The Guardian

That he stayed after relegation in 1978 and lifted the FA Cup with the team still in Division Two typified his commitment Some players embody a club but few have ever embodied their side more than Billy Bonds, who died on Sunday at the age of 79. He was not a one-club man but by the time he finally retired, aged 41, in 1988, he felt like one, having racked up a record 799 appearances for West Ham…

Just when Ruben Amorim must have thought his luck would never turn. Somehow Manchester United managed to inflict Crystal Palace’s first home defeat in the Premier League since February and end their own five-year wait for a victory at this ground after a first half when their opponents should have been out of sight. Oliver Glasner’s side had been rampant and deservedly took the lead through Jean-…

⚽ Premier League updates from the 2.05pm GMT kick-off ⚽ Billy Bonds dies aged 79 | Top scorers | Email John Nuno was chatting about Liverpool during his pre-match duties: “Liverpool is a good team and in football, what matters is what you do on the day. So what we expect is the champions of the Premier League, players that are talented and capable of doing good things, so we have to get ready. “T…

Rookie also holds record for assists for 18-year-old Mavericks rally to beat Clippers on Saturday night Cooper Flagg became the youngest-ever player to score 35 points in an NBA game as he helped the Dallas Mavericks rally to a 114-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. The 18-year-old went 13 for 22 from the field in his 20th career game. The top pick in this year’s draft a…

Italian goalkeeper at fault in defeat by Fulham Frank calls booing ‘unacceptable in my opinion’ Thomas Frank criticised a section of Tottenham’s fans for turning their anger on Guglielmo Vicario after the goalkeeper was at fault in their 2-1 Premier League home defeat by Fulham. The Italian, dashing yards from his penalty area to the left touchline, made the mistake that presented Harry Wilson wi…

‘A series like this, does it need it? I don’t think so’ Root’s head-to-head with Starc may be decisive battle It rarely takes much for an Englishman to be accused of whinging in Australia but when Joe Root was asked a simple question on Sunday – whether a series such as the Ashes actually needs day-night Test cricket – he simply gave an honest answer. “I personally don’t think so,” replied Root, …

As we prepare to launch our eighth edition of our global list we present the members of this year’s voting panel, our biggest ever After another gripping year of women’s football we are ready to launch our list of the best 100 female footballers in the world in 2025. Our biggest ever panel includes familiar faces such as the outgoing Kansas City Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski, the new OL Ly…

For a man who insists football isn’t political, the Fifa boss is putting a lot of effort into into courting the most divisive politician on Earth Gianni Infantino was 18 years old the first time he ran for office. It was a presidential election at FC Brig-Glis, the local amateur football club in the small Swiss town where he grew up. Running against two older men, and with no discernible football…

Outsider repeats Champion Hurdle success The New Lion also falls when leading two out There was another twist to what is becoming a sorry tale here on Saturday as Constitution Hill, whose first two seasons over jumps led him to being ranked among the finest hurdlers of all time, fell for the third time in his past four starts in the early stages of a much-anticipated Fighting Fifth Hurdle. The Ne…

Tadeo Allende hat-trick leads Miami to 5-1 win over NYC Early Vancouver goals sink expansion San Diego FC MLS Cup matchup repeats Concacaf semi-final Lionel Messi will play for another trophy. Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets clearly aren’t ready to begin their retirements, either. Tadeo Allande scored three goals – Alba and Busquets, a pair of longtime Messi teammates who will retire when this sea…

Midfielder’s three goals illustrate the different attributes that have made her into the player she is today England laid down a marker at Wembley on Saturday evening as they waltzed to victory over China with a scintillating show of attacking force. Among the many eye-catching performances, Georgia Stanway stood out, joining Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones by becoming the third Lioness to score…

First-minute red card for challenge costs Saints dearly Gloucester off mark with victory against Harlequins Northampton ’s unbeaten start to the season came to a shuddering halt as they were blown away 46-12 by impressive Bristol at Ashton Gate. Saints lost Edoardo Todaro to a first-minute red card and it was downhill all the way after that as Bristol ran in six tries. Scrum-half Kieran Marmion s…

New 16,000-seat venue running behind schedule Test events pushed to January with no backup option First Olympic hockey game still set for 5 February There is no backup stadium if the main ice hockey arena for the Milan Cortina Winter Games is not ready on time. Construction on the arena that is set to welcome NHL players back to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade is behind sche…

Top-four seeding shows Fifa prioritising marketing over sporting integrity once again but even best-laid plans can flop The plastic balls rumble around the glass bowls of destiny. Portentous music plays. There is a sense of possibility, as though the inner workings of the universe have suddenly been laid bare, a door opening to reveal the three Fates sitting by their spinning wheel, measuring rod…

Norris slips up in final lap to give rival advantage Max Verstappen third on grid; Hamilton 18th Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix, a vital result in the tense world championship fight with his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, who was in second, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished third. The Australian took top spot with his final lap after Norris had laid down a…