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LeBron James proved he is human after all as the Los Angeles Lakers fell to a 108-103 Game 2 playoff loss against the Denver Nuggets.

Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury visit the Los Angeles Sparks as part of a four-game slate on the first day of the WNBA season

Frank Lampard has revealed he tried to sign Erling Haaland for Chelsea during his first spell as the manager at Stamford Bridge. The Manchester City striker came up against Lampard’s team in a pre-season friendly in 2019 while he was playing for RB Salzburg in Austria. He scored 28 goals in 22 matches that season before signing for Borussia Dortmund the following summer, but Lampard said he attempted to bring him to west London instead during his 18-month spell in charge between 2019 and 2021. Ultimately competition for the Norway international’s signature, together with the fact not everybody at Chelsea was convinced that a bid for Haaland would have been the right move, meant that Lampard was left frustrated. His 36 Premier League goals for title-chasing City this season mean he has scored as many times in the league as the entire Chelsea squad have, with the two teams meeting at the Etihad on Sunday as City look for the victory they need to seal the title. Chelsea by contrast remain in the bottom half of the table, with their struggles in front of goal this season having shown no sign of easing in recent weeks. “I’ve got huge respect for him as a player, he’s a player I tried to bring to Chelsea the first time I was here,” said Lampard. “I was really keen to get him here but obviously that couldn’t happen. His level at that point was very clear, we played against him in a pre-season game for Salzburg. “Credit to him, I love seeing players of that level, I love seeing players of that personality and hunger to play and be the best which he’s proved himself to be. In terms of having to deal with him you have to have obviously a plan and an idea, but players of that level can make anything happen at any moment. “I think he’s special, I thought he’d adapt straight away just (because of) his level. I think with the level of players and his record of scoring, firstly in Austria then for his country and in the Bundesliga – which is not an easy league – to come into a really good unit already. “The rest is just credit to himself and the team around him. I did expect that, it’s not just an easy hindsight answer, I’ve got real respect for the player. “I don’t know whether he would have decided to come here anyway but I was a big fan. There are some of those that happen that people don’t know about that could have been this way, people talk a lot about mistakes and the things that could have been in football. “Whether he would have come I don’t know, but I was pushing big, and for a couple of other players as well. But he was the outstanding one. “From our point I was pushing it, I’m not sure what the appetite everywhere else in the club was to do it. The competition was big to take him because he was an outstanding player. I think there was a buyout clause at the time which I think was relatively reasonable given the player (he joined Dortmund for around £17million). I don’t have enough detail to say how close it was.” Lampard has two matches left of his interim spell in charge, with Manchester United at Old Trafford and Newcastle at Stamford Bridge to come after City. He has won only once during his eight games in the job, a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth earlier in May, with six defeats having come in that time including a Champions League exit to Real Madrid. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be confirmed as the permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was sacked on April 2, in the coming days, and he will have a huge rebuild on his hands after a disastrous season for the club. Despite the poor form, Lampard said he has no regrets about agreeing to take over in the short-term from Potter. Whether he would have come I don’t know, but I was pushing big, and for a couple of other players as well. But he was the outstanding one Frank Lampard “I have enjoyed it, I get asked it a lot,” he said. “You want to always get results but you have to be realistic in football. When I came into this, the Champions League dream that everyone talked to me about, (saying) it’s been done before, can we do it again? “The realistic answer was we were where we were in the league for a reason. Our view was to try and beat Real Madrid then possible City to get to a final. In terms of the rest of the job, it’s been how many small wins can I try and impact behind the scenes. You can’t always impact results. “Generally there’s a lot of work to do here. I can have a certain impact with certain individuals within the group because I have a big feeling for the club.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola compares Man City’s title push to serving for Wimbledon glory Jurgen Klopp hails departing quartet with special praise for Milner and Firmino Wigan deducted four points for next season after failing to pay players’ wages

Pep Guardiola has no plans to celebrate if Manchester City win the title without playing on Saturday and compared closing out the Premier League season to a tennis player serving for Wimbledon glory. City are on the brink of a fifth top-flight crown in six seasons and it will be confirmed before they next play if challengers Arsenal lose to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Guardiola insists he is not thinking about that prospect, however, and is focusing only on beating Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium to win it on the field themselves on Sunday. The City manager said: “I don’t think (we’ll be celebrating) because we have a game the day after and Chelsea deserve it. “In my mind, I’d like to feel we have to win to be champions. This is what we have to think. “We cannot control Nottingham and it doesn’t matter what happens in Nottingham. We have to do our job and win our game. “If we can win we can celebrate in the stadium with our people and that would be the best.” Wrapping up the title this weekend would cap a memorable week in which treble-chasing City reached the Champions League final with a stunning victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday. Now is coming the most difficult thing. Tennis players say to serve to win Wimbledon is the most difficult one. Pep Guardiola Guardiola says there has been little time to celebrate that achievement as he now tries to ensure City, who trailed Arsenal by eight points last month, see out the job in the Premier League. He said: “Of course we are satisfied to be able to play the Champions League final but it’s non-stop. “Now is coming the most difficult thing. Tennis players say to serve to win Wimbledon is the most difficult one. “On Sunday, the game is in our hands to win the most important competition. We’re lucky to have the chance to finish at home with our people. We have to take it.” Guardiola knows how difficult it can be to cross the line. In April 2018 they had to put celebrations on hold after surrendering a 2-0 lead to lose to Manchester United and last season they risked losing the title to Liverpool on the final day after falling behind to Aston Villa. Guardiola said: “I have a good memory. When we played against United to win the Premier League, 2-0 up at half-time and we lost the game. “Against Aston Villa we were 20 minutes away from losing the Premier League at home. So the last one is the most difficult one because there are a lot of emotions and many things. “You have to control it and be focused. We cannot be distracted right now. We will not forgive ourselves if we are distracted in something.” Despite those reservations, recent form suggests Guardiola has brought his players to the boil at just the right stage of the season. Such is their intensity that Guardiola and key player Kevin De Bruyne shouted at each other during the victory over Real Madrid, and the manager says he has no problems with that. He said: “The action with Kevin, I love it. We shout at each other. I like it. I like this step from Kevin. “Sometimes, in some games, it’s a little bit flat and I like this energy. This is what we need from him. After that he becomes the best. “It is not absolutely personal. These things must happen to be competitive and be a good team.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jurgen Klopp hails departing quartet with special praise for Milner and Firmino Wigan deducted four points for next season after failing to pay players’ wages Definitely not – Gary O’Neil won’t let Bournemouth rest after securing survival

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky to a three-year contract

Eddie Howe has spent a season not mentioning the Champions League. “I actually can’t pronounce it, it goes funny against my lips,” he said. He may soon have to expand his vocabulary to include the phrase. Newcastle United’s fixture list seems set to take on an extra dimension next season. Which, it is safe to say, will be greeted with glee on Tyneside. Newcastle was a club mired in depression and which is now engulfed in euphoria. Optimism has returned, and at a ground with the size, centrality and presence to feel still more integral to a city’s identity than most. There may be more of a mixed reception elsewhere, and not merely if Newcastle eject Manchester United or, more probably, Liverpool from next season’s Champions League. For those of a certain age and with a nostalgic bent, their return to such a stage may stir memories of Tino Asprilla’s hat-trick against Barcelona. For others, there might be a distaste about Newcastle’s owners, at the sense that it is an endorsement of the Saudi Arabian government or a triumphant sportswashing project. And, in some quarters, there will probably be the suggestion a top-four finish was the inevitable consequence of spending. Which it isn’t. Or not this season, anyway. The provenance of Newcastle’s funds can remain an issue but the moral and the financial are very separate situations. Their rise has an ominous element for some of their new peers and there may be a time in the future when Newcastle can fairly be accused of buying success, when their expenditure dwarves everyone else’s, with the possible exception of Manchester City and, depending on a possible Qatari takeover, Manchester United. But not yet. For now, this is overachievement; relative to talent, to the salaries and even the transfer outlay. It is what will render a top-four finish a genuine footballing feat. When Leicester visit St James’ Park on Monday, in a game that could send one team down and another into the Champions League, it is a moot point which club has the higher wage bill: possibly Leicester, unless Newcastle’s players are on hefty bonuses for Champions League qualification. At around £250m over three transfer windows, progress has not come cheap; Newcastle have spent far more than they could in the past, but not as much as some of their peers and from the lower base of a club who were in danger of relegation when they started to buy. Tottenham have spent similar sums over the last 18 months, Manchester United paid out more last summer and Chelsea, ludicrously, have contrived to burn through £600m to get what will almost certainly be a bottom-half finish. Newcastle have proved the anti-Chelsea, faring better than anticipated with astute recruitment, finding value for money when a windfall could have led to wild spending. The starring role against Brighton, in the win that took Newcastle to the brink of a top-four spot, came from Kieran Trippier, who cost £12m. The second goal came from Dan Burn, who arrived for £13m. The goalkeeper – along with Alisson, the best in the Premier League this season – is Nick Pope, who was priced at £10m. They are different cases, but each is a bargain. Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman belong in the next bracket up, of signings in the region of £35-40m. But the Brazilian has established himself among the division’s classiest holding midfielders; the Dutchman has ranked among the best centre-backs this season. Each is worth rather more than he cost. The club record fee of £63m went on Alexander Isak; when he was injured in autumn, Newcastle had a negligible return on it. But the Swede was instrumental in a spring surge; a summer beckons in which there will be too few top-quality strikers on the market for the number of clubs who want one. United can sit it out, enjoying the prospect of Isak’s potential. Anthony Gordon’s has scarcely been an auspicious start; a fringe figure may be overpriced or prove another who kicks on. Newcastle certainly paid over the odds last January for Chris Wood, though they did well to recoup much of that £25m fee a year later. Matt Targett excelled on loan but has lost his place since signing permanently. But bring in enough players and no record is unblemished: Newcastle’s strike rate is higher than most, with six hits out of nine already. Go back 15 years and City’s initial business was rather more erratic. Perhaps it always needed a combination of Newcastle’s overperformance, in both the transfer market and on the pitch, and unexpected frailties elsewhere to propel them so far and so fast. Chelsea are having a historically terrible season; Tottenham and Liverpool have been below par, even if Jurgen Klopp’s team can still eye salvation. Yet their fate is out of their hands. Newcastle have had the billing of the world’s richest club for the last 18 months, but as they are headed for the riches of the Champions League, it is not because they spent more money than everyone else but they spent better than virtually everyone else. Read More Eddie Howe knows Newcastle will have to carefully manage European football Manager of the season contender Unai Emery ‘trying to improve every day’ Eddie Howe says Newcastle win ‘huge’ but warns still work to do in top-four hunt Football rumours: Arsenal preparing £90million swoop for West Ham’s Declan Rice Sam Allardyce refuses to criticise Leeds’ Patrick Bamford despite penalty miss Police charge Leeds fan with assault over Eddie Howe confrontation

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has paid tribute to the departing quartet of James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita. All four will leave when their contracts expire next month and are guaranteed an emotional send-off at Anfield against Aston Villa. All leave as Champions League and Premier League winners and while Firmino and Milner, who arrived in the summer of 2015 a few months before Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers, have played a greater role, the manager insisted all four had made significant contributions. “We spoke already with the boys earlier this week about it,” said Klopp. “It is super-important for us and kind of super-emotional as well for different reasons because we say goodbye to, from my point of view, four Liverpool legends. “Two of them were here when I arrived – Millie (Milner) and Bobby (Firmino) – and nothing of all the good things which happened in the last few years would have happened without them. “Bobby, my God, how much I love the guy. It is 100 per cent deserved. “Millie played an incredible number of games, I think I am the manager he played the most games for in his career, and probably the same for Bobby. “My English is not good enough to really express my respect for them but that’s the same for Ox (Oxlade-Chamberlain) and Naby, for different reasons. “Ox was unlucky in moments with bad injuries in absolutely the wrong moment. I remember the (2018 Champions League game) against Roma when he got badly injured and I had no clue how to sort that situation as he was that good and pretty much irreplaceable in that moment. “Everyone knows we spent a lot of money on Naby and there were a lot of expectations and because of injuries in the wrong moments he couldn’t fulfil all of them but go back and look at the football he could play in his good moments.” Milner has been heavily linked with a move to Brighton, but the futures of the other three are less clear, although they will not be short of offers. Klopp added: “I wish them all well and hope they find a place where they are as much respected and needed as here and they find their luck again because they had a lot in the last few years. “All four won pretty much each available trophy and we love them but it is professional football and nothing is forever. “There is always a moment and it’s a good moment because it means one chapter will be closed and we can start writing a new one, which is good as well for them and for us. “I will be forever thankful to them because without them nothing would’ve happened. They were super-important in all they did and that’s the farewell they deserve.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola compares Man City’s title push to serving for Wimbledon glory Wigan deducted four points for next season after failing to pay players’ wages Definitely not – Gary O’Neil won’t let Bournemouth rest after securing survival

Wigan will start the League One season in August with minus-four points after the English Football League issued its latest sanction against the club for a failure to pay players’ wages. The EFL said a further four-point deduction was suspended until the end of the 2023-24 season. That suspended sanction will kick in if club owner Abdulrahman Al Jasmi fails to deposit an amount equal to 125 per cent of the club’s forecast monthly wage bill into a designated account by May 24. The additional four-point deduction would also be activated if the club fail to pay players on time at any point between now and June 2024. The club’s 2022-23 season points tally has also been reduced by three points, even though the Championship regular season is already over. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Bob Baffert is back at the Preakness for his first Triple Crown race in two years

Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil has challenged his side to continue pushing for points ahead of Saturday’s clash with Manchester United. Despite being in the mix for relegation for most of the season, the Cherries secured Premier League survival last weekend and they now sit 14th in the table with 39 points. Their survival bid saw them pick up some vital wins, including memorable victories against Tottenham and Liverpool. They now face a tricky test against a United side pushing for Champions League football, but O’Neil believes the game offers a perfect opportunity for his team to respond to last weekend’s 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace. He told a pre-match press conference: “We’ve lost our last two games so 39 points is a good tally, but it was better two weeks ago so we’ve been stuck on it for a couple of weeks. “We set ourselves a goal and we’ve achieved it, but does that mean that we’re just happy to just stop, park up and finish on 39 points? Definitely not. “Last weekend was a good reminder that if you drop your level a little bit, it can look like a lot at this level; the Premier League is ruthless. “We’re looking for a response from last weekend and Manchester United at home is a great fixture for the boys to go and show what they can do. “We’ve got full focus on Manchester United, we’ve managed to get some good work done on preparing for what is going to be a very tough game against a good side that are still pushing hard to make sure they qualify for the Champions League. “It’ll be a good test for us tomorrow.” Jefferson Lerma could be involved on Saturday and is expected to wear protection after breaking his nose against Crystal Palace, while Hamed Traore is still ruled out. O’Neil also confirmed that Antoine Semenyo has undergone surgery to a shin injury and is hoping for a “speedy recovery” ahead of pre-season. “Antoine has had surgery so he will be out until next season,” O’Neil said. “We’re hopeful he gets back and can have a decent little spell with the team before the season starts but it will depend on how quickly he recovers. “Everything went well and we’re hoping he has a speedy recovery because he can be a big help again for us next season.”

England boss Gareth Southgate believes it is vital not to stifle his players from celebrating their ties to other countries and wants to foster a brand of patriotism more relevant to modern Britain. Terry Venables handed Southgate his debut in 1995 and the central defender went on to win 57 caps for his country, featuring in two World Cups and two European Championships. Since his 2016 appointment, Southgate, 52, has found himself in charge of many men who were also eligible to play elsewhere but chose to represent England. “In the last few years I’ve learned a lot from leading these boys,” said Southgate, speaking at Football Beyond Borders’ annual showcase. “It’s always struck me that we talk a lot about what it means to play for England and being proud to play for England, but our country is in a different time now and everybody is also proud of where their family roots might be. “We’ve obviously got players who have family from Nigeria, from the Caribbean, from Ireland. The world is really fluid now, people are moving to different countries. They’re proud of the country they represent, but they’re also proud of their heritage. “I think for a long time we didn’t recognise that. So when I’m talking about what it means to play for England I’m really conscious that it’s different for everybody. When I started playing it was Stuart Pearce and Tony Adams knocking the door off, screaming and shouting. “We’ve changed. They were proud to play for England, our boys are proud to play for England, but it’s a different sort of approach.” When I started playing it was Stuart Pearce and Tony Adams knocking the door off, screaming and shouting Gareth Southgate Among Southgate’s players eligible for other countries are midfielder Declan Rice, who switched allegiances from Ireland – a team for which captain Harry Kane is also among the eligible – while Bukayo Saka could have represented Nigeria and Raheem Sterling Jamaica. Embracing multiculturalism, for Southgate, even extends to team mealtimes centred around cuisines from different cultures and countries. The former Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender admitted he sometimes felt “frightened about going down to eat” when he played for England, “because it was with people I wasn’t comfortable with, because I didn’t know them. “And then when you go out onto the pitch you don’t feel that you can be yourself. And if you can’t be yourself off the pitch, you can’t be yourself on the pitch.” Southgate has actively involved himself in conversations about racism, particularly after Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Saka were subjected to abuse after missing penalties in England’s Euro 2020 final shoot-out to Italy. In a letter he penned for the Players’ Tribune before that tournament, Southgate called out abusers and those who would suggest he and his players simply “stick to football” and refrain from weighing in on “matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice”. Instead Southgate insisted that he has ” a responsibility to the wider community to use my voice, and so do the players.” Nearly two years later, Southgate’s stance has not changed. Reflecting on his playing career, he added: “I don’t know what it was like for our young lads. I always think of Danny Rose and Fabian Delph. They grew up in Yorkshire. “To be them at a younger age, playing Sunday football, being abused on the football pitch, I have no idea what that feels like. “And all I’ve tried to do is better understand what that journey is like for my players, and to make sure that when they’re with our team nobody can do that to them, that everybody is treated well and with respect and I think they’re important things. “I know I’ll be criticised for supporting them by some people, but I’m comfortable that I’m on the right side of the argument and I’m on the right side. That doesn’t bother me.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Oak Hill offering stern test as early starters chase leader Bryson DeChambeau Stuart Lancaster will be missed at Leinster after making ‘massive impact’ Leinster head coach Leo Cullen ready to embrace pressure of Champions Cup final

Italian teams are bidding to achieve what they have only done once before: winning all three of Europe’s top club competitions