Wednesday cannon fodder: budget opportunity celebration

Premier League/England

Tottenham 1-0 Brighton: Christian Eriksen gives Spurs vital home win - BBC Sport
Christian Eriksen’s stunning late winner ends Brighton’s resistance to boost Tottenham’s hopes of a top-four Premier League finish.

Shane Long: Southampton striker scores quickest goal in Premier League history - BBC Sport
Long recorded the fastest goal in Premier League history against Watford on Tuesday.

West Ham request to accommodate Women’s FA Cup final blocked by League | Football | The Guardian
West Ham fans will have to choose between the men’s final home game and women’s first FA Cup final.

Watford’s Ben Foster urges Sir Elton John to cancel concert for FA Cup final
The Watford goalkeeper says Sir Elton should cancel his concert in Copenhagen in order to attend the club’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.

Man City boss Guardiola responds to Mahrez exit reports - Football365
Pep Guardiola was defiant in dismissing reports City’s record signing could be on his way already.

Manchester United at Old Trafford are not scary any more, says Pep Guardiola | Football | The Guardian
Manchester City’s manager said he felt the balance of power had changed and confirmed Kevin De Bruyne will miss Wednesday’s derby.

How will Man City and Man United line up for critical derby?
Wolfsburg fans came up with a pretty clever way to protest late night matches on weeknights.

Europe

Referee abandons Irish match after assault claim in Wexford league - BBC Sport
Police are investigating after a referee was forced to abandon a match in the Republic of Ireland after allegedly being wrestled to the ground.

Barcelona beat Alaves 2-0 to close on La Liga title - BBC Sport
Barcelona are within touching distance of the La Liga title as goals from Carles Alena and Luis Suarez secure a comfortable victory at Alaves.

‘His career was incredible’ … Billy McNeill was a winner as player and manager | Football | The Guardian
Billy McNeill’s career was defined as part of the all-conquering 1967 Celtic side but he also won four titles as the club’s manager.

These Greek soccer fans had a celebration so wild it looked like the stadium was on fire - SBNation.com
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MLS/Americas

MLS considering “significantly altering the salary budgets” - The Blue Testament
MLS is looking into releasing the handbrake to a much greater extent than it ever has.

For club or country? Monterrey blocking Jonathan Gonzalez from a World Cup wasn’t the right decision - FMF State Of Mind
The 20-year-old made headlines last year by switching from representing the U.S. to his parents’ native Mexico internationally. But now, his club team is blocking his chance to play in a World Cup

Rest of the World

Robbie Fowler says coaching Brisbane Roar 'is a massive opportunity' | Football | The Guardian
The struggling Brisbane Roar will look to Fowler’s pulling power to rebuild after a tough season.