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With their sights set on further upgrades, Manchester United have now reportedly leapfrogged Liverpool in the race to sign a Premier League rival who’s worth £70m.

Man Utd's 2026 transfer plans

Victory over Sunderland at least bought Ruben Amorim more time, but there’s no denying that the pressure is still on. Such results should be a formality at a club of Man United’s stature and, simply put, they have been anything but since the former Sporting Club boss arrived. That said, INEOS’ transfer plans suggest that they’re still ready to back their manager.

The impact of their spending has already been on show this season, too. Senne Lammens made his full debut against Sunderland and instantly silenced the noise that has been surrounding United’s No.1 role for a number of years. Meanwhile, Benjamin Sesko has now discovered his golden touch – scoring twice in his last two games.

Those at Old Trafford will be the first to admit that there’s still plenty of work to be done, especially when 2026 arrives. The investment into Amorim’s squad must continue and may yet even feature another shot-stopper.

Aiming to overhaul the position completely with Lammens and one other star, the Red Devils have reportedly shown interest in signing Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Barcelona when he returns from his current spell on the sidelines.

The experienced goalkeeper would come with hefty wages, which should act as a warning sign after previous mistakes, but may add invaluable experience to Amorim’s dressing room.

He’s not the only option in that department, though. United have also been linked with Emiliano Martinez again. The Aston Villa goalkeeper came close to joining the club in the summer, before they chose Lammens instead. Now, after competition for the summer arrival, United could reportedly go back in for the World Cup winner.

Signing proven Premier League players seems like a route that INEOS could look to go down after Cunha and Mbeumo, with Martinez already linked and an attacking star now also on Man United’s radar.

Man Utd jump ahead of Liverpool in Semenyo race

As reported by Caught Offside, Man United now hold stronger interest in Antoine Semenyo than Liverpool and INEOS have identified the Bournemouth winger as a player who is “well worth” paying for.

Related The new Yorke & Cole: Man Utd's "superb double-act" could save Amorim's job

Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke famously scored 53 goals as Manchester United won the treble in 1998/99, but has Rúben Amorim found a new “electric” duo?

Posts ByBen Gray Oct 7, 2025

The impressive forward has enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign – scoring six goals and assisting another three in seven Premier League games. It’s the type of form that so often leads to a big move, but Bournemouth are unlikely to sell for a bargain price. Reports have even gone as far as to suggest that the Cherries value their star man at £70m.

Naturally, Semenyo’s current form has also earned him some fairly high praise from those around the Premier League. And that includes from Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool ace Jamie Redknapp.

The pundit said after the Bournemouth winger scored in a recent comeback win over Fulham: “It was a hard night to play football but it didn’t matter to Semenyo. He just glides across that surface. An incredible, unique talent. So fantastic to see.”

Juventus have confirmed the appointment of Luciano Spalletti following Igor Tudor's dismissal earlier this week. Tudor succeeded Thiago Motta in Turin in March and was handed a three-year contract after guiding Juventus to the Champions League. Juventus currently sit seventh in Serie A following their midweek 3-1 win over Udinese, though they are just three points behind rivals Inter in third.

AFPTudor out and Spalletti in at Juventus

Tudor oversaw a disappointing eight-game winless run in all competitions in the final weeks of his time in charge of Juventus. In addition, the Old Lady were mired on a four-goal goalless streak as the Serie A powerhouse struggled in the opening weeks of the season.

Massimo Brambilla was placed in interim charge following Tudor's exit and the reserve team boss coached Juventus to a 3-1 win over Udinese in midweek as goals from Dusan Vlahovic, Federico Gatti and Kenan Yildiz saw the Italian giants end their winless spell in style.

Juventus will look to make it back-to-back wins when they make the trip to Cremonese at the weekend, and will do so with Spalletti in charge after the Italian return to management. The 66-year-old had been out of work since leaving his role as Italy head coach in June.

Advertisement'Welcome to Juventus and good luck, coach'

"Luciano Spalletti is the new head coach of Juventus, signing an agreement with the Club until June 30, 2026," a statement read on the club's official website.

"We are delighted to welcome a coach with such expertise and experience to the Bianconeri family: welcome to Juventus and good luck, coach!"

The role is Spalletti's first in club football since he left Napoli in 2023 having replaced Gennaro Gattuso in 2021. Spalletti guided the Naples powerhouse to a first Scudetto since 1990 in his second, and final, season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona helm.

In addition, the experienced Italian has also coach Inter, Roma – twice – Udinese, and in Russia, where he was head coach of Zenit St Petersburg between 2009 and 2014.

Getty Images SportMajor clause in Spalletti contract – revealed

While Spalletti has put pen to paper on a deal with the Old Lady until the end of the season, there is reportedly a major clause in his contract. Said clause stipulates that his contract will be automatically renewed should Juventus qualify for the Champions League.

Juventus are currently three points off third-placed Inter and six behind league leaders and former side Napoli, who are currently managed by Antonio Conte. Spalletti's first game in charge will come at the Giovanni Zini, where Juventus take on Cremonese.

Davide Nicola's side claimed just their third league win of the season in midweek as a Federico Bonazzoli brace saw ease to a 2-0 win at Genoa. The result leaves Cremonese just one point and one place behind Saturday's opponents Juventus.

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Spalletti has tough start to life in Turin

Spalletti makes his home bow against Sporting in the Champions League next week and faces a real baptism of fire as Juventus welcome rivals Torino to the Juventus Stadium for the Turin Derby in the final round of games before the international break. Juventus then travel to rivals Fiorentina after the domestic hiatus as Spalletti looks to rescue the Old Lady's stuttering season.

Spalletti returns to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in early December as the former Italy boss gears up to take on former employers Napoli, while his first Derby d'Italia in the Juventus dugout takes place in mid-February.

It remains to be seen whether Spalletti will continue with the three-man backline that Juventus have favoured this season. It was his go-to setup for the Azzurri during his brief stint as Italy boss and one that the Turin giants have used in all but one of nine league matches.

Juventus have also used the setup in all three Champions League matches this season. Spalletti's side have made a sub-par start to the competition having fought back valiantly to rescue a point in an entertaining 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund last month. However, Juventus followed that up with another stalemate as they conceded a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Villarreal and then lost 1-0 to Real Madrid.

They have a fairly navigable run of European games between now and January as they face Sporting, Bodoe/Glimt, Pafos, Benfica and Monaco in the coming months.

استغل نجم فريق ريال مدريد، فينيسيوس جونيور، فرصة مباراة الكلاسيكو في بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، مساء يوم الأحد، من أجل السخرية من لاعب برشلونة لامين يامال.

وحل برشلونة ضيفًا على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” في الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26، حيث فاز ريال مدريد بهدفين لهدف.

وتوترت الأجواء في المباراة أكثر من مرة، خاصة مع تدخل تقنية الفيديو أكثر من مرة، حيث تم إلغاء ضربة جزاء لـ ريال مدريد وهدف كيليان مبابي، قبل احتساب ركلة والتي أهدرها الفرنسي.

ولكن ما حدث في الثواني الأخيرة من عمر المباراة كان مختلفًا تمامًا، حيث طُرد لاعب برشلونة، بيدري، بعدما تحصل على البطاقة الصفراء الثانية، ليشتعل الموقف فجأة بين لاعبي الفريقين على خط التماس.

وانتقلت المشادة بين برشلونة وريال مدريد على أرض الملعب، بمجرد إطلاق صافرة النهاية، وكان السواد الأعظم من تلك المشاجرة متجهة ناحية لامين يامال بسبب تصريحاته الهجومية على الملكي، حيث قال عنهم قبل يومين (يسرقون ويشتكون).

البداية كانت عند داني كارفاخال الذي وبخ لامين يامال بقسوة على ما تفوه به في حق ريال مدريد (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا)، ولكن فينيسيوس جونيور أراد أن ينخرط في الأمر كذلك.

وحسبما ذكرت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، فإن فينيسيوس جونيور كرر ما فعله كارفاخال تجاه لامين يامال بعد نهاية المباراة، حيث قال له: “أنت تتحدث كثيرًا، تتحدث كثيرًا”.

وأوضحت أن الأمر بينهما لم يقتصر على ذلك، بل شوهد فينيسيوس وهو يستفز لامين بعد دقائق من بداية الشوط الثاني، حيث قال له: “تتحدث دائمًا في الخارج”، وكررها مرتين، قبل أن يضيف: “تحدث هنا تحدث هنا”.

وواصل فينيسيوس استفزازه للاعب برشلونة، حيث قال له ساخرًا: “اليوم تمرر الكرة للخلف فقط”.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has left his £116 million summer signing Florian Wirtz on the bench for Saturday's crunch Premier League clash with Chelsea. The new arrival has made a slow start to life at Anfield following his move from Bayer Leverkusen, which has brought plenty of criticism, and he has now been taken out of the starting XI by his manager.

Liverpool team named for Chelsea match

Slot has named his team to face the Blues and there's no place for Wirtz. The Reds boss has instead named Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominic Szoboszlai in his team, along with attackers Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak for the game at Stamford Bridge.

AdvertisementIMAGO / XinhuaWirtz benched after criticism for a slow start at Liverpool

Big things were expected of Wirtz after Liverpool invested heavily to bring him to Anfield, but he is yet to produce a single goal or assist in nine appearances in all competitions for his new employers. His lack of end-product has brought plenty of scrutiny and criticism on the new arrival. Former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher feels the Reds have lost intensity since Wirtz arrived.

"It sounds odd to say it, but Wirtz was signed to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold – a No 10 to provide the passing range and creativity of a unique full-back. He is yet to add what Liverpool are missing without Alexander-Arnold, while at the same time the team has lost the intensity which made them so difficult to play against. It means Slot has a dilemma as he tries to defend the title going through a transitional phase that might take longer than many thought. He must decide whether to regroup and temporarily revert to the strategy of last season, accommodating Wirtz in a different role or leaving him out entirely until he is up to speed with English football," he told .

"Or he might persist with his vision believing more short-term pain might be necessary until it clicks. The latter would be dangerous because even with all the credit in the bank from his title win, there is immense pressure to keep winning, especially when you have spent a combined £230m on two players who are supposed to be ready-made to take a championship-winning side to the next level. Slot excelled by moulding Klopp’s signings into a better team. Now he has to repeat the trick with his own recruits."

Slot says Liverpool needed Wirtz

Slot has defended his new signing and told reporters Liverpool needed a player with his profile. He said: "We were very happy winning the league. But we didn’t shut our eyes for the second part of the season to how many times we needed a set piece [to win]. That is not something bad because Arsenal and Chelsea are needing a set piece almost every single game at the moment. We’ve brought in a very different midfielder than we had last season [Florian Wirtz], which we think we needed because there was a big, big difference between the amount of goals we found from open play in the first part of last season and the second part of last season.”

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Chelsea team to face Liverpool

Enzo Maresca has also raised a few eyebrows with his selection. Teenager Josh Acheampong is named in the starting XI, while academy defender Landon Emenalo is on the bench.

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has described the relentless pressure that Manchester United players under Sir Alex Ferguson would put on match officials. He explained how they would consistently challenge decisions in order to influence future calls. Clattenburg reveals that he started saying to the United players to 'tell Ferguson to f*ck off' and that he knew what was happening.

Clattenburg speaks out on Man Utd tactics

Clattenburg refereed in England’s top flight between 2004 and 2017, and was widely regarded as one of the top officials of his generation. However, he has claimed that during his early days in the Premier League, Ferguson’s United would try to get into his head.

AdvertisementAFPWhat Clattenburg said about Ferguson's 'mind games'

Speaking on the podcast with Adebayo Akinfenwa, Clattenburg said: "Sir Alex would send one of his players in, not to influence that decision because he knew referees weren't going to change their mind, but it was the next one, and it was the next one. So you would make a decision and then you would have Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane, then they would send somebody else and it would be one after the other after every decision. Chipping away, chipping away, it was mind games.

"It never shaped [decisions] because I always wanted to get the next one right, I used to pride myself on getting everything right, but unfortunately you can’t and that’s human fact. There’s nobody perfect in football… but what it did was I would go away and analyse myself and I would go: ‘How can I manage that better? How can I manage them without becoming arrogant or pissing them off?’

"So the way I started to handle it in the future, when they would come in one by one, I would just say: ‘Go and tell your gaffer to f*ck off', and tell them what's happening… Man Utd were the ones because there weren’t many doing it at that point.

"I remember Rio Ferdinand once, I said to Rio, ‘tell him to f*cking behave himself’, and he says, ‘I'm not telling him. I'm not telling him’!"

Ferguson let his mask slip on one occasion

When asked if Ferguson was ever intimidating, Clattenburg replied: "Sir Alex never really did much, it was just his presence. He would never be there, he would never come in with the team sheets. He never tried to do anything in the team exchange, which some coaches tried to do, they would intimidate you, and he was never there afterwards.

"But I remember before my first big fight with him, and I lost, I was refereeing Bolton, and he believed Kevin Davies was kicking Patrice Evra up in the air too much in the first half. When you’re at Bolton, it’s a battle, as referees you know it’s a battle, and refereeing Bolton vs Man Utd is not an easy game. You know it’s going to be physical and Man United players didn’t want it physical. He didn’t believe I was protecting Patrice Evra, and at half-time he volleyed me. And I mean really volleyed me. And I went, ‘I’m not f*cking having that’. I said to the policewoman in the tunnel, ‘you can tell him he’s not coming back out’, and she said ‘I’m not f*cking telling him, you can tell him!’. Everybody was frightened of him."

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Man Utd's dark arts failed to work

Clattenburg's account provides insight into the tactics used by Ferguson's United away from the actual football, highlighting the intense pressure referees faced when officiating the Red Devils in that time. In the case of Clattenburg, who went on to referee Champions League and European Championship finals, he has insisted he didn't let these ploys distract him from the task on hand on any given matchday.

Regarding Weston McKennie's role within the national team setup as well as for Juventus, former USMNT defender Alexi Lalas said that the veteran midfielder presents uniques challenges from a coaching perspective which have consistently clouded his club future. He noted that those challenges come despite the fact McKennie rarely misses time.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  McKennie offers value for USMNT

  McKennie's availability enhances his value to both Juventus and the USMNT, Lalas contends. 

  “Look, we know that Weston McKennie is not a perfect player,” Lalas said on his State of Union podcast. “We know that. I'm sure from a coaching perspective, Weston McKennie can be challenging, shall we say. But he's a gamer and he plays multiple positions and has consistently shown that he is valuable because of the fact that he is going to be there again, rarely hurt. So I'm going to knock on wood that that continues to happen."

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• Emphasizes McKennie's versatility

  Lalas said that McKennie's versatility makes him particularly interesting as a tactical option, saying he "can play multiple positions. And so that value that is associated with him. You know, for example, I was a centerback growing up. I played different positions, but there's not a chance that I was ever going to be called upon to move and play a fundamentally different position.

  “We've seen Weston all over the place outside back, outside wing, on the on the wing. We've seen him in the middle. So I guess this is an ode to Weston McKennie and maybe not a warning, but a lesson for those that can play multiple positions or have the ability in the modern day, to identify some different ways of going about doing things."

  Lalas said he has an appreciation for players who can perform effectively across multiple positions.

  “I think there is nothing more valuable," he said. "And again, he has shown, despite the change of coaches and despite the change of time and despite the change of circumstances in his team, that whoever comes in recognizes he's healthy, he can do a job. I can play him at multiple positions. And even when the press says this or the fans say that, he proves his worth.”

• A situation in flux

  Despite being made available for transfer during the summer window, the 26-year-old has forced his way back into consideration at the Italian giants. However, McKennie hasn’t been picked by Mauricio Pochettino for the USMNT for the last two camps, which has raised a few questions among fans and critics alike.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Road ahead for Juventus

  Following their 4-4 draw against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, Juventus return to league action against Verona on Sept. 19.

CWI will review the tournament regulations, with a double-forfeiture being an unprecedented occurrence

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2024In an extraordinary conclusion to the Super50 Cup one-day tournament in the West Indies, the finalists – Barbados Pride and Jamaica Scorpions – decided not to turn up for the toss and forfeit the final in Tarouba instead.This came after heavy spells of rain reduced the match to a 20-overs-a-side contest. As a result of the teams’ no-show, the trophy went unawarded.The game was scheduled to start at 1pm local time on Saturday but, as the tournament organisers explained in a statement, “scattered showers began at the ground around midday, forcing the first indefinite delay to the start of proceedings”.Elaborating on the sequence of events, the statement said: “Match referee Reon King, in conjunction with the umpiring team, informed both teams that the latest possible start time was 6.17pm, at which point the game would be played as a 20-overs-a-side contest. However, around 5.45pm, the officiating team determined that the game could proceed at the latest possible start time of 6.17pm. They informed the players of this and that the toss would be conducted at 6pm.”Despite assurances from the umpires and match referee that the conditions were safe for play, both captains failed to be present for the toss, allowing time to elapse past the latest starting point. As a result, both teams failed to take the field, effectively refusing to play. This resulted in a double forfeit, with no champion being declared.”Cricket West Indies will now review the tournament regulations, with a double-forfeiture being an unprecedented occurrence.Barbados got to the final having beaten defending Super50 champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force by 153 runs in the semis, while Jamaica Scorpions beat Leeward Islands Hurricanes by 107 runs to earn their ticket to the final.

After crashing out of the Club World Cup late on Monday night, Manchester City and their squad can finally look forward to some well-earned rest.

Earlier this week, Orlando witnessed the biggest shock of the Club World Cup as the Sky Blues were dumped out by Al-Hilal after extra time, defeated 4-3, with Bernardo Silva, Erling Braut Håland and Phil Foden all on target in vain in Florida.

So, 324 days after their season began in the FA Community Shield against Manchester United at Wembley, Pep Guardiola and his players can finally go on holiday, commencing the new Premier League campaign at Molineux against Wolves in just over six weeks’ time.

So now, as the Sky Blues seek to regain the Premier League and the Champions League in 2026, expect them to continue to be busy in the transfer market.

Manchester City targeting a new midfielder

Already this summer, the Citizens have signed Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders for a combined £112m, taking their tally of signings to nine in 2025 already, if you include Marcus Bettinelli, as the table below outlines.

Abdukodir Khusanov

Lens

£33.6m

Vitor Reis

Palmeiras

£29.6m

Omar Marmoush

Frankfurt

£59m

Juma Bah

Valladolid

£5.1m

Nico González

Porto

£50m

Rayan Aït-Nouri

Wolves

£31.8m

Rayan Cherki

Lyon

£34m

Marcus Bettinelli

Chelsea

Undisclosed

Tijjani Reijnders

AC Milan

£46.3m

Total spend

£289.4m

All three summer signings impressed during the Club World Cup, with Rayan Cherki bagging his first goal in sky blue during the 6-0 demolition of Al Ain at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but Guardiola is demanding more.

According to reports in Spain, Manchester City are considering a move for Barcelona midfielder Fermín López, claiming that Guardiola believes the Spanish international would ‘fit perfectly into his system’, hence why he has ‘expressed his desire to accelerate negotiations’.

They add that Barça could be tempted to sell Fermín, who is valued at around £43m, if it would allow them to sign and, more pertinently, register Nico Williams, who Pol Ballús of the Athletic believes wants to join the Catalan giants this summer, but this deal faces numerous financial stumbling blocks.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The 22-year-old signed a new contract at Barcelona in October, containing a €500m release clause (around £431m), but could Barça’s precarious finances force them to sell the la Masia graduate?

How Fermín López would improve Manchester City

Fermín was a regular figure for Hansi Flick’s domestic treble winners last season, making 46 appearances, albeit 27 of those were as a substitute, earning plenty of praise.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labelled his performances “amazing”, while Fintan O’Reilly of Total Football Analysis believes he is at his best ‘drifting into the half space’, noting that he is a ‘high-volume shooter’ who also ranks highly for ‘defensive actions’, showing that he is an all-action, all round midfield player.

Meantime, Declan Haywood of Breaking the Lines believes he ‘epitomises’ the modern-Barça tiki-taka style, noting how Fermín’s ‘versatility’ allows him to thrice in and out of possession, asserting that he is destined to go to the very top. In the words of former boss Xavi Hernandez, he is the “whole package”.

So, let’s assess how the Spaniard compares to Man City’s most recent midfield signing, Reijnders.

Appearances

46

54

Minutes

2,039

4,591

Goals

8

15

Assists

10

5

All statistics below are on a per-90 basis.

Shots

2.2

1.5

Chances created

2.1

1.4

Attempted passes

45

43

Pass completion %

86.15%

89.54%

Duels contested

13.3

6

Ball recoveries

4.8

3.6

Touches

67

56

In the table above, Fermín comes out on top for pretty much every metric included, excluding goals and pass completion, indicating why he could well be an even bigger talent than the Dutchman.

The Spaniard’s statistics are more impressive than Reijnders’ when it comes to shots, chances created and passing, as well as defensive metrics such as duels and ball recoveries.

This all supports the idea that Fermín is an outstanding all-round midfield talent so, if Man City can take advantage of Barcelona’s ongoing financial crisis and snap him up on the cheap, they absolutely should.

Man City: Pep wants to sign £162,000-a-week "best goalkeeper in the world"

Pep Guardiola has personally requested the signing of a goalkeeper, amid doubts over Ederson’s future.

ByDominic Lund Jul 3, 2025

تواجد رئيس النادي الأهلي، محمود الخطيب، في مقر القلعة الحمراء بالجزيرة، لحضور الجمعية العمومية المقامة اليوم الجمعة.

ويعقد النادي الأهلي، اجتماع جمعية عمومية، اليوم الجمعة، للمشاركة في التصويت على لائحة النظام الأساسي، ورسم خريطة المستقبل للنادي.

ونشرت الصفحة الرسمية للنادي الأهلي، على “فيس بوك”، “ظهور محمود الخطيب رفقة أعضاء الجمعية العمومية، داخل النادي الأهلي”.

طالع | الأهلي في مهمة صعبة أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا بـ الدوري لتصحيح المسار والعودة للانتصارات

وكان أعضاء النادي الأهلي بدأوا في التوافد للمشاركة في الجمعية العمومية بمقر النادي في الجزيرة، منذ التاسعة صباح اليوم والتي تستمر حتى السابعة مساءً.

ومن المقرر أن يكتمل نصاب الاجتماع قانونيًا، بحضور 5000 عضو على الأقل.

يذكر، أن محمود الخطيب كان قد أعلن في بيان رسمي، عن عدم استكمال مدته في رئاسة الأهلي وعدم الترشح لفترة جديدة في انتخابات الأهلي القادمة.

Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 76 and Lauren Bell’s five-wicket haul ensured England’s 3-0 sweep of the ODI series against New Zealand despite a vastly more spirited performance by the White Ferns.Amelia Kerr led the tourists with her half-century and England’s batting depth was called upon for the first time in the series as Hannah Rowe and Molly Penfold made early inroads in Bristol. The hosts had lost three wickets across the first two matches but today were 33 for 3 inside the powerplay, reduced to eight overs when rain delayed the start by 95 minutes and cut the match to 42 overs per side.Player of the series Maia Bouchier couldn’t push on from her unbeaten century in Worcester on Sunday but Sciver-Brunt, who had facilitated that milestone, produced a typically cool-headed innings to lead England out of danger and ultimately to victory. She and Amy Jones rescued England from 72 for 4 with a fifth-wicket stand worth 90 off 86 balls, Jones posting a run-a-ball fifty as the duo lifted their side 50 runs shy of the 212 target.Tammy Beaumont was put down by wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze off the first ball of the run-chase, a full delivery from Rowe, which swung away and caught the edge of Beaumont’s attempted drive. But then fortune swung New Zealand’s way just four balls later when Beaumont was given out lbw and declined to review with replays showing that the ball would have missed leg stump.When Heather Knight sent a leading edge straight back to the same bowler, England were 29 for 2 and Bouchier fell on the penultimate ball of the powerplay with an aborted pull shot off Penfold that ballooned to the keeper.Her dismissal brought Sophia Dunkley to the crease, back in the starting XI for the first time since a disappointing tour of New Zealand earlier this year as England shook up their team for this dead rubber. It was a nervy start for Dunkley, who faced six balls to get off the mark then overturned an lbw decision off Kerr’s fourth ball of the innings, a wrong’un which brushed her back leg high up as she lunged forward and was ultimately shown to be going over the stumps.Heather Knight lifts the series trophy after England’s 3-0 win over New Zealand•Getty Images

Two balls later, Dunkley managed to steer Kerr for four past short third and, settling into a rhythm, she then punched down the ground for another, more authoritative, boundary off Kerr’s next over when Sciver-Brunt also chimed in through midwicket. But Kerr curtailed Dunkley’s comeback via an inside edge as the batter shaped to cut and was caught behind for 15 off 24 balls.Sciver-Brunt brought up her 21st ODI fifty with a glorious drive down the ground for four off Rowe and Jones raised hers with a chipped single off Kerr towards point. Moments after Jones fell edging Brooke Halliday behind, Sciver-Brunt was dropped on 63 by Georgia Plimmer at cover. By that stage, England needed 49 from 69 balls and Sciver-Brunt and Alice Capsey eased their way home.Earlier, Bell’s five-wicket haul and Kerr’s fighting half-century gave a more even complexion to the contest than in the first two games, when New Zealand had struggled to string significant partnerships together and batters made starts without converting them to impactful innings.Kerr struck 59 and shared partnerships with Sophie Devine and Halliday worth 68 and 65 runs respectively to push the White Ferns to a good total, by far New Zealand’s best of the tour after they had been bowled out for 156 and 141 previously. But Bell’s 5 for 35 from nine overs kept the target manageable, especially in light of England’s current batting form, or so it seemed before the top-order collapse.In New Zealand’s innings, a sublime throw by Charlie Dean, firing the ball in from backward point, removed Plimmer and, though Kate Cross was expensive early, she made it 46 for 2 when Jones took an excellent catch off Suzie Bates.With Sophie Ecclestone rested for this match, Devine stepped up the rate against the home side’s other two spinners. She struck Sarah Glenn for two fours in three balls, through the covers to bring up the fifty stand with Kerr and to deep midwicket, then crunched Dean through the covers for another boundary in the next over.But Devine’s reaction said it all when Bell returned to the attack and struck with her second ball back, one that angled in from a full length as Devine shaped to cut and chopped onto her stumps, dropping her bat and throwing her head back in exasperation as a promising innings ended on 43.With Maddy Green having fallen to a marginal lbw decision to Cross while the DRS was unavailable, Kerr forged another partnership with Halliday, who made 51 in the series opener and 31 here.But Kerr and Halliday both fell within three balls of one Bell over, Kerr pinned lbw and Halliday caught behind down the leg side as the White Ferns went from 181 for 4 to 182 for 6. Bell and Sciver-Brunt then teamed up twice to remove Gaze and Lauren Down, Sciver-Brunt’s safe hands helping Bell to her maiden international five-for.Encouragingly for England, Sciver-Brunt sent down eight overs and, even though she went wicketless, it was her heaviest workload so far this series, having been restricted to spells of four and five overs in the previous two games as she manages her recovery from a knee problem.