Pitching It Black

.@vinijr, you deserve so much better. #BlackPlayersUnion pitchingitblack.com/2019/04/25/bla…

BIG WINS AT BOTH ENDS | Darren Moore’s Doncaster Rovers are level on points with second-placed Hull in League One after beating Oxford 3-2. Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink’s Burton Albion boosted their survival hopes after pulling off a shock 1-0 victory over promotion-chasing Hull. 👊🏾

DREAM START | Jesse Lingard scored twice on his West Ham debut on Wednesday as they beat Aston Villa 3-1. The 28-year-old midfielder, on loan from Man United, is only the second West Ham player (since Trevor Sinclair in 1998) to score two goals on his Premier League debut. 👊🏾

SIGNIFICANT WIN | Chris Hughton’s Nottingham Forest are up to 19th in the Championship after coming back from behind to beat Coventry 2-1 on Tuesday. “I heard it’s been a long time since we’ve won after the other team have taken the lead and it’s nice to win like that.” 👊🏾

LINCOLN 0-1 DONCASTER | Darren Moore’s Doncaster secured a huge win against promotion rivals on Saturday thanks to some goalkeeping heroics. Ellery Balcombe, on loan from Brentford, saved two penalties in the second half after Taylor Richards’ first-half strike. 👊🏾

FIRST TOP-FLIGHT GOAL | Trevoh Chalobah scored his first goal in European top-flight football for Lorient in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Dijon. The 21-year-old midfielder, on loan from Chelsea, opened the scoring in what was his 13th appearance for the Ligue 1 side. 👊🏾

ACCOMPLISHED PERFORMANCE | Darren Moore’s Doncaster beat Wimbledon 2-0 on Tuesday to keep the pressure on fellow promotion-chasing sides in League One. “I thought it was a good, accomplished performance. [The early goal] gave us real impetus and a real foothold in the game.” 👊🏾

BARNSLEY 1-0 NORWICH | Valerien Ismael’s Barnsley are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup after seeing off the Championship leaders. “We got the job done and it’s a great feeling for the guys. The FA Cup is special and that’s why we take the competition very seriously.” 👊🏾

FOUR-GOAL COMEBACK | Daniel Thioune’s Hamburg came back from two goals down to beat Braunschweig 4-2 on Saturday afternoon. “We demonstrated our comeback qualities because a victory from 2-0 down is not easy, especially since many top teams have already stumbled here.” 👊🏾

TOP SCORER | Kylian Mbappe is the top goalscorer in Ligue 1 [14] after bagging a brace in Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-0 victory over Montpellier on Friday. The 22-year-old France forward also set up one of the goals to take his assists tally to six (second best in the league). 👊🏾

100% RECORD | Mbaye Leye is enjoying a dream start to life as Standard Liege manager after winning his first three games in charge. Leye has guided his side to victories over Waasland-Beveren (3-1), Belgian Pro League leaders Club Brugge (1-0) and Mechelen (4-0). 👊🏾

THREE SUCCESSIVE WINS | Darren Moore’s Doncaster beat Rochdale 1-0 on Tuesday night to make it three consecutive wins in all competitions. Moore’s side, currently fourth in League One, are just three points behind league leaders Hull and have two games in hand. 👊🏾

ARSENAL 3-0 NEWCASTLE | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang marked his 400th appearance in European league football with a brace. Teenage star Bukayo Saka registered his fourth Premier League goal of the season. 👊🏾

FIVE-STAR PERFORMANCE | Daniel Thioune’s Hamburg reclaimed top spot in Bundesliga 2 with a commanding 5-0 win over VfL Osnabruck – Thioune’s former side – on Monday night. Hamburg have accumulated 33 points from 16 games and are one point clear of second-place Bochum. 👊🏾

INAKI WILLIAMS | The Spain forward, 26, scored the winning goal for Athletic Bilbao in Sunday’s Super Cup final against Barcelona. Williams, a lifelong supporter of Bilbao, joined the club as a 16-year-old and became the first black goalscorer in the club’s history in 2014. 👊🏾

GOOD SATURDAY RESULTS | Chris Hughton saw his Nottingham Forest side extend their unbeaten run to six games in the Championship after beating Millwall 3-1. Darren Moore’s Doncaster remain in the promotion hunt in League One after beating Swindon 2-1 away from home. 👊🏾

BEST BELGIAN ABROAD | Romelu Lukaku was named the best Belgian footballer abroad on the same day he secured Inter Milan’s place in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. “Thank you to my teammates at Inter and Belgium. You guys put me in great positions every time!” 👊🏾

FRENCH SUPER CUP | On his return from injury, Neymar scored what turned out to be the winning goal for Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophee des Champions final on Wednesday. PSG beat Marseille 2-1 to give new boss Mauricio Pochettino the first trophy of his managerial career. 👊🏾

TO THE TOP | Paul Pogba scored the decisive goal in Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Burnley on Tuesday night. United are now top of the Premier League table, three points clear of second-place Liverpool, after 17 games. 👊🏾

MBAYE LEYE | The 38-year-old former Senegal international won his first game in charge of Standard Liege on Monday, ending a run of four successive Jupiler Pro League defeats with a 3-1 victory over Waasland-Beveren. #BlackManagerAppreciation 👊🏾