List of All Articles with Tag 'ports'

A player that Manchester City let go reins them back in, in a game that took off. Cole Palmer’s fine stoppage-time penalty was quite an ending to the story of the day, crowning what was probably the match of the season so far. While Chelsea’s late 4-4 draw ensures the defending champions are only a point clear at the top, it felt like this had a significance for more than the title race. It could be a launchpad for Palmer and maybe this Chelsea side, as they finally looked like a proper Mauricio Pochettino team. They pressed and pushed City into a pulsating 4-4 draw, Pep Guardiola’s side doing their own part with some wondrous play. There are a lot of issues with modern football, and it felt like this whole week was dominated by talk of referees, but this game right at the end reminded why we watch. VAR was mercifully muted, not quite silent, but it would feel even more wrong to talk about it after a game like that. This was really about the concentration of quality on show, particularly Reece James, Manuel Akanji, Rodri, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and - perhaps above all - former City players Raheem Sterling and Palmer. Sterling might well have finished upstaged by Palmer, but he won’t be too bothered about that, not with his goal and the way they clicked together. There is something there. It felt symbolic that all of Chelsea’s front three - including the burgeoning Nicolas Jackson - scored. They are a long way off City’s imperious level, but it is telling they have not yet lost to a big-six side. Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur on Monday and have now followed that and previous draws with Liverpool and Arsenal with perhaps the most significant of the lot. It was, somewhat ironically given recent games, VAR that actually got things going. The match had started at a fast pace without too much happening, until the officials spotted some jostling between Haaland and Marc Cucurella. It looked like the both had as much a hold of each other, but the Chelsea defender hung on longer, resulting in a penalty. Haaland of course scored. Perhaps aggravated, it fired something in Chelsea. What followed was probably their best spell of football of the season. That was partly driven by Sterling’s best spell in a Chelsea shirt, but there was more to it. There was certainly so much to Palmer. It was like something finally clicked, with the attack rampant. Palmer was everywhere. The forward’s movement and touches were the perfect foil for Sterling’s running, which he often decorated with vintage tricks and nutmegs. Jeremy Doku, who could probably be described as Sterling’s long-term successor, was the victim of one flick through the legs. The pressure first told from a corner, with Thiago Silva plundering a fine equaliser with a guided header. Chelsea were at that point overrunning City, literally, which led to Reece James surging down the right to set up Sterling for a finish he would have relished. As good as Chelsea were, and as deserving as their lead was, they soon faced a dilemma. The issue with facing this City and getting the better of them is that you only have a certain amount of time until Guardiola figures it out and decisively changes it to reassert control. It felt like that had happened by the hour. City had already equalised before half-time through a brilliant Akanji header, capping a fine individual game. It could have been a lot worse for City had the centre-half not been so dominant, as Ruben Dias had an unusually erratic display. Akanji’s presence made it all the more surprising he was left unmarked. For the third goal, then, City just made their own space. Phil Foden paused on the ball to allow Julian Alvarez to burst from deep, the overlap then allowing Haaland to sneak in on the other side. It wasn’t the cleanest finish, but it was still artful forward play due to the quality of the run. VAR checked for half-time, but it would have been ludicrous to rule it out. Chelsea, for their part, kept persevering. This is where more encouragement could come from the display. They again gave Dias trouble, as the centre-half found himself caught out from a parried shot, allowing Jackson to equalise. Palmer was again making so much happen, enjoying the freedom that Pochettino affords him. If it feels remarkable that City let an academy player like that go, it only speaks to their strength in depth. The next goal suitably came from way back. Rodri took a shot from distance on 86 minutes, and the ball deflected into the net. There was still more in the game, though. Pochettino has instilled something in Chelsea. They kept going, and forced Dias into another rash moment. Palmer stepped up, You could have forgiven him for feeling some nerves. Ederson would have faced him a lot in training. Palmer made all that irrelevant, as he showed no nerves at all. It is obviously too early to say Chelsea are back. Palmer, however, is here. Read More Jamie Carragher bemused by penalty decision in Man City vs Chelsea: ‘It’s not right’ Five things we learned from Chelsea and Man City’s eight-goal thriller Chelsea’s downward spiral offers stark warning to Man City Jeremy Doku’s brilliance shows Man City’s edge and Chelsea’s key problem Chelsea will be fighting for titles sooner rather than later, says Pep Guardiola Chelsea vs Manchester City LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

Georgia extended its streak of weeks being top-ranked in the AP Top 25 to 22, giving the Bulldogs the second-longest run of being No. 1 in the history of the college football poll

Former Manchester City player Cole Palmer scored a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time as Chelsea came back to draw 4-4 with the defending Premier League champions

Joe Espada will be introduced as manager of the Houston Astros on Monday, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press

The Edmonton Oilers have fired coach Jay Woodcroft after a team that was supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender lost 10 of its first 13 games

Boise State has fired coach Andy Avalos, 10 games into his third season leading the Broncos and with a 22-14 overall record

The father of Liverpool star Luis Diaz said he went “almost 12 days without sleep” and endured long horseback treks through mountain passes as he revealed the details of his kidnapping ordeal for the first time. Luis Manuel Diaz, 58, was released by the guerrilla group Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) on Thursday, nearly two weeks after he was captured at gunpoint along with his wife near their hometown of Barrancas in northern Colombia. While Cilenis Marulanda was rescued by police within hours, Diaz Sr remained in the hands of his kidnappers and said he was told to remain calm. At a press conference in Barrancas, Diaz Sr said that although “the treatment was good, I didn’t feel very comfortable”. “It was a lot of horseback riding, really hard, a lot of mountains, a lot of rain, too many insects,” said an emotional and weary Diaz Sr, speaking alongside his family near the Colombia-Venezuela border. “I couldn’t sleep peacefully, it was very difficult, almost 12 days without sleep.” Despite the ordeal, Diaz Sr said he had no plans to move away from Barrancas and felt safe in Colombia. The father of the Liverpool forward said he did not understand why the ELN kidnapped him as he was not held to ransom. "My aspirations are to continue in my town because I have my entire family in my town," Diaz Sr said. "The government has given me impressively strong and great support. I trust and have faith that it will provide me security to be in Barrancas." Liverpool winger and Colombia international Diaz had made an emotional appeal for his father’s release after scoring a late equaliser for Liverpool in their 1-1 draw against Luton last weekend The 26-year-old marked the goal by revealing a T-shirt bearing a message in Spanish reading “Freedom for Dad’’ and then made a statement calling for his “prompt release”. Diaz Sr said he spoke to his son after he was safely released by the kidnappers on Thursday and Diaz told him he was “happy” to play in Liverpool’s Europa League match against Toulouse that afternoon. The Colombian police said it had arrested four suspects after investigating Diaz Sr’s kidnapping, while the head of the ELN has admitted it was a “mistake” to capture the Liverpool star’s father. Read More Jurgen Klopp reignites early kick-off row ahead of Man City vs Liverpool clash Mohamed Salah’s stunning Anfield record is making his brilliance appear normal Liverpool vs Brentford LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

Robert Lewandowski has scored twice to lead Barcelona to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Alaves in the Spanish league

Jonathan Taylor ran for a first-quarter touchdown and Mac Jones threw a crucial interception in the fourth quarter and the Indianapolis Colts held on for a 10-6 win over New England Patriots in Germany

Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Sunday, two days after he publicly criticized officiating following his team’s loss to Utah

The names feel a throwback to a different time. As the final whistle blew, the players on the pitch for Graham Potter’s Chelsea included Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Cesar Azpilicueta, Hakim Ziyech and Jorginho. A mismatched group who had Chelsea’s worst season for decades can claim few distinctions but they remain the last Premier League side to leave Anfield without Mohamed Salah either scoring or assisting a goal against them. That stalemate was in January and it is starting to look very possible that Salah will complete a year of decisive contributions on home soil. A brace against Brentford had a certain predictability but knowing about Salah’s threat and stopping him are very different things. There is a certain normality to his brilliance. For a 15th consecutive league game here, Anfield’s Egyptian king reigned. For a sixth in a row this season, he scored, and only Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Thierry Henry have started a Premier League campaign in similar vein. Not for the first time, Salah is in elite, esteemed company. He is accustomed to rubbing shoulders with the goalscoring greats and he may yet give Erling Haaland a battle for the Golden Boot. A dozen games into the campaign, Salah is already in double figures for top-flight goals. There was a precision to the latest pair: his ninth was both a trademark Salah goal and a high-class team strike. It was a clinical finish after crisp, incisive passing: Trent Alexander-Arnold fed Darwin Nunez who picked out Salah. He, in turn, found the far corner of the Brentford net. It continued the profitable alliance of Nunez and Salah: all nine of the Uruguayan’s Liverpool assists have come for the Egyptian. Salah’s second of the afternoon came as many a player on either side simply stood and watched. They seemed to think the ball was out after a sliding Kostas Tsimikas crossed and an unmarked Salah planted a header past Mark Flekken. Yet the goal stood and it was the start of the second double: Tsimikas, found badly wanting in Thursday’s defeat to Toulouse, got two assists. The second owed more to Diogo Jota, who jinked infield and fizzed in a shot from the edge of the box. It was his sixth goal in his last seven outings at Anfield – Salah is not alone in enjoying home comforts – and Liverpool could have had six of their own. There might have been a hat-trick for their top scorer. Some of Alexander-Arnold’s passing was sublime and Salah volleyed wastefully over from the vice-captain’s cross. Before the deadlock was broken, Nunez had an idiosyncratic double of his own, with two goals chalked off inside five minutes, both for offside and after consulting VAR. The first was marginal, the second altogether clearer. Nunez finished adeptly after intercepting Dominik Szoboszlai’s misdirected shot and then spectacularly with an overhead kick; the offside flag rewarded goalkeeper Flekken, who had saved brilliantly from Virgil van Dijk’s header before Joel Matip headed the ball to Nunez. The striker was excellent; perhaps it was perversely typical that one of his best performances did not bring a goal. For Liverpool, though, there was a win to end what had been, in terms of performances, their worst week of the season. Below par at Luton, rather worse in Toulouse, they had attacking verve, if not always defensive solidity. But perhaps it was understandable Liverpool were too open. A makeshift midfield, shorn of five injured or suspended players, contained a forward, in Cody Gakpo, and a man making a first Premier League start at Anfield, in Wataru Endo. The Japanese rightly survived a VAR check for a red card for a challenge on Christian Norgaard, irritating Thomas Frank, and Brentford, often the scourge of the big six, posed Liverpool problems. They ought to have returned south with a goal to show for their efforts. Quick-witted and sharp of foot, Bryan Mbuemo brought Brentford a menace on the break and, almost, a lead. He latched on to a loose touch by Alexander-Arnold to shoot wide. He raced on to Mads Roerslev’s long pass, in behind the Liverpool defence; Alisson’s expertise in one-on-one situations was required to deflect his shot and allow Alexander-Arnold to clear. Norgaard came close with a volley from Mbuemo’s corner; the imperious Van Dijk also hooked a Norgaard header off the line. Yet their bid for a club record fourth consecutive Premier League win was ended by Salah, just as Liverpool’s record of winning every match at Anfield this season by at least two goals continued. They still average exactly three goals a game on their own turf, with 27 in nine. If it takes a team to forge such statistics, they are helped when they have someone of the consistency and quality of Salah. Anfield is a fortress but, in part, that is the Salah effect. Read More Jurgen Klopp reignites early kick-off row ahead of Man City vs Liverpool clash Liverpool vs Brentford LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Father of Luis Diaz reveals details of kidnapping ordeal

Bills edge rusher Von Miller says his surgically repaired right knee has shown gradual improvement with Buffalo preparing to host his former team on Monday night