Ryan Kent will be the wide options, with the Zambian arguably emerging as Rangers’ greatest threat from the right wing; while Kent will be eager to contribute, having netted just once all season. Malik Tillman will once again feature in the number ten role and be aiming to use his creativity to create opportunities for the Light Blues.

Alfredo Morelos will lead the line in place of Antonio Colak. The £31.5k-per-week striker will be hoping to score for the second week in succession after his goal against Aberdeen last week; and with seven goals against the Saints during his spell in Glasgow, he will be determined to add an eighth (or possibly more) if he is handed a first Premiership start of the season.

Sunderland will be hoping to head into the World Cup break on a high as they travel away from the Stadium of Light to face Birmingham at St. Andrew’s in the Championship tonight.

This is the club’s final match between now and the 3rd of December and should be looking to avoid two straight defeats before the international tournament.

Tony Mowbray’s side lost 1-0 to Cardiff at home last time out in the division and are currently sat 17th in the table, with a win tonight taking them up to 12th before the weekend’s fixtures.

How many changes will the boss make to the team from that defeat?

Here is our predicted XI…

Anthony Patterson; Niall Huggins, Bailey Wright, Danny Batth, Dennis Cirkin; Daniel Neil, Corry Evans (C), Amad Diallo, Elliot Embleton, Jack Clarke; Ellis Simms

The Black Cats could make three alterations to their side, with Elliot Embleton, Corry Evans, and Niall Huggins all coming in.

Mowbray will be forced into making at least one change as the versatile Luke O’Nien is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.

He started at right-back against Cardiff and his absence could open the door for 21-year-old Niall Huggins to make his long-awaited return to first-team action.

The former Leeds United full-back has not played a senior game since September of 2021 and has recently played in three under-21 matches to build his fitness back up, which indicates that he could be ready to be thrown back in at right-back.

In midfield, captain Evans could come for Abdoullah Ba after the Frenchman struggled against Cardiff – losing 75% (3/4) of his individual duels and completing 68% of his attempted passes.

The skipper has won 55% of his battles in the Championship and completed 82% of his passes, which suggests that he could come in as an upgrade in the middle of the park by offering more on and off the ball.

Finally, Embleton, 23, may replace Patrick Roberts as part of the attack after Sunderland managed two shots on target at home to the Bluebirds.

The Black Cats academy graduate, who was once dubbed a “nightmare” by former teammate Max Power on the SAFC Unfiltered Podcast, has shown some signs of promise in front of goal with two goals and two assists in the Championship this season.

He could be unleashed from the start ahead of Roberts, who can then be held back as a super sub for the second half, in order to freshen up the struggling attack from their defeat last time out.

Incoming Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Julen Lopetegui has been tasked with getting the Midlands outfit back on track following what’s been a miserable start to the season, with the club currently rock-bottom of the table heading into the World Cup break.

The 56-year-old has been left to pick up the pieces following what was a dour end to his predecessor Bruno Lage’s time in charge, with the latter man having been relieved of his duties at the start of last month after a run on just one win in 15 Premier League games stretching back to the previous season.

Lage had arguably not helped himself following what was a head-scratching summer transfer window, having notably allowed the experienced trio of Willy Boly, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss to depart in one fell swoop, as well as midfielder Leander Dendoncker – among others.

Equally, in terms of incomings, the former Benfica boss notably missed out on potential key additions, with one such blunder having been the failure to land Portugal international, Joao Palhinha, with the midfielder having seemingly been a target for the Old Gold in the summer.

As it proved, despite Wolves’ interest, the 27-year-old ultimately opted to seal a switch to newly-promoted Fulham instead, with the Cottagers wrapping up the deal for a reported fee of just £17m.

That price tag now appears a total “bargain” – as per journalist Joe Prince-Wright – with the former Sporting CP man having thrived for Marco Silva’s side thus far, notably leading the way in the league for tackles made (65).

That achievement is rather unsurprising for any who watched the 6 foot 3 ace in action during his side’s clash with Manchester United at the weekend, with the Lisbon-born star recording nine tackles – the most in a single top-flight game this season – in what was a truly fearsome midfield performance.

The towering colossus – who also ranks in the top 1% in Europe among those in his position for tackles made – has made an instant transition to life in English football, with the player’s showings thus far having even seen him dubbed “one of the signings of the season” by Sky Sports reporter, Jamie Weir.

A player who appears as “strong as an Ox” – in the words of Weir – Palhinha could well have had some extra steel to the Wolves midfield, with the club potentially in need of such a battling presence in their fight to end this current slump when club action resumes at the end of next month.

As it is, it will no doubt be a real source of frustration as far as those at Molineux are concerned to see their former target performing so impressively in west London, having been left to regret that transfer failure.

Aston Villa will be keen on a fresh start under Unai Emery, looking to move on from the wholly unsuccessful reign of Steven Gerrard.

However, one thing the Spaniard could look to maintain from the previous tenure is some of the transfer targets, as it was a summer of undoubted change for the Villans.

Five new faces came into Villa Park, with Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho expected to be catalysts for huge change.

Despite this, their continued interest in Ismaila Sarr would have added yet another game-changer to their ranks. Having agreed to a deal in August, in the end the Senegalese star did not earn his move back to the Premier League.

But with reports surfacing at the end of October, the Midlands outfit will look to maintain their curiosity and watch his World Cup performances with interest.

Should Emery sign this long-term target, it could mark the second coming of Ashley Young, who too boasted incredible speed and a wicked right foot, as well as the ability to play off both wings.

There would be hope that Sarr might replicate the form of the former Manchester United man in the 2007/08 season, where he scored eight and assisted a sensational 16 times.

Although he is yet to boast a season like this in his career, the 24-year-old has shown glimpses of his quality across stints in both the Championship and the Premier League.

This season has already seen him notch nine goal contributions in just 17 games as Watford look to earn an instant return to the top flight.

During their relegation season, the 6-foot wide man managed a respectable seven goal contributions in just 22 games.

Perhaps his most infamous performance across his 50 appearances in the Premier League was against Liverpool, where the Hornets handed the Reds their first loss of the 2019/20 campaign in sensational fashion.

Scoring twice and assisting the third, he more than earned a match-best 9.1 SofaScore rating. Sarr truly announced himself on this day as he bullied Virgil van Dijk with his physicality on the break, winning five of his eight duels.

This season spurred journalist Rob Blanchette to label the speedster “young, hungry and electric”, willing Manchester United to purchase him.

However, it seems like Villa remains in the driving seat and looks set to go in for the £40k-per-week star again after the World Cup.

He could finally provide the maverick nature seldom seen since prime Young departed and could be the newest catalyst to bring in the new era at Villa Park.

Nottingham Forest haven’t had the fairytale start to their Premier League return that they would have dreamed of, with Steve Cooper’s side spending the majority of their campaign so far in the relegation zone.

Indeed, the Tricky Trees began to show glimpses of their ability to compete when they picked up crucial points from four of their last five top-flight outings ahead of the World Cup break, which has now left them just one point shy of climbing out of the bottom three.

There is no doubt that Cooper will be spending the prolonged mid-season break searching for solutions and opportunities to strengthen his team ahead of their challenge to retain their Premier League status over the second half of the season.

Whilst the manager will have the chance to strengthen his squad by snapping up new players in the January transfer window, it is clear that the 42-year-old is also keeping a close eye on the emerging talent in the academy.

Both Dale Taylor and Detlef Esapa Osong were spotted in the first-team training session yesterday after clearly impressing Cooper with their contributions to the youth setup over the season so far, and Osong in particular could be an incredible young prospect for the senior team.

The talented 18-year-old forward signed his first professional contract with the Garibaldi last January after featuring heavily in the under-18 setup.

Jody Caudwell, Forest’s Head of Coaching and Player Development, heaped praise on the youngster when he penned his first deal, claiming that Osong has a “bright future” at the City Ground.

Caudwell gushed: “We feel he has a bright future at the football club. Esapa has great potential in his position which he is displaying in training and in games week on week.”

Across 40 appearances in the under-18 and under-21 teams, Osong has scored 19 goals and registered five assists, with a goal contribution every 136 minutes so far, proving that he can offer a consistent and reliable goal threat.

Cooper could even have Forest’s next Stan Collymore on his hands with the young centre-forward, who is showing signs that he is a prolific and natural finisher who can offer goal contributions in big moments too.

Collymore was a favourite at the City Ground during the 1990s, scoring 45 goals in 78 appearances for the Reds.

Moving to the present day, Osong scored a brace and delivered an assist in last season’s FA Cup Youth semi-final against Chelsea under-18s, which led to the Nottingham Forest under-18 side securing their place in the final against Manchester United.

The talented young striker now has the opportunity to impress Cooper whilst training with the first team and will likely be seen in the senior setup in no time at all if he continues to flourish and impress in the academy.

West Ham United seem to be closing in on moves for both Pablo Maia and Luizao.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in an interview with Football FanCast that there is clear communication between the Hammers and the players involved in the deal.

Regarding how far along the deals are, Jones claimed:

“They’re not players I know loads about but clearly a path of conversation is open here. From a West Ham point of view, you’re always going to be excited when you hear about talents like this joining the club.”

Maia is expected to cost around £9m, whilst his Sao Paulo teammate is likely to be available on a free transfer in January.

Mascherano & Parker 2.0

This double swoop could draw comparisons with the Irons’ controversial 2016 unveiling of both Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, given how both of these deals saw young talent shipped straight from Brazil to east London.

Around the time of this West Ham team, and just after the latter had moved to Liverpool, it marked the emergence of Scott Parker.

Both Luizao and Maia share qualities with these impressive stars who graced the Boleyn Ground before going on to achieve huge things in the game, and given the fact that they are both just 20 years old, the future is truly blinding for these two at the London Stadium.

The former boasts a particular bite and nastiness that could share similarities with the Argentine defender who went on to play 334 times for Barcelona.

He already has five yellow cards this season in 14 appearances, but his 3.8 clearances and 1.0 tackles per game outline him as a fine defender.

Meanwhile, the relentless midfielder has proven himself a dependable asset in the engine room, becoming a talismanic figure for Sao Paulo despite his youth.

Boasting a 90% pass accuracy, he too manages to get through the dirty work as Parker did before him which endeared him with fans.

Maia is averaging 1.3 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 0.9 clearances per game alongside his stunning ability with the ball.

Should he translate this form to the English game, he might be the next man to win Hammer of the Year, of which the former Bournemouth manager won three.

Although that period is somewhat mired by its relegation, these two stars will often leave fans romanticising such a dismal period in the club’s history.

Hopefully, in Maia and Luizao, they can underpin what will be a bright future for David Moyes’ side that is brimming with talent.

Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing Ben Brereton Diaz in the January transfer window and the Blackburn Rovers star could be the Eagles’ next Glenn Murray at Selhurst Park.

According to 90min, Palace are one of several Premier League sides to have scouted the 23-year-old frontman ahead of the winter transfer window, after his superb performances for club and country in recent years.

Last season saw the former Nottingham Forest man notch 22 goals in the Championship for the Ewood Park outfit as they narrowly missed out on the playoffs, and he looks to be aiming for automatic promotion with Jon Dahl Tomasson’s high-fliers this time around, having already hit nine league goals this term.

While it may be tough to prise Brereton Diaz away from the Lancashire club, as they currently sit third in the second tier ahead of its resumption this weekend, his contract situation could force Blackburn’s hand.

The Chile international is out of contract at the end of the season, meaning that foreign clubs are free to approach him on a pre-contract deal in January, so Blackburn may well be tempted to cash in on him to a Premier League side in January.

Other than Wilfried Zaha, Patrick Vieira lacks a consistent goalscorer at Selhurst Park, so it is easy to see why he would want to bring the “extraordinary” Brereton Diaz to the Premier League next month, given his goalscoring record in recent campaigns.

His ability in front of goal suggests that he could emulate Palace legend Glenn Murray should he join Vieira’s side in the January window.

Murray signed for the Eagles from rivals Brighton in 2011 and after hitting just seven goals in his first campaign, he exploded in the 2012/13 campaign and helped fire Palace to promotion to the Premier League, scoring a record-breaking 30 goals in the Championship.

That record would stand until 2021 when it was eclipsed by Ivan Toney, which emphasises just how impressive Murray was at Selhurst Park, and his 47 total goals for the Eagles means he will always be fondly remembered by fans.

Like Murray, Brereton-Diaz is known for his clinical finishing in front of goal, so there seems no reason why he can’t create a similar legacy to the Englishman at Selhurst Park should he join from Blackburn Rovers in the new year.