Premier

Alexander Isak scored his maiden goal for Liverpool as the Reds ended their two-game EPL losing streak at West Ham.

Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak scored his first English Premier League goal for the Reds as the under-pressure football champions snapped a woeful run of form with a much-needed 2-0 win at West Ham United on Sunday.

Liverpool had endured their worst spell in over 70 years, losing nine of their previous 12 games, and manager Arne Slot took drastic measures, leaving Mohamed Salah out of his starting lineup for the first time in the Premier League.

Salah’s replacement Florian Wirtz looked sharp, though he squandered Liverpool’s best chance of the first half with his tame effort from close range, allowing goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to save.

Isak, who had looked short of form and fitness, spurned two opportunities before the break, drawing a fine reaction stop from Areola midway through the half.

But the Sweden striker slotted home a Cody Gakpo pullback on the hour mark to give the Reds the lead they marginally deserved and rarely looked like giving up.

Liverpool’s cause was helped by Lucas Paqueta, who was bizarrely booked twice for dissent within 60 seconds with less than 10 minutes to play, before Gakpo added a second goal in the 92nd minute to seal the three points.

Liverpool’s victory, only their second in eight league games, moved them up to eighth place with 21 points from 13 matches, while West Ham are 17th with 11 points, level with 18th-placed Leeds United.

Liverpool’s losing run ended by Isak

West Ham – whose players and fans paid tribute to former captain, coach and manager Billy Bonds, who died aged 79 on Sunday – came into the match after back-to-back home victories and had seemingly turned the corner.

But Liverpool ultimately had too much quality and, crucially for Slot, managed to keep their fifth clean sheet of the season after shipping 10 goals in their last three games.

Isak could have put Liverpool in front inside four minutes, but spooned his effort well over the bar, with his protracted move from Newcastle United still seemingly affecting him.

West Ham looked sharper after the break, with Paqueta sending an audacious half-volley from 30 yards narrowly wide as the home fans believed Liverpool were there for the taking.

In the 60th minute, however, Isak was left unmarked in the box as Liverpool recycled possession from a throw-in and the striker coolly side-footed into the bottom corner.

Paqueta saw red in the 83rd minute to make West Ham’s task all the harder before Gakpo sent the home fans streaming for the exits with a clinical finish.

Spurs have scored seven goals in six home league games this season, while only Burnley have had fewer shots on target than their 18.

Frank’s midfield selections have come under fire for being too defensive. Remarkably, Spurs have made four throughballs this season. Leaders Arsenal have made 43.

“When you look at the make-up of their team, the midfield isn’t particularly creative,” Murphy told BBC Sport.

“It feels like none of their frontline are playing with any confidence. They look a bit lightweight in the front area of the pitch.

“Away from home, that doesn’t matter as much, because they can be more pragmatic – look for the set-plays, play on the counter and be hard to beat – and they don’t have the expectation of the 60,000 home supporters to go after teams and really try to win games.

“That makes a difference to players. Away from home, you can kind of do it at your own pace and it is OK for you to be without the ball.

“The games we’ve seen Tottenham do well in away from home have actually been comfortable at times for them – their win at Everton was a good example of that.

“But that lack of cohesion and rhythm in the front three, where things have changed so much – and even that little tweak in midfield where sometimes it’s a 10, sometimes it’s three midfielders – it all looks a little bit higgledy-piggledy.

“It means Spurs can look a bit too safe at home, with no-one playing with any belief or confidence to get on the ball.”

Cole Palmer is fit to play for Chelsea against London rivals Arsenal in Sunday’s Premier League game at Stamford Bridge.

The 23-year-old forward fractured his toe when stubbing it on a door last week and subsequently missed the wins over Burnley and Barcelona.

The England international has struggled with injury this season and featured only five times across all competitions.

“He is available to start,” said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

“Everyone is happy, the team-mates are happy, we are all happy and the most important thing is Cole is happy because a footballer wants to play games and make the sessions every day.

“He is our best player, we are happy he is back. We need to give him time to be 100% fit. He has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do very good for this club in the future.”

Two months ago Liverpool’s huge summer transfer spend looked like it had made the Premier League title a formality.

Arne Slot’s side were five points clear at the top of the table after only five games, having strengthened their squad with £415m worth of talent.

Florian Wirtz was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100m, rising to a possible £116m. Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak joined on deadline day for a new record transfer fee of £125m, which could be £130m with add-ons.

Nothing could go wrong, could it?

Both signings have struggled and Liverpool’s form has nosedived, leaving them 12th in the league.

Wirtz has no goals or assists in 11 Premier League outings. Isak has yet to score a goal and has one assist.

It is way too early to write off two of the most expensive Premier League signings of all time.

After all, Thierry Henry scored only two goals in his first 17 appearances for Arsenal. By the end of that season he had netted 17 times in the Premier League, 26 in all competitions and went on to be one of the league’s greatest-ever players.

But curiously, when you look down the list of the Premier League’s biggest incomings, there are not too many ‘huge’ successes.

How do you judge this? I’ve looked at each deal and given my verdict relative to their own achievements and that of their clubs. Fees shown are without add-ons.

Of course this is very subjective and you are free to disagree (or agree) in the comments below!

Who: Manchester United vs Everton
What: English Premier League
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Monday at 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 5pm (17:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Manchester United host Everton and are looking to extend a five-game unbeaten run under Ruben Amorim although they have drawn their past two against Nottingham Forest and Spurs.

A win could see them move into the top four with Bryan Mbeumo’s scoring streak a key factor in their recent resurgence.

But Everton are just three points below Man United in a congested table, and David Moyes will be extra motivated to get a result at his former club.

Happyish anniversary for Amorim

Monday’s fixture at Old Trafford marks a year to the day since Amorim’s first match in charge.

Amorim’s reign as United manager started with a 1-1 draw away to Ipswich, and since then, the Portuguese boss has experienced plenty of lows in charge of the English football giants, including finishing 15th in the table and failing to qualify for Europe.

But recent results have been encouraging, and Amorim said consistency is key.

“Right away, I knew we would struggle in some things, but the feeling was it is the best league in the world, maybe the best club,” he said.

“[Now] I think we are showing [consistency], but the important thing is that it doesn’t matter what we did in the recent games,” he said. “We cannot forget we suffered a lot in those games and play every game like it is the last one.

“[We are] more dominant, playing better football, and more competitive in every way.”

Cunha credits United resurgence for Brazil call-ups

Man United forward Matheus Cunha has credited the club’s resurgence under Amorim with helping him cement a spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad before next year’s World Cup in North America.

Cunha, 26, has seamlessly adapted to playing in Amorim’s system as a hybrid attacking midfielder and forward, a trait he believes has strengthened his case for World Cup inclusion.

“Knowing that the manager [Amorim] trusts me to play in multiple positions is important,” Cunha said.

“Manchester United is a club that should always be at the top,” he said. “I’m grateful to be playing in a side that’s delivering and competing well. To earn a spot in the national team, you have to consistently show your worth at club level.”

Moyes says Everton in midst of a rebuild

Everton received a significant boost after appointing Moyes as manager for the second time in January with his side steadily rising up the table.

Speaking before the game against Man United, Moyes said his team were continuing to work towards finding “solid ground” but it would take time.

“We’ve said many times about us trying to get on solid ground again. We’ve done that with the new owners, new stadium and staying up last year. So we have to try and make sure that we go steady,” he said.

“If anybody thought that we were going to completely switch everything around, then they’re completely off their head.”

Moyes continued: “I used to always look at the real managers from eras before me who I look up to now – Bobby Robson, Brian Clough, Don Revie – all those ones who’d been given long periods at their clubs, and if you look at the success, it tended to work better that way.”

What happened in Man United’s last EPL match?

Matthijs de Ligt equalised in the sixth minute of a dramatic period of stoppage time to earn Manchester United a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on November 8.

Tottenham had looked like they would claim all three points when Richarlison glanced in a header in the first minute of added time, completing a Spurs comeback from a goal down.

There was still time for de Ligt to find space at the back post at a corner to direct a header goalwards and over the line before Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario clawed the ball away.

Trailing after Mbeumo’s 32nd-minute header, Tottenham dominated the second half and grabbed an equaliser in the 84th through substitute Mathys Tel’s shot that deflected in off de Ligt.

What happened in Everton’s last EPL match?

Everton defeated Fulham 2-0 at home on November 8 just before FIFA’s international window, ending a three-match EPL winless streak going back to October 5.

Idrissa Gueye gave Everton the lead in the first half, and Michael Keane made it 2-0 in the second as Moyes’s side also had a number of goals chalked off for offside in what was a dominant victory.

Head-to-head: Last six matches

United are unbeaten against Everton in their last six fixtures with four wins and two draws.

The teams last played in a preseason friendly two weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 English Premier League season:

• Manchester United 2-2 Everton (August 4)
• Everton 2-2 Manchester United (February 2)
• Manchester United 4-0 Everton (December 1)
• Manchester United 2-0 Everton (March 9, 2024)
• Everton 0-3 Manchester United (November 26, 2023)
• Manchester United 2-0 Everton (April 8, 2023)

Form guide: last five Premier League matches

Manchester United: W-W-W-D-D (most recent result last)

Everton: W-L-L-D-W

United’s team news

Benjamin Sesko will be out of action “for a few weeks” after hurting his knee before the international break, Amorim said on Friday.

The forward, who joined United from RB Leipzig for 74 million pounds ($97m) in August, was injured during the 2-2 draw at Tottenham and missed Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers.

United will also be without Harry Maguire against Everton after the defender picked up an injury in the Spurs draw.

Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo could be available to face Everton, and Lisandro Martinez is getting closer to a return after being involved in the Argentina camp over the break.

Meanwhile, Cunha missed a Christmas lights switch-on event in Altrincham after organisers revealed the forward suffered “an accident in training” on Saturday, raising doubts over his availability on Monday.

United’s predicted starting lineup

Lammens; Yoro, de Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Diallo; Zirkzee

Everton’s team news

Moyes said on Friday that central midfielder Merlin Rohl has had an operation to treat a hernia and is not expected to return for a few weeks.

Everton are also missing Nathan Patterson and Jarrad Branthwaite due to groin and hamstring injuries, respectively.

Otherwise, Moyes appears to have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Everton’s predicted starting lineup

Pickford; O’Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry

There is some fierce competition for that crown but, statistically, the Gunners are right up there.

Nearly a third of the way through the campaign, they are conceding 0.45 goals per game. If they maintain that rate they will concede 17 goals over the 38 games.

Chelsea’s 2004-05 title-winning side hold the record at 15, with Arsenal’s vintage in 1998-99 conceding 17, but finishing trophyless.

The next tightest defence is the 2007-08 Manchester United side and Liverpool in 2018-19, who both conceded 22 goals.

There is a long way still to go for Arsenal, but if the backline of Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori – with keeper David Raya behind them – stay fit and solid, then they’ve got every chance of being talked about among this quartet.

That is a big if though, with fears Gabriel could be sidelined until January after being injured on Brazil duty, while Italy international Calafiori also has a problem that needs to be assessed.

The Gunners also have the best defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues this term, with the fewest goals conceded, fewest shots on target faced and most clean sheets.

They have allowed only 21 shots on target in the Premier League this season, including three across their last five matches. Their average of 1.9 shots on target faced per game is the lowest since Opta’s records began in 2003-04.

You have to go back to September and October 1987 for the last time Arsenal bettered this season’s record of four successive league games without letting in a goal.

That came under manager George Graham in an era that inspired the famous “1-0 to the Arsenal” chant to serenade a team with the kind of defensive resilience that Arteta’s men are replicating.

Sunderland’s strikes, from Dan Ballard and an injury-time Brian Brobbey equaliser, denied them the chance to beat Manchester United’s Premier League record of 14 consecutive clean sheets, achieved back in 2008-09.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are the record holders for clean sheets in the Premier League era across all competitions, having gone 11 straight games without conceding under Rafael Benitez in 2005-06.

Former Arsenal centre-back Martin Keown, who was part of the club’s 1998-99 side, wrote in his BBC Sport column: “We can see with our own eyes how good the defence is.

“The only thing missing from their CV is trophies.

“If they could be champions, they reach that elite level alongside these past title-winning teams.”

Manchester City celebrated Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th game in management with a statement 3-0 win over Liverpool to close to within four points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Erling Haaland shrugged off missing an early penalty on Sunday to head in his 99th Premier League goal before Nico Gonzalez’s deflected effort and a wonder strike from Jeremy Doku confirmed City’s status as Arsenal’s major title rivals.

Liverpool have now lost four of their last five league games to leave the defending champions down in eighth, eight points off the top.

Arsenal’s 10-game winning run came to an end in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland on Saturday and Guardiola’s men took full advantage in the battle of the two sides that have dominated English football’s Premier League over the past decade.

Even if decisions went against Arne Slot’s men, this was another display of how far they have fallen since cruising to a 2-0 win at the Etihad in February.

The Reds showed signs of a revival in beating Aston Villa and Real Madrid in the past eight days, but had no answer to the slickness of a rejuvenated City, who have won 11 of their last 14 games in all competitions.

Conor Bradley shut down the threat of Madrid’s Vinicius Junior on Tuesday, but was given a torrid time by the pace and trickery of Doku down City’s left.

Early in the first half, Doku made the most of Ibrahima Konate’s clearance off Bradley to round Giorgi Mamardashvili before his trailing leg was clipped by the Georgian goalkeeper.

Referee Chris Kavanagh was initially unmoved, but pointed to the spot after a VAR review.

Haaland has struck 28 times already this season for club and country, but has yet to score for City from the penalty spot in 2025-26.

Mamardashvili redeemed himself by getting down low to his left to turn the Norwegian’s penalty to safety to briefly lift the mood among the Liverpool players and travelling support.

City remained in control of the game, though, as Rayan Cherki’s effort was deflected wide before Mamardashvili turned Doku’s strike after another mazy run into the side netting.

Haaland has only failed to score in two of his 18 appearances this season, and duly delivered with a looping header to meet Matheus Nunes’s wicked delivery at 29 minutes.

Liverpool thought they were level nine minutes later, when van Dijk’s header from a corner arrowed into the far corner.

However, Andrew Robertson ducked out of the way of his captain’s effort and was deemed to have interfered with Gianluigi Donnarumma from an offside position.

Instead of going in all square, City rubbed salt in the wounds of Liverpool’s perceived injustice.

The visitors were slow to get out from a corner, and Gonzalez had time to take aim before his shot deflected off van Dijk to wrong-foot Mamardashvili.

Liverpool only had themselves to blame for not getting back in the game early in the second period as Cody Gakpo blazed over with the goal gaping at the end of a fine move involving Mohamed Salah and Bradley.

But Doku fittingly rounded off arguably his best performance in three seasons at City to seal a statement victory.

The Belgian jinked inside the leaden-footed Konate before curling into the top corner from outside the box.

Salah summed up Liverpool’s day and season so far when he dinked wide a glorious chance 10 minutes from time.

Despite the visitors’ need for goals, Slot left 125-million-pound ($165m) striker Alexander Isak on the bench for the entire match due to his lack of match fitness.

The decision to tear up the squad that coasted to the title with a near 450-million-pound ($692m) spend in the transfer window looks more misguided by the game as Liverpool find themselves in a battle just to make the top four rather than the title race.

After the game, Doku told Sky Sports that he was very happy with the team’s performance.

“It is always good for the confidence [to dominate a match], but I have great players around me. That gives me the feeling that I have to do more in every game and every day I want to improve,” he said.

Van Dijk said Liverpool struggled to recover from a difficult first half.

“Our pressing just wasn’t good enough; it should have been better. We need to find more consistency. Losing hurts, always, but 3-0 especially,” he said.

“There were some good moments in the game, but you play Man City at home, who can make it very difficult. The focus should be on reflecting on this when we come back and then fight again.”

Earlier on Sunday, Aston Villa thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 to move into seventh place in the Premier League. But Newcastle United’s poor domestic form continued as they slumped to defeat at Brentford.

Nottingham Forest ended a winless Premier League run stretching back to the first weekend of the season as they came from behind to beat Leeds United 3-1 at the City Ground.

Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion shared the spoils in a dour 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park.

Aston Villa put in a dominant team performance, with four different goalscorers, to secure their biggest Premier League win of the season by beating Bournemouth 4-0 at Villa Park.

MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth

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Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the match as City host rivals Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

Who: Manchester City vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
When: Sunday at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Games between Manchester City and Liverpool have often been regarded as key battles in Premier League title races in recent seasons, but Sunday’s encounter may merely point to which of the two clubs is best equipped to try to chase league leaders Arsenal.

By the time the weekend’s big game kicks off at the Etihad Stadium, Arsenal – who visit surprise-package Sunderland on Saturday – could be 10 points clear of champions Liverpool and nine ahead of Pep Guardiola’s City.

That scenario would increase the pressure on City and Liverpool, who head into the last round of fixtures before another international stoppage second and third respectively.

There are signs that both clubs are finding form. City have lost only once in their last 13 games in all competitions and on Wednesday pummelled Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League with Erling Haaland scoring his 18th club goal this season and a rejuvenated Phil Foden bagging a brace.

Liverpool have also emerged from a run of six defeats in seven matches in all competitions to beat Aston Villa and Real Madrid in their last two games.

Guardiola ‘desperate to play against Liverpool’

City lost home and away to the Reds last season as they were dethroned as champions, and City boss Pep Guardiola admitted he was surprised at Liverpool’s stumbles this season.

“Of course, but sometimes it’s about momentum,” Guardiola stated. “All the clubs are there except Arsenal, who are more consistent than anyone.

“But the season is long, so we try to be there and see what happens. To be hones,t I’m so excited and happy to prepare for Sunday. I’m desperate to play against Liverpool.”

Foden is ‘back’ warns City’s boss

The City and England forward lit up the win over Dortmund, scoring twice to register his first European goals this season and double his tally in all competitions.

City’s star academy graduate struggled for much of last season, opening up about off-field issues and injuries that affected him, but the signs are that the 25-year-old is back to his best, having been the stand-out player in City’s Premier League-winning 2023/24 campaign.

“Phil is back,” Guardiola said. “How many times have we seen Phil score these type of goals? We miss this a lot last season but this season I think he is going to help us a lot.”

Guardiola added, “He’s a special player [and] we need his goals and hopefully today was the first step to do it. It’s important to have him for the big, big match on Sunday [against Liverpool].”

Van Dijk says Liverpool must build from the back

Prior to a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, Liverpool had gone 10 matches without a clean sheet.

“It is easy to say now because we won twice in a row. In a world of chaos you have to stay calm and see perspective of things,” captain Virgil van Dijk said. “We all know how football works – it can change overnight.”

Liverpool face another huge test of their title defence on Sunday when Van Dijk faces Haaland, who has struck 26 times this season for club and country.

“You can see at the moment Arsenal are flying, and it is down to clean sheets and not conceding chances,” added Van Dijk.

“We have the quality to hurt anyone on the break – it starts with the defending. Today, you saw the hard work.

“We have to keep going. Sunday is going to be another difficult one.”

Slot looking forward to ‘Clasico’ against City

Liverpool boss Arne Slot said he was not surprised by his team’s return to form to win their last two games, but warned that playing at Manchester City would pose a far more difficult challenge.

“Our main focus is on consistency at the moment, as you know we’ve lost a few games, much more than we usually do … We were consistent but we were consistently losing. That wasn’t the idea,” a laughing Slot told reporters ahead of Sunday’s clash.

“It wasn’t a surprise for me how the last two games went. It was helpful that the other team did what we expected them to do,” he added.

Slot said Guardiola’s City were his immediate focus rather than the league table.

“Similar to the ‘Clasico,’ these are the few games everyone is looking forward to,” he said.

“What I like about Pep Guardiola’s teams is that 10 out of 10 times you get what you are hoping for – a great game of football, no time wasting or those kinds of things that I start to dislike more and more about football,” Slot said.

Head-to-head

Liverpool boast by far the better win ratio from the two clubs’ 218 encounters, with the Reds winning 110 matches, City winning 60, and 58 ending as draws.

The Reds’ league double over City last year included a 2-0 win at the Etihad in February, courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, that sent the eventual champions 11 points clear of City.

City’s last win over the Reds was a 4-1 thrashing at the Etihad in April 2023, on a tense day that included an apparent attack by Liverpool fans on the City team bus and Guardiola being accused of disrespectfully celebrating directly in front of Liverpool substitutes.

City’s team news

Guardiola seems to have the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from, with talismanic midfielder Rodri set to come into the team after recovering from injury to likely form a double-pivot with Nico Gonzalez.

While left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri has recovered from injury, Nico O’Reilly has excelled in his absence and may be the one tasked with trying to shackle Salah.

City’s predicted starting lineup

Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Rodri, Gonzalez; Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland

Liverpool’s team news

The Reds’ first choice keeper Alisson Becker remains injured, but Liverpool have the impressive Giorgi Mamardashvili to rely on between the sticks instead.

Slot confirmed that record signing Alexander Isak may be fit enough to make the squad following a groin problem but he may not be risked, while Curtis Jones is back in training after also suffering a groin injury.

Conor Bradley put in a sensational defensive display against Real Madrid in midweek and will surely retain his spot at right-back with Jeremie Frimpong ruled out for another six weeks, while Andy Robertson also impressed at left-back and may start again as new signing Milos Kerkez continues to adjust to life at Liverpool.

Liverpool’s predicted starting lineup

Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike

Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the game as Spurs host United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Consumer group Which? has ranked hotels based on customer feedback – with pub chain Wetherspoons given a ‘great value’ gong and Premier Inn losing Recommended Provider status as it slips down the list

The Britannia Hotels chain has been ranked the worst place to stay for the 12th year running in a poll, as Wetherspoons beat Premier Inn and took home the ‘top value’ prize.

Consumer group Which? gave Britannia, with more than 60 sites, a lowly customer score of just 44%. It managed just one star out of a possible five for the quality of its bedrooms and bathrooms.

One Britannia customer at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone, Kent, described witheringly as a “total dive”. Another said they had three nights booked but left after one because of the poor service, room and food.

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Britannia’s chain include a number of historic and landmark hotels. They include Liverpool’s famous Adelphi, which scores just 2.6 out of possible five on Tripadvisor as the website says guests “frequently cite noise issues due to thin walls”. Britannia’s Grand Hotel in Scarborough gets an even lower 2.4 on Tripadvisor, which says rooms are “basic and dated, with mixed reports on cleanliness.”

The firm’s hotel in London’s Docklands has been the scene of protests amid reports it was being used to house asylum seekers. It has been given a score of 2.8 on Tripadvisor. The Britannia group is controlled by tycoon Alex Langsam, who also owns holiday camp Pontins and was criticised after its Southport’s site sudden closure in early 2024.

The Mirror confronted Mr Langsam at the time at his 10-bedroom mansion in Cheshire. But when asked if he had anything to say to the workers who left in tears, he claimed: “It’s nothing to do with me, I am nothing to do with Pontins.”

Top in the Which? large hotel category was a pub chain with 35 inns. The Coaching Inn Group received a customer score of 81%, with “often historic buildings located in beauty spots or market towns where they aim to be ‘the best venue in town’.”

Pub giant JD Wetherspoon, which has over 50 hotels across the country, was also praised. It came fifth and was the only chain to be awarded a Which? Great Value badge. At just £70 for an average night’s stay, Wetherspoons got four stars for value for money and the majority of other categories, including customer service. One guest commented that the hotel was “clean, comfortable and good value”.

It came above Premier Inn, which slipped to seventh in the large chain table, and lost the Which? Recommended Provider status. While customers still ranked Premier Inn’s beds as some of the most comfortable in the survey, some guests told Which? their stay wasn’t good value and suggested that standards were slipping.

One guest said that “Premier Inn has lost its way. Prices no longer budget levels and service is no longer a priority”. An average night’s stay is £94. Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “A night away should be a real treat but with hotel prices climbing, finding a hotel chain that consistently offers comfort, good customer service and a charming location at a fair price has become harder. “

A spokesperson for Premier Inn said: “At Premier Inn we help millions of people have a great night’s sleep and sell over 20 million room nights every year to families, leisure and business guests. We’re pleased that the 2,746 Which? members who answered for Premier Inn as part of this summer survey awarded us five stars for bed comfort and that they also rated our customer service and cleanliness highly.

“Whether it’s our estate-wide roll-out of brand new, high-quality beds all with a choice of soft or firm pillows, providing relaxing shower products in every room or keeping our food and drink menus updated with new offers to tempt and excite customers, we’re continually investing in our guest experience. We are always looking to improve and welcome comments and feedback– indeed we actively seek them through our own customer surveys. We will certainly pay special attention to address anything that feedback suggests we need to.”

Britannia Hotels was contacted for comment.

Edwards’ position at Middlesbrough, given his current employment, would provide some obstacles, with Boro believed to be entitled to a significant compensation fee.

Edwards is a former Wolves Under-23 coach and was also first-team coach, having had a two-game interim spell in charge in 2016, and distanced himself from the role.

“I was told by my daughter yesterday [Sunday], so that probably tells you where I stand on it,” he said.

“You know my links to the club but my full focus is on this job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around from the weekend in a really big game against Leicester.

“Speculation stuff is hard for me to comment about, anything else other than Middlesbrough, which is where my focus is, that we’ve done a decent job so far.”

Wolves have a history of appointing managers with close links to high-profile agent Jorge Mendes, in Nuno Espirito Santo, Bruno Lage and Pereira.

It is understood that in addition to O’Neil, Wolves were speaking to at least one manager from Mendes’ stable.

O’Neil was sacked by Wolves in December 2024 following a disappointing start to the 2024-25 campaign, failing to win in their opening 10 games.

Former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick analyses Manchester City’s plan to exploit the middle of the pitch in their 3-1 win against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Match of the Day.

WATCH MORE: Haaland scores twice to send Man City second

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