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Draw made for finals in New Zealand and Australia Wales in group with France; Scotland to face Spain England will play a Northern Ireland team aiming to reach a second major tournament finals after they were drawn together in a qualifying group for the 2023 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. The two sides met in a February friendly at St George’s Park for England’s first game in almost a year and a hat-trick from Ellen White helped the home team to a 6-0 win . Northern Ireland recently qualified for next summer’s Euros with a 4-1 aggregate win over Ukraine in the qualifying play-offs. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/30/england-to-meet-northern-ireland-in-2023-womens-world-cup-qualifying-wales-scotland

Despite regularly failing to seize their opportunities at Goodison Park – where Everton have taken six points from a possible 27 this year – Carlo Ancelotti’s stubborn side remain in contention for European qualification courtesy of their contrasting results on the road. A first win at Arsenal in 25 years took Everton’s away haul to 33 points from a possible 48 this season and they will leapfrog Liverpool and Tottenham with a second home league win of 2021. Villa, who remain without Jack Grealish, have won only two of their last 11 Premier League games and last won at Goodison in 2008. Andy Hunter Saturday 8pm BT Sport 1 Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/30/everton-v-aston-villa-match-preview

Negotiations between banks to create a permanent, central pot of money to refund scam victims have collapsed.

The competition watchdog says the firm has not paid £7m in refunds for holidays cancelled during the pandemic.

A club in Liverpool opens its dance floor for a trial event with no social distancing or masks.

Six years on from catching Barcelona great’s eye the inspirational Norwich midfielder is relishing a Premier League return Six years ago Barcelona were coasting at the Camp Nou, five goals into a 6-0 destruction of Getafe, but before the second half began Lionel Messi covered his mouth and encouraged a then 18-year-old midfielder, who had represented Spain at youth level a month earlier, to switch allegiances. “I maybe did something good to impress him,” Emi Buendía says, smiling. “He asked: ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to play for Spain or Argentina?’ Quickly I said: ‘Of course I want to play for Argentina. I want to play with you – it is a dream.’” A key cog in helping Norwich return to the Premier League at the first attempt, Buendía hopes an Argentina call-up, and living out that fantasy of playing with Messi, could be the next milestone. “The target this year was to be back in the Premier League, so that one is achieved, but everyone wants to play for his national team,...

Activity in the bloc has been hit by a renewed surge in infections this year and Covid-related restrictions.

The tech giant faces a huge fine and may be forced to make changes to the App Store.

The supermarket follows Morrisons in announcing it will ditch reusable plastic shopping bags.

Ten Hag agrees extension with Ajax to 2023 Nagelsmann and Rodgers also out of reach Tottenham have suffered a further setback in their search for a manager after Ajax announced they had extended Erik ten Hag’s contract to 2023. The Dutchman was high on Spurs’ shortlist of candidates to replace José Mourinho but has joined Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers in moving out of the club’s reach. Nagelsmann has agreed to leave RB Leipzig to take over at Bayern Munich and Rodgers is not interested in moving from Leicester to Tottenham. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/30/spurs-manager-search-erik-ten-hag-new-ajax-deal

Club sit one win from an instant return to League One after a wretched start, inspired by a manager who borrows from Bielsa With the short-lived European Super League still fresh in the thoughts of apathetic supporters at Old Trafford and beyond, one wonders whether Bolton Wanderers may have won a few more hearts of late. “Hopefully, because I don’t think they’ll be disappointed,” says Ian Evatt, the League Two club’s manager. “That is one of my goals: to stop people in Bolton wearing Manchester United kits. I want the young kids and future fans to be wearing our shirts, not Man United’s. If we can do things right on and off the pitch with this club, hopefully, we will capture some new fans and build our fanbase.” In 2008, after giving Atlético Madrid a bloody nose to reach the last 16 of the Uefa Cup, Bolton were 47th in the European rankings, above Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund. But since dropping out of the Premier League in 2012 disaster has never b...

UK house prices rose by 7.1% compared with a year ago, the Nationwide says, amid high demand from buyers.

The airline's boss says research indicates allowing mass travel to much of Europe poses little risk.

Updates as we build up to another busy round of matches Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend Email John here , tweet @JohnBrewin_ or post BTL 9.43am BST And on a similar note, this story. The Albion Rovers striker David Cox has said he is retiring from football after allegedly being mocked by a Stenhousemuir player over his mental health during Thursday’s 1-0 win in a Scottish League Two fixture. Cox, who was named on the substitutes’ bench for the game at Ochilview Park, walked out of the stadium at half-time after the incident. The 32-year old said in a video on Facebook he was quitting the game after “again having to deal with some mental health shouts at football”. Related: Albion Rovers’ David Cox to retire after alleged mental health taunt 9.40am BST Manchester City’s approach mirrors that of the football family. Suppose the next question is whether the social media companies take any notice. Social media companies must do more to #StopOnlineAbus...

The Aston Villa forward discusses breaking through in her early teens, representing Japan in Europe and the home Olympics Mana Iwabuchi is not your average footballer. She made her debut for Japan’s most successful women’s club, NTV Beleza, at the age of 14, and won the World Cup when she was 18. At the start of this year she took on the challenge of moving back across the world in the midst of a pandemic, joining Aston Villa in a high-profile transfer. Perhaps because she has spent her adult life – and a sizeable chunk before it – in the glare of the spotlight, the 28-year-old is not fazed by many things. “I didn’t feel any pressure,” she tells the Guardian of the fervour that surrounded her emergence as a mazy dribbling teenager with a lethal eye for goal. “All I felt was that I liked playing football. I think I became more aware of the pressure after I became an adult. I only really considered myself an adult in the last two or three years.” Continue reading... from Football | ...

Stenhousemuir say they will refer matter to Scottish FA Cox has previously spoken about anxiety and depression The Albion Rovers striker David Cox has said he is retiring from football after allegedly being mocked by a Stenhousemuir player over his mental health during Thursday’s 1-0 win in a Scottish League Two fixture. Cox, who was named on the substitutes’ bench for the game at Ochilview Park, walked out of the stadium at half-time after the incident. The 32-year old said in a video on Facebook he was quitting the game after “again having to deal with some mental health shouts at football”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/30/albion-rovers-david-cox-quits-football-after-alleged-mental-health-taunt

Australian billionaire Clive Palmer used a version of We're Not Gonna Take It when he ran for parliament.

Manager warns his players Europa League semi-final isn’t over Solskjær wants Cavani to stay at Old Trafford Ole Gunnar Solskjær put a quartet of recent semi-final stumbles behind him as Manchester United routed Roma to all but book a place in next month’s Europa League final. “We don’t feel the job is done but this was a good job done,” said Solskjær after a sometimes surreal first leg at Old Trafford, where United trailed 2-1 at the interval but ended up winning 6-2 after an apparently stern half-time homily from their manager. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/29/job-isnt-done-says-ole-gunnar-solskjaer-manchester-united-thrash-roma

Saka wins penalty to allow Arsenal to score vital away goal Mikel Arteta: ‘Goal changes the tie completely’ Mikel Arteta hailed the “moment of magic” from Bukayo Saka that leaves Arsenal with a strong chance of reaching the Europa League final despite losing the first leg of their semi-final 2-1 against Villarreal. Related: Nicolas Pépé strikes from spot to give Arsenal a lifeline against Villarreal Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/30/mikel-arteta-hails-bukayo-saka-moment-of-magic-as-arsenal-fight-on

Blackouts aren’t a perfect solution, but this one can play a part in a wider campaign to tackle racism, sexism and homophobia For as long as prejudice and abuse exists in society it will always exist on social media: but that doesn’t mean we have to take it, excuse it on that basis, or ignore it. I have received my fair share of abuse in relation to things I’ve written: “Honestly stop writing about football you clearly know nothing you stupid fucking whore”, “clown”, “you’re a complete idiot. You’re a fake feminist”, “plug in the iron love”, “stay at home just cooking”, “give your head a wobble you stupid cow!”, “ooooooo fuck off Suzy you mutt.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/apr/30/social-media-boycott-football-racism-online-abuse

Jes Staley gives his upbeat assessment on the day Barclays reveals profits have more than doubled.

Beijing for years took a hands off approach towards tech firms, but it is now stepping up scrutiny.

City could depend on Liverpool to win the league, pressure is still on Timo Werner and Ross Barkley risks missing the plane What better way to prepare for the second leg of their Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain than by winning the Premier League? Manchester City will be guaranteed another title if they take three points at Selhurst Park on Saturday and Liverpool beat Manchester United on Sunday. The luxury for Pep Guardiola is that he can hold back many of the players he plans to start against PSG and still be confident of giving Palace what for. Having played without a striker in Paris, City could, for instance, deploy both Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus against Palace, giving Kevin De Bruyne a chance to rest up. John Stones will definitely not play, with his suspension giving Aymeric Laporte a chance in central defence and possibly keep his place for the following league match, which happens to be against Chelsea, a potential opponent in the Champions League fi...

Calls for fresh measures to tackle hate and discrimination Boycott to run from Friday afternoon until end of Monday Leading sports bodies will begin an 84-hour boycott of social media on Friday by stepping up their demands for companies such as Facebook and Twitter to do more to stop online abuse being sent or seen. The Premier League, English Football League and the anti-racism campaign Kick It Out are among those calling for fresh measures to tackle hate and discrimination – including a requirement for social media giants to display a warning if a user writes an abusive message, and to ask them to enter personal data if they wish to send it. They also want social media companies to have to submit a detailed quarterly report, outlining efforts they have made to prevent abuse, so they can be held more accountable. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/apr/29/major-sports-bodies-84-hour-social-media-boycott-over-online-abuse-fac...

Europa League updates from the first leg, kick-off 8pm BST Villarreal v Arsenal: join Barry Glendenning for our MBM report Any thoughts? Email Rob or send him a tweet 4.04pm BST If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again Even Robert the Bruce didn’t advocate a fifth attempt. His legendary quote, supposedly delivered to his troops before they routed the English at Bannockburn in 1314, stopped at the fourth try. Tonight and next Thursday, Manchester United will go one better, or maybe that should be one worse. This tie against Roma is their fifth semi-final in the last 15 months; so far they have won none of them. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/apr/29/manchester-united-v-roma-europa-league-semi-final-live

Europa League updates from the first leg, kick-off 8pm BST Manchester United v Roma: join Rob Smyth for our MBM report Gerard Moreno: meet arguably Spain’s best player right now Any comments? You email Barry or tweet @bglendenning 6.36pm BST Tonight’s delegation of disciplinarians hails from Portugal. Related: Manchester City’s Paris knees-up and fan power – Football Weekly Extra 6.36pm BST “[I’m] extremely excited to travel to the game and play the tie,” said the Arsenal boss. “We have a tough opponent in front of us but we really want to be there. [Villarreal’s] progress over the last ten to 15 years has been spectacular, with different coaches but clear principles. Unai has given them a very clear identity in this competition. What I have seen the most is the clarity in their ideas: what they do.” Related: Emery and Arteta, Arsenal’s past and present, to define club’s future | Nick Ames Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/foo...

Reaction from Pep Guardiola after Manchester City secured an impressive 2-1 victory over 10-man Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Parc des Princes. Marquinhos gave the hosts a 15th-minute lead, but City responded through second-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez before PSG’s Idrissa Gueye saw red late on for a wild challenge on Ilkay Gündogan. Manchester City expose brittle Paris Saint-Germain’s lack of maturity Pep Guardiola dons de-thinking cap to turn game around with De Bruyne Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/apr/29/we-were-so-shy-guardiola-relieved-with-revival-after-beating-psg-video

The fast food giant saw sales and profits recover strongly in the first three months of the year.

Critics are quick to dismiss the Manchester City man as a mere speed merchant, but he is one of the game’s best full-backs It was about 40 minutes into the semi-final on Wednesday night that Kyle Walker made the first of his trademark overlapping sprints up the right wing. You know the one: the classic jet-powered Walker burst that seems to possess a surreal comic-book quality. Cartoon smoke billows from him as he goes. Cars are hurled aside in his wake. A dweeby looking businessman gets coffee blown all over his suit. Manchester City were 1-0 down to Paris Saint-Germain, and with half-time looming, City’s all-action hero had finally decided to join the party. That run came to nothing, but a minute later Walker nipped in front of Kylian Mbappé and produced the interception from which City generated their best chance of the game to that point. And from that moment, the pattern of the rest of the game – perhaps even the rest of the tie – seemed to have been set. Unshackled and unleas...

Gabon international is on loan at Fulham this season Lemina understood to be available for around £7m West Ham and Newcastle are interested in signing Mario Lemina from Southampton, with the Gabon international understood to be available for £7m. The 27-year-old has made 17 Premier League starts so far this season during his loan spell with Fulham, who have an option to make his transfer permanent in the summer. But with Scott Parker’s side seven points adrift of safety and just five matches remaining, they face a struggle to remain in the Premier League. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/29/west-ham-and-newcastle-interested-in-signing-southamptons-mario-lemina

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Manchester City really have gone rogue in this season’s Big Cup. First they spoiled thousands of virtual schadenfreude parties across the country by getting through the Round of Manchester City. And now it looks like they are going to get through the Round of Manchester United as well! Their neighbours may be stuck at the semi-final stage, more of which later, but City’s 2-1 win in Paris makes them strong favourites to reach their first ever Big Cup final … ever! Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/29/the-fiver-big-cup-manchester-city-psg-big-vase-arsenal-manchester-united

The airline had said strike actions were "extraordinary circumstances", so it did not have to pay compensation.

Four-day protest against racism and other forms of online abuse Football, cricket, rugby and tennis organisations participating Guardian Sport in the UK is to join the boycott of social media by football and other sports this weekend as part of a campaign against racism and discrimination online. The boycott, announced by the leading English football organisations, covers the weekend’s programme of football fixtures, from 3pm on Friday 30 April until 11.59pm on Monday 3 May. Other sporting bodies have joined the boycott including Uefa, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Professional Cricketers’ Association, Premiership Rugby and the Lawn Tennis Association, highlighting the fight against discrimination and urging the social media giants to do more to eradicate online hate. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/apr/29/social-media-boycott-campaign-against-hate-online-guardian

Max Rushden , Barry Glendenning , Jordan Jarrett-Bryan and Philippe Auclair discuss Manchester City’s win in Paris, and Kevin Miles from the FSA joins to discuss the ESL, fan power and the social media boycott Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . On the podcast today: an impressive second-half performance from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City sees them win 2-1 at PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. The panel discuss the fine margins in a game played at breakneck speed, including a Keylor Navas mishap and a hole in the wall. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/apr/29/manchester-city-paris-knees-up-plus-the-power-of-fans-football-weekly-extra-podcast

After learning English in Iran by watching Match of the Day, the coach has found his way to working at Fulham’s foundation “I learned English mostly by watching Match of the Day,” says Shaygan Banisaeid. “I remember the first word that I learned was ‘crossbar’ because someone showed me the crossbar challenge on TV. Football has always played a big part in my life since I was a kid.” Less than two years since he left his family in Iran to begin a new life in Europe, those linguistic skills have certainly proved invaluable for Banisaeid. This month the 22-year-old started as a youth development coach for Fulham’s foundation having began volunteering on the Football Welcomes programme in Middlesbrough, where he also worked as a coach for the foundation. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/29/shaygan-banisaeid-from-leaving-iran-to-coaching-dream-in-england-fulham-football-welcomes

The economy grew strongly in the first quarter of 2021 helped by heavy government spending on Covid aid.

Pep Guardiola’s side suffocated their opponents in the second half as PSG’s collective meltdown gifted City the upper hand It may be that history comes to look back on the past few days as a turning point in the history of European football, as the Super League, a desperate gamble by the impoverished traditional elite, was crushed and the petro-clubs, having challenged for so long, finally took charge. And in a great time of crisis, of such flux that unlikely alliances have been forged and the quest for at least some good guys in football ownership – anybody, anywhere – landed upon some spectacularly implausible candidates, there is something deeply reassuring that some constants remain: deep down, Paris Saint-Germain still have the personality of Violet Elizabeth Bott. Related: Pep Guardiola dons de-thinking cap to turn game around with De Bruyne | Barney Ronay Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/29/manchester-city-expos...

American to join from sister club Red Bull Salzburg Nagelsmann announced departure for Bayern this week RB Leipzig have confirmed Jesse Marsch as coach from next season, replacing Julian Nagelsmann who is joining Bayern Munich, after the American agreed a two-year deal. The 47-year-old, who was an assistant coach at Leipzig in 2018-19, will join from sister club Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian league and Cup double last season. From 2015 to 2018, Marsch had coached another Red Bull-owned club, the New York Red Bulls. Marsch is also the first US coach to have managed in the Champions League, with Salzburg. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/29/rb-leipzig-confirm-jesse-marsch-will-replace-julian-nagelsmann-next-season

Campaigners say "a generation of homeowners" face financial ruin after government wins Commons vote.

The telecoms giant is in "early discussions" with a number of potential partners.

51-year-old expected to hold talks in coming days Ralf Rangnick is among other candidates Tottenham want to talk to Erik Ten Hag about their managerial vacancy and are expected to do so once his Ajax team have wrapped up the Eredivisie title – they need only a point at home to Emmen on Sunday to make sure. Although nothing is agreed as yet and Spurs have other candidates, including Ralf Rangnick, Ten Hag is understood to be open to listening to their proposal. The 51-year-old is happy at Ajax, where he enjoys a good relationship with Marc Overmars, the director of football but, having been at the club since December 2017 and won everything domestically, he could be ready for a new challenge. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/29/tottenham-target-ajaxs-erik-ten-hag-in-search-for-new-manager

Fewer customers than expected are defaulting due to the pandemic, say NatWest Group and Standard Chartered.

The UK's biggest airport says it has now lost £2.4bn since the start of the pandemic.

Forward discusses Unai Emery, cardboard cutouts and excitement at facing Arsenal in the Europa League semi-final “To tell you the truth, I don’t really like people talking about me and I don’t like seeing myself in the papers,” Gerard Moreno says. Ah, right. Yeah. Sorry about that. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/29/villarreal-gerard-moreno-arguably-spains-best-player-now-arsenal-europa-league

The team news, tactics and form guides for Manchester United v Roma and Villarreal v Arsenal By Ben McAleer for WhoScored Ole Gunnar Solskjær is looking to end his dire record in semi-finals when Manchester United take on Roma. The Norwegian has lost his last four semi-finals, falling to defeat twice to Manchester City in the League Cup, to Chelsea in the FA Cup and to Sevilla at this stage of the Europa League last season. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/who-scored-blog/2021/apr/29/europa-league-semi-finals-previews-manchester-united-roma-arsenal-villarreal

Samsung Electronics strong profits were dented by disappointing results for its chips business.

Striker’s comments will raise alarm at Spurs Kane refers to ‘disappointing’ season with club Harry Kane has expressed frustration at a continued inability to achieve his ambition of winning major trophies at Tottenham in comments that will raise alarm about his happiness at the club. The striker’s future has been the subject of intense discussion after he remained uncharacteristically silent in the media for several months and before saying on England duty last month that he would concentrate on the remainder of the season “and then we’ll see where we go from there”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/harry-kane-frustration-at-tottenham-want-to-win-biggest-prizes

Karim Benzema’s equaliser demonstrated the danger that lurks for Thomas Tuchel’s side if they fail to find composure up front Karim Benzema’s brilliant equaliser for Real Madrid on Tuesday night was more than a random act of genius. It was a punishment that Chelsea brought on themselves by failing to land the killer blow when they were on top during the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at Valdebebas, demonstrating that they cannot simply rely on Thomas Tuchel’s keen tactical mind against Europe’s best. The lesson was not lost on Tuchel, who knew that Chelsea only had themselves to blame after missing a chance to put away the 13-times champions. There was no point complaining about Madrid’s goal coming against the run of play. Zinedine Zidane’s side always had a chance with a striker of Benzema’s calibre and although Chelsea left Spain with a slender advantage thanks to Christian Pulisic’s splendid opener, Tuchel will be concerned about his attack’s lack of composure be...

The supermarket says the move will stop thousands of tonnes of clothes going to landfill every year.

Manchester United manager features on Roma fans’ poster Solskjær full of praise for club before Europa League semi-final Ole Gunnar Solskjær has admitted comments he made about Roma may have sounded disrespectful to Manchester United’s Europa League semi-final opponents, but said that was never his intention. United host Roma in Thursday’s opening leg hoping to reach a first final in five attempts under Solskjær. The manager was asked about the Italian club after knocking out Granada in the previous round and is believed by Roma fans to have said: “I don’t know them and I haven’t seen them play.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/solskjaer-no-disrespect-roma-fans-poster-manchester-united-europa-league

Mikel Arteta has backed Arsenal’s owners, the Kroenke family, in the face of mounting pressure from supporters and a potential bid by Spotify founder Daniel Ek. “If they get the opportunity to know them I think most of them will be surprised,” the Arsenal head coach said. “It would benefit the fans and bring a lot of clarity. So if there’s a way to do that... let’s do it.” Arteta backs Kroenkes and insists fans would be ‘surprised’ by owners’ work Kroenkes insist Arsenal not for sale but Spotify’s Daniel Ek will press on with bid Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/apr/28/arteta-says-arsenal-fans-would-be-surprised-if-they-got-to-know-kroenkes-video

The global food company wants to shut its Newcastle site and focus production in York and Halifax.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Barney Ronay , Simon Burnton and Ben Fisher to discuss Chelsea’s score draw against Real Madrid and Arsenal takeover rumours Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and N’Golo Kanté impressed in an open first half against Real Madrid, but Chelsea may rue Timo Werner’s missed chance after Karim Benzema’s equaliser. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/apr/28/champions-league-chelsea-real-madrid-psg-manchester-city-peterborough-football-weekly

Brazilian selected to monitor local elections Madrid hoping to reverse decision Real Madrid stand to be without Marcelo for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Chelsea unless they can excuse him from duties at a polling station for a local election. The Brazilian has been selected to monitor elections to the Madrid assembly on 4 May. Although the game at Stamford Bridge is the following night the Madrid squad will travel on election day and there are complications relating to Covid-19 regulations if Marcelo carries out his polling duties. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/marcelo-could-miss-real-madrid-game-at-chelsea-because-of-polling-duties

Former Manchester United player appears in court on charges of assaulting ex-partner and her sister The former Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs has pleaded not guilty to three charges of domestic abuse against his ex-partner and her sister. Giggs, 47, appeared at Manchester magistrates court on Wednesday to face charges of assaulting his ex, Kate Greville, and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour towards her between 1 December 2017 and 2 November last year. The assault is alleged to have happened at his home in Worsley, Salford, on 2 November. Giggs is also accused of beating Emma Greville on the same date. She is believed to be Kate’s sister. Giggs appeared in the dock for his first court appearance as the three charges against him were read out and he entered his not guilty pleas. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/28/ryan-giggs-pleads-not-guilty-to-domestic-abuse-charges

Roma’s domestic form has unravelled but their defensive talisman will be available to face his former club As Paulo Fonseca watched relegation-threatened Cagliari score against his Roma team for the third time, he chose to see the glass as half-full. This had been another grim Sunday afternoon in a spring packed full of them, but at least he had been able to get two of his first-choice defenders back on the pitch ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final against Manchester United. “The important thing was for Chris [Smalling] and [Leonardo] Spinazzola to play [after recent injuries],” Fonseca affirmed afterward, highlighting the Englishman’s 59 minutes as especially pleasing. Smalling had been out for six weeks with a knee injury, during which time he endured the trauma of an armed robbery at his home . “He played really well,” said Fonseca. “The team looked confident with Chris.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/...

Super League shambles shows the focus must not be on short-term gain even as search for sustainability goes on The European Super League saga may, for now, be over but fallout from the shambolic breakaway attempt rumbles on. “As soon as practicable after the start of the men’s competition, a corresponding women’s league will also be launched, helping to advance and develop the women’s game,” the ESL launch statement proclaimed. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/apr/28/womens-football-aligned-mens-game-comes-at-a-price

Arsenal manager feels Kroenkes are ‘excited and committed’ More communication from owners to fans ‘would be helpful’ Mikel Arteta has backed Arsenal’s owners, the Kroenke family, in the face of mounting pressure from supporters and a potential bid by Daniel Ek. Ek, the co-founder of Spotify, intends to test the Kroenkes’ resolve with an offer for Arsenal early next month and has the backing of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp. The Kroenkes released a statement on Tuesday saying they would not entertain any approach and Arteta, who has spoken with them in recent days, said nothing had changed his own view that they are the right people to take the club forward. Arteta added that supporters would be “surprised” by what they found if they were given a rare chance to interact with his employers. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/arteta-backs-kroenkes-arsenal-daniel-ek

Consumer goods giant Reckitt saw a rise in sales of its condoms in countries where lockdowns eased.

The defender is not satisfied with stopping the world’s best strikers. She is also using her platform to fight homophobia and change the game from within Battling sexism, giving a talk at Harvard University, running a podcast and stopping elite strikers – another day in the life of Janelly Farías. There’s much more to the 31-year-old Mexican-American defender than just her abilities on the field. Aside from her roles with Mexico’s women’s national team and Club America in Liga MX Femenil (Mexico’s top flight for women’s soccer), she has gained attention for her activism and drive to make social change through the sport. It is an ongoing endeavor for Farías, and close to home, it’s a fight she knows all too well. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/janelly-farias-mexico-soccer-most-outspoken-and-fearless-player

Toyoda Gosei has plants at Swansea and Rotherham but a fall in demand is forcing it to leave the UK.

During a depressing week with talk of a European Super League, Cologne bid a sad farewell to their mascot for 11 years In all the depressing talk about a European Super League and the deplorable reform of the Champions League last week, there were more sad news for football fans around the world and especially for those in Cologne. Hennes VIII, the billy goat who served as club mascot from 2008-2019, was put down because of health reasons. He retired two years ago because of arthrosis and was replaced by Hennes IX. It is perhaps difficult for people to understand what Hennes meant to FC Cologne fans but after the troubling attempts to distort football further by the big clubs this month more than ever he represents something that is increasingly missing: something supporters can relate to and feel proud about. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/he-was-a-goat-but-we-loved-him-cologne-fans-pay-tribute-to-hennes-viii

Plus: youngsters scoring abroad, similarly-named men’s and women’s players and club crests going against the grain “If the ‘big six’ left the Premier League permanently and all their league titles were stripped, then handed to the highest finishing non-‘big six’ club, who would have the most league wins?” tweets Stewarts Gloves. Simon Tyers has done some spectacularly thorough research here and it makes very happy reading for those on the blue half of Merseyside. Ipswich Town fans might want to get a two-decade old bottle of champagne at the ready too, while there’s mid-noughties heartbreak for the Royals. “I used a league management program with all the Premier League tables included to not just take out the ‘big six’ but every match involving them to see what the leagues would look like entirely without their results. This is what would have happened: Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/who-would-win-premier-league-e...

While full-year sales jumped 8% the supermarket giant made a loss due to pandemic costs.

The Lee family will pay more than $10bn, one of the largest ever inheritance tax bills.

Australia's regulator wants the two tech giants to open up their app stores to more competition.

In the next 10 years millions of old electric car batteries will need to be recycled or discarded.

Manager does trademark dance after promotion to League One Grimsby relegated to National League after defeat at Exeter Cheltenham, however, secured their place in League One for the first time since 2009. The Robins needed only a point to clinch promotion and a 1-1 draw at home to Carlisle did the trick. Joshua Kayode gave the visitors a shock first-half lead but Chris Hussey’s free-kick earned Town the draw that they needed. Cheltenham will win the League Two title if they win their final two games. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/28/football-league-roundup-cheltenham-michael-duff-dances-after-sealing-promotion

Cruises around England can resume on 17 May, and operator Fred Olsen says demand is high.

Beauty influencer CC Clarke on dealing with "mum-shaming" from trolls on her social media accounts.

Manager wants his team to enjoy the pressure Guardiola says he learned lesson from Johan Cruyff Pep Guardiola has told Manchester City to play their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-German “like a friendly” and enjoy the pressure of facing last season’s runners-up. Guardiola was in particularly relaxed mood before Wednesday’s first leg at PSG. He twice won the competition when Barcelona head coach, in 2009 and 2011, and has managed in seven previous semi-finals with the Spanish club and Bayern Munich. This is only City’s second appearance in the last four. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/27/guardiola-urges-manchester-city-to-treat-psg-semi-final-like-a-friendly

Study also finds girls typically take two days longer to recover Girls less likely to be substituted over potential concussion Teenage girls face almost double the risk of concussion playing football compared with teenage boys – and typically take two days longer to recover from these injuries, a landmark study has found. Worryingly the research, which compared data from 40,000 female high school players in Michigan with a similar number of male footballers, also found that girls were 1.5 times less likely to be substituted if they suffered a potential concussion. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/27/teenage-girls-face-almost-double-the-concussion-risk-of-boys-playing-football

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! It has been a long time coming for Chelsea Football Club, but on Tuesday night they will play away against Real Madrid, finally, after all these years, getting a chance to walk in the famous footsteps of Ipswich Town, Derby County, Cardiff City and Kilmarnock. Of course this is not the maiden meeting between Chelsea and Real Madrid but their previous encounters were at neutral venues, in tournaments that no longer exist, watched by legacy fans who can go swivel. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/27/the-fiver-real-madrid-chelsea-big-cup

Labour calls to widen remit of inquiry rebuffed by in interests of swift conclusion.

Jamie Reuben’s involvement in bid supported by Boris Johnson raises more cronyism questions An investor in the planned takeover of Newcastle United which received high-level support from Boris Johnson last year is a major Conservative party donor who has personally funded the prime minister’s constituency office and leadership campaign. Jamie Reuben, 34, his father, David, and uncle Simon, who own the Reuben Brothers property development empire, were co-investors with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the financier Amanda Staveley, in the £300m bid to buy the Premier League club from Mike Ashley. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/27/partner-in-saudi-bid-to-buy-newcastle-united-is-major-tory-donor

Airline boss Sean Doyle says the leisure sector will be a buffer against weak business travel.

The divisive footwear company's sales reached a record $460m in the first quarter of 2021, up 64%.

Taylor tells MPs it is ‘unfair’ to say union slow to act Players’ union chief executive’s answers draw criticism Gordon Taylor has denied being “asleep at the wheel” over the link between heading footballs, concussion and dementia – and told MPs that criticism of the Professional Footballers’ Association’s response over the past two decades was “unfair”. Taylor – appearing in front of the the digital, culture, media and sport committee – also dismissed comments from the former Blackburn and Celtic striker Chris Sutton that he had “blood on his hands” because he had turned his back on the issue. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/apr/27/football-concussion-gordon-taylor-denies-pfa-asleep-at-the-wheel

Napoli recently renamed their stadium after Diego Maradona, but who are the other characters honoured by clubs in Italy? By Tom Griffiths for The Gentleman Ultra When the news broke that Diego Maradona had died, the streets of Naples filled with mourners. Flowers, candles, shirts and banners were placed outside Napoli’s stadium as the city united in grief. The club’s decision to rename the Stadio San Paolo in his honour was a fitting tribute to a player who had elevated an entire city. It was also the continuation of a custom in Italy. Maradona’s name joins a roll of honour that stretches as far back as calcio itself. The names of Renato Dall’Ara , Ennio Tardini and Artemio Franchi are familiar to fans of Italian football, yet many of these figures are strangers to us. Who are they and what were their stories? Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-gentleman-ultra/2021/apr/27/football-stadiums-named-honour-diego-maradona-napo...

Our cartoonist on ESL 1.0, embarrassing backdowns and the political fallout after a wild week Doing some online shopping? Buy a Squires cartoon here And take a look through David’s archive treasure trove Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/apr/27/david-squires-on-fan-resistance-and-the-fall-of-the-european-super-league

Lazio’s impressive win over the Rossoneri has them closing in on the struggling pair with a handful of games remaining Was Fabio Paratici still in denial on Monday night? Before Juventus kicked off away to Fiorentina on Sunday, their chief football officer insisted nobody at the club was even considering the possibility that they might finish outside the top four. By the time this latest round of Serie A games had finished, his team was locked in a three-way tie for third. One of the teams alongside them was Milan. Between the two, it is hard to know which might feel more dread at the prospect of missing out on the Champions League. As winners of the past nine Serie A titles, Juventus have higher expectations. Yet the Rossoneri led the league through the first 20 weeks of this campaign. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/apr/27/milan-and-juventus-facing-real-threat-of-missing-out-on-champions-league

Regulator says a request to recover £2.6bn lost through Covid is 'not in the interest of consumers'.

The City of London Corporation set out plans on Tuesday to create 1,500 new residential units by 2030.

Leipzig to receive compensation which may reach €25m Nagelsmann, on Tottenham’s wishlist, to start on 1 July Julian Nagelsmann will take over at Bayern Munich from 1 July in a deal that makes him the Bundesliga’s most expensive manager, with RB Leipzig receiving compensation that could rise to €25m (£21.7m). Nagelsmann, who had been prominent on Tottenham’s wishlist , is to succeed Hansi Flick on a five-year contract worth €8m a season before tax. Flick this month announced his intention to leave Bayern at the end of the season. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/27/julian-nagelsmann-leaving-rb-leipzig-to-become-bayern-munich-manager

Figures to 31 May 2020 include opening period of pandemic Media revenue down £59m in first three months of Covid Liverpool’s media revenue fell by £59m and match-day revenue by £13m in the first three months of the pandemic, the club’s latest accounts have revealed. The full scale of the pandemic’s impact on football finances remains unclear, with limited crowds only just being allowed back at test events, but Liverpool believe it has cost them at least £120m in lost revenue since March 2020. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/27/liverpool-accounts-reveal-46m-pre-tax-loss-and-early-impact-of-covid-crisis

Forward has endured an injury nightmare after leaving Chelsea in 2019 but is fit to face his former club in the semi-final With 13 minutes left at Valdebebas on Saturday night a man appeared who Chelsea fans will remember fondly and Real Madrid fans may struggle to remember at all. Forty-one days later, Eden Hazard finally returned. It wasn’t long and there wasn’t much – a swift run at the Betis defence which ended with a pass to Vinícius Júnior when he might have taken a shot himself, a fleeting glimpse of the player he once was – but it was something, the Belgian fit again in time to face his former club. “He had spark, energy. He had no pain and the feelings are good,” Zinedine Zidane said and he was not the only one. The sports newspaper AS called his return a shaft of light. “You could tell that he’s in good shape,” Thibaut Courtois insisted after the game, a 0-0 draw that damaged Madrid’s chances of winning the league and suggested their minds are drawn more to the Champions Le...

The team’s sense of tactical trepidation is a product of the decisions made by the Glazers and Ed Woodward According to reports, the high‑powered meeting between Boris Johnson and Ed Woodward at 10 Downing Street earlier this month was actually a chance encounter that occurred when the two men stumbled across each other in a corridor. Instinctively, this feels about right. After all, these are two men for whom stumbling has been their defining professional technique: over decisions and into positions of immense and unanswerable influence. Who knows what was discussed? Perhaps the prime minister and the Manchester United executive vice-chairman bonded over their apparent shared indifference towards football, and the strain of having to feign otherwise. One thing we are told was certainly not on the agenda was the European Super League , which was in its late stages of gestation. Downing Street insists the prime minister was completely oblivious to the whole thing, which – given it ba...

Debra is Shalukah’s role model through a Football Beyond Borders programme designed to allow girls to ‘own the pitch’ “I’ve got my own personal relationship with football, especially at the elite level,” says 19-year-old Debra Nelson, “but I think, having an organisation that really, really lives by the power of the sport, in itself, strips back football to its bare bones, helps. “This is what we do, we literally use the power of football to inspire girls, to get girls talking, to get girls active, to get girls enjoying themselves, making positive relationships. Football at the elite level has moved so far and is so removed from that.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/27/how-young-girls-are-being-inspired-find-themselves-through-football-beyond-borders

Whitbread, which also owns Beefeater, expects a summer bounce as Covid restrictions ease on 17 May.

Is the arrival of vegan butchers on high streets the logical next step in the fake meat trend?

It's a major turnaround for the lender, which saw profits fall last year due to Covid-19.

But the carmaker's profits were dented by a $299m payment to Tesla boss Elon Musk.

Thomas Cook and Kuoni see autumn bookings surge as travellers defer summer breaks amid travel uncertainty.

Updates from the 8pm BST kick-off at the King Power Premier League and Carabao Cup: 10 talking points And why not email Nick or tweet @NickAmes82 7.47pm BST The two ex-Liverpool managers are having a lovely old chinwag by the touchline . Leicester are unchanged; Palace bring in Dann for Cahill, their only change from the defeat to Chelsea several lifetimes 16 days ago. 7.40pm BST Michael Cosgrove writes: “Before it’s replaced I’d just like to say that’s a lovely lead photo of Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson. Two wonderful footballing gents if ever I saw them and the photo makes a welcome and a positive change from all the recent shenanigans and skullduggery. That apart, Leicester 2-0 Palace is my prognostic, so it’s highly likely to be wrong.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/apr/26/leicester-city-v-crystal-palace-premier-league-live

Chelsea manager says it’s ‘hard to be excited’ by 36-team format Clubs will each have 10 group stage fixtures from 2024 Thomas Tuchel has hit out at Uefa’s Champions League reforms on the eve of Chelsea’s semi-final first leg against Real Madrid, claiming that they avoided scrutiny because of anger over the European Super League. Uefa’s changes to the format were approved last Monday and will see the teams in the competition rise from 32 to 36 from 2024, with the group stage replaced by a single league stage. The “Swiss system” means the minimum number of games will increase from six to 10 and the prospect of squeezing in more fixtures has infuriated Tuchel, who also argued that Chelsea and Real Madrid deserve to be in the last four of the Champions League despite their role in the ESL. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/26/thomas-tuchel-hits-out-at-uefa-over-new-champions-league-format

Supporters’ union members vote 89% in favour of such a move ‘At present we cannot trust what the owners and board say’ The Liverpool supporters’ union Spirit of Shankly has called for elected fan representation on the club’s board because it says it cannot trust Fenway Sports Group after the Super League fiasco. SOS polled its members on whether to have a working relationship with FSG after Liverpool’s owner played a leading role in the attempted and short-lived coup. The vote was overwhelmingly in support of SOS being represented on the board (89%) and working with the club in leading a reform agenda, before or in conjunction with the national fan-led review. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/26/spirit-of-shankly-call-elected-fan-representation-liverpool-board-european-super-league

Botched timekeeping led to a farcical finish at the Pizjuán as Sevilla survived the madness to emerge as title contenders The scene could have come straight from Hackney Marshes or Donkey Lane, a portrait of a thousand pitches in a thousand places and any given Sunday league; instead, it came from the Sánchez Pizjuán and what would soon become the best league of all, if it wasn’t already: a title race like no other. You’ve seen it before, probably been it before, just not at this level. Twenty-one men waited while one late arrival sat barefoot on the touchline, half-changed, boots and shinnies on the grass beside him as he frantically pulled on his socks . Some laughed, others shook their heads. People tapped at their watches. Hurry up. And then at last Marcos Acuña ran on and they could start. Again. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/26/sevilla-set-up-la-liga-title-race-for-the-ages-on-day-the-clock-stopped-sid-lowe

Max Rushden , Barry Glendenning , Jonathan Wilson and Nicky Bandini discuss City’s fourth consecutive League Cup victory, Chelsea’s win at West Ham and a memorable afternoon for St Johnstone keeper Zander Clark We start with the League Cup final, as Manchester City thrash Tottenham Hotspur by a single goal . The result is Pep Guardiola’s 30th trophy as a manager, and means City have won the competition for a fourth consecutive time. We ask what this result means for Spurs’ key players. We then look at the Premier League, as Chelsea open up a gap in the race for the Champions League. Max also has a great quiz on countries for whom only one player has scored a Premier League hat-trick. It’s a closely fought contest between Jonathan, Barry and Nicky. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/apr/26/manchester-city-awesome-league-cup-foursome-football-weekly-podcast

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Following a week in which managers, players, pundits and fans the length and breadth of the country showed their utter contempt for what they viewed as the attempted Americanisation of football, the Premier League probably could have picked a better moment to announce the names of the first two inductees to its new USA! USA!! USA!!!-inspired Hall of Fame. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/26/the-fiver-premier-league-hall-of-fame

Total's $20bn (£14.6bn) gas liquification plant is the largest foreign investment in Africa.

Nicholas Woods and Simon Marshall were charged over an alleged scandal involving tagging criminals.

Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira assisting potential purchase Kroenkes understood to want at least £2bn for the club The Spotify owner Daniel Ek is preparing a bid to buy Arsenal with assistance from the club’s former players Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira. The Guardian understands Ek began making inquiries about a potential purchase over the weekend and that an announcement about an official approach could be made as soon as next week. Ek has asked the club legends Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira for help in assembling a package that could persuade the Kroenke family, who are under mounting pressure after Arsenal’s attempt to join the doomed Super League last week, to sell up. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/26/spotify-daniel-ek-joins-forces-with-arsenal-legends-in-bid-to-buy-club-henry-bergkamp-vieira-kroenkes

With four rounds of fixtures to play, Lille are a point clear of PSG and two points above Monaco By Adam White and Eric Devin for Get French Football News While it was an unseemly and even cruel way for Lyon’s hopes of winning the title (and perhaps reaching the Champions League) to disappear, Lille fully deserved their 3-2 win at the Groupama Stadium on Sunday night. Having gone 2-0 down after 35 minutes, it looked as if Lille’s unlikely title bid was fading, but they reacted in sublime fashion, scoring three times against the hosts – the last of these coming five minutes from time – to reassert themselves in the match and in the conversation for the Ligue 1 crown. Lille went into the game under pressure, with both PSG and Monaco having won earlier in the weekend. While they have often relied on players who are noted as much for their youth as their talent, it wasn’t Sven Botman or Renato Sanches who made the difference on the pitch against Lyon, but 35-year-old Burak Yilmaz, who...

A Which? investigation indicates fraudulent content was left online even after it had been reported.

Arsenal hold the upper hand in the race for third, the relegation fight is wide open and Chelsea could still win four trophies A run of four defeats in seven league games has seen Manchester United from being top at Christmas to fourth now, and battling Arsenal for the third and final Champions League place, but beating Spurs 4-1 in a one-sided match will have given them hope. They now need maximum points from their remaining games against Bristol City and Everton and more importantly for the Gunners, who have won their last six in the league and have a massive goal difference advantage, to trip up against West Ham, Everton or Aston Villa. The young England forward Ella Toone scored twice and set up another – she is United’s top scorer, and behind only Hayley Ladd in their assist rankings. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/apr/26/womens-super-league-talking-points-from-the-weekends-action

Adi Hütter’s impending exit is not helping the surprise contenders as they try to seal a first Champions League finish If there’s one thing more difficult than keeping a stiff upper lip in the case of things going wrong, it is doing so with the addition of often well-intentioned but deeply unhelpful onlookers asking you if you realise that things are going wrong. Adi Hütter experienced this sensation in his Thursday press conference, as members of the media addressed the shrunken gap between his Eintracht Frankfurt team’s fourth place and the under-achieving but chasing Borussia Dortmund in fifth. “We noticed,” Hütter said tersely. “It’s up to us to do our homework.” The Austrian coach will need to use the coming fallow weekend, which he plans to give his players off, to work on that poker face. Despite defeat at Bayer Leverkusen – and Dortmund’s 2-0 win at Wolfsburg, which closed the gap to a single point – Eintracht still have the chance of a maiden Champions League qualification i...

The firm says the change will make its brand more "dynamic", but some social media users do not agree.

At a time when money is tight the club need six new players and another new manager, and doubts surround Kane and Son Fans from both sides at a game between two English clubs? Nature is healing. Delays on the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines on Cup final day? Nature is healing. Manchester City winning the League Cup , again? Nature is healing. Everywhere you looked on Sunday, English football was returning to normal. And there is nothing, perhaps, quite so familiar in English football as the prospect of Tottenham wondering where they go next. If they still had hope in the final 10 minutes it was only because of the eternal truism that a side that have had dozens of chances and failed to score will inevitably then concede to the first opportunity they give up. But for Tottenham the chance never came: Opta may have recorded that Spurs had two shots to City’s 21, but you’d be hard-pressed to remember them. At least one xG model felt the need to go to two decimal places to get Tottenham a...

Experts forecast faster growth because of the vaccine rollout and easing of lockdown restrictions.