In the 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid, it was obvious that there was never a bad time for a striker to score, but Viktor Gyokeres was relieved after a sluggish run. Manager Mikel Arteta believes that this could also mark the start of a more productive spell.
In his next eight games, the £64m signing Gyokeres failed to score in any of his first three goals and appeared glaringly frustrated at times.
However, his team-mates praised his overall impact, and Arteta said he thanked him for his efforts after Arsenal won by 2-0 against West Ham on Saturday.
Due to Kai Havertz’ knee injury, who played 90 minutes and seven times in Arsenal’s first 12 games, the 27-year-old has been forced to play more than expected this season.
However, Gyokeres’ tally now stands at five goals in 12 games, and his manager believes his persistence paid off with his two goals in the thumping win over Atletico on Tuesday.
There was no discussion about it because of everything that we were seeing in terms of what he was bringing to the team and how much he had contributed to it, aside from scoring goals in recent weeks, Arteta said.
“It was about maintaining that belief in himself, that he can enjoy and play freely in that emotional state.”
He had a big smile on his face as he did that, and I believe he did as well today.
The perfect finishing touch to “Goals the Cake”
In a show of unity from the Arsenal squad, Gyokeres was pushed forward by his team-mates to accept the applause of the crowd and perform his signature celebration on his own.
Arteta added that the gesture demonstrated how much other players value Gyokeres’ improvement of Arsenal.
“We all appreciate Gyokeres because he has improved our team significantly. We’ve gotten much more unpredictable, according to Arteta.
He “opens the spaces for everyone because he’s so physically there.” It’s incredible how he presses and holds the ball.
Then there’s the icing on top, and we’ll start debating goals, which is what.
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A long journey to end
In his two seasons at the Portuguese club, the 27-year-old did not consistently score 97 goals in 102 games without increasing his total.
He praised his performance, saying, “I am very pleased of course. My goals were both excellent.
“I always try to do my best, put in a lot of effort, contribute, and achieve my goals,” he said.
There is still a long way to go before we can do well and win football games. Even if that sounds monotonous, we will continue to play it game by game.
Arsenal’s excellent season-to-date includes three victories in the Champions League’s league phase, each of which the Gunners won without conceding a goal.
In their 138-year history, the club has won the most goals at this point in its history, winning 10 of their 12 matches in all competitions this year, leading the Premier League by three points, and have conceded only three goals in those contests.
Even Jose Mourinho could not help but throw an arm around Anthony Gordon at full-time.
The Benfica manager had just watched the forward put in a man-of-the-match display in Newcastle’s 3-0 win against his side at St James’ Park.
The Champions League is a stage Gordon clearly relishes – and he is not the only one.
Only the bottom three have scored fewer goals in the Premier League this season than Newcastle, who have seven.
Yet it has been a very different story in Europe.
Newcastle have already netted eight goals in just three games in the Champions League.
This was a night where Eddie Howe’s side had 19 efforts, 10 shots on target and 38 touches in the opposition box.
A potentially awkward opponent ended up being swept aside – but Howe stressed there is “much more to come”.
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Gordon steps up at crucial moment
Howe was certainly not getting carried away.
But the Newcastle head coach will have taken immense encouragement from the contribution of his forwards.
Newcastle have relied on record signing Nick Woltemade, who scored his side’s first goal against Wolves, Arsenal, Union Saint-Gilloise and Brighton in recent weeks, and whose link-up play was again eye-catching on Tuesday night.
But when this game was on a knife-edge, and St James’ Park was tense, Newcastle needed someone else to step up and ease the goalscoring burden.
And Gordon did so when he side-footed home at the back post following Jacob Murphy’s ball across in the 32nd minute.
Murphy had been recalled in place of summer signing Anthony Elanga – and this was a reminder why.
His teasing deliveries set up so many goals for former striker Alexander Isak last season and Gordon benefited from such an assist against Benfica.
Gordon, in the process, became the first Newcastle player ever to score in three successive Champions League games, while only Alan Shearer has more goals in the competition for the club.
“It means everything, but I need to get more,” Gordon told TNT Sport. “My ambition doesn’t stop there.”
This was a crucial contribution, though, as Benfica manager Mourinho needed no reminding.
His forward Dodi Lukebakio had earlier hit the post and forced Nick Pope into a fine save when the match was goalless.
“St James’ was quiet,” Mourinho said. “The fans felt that the game was not easy. They felt Benfica was much closer than Newcastle to score.
“They brought their enthusiasm in set-pieces, which is normal. When you have a team of giants, you know every set-piece, throw-in, lateral free-kick, corner is a dramatic moment for the opponent – and it was the only moment that they brought that enthusiasm and that pressure to the opponent.
Pope assist ‘a thing of beauty’
Newcastle, crucially, did not ease off after taking the lead, though.
The hosts scored the goal that “killed the game” in the words of Mourinho after the break.
Rather than trying to settle for a 1-0 win, Howe introduced Harvey Barnes midway through the second half alongside Joelinton.
And, just like against Union Saint-Gilloise this month, Barnes looked eager to impress from the bench.
Yet even the substitute will have been surprised by the team-mate who set up his first after Pope single-handedly launched a superb counter-attack with a 65-yard throw from his own box, which Howe hailed as a “thing of beauty”.
Benfica defender Antonio Silva dashed across to try to cut out the danger but misjudged the flight of the ball and Barnes pounced, finishing clinically off the upright.
As much as Newcastle players rushed to celebrate with Barnes, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman tellingly mobbed Pope to congratulate him.
But Newcastle, and Barnes, were not finished yet. There was still time for the substitute to add a third after Gordon teed him up.
Barnes, like Gordon, has embraced this stage with the pair scoring seven goals combined in just three games in the competition.
By way of contrast, they have yet to find the net in the Premier League this season.
“It’s a head-scratcher for me,” Howe said. “Because we know their qualities, we know they’re goalscorers, we know how good players they are – and that goes for another few players in the squad.
“When you see us play like we did tonight, how we attacked and the amount of chances we created, it’s a difficult one for us to work out.
Vicky McClure, an actor, claims that something happened on their first date that led to their reconciliation that led to a “conned of the minds” relationship.
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When Vicky and Jonny connected, Vicky McClure described it as a “mingling of minds.”
Vicky McClure claims that on one of their first dates, her husband Jonny took her on a “sausage cob” to prove her love.
The no nonsense Nottingham actor, is known for hit cop series Line Of Duty and Trigger Point, which is returning for a third series on ITV. Away from the cameras she married husband Jonny Owen, a writer and director, in August 2023.
Looking back Vicky said: “So when me and Jonny first met he took me for a sausage cob. And I was like, here we go. This is it. This is love. And then at the wedding night we didn’t have like a sit down meal.
Everyone was so happy because Jonny is Welsh, and we received sausage cobs and Welsh rarebits. It was simple: go and grab. There is no time to fuss around; get some food and return to the dance floor. So, yes, we kept things simple. Line your stomach with. “
The 42-year-old actress played DI Kate Fleming in the hit BBC crime drama Line Of Duty alongside actors Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar and earlier this week admitted she had “no updates” about another possible series.
She continued, “When we did the sixth series of Line of Duty,” in a conversation with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett on the Dish podcast. We shot in 2020. And so it is with Martin and Adey, who, you know, enjoy having a good social time while filming and all that kind of stuff that was lost.
We’d love to go back, if anything, just to make sure we can sort of feel like we’ve…had that again, as it goes without saying.
She also recalled that she was a young actor who was working on the 2008 film Filth and Wisdom, which also had Eugene Hütz and Holly Weston as stars. Juliette, who lived with her two flatmates, was played by Vincent as a pharmacy assistant.
She chose to purchase some clothing for the premiere but didn’t really understand what was happening, so she “just went to H&, M” and ended up wearing something on the red carpet.
Looking back she said: “I go to H&M, buy a dress that’s awful. And just got these big circles on it, with these brown saggy boots, leggings. Big silver hoops. You should Google it, it’s actually hilarious.
“And then everyone else, like Madonna looks banging, Eugene looks cool as a f***, and Holly looks fantastic, I’m just there like, “I just went to H&, M. ” These old baggy brown boots.
“But it was amazing, yes. I mean, I look back and say, “Wow, that was a moment.”
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*All podcast providers have access to Dish from Waitrose. On October 26, Trigger Point will be on ITV1.
Kathy Burke is a TV legend, and her book is full of touching and honest tales about her family and career.
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Kathy Burke has celeb and TV tales galore in new memoir(Image: FILE)
One of Britain’s best loved stars Kathy Burke has gone through the highs and lows of the first 40 years of her life for a brilliant new book A Mind Of My Own. Although Kathryn has made strides in her roles as an actor, theatre director, comedian, documentary presenter, podcaster, and director, she did not receive all of it favorably.
Her mother died when she was just two years old, leaving her and her two brothers with their abusive father, who was known for his binges and verbal abuse.
Food and money was often tight but she got big break when she studied at the Anna Scher Theatre School in islington and landed a role in the 1982 film Scrubbers, directed by Swedish actress Mai Zetterling and featuring the likes of Pam St. Clement, Robbie Coltrane and Miriam Margolyes. Here are just a few of her many highlights, which she has since lived to the fullest.
Meeting John Lydon
Kathy, who was 13 years old, would ogle the Hope and Anchor pub to avenge her idols. She spotted Johnny Rotten one day.
He looked over from the crowd and said: “Hello, little girl”. Kathy was adamant and determined to impress, but she had to give in before saying, “F*** off, Johnny!” He and his pals laughed at her as a result.
Persuading Ray Winstone
Before becoming a household name, Kathy planned to stage the play in a theater above a bar she frequented in 1990. Even though Ray sat in front of her and told him to read the script, she later discovered him and gave him a pint.
He called her the next day, saying: “Did you write that? All by yourself”
He consented, and Mr. Thomas was successful, rejuvenating Ray’s career. He and Kathy starred in film Nil By Mouth later in the decade.
winning actress of the year
After being informed that she had won the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actress award for Nil By Mouth and only had a short time to travel from London, Kathy told her agent, “F***ing hell, I don’t have a passport.”
Someone was able to work some magic and her agent called back to say Kathy would be picked up in an hour.
The pinstripe suit Kathy wore to Harry Enfield’s wedding was thankfully fresh from the dry cleaners.
She remarked, “F*** it, it will work.” “It’s not a frock, but f*** it,” she said. The film’s producer, Luc Besson, provided a private jet from London City Airport, and Kathy and her agent got a helicopter the rest of the way.
Kathy said, “It’s a little different from our digs in Westcliff, love,” while greeting director Gary Oldman on the red carpet.
She recalls that Hugh Grant gave a speech at the ceremony, Sean Penn held a press conference, Kylie Minogue inquired about joining our group, Harvey F. Weinstein gave a cocktail to her, and we took a stroll through the hotel’s grounds with actor David Thewlis, who had been talking to me on the phone hours earlier, and he was in shock when he saw me on the red carpet. I think that’s what they call a whirlwind”.
On Absolutely Fabulous
Jennifer Saunders contacted French & Saunders to ask if she would play fashion boss Magda in a new sitcom they were writing after working on their sketch shows. When she eventually entered the rehearsal room, Jen was known for putting things off until the last minute, and the scripts were still in print.
Kathy didn’t know much about the fashion world but was told to say her lines quickly so they would be harder for ‘the TV police’ to cut them. A few weeks after filming Kathy received a card from Jen which said something along the lines of “Who knows what people will make of Ab Fab, it’ll probably be a flash in the pan but thanks a million for taking part.”
On Kevin and Perry
This iconic comedy duo played by Kathy and Harry Enfield from 1994 only came about thanks to a chance meeting of Kathy and pal Paul Whitehouse, as she hadn’t intended to return to Harry’s latest show with just the old character she played. In order to convince her to sign up for the new series, Paul remembered Kathy had previously performed as a teenage girl on a Jonathan Ross TV show. He suggested combining it with one of Harry’s characters, giving her a new sketch and other characters, and getting her to like the character. The rest is history, Kathy chose it. Other hit characters around this time included The Slobs.
As well as the Kevin and Perry movie, arguably their most famous gags is around Oasis, which is down to Kathy. She explains: “A favourite sketch I did with Harry involved my character Perry turning up at Kevin’s house after visiting Manchester, where he developed the walk and talk of Liam Gallagher from Oasis. I told Harry and Paul about the times when I’d arrived home from Wigan as a kid sporting the accent. They thought this was great, so turned the story into a sketch. We had to record Perry’s entrance a few times as a roar from the studio audience was too much for our sound engineer to bear. This sketch still does the rounds on social media now and then, especially if Oasis are in the news.
Upon “spliffing”
At a daytime party in the Nineties she took an “inviting-looking spliff” from Shaun Ryder as he rambled at her and she thought “that northern grass tastes off”. Feeling really weird she then put a lit cigarette near a woman’s bum, called her friends “c**ts” and then went home and was violently sick before suffering hot and cold shakes.
Shaun responded to her with “Back then” years later. That would not have been weed; instead, it was either smack or crack.
On kissing Dougray Scott
In 1999, Cathy enjoyed the movie This Year’s Love, and she even received David Gray’s singing advice. However, that wasn’t the best part. She says:” As the film was about trying to find love we all had a few smoochy scenes. One involved me and Dougray’s character getting drunk on Waterloo Bridge, and despite that, the gorgeous man still claims in interviews that his screen kiss was the most enjoyable. Baby, too! What a dreamboat! “
Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme
Although this sitcom from 1999 to 2001 wasn’t widely acclaimed, it had a real cult following, and Kathy and James Dreyfus had a lot of fun working on it.
She says: “I loved playing Lindy alongside James’ Tom. They were such ridiculous, deluded characters with a mix of sweet ignorance and acid awareness. We really enjoyed breaking the fourth wall and so did our audience, and as its script editor I wanted as much of this as possible, but it frightened the powers that be so we were only allowed to indulge in this so much. It is funny that a few years later one of the BBC’s biggest comedy hits, Mrs Brown’s Boys, was encouraged to fully embrace this concept.” The show ended after three series, Kathy deciding to call it a day with a fourth wall scene that got a big laugh getting cut being the final straw.
On life off the stage
She claims she prefers directing, especially in the theater, despite having only recently performed one acting performance.
She continues, “I used to love acting a lot, but the energy I would feel when I played certain roles was waning.” When asked about the difference between acting and directing, the best analogy I came up with was acting was like being a footballer and directing was being the coach. “
Kathy, who has never had children, recalls that she frequently considered having one. The clock was ticking because I was in my late 30s, but I wasn’t crying out for it. I]had] a short broody spell in my early 30s, but wasn’t interested in having a child with the person I was with at the time. “
She explained a previous miscarriage and discovered that a blood condition prevented her from having children in her 40s. She continues, “Having a baby has never been my true calling.
“I’ve had lovely relationships with the kids in my life, but I’m always happier once I hand them back. Similar things can be said about romantic relationships as well.
* Gallery Books will release Kathy Burke’s A Mind of My Own tomorrow (Thursday).
Love Island winner Sammy Root, who rose to fame on the dating programme with Jess Harding, has ‘hard launched’ his new romance in a recent TikTok video
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Love Island winner debuts new girlfriend months after shock split from co-star(Image: ellaburke/TIKTOK)
Love Island winner Sammy Root appeared in a video with his new girlfriend, Ella Burke, months after his shock split from Elma Pazar. Sammy, 24, who is known for his appearance on the ITV2 series with Jess Harding, found love with Elma when he appeared on the All Stars version of the show.
After heading home from the Love Island villa, the pair were welcomed back by their TOWIE castmates as fans watched their new relationship unfold on camera. However, a few months after getting together, they went their separate ways and their “raw and emotional” split was filmed for TOWIE over the summer.
In shock scenes, Sammy was seen telling Elma that he ‘would have done anything’ during an intense conversation during their split.
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While their breakup seemed emotional, Sammy has seemingly moved on with Ella Burke, 23, and was seen in her recent TikTok video.
The video showed Ella discussing her love for a specific chocolate lava cake found in 7/11, which she became obsessed with while travelling in Thailand.
She brought a few packaged cakes back with her to heat up for herself as the two filmed a taste test video.
After heating up the cakes in the microwave, Ella and Sammy unwrapped the cake to ‘try at the same time’ as they stood in the kitchen.
Sammy said it was ‘really hot’ as Ella giggled while he struggled to cool it down. “Unbelievable but it’s very hot. I’ve got third degree burns in my mouth,” he joked as he went for another bite.
She wiped some chocolate from his mouth before he jokingly smiled to show the cake that was stuck over his teeth.
Fans immediately rushed to the comment to ask about their new relationship, with one user writing: “Soft launch,” and another posting: “Omg yes I’m here for this.”
“Oh damn hard launch,” one said while another confirmed the romance by posting: “About time, mum and dad.”
Earlier this summer, Sammy discussed his relationship with Elma with The Mirror, revealing: “It’s going well. We’re just doing our own thing, staying as private as we can. Once you’ve been in the public eye, you’ll always get people’s opinions so we keep ourselves to ourselves really.”
“I’m very good at blocking outside noise, I don’t let it get to me,” he said. “I think Elma probably lets it get to her a little bit more, which is why I’m here to bring her back down to Earth.”
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Sammy continued: “You’re always going to have people saying stuff whatever you’re doing, that’s just part of life. You’ve got to get used to outside noise and block it out really.”
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Ellen Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres have no plans to return to the country after a more than 40-year career in broadcasting in the US.
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Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi left the US for the UK(Image: ellendegeneres/Instagram)
Ellen DeGeneres has shared a rare glimpse into her personal life with wife Portia de Rossi.
The former talkshow host, 67, has posted candid photographs on Instagram taken inside her new home in the Cotswolds, an estate thought to be worth around £20million. The couple left the US last year following Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.
Ellen was one of many stars – including Cardi B, Lili Reinhart and Christina Applegate – who hit out at Mr Trump supporters for their beliefs in the run-up to the election. She and her 52-year-old wife became so disappointed after the vote they expressed their desire to leave the country for a fresh life in England.
The couple has moved into the stunning pad, which has an open-floor plan in the kitchen, dining room, and living room, according to the Instagram photos. In the photos the comedian published, the comedian’s cartoons feature a large view of the lush green back garden.
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Ellen and Portia, who got married in 2008, reportedly had the property’s ivory and matte mocha latte beige color scheme updated. Eight leather chairs, a glass coffee table, and a lounge chair all set against muted grey and ecru rugs complete the minimalistic design.
The modest approach contrasts hugely with Mr Trump’s style, as photographs show he has had part of his own home demolished in the US. The US President plans to have a lavish ballroom built at the White House.
However, Ellen’s more than 40-year career in the US surfaced as content to display her minimalistic aesthetic. The former actress claims in a video posted on Instagram that “Sport has brought so much joy into the house and it makes us so happy to see Kid play again, despite his very unique style of play.”
Sport and Kid are the couple’s dogs, seen chasing each other in the footage. There are animals everywhere too, as the estate is home to Ellen and Portia’s horses, chickens and wandering sheep which help cut the grass in the rural Cotswolds. The area is popular with celebrities looking to avoid the hustle and bustle of London.”
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Ellen recently stated, “We knew that Portia couldn’t live without her horses,” when we made the decision to live here permanently. We needed a place to house them with a stable and pastures.
