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Manchester City legend Francis Lee has died at the age of 79, the club has confirmed. Lee is widely regarded as one of City’s greatest players of all time, having scored 148 goals in 330 appearances for the club in a trophy-laden eight-year spell between 1967 and 1974 that saw them claim one First Division title, one FA Cup, one League Cup, a European Cup Winners’ Cup and two Charity Shields. He also earned 27 caps for England, scoring 10 goals, and enjoyed further trophy success at Derby County after leaving City, helping the Rams to the league title in 1975. Man City confirmed his passing in a club statement: “It is with the deepest sadness and heaviest of hearts we announce the passing of former Manchester City player and chairman Francis Lee, aged 79. “Franny passed away in the early hours of this [Monday] morning after a long battle with cancer. His wife Gill and children Charlotte, Jonny and Nik say he will be sorely missed and would like to thank everyone for their kind words. “Everyone at Manchester City would like to send their condolences to the friends and family of Francis at this very difficult time. As a mark of respect, flags around the Etihad Stadium and City Football Academy are flying at half-mast.” Lee had begun his career with Bolton Wanderers before Manchester City manager Joe Mercer signed him for a club-record transfer fee of £60,000 in 1967. He also made history at Mexico in 1970 where he became the first England player to receive a card at a World Cup. After his playing career finished Lee ran a successful toilet roll business, becoming a millionaire, and returned to Man City as club chairman in 1994, spending four years at the helm. In the 2016 New Year Honours list, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to football and charity. Lee’s first club Bolton posted their condolences on X, formerly Twitter, stating: “All at Bolton Wanderers are saddened to learn of the passing of former forward, Francis Lee. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Francis’ family, friends and loved ones at this difficult time.” Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who is a big Man City fan, also posted on X: “FRANNY LEE RIP”. “Former Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and England striker Stan Collymore – who now works as a football pundit – also expressed his sorrow at Lee’s passing. He wrote: “Sending sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Franny Lee. Had some lovely chats over the years on here and at City where he rightly had his status acknowledged by the club over the years. Another legend gone too soon. Rest in peace, Franny.” Recent City captain Vincent Kompany wrote on X that he was “Saddened to hear of the passing of Francis Lee today, aged 79. I had the honour of meeting him and speaking to him on more than a few occasions and will cherish these moments”. Another City stalwart Paul Dickov wrote: “A gentleman, proper football man with a great sense of humour. The main reason I signed for @ManCity with his sheer love for the club & will be forever grateful.” Read More Chelsea finally catch a break as Mykhailo Mudryk gets his moment Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ after latest VAR farce Chelsea finally catch a break as Mykhailo Mudryk gets his moment Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ after latest VAR farce

Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington will square off in a tantalising, all-British clash this weekend. Wood, 35, puts his WBA featherweight title on the line in the main event in Sheffield, as he looks to extend his second run with the belt. The Nottingham fighter lost the gold with a stoppage defeat by Mauricio Lara in February, but he avenged that loss in a rematch in May, beating the Mexican on points. Meanwhile, Warrington is looking for his third world-title reign, following two stints as IBF champion between 2018 and 2022. The Leeds fighter’s recent record is patchy, however. Like Wood, Warrington was stopped by Lara in his first fight with the Mexican in 2021, but he was unable to avenge that loss in the manner that “Leighthal” did, instead drawing with Lara in a rematch due to a clash of heads. Warrington, 32, did bounce back with a stoppage win over old rival Kiko Martinez, but he was then beaten by Luis Alberto Lopez in December. Here’s all you need to know about Saturday’s main event. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? The fight is set to take place on Saturday 7 October, at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are expected at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on Dazn. A subscription to the streaming service is available to purchase here. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Wood – 2/5 Warrington – 21/10 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Leigh Wood (C) vs Josh Warrington (WBA featherweight title) Terri Harper vs Cecilia Braekhus (for Harper’s WBA super-welterweight title; vacant WBO title) Hopey Price vs Connor Coghill (featherweight) Kieron Conway vs Linus Udofia (middleweight) Junaid Bostan vs Corey McCulloch (super-welterweight) Cameron Vuong vs Engel Gomez (super-featherweight) Koby McNamara vs Francisco Rodriguez (bantamweight) Nico Leivars vs Ryan Walker (super-bantamweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua training with former Tyson Fury coach ahead of potential Deontay Wilder clash Tyson Fury contacts cruiserweight champion for help before Oleksandr Usyk showdown ‘Nobody can beat this Canelo’: Alvarez dominates Jermell Charlo for statement win in undisputed clash Who is fighting on the Wood vs Warrington undercard this weekend? What time does Wood vs Warrington start this weekend? Francis Ngannou coach explains ‘creative’ ways MMA star can beat Tyson Fury

Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington will meet in a main-event clash in Sheffield this weekend, with the WBA featherweight title on the line. Wood, 35, defends the belt for the first time since regaining it in May, when the Nottingham boxer outpointed Mauricio Lara to avenge a stoppage loss to the Mexican, who won their first bout in February. Meanwhile, Warrington is aiming to get back to winning ways, following a decision defeat by Luis Alberto Lopez in December. With that result, the Leeds fighter lost the IBF title, which he won from old foe Kiko Martinez last March – and which he previously held from 2018 to 2019. Prior to fighting Lopez and Martinez, Warrington actually had his own pair of duels with Lara in 2021. The 32-year-old was stopped by the Mexican in their first fight, and their rematch ended as a draw due to a clash of heads. Here’s all you need to know about Saturday’s card. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? The fight is set to take place on Saturday 7 October, at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are expected at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on Dazn. A subscription to the streaming service is available to purchase here. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Wood – 2/5 Warrington – 21/10 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Leigh Wood (C) vs Josh Warrington (WBA featherweight title) Terri Harper vs Cecilia Braekhus (for Harper’s WBA super-welterweight title; vacant WBO title) Hopey Price vs Connor Coghill (featherweight) Kieron Conway vs Linus Udofia (middleweight) Junaid Bostan vs Corey McCulloch (super-welterweight) Cameron Vuong vs Engel Gomez (super-featherweight) Koby McNamara vs Francisco Rodriguez (bantamweight) Nico Leivars vs Ryan Walker (super-bantamweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua training with former Tyson Fury coach ahead of potential Deontay Wilder clash Tyson Fury contacts cruiserweight champion for help before Oleksandr Usyk showdown ‘Nobody can beat this Canelo’: Alvarez dominates Jermell Charlo for statement win in undisputed clash What time does Wood vs Warrington start this weekend? How to watch Wood vs Warrington online and on TV this weekend Francis Ngannou coach explains ‘creative’ ways MMA star can beat Tyson Fury

Fans will expect fireworks when Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington meet in a featherweight title fight this weekend. The British pair will clash in a main-event contest in Sheffield, where Wood puts his WBA belt on the line. The fight marks the first defence of the Nottingham boxer’s second title reign, after he lost then regained the title in back-to-back duels with Mauricio Lara this spring. Wood, 35, was stopped by the Mexican in February but outpointed Lara three months later. Warrington also has recent history with Lara, having suffered a TKO loss to him in 2021 before the pair drew their rematch later that year, when a clash of heads derailed the bout. Warrington, 32, bounced back from those results by stopping old rival Kiko Martinez last March, but he was beaten by Luis Alberto Lopez in December. Those fights marked the start and end of the Leeds boxer’s second reign as IBF featherweight champion. Here’s all you need to know about Saturday’s main event. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? The fight is set to take place on Saturday 7 October, at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are expected at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on Dazn. A subscription to the streaming service is available to purchase here. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Wood – 2/5 Warrington – 21/10 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Leigh Wood (C) vs Josh Warrington (WBA featherweight title) Terri Harper vs Cecilia Braekhus (for Harper’s WBA super-welterweight title; vacant WBO title) Hopey Price vs Connor Coghill (featherweight) Kieron Conway vs Linus Udofia (middleweight) Junaid Bostan vs Corey McCulloch (super-welterweight) Cameron Vuong vs Engel Gomez (super-featherweight) Koby McNamara vs Francisco Rodriguez (bantamweight) Nico Leivars vs Ryan Walker (super-bantamweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua training with former Tyson Fury coach ahead of potential Deontay Wilder clash Tyson Fury contacts cruiserweight champion for help before Oleksandr Usyk showdown ‘Nobody can beat this Canelo’: Alvarez dominates Jermell Charlo for statement win in undisputed clash Who is fighting on the Wood vs Warrington undercard this weekend? How to watch Wood vs Warrington online and on TV this weekend Francis Ngannou coach explains ‘creative’ ways MMA star can beat Tyson Fury

Liverpool have made a formal request to receive the recording between officials from the weekend defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, while internal discussions have taken place within the Professional Game Match Officials Limited [PGMOL] over when to release the audio file. While it is now expected that will eventually happen, there has been a growing pressure to do so sooner rather than later. That all comes amid disquiet among some of the other Premier League clubs over the strength of Liverpool’s statement. Refereeing body PGMOL were forced to issue an apology for a “significant human error” after Luis Diaz scored in the first half, only to see the offside flag go up to rule out his strike. What has since followed can only be described as one of the more chaotic and improbable scenarios in the Premier League since the introduction of the video technology, as it was revealed VAR official Darren England drew lines to check for offside and determined Diaz was actually onside - but failed to realise that on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. That meant they relayed a “check complete” decision, intending to mean a goal, but actually giving the go-ahead for a restart with a Tottenham free-kick, thus leaving Liverpool without a perfectly legitimate 1-0 lead in a match where they ended up having two sent-off and lost 2-1 late on. The Anfield club released a statement saying “sporting integrity [was] undermined” and that they would “explore the range of options [...] for escalation and resolution” - with their first step now being to now formally request to PGMOL for the audio between officials to be released to them. The Independent has been told that there have been internal discussions over whether to publish the audio as early as Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football broadcast for the match between Fulham and Chelsea. There is a feeling the matter will only be settled once the recording is released, although one counter-argument is that a full review should take place first. A number of officials at other Premier League clubs are expressing increased disgruntlement about the controversy, with a growing feeling that Liverpool should just accept that mistakes happen to get on with it like everyone else has. While there was initial sympathy for the Anfield club about the scale of the error, the strength of the subsequent statement perturbed other executives. Among the reasons for that were a feeling that it could “open a can of worms” that sees every decision disputed in a way that sport can’t function, a suspicion that this could see referees pressured, and the basic idea that “it is what it is”. Other clubs have been privately stating that they have lost points and millions of pounds in prize money due to refereeing decisions, but they have accepted that’s just the nature of the game. None of this has yet led to significant backlash or open debate, but it is a sentiment that has been growing. As was reflected in Liverpool’s statement, the Anfield club would argue that the scale of the error for the Diaz offside warrants greater transparency, and that it is for the better of the game as a whole. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball More VAR disapproval as Nottingham Forest and Brentford both berate decisions Bizarre reason why Liverpool goal wrongly ruled out by VAR revealed

By Saturday evening, as has become protocol but also a frustrating norm, Howard Webb felt he had no choice but to apologise to Liverpool for the Luis Diaz decision. Jurgen Klopp might well repeat the question as to who that actually helps, but a failure to communicate such a sentiment would have made it worse. That’s partly because it is actually a failure of communication that is at the core of the controversy, which now poses a genuine credibility crisis for the Premier League. "It's an image problem," as one involved figure put it, with Liverpool themselves describing the situation as “unacceptable” in an unprecedented statement. Because, for all the focus on the nature of VAR, this is an issue that really comes down to basic human error. The details at the root of the story, though, are remarkable. If we are to take the referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL)’s explanation at face value – that this represented a “momentary lapse in concentration” – the VAR didn’t actually know what it was supposed to be looking at. Darren England and Dan Cook thought they were checking whether a goal should stand, rather than an offside call as referee Simon Hooper ruled, which was partly why the decision was made so quickly. It ended up creating the farcical situation that a communication of “check complete” led to a fair strike being wrongly disallowed in a completely preventable fashion. After that, how was it that play was allowed to proceed, given those involved would have had immediate knowledge that this was wrong? The IFAB rules dictate that play cannot be called back once it has resumed, but was no one watching in the meantime? Would hasty shouts not have been made as soon as they saw Spurs shaping to take the free kick? It has since emerged that the VAR and fourth official team of England, Cook and Michael Oliver were officiating a game in the UAE Pro League as late as Thursday evening, which has raised fair questions within the game over fatigue was a potential explanation for that “momentary lapse in concentration”. Whatever the reason, it has created a credibility crisis, to go with much wider-reaching controversies like the unresolved Financial Fair Play cases involving Manchester City and Everton. That is all the worse for the Premier League since this is an issue the competition prides itself on and is seen as a significant factor in its status as the most popular league in the world. Fans could trust what they were seeing. Instead, this latest controversy also comes on the back of a long-term and increasing hostility and suspicion of VAR from a significant part of football's support. It was for this reason that Webb was recently brought in as PGMOL chief in the first place, and many within the game say he has been gradually realising the scale of the challenge. Hostility to VAR goes hand in hand with a widely perceived “crisis” in the level of refereeing, which is commonly cited as the worst in years. It should be stressed that this is all in circumstances where officials are under far more scrutiny than ever before. There are more cameras to reveal every element of a decision – and whether they should have taken a different one – in a manner that was unimaginable in the supposed golden days right up to the mid-2000s. Even Klopp acknowledged the extreme “pressure” on officials, which undoubtedly plays into errors that they obviously don’t make “on purpose”, as the Liverpool manager put it. Discussions such as this should never go without mentioning how the real crisis with refereeing is at lower levels, and the scale of the abuse they receive. It has undeniably affected the talent pool at the top, and there is a bigger debate to be had over whether it should be a better-remunerated profession to match both the talent they are overseeing and their necessity in getting the game played. The introduction of VAR itself was nevertheless supposed to be a remedy for all of this and – at its core – an “aid” for referees. It has instead had the inadvertent effect of making all discussion much more poisonous and pressurised. That comes from a disconnect between the implied expectation and stated intention of VAR, the actual application and the communication. The very nature of the technology has created an expectation of perfection, even though it was only ever supposed to improve accuracy to around 98 per cent. This has happened, but the fundamental problem is that the remaining 2 per cent tend to be hugely high-profile errors. That is by definition given the threshold for VAR to get involved. There has previously been very little communication on how those decisions were made, which has had the effect of only deepening suspicion among supporters. The vacuum of information inevitably leads to speculation and then to conspiracy theories. While this isn’t to say there is any legitimacy whatsoever in the latter, since the most likely explanation is always basic human error, it does have the real-world effect of further toxifying the atmosphere around refereeing. This in turn puts even more pressure on them, because their integrity is unfairly questioned. It is why the very technology of VAR has deepened this problem. Whereas error could previously have been written off as officials going off their own sight and instinct – even if the reason VAR was introduced was because of criticism of referees in the first place – they now have access to so much more technological aid. Many more fans consequently see the only possible explanation as some kind of corruption. You only have to take a glance on social media. This is why better communication is essential. Webb’s great mission has been to improve that, and he has generally done a better job, but it’s fair to say the response to Saturday made this worse. Liverpool were perplexed at how long it took for a statement to be made about the offside, the PGMOL eventually only commenting in the middle of Klopp’s post-game press conference. It was actually The Independent that made him aware of their statement, to the Liverpool manager's increased bemusement. The explanation that the VAR actually checked for the wrong call then came even later, as it felt like every development deepened the crisis. There are at least a number of logical steps that can be taken to address that. One of those is not to just remove VAR, since this is a non-starter that goes way beyond England and up to Fifa. It is here to stay. That’s also why it’s just vital that cases like this lead to improvement. One first step is to limit this extra work abroad – as England and Cook’s appointment in the UAE was within the rules and actually approved by the FA. Another is to improve the communication so there is absolutely no ambiguity. It is simple to go from “check complete” to “the decision should be a goal”, or equivalent. That also raises the most obvious solution of all. All of the communication between the referee and VAR should be made audible and accessible, so as to eliminate any ambiguity. People might still disagree with decisions, but they would at least be able to understand why they are made. That goes a long way to creating acceptance of VAR. When it was raised whether the audio from this decision would be made public, one response was that Match Officials Mic’d Up is now a monthly show so it will likely feature on that. The reality is that the Premier League could do with it coming out now, because of the number of questions that are being asked. Liverpool themselves called for the review to have “full transparency”. "This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again,” the club said. It doesn’t help that this comes amid even greater credibility questions for the Premier League, as everyone awaits the outcome of the charges against Manchester City and Everton over alleged Financial Fair Play breaches. Many of the sport’s “stakeholders” are now livid at this. Even for broadcasters, this affects the credibility of the product they put on television. That trust is what the game is founded on. In the meantime, Liverpool are exploring “the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution”. An apology, evidently, is not enough. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball Liverpool to ‘explore options’ in response to ‘unacceptable’ VAR error VAR officials who made Liverpool error took charge of UAE match just 48 hours before Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball More VAR disapproval as Nottingham Forest and Brentford both berate decisions Liverpool to ‘explore options’ in response to ‘unacceptable’ VAR error

Anthony Joshua’s training-camp manager has revealed that the heavyweight is training with Ben Davison, former coach of Tyson Fury, ahead of a potential fight with Deontay Wilder. After a long spell under Rob McCracken, Joshua teamed with Robert Garcia for last summer’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, which went the same way as the pair’s first fight, with “AJ” losing on points. Joshua, 33, then began training with Derrick James earlier this year, and he has earned back-to-back wins under the American – beating Jermaine Franklin via decision in April and stopping Robert Helenius in August. While Joshua is expected to conduct his next camp under James’s guidance in Texas, he has recently been training with Davison, as was revealed by David Ghansa this week. Ghansa, better known by his nickname “KD”, told Boxing King Media on Sunday (1 October): “[Joshua] is currently ticking over, he’s at the Ben Davison performance institute at the moment. He’s ticking over with Ben. “He’s still active. When he’s got a [fight] date, you’ll see him back out in Dallas, back with Derrick James, and continuing the work.” Briton Davison coached Fury in the heavyweight’s first five fights after the “Gypsy King” returned to boxing in 2015. Davison oversaw wins over Sefer Seferi, Francesco Pianeta, Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin, as well as Fury’s controversial draw with Wilder in 2018. Fury then began training under Sugarhill Steward for his 2020 rematch with Wilder, in which the Briton stopped the American to win the WBC heavyweight title, which he has held since. Under Steward, Fury stopped Wilder again in 2021. Since Joshua knocked out Helenius in August, the focus has been on a long-awaited bout between the Briton and Wilder, with AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn suggesting that it could take place in December or early 2024. Ghansa said: “In regards to that, [Joshua’s] message to us was, ‘I wanna fight three times within the year.’ His first fight of the year was in April; we’ve got until April to get the public three fights within 12 months. “I won’t give December – Eddie was giving December – but I will definitely say: Anthony Joshua wants to be very active.” It is understood that Joshua could in fact fight in December against an alternative opponent, if the Wilder fight cannot be made in time. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More ‘Nobody can beat this Canelo’: Alvarez dominates Jermell Charlo for statement win in undisputed clash Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk ‘signed’ with undisputed heavyweight title fight confirmed The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings On This Day in 2018: Anthony Joshua stops Alexander Povetkin at Wembley Joe Joyce on knockouts, oil painting, and teaching 60-year-olds to swim The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

A Sheffield Wednesday supporter has been charged by police after fans appeared to mock the death of Sunderland’s football mascot Bradley Lowery during a game. The Sunderland fan captured the nation’s heart during his battle with neuroblastoma, but died from the illness aged six in 2017. He was a mascot for his beloved club and, in the months before his death, led England out at Wembley alongside former Black Cats striker Jermain Defoe. Sunderland beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 last Friday at Hillsborough and offensive pictures circulated on X, formerly Twitter. They showed two men laughing at the match, with one of them holding up a picture of Bradley. Dale Houghton, 31, from Rotherham, was arrested on Saturday and has been charged with a public order offence, South Yorkshire Police said. He is due to appear in court on Monday. Mr Houghton had been remanded in custody ahead of a hearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court, said South Yorkshire Police. The police have also applied for a football banning order. A second man aged 27 was also arrested yesterday and has been released on bail while further enquiries are conducted. Since the backlash, Sheffield Wednesday fans have raised over nearly £15,000 for the Bradley Lowery foundation. A spokesperson for the charity shared their gratitude to the fanbase and added: “Turning a negative into a positive, that’s what Brad always did.” A Sheffield Wednesday fan commented: “I’m ashamed and embarrassed that this happened from ‘supporters’ of our club. “It’s vile and unimaginable that this occurred Bradley touched the footballing world with his strength and smile Keep up the positive work. We are so sorry that this happened and caused distress.” Read More Bradley Lowery: Thousands raised for charity after football fans ‘mocked boy’ over cancer death Sheffield Wednesday vs Sunderland LIVE: Championship result, final score and reaction Police investigate after Sheffield Wednesday fans mock death of young Sunderland mascot

Follow live coverage as Chelsea face Tottenham Hotspur in the Women’s Super League today. Last season it was Chelsea who again took the WSL title, just edging out Manchester United, while Arsenal and Manchester City are expected to be contenders in 2023/24 too. Relegated Reading have been replaced by Bristol City after they won the Championship title by a single point last term, while the likes of Liverpool, Everton and West Ham will hope for continued progression this year too. On the back of the Lionesses’ magnificent runs at Euro 2022 and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the women’s game continues to go from strength to strength with increasing crowds and exciting new signings from overseas. Follow live updates from today’s game in the live blog below.

Questions have been raised within the game over whether the VAR team at fault for a major error in Tottenham’s win against Liverpool on Saturday night were fatigued. It has emerged that VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook had made a six-hour flight from the United Arab Emirates the day before, after taking charge of a league game between Al Ain and Sharjah in the UAE Pro League on Thursday night. VAR England and assistant Cook made a “significant human error” when they failed to overturn Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed goal in the first half of Tottenham’s 2-1 win. Both referees have since been stood down for Sunday afternoon’s match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford as well as Monday night’s game between Fulham and Chelsea. The referees’ body the PGMOL have put the error for Diaz’s offside down to a “momentary lapse of concentration”, and questions have now been raised within the Premier League over whether workload fatigue played a part. A flight between London and the UAE takes at least six hours, with the officiating team of Michael Oliver, England and Cook only arriving back on Friday. A variety of sources have pointed to how teams in the Europa League don’t play until Sunday after a Thursday evening game. Officials who work in those same continental fixtures are usually fourth officials or VAR on Saturdays and on-field from Sunday, but that generally comes after much shorter travel than a trip to the Gulf. The explanation so far put forth for the error is that the VAR for the Liverpool game thought they were checking whether Diaz’s goal should stand rather than whether it was offside, which is what on-field referee Simon Hooper had actually ruled. That created the farcical situation of a "check complete" communication leading to a fair strike being ruled out in completely preventable fashion. What is not clear, however, is when the VAR officials realised that they had failed to intervene. Under the rules of the game, when Tottenham took the free kick to restart the match, the officials would have been unable to go back and award Diaz’s goal. It has since been confirmed that Oliver, Cook and England were involved in officiating in the UAE in midweek. An approach had been made to the Football Association and was subsequently approved by PGMOL chief Howard Webb, with it not affecting their availability to be selected for Premier League fixtures. Webb has since got in touch with Liverpool to apologise for the decision, as has become protocol. Liverpool went on to finish the match with nine men and suffered stoppage-time heartbreak when Joel Matip deflected Pedro Porro’s cross into his own net in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but the post-match discussions focused on the crucial first-half error. “Who does that help now? We had that situation in the Wolves-Man United game. Did Wolves get the points? No,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reflected when informed of the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) statement. “We will not get points for it so it doesn’t help. Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on [the] field but we all thought when VAR comes in that it might make things easier. “I don’t know why the people... are they that much under pressure? Today the decision was made really quick, I would say, for that goal. It changed the momentum of the game, so that’s how it is.” Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher reacted to the decision on Twitter/X and said: “It’s an horrendous mistake no matter how they did it. But if they knew just after the Spurs free-kick was taken that they’d made a huge mistake, it’s nonsense they can’t bring it back just because a free-kick has been taken.” Read More Bizarre reason why Liverpool goal wrongly ruled out by VAR revealed VAR officials who missed Liverpool’s ‘onside’ goal to be replaced PGMOL admit Liverpool offside goal should have stood after ‘significant human error’ VAR officials who missed Liverpool’s ‘onside’ goal to be replaced Bizarre reason why Liverpool goal wrongly ruled out by VAR revealed PGMOL admit Liverpool goal should have stood after ‘significant error’

Follow live coverage as Aston Villa face Manchester United in the Women’s Super League today. Last season it was Chelsea who again took the WSL title, just edging out Manchester United, while Arsenal and Manchester City are expected to be contenders in 2023/24 too. Relegated Reading have been replaced by Bristol City after they won the Championship title by a single point last term, while the likes of Liverpool, Everton and West Ham will hope for continued progression this year too. On the back of the Lionesses’ magnificent runs at Euro 2022 and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the women’s game continues to go from strength to strength with increasing crowds and exciting new signings from overseas. Follow live updates from today’s game in the live blog below.

Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool at Tottenham was incorrectly ruled out for offside because the VAR checking the decision mistakenly thought that the on-field decision was onside. The referees’ body, PGMOL, admitted after the match that a “significant human error” was made when checking Diaz’s goal, which came in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Spurs. The Independent also understands Howard Webb spoke to Liverpool after the match and there was an apology from the referees’ chief. It has now been revealed, however, that VAR official Darren England drew the lines to check for offside and followed the process correctly to determine Diaz was onside for the goal. But in reaching their decision, the VAR team failed to realise that on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. Therefore, when the VAR relayed a message of “check complete” to the on-field referee, Hooper and his team disallowed Diaz’s goal and awarded a free-kick to Tottenham. What is not clear is when the VAR officials realised that they had failed to intervene. Under the rules of the game, when Tottenham took the free-kick to restart the match, the officials would have been unable to go back and award Diaz’s goal. Liverpool went on to finish the match with nine men and suffered stoppage-time heartbreak when Joel Matip deflected Pedro Porro’s cross into his own net in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but the post-match discussions focused on the crucial first-half error. "Who does that help now? We had that situation in the Wolves-Man United game. Did Wolves get the points? No," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reflected when informed of the PGMOL statement. "We will not get points for it so it doesn’t help. Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on field but we all thought when VAR comes in that it might make things easier. "I don’t know why the people...are they that much under pressure? Today the decision was made really quick I would say for that goal. It changed the momentum of the game, so that’s how it is." Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher reacted to the decision on Twitter/X and said: "It’s an horrendous mistake no matter how they did it. But if they knew just after the Spurs free-kick was taken that they’d made a huge mistake, it’s nonsense they can’t bring it back just because a free-kick has been taken." Includes reporting from PA Read More VAR officials who missed Liverpool’s ‘onside’ goal to be replaced PGMOL admit Liverpool offside goal should have stood after ‘significant human error’ Tottenham take their moment of fortune as Liverpool are left with only fury and frustration