Burnley triumphed over their East Lancashire rivals Blackburn with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Ewood Park. In a tightly contested derby, the decisive moment came in the 60th minute when Zian Flemming’s diving header, Burnley’s first effort on target, found the back of the net. The goal ignited celebrations among the 3,926 traveling fans.

Manager Scott Parker leaned heavily on his team’s resolute defense to maintain the advantage, and they delivered, successfully thwarting Blackburn’s numerous set-piece opportunities. Despite persistent pressure, Blackburn could not break through a defense that has conceded just five goals on the road this season. Their best opportunity fell to Lewis Baker late in the game, but his glancing header missed the target.

The win marked Burnley’s fourth consecutive victory at Ewood Park, reinforcing their dominance at the venue where they clinched the league title during their last visit. With performances like this, Burnley remains well-positioned to challenge for top honors this season, extending their unbeaten run to 13 matches. Meanwhile, Blackburn’s struggles continue, as they remain winless in five games and outside the play-off spots.

The match was a cagey affair, with limited chances on both sides. Blackburn started aggressively, forcing a series of corners, but Burnley’s defense stood firm. Jaidon Anthony’s early effort was blocked, while Amario Cozier-Duberry’s lively play saw him cut inside and unleash a deflected shot that went narrowly wide in the first half. Makhtar Gueye had a chance to make an impact but sent a looping header wide just before halftime.

The second half mirrored the first until Burnley broke the deadlock. Anthony delivered a cross from the right, finding Bashir Humphreys on the opposite flank, who delivered a pinpoint ball for Flemming to head into the roof of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Blackburn responded with relentless pressure, creating a chaotic goalmouth scramble that was ultimately smothered by Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford. Sondre Tronstad came close with a deflected shot, but Burnley held their ground. At the other end, Anthony’s powerful strike was parried by Aynsley Pears, while Baker missed a golden chance with a misdirected header in the 77th minute.

Despite Blackburn’s late efforts, Burnley held firm to secure a vital victory, maintaining pressure on league leaders Leeds while leaving Blackburn to rue missed opportunities in their push for a play-off position.

Barcelona is set to take their case to the National Sports Council (CSD) of the Spanish Administrative Court regarding the registration issues of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor. The club hopes the court will overturn the decision by La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which rejected the registration of the two players.

Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shared the update on Saturday via his X account, confirming Barcelona’s plans to pursue legal action.

“Barcelona confirms they will go to CSD court for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor registration cases. More to follow next week,” Romano tweeted.
He added, “OFFICIAL: La Liga and Spanish Federation RFEF have jointly decided to REJECT Dani Olmo and Pau Victor’s registrations for Barcelona. Barcelona will go to court.”

La Liga has already removed Olmo and Victor from their list of registered players for Barcelona on its official website. Under current regulations, players cannot be registered twice for the same club in a single season.

Unless the court rules in Barcelona's favor, Olmo and Victor will be ineligible to play for the Catalan giants for the remainder of the season.

Sky Bet Championship side Watford have reportedly made a short-term loan offer for Nigerian international Kelechi Iheanacho. The Hornets are keen to bring in the forward for the remainder of the season as they bolster their squad for the campaign ahead.

Iheanacho joined Sevilla last summer but has struggled to make an impact at the Spanish club. The 28-year-old has yet to score in nine league appearances for the Rojiblancos, raising questions about his form and fitness. Reports suggest Sevilla is open to letting him leave this month.

During his time at Leicester City, Iheanacho was a consistent performer, scoring 61 goals and providing 34 assists in 232 appearances. Watford will hope he can rediscover that form if the deal goes through, potentially boosting their push for success in the Championship.

Enzo Maresca has admitted that losing defender Wesley Fofana for the remainder of the season would be a "huge loss" for Chelsea after scans confirmed a severe hamstring injury. Fofana, 24, has already been sidelined for over a month, and this latest setback will prolong his injury woes since joining Chelsea from Leicester for £70 million ($87 million) in 2022. In total, Fofana has made just 32 appearances for the club.

"Unfortunately, he could be out for the season," said Chelsea boss Maresca on Friday. "He has a hamstring injury, and sadly, we will be without him for a while. I’ve said many times that I love Wes, and not having him available is a huge loss for us."

Fofana's absence is further complicated by the ongoing injury of fellow French centre-back Benoit Badiashile, who is expected to be out until February. On a positive note, captain Reece James and midfielder Romeo Lavia are both nearing a return ahead of Chelsea’s upcoming trip to Crystal Palace.

Chelsea’s hopes of mounting a title challenge have taken a hit, following a disappointing run of just one point from a possible nine in recent games against Everton, Fulham, and Ipswich. Despite this, the Blues remain in the top four, keeping their Champions League qualification hopes alive for next season.

In his first season at Stamford Bridge, Maresca has always emphasized that his young squad was not yet ready to compete for the title. He remains optimistic about the team's progress, despite the setbacks.

“We don’t like to lose games and drop points, but it’s not going to derail our journey,” Maresca commented. “We all know that losses are part of the process. What matters is seeing how the team is improving.”