See which hot shots are leading the way in the English top flight’s goalscoring charts this season
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
Newcastle’s new striker makes his mark, Emiliano Martínez is in Villa’s good books again and Noni Madueke’s dream week
Is Gianluigi Donnarumma a Pep Guardiola goalkeeper? He may or may not be, but he is an exceptional goalkeeper. Manchester United didn’t offer enough of a test even to begin to assess whether Donnarumma is good enough with the ball at his feet to allow City to play as Guardiola would like them to. Nor did they test whether his starting position is advanced enough to sweep up behind a high defensive line and prevent the sort of chances City yielded up to Tottenham and Brighton. But his save to keep out a Bryan Mbeumo volley, hurling himself to his right to push the ball wide, was spectacular, and drew congratulations from pretty much all his teammates. Even if he is not the perfect stylistic fit, Donnarumma’s presence, his commanding stature, the aura he projects, makes him the right goalkeeper for now as City begin the process of rebuilding with a notably young squad. Jonathan Wilson
Match report: Manchester City 3-0 Manchester United
Match report: Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
Match report: West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
Continue reading...AFL confirms State of Origin football to return in 2026 after 27-year hiatus
Victoria to play Western Australia in Perth on 14 February next year
Last time a game was contested between state teams was in 1999
The AFL’s marquee State of Origin fixture will return next year to end a 27-year hiatus, with Western Australia to host Victoria in Perth on Valentine’s Day. After a clamour from fans and players for the state-based rivalry’s return, the 2026 game will be played at Optus Stadium.
The last time an Origin game was contested between state teams was in 1999, when Victoria beat South Australia by 54 points at the MCG, but South Australia was overlooked this time after strong lobbying from the Western Australian government.
Continue reading...Premier League team news: predicted lineups for the weekend action
Arsenal host Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest on Saturday before the Manchester derby on Sunday
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Emirates Stadium
Continue reading...Canelo Álvarez v Terence Crawford: all of your pre-fight questions, answered
Boxing’s biggest fight in years takes place on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Here’s everything you need to know about Canelo v Crawford, including how, when and why to watch
Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez and Terence Crawford, two of the most accomplished boxers of the past 20 years, will climb through the ropes on Saturday night in Las Vegas for one of the sport’s biggest events in years.
Álvarez, 35, will be defending his undisputed super middleweight title at his natural 168lb. Crawford, 37, is attempting the jump of a lifetime: moving up two full divisions to that weight for the first time after winning his fourth world title last year in his 154lb debut. That size gap is at the heart of Saturday’s intrigue. And because the fight will be carried globally on Netflix at no extra cost to subscribers, it could draw the largest audience ever for a major championship bout.
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Ange Postecoglou makes his Forest bow, a new-look forward line at Newcastle and a Manchester derby to forget
Ange Postecoglou never won a north London derby while in charge at Tottenham, drawing one and losing three, so starting life in the Nottingham Forest dugout away to Arsenal might not be the ideal situation. It has been a whirlwind week for the 60-year-old who has replaced Nuno Espírito Santo and it will be fascinating to see what changes are made to the team’s style. Nuno is a cautious coach and would have plotted a counterattacking approach at the Emirates Stadium, but there are no guarantees with Postecoglou. Pragmatism is a word rarely associated with the Australian but he needs to get his players onside quickly after the unfortunate departure of his predecessor, who was not dismissed for footballing reasons. It might make more sense to tweak what has already been constructed on strong foundations, especially considering he will have little time with the squad after international duty and before a Saturday lunchtime kick-off. Being able to adapt is a sign of strength in a coach and Postecoglou needs to show he has learned from errors made at Tottenham when he refused to change. Will Unwin
Arsenal v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)
Bournemouth v Brighton, Saturday 3pm
Crystal Palace v Sunderland, Saturday 3pm
Everton v Aston Villa, Saturday 3pm
Continue reading...MLS suspends Luis Suárez three games for spitting incident in Leagues Cup
Sergio Busquets escapes punishment despite punch
Post-final brawl involved Miami and Seattle players
Major League Soccer has suspended striker Luis Suárez three league games for his role in the mass brawl between his Inter Miami side and the Seattle Sounders after the Leagues Cup final. Suárez was at the center of the confrontation, first putting Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas in a headlock before being dragged away. Later, TV cameras caught Suárez yelling at, and spitting on, Sounders security director Gene Ramirez.
Sounders team psychologist Steven Lenhart, himself a former MLS player who was known for confrontations and physical play, has also had his credential revoked for the remainder of the 2025 season. Lenhart was among a large group of Sounders players and staff who joined the melee along with Inter Miami players and staff.
Continue reading...Israel-Premier Tech say pulling out of Vuelta would ‘set a dangerous precedent’
Pro-Palestinian protests have disrupted race in Spain
Thursday sees 12th stage of 21-stage Tour take place
The Israel-Premier Tech team have said pulling out of this year’s Vuelta a España would “set a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling” after pro-Palestinian protests disrupted the 11th stage of the race on Wednesday.
There was no winner declared on Wednesday’s stage due to protesters at the finish line in Bilbao. Israel-Premier Tech were also the target of protests during the team time-trial last week and there have been suggestions that some members of the peloton would like the team to withdraw from the race.
Continue reading...Transfer window and deadline day: Premier League club-by-club analysis
We assess how each top-flight side fared in the search for quality and value during the summer window
Andrea Berta’s first transfer window since taking over as sporting director has been busy. Headline moves for Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze have given Mikel Arteta the firepower and creativity he asked for, while Martín Zubimendi has added class to midfield. The arrival of Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Nørgaard, Noni Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga has also added depth to Arsenal’s squad that is already being called on after a series of early season injuries, while the late signing of the exciting Ecuador defender, Piero Hincapié, should prove to be a shrewd addition. Ed Aarons
Continue reading...Former British heavyweight Joe Bugner, who twice took on Muhammad Ali, dies aged 75
Bugner was a British, Commonwealth and European champion
BBBoC announces Bugner’s death at care home in Brisbane
Joe Bugner, the British heavyweight who went the distance with boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in the 1970s, has died aged 75, it has been announced.
Bugner twice held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles and was a three-time European heavyweight champion, holding all three for the first time when defeating Henry Cooper in 1971.
More details to follow
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
Benjamin Sesko lacks sharpness, VAR spoils Josh King’s day and Sunderland have a man for the big moments
It was always going to be a tight match but in the end it took a moment of genius from Dominik Szoboszlai to settle it in Liverpool’s favour. The Hungarian is an attacking midfielder by trade but since Jeremie Frimpong’s injury Arne Slot has found a new role for him at right-back. Szoboszlai had clearly learned some free-kick technique from Trent Alexander-Arnold over the years but his ability in the alien position was almost more impressive. He had almost no problems with Gabriel Martinelli and he quickly adapted to Eberechi Eze, who was a greater threat than the man he replaced, but Szoboszlai remained calm and collected throughout. He was able to defend well and also produced some stunning passes, distributing long and short, changing the dynamic of the match as Alexander-Arnold used to. The victory over Arsenal will be remembered for a split second of quality but Szoboszlai should take great credit for how he has adapted to help Slot and his teammates. Will Unwin
Match report: Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal
Match report: Manchester United 3-2 Burnley
Match report: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
Match report: Brighton 2-1 Manchester City
Match report: Tottenham 0-1 Bournemouth
Match report: Leeds 0-0 Newcastle
Match report: Wolves 2-3 Everton
Continue reading...Millionaire apologises for snatching Majchrzak’s souvenir cap from young fan at US Open
Polish businessman Piotr Szczerek says: ‘I made a grave mistake’
Majchrzak had given cap to boy in crowd after five-set victory
Moments after the tennis player Kamil Majchrzak celebrated the biggest win of his career at the US Open last week, he handed his cap to a beaming young boy. What happened next sparked tears, outrage, a detective hunt across social media and, finally, a grovelling apology.
It came from Piotr Szczerek, a millionaire businessman from Poland, who had snatched the cap out of the boy’s hand and stuffed it into his bag. Videos of the incident showed the youngster looking deeply upset and asking: “What are you doing?” while Majchrzak – who was oblivious to the situation after his five-set victory against the ninth seed, Karen Khachanov – walked away.
Continue reading...Felix Auger-Aliassime stuns No 3 Zverev to return to US Open second week
Auger-Aliassime beats Zverev in four-set thriller
Zverev suffers earliest New York exit since 2018
Felix Auger-Aliassime stormed into the last 16 of the US Open on Saturday night with a rousing comeback win over world No 3 Alexander Zverev, knocking out one of the title favorites 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Canadian 25th seed had not reached the second week in New York since his semi-final run in 2021 but summoned some of the best tennis of his career to secure a first grand slam victory over a top-five opponent. The match stretched to three hours and 48 minutes and finished shortly before midnight, delaying the night session that followed.
Continue reading...Premier League team news: predicted lineups for the weekend action
Liverpool and Arsenal clash at Anfield on Sunday while a beleaguered Manchester United host Burnley on Saturday
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Stamford Bridge
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
How Ruben Amorim could stop the rot, Brighton to go Greek and an Anfield baptism of fire for Eberechi Eze
Calling Chelsea “Cole Palmer FC” is not much of an insult. Oh no, you have one of the best attackers in the world. Oh no, you got him for a bargain price. Oh no, he won you the Club World Cup last month. Still, no side ever wants to be completely reliant on one player. Chelsea aim to depend more on the collective than the individual. They have struggled without Palmer in the past but thrived in his absence against West Ham last week. Palmer withdrew with a groin injury during the warm-up and is a doubt to face Fulham in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off. However, Enzo Maresca has options. Estêvão Willian came in for Palmer against West Ham and was exceptional on the right wing. João Pedro and Pedro Neto were excellent. Chelsea have enough talent at their disposal to beat Fulham without Palmer. Jacob Steinberg
Chelsea v Fulham, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)
Manchester United v Burnley, Saturday 3pm
Tottenham v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm
Sunderland v Brentford, Saturday 3pm
Wolves v Everton, Saturday 3pm
Leeds v Newcastle, Saturday 5.30pm
Brighton v Manchester City, Sunday 2pm
Nottingham Forest v West Ham, Sunday 2pm