List of All Articles with Tag 'tb'

Son Heung-min says Dele Alli will always be part of the family and hopes his former Tottenham team-mate will not “have tough times anymore” as he looks to kick-start his career. Things have gone awry for the 27-year-old since he helped Spurs reach the 2019 Champions League final, with the England international failing to make an impact at Everton after moving there in January 2022. Alli recently revealed he had considered hanging up his boots in an emotional interview that saw him talk about how he was “molested” as a six-year-old and dealing drugs aged eight. The attacking midfielder also spoke about alcohol problems, sleeping-pill addiction and addressing his mental-health issues by spending six weeks in a rehab clinic – situations he kept away from many of his nearest and dearest. The football world has thrown its support behind Alli and he was warmly greeted at Tottenham on Saturday as he watched their 2-0 win against Manchester United, where the former Spur caught up with many of his former team-mates afterwards. “Dele was always close, as a friend with me,” the recently appointed Tottenham skipper said. “It was a really tough moment for him and obviously I’m always there to support him because he’s one of my closest friends. “Christian (Eriksen), as well today. Yeah, it’s just old team-mates but I think this relationship (with Dele) is very special. “He helped me a lot settling down in the UK when I was struggling. He was helping me a lot and is still a good friend of mine. “It’s always good to see him and any time if he needs anything, any second, I will be always there for him. I don’t want him to have tough times anymore.” Put to Son that it would be great if Alli could get his career back on track, he said: “We will always support him. “Obviously it’s up to him now because he has to recover well, get fit and play well because his quality is not in doubt because he has been showing in the Premier League what he can do. “Look, I’m always supporting him, like a member of family.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola ‘amazed’ by Manchester City hunger at start of new season Mauricio Pochettino confident of rapid Chelsea improvement after West Ham defeat Zharnel Hughes inspired to historic Budapest bronze by Olympic heartbreak

Pep Guardiola claims the hunger shown by his Manchester City players so far this season has amazed him. After the draining end to the treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, there were fears City could be off the pace come the start of the new term. Any drop in energy levels, however, seems to have been more than compensated for by a strong desire and focus, even after the loss of key players. On Saturday, City followed up their European Super Cup triumph over Sevilla in Athens three days previously by beating Newcastle to maintain their winning start in the Premier League. “We are who we are,” said City manager Guardiola. “(There are) a lot of young players on the bench and that’s the difference – the guys who want to be here are here. The difference is always here (heart) – at the top of our bodies. “The people respond because they see still we are there and I like it. We won already one title and we are six points from six, we’ve scored goals we don’t concede many chances. “When you see that after what we have done, what can you say? Apart from thank you my friends, I love you so much. “When you have that it is because a team is so special. Otherwise we cannot do what we have done for many years, it’s impossible. Saturday amazed me and made me happy.” City have lost influential playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to an injury that could sideline him for up to five months while John Stones and Bernardo Silva were also absent at the weekend. With Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez having left over the summer, and Aymeric Laporte another possible departure, Guardiola’s squad is taking on a different shape. Guardiola said: “Over the next one or two months the club have to take some important decisions with the squad. We didn’t expect (the situation) with Kevin and we didn’t expect with Riyad.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

With the Pac-12 on its last legs, Washington State has been evaluating its options. What does the future hold for Cougars?As told in a conversation with Enrique Cerna, Washington State has three options when it comes to conference realignment. Per Brett McMurphy, the Cougars could ...

Either Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe or Ty Simpson could be the one to help Alabama overtake Georgia in contention for a national title this season and beyond.By the start of the Texas game, Alabama needs to figure out who will be the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback between Tyler Buchner,...

Carson Beck will lead the Georgia football team out of the tunnel, while Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton will have to serve as Bulldog backup quarterbacks for yet another season.With Carson Beck being named the starting quarterback for this year's Georgia football team, promising backu...

Mauricio Pochettino is confident Chelsea will improve quickly despite an alarming 3-1 defeat at 10-man West Ham. The Blues were the better side but James Ward-Prowse, making his Hammers debut, created goals for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio, either side of Carney Chukwuemeka’s equaliser. Enzo Fernandez had a penalty saved by Alphonse Areola and West Ham had to play the final 25 minutes a player down after Aguerd saw red. Yet not only did David Moyes’ side cling on for a first win of the season, they wrapped it up in stoppage time. While Chelsea’s £105million player missed a spot-kick, their £115million signing gave one away with Moises Caicedo, on as a substitute, sending Emerson Palmieri tumbling and Lucas Paqueta converting the spot-kick. “I think today the result doesn’t reflect the performance but in football these situations happen,” said Pochettino. “I am disappointed in the way we conceded the first goal. We know West Ham are good at set-pieces. That is a little bit disappointing and we need to work hard on that. If we score the penalty we miss you are talking about a different game. We are going to perform better in the next games. Mauricio Pochettino “Then I think also did really well in the first half and we should have been winning at half-time. “But that is the process. We need to accept the defeat and keep on working. “If we score the penalty we miss you are talking about a different game. We are going to perform better in the next games.” Ward-Prowse was brought in to replace Declan Rice in West Ham’s midfield but he offers plenty more in attack. His seventh-minute corner found Aguerd at the far post, and his clever ball over the top sent Antonio through on goal. “His character is, in lots of ways, similar to Declan Rice,” said manager Moyes. “He’s a really good boy. His delivery, his assists, that’s what he’s capable of and I thought he did a great job today. His corner gave us a great start.” Paqueta was in the West Ham line-up despite being reportedly investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches. The Brazil midfielder is said to be shocked by the probe, which is believed to centre around bets placed in his homeland on yellow cards awarded against him. A move to Manchester City may have fallen through so the 25-year-old celebrated his goal with the ‘crossed Hammers’ sign. “I thought 65,000 people stood to their feet and applauded him,” added Moyes. “He played as well as anybody, he showed character and his performance was very good, especially in the second half. “There was never any doubt (he would play). He’s a solid and tough character so no problems. He’s a very good player.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Zharnel Hughes inspired to historic Budapest bronze by Olympic heartbreak Katarina Johnson-Thompson describes heptathlon victory as ‘best day of my life’ Unai Emery hails ‘amazing’ Aston Villa captain John McGinn after Everton rout

Spain star Jenni Hermoso insists she “did not enjoy it” after being kissed on the lips by Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales. The incident occurred when Hermoso made her way to the podium after Spain defeated England in the Women’s World Cup final thanks to Olga Carmona’s strike. After being given her medal by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Hermoso was given a hug by Rubiales, who lifted her off her feet. A brief conversation between the pair followed before Rubiales grabbed Hermoso on her back and kissed her on the lips. Outrage quickly spread on social media, with supporters accusing Rubiales of inappropriate behaviour. Asked about the moment, Hermoso told Spanish TV network La 1: “Eh...yeah, I did not enjoy that.” The World Cup further adds to a glittering career for the 33-year-old Hermoso, with successful spells at Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, while currently featuring for Mexican outfit Pachuca. Carmona’s first-half strike epitomised Spain’s slick style of football and was ultimately enough for Spain to edge out the Lionesses in Sydney, gaining revenge for their defeat in the quarter-finals of last year’s European Championships. Hermoso saw a penalty saved in the second half by England shot-stopper Mary Earps, but the Lionesses could not find an equaliser, with Jorge Vilda’s side holding on for victory. Read More The vital lesson England must take to ‘continue breaking barriers’ despite World Cup final defeat England v Spain LIVE: Reaction to Women’s World Cup final result as Lionesses suffer heartbreak England suffer World Cup heartache as brilliant Spain show Lionesses what’s missing

James Ward-Prowse set up two goals on his West Ham debut and Lucas Paqueta scored a late penalty as the 10-man Hammers somehow secured a 3-1 win over Chelsea. Ward-Prowse, the £30million signing from Southampton, created goals for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio, either side Carney Chukwuemeka’s equaliser. But Mauricio Pochettino’s expensively-assembled side will wonder how on earth they came away from the London Stadium empty-handed. Enzo Fernandez missed a penalty and West Ham had to play the final 25 minutes a player down after Aguerd saw red. Yet not only did David Moyes’ side cling on for a first win of the season, they wrapped it up in stoppage time with Paqueta’s spot-kick. Ward-Prowse is renowned for his ability from set-pieces but surely not even Moyes could have expected such an immediate impact. Seven minutes in and from his second corner in a claret and blue shirt, Ward-Prowse swung in a cross which Aguerd nodded in unmarked at the far post. Chelsea have now conceded a goal in each of their last 13 matches, their worst run since 1996. But they were making inroads at the other end with Nicolas Jackson eager to get in behind West Ham’s back line. One such run and cut-back was hacked away but when Ben Chilwell drove back in to the area, his cross was cleared by Kurt Zouma only as far as Chukwuemeka. The 19-year-old steadied himself before lashing the loose ball past Alphonse Areola for his first Chelsea goal. Paqueta was in the West Ham line-up despite being reportedly investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches. The Brazil midfielder is said to be shocked by the probe, which is believed to centre around bets placed in his homeland on yellow cards awarded against him. Paqueta did pick up a first-half booking for dissent after complaining about the award of a corner, but moments later he was inches away from scoring, dragging the ball down in a crowded penalty area only to clip a post. Chelsea were gifted the chance to go ahead before half-time after Tomas Soucek tripped Raheem Sterling in the area, but Fernandez’s penalty was saved by Areola. Instead Antonio fired West Ham back into the lead eight minutes into the second half when he raced on to Ward-Prowse’s cute ball over the top. Pochettino turned to Chelsea’s latest record signing, Moises Caicedo, for his debut on the hour mark, the Ecuadorian immediately sending a long-range shot wide. West Ham were then reduced to 10 in the 68th minute after Aguerd was shown a second yellow card for needlessly fouling Jackson. But Chelsea, it seemed, had run out of ideas and could only muster a deflected Noni Madueke shot which was tipped wide by Areola. And the away fans left en masse even before Paqueta rubber-stamped the victory from the spot after Caicedo fouled Emerson Palmieri. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Zharnel Hughes takes superb bronze in thrilling 100m World Championships final Unai Emery hails ‘amazing’ Aston Villa captain John McGinn after Everton rout Zharnel Hughes joins British 100m medallists after taking bronze in Budapest

England midfielder Georgia Stanway vowed the Lionesses would carry on fighting for top spot on the planet after finishing runners-up to Spain in the World Cup final in Sydney. The Lionesses were among the pre-tournament favourites in Australia and New Zealand, with punters pointing to their dominant run to last summer’s European title, but injuries to Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby and the retirement of Ellen White left Sarina Wiegman without four players who started every match of that triumph before she even named her World Cup squad. Wiegman barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief after learning key midfielder Keira Walsh’s knee injury, sustained in England’s second group-stage encounter, was not as serious as initially suspected before the influential Lauren James was sent off in the last 16 and issued a two-match ban. Stanway said after the 1-0 loss to Spain: “I think we can be proud. The last nine weeks, seven games, to wear a silver, it’s special. “It’s hard to watch another team celebrate when it’s your goal and your dream. When the dust settled, we’ll be really proud of this. “We hope everyone is really proud of us back at home. We hope we’ve inspired many many people. We’re the Lionesses, so we won’t stop what we’re doing, we’ll continue to break barriers, we’ll continue to push on.” Stanway was one of seven players named to Wiegman’s 23-woman squad who had also featured four years ago in France, where the Lionesses finished fourth. We’re the Lionesses, so we won’t stop what we’re doing, we’ll continue to break barriers, we’ll continue to push on. Georgia Stanway They guaranteed themselves an upgrade on their previous best finish, third at the 2015 tournament in Canada, when they knocked out co-hosts Australia with a 3-1 victory in the semi-final. But on Sunday in front of a capacity 75,784 crowd at Stadium Australia they could not quite get the job done, coming agonisingly close to a momentum-shifting goal when Lauren Hemp pinged an effort off the crossbar early in the first half. And after 29 minutes, Spain captain Olga Carmona struck the ultimately decisive strike past Mary Earps, who would go on to add a World Cup Golden Glove trophy to her 2022 FIFA Best award and save Jennifer Hermoso’s second-half penalty to give England a chance of staging a comeback that never came. Stanway, who successfully converted a penalty to secure England a 1-0 victory against Haiti in their tournament opener, admitted she was “a little too upset to listen” to Wiegman’s post-match chat, adding, “in those moments, it’s regrouping, realising how far we’ve come in this group. We’ve faced a lot in this tournament, before the tournament, people probably didn’t have us written to be in this situation, so to reach a World Cup final is achievement alone.” Defender Lucy Bronze, alongside Alex Greenwood, was one of just two Lionesses to have lived through the heartbreaks of 2015 and 2019 and after the loss admitted she was “just deflated”. The defender, who plays with nine of the Spain squad at Barcelona, added: “Obviously we went into the World Cup wanting to win it and we were so close, but in the end we couldn’t quite get it over the line. “I think we showed that, against adversity, we showed up. We were determined and resilient throughout the tournament – even before the tournament with missing a lot of players through injury and having a couple of different things happen throughout the tournament. We showed resilience to carry on and keep going and fighting. “I think I am proud of what the girls have achieved, what we have achieved, but I think everybody that knows me knows that I only like gold medals.” Kirby, Williamson and Mead could all return to tournament football should a Team GB qualify for next summer’s Paris Olympics through UEFA’s new Nations League, which begins in September. At 31, Bronze is one of the older members of Wiegman’s squad, but when asked if she would need to take some time to think about going for another trophy immediately, retorted: “I am not retiring from England if that is what you mean. “Olympics is always the goal, even if we would have won this tournament. The Nations League was the goal, the Olympics is the goal. “That’s a different team to this England team. The goal is always to win tournaments with this team. We have shown that we can do that. We have made a final today as well. There is no reason why the team can’t go and create more legacies and more winning legacies.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aston Villa bounce back from opening league defeat to demolish dismal Everton We gave everything – Sarina Wiegman so proud despite ‘hard to take’ final defeat World Cup final in pictures: England fall to agonising defeat against Spain

Opening-day results can set the tone for a season. Sometimes they don’t, however. Aston Villa’s heaviest defeat at the start of the season in almost four decades may have looked like an anomaly when they were destroyed by Newcastle. It certainly did eight days later. A game later, Villa have wiped out their goal difference. Hammered one week ago, today they inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Toffees. Everton were eviscerated. If there was a deceptive scoreline now, it was because the margin flattered Sean Dyche’s hapless team. They take the place at the bottom of the league that Villa had occupied: unlike them, they could stay there. Villa were terrific. Play like this and it is tempting to wonder how much higher a team who surged from relegation contention to seventh last season can go. Certainly, the ambition that accompanied Unai Emery’s appointment is reflected on the pitch. There was a speed of foot and thought, a sharpness and a style, an evident enthusiasm to suggest that the Spaniard’s impact will not be confined to his first few months. An eighth straight home win – the sort of statistic Everton can only dream of – came with a sense of normality. Villa Park now expects a side brimming with energy and ideas to secure this kind of result. They played with a confidence to bely three setbacks: the loss at St James’ Park and the loss of Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings. But Emery’s rebuilding job has taken on an auspicious look. Pau Torres cruised through his home debut. Moussa Diaby almost marked his with a stunning goal – Jordan Pickford excelling to turn a thunderous volley onto the post – and was still only the second most impressive former Bayer Leverkusen winger. Youri Tielemans was limited to a cameo: Villa’s midfield options are such that he may have to wait a little longer. But much of Emery’s brilliance has been reflected by his inheritance and how he has altered perceptions and results. Bailey has been an inconsistent presence, an expert at flattering to deceive in his first two seasons in the Midlands. An assist and a goal were allied with razor-sharp running. Bailey was a catalyst in a way he had been too rarely. The merits of Emery’s narrow 4-2-2-2 formation were shown by the first goal: one of the tucked-in, attacking midfielders crossed for the other to score, Bailey picking out John McGinn to finish from four yards. It is a system that also gives Villa a surfeit of players in the centre of the pitch and they cut through Everton; too easily, too often. There was a sense that Dyche’s team were too slow to react to everything, perhaps summed up when Pickford clattered into Ollie Watkins, rendering Nathan Patterson’s goal-line clearance from the striker irrelevant. Douglas Luiz has replaced Watkins on spot-kick duty – perhaps another illustration of Emery’s attention to detail and certainly rewarding a player transformed under his tutelage – and he converted from 12 yards. And yet, well-coached as Villa are, slick as some of their moves were, two of their goals stemmed simply from Everton errors. Maybe they were frazzled by Villa’s verve and relentlessness. There could be a few other excuses for Michael Keane’s twin mistakes: first, he only redirected a throw to Bailey, who dispatched a half-volley. Then, worse, came a wild swing at thin air, allowing Jhon Duran to run on and score a first Villa goal, 50 seconds after the introduction. It may have been especially welcome. Villa are well-stocked in several positions but not for out-and-out strikers. Watkins, who did everything but score, lacks a high-class deputy. His young understudy accepted the opportunity. Another substitute was more ill-fated: Philippe Coutinho was hamstrung and in considerable pain. Injuries have been Everton’s constant companion in recent years. On a day when virtually everything that could go wrong did, it was perhaps unsurprising that Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s comeback lasted a mere 37 minutes with the striker hurt after colliding with Emi Martinez. Alex Iwobi went off, too, while Idrissa Gueye’s removal was probably to stop him being sent off. Everton could argue last week’s loss to Fulham offered encouragement, in the number of chances created. This offered none, a side devoid of organisation and fight showing no quality. Maybe there was a deceptive element to their start, too: it could be worse than being beaten by Fulham at Goodison Park implied. Read More Eddie Howe relishing selection dilemmas as Newcastle prepare for packed season Aston Villa suffer another blow as extent of Tyrone Mings knee injury revealed Ashley Young embracing challenge of turning things around for Everton

The women’s soccer World Cup has now ended with Spain winning the final on Sunday. A goal from Olga Carmona saw off England in a 1-0 win for Spain. That result in turn sets up an exciting next match for Scotland’s women but blocks their chance of a world champion claim.It’s bee...

Aston Villa bounced back from their heavy opening-day Premier League defeat by cantering to a 4-0 home win against Everton. Captain John McGinn and Douglas Luiz’s penalty gave Villa a 2-0 lead at the break and after second-half efforts from Leon Bailey and substitute John Duran, Unai Emery’s side put last week’s 5-1 loss at Newcastle behind them. It was all too easy for Villa as they cashed in on some wayward Everton defending, which prompted half of their fans to leave Villa Park long before the final whistle. Everton have lost their opening two games for the second successive season and their cause was not helped by the first-half withdrawal of the luckless Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The England striker, who scored only two goals last season after being dogged by injury, failed to recover from an early clash of heads with Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez and was eventually forced off in the 38th minute. Villa were without key players Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia (both knee) and Jacob Ramsey (foot) due to long-term injury, but midway through the first half they had established a comfortable lead. McGinn fired them in front in the 18th minute, volleying home Bailey’s cut-back after the latter had wriggled his way to the byline. Villa doubled their lead from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after VAR ruled Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had taken out Ollie Watkins with a flailing arm. Watkins’ had moments earlier seen his shot cleared off the goal-line, while Pickford, making his 250th Premier League appearance, was booked for delaying the spot-kick, which was coolly dispatched by Douglas Luiz. England’s number one went some way to redeeming himself soon after when turning Moussa Diaby’s goal-bound volley on to a post. Everton troubled Martinez for the only time before the interval when a low, angled shot from Calvert-Lewin’s replacement, summer signing Arnaut Danjuma, forced the Argentinian into a near-post save. The visitors were forced into another change soon after the restart when Alex Iwobi hobbled off and was replaced by Neal Mapauy. It got worse for Everton in the 51st minute when Villa put the result beyond doubt. Bailey pounced after Everton defender Michael Keane had miscontrolled a throw-in into the box and fired home a low shot under Pickford. Watkins went close to adding a fourth when his angled effort rolled inches wide before Martinez superbly blocked Maupay’s close-range effort at the other end following a corner. Keane was caught out again in the build-up to Villa’s fourth, miskicking from former Villa defender Ashley Young’s throw-in and Duran ran clear to bury his first goal for the club, less than a minute after stepping off the bench to replace Watkins. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live We gave everything – Sarina Wiegman so proud despite ‘hard to take’ final defeat World Cup final in pictures: England fall to agonising defeat against Spain Katarina Johnson-Thompson on course for world championship gold