The highly-anticipated EFL Championship final is steeped in tradition as Sheffield United face off against Sunderland, while Mo Salah aims to end the season on a high.
AMORIM ABOUT TO HIT 500 INTERVIEWS
The timing for talking is over, well, nearly for Ruben Amorim. The Man United manager has conducted 491 media interviews this season, the most of any English Premier League manager.
After his first match in charge, against Ipswich last November, he said, “This week I spoke more than in four years at Sporting.” If only he knew what was coming. He’s conducted 296 EPL interviews, 45 relating to domestic cups and 150 for Europa League matches.
All interviews have been compulsory, a deal sold by the League to broadcasters and Amorim’s commitment to media is because, well, the League and broadcasters consider United to be the biggest club in the land.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL MATCHUP STEEPED IN TRADITION
Either Sheffield United or Sunderland will join Leeds and Burnley in the English Premier League next season after both booked their Championship playoff spots for Wembley on the 24th May. They finished third and fourth in the League, so it seems a fair conclusion.
These two clubs have long histories and have met 148 times, starting in 1893. Of those 148 games, Sheffield United have won 67 and Sunderland 54, and United have won five of their last seven encounters, although Sunderland won 2-1 the last time they met. Sunderland were formed in 1979 and Sheffield United in 1889.
WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!! 😍#TilTheEnd pic.twitter.com/QqrEljjqsG
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) May 13, 2025
THE AWARDS FOR CONSISTENCY GO TO …
It stands to reason that goalkeepers play the most minutes over the course of an English Premier League season, and all of those at Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Everton and Nottingham Forest have played all 3,240 minutes of every game this campaign.
But, there have been two defenders who have also spent every minute on the field – Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) and Matz Sels (Forest). Brentford midfielder Bryan Mbuemo has been on the field for all but five minutes of this season, while Liverpool striker Mo Salah has only missed 43 minutes of action.
SALAH CAN END SEASON WITH A BANG
Mo Salah needs three more goals from his final two League matches of the season to move into fourth spot on the all-time list of English Premier League scorers. He’s currently on 185, two behind Andy Cole. Alan Shearer (260) heads that esteemed list, followed by Harry Kane (213) and Wayne Rooney (208).
Salah will end as top scorer in the League – he has 28 goals, with Alexander Isak next on 23 – and he will fancy his chances of either getting level with Cole, or going past him.
Liverpool’s final two games are away to Brighton and home to Crystal Palace. He’s also the highest scorer of penalties (9) this season.
ABSURDITY OF NOT RAISING AN OFFSIDE FLAG
The horrific injury to Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi, when he collided with the goalpost and required abdominal surgery late on against Leicester, would have been avoided if those officials running the line weren’t instructed to keep their flag down, even if blatantly offside, until the move couldn’t result in a goal.
It was an accident waiting to happen – and we wish the Nigerian a speedy and full recovery. Common sense has to prevail. If Stevie Wonder can see that a player is offside, and the linesperson’s instinct (they’re trained professional top-tier officials) is to raise the flag, let them do so.
Nottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi has woken from an induced coma after undergoing surgery to repair a serious abdominal injury.
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 14, 2025
Having had the first part of the surgery on Monday, he spent Tuesday in an induced coma as medical staff monitored his progress as part of the… pic.twitter.com/Ab1A31ppnN
R9.5M (A WEEK) DEFENDER ON THE MARKET
We’re now on the brink of the silly season, that period between the end of the regular campaign and the beginning of the next. Expect to read plenty of sensational speculation and transfer gossip, much of it fuelled by agents hoping to up their client’s worth in the market. Much of it will be fake news, as the phrase goes.
However, one player definitely for sale is former Man City defender Aymeric Laporte, who is set to leave Saudi club Al Nassr. Finding a replacement club won’t come easily.
The 30-year-old is said to be on a weekly wage of £390,000, making him the third highest-paid defender in the world. The list is headed by Kalidou Koulibaly (£553,000) ahead of Virgil van Dijk (£400,000).
