London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel described being appointed Chelsea manager as "the best present still left under the tree" after being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain over Christmas. The German won two Ligue 1 titles in his two full seasons in the French capital and led the club to their first-ever Champions League final. But he […]

Milan (AFP) – Holders Napoli withstood a late Spezia charge for a 4-2 win to advance to the Italian Cup semi-finals on Thursday where they meet Atalanta. Genaro Gattuso's southeners were four-goals up at half-time in their Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, before the visitors pulled two goals back in a three-minute second half spell. Senegalese […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool ended a five-game winless run in the Premier League to move back into the top four with a 3-1 win at Tottenham on Thursday as Spurs also lost Harry Kane to an ankle injury. The English champions had not even scored in their last four league games, but their front three […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham's chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League suffered a blow as Harry Kane was forced off with an ankle injury at half-time of their clash with Liverpool on Thursday. Twice the England captain received treatment during the first-half and his movement was clearly restricted as he played on until […]

London (AFP) – Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Nuno Espirito Santo has donated £250,000 ($343,000, 283,000 euros) to help tackle poverty in the central England city, it was announced Thursday. The 47-year-old Premier League boss has put his money into the Wolves Foundation's £500,000 Feed Our Pack project. This scheme aims to reduce the impact of food […]

Berlin (AFP) – Thomas Mueller's hopes of playing for Germany at the Tokyo Olympics are over after the German FA (DFB) confirmed Thursday he will not be selected. The Bayern Munich star is not on the extended list of players, submitted to the German National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), being considered for Tokyo, the DFB confirmed […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel accepts he will be judged on results after becoming the 13th Chelsea manager of owner Roman Abramovich's 17-year reign in charge of the Premier League club. The Blues sacked club legend Frank Lampard, who is Chelsea's all-time top goalscorer, on Monday after a run of five defeats in eight Premier […]

Rome (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo broke coronavirus travel restrictions with a trip to a mountain resort, according to media reports Thursday. Juventus striker Ronaldo allegedly travelled to Courmayeur, 150 kilometres north-west of the Serie A club's Turin headquarters, for his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez' birthday. When contacted by AFP, Juve declined to comment. Rodriguez, who turned […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United on Thursday called for stronger measures to be taken against "mindless idiots" who post racial abuse after Anthony Martial and Axel Tuanzebe were targeted. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men fell to a shock 2-1 loss to the Premier League's bottom side Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday. That defeat sparked […]

London (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a doubt for Arsenal's Premier League clash against Manchester United on Saturday after missing games due to his mother's "health issues". The club captain was absent for the FA Cup defeat at Southampton on Saturday as well as the 3-1 Premier League victory against the same opposition three days […]

London (AFP) – Harry Maguire has called on Manchester United to "stand up and be counted" after their shock 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United hurt their Premier League title chances. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side blew their chance to leapfrog Manchester City at the top of the table against opponents who had won just a single […]

London (AFP) – Chris Wilder is wary of claiming "an incredible escape is on" after he became the first Sheffield United manager to taste victory at Manchester United for 48 years. The Blades' 2-1 win on Wednesday put a huge dent in United's hopes of winning their first Premier League title since 2013 and gave […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel admits Chelsea face a fight to finish in the Premier League's top four after his first match ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw against Wolves on Wednesday. Tuchel has taken over from the sacked Frank Lampard with Chelsea languishing in mid-table after a wretched run. The former Paris Saint Germain […]

Rome (AFP) – Former Spain striker Fernando Llorente has joined Udinese from Napoli, the struggling Serie A club announced on Wednesday. The 35-year-old has signed a deal until June 2022 and arrives at a team sitting 14th in the Italian top flight, but only four points above the relegation zone. "I am very happy to […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United's Premier League hopes suffered a huge blow on Wednesday with a 2-1 defeat by bottom side Sheffield United as Chelsea started the Thomas Tuchel era with a goalless draw against Wolves. The shock result at Old Trafford leaves Pep Guardiola's Manchester City a point clear at the top table with […]