The Guardian

⚽️ Premier League updates from the 12.30pm BST kick-off ⚽ Live scores | Latest tables | Top scorers | And email Tim An email! From the away end. “Turning up late season at the Gtech with the primary aim being to spoil Brentford’s European ambitions is giving serious déjà vu,” says Kit Clifford-Page, “but a win would put Fulham firmly back in the European conversation so there is everything to pla…

Manager goes into Sunday’s showdown with Arsenal as a subplot bubbles regarding whether this is a farewell title tilt Manchester City versus Arsenal on Sunday is a showdown for the ages. Second hosting first at what is likely to be a febrile Etihad Stadium might well be scripted by a Hollywood studio. Enter Pep Guardiola and the box‑office subplot of whether this could be his swansong season and,…

Champion-in-waiting can extend his prize money record He has had a winner at 39 of 41 jumps tracks this season Dan Skelton is already certain to be crowned the UK’s champion trainer over jumps for the first time this season, but still has a few remaining targets in the final days of what is already a record-breaking campaign. Skelton became the first trainer to reach £4m in prize money in a Briti…

The Blues’ star talks candidly about treatment-room frustrations, transfer talk and how he’s learned to love living down south There are two sides to Cole Palmer. There is the shy character who can fool you into thinking he has nothing much to say for himself. On the other hand there’s the artist with the ball at his feet. The player with the “Ice Cold” celebration copied by kids in playgrounds e…

World Championship venue has a minute’s applause Voice of snooker died in February aged 79 A minute’s applause was paid in tribute to John Virgo, who died in February aged 79, as the World Snooker Championship got under way at the Crucible in Sheffield. Virgo, who won the UK Championship in 1979, enjoyed a successful playing career but was best known for his broadcasting. Continue reading...

Upwardly-mobile hosts are raising expectations heading into the first showdown against Liverpool at Hill Dickinson Stadium David Moyes extended sympathy and support for Arne Slot – which may not be what any Liverpool manager wishes to hear from an Everton counterpart before a Merseyside derby – yet could not resist the temptation to stir up some local rivalry in the same breath. There was a gleam…

Updates from the second day’s play in the latest round Sign up for The Spin | Mail Tanya or comment BTL Controversy over the new substitute ruling continued to rumble on after Lancs were not allowed to swap Tom Bailey in for the injured Ajeet Singh Dale in the match at Bristol. Both Bailey and Singh Dale are right arm seamers, but match referee Peter Such ruled that Bailey, who came on as 12th ma…

Suns hold Curry to 17 in play-in elimination Green drops 36 to send Phoenix into playoffs Magic rout Hornets to book Pistons matchup Jalen Green scored 36 points, Devin Booker added 20 and the Phoenix Suns locked down Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, winning 111-96 in the NBA’s play-in tournament Friday night. The Suns took the No 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will fac…

Baumgardner cruises to wide decision over Shin Daniels shocks Green by ninth-round stoppage Green stretchered out, later reported conscious On a night when Alycia Baumgardner showed why she’s considered one of boxing’s hottest properties, it was a longshot from New Zealand in the co-main event who threatened to steal the show. Baumgardner retained her WBO, IBF and WBA junior lightweight titles ea…

Arsenal coach sees trip to Etihad as ‘a big opportunity’ Bukayo Saka still unavailable with an achilles problem Mikel Arteta will go all out for victory in Sunday’s Premier League title showdown at Manchester City and has not thought for “one second” about setting up for a draw. Arsenal are six points clear of City, albeit they have played an extra game, and a stalemate could move them decisively…

Australia suffer 33-12 defeat to United States women in Kansas City Tornado warnings and storm delay start of game by nearly three hours Wild weather delayed play for nearly three hours before the Wallaroos were outmuscled 33-12 by the United States in a Pacific Four Series rugby clash that went beyond midnight in Kansas. Prop Hope Rogers scored a double as the hosts ran in the final three tries …

Mercedes driver doesn’t want to lose four-time champion ‘Natural’ for lack of competitiveness to start taking its toll George Russell has said he would understand if Max Verstappen chose to leave Formula One after the four-time champion recently cast doubt on his future in the sport because of his dissatisfaction with current regulations. Russell, who is second behind his Mercedes teammate Kimi A…

The three-time Olympic champion is brilliant, charismatic, relatable, basically the best British athlete of all-time. But he’s also a victim of the decline of minority sports The Austrian philosopher and novelist Robert Musil once wrote a lengthy meditation on human capacity based around seeing the phrase “a racehorse of genius” in a newspaper sports section. Musil was disturbed by this idea. His…

Supporters and club insiders look back at the Sky Blues’ journey, from the depths of text-a-sub ridicule and fan mutinies to promotion To understand the extraordinarily wild ride that Coventry have been on, culminating in the promotion achieved at Blackburn on Friday night , you need only look at the text-a-substitute idea that has become part of football folklore. In less than a decade, the club…

Manchester City v Arsenal is a rare late-season title decider and comes with a set of surprising plotlines OK, so it was all building to this, then. The slow‑burn plotlines. The room‑temperature action sequences. The winter afternoons on the sofa watching men wrestle unhappily, staring out of the window as the frigid wind tousles the clouds, wondering about the death of all things, and also why r…