Shea Lacey
January 2026
United were knocked out by Brighton, with 18-year-old Lacey seeing the first red card of his senior career after a late second booking. Brighton led through Brajan Gruda and Welbeck before Sesko pulled one back; Lacey, already booked for a late tackle, earned a second yellow for petulantly bouncing the ball after a decision.
Michael Olise, Luis Diaz
January 2026
Bayern crushed Wolfsburg 8-1, with Olise and Diaz combining for five goal involvements and drawing comparisons to Robben and Ribery. Olise scored twice and assisted Diaz; Diaz scored, then assisted Olise. Bayern’s scoreline was boosted by two own goals, with Kane, Guerreiro, and Goretzka also scoring.
Antoine Semenyo
January 2026
Semenyo delivered a goal and an assist in City’s 10-1 win, earning strong reviews for adapting quickly to Guardiola’s system. He assisted Lewis with a cross and then scored himself, capping a rapid week that included a final Bournemouth appearance. With Guardiola serving a touchline ban, Lijnders highlighted Semenyo’s pressing, direct running, and ability to slot into City’s style.
Micky van de Ven
January 2026
Spurs lost 2-1 to Villa and tempers flared late; van de Ven backed teammates’ reaction but warned the team cannot only show fight when trailing. Spurs went 2-0 down before half-time, improved after the break and scored through Wilson Odobert, then tensions rose after Villa celebrations. Van de Ven said Spurs must bring second-half intensity from kickoff to fix inconsistency.
Jorrel Hato
January 2026
Chelsea won 5-1 at Charlton, with Hato scoring his first Chelsea goal and saying Rosenior’s style suits the squad after a short prep window. Hato struck just before half-time, then Chelsea pulled away after the break with goals from Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto, and Enzo Fernandez, following multiple tactical meetings to absorb Rosenior’s ideas.
Marc Guehi
January 2026
Palace, last season’s FA Cup winners, were dumped out 2-1 by sixth-tier Macclesfield, then Guehi approached angry travelling fans while Glasner said he had no explanation. Macclesfield led through Paul Dawson’s header, doubled it via Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, and survived a late scare after Yeremy Pino’s 90th-minute free-kick. Palace’s half-time triple change failed to complete the comeback.
Kyle Walker
January 2026
United supporters want action after Walker appeared to stamp on Dorgu during the 2-2 draw at Turf Moor, with no red card shown. The flashpoint came late in the match as United also complained about a disallowed Martinez goal. Fans argue VAR should have reviewed the stamp and are calling for FA intervention.
Cristiano Ronaldo
January 2026
Al-Nassr fell four points off the top after losing 2-1 to Al Qadsiah, despite Ronaldo scoring a penalty, increasing pressure on their title chase. Ronaldo framed the slump as normal in football, urged professionalism and belief, and posted that the fight is not over, insisting Al-Nassr will keep pushing for trophies.
Marc Cucurella
January 2026
Chelsea fans turned on Marc Cucurella after he was sent off at Fulham for denying a clear goalscoring chance, adding to Chelsea’s already high red-card total this season. Cucurella hauled back Harry Wilson after a long ball sent him through. VAR upheld the DOGSO red card, ruling the holding offence did not continue into the box. Fulham failed to score from the free-kick, and a later Wilson goal was offside.
Manchester United
January 2026
Manchester United drew 2-2 at Burnley in their first match since sacking Ruben Amorim, despite Benjamin Sesko scoring twice in the second half to flip the game briefly in their favour. United trailed to an own goal, rallied after the break through Sesko, then conceded again after sloppy defending. Fletcher used a back four and restored Fernandes, but United still lacked control and needed late chances to avoid defeat.
