In the latest transfer news, Chelsea are reportedly confident of closing a deal to sign Raheem Sterling from Manchester City this summer. According to Di Marzio, the eventual transfer fee could be around £35m to secure the 27-year-old.

Sterling has consistently been named as a player of interest for Thomas Tuchel this summer as new co-owner Todd Boehly hopes to fund an important rebuild for the German's squad ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The England winger only has one year left on his deal at Manchester City and rumours of his exit have been persistent over the past few windows. Chelsea appear the most likely should Sterling opt to remain in England, with Real Madrid potentially offering an alternative route out of the Etihad.

Sterling has scored 10 plus goals in the Premier League across the past five seasons and his 2021/22 tally of 13 was more than any Chelsea player.

The forward has 131 goals for City in 339 appearances with 19 in 77 appearances for the national team, netting important goals at last summer's European Championships to help England reach the final.

What Sterling's arrival would do to the rest of Chelsea's current attackers is unknown with Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner all linked away.

Tuchel spoke at the back end of last season on the need for attacking improvement, looking at where the Blues had fallen short in a frustrating area. "If we stick to the group then we will try to solve it with these players. Is it necessary to bring more offensive players around the box to create more distractions, to create more space for each other?"

"There are a lot of options. The numbers we produce from our offensive players don't allow us to overperform and we need overperformance if we want to be nearer to the top two teams. I am not pointing fingers, I am not blaming anybody, but we need overperformance from everybody. It's not overperformance if we have only single figures in scoring and assisting."

For more Latest Transfer News, follow Sportz Point.

Carabao Cup, formerly known as the EFL Cup, is a 92-team knock-out tournament organised by the English Football League (EFL). Teams from Premier League, and three divisions of the English Football League compete in this tournament.

Although the prize value of the EFL Cup is not that significant compared to tournaments like FA Cup and other, EFL Cup has had it's reputation among football fans since 1961. Here are all the previous winners of the Carabao Cup since the beginning.

Who were the first-ever winners of the Carabao Cup?

Aston Villa were the first-ever champions of the Carabao Cup or the EFL Cup in 1961. They defeated Rotherham United by a 3-2 aggregate after a two-leged final after being down by 0-2 in the first leg. Alan O'Neill, Harry Burrows and Peter McParland were the scorers for Aston Villa.

For the first six seasons, the EFL Cup finals were played in two legs.

Who are the current winners of the Carabao Cup?

Newcastle United defeated defending champions Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium to win their maiden EFL Cup or Carabao Cup title. They defeated Liverpool by 2-1 to clinch their first-ever domestic title since 1955 FA Cup triumph.

Alexander Isak and Dan Burn scored the goals for them.

𝐂.𝐇.𝐀.𝐌.𝐏.𝐈.𝐎.𝐍.𝐒 🏆

Newcastle United lift a domestic title for the first time in 70 years!

They beat Liverpool FC to clinch the Carabao Cup 2024-25!

Congrats, Newcastle United!#NewcastleUnited #CarabaoCupFinal #CarabaoCup #LiverpoolFC pic.twitter.com/RUfDu2zNhj

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 16, 2025

Also Read: Most Goals in the Premier League for a single club

Which is the most successful team in Carabao Cup history?

Liverpool with 10 EFL trophies, are the most successful team in Carabao Cup history. They won the trophy in 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1994-95, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2011-12, 2021-22, and 2023-24 seasons.

Most successful teams in Carabao Cup/ EFL Cup history

Most Carabao Cup wins as a player

Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho are the most successful players with three Carabao Cup titles in 2014, 2016, 2018-2021 with Manchester City.

All the past winners of the Carabao Cup/ EFL Cup since 1961

Hello and welcome to another live coverage of Premier League football. This evening, we will bring you all the live updates, scores, news, and free commentary of the Manchester City vs Brighton Premier League 2024-25 fixture set to be played at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

Manchester City, the defending champions, are having a difficult season and are currently battling to secure a spot in continental competitions for next season. The Cityzens are now standing in the fifth position, having earned 47 points in 28 matches. On the other hand, Brighton are just one point behind City, positioned seventh as of now with 46 points in 28 games.

Although City is struggling, this encounter against Brighton will be crucial for both teams before heading onto the international break. So sit back and enjoy the game as we bring you all the real-time updates, team news, live scores, and match commentary tonight.

This is Soumit Bhattacharya, who will bring you all the updates of the match from the web desk.

Moreover, you can follow us on Twitter for all the updates. Join our Telegram and WhatsApp channels to get all the news and scores.

The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of club football, boasting the best talent from around the globe. Over the years, African players have made a significant impact on Europe's elite competition, with many of them showcasing their skills but also finding the back of the net consistently.

From legendary strikers to dynamic wingers, this article highlights the top 10 African players with the most goals in Champions League history, celebrating their remarkable achievements on the grandest stage of European football.

10 most successful African Players with most goals in the UEFA Champions League:

10. Sebastian Haller| 12 Goals | Ivory Coast:

While the Ivorian found the net just 10 times in 48 games for the Hammers, he experienced a career revival at Ajax, netting an impressive 32 times in 50 games. Sebastian Haller made his Champions League debut in the 2021-22 season, scoring in his first seven games in the competition, including four in his debut against Ruben Amorim’s Sporting. Haller scored just one more UEFA Champions League goal and was given just 10 minutes in the German side’s 2024 final defeat to Real Madrid.

9. Rabah Madjer | Algeria | 12 Goals:

Madjer is considered one of the best players in the history of Algerian football and shot to renown as a Porto player in the 1980s. He scored six goals on Porto’s first UEFA Champions League winning run, including the equalizer against Bayern Munich in the final at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. Madjer retired in 1992 and twice managed his home country, having played in their first ever World Cup in 1982.

8. Vincent Aboubakar | 14 Goals | Cameroon: 

Aboubakar made his UEFA Champions League debut in 2014 with Porto, scoring a goal in a 6-0 thrashing of BATE Borisov. He came back with a goal in the return fixture at home to Shakhtar and scored his first knockout goal against Basel but was an unused substitute in both quarter-final legs against Bayern Munich, including the 6-1 defeat that sent Porto out.

In the next two seasons, one spent at Porto and the other at Besiktas, Aboubakar netted six times but failed to get out of the group stage. He scored his final Champions League goals in 2017 with a brace against Monaco but was injured for the last 16 tie against Liverpool, a 5-0 defeat at the Estádio do Dragao.

7. Seydou Doumbia | 15 Goals | Ivory Coast:

Doumbia scored 15 UEFA Champions League goals in 31 games for three different clubs in his career. He moved to Basel in 2016, scoring just once in six games before ending his European run at Sporting in the 2017-18 season. He made his debut with CSKA Moscow, scoring five times in the 2011-12 season, but never hit that height again.

6. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Gabon | 17 Goals:

 Aubameyang primarily scored his goals with Dortmund, he managed just two for Chelsea, but Gabon’s all-time top scorer never made it past the UEFA Champions League quarter finals having twice exited at that stage in 2014 and 2017. Aubameyang is, however, the all-time top goal scorer in Europa League history, netting 34 times in 62 games.

5. Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | 20 Goals:

Riyad Mahrez kicked things off with two goals in Leicester’s opening group match against Brugge before finding the net two more times ahead of the knockouts. He played every minute of Leicester’s knockout run but could only manage a single assist in that time. 

In the 2020-21 season, Mahrez was a crucial player on Manchester City’s run, scoring in the quarters before three goals against PSG in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. However, he could not find the net as City lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final. By the time of the 2023 win, Mahrez had fallen down the City pecking order and stayed on the bench for the whole of the 1-0 win against Inter.

4. Sadio Mane | Senegal | 27 Goals:

The 2019 and 2022 African Player of the Year Mane was a talisman in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool rebuild. Joining in 2016, Mane along with Salah and Roberto Firmino combined to be a lethal front three with the Senegalese player scoring 10 goals in the 17-18 UEFA Champions League season, a figure only beaten by his team-mates and Cristiano Ronaldo. Moving to Bayern Munich in 2022, Mane struggled to replicate his Liverpool form but still scored three goals in the group stages before departing for Al-Nassr in 2023.

3. Samuel Eto'o | Cameroon | 30 Goals:

The four-time African player of the year winner, a figure only matched by Yaya Toure, scored most of his UEFA Champions League goals for Barcelona including six in their 2005-06 triumph and four in the 2008-09 win under Pep Guardiola. Moving to Inter in 2009, Eto’o became the fourth player in history to win back-to-back Champions Leagues at different clubs and played every game in the Jose Mourinho-masterminded run. Still considered by many to be the best African player of all-time, Samuel Eto’o was a deadly mix of pace and clinical finishing.

2. Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | 44 Goals:

With 10 goals in 10 finals, the Ivorian was the man for the big occasion, and he made his UEFA Champions League debut with Marseille in 2003, scoring five goals in six games. Getting his move to Chelsea the following season, Drogba hit the same number in the 2004-05 campaign but managed just one goal in seven appearances the next year. 

He scored twice in the 2008 semi-final to set up a clash against rivals Manchester United, but a John Terry slip in a rain-soaked Moscow denied Chelsea their first UEFA Champions League title. But that success would come in 2012 with Drogba playing a starring role in the final.

1. Mohamed Salah | Egypt | 50 Goals:

Considering he scored just three goals in his first 15 UEFA Champions League appearances, betting on Mohamed Salah to one day become the leading African goal-scorer would have seemed a waste of money back in 2016. Famously a second choice of Klopp – the German preferred Julian Brandt – Salah hit 10 goals in his first UEFA Champions League season at Anfield, propelling Liverpool to their first final since 2007 but an early injury caused by Sergio Ramos forced him to the sideline as Real Madrid won 3-1 in Kyiv.

With Arne Slot closing on winning the Premier League in his debut season as a manager, we present you the football facts of managers to win the Premier League in their debut season. If or when Liverpool win the Premier League 2024-25 title, Arne Slot will become only the fifth manager in Premier League history to achieve the feat. 

Here are the managers to win the Premier League title in their debut season in the league. Please note we have not included Claudio Ranieri's name for winning the title with Leicester City in 2015-16, because he had already managed Chelsea from 2000 to 2004. 

Managers to win Premier League in their debut season

Jose Mourinho | 2004-05

That is why he is the special one. Jose Mourinho came the Chelsea after winning the Champions League with Porto and created history right after that. In the 2004-05 season, Mourinho arrived at Chelsea with a champion mindset and started the season with a bang by beating Manchester United in his first game at the helm. 

With John Terry as the leader of the pack, young Peter Chech between the goals and players like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, Mourinho took Chelsea to Premier League success with the then-record highest point of a season (95). 

However, that team still holds the Premier League record for conceding the least goals in a season (15) and most clean sheets in a season (25).

Read Also | Top 10 highest scoring midfielders in the 21st century: Football facts

Carlo Ancelotti | 2009-10

One of the greatest football managers of the generation, Carlo Ancelotti arrived in the Premier League and was able to replicate what Mourinho had done in his debut season. 

While Mourinho had made them solid in defence, the team started to fall apart during his latter years. After a few failures by the next managers, Ancelotti took the responsibility to bring the silverware back to Stamford Bridge. 

Ancelotti unleashed a ruthless attacking mindset within the team which resulted in Chelsea creating the records for most goals scored in a Premier League season (103),  most goals scored at home in a season (68), and winning the league with the best goal difference in a season (71).

Didier Drogba scored 29 goals in the Premier League for them. Frank Lampard also showed his class with 22 league goals that season.

Read Also | Managers with the Most Wins in UCL History

Manuel Pellegrini | 2013-14

Pellegrini led Manchester City to their second-ever Premier League in his debut season as the head coach at Etihad Stadium. After the success of Roberto Mancini just two seasons ago, where we saw Sergio Aguero creating history for them, Pellegrini took City back to the top. 

Yaya Toure with 20 goals led them in front as they scored more than 100 goals in a season for the first time in their history. Eden Dzeko with 16 goals and Sergio Aguero with 17 also were the stars for the Blues.

They won the league two points clear of runners-up Liverpool, who had earned 84 points.

Antonio Conte | 2016-17

Roman Ibrahimbovic somehow was always right with appointing coaches at the right time. Antonio Conte joined Chelsea during the mid-season after Guus Hiddink handled the team as interim coach. 

Conte formed a fluid 3-4-2-1 system and with the team already out of the European title race, he had only one thing to focus on. In a season which he called "a Mourinho season”, Chelesea created history by winning 13 straight league games in a row, an equal record for any English top-flight team to enter this special list of football facts.

Conte went on to win the Premier League Manager of the Month Award for October, November and December months. No manager had won the award in three consecutive months before him. 

Chelsea with 93 points won the Premier League as Conte became the third Chelsea coach to win the league in his debut season. 

Egyptian talisman Mohamed Salah is having some season at Liverpool. After Liverpool triumphed in a 2-0 win over Manchester City, Salah touched 50+ goal contributions this season across all competitions.

Salah's goalscoring tally in the 2024-25 Premier League touched 25 goals and he also provided 17 assists in 28 appearances this season.

The Egyptian international is crushing records as Salah became the only active player on this list, along with legends like Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Sergio Aguero, and Thierry Henry. 

Here is the full breakdown of the 10 players with the most goal contributions in Premier League history.

List of the 10 Premier League Players with the most Goal Contributions

1. Alan Shearer-324 Goal Contributions (260 Goals + 64 Assists)

Alan Shearer’s record as the Premier League’s top scorer is well-established. Still, the former English international also stands top for total goal contributions with an estimable further 64 assists for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.

Erling Haaland certainly has the goalscoring potential, but there is every chance he departs Manchester City for European heavyweights during his peak years.

2. Wayne Rooney-311 Goal Contributions (208 Goals +103 Assists)

The Premier League has seen some of the greatest scorers and creators. At the summit stands Alan Shearer, whose 324 combined goals and assists set a standard that remains unmatched. Wayne Rooney follows with an impressive 311 contributions, splitting his talent between scoring and assisting a true all-around offensive force.

3. Frank Lampard-279 Goal Contributions (177 Goals + 102 Assists)

Frank Lampard is the only Premier League midfielder who could achieve, accumulating 279 contributions from the center of the park. The man with the most goals and the most assists in Chelsea’s history.

4. Ryan Giggs- 271 Goal Contributions (109 Goals + 162 Assists)

Only three players have registered 100+ goals and 100+ assists in the Premier League, Ryan Giggs holds the outright record for Premier League assists with 162. Over fifty more than anybody else.

The former winger’s Manchester United career period from 1990 until 2014, during which time he contributed to 271 Premier League goals.

5. Mohamed Salah-267 Goal Contributions (182 Goals + 82 Assists)*

Mohamed Salah’s remarkable rise demonstrates how today’s high-intensity football can elevate a skilled wide forward. He has surpassed four Premier League legends in Aguero, Henry, Kane, and Cole after craving an insane tally of 25 goals and 17 assists, so far in his amazing 2024-25 campaign so far.

6. Andrew Cole- 260 Goal Contributions (187 Goals + 73 Assists)

Andrew Cole, from an earlier era, matched Salah’s goal-scoring expertise but did so as a traditional number nine. Cole scored 187 Premier League goals, and he did not even score a goal with a penalty. A further 73 assists are not bad going, either.

7. Harry Kane- 259 Goal Contributions (213 Goals + 46 Assists)

Tottenham and England’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League, but Shearer's record looks safe after his 100 million euro transfer to Bayern Munich. Unfortunately, the number nine has failed to win any trophies with the North London side. 

Surprisingly enough, despite dropping deeper and becoming more of a playmaker in his latter Premier League days, Harry Kane registers the fewest assists of any player in the top 10 with 46. Fourteen of those assists came in Tottenham’s 2020-21 campaign.

8. Thierry Henry- 249 Goal Contributions (175 Goals + 74 Assists)

The Frenchman spent eight seasons in the Premier League. In 2002-03, Thierry Henry became the first player to register 20+ goals and assists (24 goals, 20 assists) in a Premier League campaign. Thierry Henry’s elegant style produced 175 goals and 74 assists.

9. Sergio Aguero- 231 Goal Contributions (184 Goals + 47 Assists)

Sergio Aguero established himself as one of the greatest Centre-forwards of the Premier League era. “We love him so much,” Pep Guardiola tearfully responded after Sergio Aguero played his final match for Manchester City back in 2021.

Aguero's consistency left an indelible mark on the league. The Argentine forward netted 184 goals, which is more than the Gunners' icon Thierry Henry.

10. Teddy Sheringham- 222 Goal Contributions (146 Goals + 76 Assists)

Teddy Sheringham still holds the record for the oldest player to appear in the Premier League, having framed for West Ham at the age of 40. Given his career as a Premier League devotee, it is no surprise to see his name on this list.

The forward had already been a pro for nearly a decade by the time England’s top flight was rebranded in 1992. But he was still racing at the highest level as late as 2007 and did not retire until 2008.