Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ralf Rangnick revealed Anthony Martial missed Manchester United's 2-2 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday after the unsettled France forward said he did not want to be in the squad. Rangnick was forced to leave one place on the substitutes bench unfilled at Villa Park after Martial opted not to […]

Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Philippe Coutinho made a dream debut for Aston Villa as the Brazil star's late equaliser capped a thrilling fightback from two goals down against Manchester United in Saturday's 2-2 draw. Four years after he last played in the Premier League with Liverpool, Coutinho made an instant impact on his return […]

Milan (AFP) – Ciro Immobile sat atop the Serie A scoring charts on Saturday after his early double helped fire Lazio to a comfortable 3-0 win at rock-bottom Salernitana. Italy forward Immobile netted twice in the first 10 minutes to give the away side a lead that they never looked like relinquishing and take his […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The Premier League stands accused of overseeing a farce after agreeing to Arsenal's request to postpone their trip to Tottenham with the Gunners reportedly missing just one player due to coronavirus. Sunday's north London derby, which was due to be screened live in Sky Sports' marquee slot of 16.30 GMT, […]

Garoua (Cameroon) (AFP) – Nigeria cruised into the Africa Cup of Nations knockout phase with a game to spare on Saturday after sweeping Sudan aside 3-1 to make it two wins from two in Group D. Samuel Chukwueze struck in the third minute in Garoua and Taiwo Awoniyi doubled the lead by scoring his first […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham were left fuming after Sunday's north London derby was postponed when the Premier League accepted depleted Arsenal's request to cancel the fixture. Mikel Arteta's side made the request on Friday after losing a host of players to Covid-19, injury, suspension and the African Cup of Nations. Martin Odegaard missed Thursday's League […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer hailed Robert Lewandowski as a scoring "machine" after the Poland striker claimed his 300th Bundesliga goal with a hat-trick as the German league leaders thrashed Cologne 4-0 on Saturday. The reigning champions restored their six-point advantage after Borussia Dortmund had cut the gap with a 5-1 thumping […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski scored his 300th Bundesliga goal on Saturday by completing a hat-trick in Bayern Munich's 4-0 thrashing of Cologne. The reigning champions restored their six-point advantage in the table after Borussia Dortmund had cut the gap with a 5-1 thumping of Freiburg on Friday. Hosts Bayern, almost back to full strength […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel voiced his frustration at Romelu Lukaku after Kevin De Bruyne's brilliant strike beat the Blues 1-0 to open up a 13-point lead at the top of the table. A tale of two Belgian internationals saw Lukaku spurn a chance to silence his critics early in the […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal's clash with north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday has been postponed after the Premier League accepted the depleted Gunners' request to cancel the fixture. Mikel Arteta's side made the request on Friday after losing a host of players to Covid-19, injury, suspension and the African Cup of Nations. Martin Odegaard missed […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City took another huge step towards retaining the Premier League title as one moment of inspiration from Kevin De Bruyne saw off Chelsea 1-0 to open up a 13-point lead at the top of the table. A game of few chances was brought to life by the Belgian 20 […]

Douala (AFP) – Ivory Coast coach Patrice Beaumelle has shrugged off criticism of star striker Sebastien Haller and hopes the Ajax marksman will quickly find his best form at the Africa Cup of Nations. Haller disappointed in his side's 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea having arrived at the tournament in Cameroon as one of the […]

Marseille (AFP) – FIFA has imposed a one-year transfer ban on Marseille in the ongoing dispute over the 2020 signing of midfielder Pape Gueye, a source told AFP on Saturday. The Ligue 1 club is expected to appeal the ruling by FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber following a complaint by Premier League Watford. Marseille also received […]

Milan (AFP) – Andriy Shevchenko has been sacked by struggling Genoa after just over two months in charge, the Serie A club announced on Saturday. In a statement, Genoa said that Under-17 coach Abdoulay Konko would be caretaker manager until the club finds a permanent replacement for the Ukrainian. Former AC Milan and Chelsea striker […]

Berlin (AFP) – Tension is simmering between Erling Haaland and Borussia Dortmund with the star striker accusing his Bundesliga club of putting pressure on him to make a decision regarding his future. The 21-year-old has a Dortmund contract until 2024, but a release clause could see the Norwegian leave at the end of this season […]