Newcastle face Liverpool in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, while in-form Brighton visit Manchester City on Saturday
Saturday 3pm Venue Goodison Park
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Myles Lewis-Skelly could return to an old role, Wolves are still in danger and United’s strikers are running out of time
Premier League safety is all that matters to David Moyes and an eight-game unbeaten run – Everton’s best sequence since going nine matches without defeat under Ronald Koeman in 2016-17 – has almost accomplished a task that looked much more onerous when he returned in January. Publicly, the Everton manager maintains the job is not done and that no contract issues will be resolved until the club’s top-flight status is mathematically confirmed. Privately, and beneath the more relaxed demeanour that he has brought back with him to Goodison Park, there may also be a fierce ambition to finish above two clubs who deemed him surplus to requirements. Everton can go three points clear of one, West Ham, and leapfrog another, Manchester United, with victory over Graham Potter’s visitors on Saturday. With Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Chelsea to come after an impending two-week break, Moyes could do with a more clinical display from Everton to step closer to his aims. Andy Hunter
Everton v West Ham, Saturday 3pm (all times GMT)
Ipswich v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 3pm
Manchester City v Brighton, Saturday 3pm
Southampton v Wolves, Saturday 3pm
Bournemouth v Brentford, Saturday 5.3pm
Arsenal v Chelsea, Sunday 1.30pm
Fulham v Tottenham, Sunday 1.30pm
Leicester v Manchester United, Sunday 7pm
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
Ruben Amorim parks the bus, Son Heung-min shows he still has some spark and Marc Cucurella fires up Chelsea
Some observers look at Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou and see the same thing: stubbornness. But there is a big difference between them. With Tottenham, you have no idea what to expect. With Manchester United, you know exactly what to expect. A whole lot of nothing in the first half. Some flickers of fight in the second. Dismal results against middling Premier League teams. Decent ones against teams at the top and the bottom. This was Amorim’s first home game against a “big six” club, but it might as well have been away. He parked the bus. His nominal 3-4-2-1 was actually a 5-4-1. United started with no No 9 and just one real forward, Alejandro Garnacho. It’s three months since any of their strikers scored in the league. Their only goal threat, Bruno Fernandes, has been shunted back to central midfield. Where once they had wingers, now they have full-backs. Even when the bus moves, the handbrake stays on. Tim de Lisle
Match report: Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal
Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Bournemouth
Match report: Liverpool 3-1 Southampton
Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester City
Match report: Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
Match report: Brentford 0-1 Aston Villa
Continue reading...Rohit Sharma eases India to dominant Champions Trophy win over New Zealand
- Final: India, 254-6, bt N Zealand, 251-7, by four wickets
- Captain smashes 76 after Kiwis unable to set big target
India won another global trophy with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday.
Their captain, Rohit Sharma, led the chase with 76 off 83 balls and KL Rahul’s unbeaten 34 helped India cross the finish line on 254 for six in 49 overs.
Continue reading...Premier League team news: predicted lineups for the weekend action
Manchester City visit top-four rivals Nottingham Forest on Saturday while Manchester United host Arsenal on Sunday
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue City Ground
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Cunha’s ban could reignite relegation battle, Nketiah is full of confidence and Manchester United have lost fear factor
A clear contrast in styles will be visible in a game that could have major ramifications for the Champions League qualification hopes of both Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. No team in the Premier League has averaged less possession than Forest’s 40.1% this season and no team has more of the ball on average than Manchester City (60.4%). So the fact a 59-point chasm between the teams from last season has been completely eroded – Nuno Espírito Santo’s men are actually a point better off than the champions after 27 games – suggests possession is not the footballing essential it once was. City were routine winners at home to Forest in December but beating Nuno’s side at the City Ground is a far sterner challenge. Arsenal and Liverpool are among the sides who have failed to do so in recent months. Dominic Booth
Nottingham Forest v Manchester City, Saturday 12.30pm (all times GMT)
Brighton v Fulham, Saturday 3pm
Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town, Saturday 3pm
Liverpool v Southampton, Saturday 3pm
Continue reading...FA Cup fifth round: talking points from the weekend’s matches
What Ruben Amorim should do now, Danny Welbeck and an unlikely England call, and why Michael Oliver was right
“Pick the kids!” is a frequent cry when a team are playing poorly, and generally speaking it’s an incorrect one: the last thing a young player needs is to be hurled into a mess of the sort Manchester United are in. But sometimes it works – Mikel Arteta, for example, struggling at Arsenal, eventually promoted Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe because he had no other choice, and hasn’t looked back since. Now Ruben Amorim must make a similar call. A lack of alternatives forced him to persevere with Rasmus Højlund, but over the past week Chido Obi-Martin has earned a chance, contributing at Everton before asserting properly against Fulham, on both occasions more dangerous than Højlund, in less time. And, given United’s league season is over – and, given also, their lack of pace in defence – it might be worth seeing what Ayden Heaven can do, seeking to inject momentum and good feeling into a two-month stretch that threatens to be enervating in the extreme. Daniel Harris
Match report: Manchester United 1-1 Fulham (aet, 3-4 pens)
Match report: Newcastle 1-2 Brighton
Match report: Crystal Palace 3-1 Millwall
Match report: Manchester City 3-1 Plymouth Argyle
Match report: Preston 3-0 Burnley
Match report: Bournemouth 1-1 Wolves (aet, B’mouth win 5-4 on pens)
Match report: Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff City
Continue reading...Messi no-show prompts Houston Dynamo to issue apology and free tickets
- Argentine star not listed as injured but did not make trip
- Match was set to be sell-out with expensive resale tickets
MLS club Houston Dynamo have issued an apology to fans after Lionel Messi was revealed by various outlets to not be in the Inter Miami traveling party for Sunday night’s game between the sides. The Texas club also promised free tickets to a future match to all in attendance due to Messi’s absence.
In their statement, the Dynamo indicated that they believed Messi would be fit to play the match based on his name not being listed on Inter Miami’s player status report. The player status report, released before matches, is traditionally where teams will list players that are carrying injuries or who are otherwise out of action.
Continue reading...FA Cup fifth round: 10 things to look out for this weekend
VAR is back (to save us all), Plymouth are plotting another upset and Cardiff’s Anwar El Ghazi returns to Villa Park
The trip to Aston Villa looks tricky for Cardiff City, whose main focus is avoiding relegation to League One. Anwar El Ghazi, at least, was delighted with the draw. The Dutchman spent four years at Villa, clinching promotion at Wembley at the end of a loan season in 2018-19 before a permanent move from Lille. El Ghazi scored Villa’s first goal in a playoff final victory over Derby, with John McGinn and Tyrone Mings the only survivors from that team. Both clubs’ futures hinged on that game under the arch: Derby spiralled and faced administration before dropping into the third tier. El Ghazi can count on a hero’s welcome at Villa Park on Friday. Villa, who will visit Club Brugge for a Champions League last 16 first-leg tie on Tuesday, hope to advance to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since ending as runners-up to Arsenal 10 years ago. Ben Fisher
Aston Villa v Cardiff, Friday 8pm (all times GMT)
Crystal Palace v Millwall, Saturday 12.15pm
Bournemouth v Wolves, Saturday 3pm
Manchester City v Plymouth, Saturday 5.45pm
Continue reading...Rapids-LAFC game halted after derogatory term allegedly directed at Chido Awaziem
- Allegations delayed match in the 85th minute
- Concacaf has yet to announce an investigation
Colorado Rapids defender Chido Awaziem has alleged that an opponent used a derogatory term towards him on the field during his team’s Concacaf Champions League second leg match at Los Angeles FC on Tuesday night.
The incident in question came towards the end of the match, after Awaziem and LAFC defender Sergi Palencia were matched up on a set piece with LAFC leading the game 1-0. After the play Awaziem, a Nigeria international, complained to referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere, seemingly pleading with the official to take some sort of action. The match was paused for around five minutes as the referee engaged in discussions with Awaziem, Palencia, his fellow officials and both teams’ coaches. He then allowed play to continue with no discipline handed out. Awaziem later confronted Palencia after the final whistle.
Continue reading...Liverpool’s Arne Slot gets two-game ban after red card in chaotic Merseyside derby
- FA bans Dutch head coach for two matches
- Slot was sent off after exchange with referee Michael Oliver
Arne Slot has received a two-game touchline ban for his behaviour after Liverpool’s draw at Everton. The Dutchman has also been fined £70,000.
Slot was shown a red card by the referee, Michael Oliver, and was charged by the Football Association with acting in an improper manner and/or using insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee after the 2-2 draw. Slot’s assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, has been banned for two games and fined £7,000 while Liverpool and Everton have been fined £50,000 and £65,000 for failing to control their players.
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
Gunners lose their heads while Mohamed Salah outperforms Kevin De Bruyne in Liverpool’s triumph
Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah have mirrored each other as leading men in the Premier League. They even share the status of being discarded by Chelsea, but Sunday’s match may be where their paths finally diverge. Salah delivered a goal and an assist while De Bruyne was a shock selection, unused by Manchester City in Madrid. On Friday Pep Guardiola hinted the Belgian’s time at the club was done. If Sunday was a last hurrah, De Bruyne misfiring passes and chasing shadows was a brutal reminder of how time catches up with even the very best. Where the Belgian exhibits physical decline from sheer miles on the clock, Salah, just a year younger, played to his peak, often buzz-sawing into midfield areas De Bruyne once commanded. The Egyptian king’s contract situation remains at an impasse, the sense being he awaits the right offer from Liverpool. De Bruyne may now be reduced to mere cameos as Guardiola rebuilds, a sad coda. John Brewin
Match report: Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool
Match report: Arsenal 0-1 West Ham
Match report: Everton 2-2 Manchester United
Match report: Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea
Continue reading...Premier League team news: predicted lineups for the weekend action
Aston Villa host Chelsea in the Saturday teatime match while Liverpool visit Manchester City on Sunday afternoon
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Goodison Park
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
David Moyes faces a former club, Djed Spence’s difficult duel and Chris Wood could haunt his old employers
The winter arrival of Woyo Coulibaly from Parma underwhelmed Leicester fans as the left-back’s CV did not exactly suggest he was able to turn their season around single-handedly. The Frenchman has made four substitute appearances, his latest coming off the bench against Arsenal after James Justin was forced off in the first half, facing up to Raheem Sterling on the right-hand side of Leicester’s defence. If Justin does not recover in time for Brentford’s visit, it seems likely that Coulibaly will once again be thrust into action because Ruud van Nistelrooy has very limited options. Considering the form of Brentford’s Kevin Schade, the French defender can expect to have a difficult afternoon. Still, it is also an opportunity to prove he is worthy of being a Premier League player but if it does not work out, there will be even greater pressure on the much-criticised director of football, Jon Rudkin. Will Unwin
Leicester v Brentford, Friday 8pm (all times GMT)
Everton v Manchester United, Saturday 12.30pm
Bournemouth v Wolves, Saturday 3pm
Ipswich v Tottenham, Saturday 3pm
Southampton v Brighton, Saturday 3pm
Continue reading...Doubts raised over US travel system during 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics
- US will host 2026 tournament with Canada and Mexico
- Report raises concern about visas and infrastructure
The United States is unprepared for the burdens placed on its air travel system when the country hosts the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, according to a report released on Wednesday.
The US Travel Association, a non-profit that represents the travel industry, commissioned a report written by former government officials and industry experts. The report raises concerns about visas, creaking infrastructure and poor security technology.
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