12 h. ago Manchester United v West Ham, Tottenham v Aston Villa, and more: WSL clockwatch – live

Updates from 12pm (GMT) kick-offsChelsea v Everton to follow at 2.30pmGet in touch with Dominic via emailWelcome along to another packed Women’s Super League Sunday. These smorgasbords of midday starts are becoming quite the fixture in the WSL calendar nowadays and they’re usually lots of fun.Today, Manchester United host West Ham at Leigh Sports Village, with Marc Skinner’s side looking to jump back into the top three with three points, while there are mid-table clashes between Spurs and Aston Villa, and London City and Brighton. Manchester City can (and very much should) extend their lead at the summit with victory at Leicester. Chelsea face Everton a little later, potentially looking to capitalise on any dropped points from City. Continue reading...

Politics

27 h. ago Africa Cup of Nations shunted into margins as greedy game finds no room at top table | Jonathan Wilson

So long as the Premier League invests in its players and Fifa pays it lip service, the continent’s flagship tournament will always struggle to fit inPerhaps attitudes are not quite as parochial as they once were, but it remains true that, in England at least, the Africa Cup of Nations is discussed less as a tournament in its own right than in terms of what it means for the Premier League.There will be the usual harrumphing about why the tournament is played in the middle of our season, but the Confederation of African Football has tried to satisfy European clubs only to be thwarted by Fifa and the increasing demands of the calendar. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Transfer News LIVE: Salah 'to leave Liverpool', Arsenal given £61m price tag, Man Utd latest

We're into December which means the January transfer window is not far away and Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham could all make moves to bolster their squads

Economics

5 d. ago Man United and Man City on Antoine Semenyo transfer red alert as £65m Tottenham plan emerges

Antoine Semenyo has been linked with a transfer to Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham, with the Bournemouth winger's form having attracted plenty of attention

Economics

6 d. ago Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are showing the resilience of champions

In the past, moments like Chelsea’s shorthanded goal might have sent Arsenal reeling. No longerSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereThe gap at the top is five points. Arsenal have now played two of their three toughest away games of the season. They’ve come through a potentially extremely tricky week with reputation enhanced, despite being without one of their starting centre-backs for all three games and both for one of them. If there is any sense of disappointment, it is only that they failed to beat Chelsea, whom they have become accustomed to getting the better of, despite having a man advantage from the 38th minute on Sunday.But really there shouldn’t be any disappointment. Coming out of the international break, having conceded a late equaliser to Sunderland in their previous game, Arsenal looked potentially vulnerable. Despite having been by far the most impressive side this season, their lead over Manchester City was only four points. They were without Gabriel, who pro...

Sport

1 week ago Estêvão outshines Lamine Yamal to show why he is Chelsea’s rare diamond | Jonathan Wilson

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. He plays on the balls of his feet, always alert, always able to go either way. He glides rather than runs, but does so at speed. He has already finished as runner-up in the Ballon d’Or. But he was not the best 18-year-old right-sided forward on the pitch on Tuesday, not even close.In Estêvão, brought in from Palmeiras for a fee that could rise to £52m, Chelsea have recruited a player who could end up as one of the very best. He has been making more and more of an impression since scoring the late winner against Liverpool last month. His last four starts for Chelsea have brought four goals,...

Politics

1 week ago Arsenal’s Premier League dominance is not under threat. At least not yet

Eberechi Eze’s hat-trick and Manchester City’s loss to Newcastle means Arsenal are in control of their own destinySign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereSo it turns out those who had already handed the title to Arsenal were right after all.It’s absurd, of course, to start handing out the title in November but a feature of modern football is how obsessed it becomes so early with title races. It’s perhaps a legacy of the Pep Guardiola-Jürgen Klopp rivalry’s peak, when being champion meant amassing more than 95 points. It made sense then to scan the track far ahead for any potential hurdles because there were so few. But less than a third of the way through this season, Manchester City, who remain probably the biggest danger to Arsenal, have already dropped as many points as they did in the entirety of 2017-18, their 100-point campaign. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Arsenal’s Premier League dominance is not under threat. At least not yet | Jonathan Wilson

Eberechi Eze’s hat-trick and Manchester City’s loss to Newcastle means Arsenal are in control of their own destinySign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereSo it turns out those who had already handed the title to Arsenal were right after all.It’s absurd, of course, to start handing out the title in November but a feature of modern football is how obsessed it becomes so early with title races. It’s perhaps a legacy of the Pep Guardiola-Jürgen Klopp rivalry’s peak, when being champion meant amassing more than 95 points. It made sense then to scan the track far ahead for any potential hurdles because there were so few. But less than a third of the way through this season, Manchester City, who remain probably the biggest danger to Arsenal, have already dropped as many points as they did in the entirety of 2017-18, their 100-point campaign. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Arsenal vs Tottenham live updates: Eze, Trossard goals give hosts north London derby control in Premier League

Arsenal vs Tottenham live updates: Eze, Trossard goals give hosts north London derby control in Premier League  The New York TimesArteta is feeling the heat but north London derby offers chance to reset title push | Jonathan Wilson  The GuardianArsenal vs. Tottenham: Preview, Predictions and Lineups  Sports Illustrated

Politics

2 w. ago Arteta is feeling the heat but north London derby offers chance to reset title push | Jonathan Wilson

Whatever doubts there are for Arsenal, at Tottenham they are far greater – and the similarity between these old rivals is starkTwo goals for Harry Kane, another for Son Heung-min and, to compound Arsenal’s misery, Rob Holding sent off. Tottenham had won the derby and would go on to win their last two games of the season to take fourth place and the final Champions League qualification spot from Arsenal. It was the end of the 2021-22 campaign, and the sixth season in a row in which Tottenham had finished above Arsenal and, for the first time since the 60s, it seemed that they had a definitive superiority in north London.Since when – although Spurs will point out they have won a trophy and Arsenal have not – the pendulum has swung decisively back the other way. Mikel Arteta has remade Arsenal, but the question is whether, after three straight second-place finishes, they can go one better and win the league for the first time since 2004, a drought that itself makes success more difficu...

Politics

2 w. ago Ruben Amorim issues triple Man Utd injury update as two stars ruled out vs Everton

Benjamin Sesko hobbled out of Manchester United's last game, against Tottenham before the international break, and manager Ruben Amorim has now given the latest on him and other players

Events

2 w. ago Benjamin Sesko injury update with THREE Man Utd stars absent from training

Benjamin Sesko was forced off with an injury in Manchester United's draw with Tottenham Hotspur before the international break and is now a major doubt for Everton

Events

2 w. ago Benjamin Sesko injury update emerges ahead of Man United vs Everton

Manchester United centre-forward Benjamin Sesko hobbled off against Tottenham Hotspur before the international break.

Events

2 w. ago Benjamin Sesko injury timeline revealed as Man United return date eyed

Benjamin Sesko handed Manchester United an injury scare during the draw with Tottenham Hotspur before the international break

Events

3 w. ago Tuchel’s back to the future England can play with fire and fury at the World Cup | Jonathan Wilson

A tactically and technically adept Three Lions squad can take the handbrake off and prosper in North America next summerWatching Micky van de Ven surge through the pretty much the entire FC Copenhagen team in the Champions League last week, two sensations occurred. The first was awe, that somebody so powerful and so quick would still have the composure to finish as he did. And the second was that this didn’t feel entirely fair. It was as though Gulliver had landed himself a deal in the Lilliput Premier League.The same evening, Liverpool, who have at times struggled physically in the Premier League this season, bullied Real Madrid, their threat at set plays so marked that eventually it was the 5ft 7in Alexis Mac Allister who headed the vital goal. The following day, Newcastle swatted Athletic Bilbao aside, largely by being bigger than them: for the opening goal, the Spanish side’s defence appears to have looked at Dan Burn and decided there was no point even trying to mark him. Conti...

Events

3 w. ago Harry Maguire hands Man Utd fitness update after alarming injury scare

Harry Maguire was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury during Manchester United's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, and he has now provided an update to his Instagram followers

Events

3 w. ago Manchester United need to accept two uncomfortable truths after Tottenham draw

Man United extended their unbeaten run against Spurs on Saturday but they should have left the capital with all three points.

Politics

3 w. ago Man Utd starting XI with Benjamin Sesko replacement as January transfer lined up

Benjamin Sesko is set to be sidelined for several weeks after suffering a knee injury in Manchester United's 2-2 draw against Tottenham, with Ivan Toney a potential replacement

Politics

3 w. ago Man Utd games Benjamin Sesko could miss as injury update given after Tottenham scare

Benjamin Sesko was forced off during Manchester United's dramatic 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Saturday with an injury update emerging for the Red Devils

Events

3 w. ago Man Utd news: Ruben Amorim's problem as star's sister 'admits transfer approach'

Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham, with Ruben Amorim's side once again showing their frailties, as a star's family have opened up on snubbing the Red Devils

Politics