The Daily Mail

The Mail focuses on Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and his response to comments made by Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville that there is a rift with star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.

Guardiola made it clear there is no issue.

The picture on the back page is Ruud van Nistelrooy hugging Jamie Vardy after his "dream start" to life as Leicester boss.

Image source, Mail

The I

The iSport back page looks at Jamie Vardy's "debut to savour" for new Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The 37-year-old's early goal helped the Foxes to a 3-1 win over West Ham. The first of many under Van Nistelrooy?

Image source, iSport

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester captain Vardy pounced after just 98 seconds in Ruud van Nistelrooy's first game in charge, before Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka struck to seal victory.

Vardy has now scored the first Premier League goal under six Leicester City managers in the top flight.

It was also Vardy who broke Van Nistelrooy's record for scoring in consecutive Premier League games when he achieved 11 in a row for Leicester back in 2015.

Van Nistelrooy joked about it on Monday, and he said he told Vardy they had a "big issue" to get out of the way before they could start working together.

"We've had one full day together. You could see some stuff worked and some was rusty. We've got more time for the manager to get his things across," Vardy told Amazon Prime after Tuesday's win.

Gemma Fay
Former Scotland goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

It just didn’t happen [for Scotland]. The damage was done in the Friday night game [0-0 first leg] I think when we didn't take anything to Finland, to put that emphasis on them under pressure. They came out and scored in the first eight minutes and hit the crossbar in the first two.

Weirdly after that we started to dominate the game. Then we gave away an unavoidable goal which seems to happen to us more often than not.

Then we were chasing the game for love nor money, be it a penalty, be it hitting the post, be it getting the ball scooped off the line, at the last minute it just wouldn't go in.

There are lots of D words: dejected, despondent, devastated, all those words rolled into one.

European champions England are joined by Wales in qualifying for next summer's Euro 2025 tournament in Switzerland.

England had already booked their place by finishing runners-up in their qualification group.

The tournament draw takes place on 16 December in Lausanne, Switzerland, at 17:00 GMT and you will be able to watch and follow it live on the BBC.

Switzerland qualified automatically as hosts for the 16-team tournament, which will take place in eight venues between 2-27 July.

They are joined by 2023 World Cup winners Spain, eight-time winners Germany and France, who are all top seeds and have been placed in pot one.

England are in pot two, while 2017 European champions the Netherlands are in pot three.

Qualified: Belgium, Denmark, England (holders), Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (hosts), Wales.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Bramall Lane

Grace Clinton scored again as England ended the year with victory over Switzerland in a friendly international at Bramall Lane.

The 21-year-old's strike sealed a routine victory for Sarina Wiegman's side as they made light work of an injury-hit Swiss team who are preparing to host Euro 2025 next summer.

The Lionesses, who themselves are hoping to defend their European crown in Switzerland, have had an inconsistent 2024 campaign, but this was a pleasing performance.

With 10 changes to the starting XI following the draw with the United States, and senior debuts handed to Ruby Mace and Laura Blindkilde Brown, the Lionesses were keen to express themselves.

Manchester United midfielder Clinton took her opportunity to shine once again, netting a third goal on her fifth England appearance, pouncing on a rebound when Millie Turner's header bounced back off the post in the eighth minute.

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Scotland winger Claire Emslie tells BBC Sport Scotland about the pain of failing to make Euro 2025.

The 30-year-old said the side are "gutted" and it is "tough" to accept.

Amy Canavan
BBC Scotland at Bolt Arena, Helsinki

Scotland suffered play-off heartache again and failed to reach next summer’s Euro 2025 finals as they fell to defeat in a freezing Finland.

Pedro Martinez Losa’s side – who could only secure a 0-0 draw at Easter Road in the first leg - headed to Helsinki with the hope of qualifying for their first major tournament in six years, but started slow and were promptly punished.

Natalia Kuikka had the freedom of the Bolt Arena to line up a belting long-distance shot, before Nea Lehtola smacked her strike in off Sophie Howard’s face to deceive Eartha Cumings and send Finland on the way to the finals.

So often the story for Scotland, and particularly under Martinez Losa's stewardship.

The Spaniard has now failed at two attempts to reach a major tournament since his appointment in July 2023, but had his contract extended until 2027 last September.

West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui following the defeat by Leicester: "It's not easy, because we deserved much more. We had 31 shots, many, many chances and we didn't score.

"We have to do better and avoid this stat. We had to take more risks in the second half and a good team will take advantage of this. We have to be more effective as normally when you are able to create this number of chances you are going to score one.

"We are very frustrated for the fans and players because they didn't deserve to lose.

"But we [lost] and we have to recover. The energy and belief for the next challenge is knowing this is the way to be able to change the situation."

West Ham United

With just three wins from their last 12 top-flight games, West Ham fans vented their anger at manager Julen Lopetegui after Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at Leicester.

So what should the Hammers do? Stick with the former Wolves boss, who they appointed in May, before they face his old side on Monday?

Or is a change needed? Reports suggest ex-Chelsea boss Graham Potter, former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and Sergio Conceicao are on a three-man shortlist to replace Lopetegui.

Is there even an outside chance David Moyes could return for a third stint at the club?

We want to hear your views - get in touch via the methods above and please use your name on text messages.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

West Ham were aiming to move into a new era last summer when they replaced David Moyes and brought in Julen Lopetegui to work with technical director Tim Steidten.

The general feeling was Moyes' time had come to an end but some questioned whether Lopetegui was a radical departure from the Scot.

Results have been patchy at best but even during the last international break, the former Real Madrid and Spain boss was being backed by the Hammers' hierarchy - with the caveat he needed to start winning matches.

He did that at Newcastle on 25 November - but since then a home defeat by Arsenal, when at one point West Ham were 4-0 down, and losing at Leicester, conceding after just two minutes, has undone all that good work.

Now West Ham have some time to make a decision around Lopetegui's future before the home game with struggling Wolves on 9 December.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Ruud van Nistelrooy's first game in charge of Leicester City got off to the perfect start on Tuesday as Jamie Vardy's early opener helped the Foxes on their way to a 3-1 win over West Ham.

"In the end you look at the result and the three points, in the position that we are in, it's vital," Van Nistelrooy, 48, said.

"We know the level in the Premier League and we know every game we play that everything has to be right. We have to train and develop our defence, our counter attack, our possession.

"Lots of things to work on but very happy with the three points."

The win moves Leicester up to 15th in the Premier League, two points behind the Hammers.

Image source, Getty Images

Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson says Wales qualifying for a first women's major tournament will "change everything" for Welsh football.

"This team found a way. They never broke for each other, they stayed strong. I've never been prouder of a team,” she said.

"This is a special team. My staff are another level and this team, how they don't quit... they never do things the easy way.

"This team stands on the shoulder of giants who came before, and now they've proven how good they are.

"They're better than they think and they just have to see it and live it and experience it.

"Those boys and girls back home are seeing a generation of football that's going to change everything."

Image source, Getty Images

Wales’ most-capped player and record goalscorer Jess Fishlock says qualifying for a major tournament with her country is “the proudest moment of her life".

Goals by Hannah Cain and Carrie Jones mean that after years of near misses, Wales’ women have qualified for a first major tournament in their history thanks to a smash-and-grab 2-1 win in Dublin which secured a 3-2 aggregate victory.

The 37-year-old made her Wales debut as a 16-year old and has seen all the highs and lows on Wales’ journey to major tournament football.

She could only watch on as Wales finally got over the line, having left the field with a hamstring injury and in tears, midway through the second half at the Aviva Stadium.

"I can't put it into words. This is 20 years in the making. I wouldn't change a second of it,” Fishlock told Match of the Day Wales.

"The ups and downs are part of the process and the journey. It all led to this moment with this group of girls.

"This is by far the proudest moment of my life. My hamstrings are shot, but that doesn't matter right now."

Michael Pearlman
BBC Sport Wales at the Aviva Stadium

Wales made history by reaching a major women's tournament - Euro 2025 - for the first time as they stunned the Republic of Ireland in Dublin in front of a crowd of 25,832.

After a first half in which Ireland came closest to breaking the deadlock through Denise O’Sullivan’s stunning effort that smashed the upright, Wales took the lead after the break as Hannah Cain converted from the spot after Anna Patten’s handball.

An injury to Jess Fishlock looked like it could derail Wales’ dream, but substitute Carrie Jones scored their second within moments of her introduction after Ireland’s high defensive line was beaten by a brilliant pass by their tormentor-in-chief, Lily Woodham.

Patten’s late header gave Ireland the chance to set-up a grandstand finish and eight minutes of injury time ensured plenty of time for an equaliser.

The hosts pushed and pushed but, after years of misfortune, Wales enjoyed some luck and somehow managed to preserve their advantage.

Rhian Wilkinson’s side can now look forward to taking their place in next summer’s European Championships in Switzerland after securing by far the most significant victory in their history.

Wales captain Angharad James, usually not one for any level of hyperbole, said before the match that this was the biggest game of the Wales players’ lives and with the pressure on, they rode their luck to stun the hosts and secure a win that will live in the all-time annuls of Welsh sporting history.

Only one place to start as Wales made history by reaching a major women's tournament for the first time.

Their victory in Dublin over the Republic of Ireland secured a spot at Euro 2025.

We will also bring you reaction from Tuesday's Premier League games after Jamie Vardy helped hand Ruud van Nistelrooy the perfect start as new Leicester boss to pile the pressure on West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui.

Meanwhile, Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a stunning winner as Crystal Palace earned their first Premier League away win of the season by beating Ipswich Town.

There are six more Premier League games to come later, so stay tuned for matchday build-up, and we will bring you all the top lines from four news conferences.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images