Frank Lampard barely smiled at the final whistle before embracing Middlesbrough’s beaten manager, Kim Hellberg. Lampard gave his customary three-pump celebration to the far corner of the South Stand, walked a quick victory lap of the pitch with his players and then set off down the tunnel with his hands in his pockets.
This was not a night for big celebrations, at least not on the pitch. In the stands, Coventry fans serenaded their manager with refrains of “Super Frank” as they revelled in this 3-1 victory over their closest title rivals, their faith restored after a desperate run of two wins in eight games. Yet Lampard knows this was just one small step back on course.
“There are so many points to fight for,” he said after Coventry retook top spot from Middlesbrough. “We’ve got ourselves in this position, it’s game on. There is so much to play for and we absolutely can’t get carried away.”
Only last Monday, Coventry fans had booed their team after a frustrating 0-0 draw with struggling Oxford United which opened the door for Middlesbrough to usurp them at the top. Supporters grumbled and groaned as Haji Wright missed a platter of headed chances. But a week is a long time in football, and here the giant American’s name reverberated around the ground after a hat-trick that may have altered the course of the campaign.
Now there is belief in the CBS Arena once more after those weeks of worrying downturn to which Lampard didn’t seem to have answers. He had chopped and changed his side, even dropping both centre-backs last week in an effort to reenergise his team. The slick and ruthless Coventry that took charge of the league in the autumn had given way to a slow and turgid team over the winter, lacking their previous edge.
He will hope this win sparks new momentum. Coventry had to ride out plenty of pressure from Hellberg’s free-flowing Boro, who swap positions and make fast connections in tight spaces around the box and generally try to put on a show with the ball. They dominated possession with more than 70 per cent, as they have done in most games since Hellberg took charge, but Riley McGree’s well-taken second-half goal was all they had to show for their attacking endeavour.
Perhaps this was a case of an opponent sniffing out how Hellberg likes his team to play. The familiar diagonal passing lanes from full-backs into attack were choked off, like blocked bishops on a chessboard. Boro had most success down the flanks where Tommy Conway frequently peeled into space, but his final pass missed its target and Boro wasted their best opportunities to hurt their hosts.
Hellberg was always going to keep the same line-up which dismantled Sheffield United so impressively away from home last week, so the ball was in Lampard’s court: would he throw out the 4-2-3-1 system that had got Coventry to this position but faltered for so long, or would he try something new? Lampard held his nerve, sticking with the same shape, though he made changes by bringing in winger Ephron Mason-Clark and handing Nigeria international Frank Onyeka his debut from the start, having joined on loan from Brentford in January.
Hellberg promised Boro were never going to play any other way than their attacking, free-flowing approach that had propelled them to the top of the table, and his players were true to his word. They set up in a notional 4-1-3-2, with Morgan Whittaker and the relentless Conway as split strikers. But Boro’s efforts to liberally pop the ball about in midfield were met with fierce resistance, particularly in the shape of Onyeka, who crashed into tackles and carried his new team forwards when he won them, drawing a booking and earning one too in his running battle with Boro playmaker Aidan Morris.
Coventry took a deserved lead when they broke down the right with winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, who pirouetted away from two defenders before finding Jack Rudoni in the box. Rudoni slipped a low pass into the centre where Wright stabbed a low, first-time finish through the legs of goalkeeper Sol Brynn.
Boro started the second half well and were probing for an equaliser when a long kick by Coventry keeper Carl Rushworth set Wright bearing down on goal, and the striker bullied Luke Ayling off the ball before smashing a first-time finish past Brynn for his second goal. McGree fired Boro back into the game after waves of pressure finally told, but Matt Targett’s brainless handball 17 seconds after the restart gave Coventry a penalty, and Wright powered home his third to set off a deafening noise inside the stadium.
“They were awful goals to concede,” said Hellberg. “They were better than us in the first half. Second half we were brilliant, take away the two situations where they scored. We created lots of opportunities. They score both of them for not doing too much. I know if our performances are good enough we will be in a good position in the table at the end of the season.”
And so Coventry are back on top, one point above Middlesbrough and eight points clear of Ipswich, who have two games in hand and look the most likely of the chasing pack to catch the top two. Lampard isn’t celebrating yet. But Coventry have stopped the rot, and their fans believe again. And perhaps that is as big as any victory: win their home games and it may be enough to reach the Premier League after 25 years away.
Here’s an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from Grandview High School in Aurora, Colorado.
The list includes only those players who have played in an NFL game.
See where it ranks among other schools in the state here.
| Player | Pos | Teams | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Pennel | DT | GNB,NYJ,KAN,ATL,CHI,CIN | 2014 | 2025 |
| Tanner Gentry | WR | CHI,BUF | 2017 | 2022 |
| Eddie Yarbrough | DE | BUF,MIN | 2017 | 2021 |
| Evan Baylis | TE | HOU,GNB,ARI | 2017 | 2020 |
| Joe Klopfenstein | TE | STL,BUF | 2006 | 2009 |
Paris Saint-Germain travel to Monaco for the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. They will be favorites, but are wary of a Monaco side that is back on form.
Former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis will be looking to rebound from losing the title to Khamzat Chimaev when he steps inside the octagon next. “Stillknocks” recently revealed when he’d like to fight again and the opponent he’d like to face.
“For me, we needed to fix some things, obviously and I spent some time now doing that,” du Plessis told Fight Forecast. “I’ll be ready for April. I would love to be on that April card, the Miami card (UFC 327). There’s no opponent yet. There’s no contract yet. We don’t have any of that. Whoever. Let’s go. I’m ready to go again and get back to my belt as soon as possible. Don’t really matter who it is.”
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Du Plessis won the 185-pound championship at UFC 297 in January 2024 by defeating then-titleholder Sean Strickland via split decision. He successfully defended the belt twice before losing to Chimaev at UFC 319.
While du Plessis is willing to face anyone at UFC 327, he knows who he’d like to fight. The South African wants a rematch with the champion despite their UFC 319 title bout being a one-sided dominating grappling performance by Chimaev.
“I would of course love for it to be Khamzat and redeem that loss,” he said. “For me, right now the next fight is the most important fight of my life. And I will win that fight and I will get my belt back.”
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“Fighting Khamzat again is of course what I’m after. Expecting any surprises (in a rematch)? No. There’s not going to be any surprises. I mean, that is the way that he’s going to fight. And if he tries anything different, it will be a terrible night (for him). We all know that, but he did what he had to do to win that belt. We can’t hate on him for that. He did what he needed to do. It’s the rules of the game and he did it. So, saying it’s not fair, it is fair. He did what he had to do. It’s not how I would win my belt, or would like to, but that’s what he did. Now it’s my responsibility to go and fix that to stop him from doing that again and get him to fight my fight,” du Plessis continued.
“It’s always great when you have a guy that comes and fights because that’s my style and it’s what I love to do to entertain, to hear the crowd go crazy. But he knows that and that’s why he went for that style because, and once again I understand that it wasn’t the best fight to watch. In fact, it was a terrible fight to watch. But he did what he had to do to win that title. And good for him. My responsibility is to stop him from doing that, and that’s what I will do … I’ll have my belt back by the end of this year.”
AMES, Iowa — Nate Heise hit a go-ahead 3-pointer and Tamin Lipsey came up with an offensive rebound in the final seconds to cap No. 6 Iowa State’s rally in a 70-67 victory over Big 12 leader and second-ranked Houston on Monday night.
Heise was 3 for 3 from 3-point range hours after sister Taylor Heise scored to help the U.S. Women’s Olympic hockey team beat Sweden 5-0 to reach the gold-medal game in Milan.
The Cyclones (23-3, 10-3) closed with a 17-4 run to take down a second top-10 team in three days. Iowa State topped No. 8 Kansas 74-56 on Saturday.
The Cougars (23-3, 11-2) had their six-game winning streak snapped and their conference lead was cut to a half-game over No. 4 Arizona heading into their matchup Saturday in Houston. Iowa State is third, a game behind Houston.
Heise hit the 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:17 to play to give the Cyclones a 69-67 lead. Houston had two chances to tie or take the lead, but was called for a shot-clock violation with 43 seconds to play, then Chris Cenac Jr., missed a shot with four seconds left.
Blake Buchanan was fouled after rebounding Cenac’s miss, but missed the front end of a one-and-one. Lipsey, though, got the offensive rebound, tapping the ball back to Joshua Jefferson, who was fouled with asecond left. Jefferson made his first free throw for the final margin.
Jefferson led Iowa State with 12 points. Heise had 11 and Buchanan had 10.
Kingston Flemings led Houston with 22 points. Emanuel Sharp had 16 points, all in the first half. Milos Uzan had 11 points.
Houston: Hosts No. 4 Arizona on Saturday.
Iowa State: At No. 23 BYU on Saturday.
Playing with other golfers can be a lot of fun — but it can also be a little intimidating at times. Any time you tee it up with golfers you don’t know, you might be the best player in the group … or you might be the worst.
Being the best is certainly more comfortable, but how do you handle it when you’re actually the worst?
This happened to me recently. My son was scheduling a practice round for a tournament and asked if I’d like to join. Any opportunity to play with him, I’ll take.
As it turned out, the “regular” golfers we were scheduled to play with didn’t show. So I found myself playing with three of the top juniors in the country. It was a bit intimidating, but still a lot of fun.
Here are a few suggestions if you ever find yourself in a similar situations
This is rule number one. If you can do this, you’ll be just fine.
You may be hitting more shots than they are, so efficiency is key. Move quickly to your ball. Choose your club promptly. Keep your setup and routine simple and consistent.
You can also anticipate what club (or clubs) you might need and grab them as you return to the cart. You won’t always know exactly what you’ll need, but when you do, this small habit can save valuable time.
If you’re not in a tournament, keep pace with the group. That might mean occasionally picking up your ball and moving forward to stay in position. There’s no need to hit several extra shots while others are waiting.
The same goes for putting. After your first putt, you might choose to pick up to keep things moving. You may not post a “true” score, but you can still enjoy the experience of playing alongside better golfers.
One of the best parts of golf is the people you meet. A fun round often comes down to good conversation. Just be mindful of timing. Waiting on the group ahead or walking off the green toward the next tee are great opportunities to connect without slowing play.
Throughout the round, simply do the best you can with your own game. Ideally, you have a basic understanding of your tendencies and how to make small adjustments. Use the on-course experience as a chance to improve and self-correct. With the right mindset, you might even finish the round playing better than you started.
Playing with great golfers can be incredibly inspiring. They often make the difficult look simple.
In my years of teaching, I’ve noticed that the best players are usually the ones who work the hardest. It looks effortless because they’ve earned it.
Man Utd consider swoop for Liverpool‘s Alexis Mac Allister, Man City not keen on James Trafford sale, Nicolas Jackson to return to Chelsea from Bayern Munich.
Manchester United are considering a move to sign Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, 27, from Liverpool with the World Cup winner potentially set to leave Anfield this summer. (Star), external
Manchester City would prefer to send English goalkeeper James Trafford out on loan rather then sell him this summer with Leeds, Aston Villa and Newcastle all interested in the 23-year-old. (Teamtalk), external
Nicolas Jackson, 24, is expected to return to Chelsea this summer because his lack of game time at Bayern Munich means the Bundesliga club are unlikely to trigger an obligation-to-buy clause in the Senegal forward’s loan agreement. (Times – subscription required), external
Arsenal have been told by intermediaries that Spain winger Nico Williams, 23, is ready to consider a summer exit from Athletic Bilbao. (Teamtalk), external
Brighton have made Said El Mala, 19, a dream summer target and have submitted a written offer to Cologne for the Germany Under-21 winger. (Sky Germany), external
Napoli have made it their top priority to keep Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, 29, out of the clutches of several Premier League clubs this summer by offering him a lucrative new deal. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Manchester United have denied making contact with Jurgen Klopp’s agent after he said the club made an enquiry about the 58-year-old former Liverpool manager taking over at Old Trafford. (Sky Sports), external
Real Madrid are thought to be in pole position to sign Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck, 26, from Borussia Dortmund this summer with Barcelona also vying for his signature in a 50m euros (£43.4m) deal. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Manchester United will continue to monitor Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, 23, before the summer transfer window, with Leeds, Tottenham and Everton also interested in the Englishman. (Teamtalk), external
Galatasaray are keen on a summer move for Inter Milan and Turkey midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 32. (La Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick wants to reinforce his defence with the signing of Borussia Dortmund and Norway full-back Julian Ryerson, 28. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
It’s safe to assume that the LA Lakers fanbase, or at least some parts of it, hasn’t fully embraced LeBron James. Carmelo Anthony called out the Lakers fans who continue to disrespect James, who has played eight seasons for the purple and gold franchise.
On the latest episode of the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Anthony and guest DeMarcus Cousins discussed plenty of topics around the NBA, including James’ future. The Hall of Famer described what “The King” is experiencing in what could be his final year with the Lakers.
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“He’s living long enough to be a villain,” Anthony said. “You get what I’m saying? That’s what he’s doing. He’s doing everything at the top, still holding this league down. This league don’t move without ‘Bron. I don’t give a f**k what nobody say. That’s a fact.”
•
Carmelo Anthony then called out the Lakers fanbase for not fully accepting LeBron James despite bringing a championship in 2020. Anthony added that Lakers fans have no right to be angry at James if he signs with the Cleveland Cavaliers next season.
“If you going to be mad at him leaving LA, f**k is you mad about?” Anthony said. “You see it written on the wall, right? Because of the influence that’s out there. Y’all pushing him out in a sense. Y’all never accepted him in LA anyway from the beginning.”
The LA Lakers are reportedly ready to move on from LeBron James after the season. Luka Doncic signed his extension, and the franchise is one of the teams getting ready to create cap space for the summer of 2027, when some of the best players could become free agents.
Speaking to reporters before the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, LeBron James addressed the speculation about his future. James remains undecided if this will be his final season or if he moves forward this summer and joins a new team in free agency.
“When I know, you guys will know,” James said. “I don’t know. I have no idea.”
At 41 years old, James is still among the best players in the NBA. There are signs of slowing down, but it’s mainly due to dealing with sciatica at the start of the season.
Nevertheless, it’s going to be an interesting second half of the season for the LA Lakers. They did fix the shooting problem by adding Luke Kennard, but the defense and staying healthy are persistent issues.
Edited by Juan Paolo David
Jamaica’s Mica Moore, from Newport in south Wales, finished four places ahead of Nicoll in 14th and was delighted with the outcome following her switch in 2022 from representing GB after claiming she had witnessed “damaging and offensive behaviour”.
Moore told BBC Sport: “I’m so happy. It has been a real tough journey to get here, it hasn’t been easy at all. I guess to me it is just a story of not giving up.
“I had a really difficult time with Great Britain and that is not secret at all and I’m just so proud I didn’t give up on myself and I’m so grateful for my family and friends for digging myself out of the trenches when it was really tough and just keep going. Moments like this make it really worth it.”
Moore began her sporting career as an athlete – representing Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games – before switching to bobsleigh.
Her grandfather, Venson Byfield, came to the UK in the Windrush generation and settled in Wales.
“It is a really proud moment,” she added.
“I’ve spoken a lot about my grandfather and how we came over with the Windrush generation and I never got the pleasure of meeting him, but my mum has told me so many stories about him and I just had that in my heart the whole time. I just wanted to make my family proud.
“They’ve supported me for so long. I’m 33 now so I’m quite old and they’ve never wavered in their support.
“I’ve just had the most lovely career because of them.”
Walking out on Pep Guardiola is a big gamble. But when it comes to the curious case of James Trafford, he doesn’t have much of a choice.
Trafford has revealed he had no idea Manchester City were planning to sign another goalkeeper when he agreed to make a return to the Etihad from Burnley last summer. But he should have done. Or at least those people at CAA Stellar, who look after him, should. Trafford could have gone to Newcastle United.
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But City had first option on re-signing Trafford and took advantage of their situation to take him back. Just over a month after returning to the Etihad, Guardiola went and spent £26million on luring Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain.
And Trafford’s fate was sealed. The end result is a professional nightmare for Trafford. He is second fiddle to a great ‘keeper, restricted to run-outs in cup games and nothing more.
When it comes to the Premier League and Champions League, Trafford will be stuck on the bench unless Donnarumma gets injured.
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And this will cost Trafford a realistic chance of going to the World Cup with England this summer. World Cups don’t come around too often in a player’s career.
Trafford still has time on his side because he’s still only 23. But if he wants to become the long-term successor to Jordan Pickford, and he’s good enough to do so, he has to leave City come the end of the season.
Trafford is too talented to be a part-time goalkeeper. He’s proved this on the rare occasions he’s been given matches by Guardiola this season.
“I’ve obviously got a contract, but I don’t know what happens next season,” said Trafford, “I just know that I’ll just take it a day at a time and try and improve.”
He does know. He knows unless Donnarumma leaves the Etihad, which isn’t going to happen, his situation will remain the same.
Nothing will change. Trafford has to be selfish and do what is best for himself. And if that means turning your back on arguably the greatest manager of all time, then so be it.
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Hamburger SV center-back Luka Vušković might not be too inclined to go back to Tottenham Hotspur and his parent club might be sweating it a bit.
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With at least a little uncertainty about the young Croatian, Spurs could be keeping an eye on Bayern Munich center-back Kim Min-jae:
Tottenham Hotspur have an absolute gem on their hands in Luka Vuskovic, who is so good he could join Bayern Munich this summer without playing a competitive match for the Premier League side. There is genuine interest from Bayern Munich, who are always looking to sign the best players from their domestic rivals, and Tottenham supporters fear they will lose their Croatian gem
With Vuskovic, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero all linked with moves away from Spurs, they are weighing up their options for the summer transfer window.
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has been linked, but another player on Spurs’ radar is Bayern’s Kim Min-jae, whose departure could pave the way for Vuskovic to join the German champions.
Chelsea could make a move for Min-jae after missing out on new Liverpool signing Jeremy Jacquet, though the 29-year-old is older than their usual transfer targets.
Min-jae is not a regular starter under Vincent Kompany and would be a wise sale for Bayern and a smart signing for Spurs.
As of now, the latest news indicates that Kim is content to stay at Bayern Munich even in an lesser role. However, if Tottenham can match or beat his current salary, the South Korean could reconsider that stance…maybe.
Last week, some very loose reports broke regarding Bayern Munich still having interest in Newcastle United attacker Nick Woltemade after missing on the big German last summer. However, Sport Bild’s Christian Falk says that a move in the future is not out of the question, but this summer would be too early:
That said, he had a very good start to life at Newcastle, so things can change quickly if he’s getting the play time and scoring. At the moment, however, a deal isn’t guaranteed. But the door could open this summer, and Woltemade, if things don’t change, could be open for a transfer. I’m not sure if Bayern Munich will be at the table this time, but it’s always a question of price.
✅ It is TRUE: Bayern retain their admiration of Nick Woltemade. Just like any club, when you have a clear admiration for a player, it’s normal to wonder about the future. That’s the point with Woltemade and Bayern Munich. Both sides know that perhaps they’ll meet again in the future. This summer is too early. Bayern Munich won’t pay the transfer fee. I heard Newcastle, perhaps, would lower their price tag. Indeed, they’re not so happy at the moment; Woltemade isn’t playing a great deal. The manager, Eddie Howe, isn’t giving him many chances to play at the moment.
Harry Kane’s next contract could determine exactly when Bayern Munich formally renews interest in Woltemade.
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Hoffenheim’s Grischa Promel has had a very good season and is firmly on the radar of VfB Stuttgart:
🚨EXCL | VfB Stuttgart have submitted a concrete, lucrative offer to Grischa Prömel as they want to bring him in on a free transfer in the summer.
Hoffenheim, meanwhile, are keen to extend his contract long term. #VfB see him as a top leader but will not improve their offer beyond their set financial limits. Leverkusen, Frankfurt and Wolfsburg are also interested.
Prömel is keeping his options open, with a final decision expected in March.
@SkySportDE
Kicker named Leon Goretzka and Harry Kane to its Bundesliga Team of the Week:
Meanwhile, Kane and Luis Díaz are on WhoScored.com’s Team of the Season (so far):
AC Milan is not against the idea of selling Christian Pulisic, but it will take €70 to €80 million to get a deal done:
AC Milan is preparing for a major squad overhaul at the end of the season, and one of the biggest talking points is the possible departure of Christian Pulisic.
The club is open to listening to offers in the €70–80 million range for the 27‑year‑old American winger, a figure that could provide Milan with both financial flexibility and balance as they reshape the team.
Liverpool attacker Florian Wirtz famously (or infamously) chose to move to Merseyside over Bayern Munich last summer and got off to a pretty bad start in England. Wirtz now has six goals and eight assists in 35 games across all competitions.
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In addition, Wirtz has created more chances in the Premier League this season than any other summer signing. While that might blow your socks off…it is something (we guess):
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