London (AFP) – Mesut Ozil provided a timely reminder of his importance to Arsenal's title hopes with a superb header in a 3-1 win against Stoke that moved the Gunners to the top of the Premier League on Saturday. The futures of Ozil and Alexis Sanchez remain uncertain with the Arsenal duo entering the final […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi struck twice as Barcelona recorded their first win in four La Liga games to close to within three points of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win at Osasuna. Barca should have killed the game off in the first half as Luis Suarez and Messi […]

Swansea (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Swansea City climbed off the bottom of the Premier League with a crucial 3-0 victory against Sunderland that plunged their fellow strugglers to the foot of the table on Saturday. Bob Bradley's side won for just the second time under their American manager thanks to Gylfi Sigurdsson's penalty and a […]

The top four teams in the Premier League this season—Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City—have all been talked about in different quarters as title challengers. But Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who will meet at Old Trafford on Sunday, have evaded such reverence. The Red Devils should be in the mix after their summer of […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski netted twice as Bayern Munich returned to the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 5-0 win over Wolfsburg after RB Leipzig lost their unbeaten record. Leipzig's shock 1-0 defeat at bottom side Ingolstadt, who finished with 10 men, ended their three-week stint as leaders after Carlo Ancelotti's Bayern […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Italian striker Stefano Okaka's first two Watford goals inspired a 3-2 comeback win over Everton on Saturday, leaving Ronald Koeman's side with one win in 10 Premier League games. Romelu Lukaku scored twice for Everton, bookending the scoring, but Okaka's double — the first a brilliant flick — and a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi struck twice as Barcelona recorded their first win in four La Liga games to close to within three points of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win at Osasuna. Barca should have killed the game off in the first half as Luis Suarez and Messi […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger believes his Arsenal stars have finally developed the mental toughness required to fight for the Premier League title. After a few wobbles of late, Wenger's side have roared back into top gear with a 5-1 rout of West Ham last weekend followed by a 4-1 victory over Basel in the […]

London (AFP) – The sex abuse scandal that has rocked English football's foundations has seen new revelations every day since they first surfaced a fortnight ago. Here AFP Sports takes a look at what we know so far: Coaches accused At least seven youth coaches or scouts — three of whom are now dead — […]

London (AFP) – The threat of a long, dark winter hangs over Jose Mourinho's Manchester United as they prepare to welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday. Without a home win in four league games, United trail fifth-place Tottenham by six points and will be left with a chasm to […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius to "close his ears" to criticism ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with West Ham. Bournemouth clinched a dramatic 4-3 victory over Liverpool last weekend after Karius fumbled a shot from Steve Cook in stoppage-time which allowed Nathan Ake to bundle the ball into […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte has called on Chelsea to underline their status as favourites for the Premier League title with an dominant display against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Conte's side are three points clear at the top after a blistering run of eight successive victories including last weekend's impressive triumph at title rivals […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says he is proud of his side's desire to win as they picked up their ninth victory in a row as they defeated Partick Thistle 4-1 at Firhill. The Hoops extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 11 points with two games in hand […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola warned Friday that plans to increase the World Cup to 48 teams as well the global saturation of football is going to "kill" players. Guardiola said he wants to see rules changed to allow for up to six substitutes to be used in a game rather than […]

Toronto (Canada) (AFP) – Major League Soccer will not allow crisis-hit New York Cosmos to join their league as a third team in the area, league commissioner Don Garber said on Friday. The Cosmos, which became the most famous club in American soccer during the 1970s when the likes of Pele and Franz Beckenbauer played […]