The Guardian

From removal of tunnel cover to turning off concourse TVs, title-chasing Arsenal manager has left no stone unturned It’s being billed as the biggest Premier League game ever hosted at the Emirates Stadium. Tickets for Monday’s meeting with Burnley, who were relegated almost a month ago and returned 1,500 tickets for their trip to north London, were being sold for upwards of £650 last week as Arse…

Relegated three times this century, AGF are the latest surprise champions in a notable trend for Scandinavia When the buses pulled up at Brøndby Stadion on the penultimate weekend of the season, the travelling fans were already celebrating. The final whistle had just blown at Nordsjælland, where Aarhus’s title rivals, Midtjylland, had been held to a goalless draw. That meant Aarhus Gymnastikforen…

Bafflement at Old Trafford, Chelsea’s Wembley drought goes on and Leeds give fans cause for optimism Luke Shaw’s first goal in over three years for Manchester United was a further reminder of the left-back’s capabilities. This has been his best season at Old Trafford having featured in all 37 league games thus far, leaving his injury-prone past forgotten. Considering Shaw’s experience and quality…

Side on brink of drop after defeat at Newcastle ‘It’s going to be a very tough week ahead’ Nuno Espírito Santo said his West Ham players owe their fans “respect and dignity” after an underwhelming 3-1 defeat at Newcastle left the east London side on the brink or relegation to the Championship. The Portuguese also admitted that the visiting supporters were “right” to direct chants of “you’re not f…

USC athlete dominates field with illegal 5.6m/s tailwind Sprinter has twice run faster than Patrick Johnson’s 9.93s Australian sprinter Eddie Nketia has clocked a staggering 100m time of 9.74 seconds at a college meet in the US – but it won’t count for record purposes because of a howling tailwind. Nketia, who recently swapped his allegiance from New Zealand to Australia, did the 100m/200m double…

NSW coach Laurie Daley names six debutants for game 1 Reece Walsh omitted from new-look Queensland squad James Tedesco’s State of Origin exile is over with the Sydney Roosters captain seeing off Dylan Edwards to reclaim his crown as New South Wales’s premier fullback for the 27 May series opener in Sydney. Picking between Edwards, who started all three games of last year’s losing series, was the …

Rai shoots 65 including 68-foot birdie putt on 17th Last Englishman to triumph was Jim Barnes 107 years ago There’s never been a PGA Championship quite like the one that’s played out at Aronimink this week . At the start of the last day, there were 21 players within four shots of the lead, and eight major winners among them, every one of them sure that they had a shot at winning the Wanamaker Tro…

Concern that England’s women are not being challenged fails to acknowledge what it takes for consistent excellence There are a couple of reasons why England’s latest Six Nations grand slam is worthy of glowing appreciation. The first is that consistent excellence should always receive due recognition. And the second is that England had to do far more than simply show up and tick off the kind of r…

Beware the opponent with little to play for. Crystal Palace were supposed to be in preservation mode, their attention on more exotic occasions. The ideal opponent for Brentford’s chase for Europe. And yet. Adam Wharton scored his first goal in 94 Palace appearances, a first in the Premier League, his goal wreaking heavy damage. Dango Ouattara’s second goal, a late second equaliser, set up 10, cha…

World No 1 is first Italian to win title in 50 years 6-4, 6-4 victory completes set of ATP Masters 1000 titles Jannik Sinner continued his reign of terror over men’s tennis on the clay courts of Europe as he effortlessly recovered from a slow start to overpower Casper Ruud, the 23rd seed, 6-4, 6-4 and become the first Italian man in 50 years to win the Italian Open. It is difficult to overstate t…

Saturday night’s fight came a decade too late to be relevant. But it also provided a spectacle MMA’s most powerful organization has been lacking When Ronda Rousey stepped into the cage for the first time in almost a decade on Saturday night to challenge fellow mixed martial arts trailblazer Gina Carano, the fight was over before it ever really began. In a flash, Rousey had Carano locked in her si…

Centre won 65 caps, with 51 alongside his brother Gavin Also selected for two British and Irish Lions tours The former Scotland rugby union centre Scott Hastings has died at the age of 61. Hastings won 65 caps for Scotland, playing 51 internationals with his full-back brother, Gavin. He was also selected for the British and Irish Lions tours of Australia in 1989 and New Zealand in 1993. Continue …

Manchester City’s FA Cup hero started career with loans to Bath City and Newport and heads back to Bournemouth next When it comes to Antoine Semenyo, it is almost impossible not to fixate on his career journey. Everybody loves a triumph over adversity, a rise from the lowest level to the very top, and the narrative arc with the Manchester City winger is practically perfect. There were the relentl…

Danish rider wins for second time in three days Eulálio clings on after summit finish at Corno alle Scale Jonas Vingegaard triumphed for the second time in three days to win stage nine of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday, with the Dane going solo at the end of the climb to the finish, while Afonso Eulálio remains in the overall lead. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider tracked race rival Felix Gall (Decathlo…

The SPFL and SFA wobble at the knees when it comes to punishing their biggest clubs but scenes at Celtic Park risk setting a dangerous precedent The placing of a full stop on any league campaign offers cause for reflection. In Scotland, there are reasons to wonder if the grim denouement to a stunning title race will prompt a shift in attitudes on two fronts. Whether a Celtic board which has been …