West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo was left fuming after Brighton's controversial late equaliser cost the Hammers crucial two points in the Premier League on Sunday. Georginio Rutter restored parity late in the match after Jarrod Bowen had handed West Ham the lead in the 73rd minute. Rutter had accidentally handled the ball before finding the back of the net.
A Brazil international says his friends and family members are now urging him to join Arsenal, describing the Gunners as the ‘perfect’ club.
Arsenal prepare for Chelsea after statement Bayern Munich win
Arsenal’s commanding 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night has set the stage perfectly for Sunday’s blockbuster Premier League clash with second-placed Chelsea this weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s side maintained their perfect Champions League record with a dominant second-half performance that overwhelmed the previously unbeaten German champions.
Jurrien Timber’s header from Bukayo Saka’s corner opened the scoring before teenage sensation Lennart Karl equalized with a composed volley to end Arsenal’s clean sheet streak in the competition.
However, the second period belonged entirely to the hosts. Substitute Noni Madueke, after returning from two months out with a knee injury, broke the deadlock with his first Arsenal goal before Gabriel Martinelli capitalized on Manuel Neuer’s catastrophic error to seal all three points.
The result sends Arsenal three points clear at the top of the Champions League table and represents their first victory over Bayern in a decade, ending a winless run against the Bavarians dating all the way back to October 2015.
Martin Odegaard’s late comeback appearance off the bench provided even more encouragement ahead of the weekend’s crucial encounter at Stamford Bridge.
The captain’s return offers Arteta additional midfield creativity just when Arsenal need it most, facing a Chelsea side riding high after their own impressive European victory over Barcelona.
Sunday’s clash represents a genuine title race test. Arsenal arrive in excellent form, having thrashed Tottenham 4-1 in the North London derby before dispatching Bayern, and they’re currently on a phenomenal 16-game unbeaten streak.
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham
Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich
Chelsea, meanwhile, sit just six points behind the league leaders following their Champions League demolition job.
Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star will miss Chelsea clash through injury
The Spaniard is gearing up for one of their biggest games of the season.
ByEmilio Galantini Nov 28, 2025
Away from the pitch, sporting director Andrea Berta continues to weigh up how best to strengthen Arteta’s squad for the long-term.Reports suggest that Arsenal have already held ‘initial’ talks over Elche sensation Rodrigo Mendoza, amid his comparisons to Pedri, but someone else has now opened the door for a potential N5 move.
Luiz Henrique makes Arsenal transfer admission
That man is Zenit St. Petersburg winger Luiz Henrique.
The Brazilian, who boasts 11 caps for his country, joined the Russian Premier League side back in January following a brief stint in his homeland at Botafogo.
Before that, he was at Real Betis in La Liga after coming through the ranks at Fluminense, and he’s been discussing his next career moves in an interview with Globo Esporte.
Speaking to the outlet, as translated by Arsenal News, Henrique claims that his close circle have told him to join Arsenal, expressing how he is a “huge fan” of that idea.
The 23-year-old, who’s bagged one goal and three assists in 14 league appearances this season, is in Carlo Ancelotti’s thinking for the 2026 World Cup.
He was included in the Brazil squad for recent friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia, making appearances off the bench, and Henrique’s versatility to play almost anywhere in attack would appeal to Arteta.
However, as yet, there’s been no links to the forward from an Arsenal perspective, at least not this year.
That being said, Henrique has clearly invited the north Londoners to make a move, so the door is wide open.
The competition is heating up in the top half of the points table
S Rajesh01-May-2025 • Updated on 05-May-20251:37
Chawla: Bethell’s batting reflects RCB’s own good form
RCB are back on top of the points table with the win against CSK. But with the other top teams notching up wins as well, it’s still possible for five teams to finish on 18 points. That means to be absolutely sure of qualification, RCB need two more wins. However, if other results go their way, they can qualify even with 16 points, without depending on NRR.RCB will also be happy with two home wins in a row, given that they have two more games to go at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. One obvious area of improvement is with the toss: they have lost five in a row in Bengaluru, and they will be hoping for better luck with the coin in their last two home games.1:30
Is Prabhsimran finally living up to his promise?
Punjab Kings
PBKS’ win against Lucknow Super Giants took them to second place with 15 points, consolidating their place in the top four with three games to go. While 17 points may not be enough to guarantee qualification without other results going their way, two more wins will take them into the playoffs. If they lose all their three remaining games, PBKS will be heavily reliant on other results to avoid elimination.3:31
‘Gill is conventional and measured, but not conservative’
Gujarat TitansFourteen points with four games to go and a net run rate second only to that of Mumbai Indians – GT have everything going in their favour to not only qualify, but also look for a top-two finish. To make things even better, two of their three remaining games are at home – where they already have a 4-1 win-loss record – against cellar-dwellers CSK and another team struggling for momentum, LSG.1:43
Chopra: No apparent weaknesses in this MI side
Mumbai Indians
With six wins in a row, the latest being a 100-run thumping that eliminated RR, MI are on course to finish in the top four, and possibly even the top two. Not only do they have momentum on their side, they also have the best NRR among all teams. MI could be among five teams with 18 or more, which is where their net run rate could help them provided they stay ahead on that parameter. They also have two home games in hand, which could be crucial given that they have won four out of five at home so far, the most by any team.3:53
DC’s bowling a concern at Kotla?
Delhi Capitals
The win against RR has kept KKR in contention for a top-four finish. With 11 points from 11 games, however, the maximum they can finish on is 17. It’s possible for five teams to finish on 18 or more points, which means a spot in the playoffs isn’t guaranteed even if KKR win their remaining three games. As with PBKS, 15 points will give KKR a chance, but 13 will eliminate them.2:48
Kumble: Pant needs to get rid of the confusion in his head
Lucknow Super Giants
With their third successive defeat – against PBKS on Sunday – LSG are in seventh place; their chances of finishing in the top four are slim and dependent on other results. Even if they win their remaining three matches – two of which are against teams in the top four – LSG can only get to 16 points, while RCB have already got that many. Their net run rate is also the worst among the seven teams that remain in contention for the playoffs.
Portugal had a "day to forget" on Thursday as their unbeaten run in World Cup qualifying came to a surprising end at the hands of Ireland, coach Roberto Martinez says. The defeat, which saw Cristiano Ronaldo earn the first red card of his international career, leaves them needing a win to seal automatic qualification in their final game of the round.
Champions post second-highest score in women’s Hundred thanks to Harris and Griffith knocks
ECB Reporters Network05-Aug-2025Grace Harris powered London Spirit to victory on the opening day of the Hundred, smashing 89 from just 42 balls to give the defending champions the perfect start in front of 15,640 fans at Lord’s.Harris, preferred by Spirit to Meg Lanning in the draft this winter, won the battle of the two world-class Australian batters, but Lanning could scarcely have done more in reply – making 85 off 51 balls to take Oval Invincibles close in their chase.Until Lanning was dismissed, the South London team were very much in the game but it was to be Harris and Spirit’s day. The big-hitting Aussie was ably supported by Cordelia Griffith in her side’s total of 176 for , Griffith contributing a 29-ball 50 to help Spirit to the second-highest score in the history of the women’s competition.England’s Ryana Macdonald-Gay was possibly the pick of the away team’s bowlers, but there was cheer for Tash Farrant who took her first wicket in the Hundred for 1450 days following injury.For Invincibles, no one player was able to support Lanning in the same way Griffith had backed up Harris, with cameos from Alice Capsey and Marizanne Kapp providing hope but ultimately not doing enough to overhaul such an imposing total.For Spirit, without last year’s winning captain Heather Knight, the 17-run win and the bragging rights over their London rivals signals the perfect start to their trophy defence.Meerkat Match Hero, Harris, said: “You always want a win on the board, especially in a format like this when it’s so fast. And it’s great to come up against our cross-town rivals and get the wood on them, too.”Pretty early on [it was clear it was a good wicket]. There was some good comms from the openers back to the bench and they said it wasn’t doing much; bit of swing in the air but outside of that it was playing nicely. With that role in the middle you’ve just got to capitalise on however many balls you’re going to face and we might have pinched a few singles there and it was good for us.”I’m pretty easy [as to where she bats in the order]. I’d love to open because you get to bat for the longest but I don’t really care where I end up and it’s pretty good to cash in at the end so I’ll take it.”
Despite a gruelling day in the field, studded with five dropped catches, Joe Root remains adamant that England are still in touch with Australia in the second Test at the Gabba, but says that any prospect of a fightback will require their batters to “express themselves in the right way” for the remainder of a must-win match.Root himself did just that in England’s first innings, finishing unbeaten on 138 to record his maiden Test hundred in Australia, and his 40th overall. Too many of his team-mates failed to provide the requisite support, however, with Harry Brook’s carefree knock of 31 leading his former team-mate, Stuart Broad, to question his game awareness during a stint on Australian radio. In addition to four ducks, Zak Crawley’s 76 was England’s only other score of note, until Jofra Archer joined Root in a free-wheeling last-wicket stand of 70 in 9.4 overs.That shortcoming had been set in stark relief by the close of the second day, with Australia strongly placed on 378 for 6, a lead of 44, thanks to double-figure contributions from each of the eight batters so far used. No-one could go past Jake Weatherald’s 72, but after a brace of 60s from Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, and 45 from Cameron Green, Alex Carey remained unbeaten at the close on 46.England’s standards were challenged throughout a tough day, with Australia rattling along at more than five runs an over, while Will Jacks’ anonymity with the ball has already placed a huge burden on their four-man seam attack. They did manage to claim three wickets in the floodlit final session, including two in an over from a hard-toiling Brydon Carse. However, they also let slip four of those chances – including a particularly culpable drop from Carse at short cover off Michael Neser.Related
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“It’s clear we weren’t our best at that phase of the game,” Root told TNT Sports at the close. “But the way that we dragged things back, by managing to take those wickets in a cluster, it shows what the nature of this game can be like, especially with the pink ball.”In the wake of their first-Test defeat, England’s decision not to play in a three-day floodlit match in Canberra came in for some criticism. While the nature of the contest arguably vindicated that move from a batting and bowling point of view, the chance to replicate a fielding session under the floodlights was perhaps an opportunity lost for the visitors.Root, however, insisted England had worked hard on their fielding drills in their practice sessions at the Gabba.”It is different to a white ball,” he said. “We get a lot of exposure to [floodlit cricket] in ODI cricket and T20 cricket, but it is slightly different. But you still back yourself. We practice really hard for the five days leading into it. We made sure we got our work done. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those days where a few didn’t quite stick to hand. We’ve got to make sure we stay confident, we stay up and, when we get those chances later on in the fixture, we’re ready to take them.Marnus Labuschagne raised his second fifty of the series•Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
“We’ve obviously got some more work to do tomorrow, but we’re certainly well and truly in this game. More than anything we’ve got to come out with a huge amount of energy and positivity. We know our best cricket can turn a game very quickly, so we’ll turn up tomorrow with that right attitude. We know that, if we’re anywhere near our best, then very quickly this game can turn in our favour.”First things first, Root acknowledged, England must claim Australia’s final four wickets in the daylight hours.”If we get things right in the morning, and go about things as a team in the correct fashion, then we can put ourselves in a really strong position on a wicket which looks like it’s plating,” Root said. “It looks like there might be a few cracks to work with later on in the game. But clearly, we’ve got to look at tomorrow morning first and foremost, and get things right there.”However, the focus is already turning to England’s crucial second innings – which will begin not only with memories of Root’s resilience on the first day, but of how Australia themselves have gone about hunting down England’s score with aggression allied to sensible shot selection. The contrast with England’s approach, particularly against Mitchell Starc who struck in the first over of a new spell on three occasions in his first-innings 6 for 75, was telling.”When we get out there with the bat, the quality that we have and the talent that’s in that dressing room can go out there and express themselves in the right way on that surface to go and get a big score, which could be very tricky batting last on that surface.””I’ve got quite a clear plan how I score my runs,” he added. “I’ve just got to back myself and understand that, if I do that for long periods of time and make good decisions, I’ll be successful.”Labuschagne, whose partnerships with Weatherald and Smith were key to Australia’s strong position, acknowledged that his dismissal for 65 – just as the floodlights were kicking in – was ill-timed, but his proactive 78-ball innings had still been an ideal template for the conditions.”I would like to be a bit more resilient … getting out on the stroke of the changeover between day and night was not ideal,” he said. “But you’ve just got to keep telling yourself as the batter, it’s just one ball at a time. If you’re thinking too far ahead, you start reading into a ball that might have bounced more off a crack or hit you. You’ve got to stay in the moment as much as you can.”If you’re bowling good balls in the channel at the Gabba, it’s tough to score with the extra bounce. But it was a nice wicket. Obviously, it’s a little bit cracky here and there, but the majority of the times the balls hit the wicket, it was really nice.”The two guys at the top just grabbed that momentum of the game early, and we were almost able to piggyback their momentum, and continue to put pressure on.”
A previously undiagnosed injury is now set to leave one Newcastle United star sidelined for the majority of December in a frustrating blow for Eddie Howe.
Howe demands fresh "consistency" ahead of Tottenham clash
It’s been one step forward and two steps back for Newcastle all season, but their convincing victory over Everton may yet be the turning point for their campaign. The Magpies brushed the Toffees’ aside to bounce back from Champions League defeat, but Howe is now demanding more “consistency” from his side.
Any change in fortunes would certainly be well-timed ahead of the January transfer window, too. Those at St James’ Park endured a chaotic summer window, before eventually adding reinforcements to Howe’s squad, but are still targeting a number of fresh faces to end unfinished business.
That could yet include a move for James Trafford. The England international chose Manchester City in the summer, but has since been forced to watch on from the bench following Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival. Now, he’s reportedly been allowed to leave the club in January, with Newcastle among his admirers.
The goalkeeper position has been a hot topic of debate in Tyneside as of late and the availability of Trafford, plus Pope’s recent injury may yet see Newcastle make their move.
Newcastle learn extent of Nick Pope injury
As reported by Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Newcastle are now set to be without Pope until Boxing Day at the earliest after a specialist diagnosed his groin injury.
It’s frustrating news for Howe, who told reporters in the build-up to his side’s game against Tottenham that Newcastle were still trying to get a “proper diagnosis”.
Without the towering goalkeeper, Newcastle will turn towards summer signing Aaron Ramsdale. Whether he can make a claim to become their No.1 on a permanent basis remains to be seen, however.
European club reach "verbal agreement" to sign "excellent" Newcastle attacker in 2026
The Magpies now have a decision to make.
ByTom Cunningham Dec 2, 2025
Despite Pope’s recent mistakes, Howe was quick to describe the 33-year-old as “outstanding” after the Marseille game, but will now be forced to kick on without him.
As the fixtures come thick and fast, and Newcastle seek consistency, the absence of one of their most experienced men couldn’t have been timed much worse.
Better than Anderson: £70m "monster" is now open to joining Newcastle
Tim David’s 74 off 38 took the hosts to 186 for 6 in Hobart but it was not enough
Alex Malcolm02-Nov-20251:52
David: I was hoping it would land on the beach
India finally won a toss and their three inclusions in Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar and Jitesh Sharma all made superb contributions as they withstood a stunning innings from Tim David to cruise to a five-wicket win in Hobart and level the series at 1-1.Arshdeep was Player of the Match for his 3 for 35, including the key scalps of Travis Head, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis for a fine 64, to help restrict Australia to 186 for 6 despite David’s devastating 74 off 38. Varun Chakravarthy picked up two key wickets and Jasprit Bumrah was also miserly with the ball.India’s entire top seven made contributions in the chase but it was Washington and Jitesh who finished the chase superbly with an unbeaten 43-run stand. Washington, playing as a specialist bat given he didn’t bowl, made his second-highest T20I score of 49 not out off 23 while Jitesh made 22 not out off 13 in his first T20I in over 18 months after replacing Sanju Samson.Arshdeep’s early strikes, David’s devastating counterAustralia are still getting used to seeing David walk out in the third over of an innings, as he did after Head and Inglis fell cheaply to Arshdeep’s early swing. But David showed zero regard for the perilous position his team was in and unleashed a brutal counterpunch. He drove his first ball for four wide of mid-off and launched Bumrah over cover. Having fallen meekly to Varun in Melbourne, he clubbed the spinner for four and six off consecutive balls. David gave a life off Bumrah on 20, slicing a hard-hit square drive to backward point which burst through Washington’s hands. It proved costly. David carved Bumrah over cover again and then assaulted Axar Patel with two huge hits in three balls. One was projected to travel 129m had it not clattered off the roof above the sightscreen.1:43
Washington: There’s purpose to each of my practice sessions
India’s attempt to use Shivam Dube as the fifth bowler was met with three thunderous cover drives in four balls to bring up David’s fifty in 23 deliveries. He shared a 59-run stand with Mitchell Marsh who contributed just 5. What was most impressive was how he handled Varun. Marsh holed out to India’s trump spinner before Mitch Owen was clean bowled first ball through the gate, completely misreading the length, line and variation.David hadn’t had a great previous record against Varun in T20s, scoring just 22 from 16 balls with two dismissals including one in Melbourne on Friday. But compared to Owen, who had never faced him before this series and now has two runs from five balls in the head-to-head, the previous 16 balls experience over five games for David paid dividends.Varun returned in the 11th over to bowl his third with figures of 2 for 14 and Australia vulnerable. David launched him fearlessly for two massive sixes to finish with 26 from 10 off India’s most dangerous spinner. He looked set for a certain century only to slightly under-club Dube to Tilak Varma, who took another wonderful catch at long-off while tight-walking the rope.Stoinis and Short combine, Bumrah and Arshdeep finish wellAustralia are looking for a new finishing combination with David’s elevation looking permanent. In the absence of Glenn Maxwell, Stoinis and Matthew Short showed their wares. Stoinis played particularly well, facing just four dot balls in his first 14 to allow David to continue his domination in a partnership of 45. Two reverse sweeps off Axar and two thumping pulls off Dube showed his versatility. He then struck four boundaries off Arshdeep in the 18th and 20th overs before holing out to hand Arshdeep his third wicket. Short’s contribution was significant given he had failed to score more than 6 in his six previous outings at No. 7 in all T20s. He added an unbeaten 26 off 15, although Bumrah and Arshdeep put on a death bowling clinic in the last two overs to ensure it wasn’t more.Tim David came in at 14 for 2 and counterattacked•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesEllis versus Abhishek 3.0Abhishek Sharma threatened to take Australia apart again, racing out of the blocks with two fours and two sixes as India raced to 30 for 0 in three overs. But for the third time in the series Nathan Ellis picked him up, this time with a bouncer clocked at 147 kph. It hurried Abhishek, who top-edged a pull shot straight up. Suryakumar Yadav kept the momentum going with two sixes of his own but Ellis struck again, slipping a full straight delivery through the defence of Shubman Gill to trap him plumb lbw. When Suryakumar chipped Stoinis to cover for 24 off 11 India were well ahead of the rate but had lost their best three batters for unfulfilled starts with their chief tormentor Josh Hazlewood watching from his couch in Sydney.Washington wizardry sees India homeWashington not bowling a ball when Dube and Abhishek conceded 56 as India’s fifth bowler was strange, especially as Australia’s right-hand heavy line-up was known before Washington was selected. But he proved why he’d been picked to bat at No. 6. Bouncers had accounted for two of India’s top five. Ellis and Sean Abbott’s three combined attempts to bounce Washington all disappeared into the square leg seats. India had lost wickets at regular intervals but the continued clean striking meant there was never any run-rate pressure. Washington cleared the rope once more off Matt Kuhnemann to get the target under a run-a-ball inside the last four overs. Jitesh played an excellent cameo in his first T20I in over 18 months, including scooping Ellis to the rope. He got a reprieve when Owen dropped him running back from mid-off. But Washington kept calm and carried on, nailing Stoinis straight before Jitesh lofted over cover to win it with nine balls to spare.
Liverpool are still grieving the death of Diogo Jota following the Portuguese star's tragic death in the summer and Reds boss Arne Slot has conceded it’s difficult to quantify how much they miss his talent on the pitch. Slot has responded after Andy Robertson revealed how much he still thinks about Jota as he continues to come to terms with the death of his team-mate.
Gill went past 50 for the fourth time in the series as he and Rahul helped India recover from two early wickets
ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2025
KL Rahul and Shubman Gill had a good partnership after two early wickets•Associated Press
Tea Shubman Gill and KL Rahul weathered a testing spell from England’s bowlers to produce a wicketless middle session on day four in Manchester, but it was perhaps the only thing that went India’s way after Ben Stokes’ century carried his team to a total of 669 and a lead of 311. Then Chris Woakes struck twice in the first over before India could score any runs to create incredible drama.India went to tea at 86 for 2, still 225 runs behind. They could easily have lost their captain for 46 had Liam Dawson been able to hold on to a tough catch at gully but Gill made the most of that generosity to continue his run-spree. He went past Virat Kohli’s 655 runs against England in 2016 and is chasing down Sunil Gavaskar’s record of most runs as an Indian captain in a Test series (732).Stokes did not bring himself to bowl any of the 29 overs so far, a sign of perhaps the workload he has already taken on. He is playing back to back Tests. He picked up a five-for in the first innings and backed it up with a century – a rare feat among players and even rarer among captains. In scoring 141, he broke a spell of 35 innings without a hundred and earned himself a spot among the best allrounders in the history of cricket. There were, prior to his efforts at Old Trafford, only two with 7000 runs and 200 wickets – Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis.England’s innings reached incredible heights – 669 was their fifth-highest total in Tests – and it ended with 15 minutes for their bowlers to target India before lunch. Woakes produced a beauty from around the wicket to trap Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck – angled in, seaming away, taking the leading edge to first slip. Then Sai Sudharsan made a mistake born out of spending 157 overs in the field, fatigue resulting in him misjudging a ball that was short and wide. In the end, he ended up getting caught at second slip trying to play the leave.