But Rooney hinted Arteta could be nicking his tactics – after exposing Arsenal for scoring an identical goal to his Derby side nearly four years ago.
Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast about the importance of set pieces, Plymouth boss Rooney said: “Set pieces are so important, the amount of matches won or lost by them is huge.
“One of the coaches does it then I come in with some weird ideas.
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“The Arsenal one they scored with, I did that four years ago against Middlesbrough and we scored from it.”
At the Etihad last month, a cluster of Arsenal players started beyond the back post and flooded the six-yard box, allowing the defender to storm in from the penalty spot and nod into the back of the net.
But the positioning of the players struck a familiar chord for Rooney.
Because when managing Derby, the Rams found the net in very similar fashion at home to Middlesbrough in a 2-1 win in February 2021.
Again, at an inswinging corner from the right, the attacking side positioned a host of players way out at the back edge of the area.
Roy Keane reveals he has ‘given up’ with Man Utd as he, Rooney and Neville lay into Ten Hag’s ‘disgusting’ flops
And as Martyn Waghorn gave the signal, the Derby men split and four of the five ran at different angles towards the goal, causing chaos for the Boro backline.
Defender Lee Buchanan made the first contact at the back post.
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Although unlike Gabriel, he teed the ball up across the goal as team-mate Lee Gregory headed in.
Arsenal have employed Nicolas Jover as their set-piece coach and are reaping the rewards of a dedicated member of staff for a crucial part of football – both offensively and defensively.
It did not work out so well at Wolves, though, who sacked their first set-piece coach Jack Wilson this week following the 5-3 defeat at Brentford.
Since his summer arrival from Manchester City, winless Wolves have conceded from dead-ball situations in five of their seven Premier League matches and scored from one as they sit rooted to the bottom of the table.
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Rooney also referenced another of his custom set pieces, where he got a player to stand on the four corners of the penalty area and three in the D and all charged towards the mixer.
And he suggested it nearly paid off with a goal last weekend when Plymouth beat Blackburn in dramatic fashion.
But then Morgan Whittacker grabbed a 97th-minute winner as the Pilgrims picked up their third victory of the season to sit 14th in the Championship table.
West Indies starred with the bat as they boosted their T20 World Cup semi-final hopes alive with a clinical win to all but eliminate Bangladesh.
Led by captain Hayley Matthews’ fluent 34 off 22 balls, West Indies easily chased down 104 with 7.1 overs to spare.
With the ball, Windies spinner Karishma Ramharack took 4-17 and sparked a Bangladesh collapse from 73-2 to 103-8.
Victory improved West Indies’ net run-rate and moved to top of Group B on four points, level with South Africa and England – with the latter having played one game fewer.
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West Indies will give themselves a strong chance of reaching the final four if they beat England in their last group match on Tuesday.
Bangladesh need to beat South Africa by a substantial margin in their final group game on Saturday and hope other results go their way.
The UFC flyweight division might figure out its next title challenger this Saturday.
Top contenders Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira clash in the main event of UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. At this moment, there’s no clear challenger for champion Alexandre Pantoja, thus opening up the doors for someone to make a statement and cement himself as the No. 1 contender in the division.
But how likely is that will be Royval or Taira? And who has the better shot?
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MMA Junkie’s Brian Garcia, Nolan King, Mike Bohn, and host “Gorgeous” George breakdown the flyweight main event and highlight some of the other matchups taking place on the card.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel at noon ET. You can also find each episode on your favorite podcast platforms – including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more – on Tuesday mornings.
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Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
As a teenager, Knight kept a clean sheet on his debut against Rotherham in Division Three in 1978 and he went on to represent the club in all four divisions. He was awarded an MBE following his retirement.
Knight’s final appearance for the club came on 3 January 2000, in a 2-1 Division One defeat at Norwich, making him the only Blues player to have played across four decades.
Team-mates have paid tribute to Baldock on social media.
Former Sheffield United player Samir Carruthers wrote on Instagram:, external “Brother, I don’t know what to say, I love you man. I miss you.
“You was my best mate for years and years and I was so lucky to live my football career with you and live with you. The world has lost an amazing human but I know you’re in heaven my friend. I will cherish every memory I made with you, you’ll always be in my heart.”
Oli McBurnie, who played with Baldock for five years at Sheffield United, said he felt sick at the news.
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“I genuinely can’t believe you have gone brother, I feel sick,” he wrote on Instagram., external
“One of the best people I’ve ever met, you were loved by everyone you came across. My heart is broken for your beautiful little family. Sleep well GB, I love you mate.”
Way before they became professional footballers, England and Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell got to know George Baldock as they grew up in Buckinghamshire.
Chilwell wrote on Instagram: “From hitting the bars together when we were younger in MK, to playing each other in the Premier League. I am heartbroken. Rest in peace mate.”
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And former Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom, now boss of Preston, also paid tribute.
“Numbing to hear of George Baldock’s passing, a man with so much still ahead of him in life as a husband, father, brother and son,” he wrote on X.
“George was super person and fantastic professional who was admired and adored by all who worked with him.
“My prayers are with his loved ones right now. George, it was a privilege to have known you.”
After Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) stopped Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC), the camera panned to Hill, who was seen yawning. Hill’s yawning reaction was understood by many as him thinking the fight was boring.
“It’s crazy how y’all see a clip with no context, no nothing, and y’all just be ready to talk sh*t and just attack and come disrespectful as ever,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “It’s hilarious.
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“I wasn’t mic’d up or anything like that, so I couldn’t explain the context of the yawn and things like that after the fight. I think I did hear a reporter told Alex, ‘Oh, Jamahal said the fight was boring.’ I never said the fight was boring.”
“Now, to the yawn, the yawn at the end was – was it entertaining? Yes,” Hill said. “Was I impressed? No. I’m not impressed. You know, I’m ready to go. Did I see anything in the cage that scares me or that I didn’t expect to see? No.
“So as far as reacting and everything, I don’t think I really need to do much of a reaction to this fight because, before, if you watch, or you watch my breakdowns, you can see I told you exactly how this fight was going to go.”
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Alex Pereira reacts to Jamahal Hill yawning at his #UFC307 title defense.
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