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With just seven games to go, Leeds inch ever closer to their return to the Premier League after dismantling Fulham 3-0 at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

The Whites saw rivals West Brom slip to a 1-0 defeat to Brentford the night before, and they took advantage of that slip-up with the minimum of fuss.

Patrick Bamford, Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Harrison all notched in a comfortable victory, and the latter in particular drew some high praise from the club’s fans for a virtuoso performance.

Aside from his goal and assist, Harrison also provided two key passes, created one big chance and finished with a 7.9 match rating as per Sofascore – only goalkeeper Illan Meslier finished with a higher score (8.1).

And after seeing his display, Leeds fans flocked to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of Leeds fans talked up how good Harrison looked playing out on the right-hand side, with most of his appearances this season coming on the opposite flank (38).

A few fans made it very clear they wanted to see Harrison signed permanently, with reports back in January suggesting that parent club Manchester City are willing to let him go for around £8m.

If Leeds get one key piece of transfer business done this summer, then surely securing Harrison on a permanent deal is right up there at the top of the list.

Can you name every one of the Leeds’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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The 5 foot 9 ace has been an ever-present for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this season, playing in every single Championship game, and has scored six times and provided eight assists across all competitions.

He’s had the kind of impressive campaign that should have Victor Orta and co with a fairly simple decision to make about whether to bring him back for next season.

Loads of Tottenham fans have reacted to a post from the club’s official account showing footage of Son Heung-min giving an interview at Enfield. 

Son spoke extensively about his military service and how it feels to be back training with his teammates. Spurs shared a clip on Twitter, with the caption “I’ve missed the guys. When I came back, I couldn’t stop smiling, like always!”

Last month, the South Korean returned to training for the first time since the nationwide lockdown began after completing national service with his home country. He impressed army officers and finished at the top of his class (Daily Mail).

As Son was ruled out with a broken arm in February, there is no doubt his return will give Jose Mourinho’s side a massive boost.

Indeed, the 27-year-old is the club’s second-highest goalscorer at the time of writing, only a goal behind star striker Harry Kane, and he has provided more assists than the England international up until now (BBC).

He has scored nine goals and created seven assists in the Premier League, taking three shots per game, averaging 1.4 key passes and attempting 2.3 dribbles on average (via WhoScored).

Unsurprisingly, lots of Spurs supporters gushed over Son’s latest “amazing” interview on social media, with one fan dubbing the video “fantastic”.

Scroll down through some of the glowing reactions so far…

Tottenham fans, are you excited to see Sonny back on the pitch? Let us know down below!

Leeds United finally received some sort of update from the EFL and supporters at Elland Road have been reacting to the news via Phil Hay, who relayed the key information to Twitter.

The English Football League have delayed a return to training until May 25th at the earliest, which is over a week later than their original date of May 16th following a board meeting with Championship clubs.

Last week, the British government postponed all sporting events until June 1st at the earliest whilst EFL chair has set a deadline of July 31st for the remaining nine matches to be complete by.

It means the breathing space for this season to be resumed is diminishing quickly and many in west Yorkshire now have their doubts.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are sat top of the Championship, holding a seven-point advantage to the playoffs, so it’s fair to argue that they have a very good chance of ending a 16-year wait for top-flight football at Elland Road.

Here’s how fans have been reacting to the news…

AND in other news, Leeds fans swoon over Ben White after this gesture…

Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to react following a social media post from the club’s official account, and it’s safe to say that they’re not too impressed with it.

The post in question is captioned “commitment levels 100” and shows Jan Bednarek sliding in to prevent Nicolas Pepe’s cross from finding Mesut Ozil at the back post, surely preventing what would’ve been an open goal for the German.

However, in truth, there isn’t much commitment on show, but more an abundance of haphazard defending, chaotic positioning and a stench of attacking over-commitment as Bednarek was the only man back for Southampton for most of the clip.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men really should’ve beaten the north Londoners on Saturday, although a late Alexandre Lacazette goal crushed Southampton hearts and made them rue their missed chances.

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One fan labelled the Twitter post as “embarrassing” whereas another supporter said that the social media team is “deluded”.

Let’s see how some more Southampton fans on Twitter felt about the post…

In other news, one Southampton man vindicated Hasenhuttl’s bold decision to start him against Arsenal…

It’s a goal you can’t forget.

Darren Bent scored for Sunderland against Liverpool in 2009, sending a drive in off a beach ball that had been brought to the ground by supporter Colin Campbell.

He smacked it onto the pitch and it remained in Pepe Reina’s area, primarily in the goal itself, until it made an incredible, decisive impact.

Nobody is going to forget Bent’s strike, which hit the bottom corner, giving the Black Cats a vital win.

As Liverpool struggled to gain a foothold on the match in the absence of Xabi Alonso (sold), Steven Gerrard (injured), Fernando Torres (injured) and Javier Mascherano (benched) – the four players most pivotal to their runner-up finish the season prior – few probably noticed as the ball started to creep back out of the net and into Pepe Reina’s six-yard box.

Just five minutes into play, though, the beach ball was the centre of everybody’s attention – and the new centre of Campbell’s universe. Darren Bent, enjoying the form of his career after a move to the Stadium of Light, scuffed his connection with a Steed Malbranque cross. But as Reina leaned down in preparation for a save, Bent’s effort bounced off the beach ball, spinning it into the opposite direction and leaving the Liverpool goalkeeper in a painful combination of helplessness and confusion.

That was the only goal in a disappointing performance at the Stadium of Light, which actually saw Sunderland leapfrog Liverpool in the Premier League table, and the backlash against Campbell was huge. He recounts death threats from all over the world; some told him to leave town, others advised him to buy a coffin and one particular troller declared he’d turn him into a curry.

“I’m the one who did it. I’m the one caught on camera. I’m so, so sorry. This is my worst, worst nightmare. When I got home I went into the garden and threw up. I was physically sick – and that’s before the death threats started appearing on the internet the next day.

“When I looked closer these people were from America and Australia and all over the world – so-called fans who never come to Liverpool. So after that, I just ignored them. I knew the true fans wouldn’t threaten me like that – they would know I was more cut up about what happened than anyone else.”

But in truth, the last person at fault for the goal or the result was a Liverpool-loving teenager who’d flailed an arm at a crowd-pleasing prop that was brought to Wearside. For starters, as several leading former referees immediately protested, the goal should never have stood. The official rule is that play must stop if the ball makes contact with a foreign object and restart with a drop ball. Referee Mike Jones should have known that, and he was demoted to the Championship the following weekend.

Arguably more significantly, though, the goal glossed over a poor performance from Liverpool in a match they had little right to win. Bent also hit the post and the bar while team-mates saw efforts cleared off the line as Benitez’s attempt to curtail the early form Sunderland had shown that season by lining up Liverpool in a 5-4-1 backfired spectacularly. Bad results against theoretically lesser teams were a recurring theme throughout Liverpool’s 2009/10, which ended with them finishing in seventh place and Benitez receiving his marching orders.

The beach ball, for all its mischief, was a minute part in that. It was as if the footballing gods decided fate would deal Liverpool a cruel blow at the Stadium of Light, and accordingly prevent them recovering.

As much shame as Campbell felt at the time, as the internet produced a typically malicious backlash, he should be proud for providing the Premier League with one of its most bizarre and unforgettable moments that, in its own strange way, captured the idiosyncrasies which make English football so uniquely special.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking after his side’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has lauded his side’s “perfect” performance.

What did he say?

The Saints have endured a miserable start to the current campaign, with their 9-0 humiliation at home to Leicester undeniably their worst experience in their time in the Premier League.

And having headed into the weekend’s game in the relegation zone and travelling to the Emirates, Hasenhuttl’s side may have been fearing the worst. Instead, they were hugely unlucky to only come away with a point, with a series of missed opportunities towards the closing stages of the game.

However, despite failing to see his side hold on for all three points, the Austrian paid tribute to his players’ performances, and insisted they have now set the benchmark for what is to be expected of them.

He said (as quoted by The Daily Echo): “I think they can do it and I will them to do it because you have to. Coming now are two home games and we must have a performance like that all the time. That doesn’t mean we always play in that shape but today it was perfect and we surprised the opponent a little bit being so early on the front foot and trying to attack them very early.

“We won so many balls in the opponent half and had so often a counter attack situation. his was only because we were brave and didn’t want to defend deep and keep them away from our goal because of the quality they have in the final third. That was the right match plan I think and for this point I am happy but maybe a couple more.”

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Make no mistake about it, Southampton were in desperate need of not just a good performance, but also a positive result too. And they delivered on both fronts on Saturday. The fact they come away from the game feeling like it’s two points dropped courtesy of how the match actually panned out, should really offer Hasenhuttl’s side a whole deal of encouragement.

It gives them a platform from which to build on, and as the manager himself pointed to, they have a couple of fixtures coming up that they should be looking to take close to maximum points from. The Arsenal game has given them some much-needed confidence that they can compete, and if they can produce something similar from now on, they will surely be able to avoid real trouble.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Having made his Manchester United debut in a defeat to Arsenal a couple of years ago, Scott McTominay has made some serious strides in a staggeringly short amount of time. The 22-year-old has become a prominent player under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and is arguably one of the first names on the team-sheet.

He has already made 16 appearances across all competitions this season, and has played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game barring just two. In a team that has struggled overall – United currently find themselves in seventh and a whopping nine points behind the final Champions League qualifying spot – McTominay has been one of the rare bright sparks. And when looking at the underlying numbers, it is easy to see why.

While McTominay may be seen by the outside world as someone who simply sits in front of the back four, breaks up the opposition play and then feeds the ball into the forwards, that has not been the case at all. The Scotland international is beginning to develop into a bona-fide box-to-box midfielder, and his natural engine and lungs is helping him become a hugely influential presence for United at both ends of the pitch.

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As per utdreport on Twitter, the 22-year-old has run 130.88km in total in the Premier League this season – the most distance covered by any player in the current United squad. And in finding himself all over the pitch, it is little surprise to see McTominay also feature highly in all the other main categories. As per Whoscored, his average of 2.3 tackles per game ranks him third amongst his teammates, whilst even in stats that are polar opposites like interceptions and shots, the academy product fares impressively well.

The matches in which the midfielder dominates is also a testament to his big-game mentality. In the victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, McTominay’s match rating was the second-highest of any player on the pitch, whilst in the hard-fought draw against Arsenal, his 7.4 score was the highest of any United star. The 6 foot 4 powerhouse rises to the big occasion, and he is quickly becoming Solskjaer’s most trusted lieutenant.

Leicester City were the team who spent most of the Arsenal game on top on Saturday, as they had more possession and 11 more shots than their opposition.

However, they struggled to make that count to get themselves into the lead – that is until they emphatically went ahead in style in the 68th minute.

After a spell of playing the ball round, a Ricardo Pereira pass, Harvey Barnes flick, Youri Tielemans lay-off and Jamie Vardy finish had the ball in the back of the net – it was a goal of real beauty:

Leicester were treated to another wonderful strike by James Maddison, earning a 2-0 victory over the Gunners, but after the game it was that opener the many fans were still swooning over.

The slickness of the movement and passing was sublime, as it displayed just how in tune the players in blue are with each other.

Vardy’s clinical touch was also impressive, albeit not necessarily surprising, with his tally already at 11 Premier League goals for the campaign.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the goal, including posts from gushing Leicester fans, can be seen below:

A report from the Daily Mail has delved deeper into the role Kolo Toure is playing as first-team coach at Leicester City.

Adam Shergold’s story in the Daily Mail takes a closer look at the success Leicester are having this season, suggesting that they have a real chance of targeting a third-place spot.

When talking about Leicester’s defence, Shergold referenced Toure and the positive impact he is having on Caglar Soyuncu.

He said: “Soyuncu, 23, is one of the players who has benefited from the vast experience of Kolo Toure, the club’s de facto defensive coach who followed Rodgers from Celtic.

“Toure, the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool defender who has managerial aspirations of his own, conducts one-on-one analysis sessions with each defender after every match, passing on his knowledge.

“It goes a long way to explaining why Leicester have the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just eight times in their 10 matches so far.”

Whatever Kolo Toure is doing with those defenders, it seems to be working. The attacking talent and flair were there for all to see last Friday when they annihilated Southampton in their own backyard, but let’s not forget about the fact they have only conceded eight goals in the league this season – the joint-lowest in the division along with Liverpool and Sheffield United.

And at the heart of that defence is, of course, Soyuncu and Jonny Evans. Any doubts over Soyuncu stepping up at the beginning of the season with Harry Maguire gone seemed to have evaporated after 10 performances of the highest calibre. Soyuncu has played every minute of the league season and has a really impressive 7.14/10 average – hugely impressive given it’s his breakout season in the Premier League.

There is clearly great work going on from Brendan Rodgers and his staff, as Leicester look a very assured outfit at the moment – miles away from when Claude Puel was sacked back in late February.

And a big part of that is Kolo Toure. If Shergold’s statement is true about the one-on-one sessions, they are clearly having a positive effect, as the squad looks to have great morale and spirit, as well as being very assured of what they are doing and how they need to do it.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Miguel Almiron has certainly enjoyed mixed fortunes this season, but Darren Bent has praised the winger and believes he is not far from being an important player for Newcastle.

What did he say?

The Paraguay international has been the topic of much debate between Magpies this term, and likely will be until he finds that all-important first goal for the club.

Other than a lack of productivity in the final third – with no assists either – some supporters have recognised and appreciated his contribution, and Bent feels likewise.

Through a combination of a lack of luck and a lack of composure, Almiron has drawn a blank, but Bent believes his manager needs to stick by him and is confident that he will start to produce soon.

Speaking to Football Insider following the success against the Irons, he said: “It’s just a mad one.

“He does so much stuff well, so many things well that you’re almost desperate for him to score, he does all the hard stuff and the last little bit of quality where you just got to put it in the net…he doesn’t do it.

“So, I’m sure his goal will come and Bruce must just keep his faith in him as he is doing really well, he’s making it difficult for his opponents, he’s creating opportunities, he’s just not sticking it in the back of the net.”

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Positives to take

Almiron has used his pace effectively since arriving in the north-east in January and if he could add that clinical edge to his game then he’d be a standout performer for Newcastle.

Whilst he is yet to find the target, his ability to run in behind the defence is a useful asset for Steve Bruce, and his absence would be felt if he was unavailable.

He has come close to goals recently against Manchester United and Wolves, whilst three shots on target from four attempts against West Ham is a sign of improvement.

The Paraguay international also managed one successful dribble and 100% pass accuracy, which underlines the quality he brings to a side which lacks ability on the ball – they enjoyed just 30% possession at the weekend.

As a result, he has to maintain his place in the side. Newcastle’s front-three is beginning to show signs of promise and if he can play off Joelinton then that could become an effective avenue of goals for the Magpies – as long as he finds a finishing touch.

It is important that Bruce shows faith in the winger. His goalless streak means he is likely losing confidence in front of goal, so he must be reminded of the positives that he brings to the side, as that should maintain his morale and self-belief.