Sports & Casinos UK

Tottenham visit Liverpool in Carabao Cup third roundRicharlison will play no part despite being eligibleRoberto De Zerbi has no doubt Dominic Solanke will rediscover his best levels as the head coach made clear he had left no stone unturned in the mission to solve Tottenham’s goalscoring problem.Spurs go to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday after the 0-0 home draw with Everton in the Premier League on Saturday; they have not found the net in their four matches in the competition. Tottenham did beat Charlton 5-1 at home in the second round of the Carabao Cup. Continue reading...

At what stage does a good start become something more significant? Perhaps we are not quite there yet; maybe we are. But as the goals flew in on a chaotic night at Elland Road, it was difficult not to think the boundaries of expectation for Leeds were potentially being redrawn.Ask those close to the action over the summer at Leeds and the ­feeling was that there was a possibility of something special materialising this season. Having found their feet in the Premier League last season, the platform had been set and a very good summer transfer window felt like the catalyst for even brighter days to return to West Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Despite the drama on the court, the poor condition of Arthur Ashe Stadium was just one problem among manyAt the end of another comically late night and early morning in Flushing Meadows, when the remaining spectators were departing, a familiar scene was unfolding on the US Open tournament grounds. A handful of workers had congregated directly beneath a hole in the ceiling inside one of the tournament shops as they tried to stop water from flowing out of a broken pipe and ruining thousands of pounds worth of merchandise below.This was not a surprising sight. Upon entering Arthur Ashe Stadium this year, fans were greeted by some ominous signs: “Pardon our appearance while we write the next chapter of Arthur Ashe Stadium.” The tournament’s appearance, it must be said, was hideous. Inside the corridors and rooms at one of the biggest sporting events in the world, it felt like its main building was falling apart. Continue reading...

Former England batter starts role with white-ball teamsFleming also ‘right person’ to take Test team forwardBrendon McCullum has revealed that he was the driving force behind the recruitment of Kevin Pietersen as a specialist mentor to England’s white-ball teams and said the new arrival had specific orders to “look across the environment and challenge me”.Pietersen spent his first day in the role monitoring training at the Utilita Bowl after delivering an address that had the players “buzzing”, according to McCullum, England’s white-ball coach. Continue reading...

American actor accused of sexualising women’s sportsBritish sprinter Amy Hunt leads storm of protestThe US actor Sydney Sweeney is facing a backlash from female Olympians and other athletes, who have accused her of demeaning and sexualising women’s sports by appearing in a controversial advert for a sports prediction company.In the viral commercial for Novig, which was viewed more than 22 million times in the first two days of its release, Sweeney’s nude body is covered by footballs, basketballs, and other sports equipment, as she tells users they can bet on “just sports”. After saying “sports” nine times, she appears topless on a pool table, before saying: “You can’t trade this, I just look good here.” Continue reading...

Matt Donohue is only human and made a mistake, but, in general, referees have started well this seasonThere was a disappointing outcome on a big decision in the Manchester derby and no one will feel it more than the video assistant referee, Matt Donohue. On Sunday night, Pro Ref confirmed that Donohue had made a mistake in allowing Erling Haaland’s goal in City’s 1-0 victory to stand when Enzo Fernández had been in an offside position.When a VAR considers a decision such as this they start from the point at which the goal is scored and work backwards. Here, when Haaland scores, the flag is raised by the assistant referee for offside. The VAR automatically checked that on-field decision and used a semi‑automated system to show Haaland was onside. The decision was then made to overturn the call and award the goal. Continue reading...

Flanker says: ‘You almost have to be quite selfish’Northampton still confident 21-year-old will stayHenry Pollock insists he has not yet re‑signed for Northampton and is “open to every opportunity” including playing abroad and trying out other sports. The England back‑row is still widely expected to agree a deal to remain at Franklin’s Gardens but, for now, is refusing to publicly confirm his intentions beyond the end of the season.While the 21-year-old flanker, who toured with the British & Irish Lions last year, has been offered a significant pay rise to more than £400,000 a year to stay with the English champions until 2029, his new promoter Eddie Hearn has been touting Pollock as “a seven-figure player” in terms of what he brings on the field and commercially. Prem salary cap regulations, however, mean that few, if any, other English clubs are in a position to afford him at that level. Continue reading...

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay and John Brewin to discuss the weekend’s Premier League action Continue reading...

The World Cup winner’s off-the-cuff assessment was brutally honest. Within days their manager and CEO were gone, but the problems run much deeperKiat Lim wanted to see Valencia play so badly, so that is what he did. It was week four in La Liga, 6 September, and for the first time since he was given the presidency 18 months earlier, the owner’s 33-year-old son was going to watch his team play a competitive game. He was going to do it from the inside, too, so he took a flight to Spain, landing at Manises in a black mask and cap, a van to the hotel, then the team bus to Mestalla. He looked through the window as they rolled along Avenida Suecia, a huge, noisy crowd waiting, but when he got off and headed through the iron gate with its ornate club badge, he saw that this was no welcome.Above him as he went in were giant portraits of Mario Kempes, Antonio Puchades, Juan Sol, Gaizka Mendieta, David Villa and Santiago Cañizares, footballers from a better time; around him were yellow banners and whistles for the footballers there now. Inside, Lim saw the game start with the lower south stand empty as fans stayed away until the 19th minute, the sound of another protest drifting in from the street. They were out there still when, sitting alongside Joan Laporta, he saw Lamine Yamal score the sixth-minute opener then get a second. And although that, also from Lamine Yamal, was ruled out, he eventually saw Barcelona get four more, presiding over a 5-0 debut defeat. Continue reading...

Head coach insists forwards need to improve pressingChanges up front likely for Carabao Cup tie against SpursAndoni Iraola has shifted the focus on to Liverpool’s forwards for the team’s uninspiring display against Fulham, insisting they need to give more to make his system work.The head coach admitted his team took “a step backwards” with their goalless draw on Saturday. His central midfield pairing of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai struggled to contain their Fulham counterparts, winning two of five duels and one of nine duels respectively. But Iraola believes the problems started further forward with the pressing of Liverpool’s expensively assembled attack. Continue reading...