Everton

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira appeared to kick an Everton supporter who rushed the pitch following the Toffees' 3-2 victory over the Eagles on Thursday that secured Everton's place in the Premier League next season. 

Dion Dublin says there must be firm action taken against pitch invaders after Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira was confronted by Everton fans as he was walking off the pitch at full time. pic.twitter.com/FFDhfSqFgv

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 19, 2022

"I do not have anything to say about that," Vieira told reporters after the match when asked about the situation. 

It was a dramatic day at Goodison Park, as Everton overcame a 2-0 deficit with three second-half goals to push them to 39 points on the season, four clear of Leeds in 18th place. With just one match remaining, that meant Everton was officially clear of the bottom three relegation places and will return to the Premier League next season. 

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute, and some fans stormed the field at that time. After the pitch was cleared and the game proceeded, an even larger throng of fans rushed onto the field as the final whistle blew, celebrating with the Toffees. 

But while most supporters were enjoying the moment, some appeared to harass Vieira as he attempted to leave the field. 

I'm astonished there's any suggestion Patrick Vieira should be in trouble for what happened this evening. After what happened to Billy Sharp, how can we allow our players and managers to be subjected to this kind of taunting and placed in harm's way night after night?

— Oliver Holt (@OllieHolt22) May 19, 2022

Ridiculous provocation to Patrick Vieira at Everton tonight. Fans shouldn’t be on the pitch to surround and antagonise him in the first place.

— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) May 19, 2022

The pitch invasions by Everton fans - on a joyous night for the club - will heighten concern about conduct at stadiums widely. The potential provocation/confrontation before Vieira kicked out post-match came after fans flooded the pitch with 5 mins to go causing disruption

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) May 19, 2022

"I feel for Patrick," Everton manager Frank Lampard told reporters after the match. "I didn't get him at the end. I would have said, 'Come in with us.' Although he might not have wanted that. Of course he ran 80 yards across the pitch and it's not easy."

The incident came two days after Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp was headbutted in the second leg of his team's 3-3 aggregate result (3-2 defeat in penalties) to Nottingham Forest in the Championship playoff semifinal matchup between the clubs. 

pic.twitter.com/OrIOupGuhI

— billy sharp (@billysharp10) May 18, 2022

Robert Biggs, 30, was arrested and sentenced to 24 weeks in jail and and given a 10-year football ban for the attack. The incident left Sharp bloodied and in need of stitches. 

"It's assault," Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom told reporters. "We've seen one of our players attacked. He's shook up, bleeding, angry."

Former Everton and Manchester United star and current Derby County manager Wayne Rooney said he would isolate during his playing career and drink to cope with the stress that accompanied his playing career. 

Rooney opened up during an interview with Oliver Holt of the Mail on Sunday:

In my early years at Manchester United, probably until we had my first son, Kai, I locked myself away really. I never went out. There were times you'd get a couple of days off from football and I would actually lock myself away and just drink, to try to take all that away from my mind. People might know that I liked a drink at times or went out but there was a lot more to it than just that. It was what was going on in my head.

Now, people would be more empowered to speak about that kind of thing. Back then, in my head and with other players, there was no way I could go into the United dressing room and start saying, 'This is how I am feeling,' because you just wouldn't do it. Then you would end up suffering internally rather than letting your thoughts out. Locking myself away made me forget some of the issues I was dealing with. It was like a binge.

Rooney, 36, was one of the best players of his generation. His 253 total goals for United represent a club record. He also was a regular fixture for England, scoring a record 53 goals in 120 appearances. No outfield player has featured more for the men's national team, and he was just five games shy of Peter Shilton's overall record.

But that success came with a lot of attention and criticism, a side of the game the young Rooney wasn't ready for when he made his professional debut at just 16. 

"It took a long time for me to get used to that and figure out how to deal with it. It was like being thrown in somewhere where you are just not comfortable. That was tough for me," he said. "I had made a lot of mistakes when I was younger, some in the press and some not in the press, whether that's fighting or whatever. For me to deal with that, deal with stuff that was in the newspapers, deal with the manager at the time, deal with family at the time, was very difficult."

Rooney said that the anger he felt gave him an edge on the field, granting him a level of aggressiveness and unpredictability that aided his play. But it also led to mistakes off the pitch, at least until he learned that he needed to talk to someone.

"A bad moment? It could be anything. That you weren't playing well, the pressure you put on yourself, which I always tried to hide. Sometimes I tried to hide it with over-confidence. Sometimes that's to mask the pressure you feel," he said. "It could have been when I had done something wrong off the field and pressure builds and even going into the local shops, you want to hide from everyone. It is embarrassing. I was embarrassed by it."

That led to Rooney isolating and comforting himself by drinking. He says he has a much better relationship with alcohol and has used his experiences as a player to help him be a better manager for his players at Derby County.

"Part of the problem I have is that I do trust people," he said. "That was exactly my first message to the players here at Derby: 'I will give you my trust, but I need it back.' Once that trust is broken, it is very difficult to recover. Yeah, people want stuff off you, but I take responsibility for that because some of the stuff I have done is my decisions and that's me leaving myself open."

Carlo Ancelotti has returned to Real Madrid as manager after previously holding the job from 2013 to 2015, the club announced Tuesday.

👋 #WelcomeBackAncelotti
👉 @MrAncelotti pic.twitter.com/yY5NKF5tsd

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 1, 2021

David Ornstein and Greg O'Keeffe of The Athletic first reported the completion of an agreement between the two sides.

The 61-year-old spent the past year at Everton in the Premier League but terminated his contract with three years remaining, per Fabrizio Romano.

Ancelotti led Real Madrid to a UEFA Champions League title in 2014 but was let go in 2015 after his second season without a La Liga crown.

The manager's extensive career also includes time at top European clubs Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich and Napoli. He won two more Champions League titles at Milan, and his resume boasts first-place finishes in Serie A, the Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.

The stint at Everton wasn't quite as successful. The Toffees finished 10th in the EPL last season while failing to qualify for any European competition in 2021-22.

Ancelotti will look for more success in his return to Real Madrid, replacing Zinedine Zidane after the former star player resigned last week.

Los Blancos failed to secure a trophy in 2020-21, finishing second in La Liga after losing to Chelsea in the UCL semifinal. The aging roster also has plenty of question marks, with many of its key players from last season all over 30 years old, including Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. 

It will create a challenge for Ancelotti to live up to lofty expectations at the Spanish club.

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has said the Toffees are "not really self-isolating" because of the coronavirus but are taking preventative measures.

Ancelotti spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) about the current situation at the club and added that the Premier League had made the right decision to suspend the competition.

"We're not really self-isolating at all, but some prevention measures did come in after a player had a fever, but his temperature has dropped now and that’s the most important thing.

"The Premier League did stop eventually, and it's about time. It was the right decision faced with the scenario. We couldn't continue. Health is the most important thing for everyone: teams, fans, media, everyone who works in football.

"In theory, we ought to get back to work on March 22, but if the situation in general should worsen, how can we even think of that? If the coronavirus is still spreading rapidly, football cannot resume."

The Merseysiders announced on Friday that a player was self-isolating for seven days after reporting a high temperature and the club's training facility would close as a precaution:

🔵 | Club Statement update.

— Everton (@Everton) March 13, 2020

Everton are one of a number of Premier League clubs to have been affected by the coronavirus. 

Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester City and Bournemouth have all confirmed they have players in self-isolation in a bid to help contain the spread of the virus.

The Premier League is on hold until April 4, and a meeting will be held on Thursday to discuss how to continue the campaign, according to Sky Sports.

There has already been plenty of debate about what happens next, but Ancelotti said he was "not interested" because "football counts for zero right now."

The Italian was also critical of United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson's response to the pandemic:

Carlo Ancelotti, in @Gazzetta_it, today: ‘Italy were forced to understand it was time to stop being superficial, they had to respect the orders, stay home during this war. I watched Boris Johnson’s speech. It seems to be someone hasn’t realised the gravity of the situation.’

— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) March 14, 2020

Premier League fixtures had been scheduled to go ahead on the weekend of March 13 to 15 until Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta tested positive for the coronavirus.

His diagnosis prompted an emergency Premier League meeting where the decision was finally made to halt the competition.   

Everton's have placed one of their players in self-isolation after he displayed flu-like symptoms amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The club posted the following message on Twitter on Friday:

🔵 | Club Statement update.

— Everton (@Everton) March 13, 2020

Everton's match with Liverpool has since been postponed, with the Premier League confirming on Friday that no games will be played until April 4 at the earliest.

Paul Joyce of The Times provided further details, noting a number of the club's facilities, including Goodison Park, have been closed:

Everton’s first-team squad and coaching staff are undertaking a period of self-isolation following medical advice.
The step has been taken after a first-team player reported symptoms consistent with coronavirus. Finch Farm, Goodison Park and Royal Liver Building closed down.

— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) March 13, 2020

On Thursday, Arsenal announced that their manager, Mikel Arteta, had tested positive for the virus, while Chelsea confirmed in the early hours of Friday morning that winger Callum Hudson-Odoi had COVID-19.

The Blues youngster has since said in a social media post that he has been able to recover from the illness but is still in isolation.

Per Dan Roan of BBC News, a number of clubs have already been affected by the coronavirus pandemic:

Everton join Arsenal, Leicester, Chelsea, Watford & Man City in having players either tested or in quarantine. They’re the ones we know about https://t.co/gxF3dyf8WO

— Dan Roan (@danroan) March 13, 2020

With football suspended in many major leagues across Europe, the Premier League followed suit and stopped upcoming matches.

The Merseyside derby at Goodison Park was set to be an important one. Had Manchester City lost to Burnley on Saturday in the Premier League, then Liverpool would have had the chance to win the Premier League title at the home of their rivals.

Per CNN, COVID-19 has infected around 125,000 people globally, killing in excess of 4,600.

Moise Kean's agent has said Everton are "happy" with the striker despite a slow start to his Goodison Park career.

Enzo Raiola told Juve News (h/t Sport Witness' Sean Lunt) the Toffees have faith the Italy international will grow in the Premier League.

"Everton? They are happy with him," Raiola said. "He didn't have a brilliant start, but the club believes in him, and they are happy. He will slowly have more opportunities."

The 20-year-old has struggled to adapt during his first campaign in England since arriving from Juventus last summer.

Kean signed a five-year deal with Everton last August, joining for an initial fee of £25.1 million, rising to a potential £27.5 million, according to BBC Sport.

The player is Juve's youngest-ever debutant at 16, and he also became Italy's youngest goalscorer at international level in a competitive match. Kean started for Italy against Finland in Euro 2020 qualifying, scoring the opener in a 2-0 win on March 23, 2019.

The striker remains an emerging talent, and the arrival of compatriot Carlo Ancelotti as coach could help his development on Merseyside.

However, the form of Dominic Calvert-Lewin has cemented the Sheffield-born striker as Everton's No. 9, and Richarlison is also an option in that position.

Kean has started just five Premier League games this term, scoring once. The youngster has risen from the bench in 17 league matches.

The Italian is blessed with natural finishing ability, but he'll need to adapt to the pace of English football if he wants to be a success under Ancelotti.  

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has accepted a Football Association charge of improper conduct and a fine of £8,000, but he will not be banned for the team's upcoming clash with former club Chelsea in the Premier League.

Ancelotti was issued with a red card at the end of Everton's previous clash with Manchester United as he remonstrated with referee Chris Kavanagh. The Toffees had a goal controversially ruled out after a VAR review, meaning the match finished 1-1.

Per Adam Jones of the Liverpool Echo, Ancelotti decided against appealing the improper conduct charge he was hit with following the dismissal, and that means he will be on the sidelines for his return to Chelsea.

Everton relayed the FA's statement on the incident on their own Twitter account:

📝 | The FA's statement on Carlo Ancelotti. #EFC pic.twitter.com/hyWtQLxate

— Everton (@Everton) March 5, 2020

Sky Sports Premier League shared the moment Ancelotti was sent off at the end of a feisty encounter at Goodison Park: 

Ancelotti sees red! 😡

The Everton boss was given his marching orders at full-time following his reaction to the VAR controversy! 😳 pic.twitter.com/jrKi834GKP

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 1, 2020

The Italian coach was clearly unhappy with the decision to rule out what would have been a dramatic late winner for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The VAR review deemed that the striker's deflected shot shouldn't have counted because of the fact Gylfi Sigurdsson was in an offside position. The midfielder had seen his shot saved by David De Gea and was felled by Aaron Wan-Bissaka after getting his effort off, and he remained on the floor when Calvert-Lewin struck. It was enough to prompt an impassioned reaction from the usually composed coach. 

Ancelotti has enjoyed a strong start to life at Everton, helping push the team out of a relegation battle into a fight for a European position. 

Under his guidance, the Toffees have moved up to 11th in the Premier League table, and they are just five points behind United in fifth.

Sean Lunt of Sport Witness shared some figures that illustrate the positive impact Ancelotti has had in his short spell at Goodison Park: 

Impressive stats under Ancelotti these. Interesting the number of headed chances and set piece goals. pic.twitter.com/bhADaKzuVv

— Sean Lunt (@Sean_Lunt) March 5, 2020

It was deemed a major coup for Everton to secure the Italian, who has previously managed the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan.

Ancelotti also enjoyed a prosperous couple of seasons at Chelsea, and it's anticipated he will get a fine reception at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. In his first season with the Blues, the coach steered the team to their first-ever double success, sampling glory in the Premier League and FA Cup.

Chelsea, who are managed by Ancelotti's former player Frank Lampard, go into Sunday's match on the back of an excellent 2-0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup on Tuesday and with an eight-point advantage over Everton.

Carlo Ancelotti was linked with the Arsenal job back in December, but the Italian is convinced joining Everton was the best move ahead of facing the Gunners in the Premier League on Sunday.

Ancelotti took charge of his first game as Everton boss on December 26, the same day former Toffees midfielder Mikel Arteta assumed control at Arsenal. Both men initially enjoyed a watching brief when the two teams drew 0-0 at Goodison Park five days earlier.

They have each made progress with their respective clubs since, leaving Ancelotti content with his decision, per the Liverpool Echo's Sam Carroll: "I am happy to be here! I did the right choice. I feel good here. I found a good atmosphere, I like the place, so everything is OK until now."

Ancelotti is right to take comfort from his work so far. The 60-year-old has helped Everton rise above the threat of relegation into ninth place, just two points shy of the European places.

Everton's run has included five wins, two draws and just a single defeat in eight league games. It's been good enough to move the Toffees two points above Arsenal.

Even so, Ancelotti still respects Arteta's efforts, saying "Arsenal have improved a lot in the last period and are playing better."

The Gunners haven't won as consistently as Everton, but Arteta has succeeded in making the north London side tougher to beat. He's lost just once in 11 games in all competitions but has drawn five of eight in England's top flight.

Finding the winning edge has proved difficult, but Arsenal have become stronger defensively. The Gunners have kept five clean sheets, including in each of their last three games following Thursday's 1-0 win over Olympiacos in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League last 32:

Three clean sheets in a row for #AFC. Arteta: "We tell them they have to enjoy defending as well. And, like tonight, if you give simple balls away you better run back and get that ball back as quickly as possible.”

— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) February 20, 2020

Aside from reviving the form of mistake-prone centre-backs David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi, Arteta has also helped converted winger Bukayo Saka thrive at left-back:

Bukayo Saka has more assists than any other Arsenal player this season.

He's 18 years old ✨ pic.twitter.com/pdKzL7BirM

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 20, 2020

Revitalised Everton will provide the sternest test to date of Arsenal's new-found solidity. Ancelotti has gotten key attackers such as Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to click.

Calvert-Lewin has scored six league goals on the Italian's watch, while Richarlison has chipped in with three goals and an assist.

The Brazilian was the dominant force behind the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace last time out:

Richarlison's game by numbers for Everton against Crystal Palace:

45 touches
15 total duels
5 shots (most)
4 recoveries
3 shots on target (most)
2 take-ons completed
1 clearance
1 tackle
1 goal

Another electric display. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/sKrhVUdl3n

— Squawka (@Squawka) February 8, 2020

The prolific forwards have Ancelotti believing he can guide Everton into a European tournament at the first time of asking. He said his players "have to be thinking about Europe," despite a run of fixtures that will see the Toffees face Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool after Sunday's trip to the Emirates Stadium.

Fourth-place Chelsea are only five points above Ancelotti's men, a testament to how the confidence the three-time UEFA Champions League winner has brought to the blue half of Merseyside has translated into results.

Ancelotti might have been restoring belief among the Gunners had planned talks gone ahead following his sacking from Napoli in December—despite guiding the Serie A outfit into the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Arsenal eventually moved for Arteta, who was briefly linked with a return to Everton. Tabbing the one-time Manchester City assistant to replace another ex-player, Freddie Ljungberg, looked like a risk for an Arsenal squad in disarray following Unai Emery's dismissal in November.

The decision appeared riskier still in the context of the links to Ancelotti. Unlike Arteta, he has a proven track record of winning at the top level, adding league titles with AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich to the European hardware captured with Real Madrid and the Rossoneri.

🇮🇹 Carlo Ancelotti has been announced as the new @Everton manager.

👤 His managerial record:

🏟 1,103 Games
✅ 645 Wins
🤝 256 Draws
❌ 202 Defeats
🏆 20 Trophies

✅ Won the Premier League, Champions League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

👊 Statement appointment. pic.twitter.com/oTWK9AyEvR

— SPORF (@Sporf) December 21, 2019

Ancelotti seemed the perfect candidate to restore credibility and stability to a club adrift even before legendary former boss Arsene Wenger stepped down in 2018. Joining Everton looked like a backward step for man with such an impressive resume, while Arteta's inexperience made the Arsenal job appear too big for him.

Both men have been proving these preconceptions wrong and steadily winning over the doubters. Sunday's game will not only impact each team's chances of being in Europe next season, it will provide onlookers with a tangible glimpse of what might have been.  

Carlo Ancelotti has eradicated Everton's relegation worries, and now the Italian has set the Toffees a target of qualifying for next season's UEFA Europa League.

Ancelotti was in bullish mood after overseeing Everton's 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday, per Phil Kirkbride of the Liverpool Echo: "The work everyone has done was really good, players, club, staff everyone and now our table is good and we can dream to fight for the Europa League in the next games."

Participating in Europe is suddenly a realistic target thanks to the scale of the turnaround under Ancelotti.

Beating Palace was the Toffees' fifth win in eight league games since Ancelotti took charge, good enough to move the Merseyside club up to seventh. Everton were 15th and just four points above the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw with Arsenal on December 21, the last game with interim boss Duncan Ferguson in charge.

Since then, the Toffees have lost once in the league, with only leaders Liverpool outperforming Ancelotti's men during the same time.

The reversal in Everton's fortunes owes everything to how Ancelotti has revived the form of key players in attack. Specifically, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have both been finding the net for fun.

Richarlison's spectacular 70-yard run and finish cancelled out Christian Benteke's equaliser and put Everton in front to stay against Palace. The Brazilian has recovered from a midseason slump to become the Toffees most consistent contributor in the final third.

Calvert-Lewin has followed Richarlison's lead by playing himself into consideration for an England cap with a prolific run he continued by netting the clincher against the Eagles.

Getting Everton's frontmen on song speaks to the keen man-management skills Ancelotti has displayed throughout his career. The 60-year-old is a players coach whose experience and pedigree is widely respected thanks to his illustrious trophy haul, which includes winning the UEFA Champions League three times and capturing league titles in four different countries.

In other words, Ancelotti is a proven winner who has seen it all at the top level. He's the ideal choice to lend greater credibility to a club struggling to make the step up from mediocrity in recent seasons.