List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Conor McGregor could be seen cheering on Irish boxers from ringside on Saturday, as he attended an event built around Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron in Dublin. Taylor, who holds the undisputed lightweight titles, will challenge her British opponent for the undisputed super-lightweight belts at the 3Arena later tonight, with McGregor present to support his compatriot. FOLLOW LIVE: Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron – latest fight updates REVIEW: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary The Irishman has publicly supported Taylor for some time, and the former UFC champion helped to sponsor the event build around her bout with Cameron on Saturday (20 May). He was seen sitting next to boxing promoter Eddie Hearn at the 3Arena – where he competed early in his UFC career – and cheering on Irish fighters on the undercard, including Gary Cully and Dennis Hogan. McGregor has not competed since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg during his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier. The 34-year-old is set to return to the Octagon this year to face Michael Chandler, though no date, location or weight class has been confirmed for that fight. McGregor Forever, the second documentary on McGregor’s career, was released on Netflix this week. Read The Independent’s review of the four-part series here. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary, McGregor Forever UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in trailer for The Ultimate Fighter

Holger Rune has followed his latest victory over Novak Djokovic with another impressive performance to reach the Italian Open final

Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum both scored 23 points, and the Las Vegas Aces opened defense of their WNBA championship with a 105-64 win over the Seattle Storm

Barcelona's fans have shouted “Messi

Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan praised a collective effort after Pep Guardiola’s side were crowned Premier League champions once again following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. The Gunners needed to win to delay City’s title celebrations ahead of their home match against Chelsea on Sunday. However, Taiwo Awoniyi’s first-half goal proved enough to give Forest victory in front of a raucous home crowd, which secured their own top-flight status once again. Guardiola’s side will lift the Premier League trophy on Sunday for a third successive campaign, and a fifth time in six seasons, sealed with three matches to spare. City had overhauled Arsenal’s eight-point lead as Mikel Arteta’s men faltered, winning 11 Premier League games in a row including a 4-1 victory over their rivals at the end of April. Unbeaten in their last 23 games through all competitions, City have also reached the finals of both the FA Cup and Champions League as they remain on course for the treble. “To have helped the club win a third straight Premier League title is something very special,” Gundogan said on the Manchester City website. “The Premier League is without doubt the most demanding and competitive league in the world so that tells you everything about what an achievement this is. “This squad is so talented and so special and to have been captain this season has been an enormous privilege.” German midfielder Gundogan added: “I would also like to thank Pep, all the backroom staff and everyone who works across this football club. “Every single day they help provide us as players with everything we need in order to try to be successful. There is no way we could have won this title without all their support. “To have won this trophy three times in a row and five times in six years is incredible. That quality and consistency helps sum up what Manchester City stand for and ensures the club will continue to strive for success going forward. “It has been a season I will never forget. Our amazing fans have been with us every single step of the way. “Without their amazing backing I don’t think there is any way we would have been able to achieve what we have done these past six seasons. “Their passion and support have been so important and inspirational for us all. Hopefully winning the Premier League title again is a fitting way for us to say thank you to our fans.” Erling Haaland’s goals helped fire City to the title, as the Norway forward set a new Premier League record with 36 so far. He wrote on Twitter: “Always give your best. Always believe. It pays off. C’MON CITY!” City defender Aymeric Laporte posted: “What a season tho. Credit to absolutely everyone involved from top to bottom. “Every one of use fought for this. More to come soon hopefully but we can already be proud of this one.” Arsenal had been insatiable for most of the campaign, spending 248 days on top of the table before their late collapse handed City an opportunity to ruthlessly hunt them down. City defender Kyle Walker said: “Arsenal pushed us right to the limit they’ve been fantastic, so all credit to them. “We just went on an incredible run, they had a few hiccups and we capitalised on it and we’ve managed to end up where we have now. “It’s the players we’ve got. We’re a bunch of lads who have achieved so much over the last number of years and we understand the standards we’ve set. “We achieved so much over the past five or six years, but we knew the bar wasn’t high enough at the start of the season. “When we came back after the World Cup, we had to kick on and fair play to the lads. You've got to be ready at the business end of the season because that's what this club is all about Kyle Walker “We wanted to prove anyone doubting us wrong – it wasn’t good enough. “With the lads we have in the dressing room we always believe we can do something. “The standards of the Premier League have gone up, but this is what this club is built for, certainly that’s how it’s been for the six years I’ve been here, so fair play to everyone involved. “You’ve got to be ready at the business end of the season because that’s what this club is all about and what we are built for.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Really sad day – Mikel Arteta rues tame end to Arsenal’s title challenge Erling Haaland’s record-breaking season leads Manchester City to title Haaland signing a master stroke as Man City secure another Premier League title

Jake Burger hit a three-run double in the sixth inning, helping Lucas Giolito and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1

Olivier Giroud netted his first hat trick in Serie A to help AC Milan bounce back from Champions League disappointment by beating already-relegated Sampdoria 5-1 in Serie A

Mikel Arteta was apologetic as he reflected on a “really sad day” after Arsenal’s faint Premier League title hopes were ended by a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. Manchester City were confirmed as champions after Taiwo Awoniyi’s first-half goal saw Forest earn the three points that secured their top-flight status. The Gunners, who were insatiable for most of the campaign, had spent 248 days on top of the table and held an eight-point lead over City in March, but an alarming slide saw them overtaken by Pep Guardiola’s relentless juggernaut who claim a fifth title in six seasons. No team has spent more time on top of the table and not won the league, which left Arteta crestfallen. “Really sad day, a lot of difficult emotions, we lost the game, we lost the championship after 10 and a half months fighting for it and nine and a half months almost on top of it,” he said. “We built a lot of illusion and belief that we could go all the way and win it and in the end we fell short. Congratulations to Man City, they are the champions, they deserve to be the champions, they have done it for 38 games, we haven’t been able to do that. “That is it and from my side I apologise because we have built that belief that we could do it and in the end the team wasn’t able to do it and that is my responsibility. “Today is just a lot of sadness. You see a lot of people, they put everything, they put so much work, so much belief and so much hours and I am sad, I am sad for them because we wanted to find a way and squeeze everything we had in that group. “We fell short and this is my job and my responsibility, I have to analyse that and think. “Today we should have played much better, we gave them a goal and gave them another chance to score another goal if they wanted and we fell short to break them down. “You need, when you come to April and May, 24 players there and available, fit and playing at their best, full of confidence and ready to go and for many reasons we haven’t had that. “There are key moments in the league that define, the momentum goes there, the result goes there and we didn’t have those margins going on our side.” For Forest it was a real red letter day as they secured their survival against the odds. For large parts of the season, which began with more than 20 new signings, they looked destined to return straight back to the Championship, not least when they were on an 11-game winless run going into the end of April. But Awoniyi’s hot streak, with five goals in three games, helped Steve Cooper’s side lift themselves out of the bottom three and they can no longer be caught by Southampton, Leicester or Everton. It completes an impressive job by Cooper, who repaid Forest for the faith they showed when backing him amid their poor run, and his stock continues to rise. Asked how he felt, the Welshman said: “Just pride, a great sense of belonging at being part of something really special and important for me. “A brilliant day for the players and an equally great day for the supporters and one we deserved. It is difficult to use the word achievement at this football club because you have to be careful but it is just amazing to be able to allow the club to move forward, that’s what we all want to do. “Now is the time to talk about the players, the supporters and the game. It is a real sense of belonging and being part of something greater than any one person. “This was always going to be my toughest coaching challenge, but an enjoyable one, not a negative one. We have had everything this year, both positive and negative. “It feels great, but I am more thinking about it just allows us to progress.”

An injury-time blast has given the United States a 1-0 win against Ecuador in one of the opening matches of the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina

The winner of the PGA Championship will be getting $3.15 million

Bayern Munich squandered its Bundesliga lead as Leipzig came from behind to win 3-1

Manchester City sowed the seeds for their latest title success before they had even completed their 2022 triumph. In May last year, as the team fought hard on the field to hold off the challenge of Liverpool, off it the top brass agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Erling Haaland. It was a bold statement by a club used to making bold statements. The prolific Norwegian striker joined them in the summer and, almost instantly, an already formidable team became a seemingly unstoppable force. Obviously it was not quite so straightforward, but after City’s powerful spring charge – when they reeled in and then flew past Arsenal without even a hint of feeling pressure – few could argue they are now one of the greatest teams to have graced the Premier League. Haaland has been at the heart of it, scoring a barely believable and record-breaking 36 league goals so far in the process. He not only surpassed the greats of the past, but left them trailing in his wake. He overtook the previous record mark of 34 – set by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer in 42-game seasons in the mid-1990s – with five matches to spare. He helped himself to four hat-tricks and formed a potent combination with the team’s chief playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne. Rarely has a player made as big an impact as Haaland has and, given how City have adapted and improved around him as the season has gone on, there would seem to be plenty more to come. Yet while Haaland may have been a hugely significant factor in City’s fifth title in six seasons, it would be unfair to give him all the credit. De Bruyne has enjoyed another highly influential campaign, laying on 16 assists and scoring seven goals himself. Jack Grealish, now looking far more comfortable with his £100million tag, has also been a driving force while Rodri has developed into one of the strongest midfielders in the game and John Stones has excelled in a hybrid defence-midfield role. Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Nathan Ake have also made big contributions at different times. The key once again, however, has been the man in charge, Pep Guardiola. The inspirational Catalan has produced another masterclass of management, underlining his pre-eminence in the game and strengthening his position among the greats. After two successive title wins with false nines or makeshift centre-forwards, Haaland’s arrival signalled a change of approach from the former Barcelona boss. Initially there were doubts, with fears Haaland’s presence might disrupt City’s natural flow. Indeed, early on, it did seem his goals were masking some disjointed and indifferent performances. Form either side of the World Cup break was patchy and underwhelming and allowed Arsenal to take early control of the race. Yet Guardiola worked through the inconsistencies and ironed out the problems, with excellent man-management, tactical nous and his ferocious winning mentality. There were some well-timed criticisms, surprise selection calls and eyebrow-raising departures – Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Joao Cancelo – all of which have been vindicated as City came good when it really mattered. Arsenal obviously let a strong position slip but, in a disrupted season, when City had more players at the World Cup than any other club, Guardiola paced the challenge perfectly. To have maintained intensity while also competing in two other competitions makes it all the more remarkable. City still have to win two more finals to complete a glorious treble, but their Premier League success alone is a phenomenal achievement. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live County Championship leaders Surrey race to emphatic win over Kent Leinster devastated by Champions Cup final loss – Leo Cullen A look at Pep Guardiola’s 10 major trophies as Manchester City manager