The Guardian

It will take more than a thumping FA Cup quarter-final victory over the worst team in League One to ignite Chelsea’s season as it enters the defining stretch. This was, at least, a step in the right direction. Or, perhaps, it was just good for the club to avoid any further chaos. The occasion was framed by Liam Rosenior’s decision to ban his vice-captain, Enzo Fernández, for the game and Chelsea’…

⚽️ FA Cup updates from 8pm BST kick-off at St Mary’s ⚽️ Arteta admits to Carabao pain | Email Scott here Their unfortunate no-show at the League Cup final apart, Arsenal have taken some stopping this season. Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester United required dramatic late goals to best them in the Premier League and … er … that’s it. So on the face of thing, this should be a shoo-in for the le…

Arsenal meet Brighton with their sights set on reaching a second semi-final while Tottenham could be facing Chelsea at just the right time Riding high after their Champions League quarter-final win over Chelsea, Arsenal are ready to push on in the FA Cup. The WSL title may be almost certainly out of sight following Manchester City’s impressive victory over Manchester United, but the chance to go …

‘Mentality wasn’t there’ in 4-0 loss to Manchester City Slot adds ‘the amount of goals we score is far too low’ Arne Slot slammed Liverpool’s “missing fighting spirit” after the 4-0 humiliation by Manchester City that propelled Pep Guardiola’s team into the FA Cup semi-finals. The manner of the 4-0 reverse will heighten scrutiny of the head coach’s future, with Liverpool next at Paris Saint-Germa…

Most of what has gone wrong this season can be put down to poor recruitment – but the manager must share the blame Even when the fixture list was revealed last summer, it was perhaps predictable that the middle of March would represent the crisis point for Newcastle. If they had reached the Champions League quarter-finals and won the Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park, a lot of other frustrations …

Last 16: Bath 31-22 Saracens Second-half turnaround sends Bath through to quarters Henry Arundell’s two tries helped Bath to a tight victory over Saracens as they squeezed their way into the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup. The English champions trailed 10-0 at the break against a Sarries side unrecognisable from the one crushed at the Rec a fortnight ago in the Prem. But Bath’s heavyweight b…

Muriqi strikes late winner for relegation battlers Bayern Munich come from behind to beat Freiburg Real Mallorca dealt a major blow to Real Madrid’s title aspirations as Vedat Muriqi struck an added-time winner to seal a shock 2-1 win for the hosts, leaving Real four points behind Barcelona before the leaders play Atlético Madrid later on Saturday. The hosts withstood Real’s pressure early in the…

Danny Rohl’s side move above Hearts on goal difference Hibs turn up heat on Motherwell in battle for fourth spot Rangers put pressure on their title rivals by moving top of the Scottish Premiership for the first time in more than two years with a patchy 4-2 win over Dundee United at Ibrox. Ryan Naderi opened the scoring on the half-hour mark with a close-range finish before Dujon Sterling added a…

Spotlight intensifies on Liverpool’s manager, but what of a group of players who effectively surrendered against Manchester City? Budapest or bust it is, then, for Liverpool’s hopes of silverware this season and quite possibly Arne Slot’s prospects of remaining in his job, although thoughts of this team reaching a Champions League final appear ludicrous in light of their gutless exit from the FA …

Dark-blue women end eight years of rivals’ dominance Light-blue crew power to four-length win in men’s race Oxford’s women ended eight years of Cambridge dominance in their Boat Race with a sensational performance led by the Olympic medallist Heidi Long, while Cambridge overpowered their dark-blue rivals in the men’s race after a fiercely contested opening. On a breezy and largely overcast day in…

Canada Soccer holding jersey exchange in Toronto Italy failed to qualify for finals after playoff defeat Italian football fans are being encouraged to put their national team’s World Cup 2026 qualification failure behind them – by backing co-hosts Canada instead. Canada Soccer, the national governing body for the sport, is offering a jersey swap on Saturday for fans in Toronto’s Little Italy dist…

A distant relative found a family link to the football prodigy, as they are both related to George Male, the first player to win six English top-flight titles Dave Male could have had no idea that his decision to attend a match while he was on holiday in Spain two years ago would uncover a remarkable family link to one of English football’s brightest young prospects. The retired teacher was stayi…

If the Eagles are to make a mark on their home World Cup in 2031, the hard-hitting Anthem RC lock could have a key role to play Will Sherman may be the future of US rugby, but his roots are in the game’s American past. The 22-year-old standout second-row forward for Anthem Rugby Carolina in Major League Rugby is the son of Wade Sherman, a member of a champion Cal Berkeley team that included Mark …

Reports suggested parts of the arena’s wall had collapsed, but Alianza Lima ruled out any structural failures One person has been killed and dozens more injured at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima, Peru, according to the football club Alianza Lima. Hundreds of fans were attending a “flag-waving event” on Friday around the stadium, a day before a derby match between the home team Alianza L…

County cricket updates from 11am BST across the grounds Team-by-team guide | Send Tanya your thoughts via email The spectre of the Ashes loomed over day one of a new Championship season, every innings, every wicket, a play in one act sent straight to the laptop of Brendon McCullum. England Lion Emilio Gay won the race to the first century of the season for Durham , a classy innings, fierce on the…