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Ollie Watkins continued his red-hot form as Aston Villa cruised to a statement 4-1 Europa Conference League win at AZ Alkmaar. The striker netted his 10th goal of the season and fourth in Europe this season on Thursday. Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans – his first for Villa – put them in control in AZ Stadium after less than 25 minutes. Vangelis Pavlidis wasted the hosts’ best chances but Watkins and John McGinn added more goals after the break in Holland before Ibrahim Sadiq grabbed a consolation. It was the second time in two games Villa had scored four after their 4-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Sunday. Unai Emery celebrated a year in charge on Tuesday and victory underlined the progress his side have made, having been floundering in 14th and three points above the relegation zone 12 months ago. Villa host Alkmaar in two weeks knowing victory would see them take a giant leap to the knock-out stages, especially following an opening 3-2 defeat at Legia Warsaw in September. After two games in Group E, all four teams were locked on three points but Villa moved to remedy that quickly, opening the scoring just 13 minutes in. Watkins seized on a loose pass from Yukinari Sugawara and, while Boubacar Kamara’s ball was cut out, it fell for Bailey to control and rifle in low from the edge of the box. Alkmaar cried handball but the goal stood and 10 minutes later, the hosts were 2-0 down. Another poor pass, this time from Sven Mijnans, went straight to McGinn and his angled pass found Tielemans to bag his first Villa goal. Yet, 90 seconds later, the hosts should have pulled a goal back when Pavlidis fired over with just Emi Martinez to beat after Kamara was dispossessed on the edge of the box. Pavlidis had a goal disallowed for offside soon after but Villa regrouped and extended their lead six minutes after the break. AZ were picked apart by Watkins, Tielemans and Bailey, who saw his shot saved by Matt Ryan but it fell perfectly for Watkins to tap in the rebound. Five minutes later McGinn added a fourth when he turned in Bailey’s low cross at the near post. Sadiq pulled a surprise goal back with 25 minutes left when he latched onto Bruno Martins Indi’s crossfield pass and drilled the ball into the corner from the edge of the box. Tiago Dantas came close to a second, Tielemans deflecting his drive behind, with a comeback never on the cards. Read More West Ham suffer first European loss in 18 matches at hands of Olympiacos Brodie Retallick wins second-row start for New Zealand in World Cup final Ben Youngs ‘so content’ to sign off England career in bronze final at World Cup Sandro Tonali needs ’empathy and support’ after being banned for 10 months Jos Buttler: My future as captain out of my hands as England near World Cup exit Maro Itoje praises ‘courageous’ Tom Curry for reporting Mbongeni Mbonambi

The baseball icon’s modest Oklahoma home is getting the fractional ownership treatment.

West Ham’s unbeaten European record was reduced to ruins in Athens as they crashed to a 2-1 defeat at Olympiacos. The Hammers came a cropper in the shadow of the Acropolis as they suffered a first loss in UEFA competitions in 18 matches. David Moyes, who led his side to the Europa Conference League title last season, made seven changes for their Europa League Group A clash in the Greek capital. But his selection backfired as a soft goal from Olympiacos captain Kostas Fortounis and an own goal from stand-in Hammers skipper Angelo Ogbonna brought their undefeated run to a halt despite Lucas Paqueta’s late reply. A hostile reception for West Ham was guaranteed at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, with Olympiacos even issuing a warning to their supporters not to throw missiles or target players with laser pens. That plea came after their match against fierce rivals Panathinaikos on Sunday had to be abandoned when a visiting player was hit by a firework hurled from the crowd. With tensions high in Athens – Panathinaikos were also playing at home a few miles away – around 1,600 West Ham fans were bussed in from the city centre to the ground under a police escort to avoid any potential trouble. The local ‘ultras’ did not disappoint, with a huge banner reading “tonight you dine in hell” welcoming the visitors on to the pitch amid a cauldron of noise. Moyes would certainly have found West Ham’s first-half display hard to stomach. The hosts took the lead in the 34th minute when Fortounis turned away from Emerson Palmieri, James Ward-Prowse and Pablo Fornals far too easily, 25 yards out. Fortounis launched an old-fashioned toe poke from the edge of the box which flew past the flat-footed Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal. On the stroke of half-time the Hammers found themselves two behind when Ogbonna suffered his own personal Greek tragedy. The Italian veteran stuck out a foot to block a cross from Brazilian full-back Rodinei, only to help it past Areola into his own net. Moyes will have been having a bad case of deja vu; his ill-fated spell in charge of Manchester United included a 2-0 defeat at the same stadium in 2014. West Ham did at least come out in the second half with more purpose, but a low cross from Emerson was scooped over the crossbar by Danny Ings. Moyes made a triple substitution before the hour mark with Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio entering the fray. Paqueta halved the deficit with a stunning volley from the edge of the box with four minutes left, but despite a late flurry they could not find an equaliser. A victory would have all but secured West Ham’s passage into the knockout stages but now they find themselves with work to do, lying level with Freiburg at the top of the group with Olympiacos two points behind. Read More Brodie Retallick wins second-row start for New Zealand in World Cup final Ben Youngs ‘so content’ to sign off England career in bronze final at World Cup Sandro Tonali needs ’empathy and support’ after being banned for 10 months Jos Buttler: My future as captain out of my hands as England near World Cup exit Maro Itoje praises ‘courageous’ Tom Curry for reporting Mbongeni Mbonambi There’s a long way to go – Ange Postecoglou staying grounded despite Spurs form

By Andy Sullivan and Andrew Goudsward WASHINGTON New U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson has joined his

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As Dusty Baker officially ended one notable chapter in his illustrious career, he said Thursday he feels an obligation to do more around the game with his next one