Young Thug's lyrics describe the violence-plagued and poverty-stricken environment the rapper grew up in but aren't evidence of criminal activity, his lawyer Brian...

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper was out of the starting lineup against Minnesota, a day after he was sidelined by what the team called mid-back spasms

By Yousef Saba and Rachna Uppal DUBAI Saudi Arabia faces the risk of an economic contraction this year

Magic Johnson was one of the first NBA players to come out as HIV positive - a bold move that would eventually end his career

Just outside Goodison Park, there is evidence of the impact a goalscorer can make. Almost a century after his 60-goal season, more than four decades after his death, Dixie Dean’s statue is a sign he remains an iconic figure in these parts. It is safe to assume it will not be joined, at Goodison or Bramley-Moore Dock, of a sculpture of Neal Maupay. A year into his Everton career, Maupay is only 382 Everton goals behind Dean, who got 383; at his current rate of progress, he could go past him early in the 2400s. And if it is automatically unfair to bracket anyone else with Everton’s record scorer, there is a stark contrast. Everton have never been less prolific than they were last season, when their total of 34 league goals was barely more than half the 60 Dean managed on his own in 1927-28. They began the new campaign with an exhibition of how not to finish, with a demoralising home defeat to Fulham and with indications that, unless they discover a clinical touch, another season of grim struggle beckons. Maupay is the face of a problem, but not all of it. He was not the sole culprit; Abdoulaye Doucoure waltzed through the Fulham defence but Bernd Leno saved his scuffed shot while Nathan Patterson struck the bar. Yet his job description entails scoring goals and his drought has now lasted 29 games. When Bobby Decordova-Reid took his lone opportunity, he showed the perils of Everton’s profligacy. For them, it was a tale of three strikers, two missing the match and one missing chances. The £12.5 million Youssef Chermiti was deemed not ready after only signing this week; so, for different reasons, was the oft-injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, ruled not match fit. Without either, Everton scarcely felt equipped for the start of the season but this was not the first striking void at Goodison Park in recent years. Enter Maupay, whose presence on the teamsheet may have disheartened Evertonians before a ball was kicked, whose movement was excellent, whose persistence was admirable and whose finishing was unconvincing. He ranks as one of the most damaging parts of Frank Lampard’s legacy, a signing the former manager advocated when others at Everton wanted Ben Brereton Diaz. He ended last season with one goal from 32 shots and an expected goals tally of 5.43. But this is a time for fresh starts. New season, new Maupay? Not exactly. He could have scored after barely 30 seconds but shot wide. He twice spurned one-on-ones with Bernd Leno, the first from five yards, the second from about 12. Abdoulaye Doucoure cushioned a header into his path, Amadou Onana placed a pass, but Leno saved each effort. He had four efforts and got no goals. There were rousing cheers when he was replaced, though they were for the debutant Arnaut Danjuma; a winger could have been a preferable option as a makeshift striker. But Sean Dyche’s options are limited. His side played with verve, Alex Iwobi and Doucoure allying running power with craft. But his starting 11 contained five players who may call themselves central midfielders and the closest thing to a career winger was a 38-year-old at left-back, in Ashley Young. They offered effort in abundance and encountered a defiant goalkeeper who made nine saves. The otherwise excellent Leno unpunished from his only error, a foul given when he spilled a cross and Michael Keane found the unguarded net. Yet the stark reality is that Everton began with a home defeat to a side who may end up in the bottom half themselves and a manager, in Marco Silva, who they sacked in 2018. It is no slight on Dyche to say they have reasons to repent that decision. If Fulham’s win was a triumph of strength in depth, it also owed something to Silva’s intervention. He secured a second win of 2023 at Goodison when three substitutes combined. Aleksandar Mitrovic released Andreas Pereira to cross for Decordova-Reid to finish. If it had the feel of a smash-and-grab raid, it had been threatened. In a Maupay-esque return, Raul Jimenez failed to score a Premier League goal in his last season at Wolves. He nearly marked his Fulham debut with one, volleying against the base of the post from a Decordova-Reid cross. Fulham, though, have the confidence of a team who can score. To Dyche’s credit, he conjured goals from Doucoure and Dwight McNeil in the run-in last season. But if it was obvious a team who only got four from their out-and-out centre-forwards needed far more this season, it was an utterly unpromising start. And for a club whose motto is Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, its first word is the most worrying. Everton got Nil. Again. Read More Everton’s summer of stasis leaves Sean Dyche with a salvage job on his hands Football rumours: Everton considering bid for Harry Maguire

Thousands of unexploded munitions were discovered buried in the grounds of a high school.

Lee Johnson claims his Hibernian side were up against an Aston Villa side with “almost superhuman” qualities in their 5-0 Europa Conference League thrashing at Easter Road. It was the Midlands club’s first European tie in 13 years and the first leg of their qualifying play-off tie was won by the interval thanks to three headers, two by England international Ollie Watkins and one from Jamaica’s Leon Bailey. Watkins grabbed his hat-trick three minutes after the restart with and Douglas Luiz adding a fifth from the spot in the 74th minute to make next week’s second leg at Villa Park all but academic. It was Johnson’s 500th competitive game in management and he tried to put the defeat into context as he turned his attention to the visit of Livingston in the Premiership on Saturday. He said: “I think we have a really good, honest bunch of players. I trust them and they give their all every day. “There is a difference. Premier League players now are almost superhuman in their athleticism. It’s the super-elite from all over the world and that’s what you get. “It was a good experience, and I don’t think it will affect confidence going into the Livingston game. “But the physical recovery is really key for us because we are a team that needs to use our running power and our physicality at our level to maximise our performances. “I’m still proud of the club for being at this level on this stage. The reality is we have an English League One budget against a fantastic multi-international standard Aston Villa. “It was clear there was a gulf in class, I can’t deny that. “At half-time we wanted to salvage some pride and look like we were going to go and win the half. We started it pretty well and got behind them, but that’s the difference – one break, one poor positional error, one quality pass and a great finish. “Having played against Premier League teams in the past, you cannot make positional errors because they’re punished. “So I hope this experience is a good one, because your lessons can become your teacher. We can grow from having felt the quality of the athleticism, the touch and the tactical work that Villa did tonight.” Villa boss Unai Emery was pleased with the way his side approached their biggest away win in Europe. He said: “If we weren’t competitive and serious we could have had problems. “We spoke before the match about how we had to respect the opponents and be focused and consistent in our game plan. “We knew if we weren’t we could have lost. We were focused and disciplined and consistent for 90 minutes. That is the mentality I want to create here.” Emery revealed he replaced goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez with Robin Olsen for the start of the second half because the World Cup winner “had a small pain and we didn’t want to take a risk with him”. Former Hibs favourite John McGinn captained Villa and was a powerhouse in midfield to the delight of his boss. “He is amazing,” said Emery. “I know you love him here more than me, but I think he is amazing. “He always wants, from the first minute to the 90th minute, to run and to be competitive. “I am very happy with him. And not only as a player, as a person as well. His commitment is very high. “He is always positive, always smiling. In bad moments, in good moments, he always keeps the same mentality. It is fantastic.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Great Britain’s Josh Kerr wins stunning 1500m gold at World Championships Aymeric Laporte announces Manchester City departure Bernardo Silva signs new Manchester City contract

This accusation comes merely a week after John Amos' daughter, Shannon, made a public plea for $500K, alleging that a 'caregiver' was exploiting him

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said Friday it had renewed a licensing agreement with Ericsson to use each other's technologies, in a rebuff to US warnings about...

Captiv8, the creative agency responsible for connecting Dylan Mulvaney to Anheuser-Busch, was immediately terminated after the Bud Light controversy

New York Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez has suffered a torn UCL, per manager Aaron Boone.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Tyler Matzek got revenge on New York Mets star Pete Alonso, who yelled "Throw it again" to Bryce Elder after hitting a home run.The New York Mets are looking to make a statement against the Atlanta Braves, who were able to sneak past them for the NL East title la...