Saturday, 21 March 2026
LIVERPOOL'S PREMIER LEAGUE CLASH WITH BRIGHTON DELAYED AS STATEMENT RELEASED
Liverpool and Brighton will kick off their Premier League clash 15 minutes later than scheduled due to a traffic accident near the Amex Stadium
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| Brighton host Liverpool in the Premier League's early kick-off (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images) |
Liverpool's Premier League clash with Brighton has seen kick off delayed by 15 minutes due to a road traffic accident near the Amex Stadium.
The incident has occurred on the A27, with Brighton confirming the delay on their social media accounts. In a post, the Premier League said: "Kick-off for today’s Premier League match between Brighton and Liverpool has been delayed by 15 minutes to 12:45pm.
"This is due to heavy traffic in the local area delaying the arrival of supporters." While speaking on TNT Sports, Lynsey Hipgrave added: "We do have a lot of empty seats still at the moment.
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| Arne Slot made two changes to his Liverpool line-up (Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) |
"There is going to be a delay to kick-off here while they try and get as many fans as possible into the stadium. There has been an accident on the A27 heading toward the AMEX today, so long tailbacks outside.
"They are going to hold the match back a little bit just to try and get as many of the supporters in as they can."
Arne Slot was forced to sideline Mohamed Salah, with Cody Gakpo named in the starting side. Florian Wirtz was also named in the starting side, and he opened up about his season to TNT Sports ahead of kick-off.
Wirtz said: "Everyone in the world knows that the Premier League is the most intense and physically it was maybe a bit more than I was thinking but there’s always difficult things on the pitch where you have to adapt.
"Maybe you have also a bit more responsibility for more people who are supporting you and wanting you to do good.
“When I was at Leverkusen, I could have more time on the ball and maybe turn easier.
"Here you have to be so ready, with your first touch you have to be away already because otherwise there are three people on you and smashing into you. That’s maybe also a big difference. I have to be faster in my decisions.”
- Will Schofield
Friday, 20 March 2026
SPECULATION MOUNTS OVER ADRIAN NEWEY'S ASTON MARTIN ROLE
F1 team has reportedly approached Audi's Jonathan Wheatley about taking over as team principal.
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| Getty Images |
- Newey likely to scale back role soon but replacement not confirmed
- Audi’s Wheatley is currently the most likely hire, according to ESPN
- Newey will switch focus to technical matters amid difficult start to season for Aston Martin
Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey remains at the helm of the Formula One team but speculation is mounting around the future of his role.
Autosport reported on Thursday that the 67-year-old was set to scale back his role, with current Audi boss Jonathan Wheatley named as his replacement.
However, a team spokesperson described the reports to BlackBook Motorsport as “rumour and speculation”.
The spokesperson added: “Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team remains fully committed to Adrian Newey as managing technical partner and team principal.”
Since then, ESPN has reported that Newey will step down from his role to focus on technical matters within the team. The report added that no deal has been agreed yet, but Wheatley is currently the most likely hire.
BBC Sport has also reported that Aston Martin has approached Wheatley about the role.
An Aston Martin spokesperson told ESPN and BBC Sport that the organisation “would not be engaging in media speculation about its senior leadership” and that Newey “continues to lead the team as team principal and managing technical partner”.
Newey officially joined the team, which is owned by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, on 1st March 2025 as managing technical partner before the surprise announcement that he would become team principal for the start of the 2026 season.
Known for being quiet and reserved, many felt the demands of team leadership were not suited to Newey’s technical prowess. Various reports indicate that Newey is assisting the search for his successor.
Newey and Wheatley know each other well from their time together at Red Bull Racing. The duo formed part of a hugely successful outfit that won six constructors’ championships between 2010 and 2023.
Wheatley has been team principal of Audi since the start of the 2025 season – when they raced under the Sauber name – and oversaw a dramatic shift from clear backmarkers the year prior to his arrival to a more competitive midfield team.
Aston Martin have suffered a terrible start to the 2026 season due to severe deficiencies with their Honda engine and will hope to benefit from Wheatley’s powers of recovery should he be appointed. However, prising him out of his current deal will be far from easy and could include a period of gardening leave.
If a deal is ultimately agreed, Newey may have to continue as team principal for some time as Audi would not want to bolster a direct rival at the start of a new phase of regulations.
According to ESPN, the plan was always for Newey’s role as team boss to be temporary, while the publication has also reported that any new hire would report to him in the new structure.
Other candidates approached for the role reportedly include Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl.
If Newey is ultimately replaced this season, his successor will be Aston Martin’s fifth team principal in the past six seasons.
- CIAN BRITTLE
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