London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho aimed a Christmas Day dig at Manchester City, claiming the runaway Premier League leaders have been handed an unfair advantage by playing their next match more than a day later than his United team. United welcome Burnley to Old Trafford on Tuesday but City, who have a huge 13-point lead […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, who has been hit with a lifetime ban from the Olympic Games over doping, on Monday said he is suspending his role as president of the Russian Football Union while he contests the ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. "I have decided to file […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool to stay motivated to reach their target of a place in next season's Champions League by the end of the season. Klopp has acknowledged ahead of Liverpool's clash with bottom side Swansea at Anfield on Tuesday that a Premier League title challenge is beyond them given they […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino insists Tottenham cannot allow themselves to be distracted by the fluctuating form of their nearest rivals as they step up their bid for a top four spot. Pochettino's side welcome Southampton to Wembley after a round of weekend matches that strengthened the position of the north London club. A comfortable […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata admits his team-mates are furious after dropping two points at Leicester City, but he hopes they can channel that frustration into a strong response against Burnley on Tuesday. Jose Mourinho's side were stunned by a late goal from 10-man Leicester in a 2-2 draw that […]

London (AFP) – Alvaro Morata's return will be welcomed by Antonio Conte but the Chelsea manager knows his side face Brighton at Stamford Bridge with their Premier League title defence all but over. Morata was forced to sit out the visit to Everton on Saturday while he served a one-match suspension and in his absence, […]

London (AFP) – With Manchester City on a record-breaking sprint towards the Premier League title, the leaders have reached the halfway point of the season looking simply unstoppable. The future is bright for Pep Guardiola's side, but City's rivals face a more uncertain time in 2018 as they try to bridge the gulf in class. […]

London (AFP) – Southampton striker Charlie Austin was Sunday banned for three matches after kicking Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl in the face, the Football Association announced. Lossl was left with a bloodied face and a suspected broken nose following the incident in Saturday's 1-1 draw at St Mary's. Austin avoided punishment for the incident at […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said on Sunday that the club's fans have to be proud of their team's achievements in 2017, despite the 3-0 El Clasico defeat by Barcelona that left them 14 points adrift in the La Liga title race. The Spanish giants completed a double of Champions League and […]

London (AFP) – Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been hit with a violent conduct charge after he kicked Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl in the face. Lossl was left with a bloodied face and a suspected broken nose following the incident in Saturday's 1-1 draw at St Mary's. Austin avoided punishment for the incident at the […]

London (AFP) – Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal left the Championship strugglers by mutual consent on Sunday. Carvalhal guided Wednesday to the play-offs in his first two seasons at Hillsborough, but a miserable seven-match winless run has cost him his job. The Portuguese coach's exit came just hours after Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri released a […]

Port Elizabeth (South Africa) (AFP) – The one-off day-night Test between South Africa and Zimbabwe, starting on Tuesday, will be staged under experimental playing conditions. The International Cricket Council gave permission to Cricket South Africa to stage a four-day Test. There are several variations from standard Test playing conditions. Play will be scheduled for six-and-a-half […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Brendan Rodgers has praised his Celtic players for the way the Scottish champions have responded since suffering their first domestic defeat under his reign. Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to eight points on Saturday as they saw off nearest challengers Aberdeen with a 3-0 victory at […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Antonio Conte defended his tactical approach in Chelsea's goalless draw at Everton as he limited stand-in forward Michy Batshuayi to a 20-minute substitute appearance. Conte was without suspended striker Alvaro Morata on Saturday but opted to start with a forward line that featured Willian, Pedro and Eden Hazard rather than an orthodox […]

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino saluted "fantastic" duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli after Tottenham revived their challenge for Champions League qualification with a 3-0 win at Burnley. Kane scored a hat-trick to take his total of Premier League goals in the calendar year to 36, equalling the competition record set by Alan […]