Leeds United
IFAB Considers New Measures After Donnarumma Stoppage Halts Leeds Momentum
IFAB weighs sanctions for goalkeeper stoppages after Donnarumma halted Leeds’ momentum on Saturday.
Lawmakers in football are examining rule changes intended to curb time-wasting linked to goalkeepers receiving treatment. The prospect of forcing an outfield player to spend time on the sidelines is one of the proposals under consideration.
Manchester City were accused of using that tactic over the weekend. Gianluigi Donnarumma received treatment in the second half of Saturday’s clash with Leeds United, giving Pep Guardiola an opening to talk to his team after they were left reeling by a strong burst of form from the visitors. Guardiola denied any skullduggery and even if Donnarumma was hamming it up, he would hardly be the first.
BBC Sport reported that the issue was discussed “at length” in October by IFAB, the International Football Association Board, and the Technical Advisory Panels. One proposal would require an outfield player to spend 30 seconds on the sidelines if that team’s goalkeeper requires treatment. That sidelined player would be nominated by their manager, a suggestion the report said could create complications. An alternative measure under consideration was to ban players from going across to the touchline during these stoppages.
IFAB will likely bring this issue and other proposed rule changes up for further debate at their annual business meeting on Jan. 20, 2026.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke brought the incident into focus after seeing his side’s momentum disrupted. “Everyone knows why he went down, right? It’s not like the elephant in the room,” the German boss seethed. “It’s more like you can speak about it. You can ask me what I think about why he went down. It was obvious.”
Farke acknowledged the act did not currently breach the laws of the game while urging action. “It’s within the rules. It’s smart. If I like it, if it’s in the sense of fair play, if it should be like this, I keep it to myself,” he fumed. “I leave it with the authorities to find solutions for it. It’s within the rules. I asked the fourth official at this point, ‘Do you want to do something?’ He said, ‘No, our hands are tied. We can’t do anything.’”
He added: “We know this happens, but if we don’t educate our players in football, what to do in terms of fair play, sportsmanship and you just try to bend the rules to your advantage, you can even do a fake injury in order to do an additional team talk, it’s nothing I personally like. If it’s within the rules, I can’t complain about it. We should think about how we can deal with it, and also how we educate it.”
Arsenal
Early Looks at 2026-27 Premier League Kits: The Leaks and Key Details
Leaked 2026-27 kit details for Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leeds, Liverpool, Man City and Man Utd
With the 2025/26 season only halfway complete, early leaks are sketching out how several Premier League kits might appear in 2026-27. Below is a focused rundown of the reported designs circulating online.
Arsenal’s home shirt is described as largely classic but with subtle detail: a burgundy collar that features a zig-zag pattern and multiple shades of red across the body. The away design has been likened to a “reverse” of the club’s famous ‘Bruised Banana’ shirts from the early 90s, pairing a navy base with the retro pattern and red and yellow accents. Lightning bolt graphics are said to return on the third kit, drawing comparisons to the club’s 2019-20 and 2021-22 away shirts.
Aston Villa’s leaks suggest a shift from the recent template. The reported home kit uses a sky blue collar on a polo-style design. Discussion persists over away and third colourways, with blue, white, black and yellow all mentioned. Some versions indicate a tribute to the gates of Villa Park on the third shirt.
Chelsea details are still speculative. Early reports point to sharp yellow accents, labelled “Midwest Gold”, cutting through royal blue on the home jersey. That same “Midwest Gold” tone is also mentioned for an away shirt that would sit against a predominantly black base. For the third kit, a vintage badge is said to reappear in homage to the white, red and blue strips of the early 90s, though modern designs are expected to differ.
Leeds United are reportedly set to introduce horizontal stripes on their home shirt for the first time, with clear inspiration drawn from a 2005-06 Admiral shirt that once featured vertical blue and yellow pinstripes.
Liverpool’s home leak takes cues from the Candy-sponsored shirt worn between 1989 and 1991 but in a much darker tone than their 2025-26 home. The away kit is said to use white, grey and red with a retro Adidas logo, while the third is expected to be mainly black with silver and red accents.
Manchester City’s home design appears largely traditional, with fading from sky blue to white at the base. The club confirmed fan involvement in the third-kit process: “Your imagination is your tool 🫵🎨 It’s now your turn to design our @pumafootball 26/27 Third Kit with PUMA AI CREATOR 👕”. The club said 180,000 designs were submitted and the top 10, decided by fans and experts, were unveiled last year.
Manchester United’s leaked home shirt, seen on Bruno Fernandes, shows a clean collar and white accents. The away top is reported to be bright royal blue, while mock-ups of the third project an off-white tone with a central badge and a subtle Lancashire rose in the background.
Arsenal
Premier League names December 2025 shortlists for Player and Manager of the Month
December 2025 Premier League shortlists: names, stats and contenders for Player and Manager awards .
The Premier League has published the shortlists for December’s Player and Manager of the Month awards.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin led the scoring charts for Leeds United, netting a league-high six goals across five games. His return included strikes in wins over Chelsea and Crystal Palace and helped Leeds record draws with Liverpool, Brentford and Sunderland as the club climbed away from the relegation zone.
Manchester City provide three nominees. Rayan Cherki recorded four assists and a goal while helping City to five victories. Phil Foden contributed four goals and an assist. Erling Haaland, September’s Player of the Month, produced five goals and three assists in December as he bids to become a two-time winner.
Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitiké matched Haaland with five goals, scoring in victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion and registering a brace in a busy draw with Leeds.
Aston Villa have two forwards in contention. Morgan Rogers finished December with four goals while Ollie Watkins reached five during a winning run that extended to 11 games before a defeat to Arsenal.
Fulham winger Harry Wilson enjoyed a strong month, scoring twice against Burnley and Crystal Palace and supplying four assists as the Cottagers emerged as European hopefuls.
On the managerial side, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta navigated a defensive injury crisis to deliver five wins from six games, extending Arsenal’s lead at the top. Arteta met Aston Villa’s Unai Emery twice in December, with the spoils ultimately shared. Emery’s side also beat Chelsea and Manchester United and recorded a win against Arsenal.
Leeds went undefeated under Daniel Farke during a month that included fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool, where a new formation produced a crucial unbeaten run. Pep Guardiola closed the year with five wins from five as Manchester City finished December in strong form.
The shortlists follow a season that has already seen recent monthly honours awarded to Jack Grealish (Everton) in August, Erling Haaland (Man City) in September, Bryan Mbeumo (Man Utd) in October and Igor Thiago (Brentford) in November. Managerial winners this season include Arne Slot, Oliver Glasner, Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca.
Leeds United
Zirkzee Rescue: Cunha’s Equaliser Levels Tense Elland Road Clash
Zirkzee’s pass set up Cunha’s equaliser after Aaronson’s opener, sparing the visitors’ blushes still
Manchester United left Elland Road with a draw after a halftime of attrition and a decisive second-half intervention. Brenden Aaronson opened the scoring in the 62nd minute with a composed finish after Pascal Struijk’s misdirected pass unsettled United’s defence. The visitors responded quickly when Joshua Zirkzee, introduced as a substitute, slipped a precise pass to Matheus Cunha who finished from the corner of the box.
Set pieces featured heavily in the first half. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Leny Yoro both threatened with aerial attempts, and Lucas Perri produced an instinctive save to deny Yoro at a corner. Both teams found it difficult to create clear chances from open play in the opening 45 minutes.
Amorim reverted to a 3-4-2-1 to mirror his hosts’ shape and matched formations as he had previously. After Aaronson’s goal, he turned to the bench and introduced Zirkzee. The Dutch forward justified the call immediately by creating Cunha’s equaliser and playing a key role in the final phase of the match, although Benjamin Šeško squandered a gilt-edged opportunity from close range and remains without a goal in 11 matches for club and country.
Key performers
GK: Senne Lammens — 7.3: Will be disappointed with the space he afforded Aaronson for the game’s opening goal.
CB: Leny Yoro — 6.7
CB: Ayden Heaven — 7.2
CB: Lisandro Martínez — 7.7
RWB: Diogo Dalot — 6.9
CM: Casemiro — 7.5
CM: Manuel Ugarte — 7.3
LWB: Luke Shaw — 6.9
RF: Patrick Dorgu — 7.2
LF: Matheus Cunha — 8.1
ST: Benjamin Šeško — 6.1
Substitutes
Joshua Zirkzee (63’ for Yoro) — 7.0
Starting XI: Lucas Perri; Sebastiaan Bornauw, Jaka Bijol, Pascal Struijk; James Justin, Anton Stach, Ilia Gruev, Gabriel Gudmundsson; Brenden Aaronson, Noah Okafor; Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Subs used: Lukas Nmecha, Ao Tanaka, Wilfried Gnonto, Joel Piroe.
The match finished level after Cunha’s equaliser and a frantic finale in which Cunha clipped the outside of the post. Possession finished 45% Leeds to 55% Manchester United.
United Preparing Major Midfield Overhaul with Goretzka Among Targets
Salah becomes first player with 152 goal contributions at one Premier League stadium
