The Guardian

‘Worst 48 hours’ comment and league form are problems Palmer substitution and Bournemouth result were booed Enzo Maresca will be in danger of losing his job as Chelsea’s head coach if he cannot improve results before the end of January. The Italian, who was booed by home supporters during the disappointing 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, is under mounting pressure after a…

Barmore accused in alleged August incident Patriots say they informed NFL at the time Arraignment scheduled for early February New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore is facing a misdemeanor domestic assault charge stemming from an alleged incident on 8 August in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Barmore, 26, was in a relationship with the alleged victim, according to court documents cite…

Costs for Strand Larsen high, with Wolves wanting £40m Gil Vicente’s Pablo has nine goals in Portuguese top flight West Ham are in advanced talks over a deal for the Gil Vicente forward Pablo after having second thoughts about bidding for the Wolves striker Jørgen Strand Larsen. Nuno Espírito Santo, whose side are at major risk of relegation from the Premier League, wants attacking reinforcements…

US men and women win World Cup races same day Schumacher and Diggins sweep new 5km event Tour de Ski milestone for American cross-country American cross-country skiing reached a milestone on Wednesday when, for the first time, an American man and an American woman won World Cup races on the same day. Gus Schumacher and Jessie Diggins delivered the historic double at stage three of the Tour de Ski…

⚽ Afcon updates from the 7pm GMT kick-off in Marrakech ⚽ Live scores | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Niall Here’s how the last 16 bracket looks , with just Group F’s three qualifiers to be slotted in later. While the third-placed team will have to face Nigeria, the routes for first and second aren’t too different: a winnable last-16 tie, then probably Egypt or Morocco in the quarter-final…

NCAA clarifies NBA contract eligibility rule Baylor signing sparked backlash from coaches Baker cites court rulings weakening enforcement The NCAA said Tuesday it would not grant eligibility to any player who had signed an NBA contract after Baylor’s midseason addition of a 2023 draft pick who had been playing professionally in Europe prompted criticism from coaches across college basketball. The…

England scrum-half returned from injury to a side on the crest of a wave and will hope to catch Steve Borthwick’s eye Harry Randall and Bristol enter the new year with high hopes. The scrum-half has returned to fitness ahead of schedule after hamstring surgery and marked his 150th Bears appearance in the win against Newcastle last Saturday . Pat Lam’s side approach the Prem encounter with Sale at…

Striker has scored nine goals since joining on loan Champions League qualification brings obligation to buy The Napoli sporting director, Giovanni Manna, considers Rasmus Højlund’s permanent transfer from Manchester United a “formality”. Højlund joined the Serie A champions on loan last summer and the Denmark striker has scored nine goals in 20 appearances, including a double in Sunday’s 2-0 win …

The Guardian sport photographer selects his favourite images he has taken this year and recalls the stories behind them This is a selection of some of my favourite pictures taken at events I’ve covered this year, quite a few of which haven’t been published before. Several have been chosen for their news value, others purely for their aesthetic value, while some are here just because there’s a nic…

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…