The Guardian

New players have come in, too many of them, and has meant a dilution of the collective will instilled by Klopp Before this game Arne Slot had announced that he was “almost confused”. Which does at least raise some tantalising questions. Mainly, what is this Liverpool team going to look like when he gets there, when a state of full confusion is finally attained, when even Slot’s confusion stops be…

Britain’s most successful female UFC fighter on knowing when to stand her ground, why she won’t box in Saudi Arabia and aiming to win a world title in the next year “I give my hidings and I take my hidings and so they have seen me with snapped ligaments in my knee, broken feet, broken toes, broken hands, stitches, broken legs,” Molly McCann says of the damage she has endured as a fighter and the …

The driving force behind the continent’s standout team resembled four players in one as Arsenal put their old nemesis Bayern Munich to the sword Shortly before the goal that left Arsenal’s supremacy in no doubt, Harry Kane embarked upon a lonely jaunt up their left flank. Much like the majority of Bayern Munich’s attacking endeavours, it ended almost as soon as it had begun. In common with a size…

Fears over direct-signings’ 12-month release clause PCA is contesting the plan of the franchise owners The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has advised players not to sign Hundred contracts for next season amid a dispute with the new franchise owners over their terms. In a supplementary process to the new IPL-style auction that will take place next year, Hundred teams are permitted to m…

It’s hard to disagree with Ian Wright when he suggests the midfielder has been subjected to a timeworn double standard Sir Alex Ferguson was there. Bryan Robson was there. Eric Cantona was there. The manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær was there, and yet even as these four club legends sold the dream of Manchester United to a 17-year-old from the Midlands, they could sense the elusiveness, the coldness, …

Englishman was not an obvious candidate to lead them but Swedes pushed Nottingham Forest all the way in 1979 Early in the 1979 European Cup final, Kenny Burns misjudged a long ball and ended up lobbing it up in the air for Jan-Olov Kindvall. He, in turn, attempted to knock the dropping ball over Peter Shilton but the goalkeeper was not as close as he had perhaps anticipated and Shilton ended up c…

We turn the dial towards whimsy and revisit some of the moments that made the autumn internationals irresistible South Africa and Ireland played out a slugfest for the ages and the discourse has been dominated by yellow cards and flying shoulders to the head. England held off a spirited Argentina to claim their 11th consecutive Test win and it seems all anyone can talk about is some alleged after…

Indian city’s organisers promise: ‘We are well prepared’ Number of sports will increase from 10 to 15-17 Ahmedabad has vowed not to make the same mistakes as Delhi in 2010 and to “lay the foundations for the next 100 years” after being confirmed as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games. Organisers said that 15 to 17 sports would feature in 2030 – up from the 10 that will feature in Glasgow next…

Australia will play just six of their 14 Tests at home next year and with a coaching handover to navigate, a hangover from 2025 may drag on After losing seven of their last eight Tests in 2025 and completing the first winless tour of Europe since 1958, the Wallabies are back home nursing a giant hangover. Unfortunately, the 2026 season unveiled this week looks likely to prolong the pain. Having w…

Optus Stadium pitch offered ‘fair balance between bat and ball’ Cricket Australia says good bowling and ‘frenetic’ contest led to early result England only have themselves to blame for their two-day capitulation in Perth, after the pitch for the first Ashes Test received the top rating possible by the International Cricket Council. The “very good” assessment by the ICC match referee was made on a…

Blades beat Portsmouth after owners’ merger statement Wednesday rock bottom following defeat at Millwall Sheffield United lifted themselves out of the Championship’s relegation zone on the day their owners reiterated their desire to take the club to the Premier League with a 3-0 win against 10-man Portsmouth . Patrick Bamford scored on his full United debut, turning home a scrappy rebound early i…

Real Madrid edge home 4-3 in Greece Giménez heads home in injury time for Atlético Kylian Mbappé scored the second-fastest hat-trick in the Champions League as he helped himself to all four goals in Real Madrid ’s 4-3 win at Olympiacos . The La Liga leaders were trailing to Chiquinho’s early strike at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis before he intervened with a seven-minute treble after 22, 24 and…

There was no shame in this defeat for Tottenham, which represented progress after the north London derby disaster at Arsenal on Sunday. There were measures of encouragement ahead of the crucial Premier League home game against Fulham on Saturday, most notably in the shape of Randal Kolo Muani, the striker who is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. Kolo Muani set up Richarlison for 1-0 and scored fo…

Tuilagi free to switch allegiances for 2027 World Cup Marchant available for England after signing for Sale Manu Tuilagi has refused to rule out playing for Samoa at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, leaving open the possibility of him facing Steve Borthwick’s England in Australia. The 34-year-old, who spearheaded the Red Rose midfield for more than a decade, would qualify for the Pacific Island nation i…

Duty for betting on horse racing unchanged at 15% ‘We want to maintain Britain’s place on world stage’ Lord Charles Allen, the chair of the British Horseracing Authority, paid tribute on Wednesday to “everyone who has played their part across the sport” following the budget announcement by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, that the rate of duty for betting on horse racing will remain unchanged at 15…