Sports
Liverpool: Skipper Virgil van Dijk believes Arne Slots’ side have not lost their Premier League form
Captain Virgil Van Dijk dismissed any fears Liverpool have stumbled in their title bid.
Diogo Jota’s equaliser, just 22 seconds after the substitute came on, earned a point at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
Arne Slot’s side have won three of their last seven Premier League games but still have a six-point lead over second placed Forest before Arsenal play Tottenham on Wednesday night.
They also lost their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg to Tottenham 1-0 last week.
“Ooh, so we are in a crisis now?” joked Netherlands international Van Dijk, when Liverpool’s form was put to him.
“It only confirms the Premier League is a very tough league where you play against opponents who are very good.
“It was always going to be tough, same with [Manchester] United at home with their new manager and the game plan they have been showing especially against the bigger teams.
“Every game is tough, we have to find a way to win and I think if we play like we did in the second half and keep fighting, keep trying, keep finding opportunities then I am very confident we will score goals as well like we have been doing all season.”
The leaders have come from behind five times in their last seven league games, including in their 2-2 draw with United, with Van Dijk praising their character.
The 33-year-old added: “It shows resilience, no one wants to come from behind, we have to keep working on that and have everyone in the best shape to prevent that. All we can do is try to do it in the next game better.”
Van Dijk felt it was two points dropped at the City Ground, having conceded Chris Wood’s early opener.
The visitors dominated the second half with Matz Sels twice denying Jota, while Ola Aina blocked Mohamed Salah’s late effort on the line.
“We should have won, could have won, but the reality is we take a point at a difficult ground,” said Van Dijk.
“We created many chances and we could have won the game against a team that doesn’t concede many chances, they had kept clean sheets in the last four games so that says a lot.
“I think we could have scored at least a couple of goals.”
Hashtag United like knocking off the big names.
They came from behind to beat Newcastle United 2-1 to win last season’s FA Women’s National League Cup, which is contested by third and fourth-tier clubs.
And after seeing off Derby County and Ipswich Town in this year’s competition, they now have Nottingham Forest in their sights in this weekend’s semi-finals as they look to lift the trophy for the second year running.
“For the club to make it to another cup final would be a massive statement – I think many thought it might have been a bit of luck last season,” Hashtag forward Sammy Rowlands told BBC Sport.
“But for us to be in the position we are right now, sitting top of the league, and two semi-finals to play for, I think that speaks volumes, and proves that we are here to compete.”
The other semi-final will be in the Essex Cup after Hashtag beat their own reserve side 13-1 last weekend, with Rowlands scoring four of the goals.
They are under no illusion that Sunday’s tie will be far tougher but it is a game between equals with Hashtag top of the WNL Southern Premier and Forest topping the Northern Premier table, both with 32 points.
“Personally, I don’t know much about Forest – the most I know is that they have a full-time set-up,” said Rowlands.
“The whole story surrounding the tie gives us Newcastle vibes. We didn’t change for Newcastle, so there’s no chance we’re changing for Forest.
“We have a ‘never say die’ attitude and approach every game with no fear.”
Chelsea’s Guro Reiten speaks to BBC Sport before playing Arsenal in the Women’s Super League.
David Gaskell, who holds the record of being Manchester United’s youngest ever player, has died at the age of 84.
Former goalkeeper Gaskell made his debut for United at the age of just 16 years and 19 days against Manchester City in October 1956.
He spent 11 seasons at United after being promoted to the senior squad by Matt Busby and won two league titles with the club.
Gaskell also played in the 1963 FA Cup final, helping United beat Leicester City at Wembley.
A statement from his family on the club website read: “Dave Gaskell leaves behind not just a remarkable sporting legacy, but an enduring example of kindness, dedication, and humility. He will be deeply missed but fondly remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Sports
Australian Open crowd branded ‘ugly’ for Novak Djokovic treatment after withdrawing from semi-final
Former tennis stars Justine Henine and Barbara Schett have hit out at the ‘ugly’ and ‘horrible’ reaction Novak Djokovic received from the Rod Laver Arena crowd after his withdrawal from the tournament.
Djokovic had indicated earlier this week that he was suffering with an injury at the Australian Open that threatened his chances of winning.
He managed to fight throuh the pain to record an incredible win over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-final.
But it proved too much for Djokovic against Alexander Zverev as the 10-time Australian Open champion was forced to retire due to injury.
Novak Djokovic was forced to retire due to injury
REUTERS
Some fans inside Rod Laver Arena were not happy with Djokovic’s retirement and booed the Serbian as he made his way off the court.
The reaction left former world No 1 Henin shocked and appalled, especially given Djokovic’s achievements Down Under.
“Djokovic has lived in [his] best moments here but also a detention three years ago,” she said.
“Today, it was an ugly moment, in my opinion. We can’t accept that for a player who gave so much today, but also in the history of this sport.
“We understand that people paid for this game, but we need to have nuance. Djokovic has very rarely abandoned a Grand Slam. He is 38 years old, he still comes here to give his best.
“It’s not logical with the champion he is. He was right to react, it was ironic.
“He belongs to the part of players who don’t shut up in front of this behaviour. He’s right.”
Schett was equally horrified by the treatment Djokovic received from some fans inside the arena.
Novak Djokovic was booed after retiring
REUTERS
“It was horrible, we were shocked, Laura and myself, when the crowd started booing,” Schett told Eurosport.
“You never know in tennis, in sports, anything can happen. You can get injured, and clearly, he was that injured he couldn’t continue.
“Yes, the tickets are expensive, but again, that’s sports. It’s not like you buy a ticket for a movie and you know this is going on for two hours and you’re going to be there from start to finish.
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Alexander Zverev will face Jannik Sinner in the final
REUTERS
“No, you could be there [at tennis] for an hour and a half only, but you could also be there for five hours and that’s the beauty about tennis, because you never know what happens.”
Djokovic revealed he went as far as his body would allow him too before having to make the decision to retire.
“I did everything I possibly can to manage the muscle tear that I had,” he said.
“Medications, the strap and the physio work helped to some extent today. But towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says teams are prepared to take his side on in a manner they did not previously, which will cost City a Champions League spot if he cannot find a solution.
Guardiola did not quite say City, who face Chelsea at home on Saturday, had completely lost their ‘fear factor’.
However, as he assessed a torrid season he zeroed in on a change in approach that indicates opponents are not intimidated the way they once were, with teams pressing his side more.
“Everyone came to the Etihad and stayed back,” he said. “The first team I saw man-marking was Neil Warnock at Cardiff. Now everyone does it. Everyone comes here, it doesn’t matter, man to man.
“They just jump to Ederson or Stefan [Ortega]. You have to adapt, do it better with the ball, otherwise you are not qualifying for the Champions League.”
City are currently fifth in the Premier League – 12 points off leaders Liverpool. Towards the end of 2024 they won only one game out of 13 and now find themselves having to beat Club Brugge on Wednesday just to claim a Champions League play-off place following this week’s defeat by Paris St-Germain.
Although City have £123m-worth of new talent available for the Premier League encounter with Chelsea, Guardiola does not believe that alone will solve his problems.
He dismissed those who focus on running statistics as evidence of whether a team is performing to its maximum or not, instead pointing out his side have not used the ball well enough.
“Speed is important but against PSG we ran more than them,” he said. “Our problem is with the ball. This season it is what we have missed.
“If you have the ball and don’t pass properly to your mate, everything is so difficult.”
When City won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the season, few would have predicted by the time the return meeting came around that Chelsea would be higher in the table and Guardiola’s team would be just a point in front of Bournemouth.
Guardiola believes qualification for next season’s Champions League would be like winning a trophy, given the injuries that cost him the services of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and leave him with one fit central defender this weekend, excluding new additions Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov.
He also said there was merit in Jose Mourinho’s famous claim that finishing second behind City with Manchester United in 2017-18 was one of the greatest achievements of his career.
“There are seasons when there are a lot of difficulties,” Guardiola said. “How do you stand up? How do you stay there?
“I remember Jose. I don’t know the reality of United but he said many times finishing second in that season was his biggest success. I understand completely.”
Sports
Michael van Gerwen gets early chance at Luke Littler revenge from World Championship final defeat
Michael van Gerwen will have a chance to avenge his loss to Luke Littler in the World Darts Championship final at the Dutch Masters on Saturday after the pair made it through their opening matches of the event.
Van Gerwen missed out on a fifth world title to Littler earlier this month in a one-sided final at the Alexandra Palace.
There wasn’t a long break between the final and the 2025 season getting underway in Bahrain last week.
But Van Gerwen was absent from the Middle East tournament due to family commitments.
Luke Littler beat Michael van Gerwen in the world championship final
GETTY
He was back in action this week for his first official tournament of the season for his home World Series event.
And the 35-year-old put on a stellar display to defeat compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-1 and progress to the quarter-finals.
Littler was last to compete on the night after seeing world No 1 Luke Humphries crash out to Jermaine Wattimena.
The recently-crowned world champion was made to work against Dimitri Van den Bergh and looked at one stage at risk of following in the footsteps of Humphries.
But the 18-year-old managed to step up when it mattered the most to clinch the final two legs and win 6-4.
His victory sets up a repeat of the World Championship final with Littler and Van Gerwen going toe-to-toe once again.
The pair met in last year’s Dutch Darts Masters final, where Van Gerwen got the better of the teenager.
Their quarter-final on Saturday will be the 14th meeting between the pair with Littler only just edging the head-to-head record with seven wins to Van Gerwen’s six.
Luke Littler beat Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-4
Reuters
Stephen Bunting pulled off an impressive performance to knock out Gian van Veen, who averaged an incredible 105.13 in the match.
Raymond van Barneveld had the crowd in the palm of his hands as he pulled off a remarkable win over Chris Dobey.
Gerwyn Price will take on Kevin Doets in the quarter-finals after they defeated Danny Noppert and Nathan Aspinall respectively.
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Michael van Gerwen was too strong for Dirk van Duijvenbode
GETTY
The final quarter-final will be between Wattimena and Rob Cross with the winner of the Dutch Darts Masters taking home £30,000 in prize money.
The Premier League season gets underway at the start of next month in Belfast, with Littler and Van Gerwen once again facing off.
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha is the subject of a transfer battle with Aston Villa now entering the race, Barcelona’s hopes of signing Marcus Rashford from Manchester United suffer a setback, and Chelsea on course to sign Alejandro Garnacho.
Aston Villa have joined the chase for Wolves and Brazil forward Matheus Cunha, 25, who is also interesting Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United. (Mail), external
Barcelona’s attempts to sign Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford, 27, may be scuppered as they have not sold enough players to free up funds. (ESPN, external)
Manchester United will make a second offer to Lecce for Denmark defender Patrick Dorgu, 20, after their opening £25m bid was rejected. (Fabrizio Romano, external)
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been left frustrated by the club’s lack of transfer activity, with no players bought or sold this month. (Manchester Evening News, external)
Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr are preparing an official offer for Aston Villa’s Colombia striker Jhon Duran, 21. (Telegraph – subscription required), external
West Ham have been told they will need to sign the Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey, 22, on a permanent deal as Ajax have no interest in a loan. (Fabrizio Romano, external)
Real Madrid have opened preliminary talks with Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, 29, over a summer move, when his contract expires. (Bild – subscription required), external
Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho will join Chelsea this month after the 20-year-old Argentina winger’s talks over a switch to Napoli stalled. (Teamtalk), external
Sports
Michael Schumacher ally issues telling statement on Lewis Hamilton first impression after Ferrari test
Lewis Hamilton has received a glowing first assessment from a prominent Maranello restaurateur following his arrival at Ferrari.
Maurizio Giannini, owner of the legendary Ristorante Montana and close friend of Michael Schumacher, offered his immediate verdict on the seven-time world champion.
“Perfecto. No arrogance. Tranquillo,” Giannini told the Daily Mail of his first impressions of Hamilton. “He is just right for Ferrari.”
The comments came after Hamilton’s first official appearances as a Ferrari driver this week, having signed a multi-year contract with the Scuderia starting from 2025.
Ristorante Montana has long been a cornerstone of Ferrari’s racing heritage in Maranello, serving as a favourite dining spot for legendary drivers.
Lewis Hamilton made his debut for Ferrari at Maranello this week
REUTERS
The establishment, owned by Maurizio and Rossella Giannini, became particularly synonymous with Schumacher during his dominant era with Ferrari from 1997 to 2006.
The restaurant’s walls tell the story of Ferrari’s racing history, with Schumacher’s five world championships with the team representing a golden period for the Scuderia.
Since Schumacher’s final title in 2004, only Kimi Raikkonen has managed to secure a world championship for Ferrari, achieving the feat in 2007.
Hamilton’s first days at Ferrari have been marked by significant milestones in the historic Italian city.
The British driver tested a 2023 Ferrari at the Fiorano test track on Wednesday, where he also met with his new race engineer Riccardo Adami.
Lewis Hamilton made a strong impression on people he met
REUTERS
Earlier in the week, Hamilton participated in an official photo session outside the former residence of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari.
The city of Maranello, steeped in Ferrari history, holds numerous references to Schumacher, who made the location his second home during his illustrious career with the team.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2023, Rossella Giannini highlighted Schumacher’s deep connection to the restaurant.
“Breakfast, lunch and dinner he would come here. He was everything,” she recalled.
“He called me his Italian mama and he was like another son to me.”
Hamilton’s next opportunity to drive a Ferrari will come at the Circuit de Catalunya between January 28-30.
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Michael Schumacher won seven F1 titles during his careerGETTY
The testing session will see Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc complete laps in one of Ferrari’s older cars behind closed doors.
Their mileage will count towards the FIA’s 1,000km annual limit for Testing Previous Cars regulations.
Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport
Following Whittaker’s no-show on Wednesday, it was always a matter of when, rather than if, the forward would leave Argyle.
While the manner of his departure might not have been the greatest – turning up so late he was dropped from the team – you cannot argue with the impact he has had at the club.
Since he first joined on loan in the summer of 2022 he has scored 34 goals, including an amazing run of 15 goals in 22 appearances between September 2023 and January 2024.
But since then he has found the net just eight times as his goalscoring touch has mirrored Argyle’s fall down the table.
The club-record deal is huge for Plymouth, but what the Pilgrims do with that cash will be key.
Do they spend it now to try to keep a club six points from safety and without a win in 11 weeks up, or do they hang on and use it to rebuild in League One next year?
Team news for Saturday and Sunday’s Scottish Premiership fixtures.
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