List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Leigh Wood dropped and stopped Josh Warrington at the end of round seven to retain his WBA featherweight title in an unforgettable fight in Sheffield. Late on Saturday night, Wood was losing on points, cut and hurt when, with just seconds left in round seven, he connected with six perfect punches to send Warrington down. There was shock and pandemonium in the arena and close to 10,000 fanatics had no idea whether to laugh or cry. Warrington somehow beat the count, stumbled to his own corner as the bell sounded, put his hands on the top rope and turned round too late to satisfy the referee, Michael Alexander; there was a second of deliberation and then Alexander called it off. It was the right decision at that moment; it was also heartbreak and relief in equal measure for the two boxers. Wood started screaming in victory, Warrington complained briefly, but was quickly placed on his stool; he dropped his head forward in bitter disappointment. “I’m devastated,” he told me a few minutes later. He was still in the ring, looking from corner to corner and trying to understand what had gone wrong. Warrington had easily won rounds three, four, five, six and 2:58 seconds of round seven. All three of the scorecards had him comfortably in front at the point of the stoppage. The final, devastating punches came from nowhere, but Wood has a glorious history of salvaging lost causes. “There is no quit in me,” Wood said from the ring, his right eye cut and swollen and his face a blur of developing bruises. It was a hard fight, make no mistake. Back in 2021 Wood won the WBA featherweight world title with a stoppage in the 12th and last round, and was losing his first defence against Michael Conlan before finding the punches to dump Conlan out of the ring for the full count with just 90-seconds remaining in the final round. In Sheffield, he performed one more salvation act and it was dramatic and shocking and wonderful. The pace of the fight was relentless and from the start of round three, Warrington took control and there were moments when all the rumours and talk about the struggle Wood has making the weight looked true; by the start of round seven, Wood was trailing, but more than that, he looked like a beaten man. At the start of round five, with the entire arena standing in admiration and hope, and the signs of the struggle clear on their faces, the pair touched gloves; it was a small, lost and quickly forgotten moment, but it reveals a lot about these two boxers. Pride was the title, respect was the story. There was no sign of the finish as the seconds ticked closer to the bell to end the seventh, and then the combination started; Warrington went down in shattered instalments and Wood just kept throwing. It was a genuine ‘wow’ moment. Wood connected cleanly with six punches, starting with a short right hook. It was a savage and calculating finish, a mix that is not as common as you think. They each left the ring to uncertain futures, and they could, in theory, fight again. Warrington wants a rematch; Wood would make a lot of money from a rematch. However, it will not be at featherweight as Wood confirmed that his battle with the scales is over and that he is moving up in weight. Warrington would be at a considerable size disadvantage in a rematch at a heavier weight. Incidentally, Wood retained his WBA bauble, but in the heat of the moment, that piece of jewellery was ignored. Wood is one of modern boxing’s best fairy tales, a family man, a quiet man and a fighter capable of changing a fight with just one punch. In boxing, that is arguably the ultimate. Read More The sporting weekend in pictures ‘It’s some turnaround’: Leigh Wood relishing late career resurgence Leigh Wood celebrates ‘best win’ as he retains WBA title Leigh Wood stops Josh Warrington with outrageous KO out of nowhere Leigh Wood: I’m Josh Warrington’s last chance to get back into title contention Wood vs Warrington LIVE: Results after vicious KO

Bukayo Saka will not join up with England for international duty next week, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed. Saka was missing for the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Manchester City after struggling with a hamstring issue during recent matches. The absence of Saka ended his run of appearing in 87 consecutive Premier League games and Arteta says he will now sit out England’s upcoming fixtures with Australia (October 13) and Italy (October 17). “No, he will not make it,” Arteta said. “He has not trained for a single session. He is not available to play football at the moment.” He has not trained for a single session. He is not available to play football at the moment. Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka The 22-year-old winger limped off during Arsenal’s loss at Lens on Tuesday, having also been withdrawn in last weekend’s victory at Bournemouth. England manager Gareth Southgate had stated on Thursday he would take no risks with Saka despite the Italy clash being a crucial European Championship qualifier. “I can only go via what Mikel (Arteta) has said about the last few games,” Southgate said earlier this week. “We look after the players as well as any country. There’s always a focus on our players because they are playing their club football, in the main, in England and then we are playing here as well. “Whereas all the other countries call the players that are playing in the Premier League and nobody looks at how they look after them and how they train them. “When we have really good dialogue with all of their clubs, I think they pretty much all would agree that we probably give better feedback than every other nation. “They have trust in us that we make decisions that are right for the long term whenever we can. We only have 10 matches a year. And there’s been times when… Bukayo, for example, we haven’t always played. “But there are certain key games where, if it’s possible to have your best players, then you do want to have them. “So we’ve got that responsibility of qualifying for the country but… I’ve been a player… I’ve never ever taken a risk on a player’s physical wellbeing. And nor would I.” Read More Football rumours: Wayne Rooney in the running for Birmingham job Quarterback Brock Purdy stars as San Francisco 49ers thrash the Dallas Cowboys On this day in 2015: Sam Allardyce appointed Sunderland manager The sporting weekend in pictures Luke Humphries beats Gerwyn Price to claim first major title at World Grand Prix James Maddison pleased to see unbeaten Spurs ‘dig deep’ like ‘top team’ at Luton

Bukayo Saka will not join up with England for international duty next week, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed. Saka was missing for the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Manchester City after struggling with a hamstring issue during recent matches. The absence of Saka ended his run of appearing in 87 consecutive Premier League games and Arteta says he will now sit out England’s upcoming fixtures with Australia (October 13) and Italy (October 17). “No, he will not make it,” Arteta said. “He has not trained for a single session. He is not available to play football at the moment.” He has not trained for a single session. He is not available to play football at the moment. Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka The 22-year-old winger limped off during Arsenal’s loss at Lens on Tuesday, having also been withdrawn in last weekend’s victory at Bournemouth. England manager Gareth Southgate had stated on Thursday he would take no risks with Saka despite the Italy clash being a crucial European Championship qualifier. “I can only go via what Mikel (Arteta) has said about the last few games,” Southgate said earlier this week. “We look after the players as well as any country. There’s always a focus on our players because they are playing their club football, in the main, in England and then we are playing here as well. “Whereas all the other countries call the players that are playing in the Premier League and nobody looks at how they look after them and how they train them. “When we have really good dialogue with all of their clubs, I think they pretty much all would agree that we probably give better feedback than every other nation. “They have trust in us that we make decisions that are right for the long term whenever we can. We only have 10 matches a year. And there’s been times when… Bukayo, for example, we haven’t always played. “But there are certain key games where, if it’s possible to have your best players, then you do want to have them. “So we’ve got that responsibility of qualifying for the country but… I’ve been a player… I’ve never ever taken a risk on a player’s physical wellbeing. And nor would I.” Read More Arsenal ran out of steam last season – but this is a very different Mikel Arteta team Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hails ‘maturity’ of young Gunners after City win Gabriel Martinelli snatches last-gasp victory for Arsenal against Man City Fortune favours Arsenal as Mikel Arteta finally outdoes Pep Guardiola Pep Guardiola says he learned ‘a lot’ from Mikel Arteta ahead of Sunday reunion Pep Guardiola does not think Arsenal clash will have major bearing on title race

Netherlands has won the toss and elected to field against a New Zealand lineup that will be missing skipper Kane Williamson for a second successive game at the Cricket World Cup

The defenders have got more Premier League assists than the midfielders and the forwards have between them. The defensive midfielders have three times as many league goals as the many forwards have mustered. Welcome to Manchester United, where few things go quite as planned, where Saturday’s spectacular salvage job from a fan who has been on the books for two decades involved a brace from Scott McTominay, not Marcus Rashford. They trailed for an hour against Crystal Palace. It is the sort of scenario in which managers rarely replace their top scorer. Yet as their leading marksman is another defensive midfielder, Casemiro, that was not the most notable element of his half-time removal. Nor, even, was it Erik ten Hag’s somewhat brutal explanation for introducing Christian Eriksen. “I wanted more football,” the United manager said. “Someone who brings passing and link-up play.” The Brazilian had brought passing: he passed the ball to Bryan Mbuemo to set Brentford on their way to an opener, a goal for which he arguably made three mistakes. And yet the pertinent part was simply the fact he was taken off. Ten Hag’s talismen are no longer untouchables. Rashford has been taken off in the last three games, each at a point when United needed a goal. And if suggests that neither status nor last season’s excellence can protect them forever, it is also an indication that each ranks among this season’s disappointments. All of which meant Casemiro’s status as an award winner was revealing of a wider malaise at Old Trafford. He had won September’s player-of-the-month prize with a whopping 70 percent of the vote. Perhaps a tour de force in the Carabao Cup victory over Crystal Palace, along with some recency bias, helped. Maybe a brace against Bayern Munich did, too, though it came too late to be relevant. Yet it pointed to a lack of alternatives: by Casemiro’s standards, he did not play well in September. It will be still more damning if he retains the award for October. Casemiro’s two appearances this month have ended early: sent off against Galatasaray, hauled off against Brentford, there were two warning signs. The first came from the officials, the second from the manager. If his red card in the Champions League owed much to Andre Onana, with Casemiro’s desperate slide at Dries Mertens coming after the goalkeeper had coughed up possession, it nevertheless felt symbolic. Casemiro’s tackling technique means he goes to ground too often. As he is getting slower, he is likelier to foul. The naked eye suggests he has been exposed, isolated and bypassed too often, in part when Ten Hag’s tactics have left him stranded behind Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount. The statistics show the supposed ball-winner is regaining it less often. In turn, that may mean he is sent off more often. Casemiro is making fewer interceptions: 0.69 per 90 minutes, compared to 1.43 last season and 2.17 for Real in 2020-21. His 2.91 tackles per 90 minutes is down from 3.77. He is winning fewer than half of his duels, according to Soccerment statistics. To put it another way, the defensive midfielder is not protecting the defence. The goals and assists that he, Scott McTominay and the back four have got are welcome but the defensively-minded personnel have failed to do their day job too often. If Onana is the most obvious culprit, he is not the only one. The intriguing element was that, arguably, Brentford was the first time where Casemiro began in midfield but not as the holding player. With Sofyan Amrabat starting in his preferred position, ending the unsuccessful experiment of deploying the Moroccan at left-back, Casemiro was often found in more advanced areas. As Ten Hag indicated, Eriksen is more of a playmaker and was then granted those duties instead. Yet as Casemiro’s United career shows, he can be both scorer and creator. He has the talent to contribute as each. Perhaps his future could lie as a constructive presence. Yet he was bought as a destructive one. His growing immobility provides a concern that this is not just a loss of form or an issue with United’s tactics. There is the opportunity to look for more solidity by pairing Casemiro and Amrabat in front of the back four. But there is the ticking timebomb that came with his transfer. Real Madrid pensioned Casemiro off, taking £63m for a player in his thirties. He has almost three years left on one of the biggest contracts in United’s history. He would not be the first player to be paid to decline at Old Trafford; perhaps now Ten Hag has signalled to Casemiro that he has to prove he is not a fading force, that his past and his Champions Leagues are no guarantee of a place when Amrabat could play instead. “In football it is eat or get eaten,” the United manager said. If Casemiro polished off the partnership of McFred, Saturday was one of the finest days of McTominay’s United career, and among the worst of his. Read More Arsenal deal substantial blow to Manchester City, but the significance will only be felt in May Erik ten Hag wants Man Utd late show to be ‘a turning point’ Erik ten Hag reveals how close Manchester United came to selling Scott McTominay Rasmus Hojlund says Manchester United must ‘stick together’ in ‘tough period’ Erik ten Hag vows to fight on ‘together’ with Manchester United Jude Bellingham helps Real Madrid to victory and Bayern Munich hit back to win

What the papers say Wayne Rooney is in the running to become Birmingham manager, the Times reports. The former England and Manchester United captain is looking for a now role after leaving MLS side DC United. The Mirror says Rooney would bring former Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole and former Manchester United team-mate John O’Shea with him if he is to get the job. Meanwhile, Manchester United are reportedly keeping an eye on Palmeiras midfielder Luis Guilherme and Flamengo winger Lorran, who are both 17, according the the Daily Star. The Brazilian teenagers could cost the club a combined £100million. Social media round-up Players to watch Lionel Messi: Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino says he knows nothing about rumours linking the Argentina forward to Barcelona on a loan deal, Goal reports. Jack Clarke: North-East publication the Chronicle says Sunderland face a fight to keep the winger amid interest from Brentford. Read More Quarterback Brock Purdy stars as San Francisco 49ers thrash the Dallas Cowboys On this day in 2015: Sam Allardyce appointed Sunderland manager The sporting weekend in pictures

The frustration from back-to-back playoff losses to San Francisco that both ended on odd plays turned to humiliation for the Dallas Cowboys

Sunderland appointed Sam Allardyce as their new manager on a two-year contract on this day in 2015. Allardyce succeeded Dick Advocaat, who had left his post with the Black Cats in the Premier League relegation zone. Allardyce, who was a defender for Sunderland between 1980 and 1981, became the first person to manage both the Black Cats and their arch rivals Newcastle, the only team below them in the table. Sunderland chairman Ellis Short said: “Sunderland is a club he knows well and he was the obvious best choice for the job. “He has vast experience of managing in the Premier League and an understanding first hand of the north east and the passion of our fans, which will stand him in great stead.” Allardyce had lasted only eight months in charge of Newcastle, but subsequently rebuilt his reputation with successful spells at Blackburn and West Ham. He said: “I have enjoyed my break from football and now I’m raring to get back. I met with Ellis and we spoke at length about the club and his ambitions and I knew I wanted to be part of that. “Of course it’s a challenging job, but it’s something I have experience of in the past. I’m looking forward to working with the players and of course I will be relying on the help of the Sunderland supporters, whose tremendous passion I have experienced first hand. I can’t wait to get started.” Allardyce successfully saved the Black Cats from relegation and was named England manager in July 2016. He was in charge for only one game and 67 days before leaving by mutual consent following allegations of malpractice. Read More Quarterback Brock Purdy stars as San Francisco 49ers thrash the Dallas Cowboys The sporting weekend in pictures Luke Humphries beats Gerwyn Price to claim first major title at World Grand Prix

HANGZHOU, China (AP) — The Asian Games wrapped up Sunday with China dominating the medal count, followed by Japan and South Korea. China has traditionally been strong in the event and it was again, taking advantage of being at home in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Mitch Garver hit a third-inning grand slam and the Texas Rangers won their fourth consecutive game to start this postseason, pushing the Baltimore Orioles to the brink of elimination with an 11-8 victory in Game 2 of the AL Division Series on Sunday.

Carlos Correa had three hits and three RBIs and Pablo López pitched seven shutout innings, helping the Minnesota Twins beat the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 2 of their AL Division Series

Brock Purdy threw three of his four touchdown passes to George Kittle and the San Francisco 49ers extended their dominance over the Dallas Cowboys with a 42-10 victory