The Guardian

Manchester United have played some exhilarating football during a stirring run of victories since Michael Carrick took interim charge in January, but this was not one of those days. Having beaten arch-rivals Liverpool at a raucous Old Trafford last weekend to qualify for next season’s Champions League, this was a comedown from that great high and a sobering reminder of the task still facing Carri…

Brighton put their European push back on track by flying out of the blocks en route to beating relegated Wolves at the Amex Stadium. Jack Hinshelwood headed home inside 35 seconds to register Brighton’s fastest Premier League goal before the captain, Lewis Dunk, marked his return to the starting XI by nodding in the second just four minutes later. Yankuba Minteh completed the scoring late on as t…

‘It’s unfair, they saw everything’, says Boro manager Southampton’s Eckert walks out after questioning Southampton’s manager, Tonda Eckert, walked out of the post-match press conference at Middlesbrough on Saturday after repeatedly refusing to answer questions about allegations that one of his analysts had spied on Kim Hellberg’s training session last Thursday. Shortly afterwards Hellberg said hi…

Semi-final: St Helens 0-32 Wigan Warriors will face Warrington or Hull KR at Wembley The Challenge Cup kings are at it again. For the first time in a good while, Wigan were arguably underdogs going into this semi-final against their fiercest rivals, St Helens, with a run of form that included four successive Super League defeats before stopping the rot last week against promoted Bradford. In cont…

Silva is first Uruguayan to win a Grand Tour stage Nearly 20 riders involved in crash 198km into route Guillermo Thomas Silva won stage two of the Giro d’Italia to become the first Uruguayan to win a Grand Tour stage after a dramatic sprint after a crash involving nearly 20 riders disrupted the hilly, rain-soaked 221 km ride from Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria. The race was temporarily neut…

Italy 33-61 England Packer scores four to set up possible France showdown Marlie Packer may have made her England debut 18 years ago but she is playing some of her best rugby with the openside flanker once again key as the Red Roses set up a potential grand slam showdown against France next Sunday. The former England captain has won back the starting shirt because of the unavailability of other p…

⚽ City look to keep pressure on Arsenal | Kick-off: 5.30pm BST ⚽ Seven games to decide the title | Follow on Bluesky Pre-match reading In which Harry Paterson previews the last lap of an intriguing title race. Continue reading...

British No 1 beaten in straight sets at Italian Open ‘I can’t be in better mental and physical shape’ Cameron Norrie believes he is still well positioned for a strong performance at the French Open despite being shocked by his standard of play during Saturday’s frustrating 6-3, 7-5 loss to Thiago Agustín Tirante in the second round of the Italian Open on Friday. Norrie, the British No 1, started …

The optimistic take is that Chelsea avoided equalling their worst run of league defeats since 1952 and warmed up nicely for next Saturday’s FA Cup final with a merited draw at Liverpool. Optimism, however, was thin on the ground at Anfield where boos greeted the full-time whistle and Arne Slot’s decision to introduce Alexander Isak for Rio Ngumoha. His team are crawling towards Champions League q…

Star matches Kareem, Hakeem and Shaq with stat line San Antonio take 2-1 lead over Minnesota Sixers on brink of sweep after Knicks dominate Victor Wembanyama plays with an agility and a gracefulness beneath his daunting wingspan that can make his dominance for the San Antonio Spurs on both ends of the floor appear almost effortless. Fresh cuts and bruises on those long arms after fighting for pai…

World No 2 is not against return: ‘Just good business’ Circuit’s future is uncertain after Saudi withdrawal DeChambeau has denied claims of PGA Tour talks Rory McIlroy is no longer opposed to LIV Golf players returning to the PGA Tour, but he said Friday that “it’s a question of if they do want to come back”. McIlroy said the answer will probably depend on what happens with LIV’s financial situat…

As soccer fans turn their attention to the future of the sport in the States, we revisit four oft-overlooked moments – and one famous kick – that shaped its past This was originally published in the newsletter The World Behind the Cup. Sign up for it here . The last time the US hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994, many Americans viewed soccer as a game they watched their kids play on Saturday morn…

Coach insists he is ‘proud’ of Valverde and Tchouaméni Tchouaméni is in squad for Sunday’s game at Barcelona Álvaro Arbeloa insisted Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni should be given the chance to “keep fighting for the badge” after a second dressing-room bust-up in two days left the Uruguayan on the floor and needing to be taken to hospital for stitches in his head. The morning after Real Ma…

It was the city of Hull where Millwall’s dreams of the top flight last came true all the way back in 1988. Kevin O’Callaghan’s penalty at the old Boothferry Park a mile across town was enough to ensure a 1-0 victory and promotion to the First Division. So with Hull the opponents again and the stakes at their highest, this felt like something of an omen. But in the end, the events in East Yorkshir…

The much-loved football sticker album is to be discontinued after 2030. Guardian writers recall their thrills and frustrations With this summer’s World Cup already mired in controversy over politicisation , potential travel bans and rows over ticket prices , fans were dealt another piece of sad news this week: the tournament’s much-loved Panini sticker album will be discontinued after 2030. Guard…