The Boston Celtics couldn't close out the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday in a pivotal Game 4 and the two teams return to Boston tied at two games a piece in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.Boston has had issues this postseason closing out games, and the team went away from Jaylen Br...

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred gaslit Oakland Athletics for their reverse boycott game to protest the team moving to Las Vegas.It seems like a foregone conclusion that the Athletics will be moving to Las Vegas. On Wednesday, the Nevada state legislature approved $380 million in taxpayer funds to h...

Marcus Stroman clearly isn't letting the news that he won't get a contract extension from the Cubs get his work ethic down.On Saturday, as Marcus Stroman and the Chicago Cubs were waiting for the rain to clear up so they could take on the Cleveland Guardians at Wrigley Field, Ken Rosen...

Today's USMNT rumors include Christian Pulisic being linked with AC Milan. Juventus are interested in Timothy Weah andMarseille wants to send Konrad de la Fuente out on loan.USMNT rumors: Christian Pulisic to AC MilanChristian Pulisic at a recent press conference was quoted on Sky Sports sa...

Follow live coverage as Arsenal face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League today. Manchester City are reigning champions after beating Liverpool to the finish line in a neck-and-neck 2021/22 title race where a comeback win on the final day of the season against Aston Villa secured a fourth title in five years for Pep Guardiola's side. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were on course for a quadruple last season but were forced to settle for just an FA Cup and Carabao Cup win and will return trying to win the title again just as they did in 2020. It was a dramatic season for Chelsea a year ago with Roman Abramovich now replaced by Todd Boehly as owner in west London. He will want an instant return on his hefty investment at Stamford Bridge while Tottenham, back in the Champions League, will want to kick on once more too. It's not all about the action at the top though with Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest promoted to the top tier for 2021/22 and hoping to hold their own against the best English football has to offer and avoid the drop. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Manchester United's opening £40m bid for Mason Mount has been turned down by Chelsea; The Blues value the 24-year-old at around £70m despite their being just 12 months left on his contract.

Savannah Marshall became undisputed super-middleweight champion with a narrow decision win over Franchon Crews-Dezurn on Saturday. Two of the judges in Manchester scored the bout for Marshall, while the other had the main event as a draw – enough for the Briton to take all the major belts from Crews-Dezurn. Marshall entered the fight on the back of a points defeat by Claressa Shields in October – the first professional loss of the 32-year-old’s career, and a result with which Marshall lost the WBO middleweight title as her rival became undisputed in the division. But Marshall got back on track on Saturday, moving up in weight and reaping the rewards as she overcame a tough start to beat a tricky, physical opponent at the AO Arena. Crews-Dezurn, 36, had only lost once before as a professional (also to Shields, in 2016), and the American looked on course for another win as she got the better of Marshall at close range in the early rounds. Crews-Dezurn, the stronger of the two boxers, was punishing Marshall in the clinch, but the challenger began to find her timing and range as the fight progressed, ultimately doing enough to sway two of the three judges. Ultimately the scorecards read 95-95, 99-92, 97-93. Marshall then called for a rematch with Shields, who had been cheering on Crews-Dezurn from ringside, suggesting that such a bout should take place at super-middleweight – rather than at middleweight. On the undercard, Natasha Jonas became a two-weight world champion by stopping Kandi Wyatt in Round 8 to win the vacant IBF welterweight title. The Briton, 39, also holds the WBC and WBO titles at super-welterweight. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Ben Whittaker on his life-changing moment: ‘I was bleeding and crying – it flipped a switch’ Anthony Joshua removes stumbling block in Dillian Whyte negotiations Tyson Fury’s ‘game-changing’ return to be announced in ‘next week or so’, Frank Warren says Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s teams meet in London for talks over Saudi Arabia fight

DeAndre Hopkins is the hottest free agent out there after being released. But some of the biggest teams linked to him have big reasons not to sign him.The Cardinals couldn't find a trade partner to ship out DeAndre Hopkins so they started the weekend by releasing him. Now, half of the NFL i...

A case can be made No. 8 Oregon and No. 7 Washington are playing the most significant game in the history of their 107-year series

Argentina is expected to easily win an historic all-South American contest at the Rugby World Cup on Saturday

VIDEO: There was a Lakers fan sitting courtside in Denver in a full uniform.

On Wednesday, West Ham United fans all over the country will spend the day somewhere between utter anxiety and outrageous optimism, preparing for the chance to win their first major trophy since 1980. The Hammers face Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final, a little over a year on from making the semi-finals of another European competition and falling just short. This time, there’s real optimism over them going the distance and lifting silverware, a moment which would be truly unique for a generation of supporters. Among them will be a certain Carlton Cole, striker for the Hammers for close to a decade from 2006 to 2015, now a coach within the Academy setup - and still very much someone hoping the club go the distance this time. The memories of last year and being close enough to touch a final appearance will spur the side on, but nothing can be taken for granted at this stage, he says. “If we had beat Frankfurt over two legs I think we’d have gone on to win it. We were so disappointed but now we’ve done really well in the Europa Conference League - you have to congratulate David Moyes for that even without it being a great Premier League season,” Cole told the Independent. “A Premier League team in this competition should be capable of winning it but a final is a one-off, you can’t say it’ll definitely happen.” Cole played almost 300 times for the east London club and was capped seven times at senior international level by England. That was a career highlight - he debut against Spain and almost scored - a moment he describes as the “pinnacle” for any aspiring player. But that is his past, and Cole has both eyes firmly on the future. That is both professionally and in his personal life, with the now 39-year-old an engaging and enthusiastic talker across a range of issues. When we meet, it’s in an unexpected location: the Monaco E-Prix, a flagship race in the Formula E all-electric racing series. The rapidly growing championship is now in it’s ninth season and Cole has found it an exhilarating sport to be around, along with it fitting into his own ethos of improved sustainability. “I went to the London E-Prix last summer and it was brilliant, I had a great time. They taught me about it and how different it is - I was never an F1 fan to be honest but you can see the tactical nouse you need to be a Formula E driver,” he explained. “That’s what I fell in love with, the tactical side - it remains me of football. The team around you need to be on point or you’re not getting the result you really want. Then [Jaguar’s British driver] Sam Bird has been on our TalkSport show and giving his score predictions so we have a bit of back-and-forth with that! “The way they invite people in and explain what’s going on and it ties in with the work I’m doing in sustainability. I’ve done some work with other pundits where we pull together to keep our carbon footprint as low as possible. I’ve looked into an electric car, my recycling is better. EVs are the future so it’s nice to be involved in something which is helping the ecosystem but which you can enjoy along the way too. It has been an eye-opener.” That willingness to absorb new ideas and information, and form his own opinions of where they can lead him, is evident elsewhere in Cole’s life. Having retired from playing, he set about taking the first steps in coaching and is now a Uefa A-licence holder, working with West Ham’s U16s - but he hasn’t necessarily pigeon-holed himself into continuing that route. “When I started I didn’t realise I would get this embedded. I was doing my badges but suddenly you’re a mentor to these kids, not just making them better footballers but better people too. I’m really happy West Ham have trusted me with these boys and it’s come to a point where I understand how far I can go. “Transitioning from being a player was hard to begin with but I think I’ve adapted now. I’m not sure whether long-term it’ll be coaching I stay in but it’s good to know I can do this. I didn’t go fast track, I did it step by step with the FA. “I know my philosophy, I know the style I want to play, but I can use that in other areas: I might want to be a director of football and coaching is just a part of the journey which might lead to bigger things. You have to find your identity within the game.” Within the game and without, it appears. Cole is making changes in both his day-to-day life and his professional career, but some things never change in football - he’ll be desperate to see West Ham win on Wednesday night in Prague, just like every other supporter. Read More West Ham vs Fiorentina predicted line-ups: Team news ahead of Europa Conference League final tonight David Moyes will not compare himself to Ron Greenwood and John Lyall West Ham vs Fiorentina live stream: How to watch Europa Conference League final online and on TV tonight