The Guardian

Head coach says wing-backs have ‘much more to give’ Manchester United visit Crystal Palace on Sunday Ruben Amorim has said he feels Patrick Dorgu’s anxiety every time the wing-back receives possession for Manchester United but stated the 21-year-old has “much time” to improve. Dorgu has performed unevenly since becoming the head coach’s first signing when joining from Lecce for £25m in February. …

A Tottenham Hotspur manager’s lot is so rarely a happy one. In record time, Thomas Frank has gone through the gamut of his predecessors, from hope to disappointment to what now looks like hopelessness. Demolition by Arsenal had already put him on a sticky wicket. A decent midweek showing in Paris, amid another defeat , had barely increased his credit rating. Defeat to Fulham, a team with an away …

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…

England Women 8-0 China Mead 12 14, Hemp 16, Stanway 23 38pen 52, Toone 71, Russo 78 Deja vu? Heavy England wins have been few and far between in recent years, a 7-0 defeat of a heavily depleted and underfunded Jamaica in their final warm-up game before the Euros was the biggest since a 10-0 defeat of Luxembourg in 2022. Against China at a moon-topped Wembley, the margin was eight, a Georgia Stan…

Delight will have been tinged with bewilderment for Eddie Howe as Newcastle finally found the route to victory on the road in the Premier League this season. Newcastle were superb as they routed Everton, scoring more goals in one devastating evening than in their previous seven away games combined. He may rightly question why it has taken so long for this punishing form to materialise. Newcastle …

La Liga leaders recover to beat Alavés 3-1 Munich set summit record with stoppage-time goals Barcelona recovered from an early setback to secure a 3-1 victory over Alavés , with first-half goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo and a late second for the latter sealing the win at the Camp Nou. The win lifts the defending La Liga champions to the top of the table on 34 points, two ahead of second-pl…

Wales 0-73 South Africa Springboks score 11 tries but Etzebeth sent off for eye gouge Every bit as dispiriting as expected. Worse, was it pointless? Well, it certainly had more points to it than Wales would have liked. But, worse again, was it actively alienating? A record defeat, the first time since 1967 Wales have failed to score a point here, 11 tries conceded. South Africa continue to demons…

Top tier football is awash with motivational slogans and some are so trite that many players quite possibly ignore them. Yet Sunderland’s adopted motto – ‘TIL The End’ – has become so much more than just another piece of cod psychology. After sustaining them through last season’s successful playoff campaign it has morphed into a true mantra, encapsulating everything that is so refreshing about th…

Igor Thiago scored twice in the last 10 minutes to help Brentford beat relegation-threatened Burnley after an exciting finish at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Brazilian opened the scoring in the 81st minute from the penalty spot before Zian Flemming responded with a spot-kick of his own a few minutes later. Continue reading...

When Phil Foden struck the winner in the second minute of added time Pep Guardiola’s leap was laced with relief at Manchester City’s pursuit of Arsenal still being alive. City had spurned a two-goal interval advantage after Dominic Calvert-Lewin, a half-time substitute, had terrorised the hosts. The 28-year-old scored in the 49th minute, then claimed the penalty that led to Lukas Nmecha’s 68th-mi…

Tigers into top six after coming from behind Sheffield United climb table after third win of week Joe Gelhardt’s last-gasp goal earned Hull a smash-and-grab 2-1 win at Stoke and put them into the top six. Sorba Thomas scored a first-half wonder goal to give Stoke a deserved lead at the break, but, facing a third successive defeat, the Tigers battled back after half-time. Defender Semi Ajayi score…