When Ipswich host Arsenal on Sunday it will be one day short of 23 years since, on a sun-dappled afternoon at Highbury, a hefty nail was hammered into the Suffolk side’s relegation coffin. Arsenal were en route to a dazzling league title and their 2-0 victory was routine; with four games left George Burley’s team, … Read more
As Chelsea’s quest for a quadruple enters its final month, there is no more imposing obstacle to navigate than this. Barcelona, the European champions in three of the past four campaigns, are once again standing in the way of the English champions as Chelsea strive to lift the only major trophy that has eluded them, … Read more
“The players didn’t show enough fight.” Listen to any pundit’s post-match reaction and you will hear variations of that soundbite. But can you analyse an athlete’s state of mind, based on their on-pitch body language? In an era when football is increasingly leaning on data to demonstrate physical attributes, statistics offering an accurate indication of … Read more
David Moyes believes Everton’s recent form against leading Premier League teams has opened players’ eyes to their true potential and influenced his decision on their futures. The Everton manager admits he did not expect many points from an April schedule of Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Chelsea when he studied the fixture list … Read more
Arne Slot has denied Darwin Núñez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach said on Sunday that Núñez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat … Read more
New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr was suspended for one game and fined by Major League Baseball on Friday following his ejection during a game at the Tampa Bay Rays and violation of MLB’s social media policy. MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill announced the decision. Chisholm appealed, delaying any … Read more
Pep Guardiola fears Manchester City could miss out on summer transfer targets if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. After winning the last four Premier League titles during an unprecedented spell of domestic dominance, the goal this season is to earn a place back at European football’s top table. City sit fifth having … Read more
There has rarely been any shortage of effort or endeavour from Paul Wellens and his St Helens side, and that was certainly the case here. But even the most ardent Saints supporter cannot argue that, right now, there is a gap between their team and their most ferocious rivals which is cause for concern. These … Read more
The Premiership season is rounding the final bend and entering the home straight. Organisers like to call this point in the campaign “The Run-in” and they could hardly have wished for a better set of fixtures this weekend to begin it with. Sixth host fourth when Saracens entertain Gloucester, fifth go to seventh with Sale … Read more
It was difficult to put a price on this victory for Sheffield United. Chris Wilder’s side had surprisingly lost their last three games in a hugely damaging blow to their automatic promotion hopes. But Gustavo Hamer’s typically impish first-half opener and Ben Brereton Díaz’s late strike were enough to revive home spirits on a soggy … Read more