When Manchester City won at Anfield, Pep Guardiola declared that all his side could do was breathe down the neck of Arsenal. And if the Premier League leaders are feeling ever more uncomfortable, it is because they can sense their pursuers are ever closer.

The margin is two points now, giving Arsenal all the more reason to rue the two they dropped at Molineux, all the more pressure in Sunday’s North London derby. City are acquiring the momentum Arsenal seem to have mislaid.

And, after Arsenal capitulated at Wolves, City had a player who grasped the opportunity. They have spent around £430m in the last three transfer windows but their catalyst cost nothing. Three midfielders Guardiola has signed in the last 14 months began on the bench, in Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, while the homegrown Nico O’Reilly started and delivered his first Premier League brace. Strange as it sounds, he is level for goals in 2026 with Erling Haaland. This was the sort of display that, if City become champions, may be bracketed with some of Yaya Toure’s goalscoring displays in past glories.

The life of O’Reilly may yet involve a trip to the World Cup. The life of Guardiola can involve reinventing and reimagining footballers. O’Reilly, a No 10 in his younger days, became a talismanic makeshift left-back. Now he has been recast as a marauding midfielder. “He played full-back, holding midfielder, he can play now in his position,” reflected Guardiola. “What a player. He makes an incredible step. Nico give us in the middle that physicality that we need.”

Meanwhile, Haaland and Omar Marmoush, the split strikers and supposed scorers, became O’Reilly’s suppliers, each registering an assist. The Mancunian’s double showed different sides to his game; for the first, he arrowed in a shot from 18 yards after powering forward to meet Marmoush’s pass; the Egyptian may have been selected as a specialist for such a fixture, given his record of scoring against Newcastle, but instead helped make a goal.

O’Reilly’s second felt the kind Haaland should be scoring. Instead, the Norwegian lofted the cross to the far post and the local lad met it with a towering header. “The assist from Erling was unbelievable,” added Guardiola. Haaland will almost certainly end the season with his third Premier League Golden Boot but now only Bruno Fernandes has more assists in the current campaign.

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Antoine Semenyo and Marmoush might have got a third for City while Nick Pope made a 91st-minute double save from Haaland and Phil Foden. None struck, which meant Gianluigi Donnarumma’s terrific 94th-minute stop was needed to deny Harvey Barnes and secure the points.

Yet, amid the tension, there was a predictability to the outcome. City’s fifth straight win in all competitions was a third over Newcastle in 2026. There may be a fourth when they meet in the FA Cup in two weeks. As Newcastle’s last point at the Etihad came in 2006, an extraordinarily unsuccessful run was extended. Nevertheless, they threatened to end it.

At least a 17th straight reverse brought a first top-flight goal here since 2018 and in Eddie Howe’s reign. Lewis Hall squeezed a shot through a crowded box, aided by a deflection off Rodri. It was a landmark goal for the left-back, too; his first in 21 months.

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When Newcastle pulled level, City restored their lead inside five minutes. That was an immediate riposte and City’s swift start had suggested they were intent on making a point. They played at a blistering pace. Newcastle struggled in the first half and rallied thereafter. “You have to take into account the game in midweek and the travel,” said Howe, who fielded 10 of the side who started against Qarabag in Azerbaijan three days earlier. “It was a good effort by the lads physically.”

Howe rued the defensive errors for the two goals. Newcastle might have scored two of their own. Dan Burn headed in Sandro Tonali’s free kick and had begun celebrating before he was flagged. It seemed he was pushed into an offside position by Ruben Dias, though Howe did not complain.

Newcastle had another threat, even when under the cosh: Anthony Gordon’s pace on the break rendered him a menace. He drew a fine save from Donnarumma after motoring past Marc Guehi. When he was accelerating beyond Dias, the defender tugged him back, at a cost of a caution. He went off at half-time, the faster Abdukodir Khusanov replacing him. Gordon was less of a threat thereafter. Guardiola’s change worked.

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So City left the field to cheers. They entered it to a guard of honour from their 1976 League Cup winners, who beat Newcastle in the final and secured the club’s last major trophy for 35 years. It felt as if it should have been the other way around, the current players forming the guard for their predecessors.

This new-look City side have not won much together. “Seventy per cent of the players have never been in that situation,” noted Guardiola. But perhaps they appear better equipped to cope with it than Arsenal.

These two teams are getting to know each other quite well. The money-bags pair – both rich thanks to Gulf trillions – meet for the fourth time this season, with an FA Cup encounter on the horizon to boot. Both sides need the points – Man City to keep the pressure on jittery Arsenal at the top of the table, Newcastle as they go in search of European football, although a top-four finish is highly unlikely.

So far City have enjoyed the familiarity more than the North-East club, winning both of the recent Carabao Cup semi-final legs. But fresh off the back of their 6-1 Champions League thrashing of Qarabag this week, Eddie Howe wants his players to take that attacking intent into this match at the Etihad – especially four-goal hero Anthony Gordon.

“There were really big positives to take from that incident. Moments like that get blown out of all proportion, it was a very minor issue,” the Newcastle manager said.

“It was great from Anthony that he’s got that strong enough resolve that he wants to score in every moment  and you’d want that from any player – so I’ve got no issue with him.

“I’ve got no issue with Kieran [Trippier] also, trying to think of the team and trying to lead in his way and be the aspiring leader that he is in every moment. I actually thought it was a real positive on all sides.

Newcastle sit down in 10th place and have lost on their past 12 visits to the Etihad but Pep Guardiola is expecting a stern test based on what he saw in midweek.

“I saw the last game against Qarabag in the Champions League and it was exceptional,” the City manager said.

“It was 5-0 at half-time, it could have been nine. The rhythm and the intensity and the pace they are playing is the Newcastle I remember when they started this project. Every team can drop points to everyone. It happened to all the teams.”

Stay here for all the team news, pre-match build-up and action, with kick-off set for 8pm. 

Surprise package: Arijit Singh, one of India’s biggest playback singers, was the second most popular musician of the year on YouTube in London. Singh, who released a duet with Ed Sheeran last year, racked up more than 40 million views in the capital, where he headlined a show at Tottenham Hotspur stadium in September.

He added: “Really, what do William and Kate do? What do their generation do with the crown, with all its soft power, its affairs of state, it’s beginning to feel a little bit like a European monarchy.”The pressure on William to communicate what the royal family is going to be over the next 50 years falls squarely on his shoulders.

“Heroes Come and Go, But Legends are Forever”

Tributes have been paid to a Belfast bar owner who passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.

Kevin Cassidy owned The Hatfield House in South Belfast and spent over four decades working behind the bar in the popular pub.

According to The Hatfield’s website, Kevin came to Belfast from his native Draperstown when he was 18 years old and went on to work and manage many of the city’s bars before buying the pub in 1976.

READ MORE: Belfast mum remembered for her “kindness and unwavering spirit” after battle with incurable cancerREAD MORE: Shay Toman: Tributes to Lurgan businessman after tragic death in Spain

His death notice remembers him as a “much-loved dad”, “loving Granda” and “beloved husband”.

The Hatfield House took to social media to share the news with their customers. The pub is now run by his son’s Kieran, Stephen and John – with Kieran starting to work when he was just 12 so he could spend as much time as possible with his father.

The tribute reads: “Heroes Come and Go, But Legends are Forever.

“We are beyond Heartbroken that our dad and leader Kevin passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on the 20th of February 2026.

“Team Hat forever”.

Many took to the comments to share their stories of Kevin, with one describing him as “a fixture of Belfast”.

It said: “A true legend of the bar game across many eras.

“Mr Cassidy carried himself as a gentleman and always set an example to those around. Absolutely respected and loved.

“To the family I am utterly sorry for your loss. A large hole is left with Kevin’s passing. But carry on as he would’ve wanted. Rest well Kevin there will never be another.”

Another read: “It is with the heaviest of hearts and the deepest pride that we say goodbye to one of our own.

“From the green hills of Cavanreagh, Sixtowns, Ballinascreen, to the bustling heart of Belfast, Kevin Cassidy carried the spirit of our community with him everywhere he went.

“We watched with immense pride as the young man from our parish took a chance 49 years ago, a chance that would build a legendary home from home for so many.

“The Hatfield House wasn’t just a pub in the city; it was a little piece of us, a place where the craic was always mighty and the welcome was always warm.

“We remember Kevin not just as the legendary Boss, but as the boy from Cavanreagh. We shared the same country roads, and were shaped by the same strong community. In his smile, we saw the familiar face of home. In his success, we celebrated our own.

“While the city of Belfast and the wider world mourn a legend, here in the Sixtowns, we mourn a native son. Our hills seem a little quieter today knowing he’s no longer with us.”

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The fire service was called to the M6 southbound, between junctions 28 and 27, at around 10pm.

Firefighters used a variety of equipment to rescue a person who was trapped in the vehicle. The casualty was treated by the ambulance service.

Fire crews remained on site for around an hour.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “At 22:03 on February 20th, 2026, two fire engines from Bamber Bridge and Leyland attended a road traffic collision on the M6 southbound between Junctions 28 and 27.

“Firefighters used cutting and spreading equipment to rescue one person trapped in a vehicle. The casualty was treated on-site by the North West Ambulance Service. Crews remained at the scene for around one hour.”

Lancashire Police has been approached for comment.

With so much at stake between two of the very best teams in the world, the first half of the match was tense and hard fought. Canada initially had the hammer but Team GB still built the first end impressively to hold three and place early pressure on Jacobs. He had the answer, though, and calmly drew first blood.

Team GB continued their precise start in the second end, once again steadily placing Canada on the defensive, with Lammie particularly influential to present Mouat with the chance to take two on the hammer. True to form, the Scot did not waste the chance. Canada were already on the back foot but British errors then crept in and, with Kennedy setting up the end quite beautifully, Mouat was powerless to prevent Jacobs, his opposite number, from himself talking two. After trading shots, the sixth end felt pivotal. Trailing by two, Mouat needed to cannon off one stone and then remove one of the Canadian yellows to take a pair for Team GB and seal a major momentum shift. He duly delivered, leaving Britain in control until that fateful ninth end.

“Ultimately, a couple of back to back mistakes in the ninth have have cost us – and the guys are big enough and bold enough to admit that that’s elite curling,” said the coach, Greg Drummond.

It is Britain’s fourth medal of what is now arguably their greatest Winter Olympics. Yes, they have not yet reached the five medals won in 2018 and 2014 (although that could change with Zoe Atkin in the freestyle ski halfpipe on Sunday morning) but they have already won three golds after never previously managing more than one at a single Olympic Games. Five fourth-place finishes also suggests wider progress.

Atkin, who is the reigning world champion in the half-pipe, had been due to take on her great Chinese rival Eileen Gu in Livigno on Saturday night. Persistent snow, however, had affected visibility and the final has been pushed back to the final day of these Winter Games.

Nose’s Point, perched on the dramatic Durham Heritage Coast near Seaham, has been hailed as a “simply stunning” attraction offering rugged cliff-top walks, wildlife watching, and a fascinating glimpse into the area’s industrial past.

Once the site of Dawdon Colliery, where mining waste was dumped directly into the sea, the headland has since been transformed into a rich coastal habitat. Today, wildflower meadows, grasslands and unique geological formations attract visitors year-round — from dog walkers and family groups to photographers chasing the perfect sunrise.

Described by locals and tourists alike as a “coastal gem,” the viewpoint offers panoramic views of the North Sea and accessible paths for all visitors at the upper levels, though access to the beach can be more challenging.

While there are no cafés or toilets directly on-site, Seaham’s town centre is just a short walk or drive away — home to its famous sea glass beach and plenty of inviting cafés for a post-walk treat.

Facilities include:

• Cliff-top trails and circular walking routes with benches for rest stops
• Dog-friendly open spaces
• Car parking, including accessible spaces
• Information boards detailing the site’s mining heritage

Nose’s Point currently holds a 4.5/5 rating on TripAdvisor from more than 270 reviews, with many praising its sweeping sea views and peaceful atmosphere.

⭐️ “A beautiful place to go… a great spot for views.”
⭐️ “Great views across the Seaham post-industrial landscape.”
⭐️ “My favourite place in the UK to visit. Stunning scenery, breathtaking day or night.”

From its rugged beauty to its remarkable history, Nose’s Point proves why the Durham coast continues to surprise visitors — a testament to how nature can reclaim and redefine a once-industrial landscape.

North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA) has applied to National Highways for funding for a footbridge over the road near Ingleby Arncliffe.

The Coast to Coast Walk, which is used by more than 6,000 people a year, stretches from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire.

It will be officially declared a National Trail next month in a move supporters hope will bring in funding to improve the route, increase its popularity and secure its future.

A diversion from the traditional route set out by celebrated fell walker and author Alfred Wainwright in 1973 has been put in place to discourage walkers from crossing the A19 at Ingleby Arncliffe.

But there is consensus that the ideal solution would be to build a footbridge where the route meets the arterial road near Exelby Services.

A report to next week’s NYMNPA finance, risk and audit committee notes that an application has been submitted for funding of between £6m and £10m for a green bridge.

Joel Brookfield, NYMNPA director of recreation and wellbeing, said the application was made to the National Highways’ capital programme, which offered capital funding for improvement works adjacent to the strategic highway network.

Mr Brookfield said he understood the authority was still waiting for a response to the submission, which he described as “speculative”.

He added: “The current A19 bridge situation is that a feasibility and technical survey for a crossing at Ingleby Arncliffe was commissioned by Defra and completed, but the project was then put on hold. This was in early 2025.

“There has been no progress since then, other than the creation of a formal diversionary route of the Coast to Coast National Trail, which uses the Black Swan Bridge at Trenholme Bar.”

The funding bid has the support of Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond and Northallerton, who helped  secure the funds for the Coast to Coast Walk to be made a National Trail.

He said: “I hope National Highways will take this forward.

“While National Trail status is secured and the official opening will take place next month, a footbridge at Ingleby Arncliffe over the A19  is ultimately the best option for the thousands of walkers who tackle the trail every year.”

Some 3,000 people joined a march in France on Saturday after the killing of a far-right activist in an incident that shocked the nation.

Quentin Deranque, 23, died in hospital from brain injuries last week after being beaten in Lyon, where clashes between far-right and far-left groups have become more frequent.

A minute’s silence was held before the start of the march, organised by far-right groups, which saw some demonstrators hold white tulips while others carried banners and placards.

Many people dressed in black, some with their faces partially covered, and chanted “justice for Quentin” and “antifa assassin”.

The march took place under heavy police scrutiny with no major incidents recorded, but the local authority said it had reported Nazi salutes and racist ‌insults filmed during the march to the prosecutor, after videos circulated on social media.

French President Emmanuel Macron had called for calm ahead of the demonstration, saying: “This is a moment of remembrance and respect for this young compatriot who was killed, for his family and loved ones. That must come first.

“And then it is a moment of firmness and responsibility.”

Mr Deranque’s parents also called for calm and did not take part in the march.

The 23-year-old died after being attacked during a fight that erupted between far-left and far-right supporters, on the margins of a student meeting where a far-left lawmaker was a keynote speaker.

Clashes between the two sides have become frequent in Lyon. The fighting often takes the form of organised street battles in the city, sometimes involving groups of several dozen people.

The city is seen by intelligence services as the cradle of far-right activism in France.

Its left-leaning militant groups have been formed more recently, in reaction to the many far-right groups that have been active for several decades.

Read more:
British far-right activists ‘banned from France’
London terror attack cop sacked over ‘offensive’ texts

Seven people are ⁠under formal investigation for their alleged roles in Mr Deranque’s murder, including a former aide to a lawmaker for the ‌hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, which has condemned the killing.

LFI’s opponents have accused it of stirring up violence and tensions with its combative far-left politics. Its leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon, has condemned the violence and insisted his party is not to blame for the tragedy.