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MatériaMais Notícias

Igor Vinícius voltará a reencontrar o Morumbi, onde guarda boa memórias nesta sua passagem pelo São Paulo. O lateral-direito possui a terceira maior sequência invicta individual na história do estádio e buscará ampliar a sequência contra o Jorge Wilstermann-BOL, nesta quinta-feira, às 21h30, pela Sul-Americana.

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São Paulo chega a dez vitórias consecutivas como mandante; lembre os jogos

Ao lado de Müller, o defensor, que chegou ao São Paulo em 2019, possui 34 partidas seguidas de invencibilidade no Morumbi, desde 2020. Com a marca, Igor Vinícius é superado apenas por Pedro Rocha e Jorge Wagner, que têm 37 e 36 jogos sem perder no estádio, respectivamente.

Na sequência de 34 partidas, são 25 vitórias e nove empates. Além disso, nos quatro jogos em que atuou no Morumbi em 2022, o lateral-direito possui 100% de aproveitamento. Igor falou sobre o seu momento vivido no Tricolor.

– Vejo que este é um dos grandes momentos que venho tendo com a camisa do São Paulo. Sempre me cobro a melhorar a cada dia e vejo que meu esforço vem fazendo diferença e rendendo bons frutos. Pude jogar muito bem diante do Juventude e, ver esta grande sequência que tenho no Morumbi, me dá ainda mais motivação para seguir nesta evolução – disse o atleta de 25 anos.

Contratado por empréstimo junto à Ponte Preta em novembro de 2018, Igor Vinícius foi comprado em definitivo pelo São Paulo em 2019. Nas quatro temporadas até aqui defendendo o clube, foram 116 jogos, cinco gols e 12 assistências. O lateral-direito tem vínculo com a equipe do Morumbi até o final de 2022.

Arsenal have been rocked by another injury to one of their squad in the wake of their FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester United on Sunday, it has been revealed.

Arsenal's season stuttering as injuries mount up

Inside seven days, Arsenal’s chances of silverware have taken a massive hit with Mikel Arteta’s side looking likely to be without a trophy once come the end of the campaign. A 1-1 draw with Brighton in the Premier League left them still six points off league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand on the Gunners and, perhaps more importantly, an almost fully fit squad.

Three days later, the Gunners were beaten 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie with Newcastle, despite having no shortage of chances to win the game and creating almost three times the expected goals of their opponents.

On Sunday, it was almost deja-vu as they welcomed Manchester United to north London in the FA Cup third round, only to squander several gilt-edged chances and end up exiting the competition on penalties – perhaps no surprise given they are without their best attacker in Bukayo Saka.

Expected goals

6.44

Goals scored

1

Shots

49

Shots on target

10

Big chances

10

Big chances missed

10

Quizzed after the game, Arteta claimed he felt his side’s fortunes were “unbelievable”.

“It’s unbelievable”, he told the media. “Obviously, you measure the performance and what we did in relation to the position, you-know, you deserve to win the game by a mile. But the reality is we are out and the only thing that’s going to be judged is that but internally I can’t.”

Now, the latest news surrounding striker Gabriel Jesus will leave him even more frustrated, as injuries tear through the manager’s depth up front.

Arsenal set to lose Jesus for the season

That comes courtesy of Arsenal insider Con MarbleHalls on X [formerly Twitter], who has revealed that the “early indications are Gabriel Jesus has suffered a ACL rupture” during the first half against the Red Devils.

The Brazilian forward went over Bruno Fernandes on the edge of his own penalty area before needing to be stretchered off midway through the first half, with Raheem Sterling coming on to replace him.

And after the game, Arteta admitted that his injury was not good: “No update but it’s not looking good. He was in quite a lot of pain, he had to come off on a stretcher and he’s not looking good.”

The ACL prognosis, which usually requires around nine months to recover from, is backed up by injury analyst Physio Scout on X, who added that what was seen “usually points towards an ACL injury”.

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Were Arsenal set to lose Jesus for a significant period of time, it would leave them with just four senior forwards to cover their front three, with Saka and Ethan Nwaneri both still sidelined through injuries of their own.

With the January transfer window open, it would feel as though Arteta and co. would have to act just to avoid seeing the remaining members of their front line run into the ground over the months ahead.

Vitor Pereira will be well aware that the Wolverhampton Wanderers job he has taken on isn’t going to be a walk in the park.

But, having managed all over the world in the likes of Germany, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the nomadic 56-year-old will hope he can be a success in another new country in England.

After all, fresh ideas from the dugout could be just what is needed to break away from the dire end of Gary O’Neil’s reign, with Pereira perhaps preparing to drop Andre in the centre of the park for his first Premier League test versus Leicester City.

Andre's struggles at Wolves

It does feel harsh to single out some Old Gold underperformers, considering the collective effort hasn’t been up to scratch, with the recently dismissed manager winning just two of his last 16 matches in charge.

But, summer recruit Andre has visibly struggled in matches over the last couple of weeks for the relegation candidates, leaving many worrying that his bumper £21m cost wasn’t value for money.

He would only last 45 minutes against Ipswich Town during O’Neil’s final game at the helm, having only won two of his five duels in the middle of the park, as the likes of Jens Cajuste for the visitors ended up controlling proceedings centrally.

Pereira could opt to start Tommy Doyle in his place instead when travelling to the King Power Stadium on Sunday, therefore, with the former Manchester City youngster notching up two key passes in a spirited second-half showing.

Of course, Andre did win Wolves’ September Player of the Month when O’Neil’s job security wasn’t a constant conversation, but in the here and now, Pereira might well deem him as not being worthy of being a concrete starter.

More pressingly, away from the midfield positions, the Portuguese boss will also need to show he can shore up the defence if survival is to be on the cards, with Santiago Bueno another name who could be axed for the game at the Foxes.

Bueno's poor performances in December

Once regarded as a “promising” talent by football journalist Lewis Kenn when signing an improved deal at Molineux in 2022, Bueno has slowly but surely become a regular in the first team.

This season, the Uruguayan has picked up nine Premier League starts, but he might not be able to get to double digits when facing off against Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s men next, when you look at how dire his numbers have been over December to date.

Bueno’s PL numbers across December

Stat

Everton

West Ham

Ipswich

Minutes played

77

90

90

Touches

59

42

67

Accurate passes

41/54 (76%)

28/38 (74%)

58/61 (94%)

Possession lost

13x

10x

3x

Total duels won

3/6

5/8

3/8

Tackles

1

0

2

Interceptions

0

0

0

Stats by Sofascore

In truth, no defenders exited the pitch away at Everton at the start of the month with their heads held high, but Bueno was notably below-par in that shocking 4-0 defeat, with possession squandered 13 times alongside only 50% of his duels being won.

His woes have continued on from this dire day out to Merseyside – with his showing against Ipswich also out-of-sorts – as only three duels were weakly won, resulting in his side succumbing to a third league defeat on the spin which ultimately cost O’Neil his job.

Pereira might well be prepared to bring in Craig Dawson into his side in his place, who will want to exorcise his own December-related demons if he is picked versus Leicester, having scored two tragic own goals against Everton.

Whilst Bueno has shone in the past for the Old Gold, bringing in someone of the 34-year-old’s experience could be key in initially attempting to fix such a porous defence, with Dawson amassing 300 appearances in the Premier League and counting.

Whatever lineup Pereira does field, the well-travelled manager will pray he can pick up a debut win against a fellow relegation rival to start his new tenure off on the best possible footing.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo tem um novo alvo para o meio-campo. Com negativas em Lincoln e Alan Patrick, o Alvinegro tem negociações em andamento por Lucas Fernandes, do Portimonense-POR. O jogador de 24 anos foi revelado pelo São Paulo e pode ser o novo jogador do clube de General Severiano.

+ Botafogo ganha mais qualidade no meio-campo com chegadas de Luís Oyama e Patrick de Paula

A ideia do Botafogo é um empréstimo sem custos e uma opção de compra fixada ao final desse período – o Alvinegro arcaria com a totalidade dos salários do atleta. Foi esse modelo, inclusive, que o clube tentou colocar com Lincoln, mas o Santa Clara, também de Portugal, não avançou nas tratativas.

Ainda não é assinante do Cariocão-2022? Acesse www.cariocaoplay.com.br, preencha o cadastro e ganhe 5% de desconto com o cupom especial do LANCE!: GE-JK-FF-ZSW

O clube quer Lucas Fernandes para a disputa do Campeonato Brasileiro – ou seja, a negociação teria que acontecer a curto prazo. Ele é titular do Portimonense, que teria que abrir mão de um atleta comumente utilizado no onze titular no meio da temporada europeia.

Mesmo assim, o Botafogo tenta convencer a equipe portuguesa de que pode ser uma boa ideia. Lucas Fernandes teve boa passagem nas categorias de base do São Paulo mas não rendeu o esperado no profissional. A informação foi dada pelo “UOL” e confirmada pelo LANCE!.

Lucas Fernandes tem um gol e quatro assistências em 28 partidas disputadas na atual temporada.

Water is wet, the sky is blue, and Tottenham Hotspur remain one of the most frustratingly inconsistent teams in football.

Ange Postecoglou’s side followed up their incredible 4-0 win against Manchester City in the Premier League with a lacklustre 2-2 draw at home to Roma in the Europa League last night.

The North Londoners were not dreadful, but the difference compared to the display at the Etihad was stark.

There were plenty of underwhelming performances on the night, but two of them would have left Postecoglou particularly frustrated, including Radu Dragusin.

Dragusin's performance in numbers

With Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero still out injured, it was down to Ben Davies and Dragusin to martial the backline against the Giallorossi.

However, while the Welshman once again rolled back the years and showed why he’s still a valuable player to have in the squad, the Romanian had yet another night to forget.

There wasn’t one stand-out mistake like there was against Qarabağ and Galatasaray, but the former Genoa ace just looked uncomfortable and unconvincing throughout.

It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by the Standard’s Tom Parsons, who awarded the defender a 5/10 match rating on the night, writing that the manager ‘will be desperate to have Cristian Romero available again.’

Dragusin’s statistics on the night back up the journalist’s appraisal, as he made four clearances, lost 100% of his aerial and ground duels, lost the ball four times, committed a foul and failed to make a single interception or tackle in his 95 minutes of action.

In all, it was a bad day at the office for the Bucharest-born titan, but one of his teammates was just as disappointing.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Dominic Solanke's performance in numbers

Yes, the other starter who would have left the manager particularly disappointed last night was Dominic Solanke.

After missing out on the goals against City over the weekend, the Englishman would have been hoping to get back on the scoresheet against Roma, but every time he found himself with a goalscoring opportunity, he managed to fluff his lines.

Moreover, he didn’t even help out his teammates either, failing to pass to an open James Maddison in the penalty area in the second half.

The former Bournemouth ace isn’t responsible for two goals his team conceded, but had he taken his chances, those two goals wouldn’t have mattered.

Unsurprisingly, Parsons was equally unimpressed with the 27-year-old poacher, awarding him a 5/10 at full-time and writing that he ‘should have done better’ with his chances.

Furthermore, his overall statistics from the game are simply dire, as in 95 minutes of action, he failed to score from an expected goals figure of 1.15, missed two big chances, maintained a passing accuracy of just 81%, committed three fouls and somehow endeavoured to lose 16 of 19 duels.

Ultimately, it wasn’t a great night for Spurs, but it’s hard to look past Solanke and Dragusin when it comes to the Lilywhites’ worst performers.

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The Brazilian youngster scored the only goal in San Sebastian as Carlo Ancelotti's side took another step towards cup glory

Endrick enjoyed his best night to date in a Real Madrid shirt, while Jude Bellingham pulled the strings in midfield as Los Blancos cruised to a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final with Real Sociedad.

La Real threatened early, the dangerous Take Kubo stinging Andriy Lunin's palms after a well-worked move, before Endrick buried Madrid's first real chance. Bellingham created it, a left-footed ping sending the young Brazilian through, who burned his man before poking home. Vinicius Jr could have made it 2-0 soon after, but was well-denied from a tight angle.

Madrid never really grabbed control of the contest – but they did threaten in moments, including when Endrick rattled the crossbar with a powerful strike after some neat footwork on the 50-minute mark.

It was a question of game management from there. Bellingham buzzed around midfield, and kept things tidy – while also offering an attacking threat. For the most part, though, the fixture was played in the middle of the park, and Los Blancos seldom truly threatened.

There is still more football to be played in this tie, but Madrid hold what is a fairly narrow aggregate lead, and given La Real's attacking woes this season, that advantage feels like it might be too tough to overcome at Santiago Bernabeu.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Anoeta…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Andriy Lunin (6/10):

  Made a couple of neat saves but wasn't ever under any real threat.

  Raul Asencio (5/10):

  On the receiving end of some unsavoury chanting from the home fans. Replaced at the break.

  Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):

  Made a number of important defensive interventions, and was comfortable in possession. A rather good centre-back showing.

  Antonio Rudiger (6/10):

  Not his best game in one-on-ones as La Real dragged him around a bit. Clever and effective defending the box, though.

  Fran Garcia (5/10):

  Rinsed by Kubo on a few occasions. Got forward but lacked final product.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Midfield

  Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):

  Always snapping into tackles. Won the most duels on the pitch, and looked to get forward.

  Dani Ceballos (7/10):

  Instrumental in midfield. Wasn't necessarily chief creator, but he seemed to win everything.

  Jude Bellingham (8/10):

  Assisted the opener with a wonderful raking ball. Created six chances, put two shots on target, and did some important defensive work.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Arda Guler (5/10):

  Hardly involved in a right-wing position. He seems more effective as an attacking midfielder.

  Endrick (7/10):

  Took his goal well, and never stopped running. Has now scored four in four in the Copa.

  Vinicius Jr (6/10):

  Busy and dangerous in the first half, but went rather quiet in the second. Been a bit inconsistent of late.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Lucas Vazquez (6/10):

  A solid shift in the second half.

  David Alaba (6/10):

  Another strong outing at the back as he returns to full fitness.

  Brahim Diaz (N/A):

  Nothing more than a brief cameo.

  Rodrygo (N/A):

  No time to make an impact.

  Ferland Mendy (N/A):

  No time to make an impact.

  Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):

  Won't be delighted with the performance, but will certainly take the result. A 1-0 lead heading to the Bernabeu is fairly solid these days…

In their biggest test since their opening day defeat against champions Manchester City, Chelsea and Enzo Maresca are reportedly set to hand one summer signing just his second Premier League start against Liverpool at Anfield.

Chelsea team news vs Liverpool

Chelsea enter their Anfield clash better prepared than they have been for a long time. The goals and wins have been flowing under Maresca, with Cole Palmer running the show once again at the London club, and they remain without any fresh injury woes ahead of squaring off against the Reds. That even includes club captain Reece James, who returned to training this week ahead of potentially making his return.

Maresca can fill Cucurella void by unleashing Chelsea's "hidden gem"

The Blues face Liverpool this afternoon in a blockbuster Premier League clash

By
Ross Kilvington

Oct 20, 2024

Maresca spoke about managing his fitness amid a number of injury issues in recent years, telling reporters as relayed by Goal: “He [James] is finally available. He worked with us over the international break. It’s good news, especially for him because being injured is not a good feeling. Finally, he is back.

“It’s complicated when you get injury, injury, injury again. It’s not easy so you are always looking for a solution. Probably the solution with Reece is the same solution we are using with Romeo [Lavia] and Wes [Fofana] in terms of using them just once a week, in one game, because probably in this moment, for different reasons, Reece’s body cannot play twice a week. One of the solutions is probably to try and manage him in the same way we are doing with Wes and Romeo.”

The right-back’s return may not be the only change within the Blues’ backline either. According to Fabrizio Romano, Maresca is set to hand Tosin Adarabioyo just his second Premier League start for Chelsea, having impressed in a 3-0 defeat of West Ham United in his first and only league start at the end of September.

Dubbed a “leader” by Maresca, Adarabioyo may yet spearhead what could be a stunning Chelsea victory against Liverpool at Anfield of all places.

"Leader" Adarabioyo has battled for his Chelsea place

In arguably the biggest squad in the Premier League, players have certainly got to earn their place at Stamford Bridge, and Adarabioyo has slowly but surely done exactly that. Having initially failed to make a league appearance for the Blues after three games, the former Fulham defender pulled on the Chelsea shirt for the first time on that front against Bournemouth and his only top-flight start came against West Ham.

Such is the depth of Maresca’s squad, meanwhile, when a player gets a chance they better take it. Adarabiyo, on a personal note, must grab hold of his reported starting place with both hands to survive one of the toughest tests in the Premier League up against the likes of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

Aston Villa suffered defeat to Crystal Palace in midweek, being knocked out of the League Cup in the process.

For Unai Emery, it could be a blessing in disguise, especially with more Premier League and Champions League ties to come between now and Christmas.

Nevertheless, he will still be disappointed that they have missed a chance to end their major trophy drought, especially with Manchester City also being knocked out of the competition.

Emery will be looking ahead to the tie against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as a chance to secure a firm grip on the fourth spot in the league table. There may be a few changes made, as some players failed to perform well against the Eagles.

Emiliano Buendia should be dropped for Villa

The Argentinian midfielder was making just his second start for the club since returning from a cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out for the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign.

Deployed in the number ten role by the Spaniard, Buendia was given a rare chance to shine against Palace, but he failed to really showcase his abilities.

Emiliano Buendia’s stats vs Crystal Palace

Goals

0

Total shots

1

Ground duels (won)

13 (2)

Possession lost

11

Key passes

1

Touches

39

Via Sofascore

He did make one key pass and had a shot on target, yet the former Norwich City gem could only succeed with one of his three dribble attempts, lost possession 11 times, and won just two of his 13 ground duels during his 78 minutes on the field.

Of course, it will take time for him to get back to full match fitness, but this was a disappointing showing in a game where he could have laid down a marker for Emery.

Against Spurs, the manager will likely switch things up and this could see Morgan Rogers come back into the starting XI.

Morgan Rogers will be unleashed by Emery

The youngster has been in fine form for Villa this term. In the top flight, he has scored twice, grabbed two assists, created four big chances, and averaged 1.3 key passes per game.

These statistics show that the Englishman has cemented his place as the main attacking midfielder in Emery’s tactical system this term, given his ability to make things happen in the final third.

Former striker Tony Cascarino lavished praise on the player in September, saying: “He reminds me a little bit of Jamal Musiala. He’s that guy that picks up the ball and he’ll just make runs and he’ll create problems for others.

“He’s got a lot about him. Comparing him to Musiala, well that type of player, that’s a really big praise because Musiala’s a real talent. But I do see something in Morgan Rogers where he’s got that ability.”

High praise indeed and if Villa aim to secure yet another win, Rogers must start against Spurs on Sunday afternoon.

He is hitting his best form at exactly the right time and there is no doubt Rogers has a bright future in the game ahead if he maintains his current level of performance. That’s a certainty.

Therefore, Emery must ruthlessly ditch Buendia from the starting XI, after his struggles last time out, and bring the England U21 international back into the starting XI, as the Argentine whiz failed to take his chance to impress in the cup.

Half-centuries from Jake Carder and Alex Carey ensured South Australia survived

Alex Malcolm18-Oct-2021

Jimmy Peirson produced his second century of the season and Mark Steketee claimed a career-best 10-wicket haul but Queensland fell four wickets short of a stunning come-from-behind victory at Adelaide Oval as South Australia held on in an enthralling draw.Jake Carder and Alex Carey produced fighting half-centuries, with Carey finishing 66 not out to hold off a desperate Bulls’ attack late on the final day.Queensland made a bold declaration after Peirson dashed to his second century of the season and his third in the past 12 months. He has made three centuries and four half-centuries in his last 12 Sheffield Shield innings, and averaged 59.63, to add his name to the list of wicketkeeper-batter candidates to replace Tim Paine in the Test side whenever the Australia captain retires.Peirson and Usman Khawaja continued their fine partnership sharing a 195-run stand. Both men played with aggression on the final morning to set up the declaration. Khawaja fell for 174 to a fine catch at midwicket while Peirson raced to 132 before holing out at deep midwicket with the lead at 323. Khawaja immediately declared giving South Australia two-and-a-half sessions and more than 80 overs to chase the target.The hosts lost Henry Hunt early with Carder and Nathan McSweeney put under extreme pressure as Steketee and Jack Wildermuth gave away just 10 runs in the first 10 overs. But the pair found their groove and put together an 88-run stand to give South Australia a platform with plenty of time remaining.However, McSweeney was incorrectly adjudged lbw off an inside edge on 32, giving Steketee his ninth wicket of the match. Carder pushed on, taking a liking to Queensland’s two spinners. He moved to 79 before making a mistake, spooning a return catch to Matt Kuhnemann.That brought Travis Head and Alex Carey together with 194 to win and more than 50 overs remaining. But Steketee snuffed out nearly all of South Australia’s hopes when he removed Head for the second time in the match to secure his first career 10-wicket haul. Head was caught at midwicket chipping a length ball off his pads.Carey kept the runs flowing but when Harry Neilsen holed at deep square for 13, South Australia shut up shop. Nathan McAndrew faced 30 balls before scoring and chewed up 66 in total to get to the second new ball. Queensland were frustrated by the pair and the umpires making several frivolous appeals an over, with Marnus Labuschagne particularly exasperated that none of the appeals off his bowling were upheld.Wildermuth knocked over McAndrew with a peach in his first over with the second new ball, but Carey and Daniel Worrall held out as shadows lengthened across the ground in 89th over of the innings.

Vital half-century is followed by a tour de force in the field as Somerset are outmuscled

David Hopps18-Sep-2021

Kent 167 for 7 (Cox 58*, Smeed 43, van der Merwe 3-19) beat Somerset 142 for 9 (Smeed 43, Denly 3-31) by 25 runsKent ended a 12-year drought without a trophy with a decisive 25-run victory against Somerset in the final of the Vitality Blast. And no matter how often it might be repeated that they deserved their success because of an all-round squad effort the whole summer long, attention will forever cling to Jordan Cox, who followed up a match-winning innings with a catch that never was and, minutes later, played the starring role in a catch that was so dreamlike it surely never happened.For Cox, only 20 but much more proven than many of the young players who graced Finals Day, it was a spellbinding day. He sprung to Kent’s rescue with a nervelessly-judged, unbeaten 58 from 28 balls (38 coming off his last 11 balls in the final three overs) and then played a central role in two notable “catches” – the first overruled by the combined might of the officials, the second which did not see his name appear in the scorebook.Blast Finals Day has a different feel to much of the T20 cricket played globally. Only rarely does it satisfy the yearning for big scores and an avalanche of sixes. It is September and squares on all major grounds are fatigued. But a slow pitch held up much better than might have been anticipated and another celebratory capacity crowd at Edgbaston insisted that, whatever uncertainty surrounds the future of county cricket, this tournament has a place in English cricket’s hearts.The final might have swung on an extraordinary moment when Somerset were 71 for 3 off 10.2. Smeed, who had played with impressive sagacity for 43 from 32 balls, appeared to have holed out for 37 at deep square leg, slog-sweeping Joe Denly’s legspin. The only problem was that as Cox nonchalantly took the catch, his team-mate, Daniel Bell-Drummond, came sliding in a split second later. Bell-Drummond was touching Cox and Bell-Drummond was touching the boundary marker. Thanks, skip. It was a daisy chain to disaster. After urgent deliberations between the three umpires and the match referee, Smeed was awarded six. It was a dubious ruling.Make them pay, the rest of Somerset’s party would have silently urged Smeed. But three balls later Smeed holed out against Denly, as he clothed a low full toss for Cox once more to trot in and swallow the top-edge. The impassioned fielder allowed himself a few words of retribution, but his most spectacular intervention was still to come. Another swipe to leg from Lewis Gregory off the ageless Darren Stevens, and Cox this time leapt balletically over the midwicket boundary to hang in the air, Cristiano Ronaldo style, and pat back a controlled catch to Matt Milnes. Somerset never looked likely again.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

All day, wickets had fallen in the Powerplay and Somerset were no different. Tom Banton, whose game would probably benefit from a winter of reflection, was stumped second ball for nought as Denly found turn for the first time. Lewis Goldsworthy fell to a leading edge. By the end of the 12th over, Somerset were 89 for 5, with Tom Lammonby deeply unfortunate to be adjudged lbw to a big turner from Denly that was sailing past leg stump. Why is the review process not implanted into the final stages of the Blast? Why has it not been implanted for years?Denly, who had not bowled a full T20 allocation this season, finished with 3 for 31, an excellent accomplice for his fellow legspinner, Afghanistan’s Qais Ahmad, who removed Tom Abell and Roelof van der Merwe at low cost. Opportunities abound in T20 cricket for budding legspinners, but it is still largely upstart young batters who are coming through. And Somerset’s have temporarily hit a wall.Kent’s 167 for 7 had looked about par. They stated solidly with the bat. Bell-Drummond was struck on the hand first ball, by Craig Overton, more disconcerting than anything he had experienced during his blissful match-winning 82 in the semi-final win against Sussex, but he and Zak Crawley looked a classy opening pair.Then Roelof van der Merwe intervened. Somerset’s fielding was ragged in their own semi-final win against Hampshire and whether they spent the intervening hours sleeping, watching TV or playing video games, they knew they had to raise their game. For Gregory, a captain playing when not fully fit, a back affliction preventing him from bowling, it would be tougher than most.Smeed started the recovery, clinging to a fast catch at short midwicket to silence Bell-Drummond. But the tour de force came when Denly decided to hit his first ball over long-off for six, quite a gambit even in this era. Abell pelted back from mid-off to hold a stunning catch near the boundary, completed by a full-length dive and recognisable jaw jut of satisfaction. Gregory had wisely moved himself from that position moments earlier.Remarkably, according to those remarkable minds who research such things, it was Denly’s fourth golden duck this year, adding to unproductive days for Brisbane Heat, Lahore Qalandars and London Spirit. He is not thought to have tried to bash all of them out of the ground.Abell’s jaw had hardly returned to its normal position when van der Merwe took his third wicket in his first nine balls, as Sam Billings slapped him to extra cover. Van der Merwe, a dyed-in-the-wool competitor, finished with 3 for 19, whereupon a hard-headed rebuilding policy from Jack Leaning and Cox left ambition until the last few overs.Leaning, who gave two difficult opportunities to Ben Green, a return catch, and the wicketkeeper Banton, a partially obscured, knee-high stumping that he did not get near, did not see it through, but just as Somerset imagined themselves favourites, Cox began to send legside blows into the night sky, Somerset’s seamers vanquished, as Kent set a total to be reckoned with.