List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

The preseason AP Top 25 college football rankings were released on Monday with Georgia at No. 1. But is that bad news for the Dawgs' 3-peat hopes?The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 1-ranked team in the 2023 preseason AP Top 25 college football rankings. That's no surprise given that Kirb...

Manchester United survived a late VAR scare as Raphael Varane’s second-half goal saw them edge past an impressive Wolves to get their Premier League campaign off to a winning start at Old Trafford. Varane headed home from close range with 14 minutes remaining to ensure an unconvincing display from Erik Ten Hag’s team ended in a 1-0 victory that was barely deserved. Indeed, it looked like Wolves might get the chance to equalise from the penalty spot at the death when goalkeeper Andre Onana appeared to clatter into Sasa Kalajdzic, but referee Simon Hooper waved away protests and VAR backed his decision. It felt harsh as few will have seen a performance like this coming from Wolves, whose plans for the season were thrown into disarray last week when boss Julen Lopetegui left just five days before kick-off, with Gary O’Neil coming in. O’Neil, who was sacked at Bournemouth after keeping them up last season, will have been thrilled at what he saw as his new side put in a slick counter-attacking display that had United on the run for the majority of the game. But it was old failings that came back to haunt them as they could not take any of their chances, with the electric Matheus Cunha hitting the post in the second half. United will know a display like this will not be good enough, but they at least got the job done to ensure they join Manchester City and Arsenal in taking maximum points in the opening weekend of the campaign. There was a small scale demonstration outside the ground before kick-off as United fans again chanted against the Glazers and the lengthy sale process of the club, which has been going on since November. However, planned protests against the possibility of Mason Greenwood being integrated back into the squad did not extend beyond the odd banner, with the forward’s fate still unknown as the club are still in a consultation phase following the conclusion of their internal investigation. The off-the-pitch issues have not clouded what was a promising pre-season for Ten Hag’s men, though they could not translate that into a cohesive performance in the opening 45 minutes. In fact, to much surprise given their build-up to the season, Wolves were the better team as they had United running scared with pace on the break, creating two excellent openings to take the lead. In the 26th minute a lightning counter attack saw Cunha surge forward and pass to Pablo Sarabia, but it was slightly behind him and the Spaniard saw his drilled effort go just wide with the aid of a deflection. Another slick move saw roles reversed six minutes later as Sarabia’s excellent pass played in Cunha, but he dragged his shot wide after bursting into the box. That acted as something of a wake-up call to United, who came to life in the final 10 minutes of the first half. There were loud shots for a penalty when Marcus Rashford headed against the arm of Nelson Semedo, but the Wolves defender managed to tuck his limb in just in the nick of time. But Wolves rediscovered their counter-attacking verve after the break and should have led in the 50th minute. Another lung-busting break from Cunha, who ran virtually the length of the pitch, saw him lay the ball off to Sarabia and it came back to him at the far post, but, slightly off balance, his shot clipped the outside of the post. The hosts were petrified of Cunha and their defence parted in alarming fashion five minutes later but saw a low shot saved by Andre Onana. Cunha was at it again in the 71st minute with another run that had United floundering and the loose ball fell to Pedro Neto, but he shot straight at Onana. There was an inevitability about what was to come as Wolves paid for their lack of cutting edge when United stole the lead in the 76th minute. Bruno Fernandes unlocked the defence to play in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and his cross from the right was headed home by Varane from close range. Wolves knocked on the door for an equaliser and Fabio Silva had a hat-trick of chances but was denied by Onana’s legs twice while Luke Shaw produced a goal-saving block to earn his side victory. The visitors thought they should have had a penalty in the sixth minute of time when Onana went walkabouts, but Hooper and VAR denied them. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How does Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea transfer compare to previous big-money deals? Majid Haq ‘disgusted and horrified’ following racial abuse while umpiring Mings vows to bounce back as Kane settles in – Monday’s sporting social

Let's dissect the winners and losers from college football's first AP Top 25 Poll of the season.With the AP Top 25 Poll being released on Monday afternoon, there were some college football teams that were ecstatic about their ranking, while there were others who felt less than stellar....

Chelsea are negotiating a fee of £50m with add-ons for Romeo Lavia, after the midfielder signalled his intention to leave Southampton for Stamford Bridge rather than Liverpool. The Anfield club had earlier on Monday had a £60m bid accepted for the 19-year-old and, while he was interested in going north, moving to London has proved a more favourable option. There was some frustration given that it was felt Liverpool could have had a deal done last week, but Southampton absolutely refused to drop their asking price from £50m, in what has proved a seller's market. The signing will take Chelsea's expenditure to over £900m gross since the takeover in May 2022, and raised questions over how they will meet Financial Fair Play requirements. While the spending has inevitably been the subject of a lot of discussion at the top levels of clubs, just as it has been in the wider game, there has been no contact with the Premier League about it. Chelsea are likely to still have a number of outgoings in the two weeks left of the window - although that does raise the issue of clubs knowing they need to sell. The Premier League are expected to change their rules to bring them in line with Uefa's, closing a loophole that allows transfer fees to be spread over a longer-period and setting a limit at five years, but that will not affect the last year's spending. The regulations are also dependent on the year-end date for signings and which year the transactions go into. Chelsea completed the signing of Moises Caicedo for an initial £100m from Brighton earlier on Monday. Read More Chelsea end Caicedo saga by signing Brighton midfielder for initial £100m Chelsea’s £1bn spending spree still isn’t enough Chelsea and Liverpool trial football without defensive midfielders

Elsewhere in the world the focus for women’s soccer is on the World Cup as semi-final week has arrived. Back in Scotland, though, the new season is underway at the top level.The ScottishPower Women’s Premier League 2023/24 season had an official launch earlier last week and then saw ...

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"The Blind Side" subject Michael Oher has revealed a damning allegation: his family, the Tuohys, never actually adopted him. Here's what to know about the lawsuit.Michael Oher, the subject of the acclaimed movie "The Blind Side", is suing his family, the Tuohys, for alle...

Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber will see a specialist to determine the extent of his knee injury, with reports suggesting he is set for an extended spell on the sidelines. The Dutchman, signed from Ajax in a £38.5million summer transfer, limped off early in the second half of Saturday’s win over Nottingham Forest in the Gunners’ opening Premier League match. According to reports, Timber has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which if confirmed would see the Netherlands defender facing a lengthy spell of rehabilitation and possibly being out until early 2024. Arsenal confirmed on Monday evening that further assessments will be needed to determined a timeframe for Timber’s return to action. “Further to his substitution during our match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Jurrien Timber has received extensive assessments and scans which have confirmed he has sustained an injury to his right knee,” a club statement read. “Jurrien will undergo a further detailed assessment and review with a consultant in the coming days to assess the full extent of the injury, in order to determine the next steps. A further update will be provided in due course. “Everyone at the club will be focused on supporting Jurrien at this time.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The first week of Premier League action concludes tonight when Manchester United welcome Wolves to Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag has been working hard over the summer to update United’s squad with many fringe players being shipped out. The likes of Phil Jones, Alex Telles and Anthony Elanga have all left the club and not even big names such as David De Gea have survived Ten Hag’s overhaul. In bringing new signings, Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund, to the club the United boss hopes to add depth to his team as he looks to improve on a third place finish from last season. The Red Devils are looking to kick off their campaign with a victory and will be banking on Marcus Rashford replicating his incredible form from last year. Wolves, meanwhile, are in a state of flux. They’re going through something of a rebuild themselves with a couple of key players exiting this summer. Adama Traore is out the door and Ruben Neves has been lured to Saudi Arabia. The midlands club still have a committed group of players though they’ll be hoping Gary O’Neil has the acumen to get the best out of them after the former Bournemouth boss replaced Julen Lopetegui earlier this month. Follow all the action as Manchester United host Wolves in the Premier League: Read More Erik ten Hag raises the bar for success at Man Utd and looks to shed underachievers tag Man United will not ‘rush’ Rasmus Hojlund back to fitness – Erik ten Hag Wolves move quickly to appoint Gary O’Neil following Julen Lopetegui departure

The latest college football rankings shorted these teams in the initial AP Top 25 Poll big time.With the first AP Top 25 Poll released on Monday afternoon, some high-quality teams did not see a number next to their names.Naturally, this will all sort itself out. Keep in mind that national ru...

Chelsea have completed the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton for an initial £100million, possibly rising to £115m after add-ons. A deal for the midfielder was finally agreed late on Sunday night after a lengthy saga that saw Brighton knock back three bids for the 21-year-old. He underwent a medical and agreed personal terms on Monday and has signed an eight-year contract with the club. Caicedo said: “I am so happy to join Chelsea! I am so excited to be here at this big club and I didn’t have to think twice when Chelsea called me, I just knew I wanted to sign for the club. “It’s a dream come true to be here and I can’t wait to get started with the team.” It is understood Chelsea have won the race to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton after the midfielder picked Stamford Bridge over a move to Liverpool. Though a fee is yet to be agreed, the 19-year-old has indicated his desire to join Mauricio Pochettino’s side and negotiations will now take place over personal terms, with the deal likely to be worth in excess of £50million. It is the second time in less than 24 hours that the club have beaten Liverpool to a key transfer target following Caicedo’s capture. Belgium international Lavia has played just 29 Premier League games since joining Southampton from Manchester City last summer but was a standout performer last season despite Saints’ relegation to the Championship. Liverpool had reportedly agreed a deal worth £60m to sign Lavia as Klopp looks to reinforce his midfield following a clutch of departures, but look set to miss out again in an echo of their failure to lure Caicedo, for whom a £111m fee had been agreed before Chelsea stepped in. Read More How does Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea transfer compare to previous big-money deals? Last season is a long time ago – Mauricio Pochettino looks forward with Chelsea Key talking points as the new Premier League season gets under way

A 26-year-old worker has died during construction work at Everton’s new stadium. Merseyside Police confirmed that an injured man later died at hospital “after an incident” at Bramley Moore Dock on Monday afternoon. They said that “his next of kin have been told and an investigation is under way”. Everton tweeted that everyone at the club is “heartbroken” by the news a male worker had died following an incident at the site. They said: “The thoughts and condolences of everyone connected with Everton are with his family, friends, and colleagues at this unimaginably sad time.” Stadium contractor Laing O’Rourke said they were “shocked and saddened” by the death. Work at the site has been suspended “until further notice” with both the police and the Health and Safety Executive in attendance, the contractors said. In June, Everton said the club would consult with fans as part of their considerations over whether to move into the new stadium midway through the 2024-25 season. A police spokesman said: “We can confirm that a man has died after an incident at Bramley Moore Dock this afternoon. “At around 1pm it was reported that a man, aged 26, had been injured. “He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. His next of kin have been told and an investigation is under way.” A Laing O’Rourke spokesman said: “We can confirm that earlier today a member of our team, who was carrying out work for one of our sub-contractors, was seriously injured in an incident. “He was taken to hospital via ambulance, where he sadly died. “We are shocked and saddened by today’s tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased man and our wider project team. “The police and the Health and Safety Executive are on site and we have suspended work until further notice. We will co-operate fully with any investigation that follows.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How does Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea transfer compare to previous big-money deals? Majid Haq ‘disgusted and horrified’ following racial abuse while umpiring Mings vows to bounce back as Kane settles in – Monday’s sporting social