The Guardian

Max Rushden is joined by Will Unwin, Paul Watson and Dan Bardell as Arsenal stroll past Aston Villa to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League Continue reading...

Liverpool head coach’s new full-backs have struggled Slot expects improvement as squad and signings settle Arne Slot has said Liverpool remain “a work in progress” in both full-back positions but backed Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to make their mark as his team stabilise. Slot admits Liverpool are still adjusting to the end of the Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson era with injuries …

Dazn told it must resume €6.6m-a-month payments It said agreement was not viable without carriage deal Dazn has been ordered to honour the remainder of an €84.2m (£73.5m) TV deal with Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League this season after the streaming service announced last month it was terminating the contract. In a judgment from Belgium’s centre for arbitration and mediation (Cepani), sent to the club…

Rejuvenated by his goal on Saturday and free from injuries that have disrupted his season, Arsenal’s captain led their destruction of Villa When Arsenal really needed Martin Ødegaard, the captain finally rediscovered his magic touch. Gabriel Magalhães had just opened the scoring against Aston Villa after a first half in which Mikel Arteta’s nervous side were struggling without the influential Dec…

Our selection panel’s votes have been counted to reveal the best men’s Test side from the last 12 months Sharpen your pencils and swallow your marmalade on toast before you read on, everyone, it’s time for the Guardian’s annual men’s Test XI of the year ( here’s the women’s team from last week ). This year’s 13-person selection panel included Ali Martin, Vic Marks, Tim de Lisle, Adam Collins, Rob…

Gabonese FA president was voted on to Caf exco in 2023 Caf chief allegedly failed to act on reports of sexual abuse The general secretary of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), Veron Mosengo-Omba, ignored a recommendation that Pierre-Alain Mounguengui was ineligible for election to its powerful executive committee because he had been accused of covering up widespread sexual abuse in Gabo…

As the millennial superstars near the end, an international generation reshapes the league. The question is whether an American can still carry the crown That the NBA is reckoned in seasons is apt. To measure a legacy this way is as much existential as it is symbolic. Martin Heidegger argued that time is not something we pass through, but the condition of our being – less a pathway than a pressur…

Nathan Lyon has been the only specialist spinner on show with touring tweaker Shoaib Bashir sidelined by England Disappointment can be found in all corners of this Ashes series. England’s victory came too late . Australia may have secured the urn again but Glenn McGrath’s usual prediction didn’t hold. It’s been a serious letdown for the neutral, never mind that a 3-2 scoreline is still in the off…

Aston Villa have a decision to make about Harvey Elliott, Brentford have money to spend and Burnley and Everton need goalscorers A busy summer with the arrival of more than £250m in reinforcements has proved to be invaluable given the number of injuries that have hit Arsenal, particularly in defence. But that also makes any more expensive incomings unlikely in January, especially after the timely…

Wales back returned to UK without playing NFL game Pat Lam: ‘It’s made him a more rounded player’ The Bristol director of rugby, Pat Lam, has said Louis Rees-Zammit’s recent NFL tilt made him a stronger and more dangerous rugby player. The Wales back joined the NFL’s international pathway programme in January 2024, and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs before a spell at the Jacksonville Jaguar…

54-year-old admitted to hospital on Boxing Day with meningitis Martyn played 67 Tests for Australia between 1992 and 2006 The former Australian Test cricketer Damien Martyn has been admitted to hospital and placed in an induced coma after being diagnosed with meningitis. The 54-year-old “is in for the fight of his life”, according to former AFL player Brad Hardie, who first revealed Martyn’s cond…

Manchester United missed eight frontline players so Wolves, who arrived as the Premier League’s bottom team with only two points, seemed ideal opponents. Yet Ruben Amorim’s side struggled – badly – and while Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire headed those unavailable, the display still provokes questions regarding United’s cohesion. In the contest’s closing phase they were potent onl…

Enzo Maresca has been talking up his relationship with Chelsea’s supporters but the love was not returned during this 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. There was open dissent from the Stamford Bridge crowd when Cole Palmer, who is still feeling his way back from a groin injury, went off midway through the second half and there was more grumbling when a wild game was over. This was another bad night for …

It is, ultimately, only the result that matters in football. Newcastle almost stopped playing after going two goals ahead inside seven minutes and spent the remainder of the game desperately holding on for their second away win of the season, leaving Burnley wondering what more they could have done. Burnley were dominant in all areas after the early shock, showing the spirit and grit required in …

Things are beginning to get a little twitchy for Nottingham Forest and Sean Dyche. Forest have made strides under Ange Postecoglou’s successor but after a miserable defeat by Everton, Dyche’s previous club, it is now three straight defeats and a bruising January run of fixtures are on the horizon. Five of their next six matches are away, including a trip to West Ham, now only four points behind F…