Local rugby league side Leigh Leopards made multiple kinds of history with a landmark win over Greater Manchester rivals Wigan Warriors on Thursday night – their first in over four decades.
Head coach Adrian Lam called on his team to live up to the standards and energy they’ve been showing in and out of training of late, and although it turned out to be an even more hard-fought victory than anyone expected, they managed it.
It was a Super League season opener that no one could have predicted and despite not being a high-scoring game (far from it, in fact), the fans watching inside the ground and on TV couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic atmosphere and eventual outcome.
For starters, they even got to see legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer get the 2025 Betfred Super League proceedings underway.
In case you haven’t seen the scoreline already, Leigh Leopards defeated Wigan Warriors for the first time since 1983 – a whole 13 years before the Super League era had even begun.
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Prior to this fixture, the reigning champions were on a five-game winning streak too, but they ultimately found themselves down to just a dozen players while the Leopards still boasted 13 as the clock ticked on.
As no one could find a breakthrough in the normal halves, the two teams went on to play out an extremely tense golden point decider, with only a handful of matches having unfolded this way in 2024.
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Step-up 33-year-old Warrington-born former Wolves player, Gareth O’Brien, whose single drop goal in the 82nd minute sealed the result.
Here’s the moment it happened and just look at the reaction around the Brick Community Stadium:
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Leigh fans, players and dugout alike were sent into absolute bedlam, with an ecstatic Lam embracing his coaching staff in the stands.
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Winning just 1-0 might not sound that exciting but you have to take into account the wider context.
On the one hand, although it was the lowest-scoring game ever since the modern era started back in 1993, it was also Leigh’s first win over the old adversaries for more than a generation.
And the milestones didn’t stop there.
Thursday night’s ‘Battle for the Borough’ was also the biggest attendance for the first game of the season in Super League history, with 21,748 turning up for Round One – the most since Wigan‘s opener against Warrington Wolves in 2007 (21,693).
Safe to say it doesn’t need explaining how much it meant to them.
Speaking on the “football score” after the game, Lam argued the end spectacle will do wonders for the sport’s exposure, adding: “This is just the beginning. [We need to] keep our feet grounded and keep working hard.”
Even last season’s quadruple-winning Coach of the Year, Adam Peet, had to hold his up and just applauded the scenes, telling Sky Sports: “An amazing game, all the credit goes to Leigh […] both sets of players were incredible […] what they’ve built in the last couple of years, they deserve it.”
Is this the start of a new era for Leigh? There’s certainly plenty for Greater Manchester rugby fans to be excited about and the competition looks set to be stronger than ever.
André Onana reportedly dropped after latest Manchester United errors
Danny Jones
Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana has reportedly been dropped for the Red Devils’ upcoming Premier League game following his latest errors in net.
Onana found himself at fault for the two goals conceded by Man United in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Lyon this week, making it a total of eight errors leading to goals in all competitions this season – the most of any Premier League goalkeeper.
What made the most recent mistakes even more unfortunate was a pre-game spat with former United midfielder Nemanja Matić, who not only dubbed him the “worst” keeper in their modern history but didn’t even need to come off the bench to get the last laugh, as the 29-year-old gifted Lyon a point.
Following the unforced errors which saw him concede the opener and a last-minute equaliser against the Ligue 1 side, Onana looks to have been dropped for this weekend’s game against Newcastle United.
🚨 Andre Onana left out of Man Utd squad for trip to Newcastle. 29yo Cameroon goalkeeper not in group that travelled north after tough period on/off pitch + among those rested/rotated. Altay Bayindir deputises; unclear who #MUFC start v Lyon @TheAthleticFChttps://t.co/YVXsFsXHYR
As per multiple outlets, the Cameroonian goalkeeper is supposedly being ‘rested’ for the match and has not travelled as part of the squad, with journalist Chris Wheeler reporting that manager Ruben Amorim wants him to “clear his head”.
Amorim was keen to offer some protection for his go-to shot-stopper, arguing that he has made “more mistakes” than Onana during his time at the club, reassuring that he remains “really confident” in his abilities in the post-match interviews immediately after the European disappointment on Thursday night.
Wheeler also went on to note that the former Ajax number one has been struggling with issues off the pitch also, as it was reported that his family recently suffered a violent robbery and have subsequently needed 24-hour security protection.
That being said, Onana’s omission from the matchday squad means that second keeper Altay Bayindir, who has made just six appearances for United (two of which were clean sheets), will make his Premier League debut against Newcastle.
It’ll be interesting to see whether he rises to the challenge, especially given the reverse fixture, which saw a 2-0 defeat against the North East side at Old Trafford late last year.
He put in quite the performance in the FA Cup against Arsenal.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe won’t be in the dugout for the face-off, which could give the Reds a slight advantage; alternatively, it could have an entirely adverse effect as the home side will no doubt look to show solidarity.
It’s also worth mentioning that United’s last goal at St James’ Park came back in December 2021, when Edinson Cavani was the scorer.
Do you think he deserves a run as the first-choice goalkeeper, or should it be a case of seeing how he fares against Newcastle before making a decision? Better yet, it is thought he is still in contention for the second leg against Lyon, but who would you go with?
A reminder that class is permanent as Kevin De Bruyne inspires remarkable Man City comeback
Danny Jones
If there was ever any doubt that Kevin De Bruyne isn’t just Manchester City’s best player but arguably the best in the Premier League full stop, then his inspiring display at the Etihad Stadium in their emphatic 5-2 comeback against Crystal Palace should have well and truly quashed those.
Man City received a rather large early shock after finding themselves two goals down after just 21 minutes on Saturday, and it looked to be a topsy-turvy day that would once again confirm they are human in what has been their least dominant season for some time.
However, the reminder that we ultimately got is that is aging, injury problems and legs not moving quite as quickly as they used to may get the better of some, but class is permanent and if Blues could pick any player slightly past his prime to get them out of a tight spot, it will be Kevin De Bruyne 11 times out 10.
The Belgian midfielder not only got he team and the crowd back in the fight with a wonderful free-kick to make it 2-1, but he also managed to grab an assist for the third goal by Mateo Kovačić, having well and truly gotten their creative juices flowing. Speaking after the game, he made the objectives clear:
A leader, armband or not. Here’s what he has to say after the game.
Leading by example and then some.
In truth, he could have had at least one more goal were it not for a strike rattling the post, as well as essentially helped carve out the equaliser from Omar Marmoush – now on six league goals for the season – and regardless of his recent fitness issues, his quality shone through as always.
The 33-year-old described himself as being relatively “pain-free” for the last year, and putting smaller issues with hamstrings and a hernia aside, he is already starting to reflect on what has been a remarkable 10 years both for the club and him personally here in Manchester.
He went on to add that winning the FA Cup would be the “perfect ending” to his time in Manchester, but who knows? Maybe they could always tie on a second FIFA Club World Cup if he’s still around by then.
As for Pep Guardiola, you only need to see the way he looked at his number 17 when he walked off the pitch to see how much he means to the side and the fans, going on to add in the post-match that not only did he obviously “change the momentum” and the game but he knows he can always “rely on him.”
In fact, Pep summed up the legacy he’s going to leave behind in just one word…
“His legacy will be eternal.” 💙
Pep Guardiola on the race for Champions League football and Kevin de Bruyne's announcement 🤝
De Bruyne confirmed he will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season after a decade that has established him as one of the very best players in the world, and it’s more than fair to say that City won’t be the same without him – we’re pretty sure neither will the league.
It doesn’t matter who you support, he won’t be playing forever, so enjoy watching it while it lasts.
You can watch the highlights from Man City’s magnificent Premier League comeback against Crystal Palace, led by the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne, in full down below:
Danny Jones -
14th February 2025 
