Barcelona 3-2 Celta Vigo: Player ratings as three late goals snatch shock win
Match report & player ratings from Barcelona 3-2 Celta Vigo in La Liga.
1970-01-01 08:00
UK’s Sunak Working on Plans to Cut Inheritance Tax, Times Says
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to reduce the nation’s inheritance tax to drum up support ahead of
1970-01-01 08:00
Roy Hodgson ‘feels sorry’ for referees as Palace boss questions new directives
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admitted he “feels sorry” for referees challenged with incorporating a host of new Premier League rules and regulations implemented before the start of this season. The 76-year-old returned to the dugout at Selhurst Park after illness caused him to miss last weekend’s trip to Villa Park, and disagreed with Fulham boss Marco Silva that the Cottagers were the superior side in Saturday’s goalless draw. Among the changes this season is a crackdown on having more than one coach inside the technical area, a decision Hodgson will still need some convincing to embrace. The former England coach said: “I feel so sorry for the referees. All these new directives, which to most of us who have been in football for a long time can’t really make an awful lot of sense, but they feel obliged to follow it through. “Little things annoy you. Why can’t somebody from the bench, one of the coaches, come and stand by me for 30 seconds to shout instructions with you before being told immediately you’ve got to go back to the bench? “It’s our job to do that, our job is to coach the players, work with the plan. I can understand if people are crowding in the bench in that area and making a nuisance of it. “But if you’re talking about someone who comes out from time to time to say a couple of words, where is the problem? How does football benefit from that?” The two London sides entered Saturday’s contest with almost identical records to start their season, Hodgson’s men having scored just one more goal than Silva’s to separate them in the table. Both teams had chances, Eberechi Eze firing just wide late in the first half of his 100th appearance for Palace while both Raul Jimenez and Willian were denied by Eagles keeper Sam Johnstone. Fulham squandered a second-half chance with an overpowered pass, while Hodgson’s introduction of Jean-Philippe Mateta to play up front alongside Odsonne Edouard failed to break the deadlock. Hodgson said: “I’ve seen many games like today lost by just one goal. We didn’t do that, so the positive is we can be better, we will be better and we got one more point in our bid to move up the table.” Fulham boss Silva, however, felt his side did enough to deserve more. He said: “I think overall during the game we were the team that created more chances to win. I think I’m pleased with the performance, just we have to be much more effective in our attack, when we’re in certain areas of the pitch. “I think we were strong enough with good organisation, very good work from our two midfielders and our two central defenders. Good work from our two full-backs as well. “I think overall we were the best team on the pitch and deserved three points, even if the game was balanced, of course, but the team that created more was ourselves.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘We should’ve won’ – Rob Edwards reflects on Luton’s first Premier League point Five-try Henry Arundell has World Cup debut to remember as England crush Chile Pep Guardiola unhappy at Rodri for red card in Man City win
1970-01-01 08:00
Barry Bonds congratulates Ronald Acuña Jr. on joining the 40-40 club
Ronald Acuna Jr. from the Atlanta Braves became MLB's fifth member of the 40-40 club and received congratulations from Barry Bonds, another member.
1970-01-01 08:00
Pep Guardiola unhappy at Rodri for red card in Man City win
Pep Guardiola admitted he was angry with Rodri after the influential midfielder was sent off in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest. The Spain international was dismissed early in the second half of Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium after raising his hands to the neck of Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. Rodri protested at the time, and there was a delay before referee Anthony Taylor’s decision was upheld by VAR, but Guardiola claimed there could be no excuses for his conduct. The City manager said: “Hopefully Rodri will learn. The game was perfect with 35 minutes gone and after it became chaos. “That’s not our responsibility, that’s for sure, but Rodri has to control himself and his emotions. I can get a yellow card but Rodri can’t. I don’t play. The guys inside (the pitch) have to be careful. “I said at half-time, ‘Be careful guys, relax, control your emotions’. Unfortunately, Rodri could not do it. Now we have to accept the decisions.” Asked if he was angry with Rodri, Guardiola said: “Yes. I don’t like to play with 10 for our faults. He has apologised.” Despite being critical of Rodri, Guardiola was not happy with the way the game was controlled by Taylor. As well as Rodri’s red card, there were 11 bookings during the game, including one for Guardiola himself. Guardiola said: “The referee changed the game. “For the first 35 minutes, it was absolutely not (a bad game). What changed? What happened after 2-0, it’s not down to us. You have to ask the other ones but I don’t know if they will hang up the phone.” City had put themselves into a comfortable lead with goals inside the first 14 minutes from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. After Rodri’s departure, the hosts needed to change approach and Guardiola was pleased with the outcome. He said: “Our game in the first 35 minutes was beyond good, how we find our men free, it was really, really good. “It was a lot of minutes we had to defend, and we conceded one chance in the 94th minute. We didn’t concede anything else, against a team who won at Stamford Bridge and created problems at Arsenal and Old Trafford. “I’m really satisfied and pleased for all of us.” Forest manager Steve Cooper had conflicting thoughts about his side’s performance. He said: “We had a really poor start in terms of goals conceded. We knew the level of the challenge we faced here – it doesn’t get any tougher – and the two City goals were of great quality, typical City goals. “But we’d planned for that. It was a repeat tactic and to let it happen as easily as they did – if they were going to score I wanted it to be with real difficulty. “The game changes with the red card. That we had a second half played in City’s half I have mixed feelings about. “You rarely get an opportunity to have that territory here. Even more experienced teams don’t get anywhere near that but we need to make more of these opportunities. We have got to be more productive.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘We should’ve won’ – Rob Edwards reflects on Luton’s first Premier League point Five-try Henry Arundell has World Cup debut to remember as England crush Chile Sam Hain and Will Jacks star as new-look England beat Ireland at Trent Bridge
1970-01-01 08:00
‘We should’ve won’ – Rob Edwards reflects on Luton’s first Premier League point
Rob Edwards was frustrated Luton did not get the result he felt their performance deserved in a 1-1 draw against 10-man Wolves at Kenilworth Road. Luton claimed their first point since earning promotion to the Premier League after Carlton Morris’ penalty cancelled out Pedro Neto’s opener. But Edwards believes the Hatters should have converted more of their 20 shots after they failed to take full advantage of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s first-half sending off. “I’m pleased but I think it should have been all three points,” Edwards said. “I’m really proud of the players, the performance was excellent, it’s a great day for the club, the supporters were great and the players did everything we asked for to engage the fans. “We started the game so well, it was probably the best we’ve played since I’ve been at the club. I think the level of the game, the fact Wolves couldn’t get out of their half we completely dominated the game. “Overall I’m really happy and proud but we should’ve won. “We were really aggressive on the front foot and tried to provoke them and that’s what Kenilworth Road can do. “When they get a man sent off you really want to try and find a way to win but they’ve got quality and Neto’s a top player and we lost the ball cheaply. We gave away a goal but to get something from the game after it’s a positive. “The lads are flat and deflated because we feel that there was a win there for us today.” Luton are still searching for their first Premier League win and still sit at the foot of the table. Edwards highlighted the difficulty of the league after a lapse of concentration by Tom Lockyer in the 50th minute was punished by Neto, who scored his first of the season. “It shows how good the Premier League is, you have to be almost perfect to get anything from it and today we were close with how we wanted to play but we haven’t won,” Edwards added. “It’s like a different sport (Premier League) in every way. Everyone is way better (than the Championship), the decision making, the quality, the speed that things happen and the execution is hard to comprehend. “If people look at us as a small club in the Championship then they’ll look at us as a small club in the Premier League. “We’re up against mammoths, giant clubs and in a way we probably shouldn’t be here.” Gary O’Neil was disappointed with Wolves’ first-half performance which saw them on the back foot. He said: “I’m extremely disappointed with the first 25 minutes. “We knew today would be a test of mentality and Luton were aggressive and we lost every duel, they were faster in midfield. “We had to change the shape and get a foothold which I thought we then did.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Five-try Henry Arundell has World Cup debut to remember as England crush Chile Pep Guardiola unhappy at Rodri for red card in Man City win Sam Hain and Will Jacks star as new-look England beat Ireland at Trent Bridge
1970-01-01 08:00
Has Lane Kiffin ever beaten Nick Saban as a head coach?
Lane Kiffin has been a transcendent head coach at Ole Miss. Has he ever beaten his former mentor Nick Saban head-to-head? Alabama hosts the Rebels on Saturday afternoon in Week 4.
1970-01-01 08:00
Ukraine Recap: Russia Says ‘Let’s Decide It on the Battlefield’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Ukrainian proposals for restoring its pre-invasion territory “unrealizable” and said that if
1970-01-01 08:00
Burnley vs Manchester United LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more tonight
Manchester United and Erik ten Hag are under pressure as they head to Burnley looking to end a run of three defeats in a row in Saturday night’s Premier League action. United were beaten 4-3 by Bayern Munich on Wednesday night as Ten Hag’s defensive problems continued in the club’s Champions League opener. Ten Hag’s side have now conceded at least two goals in five consecutive games, following back-to-back Premier League defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. Burnley and manager Vincent Kompany will now look to pile on the misery at Turf Moor after picking up their first Premier League point in a 1-1 draw at Forest on Monday night. Follow live updates as Manchester United travel to Burnley in the Premier League and get all the latest match odds and tips here.
1970-01-01 08:00
Lampedusa: Inside the camp at the heart of Europe’s migrant surge
At least 10,000 migrants arrived on Italy's Lampedusa island last week, stretching local resources.
1970-01-01 08:00
Michigan State analyst suggests the worst possible Mel Tucker replacement
One Michigan State analyst believes wholeheartedly that if the Spartans could land Urban Meyer as Mel Tucker's long-term successor, then they should. Oh, no, no, no, no, NO!!!
1970-01-01 08:00
No arm around the shoulder – Pep Guardiola counts the cost of Rodri red card
On Tuesday, Pep Guardiola had been happy to eulogise about Rodri, quick to agree when it was suggested his fellow Spaniard was the best midfielder in Europe at the moment. Yet as the man who earned Manchester City their first Champions League trudged past him, Guardiola stood and stared. There were no consoling words, no arm around the shoulder, no superlatives and no celebration. The City manager may have already been counting the cost of a red card. Not against Nottingham Forest, who were beaten anyway, but for the three occasions when he will be without a talisman. Rodri will be banned against Newcastle, in the Carabao Cup, plus Wolves and Arsenal in the Premier League. The loss of a big-game player for the biggest match of City’s season so far could be telling. A couple of seasons ago, Rodri was City’s match-winner against Arsenal. There will be no repeat in October and the chances are that Mikel Arteta will welcome his suspension. Certainly, if anything halts City, who equalled their longest winning start to a Premier League campaign, it could be a loss of key players. Suddenly Guardiola, the manager who collects midfielders, looks short of them. Ilkay Gundogan is gone, Kevin de Bruyne is injured for the long term, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva for the short term. City will study the fitness bulletins for the Croatian and the Portuguese, particularly ahead of the trip to the Emirates Stadium. A rare sighting of Kalvin Phillips on the pitch, and not merely for the last couple of minutes in a token cameo, counted as a desperate measure, by Guardiola’s standards. If Rodri has acquired a ubiquity of late at City, this was an illustration it is not always a benefit. He has been a scorer more than before and turned creator, with a wonderful pass that led to Phil Foden’s opener. But when there was a flashpoint immediately after half-time, it involved him. After they had bumped chests, he grabbed Morgan Gibbs-White by the throat; the hysterical reaction of the Englishman scarcely helped his cause, but the Spaniard’s reaction was needless. It seemed out of character, too: Rodri is no stranger to yellow cards but this was the first red of his City career. As VAR upheld referee Anthony Taylor’s decision, it is hard to imagine it will be overturned should City appeal. It came in the context of a match that felt unnecessarily fractious. Guardiola got a first-half yellow card for dissent and Ederson a caution for going head-to-head with Taiwo Awoniyi, while Forest amassed seven bookings. Yet Rodri’s exit also meant that from the most comfortable of starts – City had two goals within a quarter of an hour, 90 percent of possession after 27 minutes – they had to offer an illustration of their grit. Plan B for Guardiola was to withdraw two of his attack-minded players, Jeremy Doku and Julian Alvarez, and overload on defenders, with substitute Nathan Ake making it five at the back. Amid a role reversal – Forest, initially defensive, sent on Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood and Divock Origi - a clean sheet was secured with the aid of a 5-3-1 formation that Guardiola rarely deploys. It was a testament to their defending that there were few alarms. But it made a break from the norm whereas, until Rodri’s sending off, there was a familiar feel. The bare facts are that City have played 20 games at the Etihad Stadium in 2023 and won all 20; it is still the case that the last team to emerge with a draw here were Frank Lampard’s Everton. There was another recurring theme. After scoring once, but mustering several glaring misses, from 15 shots across the games to West Ham and Crvena Zvezda, Erling Haaland converted his first chance. The 6.66 percent conversion rate from those two games was consigned to the past, aided by poor marking by Forest, when Matheus Nunes stood up a cross and the Norwegian supplied an emphatic header. It was a first assist in City colours for Nunes, the summer signing from Wolves, and a second City goal. Haaland should have had a second of the day, volleying over from Ake’s late cross, but by then he was isolated in attack. Forest had begun by dropping captain Joe Worrall, despite fielding a back five. They still conceded inside seven minutes, twice within 14. The opener at least offered Rodri something to savour. He provided the kind of pass more associated with the injured De Bruyne, a diagonal ball behind the Forest defence for the on-rushing Kyle Walker to cushion a cut-back. Foden hooked in a half-volley. It seemed to set the tone for a stroll, but the side-effect of victory – with Rodri’s dismissal – means it may yet prove an afternoon City rue. Read More Pep Guardiola provides positive Jack Grealish update ahead of Man City return Kyle Walker to continue as Manchester City skipper ‘until the time is right’ Julian Alvarez relishing Erling Haaland link-up as Man City launch CL defence
1970-01-01 08:00
