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Man City summer signing is quietly becoming essential

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Rayan Ait-Nouri has emerged as a key player in recent weeks as Manchester City chase silverware in four competitions

It would have been very Typical City if Manchester City had finally signed a left-back after years of grumbling from fans and then didn’t play him. It also would have been very Pep Guardiola to bring in a specialist and then stick another midfielder in the position instead.

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And it was. When Rayan Ait-Nouri left for the Africa Cup of Nations in December, it didn’t look obvious when he would next play in the Premier League. Nico O’Reilly had basically had the position locked down since September, and any chance Ait-Nouri had to show himself wasn’t taken.

Having looked fine on debut at his former club Wolves on the opening day of the season, Ait-Nouri quickly went downhill. He came off injured 20 minutes into the dismal defeat against Spurs, came back for the dismal defeat against Brighton but was then injured for six weeks.

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When he came back in October, his only starts before leaving for international duty two months later were the Carabao Cup game at Swansea and the Champions League game with Leverkusen. He was substituted after an hour in South Wales with City drawing against the Championship side, and then taken off at half-time with Leverkusen ahead.

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For all the fuss around African players not being released long before the international tournament started, Ait-Nouri barely got a kick while O’Reilly went from strength to strength. If the Collyhurst youngster kept the Algerian out of the team initially, it was a need to bring him into midfield that gave Ait-Nouri his chance.

“There was a period where he didn’t play much and Nico O’Reilly played there. After that, we didn’t have the consistency with second balls and Nico and Antoine helped us to be more of a ‘mm-mm’ team,” said Guardiola as he emphasised the physicality and drive needed in midfield. “In that moment, in that position with Josko [Gvardiol] injured, we brought Rayan from Wolves to play and he’s playing really good.”

It has been quite the run – nine straight starts is the longest current streak of consecutive games in the squad and if the niggles that he forced him to be substituted against Forest do not rule him out of the Newcastle tie in the FA Cup he may well be being kept fresh for the Champions League match in Madrid. Ait-Nouri has never been the star but his performances at Liverpool and Leeds have been essential for City.

The 24-year-old has never been a player to seek the limelight, happy to keep his head down and have a quiet life. He was exactly the same in his four year at Wolves, shy about speaking up in a language he took his time to get confident with.

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He has rarely been seen too far from Rayan Cherki since the pair signed for City before the Club World Cup and people at the training ground speak of how nice and normal Ait-Nouri is. At a recent away game, he gave his matchworn shirt to a young fan as he was walking out of the stadium.

It was at Newcastle where Ait-Nouri’s City career saw lift-off – despite a cancelled flight. The Algerian was later back to Manchester than he wanted to be after the Africa Cup of Nations because of a problem with a connection on the journey home, but he made sure he was in the squad for their trip up to St James’ for their Carabao Cup semi-final.

City were still in defensive disarray at this point with ]Gvardiol, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Nico Gonzalez all sidelined as well as Savinho, Mateo Kovacic and Oscar Bobb. Not only did Ait-Nouri put his hand up for the game but he also came off the bench for the closing minutes of the match and teed up Cherki for the crucial second goal.

These kind of displays – of application on the pitch but also the will to be there in the first place – go a long way when Guardiola judges his players, and it is little surprise that Ait-Nouri has been rewarded since. As much as the wider team changes brought him into the team, he wouldn’t have made it without his own efforts.

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That has allowed him to grow into the new side, improving with every week. While it may have taken a few months and an absence on another continent, Ait-Nouri has hit his stride under Guardiola.

“He made steps forward a lot in the last games, understanding what we needed and his quality with the ball is fantastic,” the manager said. “He gives us extra passes and defensively he is more aggressive and faster than people could think about it. In the question of working the line, he’s getting better.”

That is all Guardiola wants from his improving team, while many City fans are just happy to see a left-back.

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Kym Davison lands first Sydney win at Randwick in 2026 autumn carnival

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Kym Davison, the trainer from Albury, has savored his maiden city triumph on a premier occasion of the Sydney autumn carnival in 2026, accomplishing it almost accidentally.

Davison intended for his up-and-coming three-year-old Autumn Break to participate in the $1 million Country Championships Final (1400m), though the horse was excluded from the field.

He acted as a standby instead, and obligated to stay in Sydney for any possible withdrawals, Davison elected to pay the entry fee for the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) as a fallback option.

“First city winner, so not a bad one to crack the ice with,” Davison said.

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“I was hoping to be in the next race, but great consolation.

“I saw this race and said, ‘well, we’re going up there anyway, so we’ll go and have a throw at the stumps’.”

Autumn Break ($8) duly obliged, prevailing by a nose over Kilman ($31) prepared by Chris Waller, who controlled the race until the final stride, as Matias ($6.50) trailed by a short head for third.

The result offered solace in a distressing phase for the Davison household, with Kym’s brother succumbing to his illness just a week prior.

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“It’s been a hard week. We lost my brother a week ago,” he said.

“He had been unwell for a while. But you’ve got to pick yourself up.”

Davison, managing eight horses in his Albury stable, will now spell Autumn Break with intentions of targeting The Kosciuszko (1200m) early in his next campaign in October.

“The Kosciuszko, he’d go alright in that,” he said.

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“His first start was over 1200, and he should have won that Highway (Handicap) here, that was 1200 first-up, so we’ll try to push onto that if we can.”

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CSK script history, go past RCB in elite IPL list… despite heavy defeat | Cricket News

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CSK script history, go past RCB in elite IPL list… despite heavy defeat

Even in a crushing 43-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings quietly ticked off a major milestone that adds an interesting layer to the evolving scoring trends in the IPL.Most 200-plus totals in the IPL37 – CSK36 – RCB33 – PBKS32 – MI30 – KKRCSK’s 207 all out while chasing 250 at the Chinnaswamy took them to 37 totals of 200-plus in IPL history, the most by any team. They have now edged past RCB, who are on 36, with Punjab Kings (33), Mumbai Indians (32) and Kolkata Knight Riders (30) following behind.What makes the stat intriguing is the timing. In an era where 200-plus scores are becoming increasingly common and often not enough to guarantee wins, CSK’s record came in a match where they were comprehensively outplayed. Chasing a massive 250, they still managed to cross 200, but the gap in quality and execution was evident throughout the contest.The night belonged entirely to RCB’s power-packed batting unit. Devdutt Padikkal laid the platform with a well-paced 50, but it was the late assault that completely blew the game open. Rajat Patidar and Tim David dismantled the CSK bowling attack with a ruthless fourth-wicket stand. Patidar’s unbeaten 48 off 19 balls and David’s brutal 70 off 25 lifted RCB to a towering 250 for 3, with 97 runs coming in the last five overs.In response, CSK never really found stability. Early wickets left them struggling at 30 for 3, and the chase was effectively over in the powerplay itself. Sarfaraz Khan showed intent with a quick half-century, while useful contributions from the lower middle order helped them go past 200, but the target remained far out of reach. The match summed up the modern IPL perfectly. Big scores are frequent, momentum shifts quickly, and even crossing 200 does not carry the same weight it once did. On this occasion, CSK ended up on the wrong side of the result, but still moved to the top of a high-scoring chart that continues to grow with every season.

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West Virginia rallies, beats Oklahoma in OT to win College Basketball Crown

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NCAA Basketball: Brigham Young at West VirginiaFeb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Honor Huff (3) is interviewed after the game after defeating the BYU Cougars at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Honor Huff scored 38 points and made eight 3-pointers to help West Virginia rally for an 89-82 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the College Basketball Crown championship game on Sunday in Las Vegas.

Chance Moore added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers (21-14), who trailed by 13 points in the second half before rallying. Brenen Lorient scored 15 points in the program’s first postseason tournament title since winning the 2007 NIT.

Nijel Pack led Oklahoma (21-16) with 24 points and seven assists, followed by Tae Davis’ 19 points and Xzayvier Brown’s 13.

Oklahoma scored the first six points of overtime, taking an 82-76 lead on Pack’s layup.

Jasper Floyd then hit his first 3-pointer of the game, followed by Huff’s triple to tie the score with 2:14 remaining. After Pack missed a 3-pointer, Floyd hit another trey to give the Mountaineers an 85-82 lead.

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West Virginia got stops on its next two possessions and Huff drilled four straight free throws to seal the championship win.

Oklahoma pushed its four-point halftime lead to 10 on Pack’s 3-pointer, forcing a West Virginia timeout less than four minutes into the second half.

Brown’s jumper extended the margin to 13, before Huff’s three-point play and Moore’s layup cut the deficit to 59-51.

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Lorient’s basket at the 5:23 mark pulled West Virginia within three. Derrion Reid and Davis scored on Oklahoma’s next two possessions, giving the Sooners a 71-64 lead.

From there, Huff scored five straight points and Lorient made a layup to tie the score at 71 with 1:45 remaining.

After an Oklahoma timeout, Pack and Huff traded triples. Davis then turned the ball over and committed a foul on Huff, who drained two free throws with 33 seconds left.

Davis’ ensuing layup tied the score at 76. Huff missed a go-ahead 3-pointer on the other end, sending the game to overtime.

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The Mountaineers connected on eight of their first 10 3-point attempts, including Huff’s three straight triples to build a 26-11 lead.

Oklahoma answered with a 16-2 run, cutting its deficit to a point on Pack’s mid-range jumper with 5:25 left in the first half.

After Moore’s layup snapped a four-plus minute West Virginia scoring drought, the Sooners scored nine straight points, taking a 36-30 advantage. Davis closed the first half with a three-point play to give Oklahoma a 41-37 halftime lead.

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–Field Level Media

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Monday gallop to shape Gin Twist’s 2026 campaign

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The decision on whether Gin Twist forges ahead to another start or enters a spell phase hinges on her performance in a track gallop.

Lindsay Park’s two-year-old filly is a potential runner in Saturday’s Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, contingent on a satisfying showing in Monday’s gallop.

She was the hot favourite dispatched in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) at Flemington March 28, leading early before stopping to take third.

Ben, Will and J D Hayes prepare Gin Twist, who was accounted for by more than three lengths by the Sydney mare Satono Glow.

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Ben Hayes mentioned optimism surrounds the filly’s readiness for Saturday, as she exhibits no adverse aftereffects from the race.

“We’ll make a decision on Monday whether she runs or not after she does some work,” Hayes said.

“We feel that one, she raced a bit fresh last week and two, she didn’t handle the heavy track, but she has pulled up fine.

“It is a good opportunity for her and if she doesn’t work well, we won’t run her, but if she works well, we’ll run her.”

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The filly had previously claimed the Listed Festival Stakes (1000m) victory at Flemington on February 28, and was next in line as third emergency for Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21.

Lindsay Park refrained from interstate travel for her, aware a start was improbable.

Hayes is of the view that Gin Twist copes with 1200m and merits another attempt on a good track.

“I think she is a very fast horse, and 1200 metres is her limit,” Hayes said.

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“But it is hard to judge her off that run over 1200 metres, which was down the straight, and on a heavy eight (track).

“We can find out if she can the trip and then we’ll know how to place her next prep.”

Secure the best value with betting sites offering markets for the Redoute’s Choice Stakes.

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Liv Morgan breaks character to discuss her relationship with Rhea Ripley

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Liv Morgan broke character to comment on her relationship with WWE star Rhea Ripley. Both Ripley and Morgan will be challenging for major titles at WrestleMania 42.

In an interview with Esteban Ramirez, Liv Morgan broke character to comment on her relationship with Rhea Ripley. The Judgment Day star noted that she knew her former rival was going to be a star while they were in NXT together and left Ripley her locker when she got called up to the main roster.

“Rhea and I have quite a bit of lore. I remember back in the Performance Center when I saw her, I knew that she was gonna be a star. It was just very evident to me. So when I had gotten called up to the main roster, I had left Rhea my locker. I told her, ‘You can have my locker, you can move your stuff into my locker.’ She didn’t even have a locker yet,” said Morgan.

The Women’s Royal Rumble winner added that they will always be connected and compared their rivalry to Batman and The Joker.

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“I came back on the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour and took everything that she loved including Dominik, the Judgment Day and the Women’s World Championship. So I feel like we are both the heroes and villains in each other’s stories. She is the Batman to my Joker, and I am the villain in her hero’s story, and she is the villain in my hero’s story,” she added. [H/T: WrestleTalk on X]

You can check out the interview in the video below:

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Morgan will be challenging Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 42.

Liv Morgan comments on recent WWE injury

WWE RAW star Liv Morgan recently discussed her injury last year that caused her to miss several months of WWE television.

In an interview with Brad Gilmore, the 31-year-old noted that the injury was devastating for her last year as she was on an upward trajectory. The WWE veteran added that she was upset about the situation during her hiatus last year.

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“I do feel like in the moment that I got injured, I was on a very upward trajectory. And so the injury obviously devastated me. I was very, very angry the whole entire time I had off time,” she said.

Liv Morgan says she was “angry the whole time” when she was recovering from shoulder injury: “I was mad the whole entire time,” Morgan said. “I got injured in a moment [when] I had multiple things going on for me. I was really enjoying and loving what I was doing. So to have all

Only time will tell if Liv Morgan can defeat Stephanie Vaquer to become champion once again at WWE WrestleMania.