The Guardian

The former England keeper discusses his sometimes borderline deluded outlook and being proud to defend the values of the club he loves Tom Heaton wears a scowl. Sodden and frozen, he trudges off a pitch at Manchester United’s Carrington training base, gesticulating and muttering a goalkeeper-eyed analysis of the game his team have just lost. “We got pumped,” he says loudly, his annoyance clear. S…

Own goal and red card contribute to Blues’ 3-0 victory Brazilian hails ‘the most special moment of my career’ Estêvão Willian relished the biggest night of his short career after powering Chelsea to a 3-0 victory against Barcelona in the Champions League with a special solo goal. The 18-year-old Brazilian struggled to make sense of his emotions after a special night at Stamford Bridge. Estêvão, w…

Boro pay £250,000 to bring him from Hammarby Swansea appoint Matos after missing out on Hellberg Kim Hellberg has completed his managerial move to Middlesbrough from Hammarby. The 37-year-old Swede, who appeared poised to take charge at Swansea until Boro’s hijacking of that mooted deal, will aim to reinforce a reputation as one of Europe’s brightest emerging coaches. After securing two consecuti…

South Africa 489 & 260-5 dec beat India 201 & 140 Spinner takes six wickets in 408-run thrashing South Africa completed a memorable 2-0 series sweep against India after off-spinner Simon Harmer claimed six for 37 to bowl the Proteas to a comprehensive 408-run victory at the second Test in Guwahati. Chasing an improbable 549 to win, India were all out for 140 in the second session on the final day…

Brazilian teenager’s goal in win against Barcelona was a classic and the winger could end up as one of the very best Everything Lamine Yamal does oozes quality. Even when he is strolling about looking dejected, which he did quite a bit at Stamford Bridge, he does it with the nonchalant grace of a star. He caresses the ball rather than kicking it, generating remarkable power from limited back-lift…

Plus: long waits to play at a World Cup, champions being thrashed and title-winners with a negative goal difference Mail us with your questions and answers “Idrissa Gueye’s red card for slapping Michael Keane at Old Trafford made me wonder – which other players have put hands on a teammate during a game?” asks Conor Humphries. We covered this in a question back in 2004 – but 21 years is a long ti…

Research is on ‘an upward curve’ and the next five years could be vital in trying to limit cruciate ruptures Players who compete in the top two levels of German women’s football are four times more likely to rupture their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) than their male counterparts, according to the German Football Association (DFB). The governing body has funded a central injury and illness reg…

Verona venue to host Milano-Cortina opening ceremony Critics see changes to 2,000-year-old arena as blasphemy A 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre is to be made fully accessible to people with disabilities before the Winter Paralympic Games in Milano‑Cortina, as organisers prioritise legacy with 100 days to go. The conversion of the Arena di Verona, which will host the Paralympics opening ceremony…

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…

Portugal forward was sent off against Republic of Ireland He missed Armenia game so is free to play at tournament Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to play in the opening matches of Portugal’s World Cup campaign after he was handed a suspended sentence for his red card against the Republic of Ireland . The forward, who was a guest of president Donald Trump in the White House last week, had a cus…

Kitching and Sims strike late for league leaders Southampton’s Eckert makes it four out of four Late goals from Liam Kitching and Ellis Simms helped Coventry extend their advantage at the top of the Championship table with a 4-2 win over Middlesbrough . The Sky Blues landed two early blows in the opening 15 minutes, going ahead through Simms’ stunning top-corner strike and Kitching’s header. Cont…

Newcastle cannot complain they were not warned. Eddie Howe had cautioned his players that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was “as good as ever’ and would need to be “controlled” but ultimately they proved powerless to prevent the 36-year-old transforming both the match and Marseille’s Champions League ambitions. While Aubameyang fulfilled the soaring expectations of a raucously loud audience at this st…

You had to go back to September 2018 for the last time Manchester City lost a Champions League group match at home, when Pep Guardiola was in the stands due to a ban, and Nabil Fekir’s winner gave Lyon a 2-1 victory. Guardiola stood down all but one of the team that lost at Newcastle United and witnessed Bayer Leverkusen end a 23-match run in the type of off-colour display reminiscent of last sea…

This four-year experiment has produced exhilarating cricket – it is worth seeing the whole thing through before casting judgment Travis Head’s latest masterpiece is three days old, the postmortems are complete and England supporters have done their pained vox pops in Australia. And somehow we’re still more than a week out from the second Ashes Test. It’s a hefty gap bound to be filled by rage, mo…

Head coach’s current deal runs until 2027 RFU annual report shows net loss of £1.9m The Rugby Football Union has no plans to begin talks with Steve ­Borthwick over extending his ­contract beyond 2027 “for the ­foreseeable future” despite England’s 11-match winning streak and autumn clean sweep . Borthwick’s contract runs until the end of 2027 but with England halfway through the current World Cup…