Watford manager Javi Gracia praised Troy Deeney s influence after the skipper hit the winner over West Brom in his 300th league appearance for the club.

The 29-year-old coolly converted a one-on-one in the 77th minute to secure his side a 1-0 home victory, their second in as many Premier League matches.

Deeney, who joined from Walsall in 2010, looked set to swap Vicarage Road for the Hawthorns in January before Baggies boss Alan Pardew switched his attention to Daniel Sturridge.

Instead, the striker has netted three goals in four appearances for Watford to help make Gracia s appointment an immediate success.

I am very happy with him. I do not know what happened with him in the past, I do not want to know, Gracia told reporters.

I see him working…

Juventus launched their Coppa Italia title defence with a commanding 4-1 victory over Sampdoria at the Allianz Stadium.

A free-kick from Juan Cuadrado gave the reigning champions a 25th-minute lead, while Daniele Rugani s first Bianconeri goal in almost three years doubled the advantage after the break.

Andrea Conti replied for Sampdoria, whose fortunes were overseen by Felice Tufano following the sacking of coach Roberto D’Aversa on Monday.

But substitute Paulo Dybala put the hosts back in control, before Alvaro Morata s penalty sealed their place in the quarter-finals.

Juventus had won eight of their nine previous Coppa Italia meetings with Sampdoria, while they had not been eliminated from this stage of the competition since 2005.

The Bianc…

Rio Ferdinand has questioned whether Manchester United can be considered serious Premier League title contenders with Harry Maguire starting regularly at centre-back.

Maguire, a reported £80million signing from Leicester City in 2018, has struggled for consistency in his third season at Old Trafford.

He has started 27 games for United this term – a tally bettered only by Bruno Fernandes (32) among outfield players – but was benched for Saturday s stalemate with Watford.

Interim boss Ralf Rangnick put that down to fitness reasons, but Ferdinand does not believe the United captain s strengths are suited to the German s style of play.

Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube show, Ferdinand said: Is Maguire going to enable you to win the league? That s a…

As Jofra Archer proved in the second Ashes Test, pace changes everything.

Senses are sharper, adrenaline pumps and numerous elements thought to be under control escape it.

Monday s Premier League showdown between Wolves and Manchester United at Molineux – which ended with the spoils fairly shared in a 1-1 draw – was similarly a contest at its best when clattering along without a thought for the consequences.

Only with a full pre-season under his belt can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer truly be considered at the United wheel. And his is a team built for speed.

As in their 4-0 thumping of Chelsea on the opening weekend, plenty of United s early work was scruffy and without structure – they completed only 70.7 per cent of their first-half passes – but they …

Antoine Griezmann declared he will give everything in his limited minutes after playing the role of super sub in Atletico Madrid s remarkable 2-1 Champions League win over Porto on Wednesday. 

After 100 minutes and 21 seconds, Griezmann nodded home the latest Champions League goal on record (excluding extra-time) to guide Los Colchoneros to a dramatic victory.

Mario Hermoso had broken the deadlock in the 91st minute before conceding a penalty that was scored by Matheus Uribe, meaning Atleti s win over Porto is just the second Champions League match to ever feature three goals scored after the 90th minute (excluding extra-time).

In a remarkable turn of fate, the previous instance was when these two sides met last December, when Diego Simeone s men ran out 3-1 wi…

All eyes will be on the race for the top four in the Premier League again this weekend, with Manchester United and Tottenham tussling at Old Trafford.

Both sides have fallen behind Arsenal in recent weeks, with the Gunners having at least a game in hand on each of their rivals, but a victory for either team could provide a little extra belief.

Certainly given United s poor defensive record and Harry Kane s habit of scoring on the road, Spurs will fancy themselves in with a decent chance.

And that seamlessly takes us into this week s Opta-powered quiz. You ll find the answers at the bottom of the page… No cheating!

1. Tottenham s Harry Kane has scored 93 goals in 137 Premier League away games – one more will see him equal the record. Who currently hold…

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana would be delighted if Barcelona wanted to sign him back and is unsure if he will stay in the Eredivisie next season.

The 23-year-old spent five years with Barca s academy before signing for Ajax as an 18-year-old in 2015.

Onana has since established himself as one of the most promising keepers in Europe and played a key role in Ajax s surprise run to the Champions League semi-finals last season.

The Cameroon international said last year that he would love the chance to go back to Barca if the opportunity arose, although he chose to extend his Ajax contract to 2022 in March.

Onana will always be grateful to Ajax for giving him the chance of first-team football, but the prospect of a return to Camp Nou remains hugely tempting.