Leeds went into the fixture having not scored in any of their past four league games. They had not netted with any of their past 64 shots.

But five minutes was all it took for Switzerland winger Okafor to net the opener with a smart first-time finish – their first league goal in 51 days.

He then doubled their lead in the 29th minute when his effort took a deflection off Leny Yoro on its way past Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

“To every player, every staff member that is with us, it’s a big compliment because we were fighting to the end and we deserved the three points,” Okafor told Sky Sports after helping end his club’s six-game winless league run.

Leeds will hope the victory will be the wind in their sails as they look to add to their points tally when hosting bottom side Wolves on Saturday, 18 April (15:00 BST).

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, their top scorer with 10 goals, said as much after the game.

“It’s important we don’t read too much into the external noise and continue to focus on what’s in front of us,” he told Sky Sports.

“It’s easy to come here and make history, but it doesn’t matter come the end of the season when the points tallies are in. That’s all we’re focused on.

“One game after another – making sure that we stay in the Premier League.”

His manager Farke echoed Calvert-Lewin’s sentiments.

“We have to stay humble,” he said. “We are not perfect. We are not the finished, end product. We are on a good path, on the way to achieving something really positive this season.”

After the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on 26 April, they will face fellow relegation candidates Burnley, Tottenham and West Ham in their final four games of the season.

Married At First Sight expert Paul C Brunson has had to say goodbye to another friend who died weeks after the passed of his MAFS co-star, Mel Schilling

A Married At First Sight expert was dealt fresh heartbreak just weeks after the death of his MAFS co-star. Paul C Brunson was already dealing with the emotions of Mel Schilling’s death when it was revealed his mentor has also died.

Paul’s friend and mentor, Natural Langdon, died after suffering from cancer. Natural had been diagnosed with male breast cancer shortly after finishing studying for a PHD in the UK.

Paul paid a special tribute to his pal on social media following the sad news. He wrote: “Rest in peace, Dr Natural Langdon, aka International Nat. You lived a life unlike anyone I’ve ever known, fully on your own terms.

“You saw the world not just with your eyes, but with depth and curiosity. You were the first to put me onto meditation and always reminded me never to take anything for granted.”

And he concluded by saying: “An incredible filmmaker, an extraordinary mind, and above all, a true friend. You’ll be deeply missed, my brother.”

Natural had won a number of awards for his short film ‘Nikita’. He also provided production to musicians from around the world. His sad passing followed the death of Paul’s colleague, Mel.

Mel died after a battle with cancer last month. She was aged just 54 when she died. Her death came days after she had sadly revealed that her cancer had spread to her brain, and her light was ‘dimming’.

The psychologist-turned-dating expert’s world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023, as she and her family lived in London. At the time, she confirmed she had a ‘tumour the size of a lemon’ that had been successfully removed.

She was given the all-clear but in an emotional Instagram post in February 2024 she said it had spread to her lungs. Over Christmas last year, the TV star found out devastatingly that it had spread to her brain.

Mel’s husband Gareth shared news of her death on social media. The dad of Mel’s 10-year-old daughter, Madison, said: “Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love.

“In her final moments, when I thought cancer had taken away her ability to speak, she ushered me closer and whispered a message for Maddie and me that will sustain me for the rest of my life.

“It took all of her remaining strength, and that gesture summed up our wee Melsie perfectly. Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me.

“This is a woman who became a new mum and a TV star at 42 — and nailed both. This is a woman who, through two years of chemotherapy, when she could barely lift her head from the pillow, never complained and never stopped showing courage, grace, compassion and empathy, and never missed a day of filming.

“To most of you, she was Mel Schilling — matriarch of MAFS and queen of reality TV. To Maddie and me, she was our wee Melsie: an incredible mum, role model, and soulmate. On behalf of our family and her incredible friendship group, thank you for the support from around the world.”

Monday night’s MAFS reunion episode shared an emotional tribute to the expert. Showing a montage of memories on-screen, devastated viewers took to social media to share their emotions.

One wrote, “I’m in tears, what a beautiful tribute. You will be so missed, Mel!’ wrote one fan. Another emotional viewer penned, “It’s been so surreal and sad watching the past few weeks knowing that Mel sadly passed.”.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

The gilet has a cinched waist to create a “flattering silhouette”

While the weather should improve as we get further into spring and summer, it can still be quite unpredictable. It is good to have a few versatile pieces in your wardrobe to throw on when the weather takes a turn.

Tesco’s clothing brand, F&F, has just released the F&F Cinched Waist Utility Gilet in Neutral that would be ideal for those colder spring days. The sleeveless jacket has a “cinched waist” to help create a “flattering silhouette”.

The jacket has a “utility-inspired edge” with “a high neckline and concealed zip up fastening”. The gilet is currently being sold for £35 with Clubcard holders being able to get an extra 25% off the piece.

The jacket was posted to the Tesco F&F Instagram page, which currently has 890K followers. The post was captioned: “This sleeveless jacket is your new wardrobe hero—think bold structure, oversized pockets, and endless styling potential. Who else is obsessed? Jacket, £35. Trousers, £25. #FandFClothing #StyleItOut.”

Fans of the clothing brand have already started to share their opinions on the chic item on social media. One commenter said: “Loveeeee,” and another said: “Smashed it.”

If you want to get your hands on the gilet, you can go to the Tesco website to browse all of its items. You can also go in person to a Tesco store with a clothing department.

If this jacket is not quite what you are looking for, you could check out what Boden has. There is this Short Sleeve Linen Blazer, which could be a good option for summer, or this V-neck Linen Waistcoat that reviews say “looks so stylish on”.

New Look also has plenty of options for the spring in stock. There is this Green Cotton Floral Longline Shacket, which you can also get in cream, or this stylish Light Blue Cropped Blazer that you can get in a range of spring colours.

NEW YORK (AP) — A $500,000 payday awaits the No. 1 WNBA pick as the Dallas Wings go on the clock again.

Whoever Dallas chooses at No. 1 will see a huge salary bump her first year thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last month. That’s nearly seven-times what last season’s No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers made. The No. 2 and No. 3 picks will get $466,913 and $436,016, respectively.

Second- and third-round picks will make $270,000 — which is more than the previous maximum salary in the old CBA.

The Wings could take guard Azzi Fudd from UConn, Spanish forward Awa Fam Thiam or UCLA center Lauren Betts on Monday night to complement a talented roster led by Bueckers.

Bueckers and Fudd were teammates at UConn and helped the Huskies win the national championship in 2025. Fam Thiem, who is 19, is a talented Spanish player currently playing in her country’s domestic league.

Betts is one of six UCLA players in the draft. The 6-foot-7 center helped the Bruins win their first national championship eight days ago. UCLA has a chance to break UConn’s record of having four players drafted in the first round, a mark the Huskies set in 2002. They also could top Tennessee (2008), Notre Dame (2019) and South Carolina (2023), which all had five players drafted in total.

Minnesota picks second with Seattle, Washington and Chicago rounding out the top five. Expansion teams Toronto and Portland pick next. The Tempo chose to have the higher pick in the college draft after winning a coin toss, giving the Fire the top choice in the expansion draft earlier this month.

Golden State is next with Washington owning the ninth and 11th picks. Indiana chooses between them. Connecticut, Atlanta, Seattle and the Sun close out the first round.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Last orders were called at The Blacksmith Arms in Skelton just north of York on Sunday (yesterday).

The closure follows the recent closures of the Cottage Inn at Haxby, plus that of the Blacksmith Arms in Huntington due to the retirement of the latter’s landlord.

Over the weekend, customers told the York Press that the Skelton venue was running out of beer and wine when they visited on Friday night, with them told the pub was about to close again.

Today, the Press rung the pub on Shipton Road and a recording said: “Voicemail disabled for this extension.”

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Samuel Smith’s Blacksmiths Arms in Skelton finally reopens

The Blacksmith Arms, situated by the A19, a few miles north of York’s Outer Ring Road,  re-opened last August to the delight of villagers after it shut in 2020 following a major revamp.

The previous year, City of York Council had awarded the pub Asset of Community Value status to give it some protection against redevelopment for other uses. The move was backed by Skelton Parish Council, who applied to the city council to award the status.

Parish council chair Cllr Julie Watson confirmed the closure took place on Sunday, leaving villagers with the option of going to Hickory’s, Mercure York Fairfield Manor Hotel, or the York FootGolf course, if they want a drink in the village.

Cllr Watson told the Press: “The management couple Wayne and Holly were lovely. The pub is an asset to the community. Let’s hope Sam Smith’s Brewery can find someone very soon.”

Sam Smith’s Brewery still has many vacancies (Image: NQ)

Google awarded the Blacksmith Arms 4.3 stars out of five stars, based on 53 reviews.

Recent reviews included: “Lovely small pub with chatty friendly manager.”

Another said: “What a lovely welcoming pub, log fire, nice friendly customers, and Wayne and Hollie that run the pub are so friendly, nothing is too much trouble, love the fact no mobiles are allowed to be used, people actually talk to one another, we went in as customers and left as friends, keep up the good work. Looking forward to our next visit.”

The closure adds to a large tally of empty pubs, owned by Tadcaster-based Sam Smith’s Brewery.

Over Christmas, the Press reported the company, which operates more than 200 pubs nationally, had 121 management couple vacancies listed on the Gumtree website.

The Angel and White Horse at Tadcaster (Image: Danny Law)

The salary was advertised at £55,180 for a management couple (£27,590) each.

In addition, the couple would receive a rent-free management flat and have their utility bills paid for by the brewery.

At present, Sam Smith’s Brewery does not appear to be advertising roles on Gumtree, but its own website says it has vacancies.

They include The Angel and White Horse at Tadcaster, The Jolly Sailors at Whitby, New Inn at Stamford Bridge, Agar Arms at Warthill, Crown Inn at Bolton Percy, Shoulder of Mutton at Appleton Roebuck and the Wellington Inn at York.

The website added that it did not list all the vacant pubs and if applicants had a specific pub not listed that they were keen on, to still apply online.

Kerry Katona was rushed to hospital in an ambulance over fears she was having a stroke while watching her eldest daughter Molly in a new play in London

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What should have been an enjoyable family outing descended into a nightmare for Kerry Katona after she was taken by ambulance to hospital amid concerns she was suffering a stroke.

The former Atomic Kitten star, who had travelled to London to watch her eldest daughter Molly perform in a new play, began feeling ill halfway through the show. Following the performance, she noticed she couldn’t smile normally – a key warning sign of stroke.

Kerry, accompanied by her daughter Heidi and partner Ryan Mahoney at the time, reveals: “As the day went on, I didn’t feel well. I went to the toilet and noticed my face wasn’t right. And Heidi was like, ‘Mum, what’s wrong with your face?’ I started panicking. I discreetly left, went to my hotel and asked to see a doctor. I told the staff, ‘Something’s not right.’”

With no doctor available for four hours, the mother-of-five hailed a taxi to St Thomas’ Hospital. “I got there, and they said, ‘We’re treating this as a stroke,’ so they blue-lit me in an ambulance from St Thomas’ to King’s College Hospital,” Kerry explains. “They were shining lights in my eyes while my face and speech were getting worse.

“An hour ago I was watching our Molly in a play and now I’m being treated for a stroke. What the actual f**k? It just shows how quickly things can change.” The gravity of the situation led Kerry, 45, to message all five of her children – Molly, 24, Lilly, 23, Heidi, 19, Max, 18, and 12 year old Dylan-Jorge – worried it might be her last chance to communicate with them.

“It really, really scared me,” she recalls. “I texted all my children and told them I loved them. I’ve never been so scared in my life.” Upon arrival at hospital, Kerry underwent numerous tests, including CT scans, before doctors identified what was behind the alterations to her speech and facial movements, reports the Mirror.

“It was a suspected stroke, but luckily that was ruled out after my scans. Instead the CT scans showed there’s a part of my brain that’s broken and isn’t able to send signals to my face due to stress,” she explains. “I’ve spoken to Anna Williamson from Celebs Go Dating about it since, and apparently it can also happen when you’re feeling content. It’s like delayed stress hitting you suddenly because you feel at peace. Every now and then, I’ll get a shooting pain in my head. And I’m noticing my speech – even though I think I’m saying something properly in my head, it doesn’t sound right out loud.”

While Kerry cannot identify precisely which stressor may have triggered the condition, she acknowledges feeling exhausted. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m run down from balancing family life, but I don’t have a social life. I don’t go out drinking. I don’t socialise with anybody outside of my circle, which is Paolo and my kids,” she reveals.

Armed with this knowledge, Kerry has been revisiting old home videos, attempting to spot when the changes began. Reviewing the footage, she notes she can detect her speech deteriorating gradually over time. “The doctors said it will come back. But I want to have speech therapy and get the right exercises for my face,” she says. “I’m getting a bit panicky with it.”

For Kerry, the frightening episode must have brought back painful memories of her late husband George Kay, who was admitted to hospital in 2015 while displaying similar stroke-like symptoms. The former rugby league player experienced facial paralysis and speech difficulties, mirroring Kerry’s current condition. Kerry had pleaded with her followers to pray for him at the time. It was subsequently revealed that George, who sadly passed away from a drug overdose in 2019, had been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, a condition causing sudden temporary weakness or paralysis of facial muscles on one side.

Attempting to distract herself from her medical concerns, Kerry travelled to Spain to mark Dylan-Jorge’s 12th birthday and soak up some sunshine with Paolo and their combined family. However, she acknowledges the trip’s timing isn’t particularly convenient.

“I genuinely feel like s**t,” she says. “Because we had to fly out to Marbella, I haven’t had any follow-up checks. But I’ll do it as soon as I get back to try to get my speech and face sorted.”

Currently, Kerry’s face remains tight on one side, though she remains optimistic that exercises and speech therapy will help restore everything to normal. This recent complication adds to a series of health challenges Kerry has encountered over the past 12 months. In 2025, she endured the devastating loss of two pregnancies with Paolo. Then in January this year, she was admitted to hospital experiencing acute abdominal pain and received a diagnosis of colitis – a long-term condition causing inflammation of the rectum and colon. She was forced to avoid her cherished spicy dishes to aid her recovery.

However, this most recent challenge could prove to be Kerry’s most difficult health struggle to date.

Both sides emerge from the tunnel and we are just moments away from kick-off at Old Trafford. Here is a reminder of how the sides line up this evening:

Manchester United: Lammens, Mazraoui, Martinez, Fernandes, Cunha, Yoro, Amad, Casemiro, Shaw, Ugarte, Sesko.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Dalot, Mount, Zirkzee, Malacia, Mbeumo, Heaven, Fletcher, Lacey.

Leeds United: Darlow, Bogle, Gudmundsson, Ampadu, Struijk, Calvert-Lewin, Aaronson, Bijol, Okafor, Tanaka, Justin.
Substitutes: Perri, Longstaff, Piroe, Nmecha, Bornauw, Byram, Gnonto, Buonanotte, Gruev.

Shortly after the blockade came into force, President Trump said on Truth Social: “Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated – 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, ‘fast attack ships,’ because we did not consider them much of a threat.

He spoke to Cultured. North East’s Sam Wonfor.

“Let’s put half a dozen gigs on and see what the response is like…”

Jimmy Nail is recounting the pitch from veteran promoter Tony Denton, suggesting the 72-year-old singer and actor take his back catalogue of music and memories on tour.

“He was too polite to say, ‘to see if anybody still remembers you!’”

Jimmy Nail returns to touring after 25 years away with Stories and Songs, a show built on music and memory as he reflects on a career spanning decades (Image: SUPPLIED)

Cracking on for 50 dates later – including an unprecedented fifth performance just announced in The Glasshouse’s Sage One – it was Jimmy who put the brakes on.

“I had to say ‘look, I don’t want to do more than 50 – I’m a pensioner! Where would it stop.

“But I mean, going from six to 50…. It’s incredible, really.. and they’re still trying to sneak them in.”

The proposal came during a recent sell-out run at Live Theatre in Newcastle, where Jimmy revisited songs from his 1990s TV series, Crocodile Shoes, with a full band.

Jimmy Nail (Image: SUPPLIED)

“I’d been chatting to Jack (McNamara, Live’s artistic director) about doing something and I said I could maybe do a few gigs to blow the cobwebs off.”

As it turned out, they couldn’t put extra dates on fast enough, resulting in 19 nights – including a run of 13 consecutive performances.

“I was on my knees at the end of that – sounded like a frog, but it went really well.”

But while the new tour was prompted by a look back at Crocodile Shoes, the resulting show, Stories and Songs, will cast the net much wider.

Jimmy Nail returns to touring after 25 years away with Stories and Songs (Image: SUPPLIED)

Kicking off on July 4 in Basingstoke, it’s Jimmy’s first national tour in 25 years.

“That sounds like I don’t like touring,” he smiles.

“And that’s not the case.

“I love it – but I tend to only go out if there’s a good reason to.

“When I started thinking about it, I thought I’m at a point in my life where I can still put on a decent show.

“I can still sing, I can still recall stories and I’ve got a career which goes back over seven decades, so I’ve got plenty to talk about.”

More than plenty if his last touring mash-up of music and memoir is anything to go by.

“I got so carried away with telling the stories that I had to instruct my drummer, Geoff Dugmore, to give me a double bass-drum kick when I was talking too much!”

This time around, it’ll be longtime collaborator Tony Davis who keeps things on track.

Despite his enthusiasm for sharing stories, Jimmy doesn’t court attention.

For someone whose stellar career has taken him from the North East music scene of the 1970s to chart-topping success, television icon status via his portrayal of Oz in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and international film and theatre work including a pivotal role opposite Madonna’s Eva Peron in Alan Parker’s Golden Globe-winning Evita – he remains instinctively wary of the spotlight.

“I didn’t want to become famous – I didn’t want everybody in the country to recognise me.

“But once it happened, that genie, once it’s out the bottle, you can never get it back in.

“And I struggled with it.

“I still struggle with it.”

And yet, he’s heading back out in front of audiences across the country.

“I’ve always been happier on a stage than I am on a pavement,” he says simply, “but I have tried to lean into it a bit more.

“When we did the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet 40th anniversary concerts at Newcastle City Hall a few years ago, it was impossible not to be affected and moved by how much people really love that show.

“So instead of pushing against it, I’ve been trying to go with it… although I’ll never get used to selfies.”

In the North East alone, demand has been extraordinary, with multiple dates added across the region.

“It’s gratifying and it’s humbling… You never really know what’s going to happen.

“You never know if people are gonna think you’re still worth the price of a ticket.”

That uncertainty is something he learned a long time ago.

Travelling with George Harrison on the way to the Royal Albert Hall and what would become the former Beatle’s final full concert performance in 1992, Jimmy was surprised to hear him admit to nerves.

“I said to him, ‘George, you were a Beatle…’ but what he was saying was, ‘don’t ever take the public’s support for granted, because you don’t ever know if somebody’s going to put their hand in their pocket come out on a wet Tuesday’.”

Moments like that are just scratching the surface.

There are stories of how a chance meeting turned into what Jimmy still calls an “unfathomable” friendship with George, and the time Steven Spielberg offered him career advice backstage on Broadway – the kind of encounters you wouldn’t dare make up, but which have all played their part in the paths he’s taken.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the setlist, there is plenty to choose from too.

“I did sit down and make a list… and there were about 50 songs on there, so that’s no good.

“I’ll have to get it down to 20 or so.”

Alongside material from across his seven studio albums, he’s also looking back to the songs which first shaped him… starting with a still vivid memory from primary school, and a baritone-voiced teacher.

“He introduced us to the music of Owen Brannigan and he would sing to us – traditional folk songs.

“I can still see him at the front of the class singing.”

For all the global success, the through-line of Jimmy Nail’s story begins, and continues, in the North East.

He’s been back living in Newcastle for the past decade, something he clearly treasures.

And while acting has brought him fame, it’s music that remains closest to his heart.

“You know, you get in the shower and you sing in the shower, you’re happy… You don’t ever hear of anybody acting in the shower… one’s a craft and the other’s a feeling,” he says.

“How could you ever not want to do that?”

Jimmy Nail’s Stories and Songs 2026 tour will be playing the following North East dates: July 8 – Princess Alexandra Auditorium, Yarm, July 9 – Middlesbrough Town Hall; July 10 and 21 – The Witham, Barnard Castle and August 1 – Alnwick Playhouse.

The tour will also play at The Glasshouse Gateshead, from October 11-13 (including a matinee on Oct 11) and November 3.

Sam Wonfor is the editor of Cultured. North East, a website and newsletter spreading the word about North East culture.

The Manchester City star kept a close eye on Man United’s home defeat to Leeds United, prompting a reaction from him at full‑time

Erling Haaland responded to Manchester United’s defeat to Leeds United with a two‑word message on social media. Noah Okafor scored both goals for the visitors, while Lisandro Martinez was also sent off.

Casemiro pulled one back, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome, with United suffering just their second defeat under Michael Carrick. After the match, Manchester City striker Haaland posted on Snapchat, sharing a picture of Okafor at full‑time alongside the caption: “Get in.”

The striker, who was born in Leeds, appears to be celebrating the win of the club his father Alf‑Inge once played for. The Whites earned their first league win at Old Trafford since 1981.

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Okafor seemed to get a little carried away as he celebrated, swearing into the TV camera. As the camera focused on him, the Switzerland international shouted: “Let’s go! For f****’s sake, come on!”

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

There will be more to follow. We’ll bring you the very latest updates on this breaking news story.

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