Today in Football – Things You May Have Missed

Football never sleeps. During any of the 86400 seconds in a 24-hour day, somewhere in the world someone is doing something related to the beautiful game, whether that’s scoring a last-minute winner in a high-profile match, posting their expert take on social media or simply booting a ball against a wall with their mates.

It’s therefore impossible for any human being to keep up with everything that’s going on in the game, and it’s often those little yet most intriguing moments, like a fan’s alternative viewpoint of a penalty save, or a three-second yet incredibly telling interaction between two arch-rivals, or thread on X explaining why N’Golo Kante is the nicest man in professional sport, which make football so great.

GIVEMESPORT have created our live blog to help solve that problem, providing the best social media has to offer and the greatest football mini-stories from the last 24 hours.

February 1: Ian Holloway Goes on Epic Post-Match Rant

Former Premier League manager Ian Holloway, now manager of Swindon Town, went on an extraordinary rant after his side’s 3-1 win over Barrow. The 62-year-old was furious that captain Ollie Clarke was suspended 24 hours before the match.

He said: “We had a terrible blow yesterday where I was told at five o’clock that my captain can’t play after we prepared with him in the team.

Holloway added: “And if Luton go through, good luck to you. We beat you, fair and poxy square. I’m not having our club secretary dragged through the coals, left, right and centre. You have a look at yourselves first. I know how wrong you are, you cowards.”

View the rant in full:

January 31st: Robert Sanchez Berates Chelsea Fans During West Ham Win

Chelsea were made to come from behind during their 3-2 win against West Ham United. It proved to be a nightmare first half for Liam Rosenior and his side, with goals from Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville putting the visitors in front.

That was only half the story, though, as the Blues were comprehensively out-fought in every area of the pitch during the first 45 minutes. That sparked a furious reaction from the home crowd at half time as players were booed off the pitch. But Sanchez wasn’t happy with the noise, electing to fire back at a few supporters when near the tunnel.

In the end, it did the home crowd to listen to their goalkeeper. Substitutes Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella scored to level proceedings, before Enzo Fernandez clattered in a finish in added time to ensure the hosts took all three points.

January 29: Liam Rosenior Gatecrashes Joao Pedro’s Interview After Napoli 2-3 Chelsea

Joao Pedro was magnificent as Chelsea beat Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. The English side’s hopes of qualifying automatically for the last 16 looked to be hanging by a thread when the hosts led 2-1 at half-time in Naples. But Pedro scored twice in the second half to turn the game on its head and give the Blues the result they wanted.

The Brazilian spoke to the media after the match and Liam Rosenior’s actions during the interview have gone viral. The Englishman saw his player conducting the interview and decided to gatecrash it, before giving his striker a warm embrace.

The footage has gone viral with Chelsea fans praising their new manager. One wrote: “Look at the connection between Joao Pedro and Liam Rosenior here, I absolutely love him. How are Chelsea fans not behind our gaffer, good person, good coach, so likeable”, while another said: “More than a manager, Rosenior is a great human being.”

Ryan Gravenberch put in a solid display in an unnatural position as Liverpool thrashed Qarabag in their Champions League encounter on Wednesday evening. With Virgil van Dijk’s Liverpool’s only available centre-back, the Dutchman was asked to play alongside his compatriot and he helped his side keep a clean sheet as they ran out comfortable 6-0 winners.

Liverpool fans can’t believe the comment that Hugo Ekitike left on his teammate’s Instagram following the game. After Gravenberch posted numerous images of him during the match with the caption ‘top 8’, Ekitike replied by writing ‘Guehi!’. The comment is, of course, related to Liverpool’s failed pursuit of Marc Guehi, who eventually joined Man City for £20m earlier this month.

The post has sparked plenty of reaction from Liverpool fans. “Lol this guy’s hilarious gives no f****”, one wrote, while another said: “Higher ups won’t like this one.” A third added: “Guy is too funny. Hope he never gets media training.”

January 28: Mourinho Magic as Benfica Goalkeeper Scores 98th Minute Winner

Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored an unbelievable 98th-minute winner to keep his side in the Champions League with a 4-2 win over Real Madrid. The Portuguese side were headed out of the competition with just seconds left, but were given an opportunity through a last-minute corner.

Trubin went up for the set piece and headed home the goal that ensured Jose Mourinho’s men stayed put in Europe’s elite club competition. It wasn’t an astonishing moment that had the iconic former Madrid manager jumping for joy on the touchline.

Benfica’s win saw them finish 24th, the final spot granting a play-off tie and they only bettered 25th place Marseille by one goal. It was a great escape and came in the most unthinkable of circumstances.

January 28: Arsenal Fans Accuse ‘Thief’ Martinelli of ‘Doing a Nani’

Arsenal fans were humoured by Gabriel Martinelli’s goal in their Champions League clash with Kairat Almighty, which brought back memories of Luis Nani back in 2010. The Brazilian attacker arrived at the back post after a low-driven cross and poked Viktor Gyokeres’ attempt into the net.

Gyokeres own effort was already heading in when Martinelli decided to snatch away a second goal for the Swede on the night. This didn’t go unnoticed by viewers, who compared it to Nani’s earlier infuriation of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Unlike Martinelli, Nani cost Portugal and Ronaldo a goal when he diverted the ball into the net from an offside position despite his teammate’s shot heading in.

One fan joked in response to the Arsenal man’s goal: “Martinelli… he just did a Nani.”

Another added: “ITS ON! Martinelli cosplay Nani wkwkkwkwk.”

Others felt that the Brazilian stole the glory from his Swedish teammate: “Martinelli completely stole that from Gyokeres lol.”

Another wrote: “Martinelli stealing gyokeres goallll.”

One responded: “Martinelli is a thief.”

January 26: Kobbie Mainoo Records Eye-Opening Statistic vs Arsenal

Kobbie Mainoo was impressive yet again as Man Utd defeated Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. The youngster, who found game-time very hard to come by under Ruben Amorim, was named in United’s starting lineup for the third successive match under intermin boss Michael Carrick. He produced an assist as Man Utd won 3-2.

It’s unknown why Amorim barely played Mainoo, but Richard Keys thoerised it’s because he thought the Englishman lacked mobility. An eye-opening statistic the youngster recorded vs Arsenal has now emerged and it’s made a mockery of those claims.

The 20-year-old ran a total of 11.2km against Arsenal, the most of any player on the pitch. That’s the second time in two weeks he has covered more ground than any player, having also done the same against Manchester City, where he covered 12km.

The statistic has gone viral, with many Man Utd fans baffled Amorim never played him. “We nearly lost our star boy because of Amorim,” one said, while another commented: “He is cooking. Proving Amorim wrong.” A third wrote: “Hire amorim and sack him again.”

January 26: Romeo Beckham’s Brutal Response as David Mocks Him After Arsenal 2-3 Man Utd

The Beckham family have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons of late, after eldest son Brooklyn explained in an explosive statement just why he would no longer be talking to parents David and Victoria.

In lighter news, however, Man United legend David was able to share in a good bit of banter with second oldest son Romeo. After his former side beat Arsenal 3-2 in the Premier League over the weekend, the ex-England captain couldn’t help but tease his Arsenal-supporting son.

He wrote: “You okay, Romeo???” To which, the former Brentford academy player sent back a picture of the league table, and told his dad: “Don’t get too gassed,” and to “mind the gap.”

Romeo was actually part of the Arsenal’s Academy, joining in 2014, but was released the following year. He also spent time with Inter Miami before joining Brentford in 2023, but never played a senior game for either team, quitting football in 2024.

January 25: What Kylian Mbappe Said to Brahim Diaz After Scoring Real Madrid Panenka

Brahim Diaz made global headlines after he missed his penalty for Morocco in the AFCON final, which played a huge part in their loss to Senegal. With the scores level at 0-0, the winger had the chance to win the tournament with essentially the last kick of the game. Not only did he miss, however, but he did so with a feeble Panenka attempt that was easily saved by Edouard Mendy.

Diaz was understandably devastated as Senegal went on to win the final 1-0 in extra time, but on his first game back since the miss, club teammate Kylian Mbappe has appeared to show him some solidarity – albeit in a slightly odd manner. When Real Madrid won their own penalty against Villarreal, the Frenchman showed Diaz’s how to score a Panenka as he calmly chipped the ball in to seal a 94th-minute victory.

Footage has now emerged with Mbappe smiling as he celebrated the goal, before appearing to directly tell Diaz it was: “For you, for you.” The French star later confirmed to the media that the gesture was deliberate, noting: “It was support for him.”