Sports
Man Utd star Rasmus Hojlund spares Andre Onana’s blushes in comeback Europa League win
Rasmus Hojlund came off the bench to score twice as Manchester United secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The £72million striker proved to be United’s saviour after Andre Onana’s costly error had gifted the Czech side a shock lead early in the second half.
Ruben Amorim’s side were forced to battle back from behind on a cold evening in central Europe, with Hojlund’s late heroics sparing their blushes.
The Danish forward has now scored five goals since Amorim’s arrival as manager, continuing his impressive form as a substitute.
Rasmus Hojlund scored a brace after coming on off the bench
Reuters
The win provides United with a much-needed boost following recent Premier League defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
Andre Onana’s nightmare evening began with early warning signs as he struggled with set-pieces, twice missing punches and even colliding with teammate Casemiro.
The goalkeeper’s most costly error came right after the break when his baffling pass was intercepted by Pavel Dulc, who set up former Watford striker Matej Vydra for a simple tap-in.
It marked Onana’s second major mistake in consecutive matches, following his recent poor showing against Nottingham Forest.
“Andre Onana has now undone all the good work he did this season, today and in the Forest game,” one fan was quoted as saying on social media.
Hojlund’s impact was immediate after replacing Marcus Rashford in the 56th minute, with the Dane proving clinical in front of goal.
The equaliser came through excellent work from Amad Diallo, whose direct running and mazy dribble into the Plzen penalty area created the opportunity.
Andre Onana joined in with the goal celebrations, likely coming over to thank Rasmus Hojlund
Reuters
Though Amad’s initial shot was blocked, Hojlund was perfectly positioned to tap home the rebound, bringing United level on the hour mark.
With time running out, Bruno Fernandes demonstrated his creative brilliance with a clever free-kick that found Hojlund in space.
The striker showed remarkable composure to fire home the winning goal in the dying minutes, converting Fernandes’ intelligent pass.
The brace highlighted Hojlund’s predatory instincts, with both finishes displaying the clinical edge United have often lacked this season.
Andre Onana had made a huge error earlier in the match
Reuters
Despite the victory, United’s overall performance was largely underwhelming, with several players struggling to make an impact.
Marcus Rashford was particularly poor, being substituted after 54 minutes following a display where he failed to create a single chance or register a shot.
Amorim’s substitutions proved decisive, with both Antony and Mason Mount making positive contributions alongside Hojlund’s match-winning cameo.
“Absolutely no disrespect to Rashford or what he’s done for the club but with the way Amorim wants to play, with the formation, I don’t see where Rashford fits in,” one fan commented.
Andre Onana won’t want to see that again 🫣
A gift from the United keeper and Reading old-boy Matej Vydra pounces to put Plzen ahead 😱
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/fHlsdddhgp
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 12, 2024
The Portuguese manager earned praise for his decisive changes, receiving a 7/10 rating for being “decisive with his substitutions.”
United will hope to build on this comeback victory as they head into this weekend’s Manchester derby.
Celtic say they cannot guarantee that Saturday’s Scottish Premiership visit by Dundee will go ahead because Storm Eowyn has “caused some damage” to their stadium.
The League 1 match between Arbroath and Kelty Hearts had earlier been postponed following damage at Gayfield Park.
Celtic say that “a full assessment and decision will be made as early as possible” on Saturday morning at Celtic Park, where the match is due to kick-off at 15:00 GMT.
“Our stadium and safety staff are currently unable to fully assess the extent of the damage due to the ongoing extreme conditions,” Celtic said in a website statement.
“In light of this, and in order that we communicate fully and openly with our fans, in the interests of supporter safety, we are unable to confirm at this stage whether the match tomorrow between Celtic and Dundee will be able to proceed.”
Weather warnings are in place throughout Scotland because of Storm Eowyn, but Saturday and Sunday’s other Scottish Professional Football League fixtures remain scheduled to go ahead.
Sports
Tom Brady snubs Bill Belichick reunion as 73-year-old hired as new Las Vegas Raiders head coach
Pete Carroll has been appointed as the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, becoming the oldest head coach in NFL history at the age of 73.
The veteran coach has agreed to take charge of the Raiders on a three-year contract, with an option to extend for a further year.
Carroll, who will turn 74 in September, joins the Raiders following a successful 14-season spell with the Seattle Seahawks, where he amassed an impressive 137-89 record.
The appointment marks a significant milestone in NFL history, as Carroll is set to surpass the age record previously held by Romeo Crennel, who was 73 during his time with the Houston Texans in 2020.
Tom Brady missed out on a chance to reunite with Bill Belichick
GETTY
Carroll’s appointment comes after the Raiders initially targeted former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who opted to join the Chicago Bears instead.
The decorated coach brings an impressive pedigree to Las Vegas, having previously managed the New York Jets and New England Patriots before his tenure in Seattle.
His arrival coincides with Tom Brady’s involvement as Raiders minority owner, who played a role in securing Carroll’s services despite interest from the Dallas Cowboys.
There had been some talk about Bill Belichick potentially reuniting with Brady at the Raiders.
Belichick signed a five-year deal with the University of North Carolina earlier this week, but it’s reported to have included a buyout clause should an NFL side look to hire him.
But the Raiders seemingly have no interest in bringing in Belichick with their commitment to Carroll.
Carroll belongs to an elite group of coaches who have achieved success at both NFL and college level.
GETTY
His crowning achievement came in 2013 when he led the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl victory.
Prior to his NFL success, Carroll established himself as a dominant force in college football, securing back-to-back national championships with USC in 2003 and 2004.
His departure from the Seahawks following the 2023 season marked the end of an era that saw him transform the franchise into a consistent contender.
Carroll faces significant challenges in his new role, with the Raiders having missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
The team’s recent record of 18-33 led to the dismissals of both Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce.
Las Vegas has managed just one winning season since 2017, with quarterback issues being a particular concern.
The Raiders’ struggles were evident in 2024, with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell sharing quarterback duties without either cementing their position.
Following a 4-13 finish, the Raiders hold the No. 6 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, though top quarterback prospects Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders may be unavailable when their selection comes.
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Tom Brady has to be careful what he says on commentary due to the fact he is an NFL ownerReuters
Carroll’s appointment marks the fifth head coaching hire of this cycle, following a series of appointments across the NFL.
The Raiders turned to Carroll after their initial target, Ben Johnson, chose to take the vacant position at the Chicago Bears.
Working alongside new general manager John Spytek, Carroll will need to address the team’s roster gaps, particularly at quarterback.
The Raiders’ decision to appoint Carroll leaves only the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints yet to name their new head coaches for the upcoming season.
Before The Traitors final on BBC One, Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi shares his winning tips, after beating his England team-mates in their version of the game during Euro 2024 camp.
Andy Murray has admitted he found it a tad ’embarrassing’ being part of Novak Djokovic’s team at the Australian Open.
The Serb’s time in the competition is over, with the 37-year-old withdrawing from his match with Alexander Zverev on Friday morning.
Djokovic had opted to take part in the showdown, despite suffering a muscle tear against Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the week.
However, after losing the first set, he was ultimately unable to play on.
Andy Murray has admitted he found it a tad ’embarrassing’ being part of Novak Djokovic’s team at the Australian Open
GETTY
It is currently unclear what the future holds for Murray, who joined Djokovic’s coaching team for the tournament Down Under.
And the Briton has now admitted that he found it a tad ’embarrassing’ being part of his set-up.
“I feel like they’ve been a great team. At times it feels a little bit embarrassing that because of my relationship with Novak, how much people talk about that or when there’s a good result or a good performance that it’s because I’ve helped him,” he said.
“I’m fully aware that the team that is with him has done an incredible job over many, many years to allow him to still be competing at this level at the age that he’s at.
“They’ve all been really, really helpful to me. They really welcomed me into the team. It’s been great to be a part of.
“I got to witness some amazing tennis, and one of the best matches that I’ve seen live against Alcaraz. And it’s a steep learning curve for me as well.”
Murray also expressed his sadness at seeing Djokovic pull out at a time when he was on the verge of ‘something special’.
“When you get to that stage of the tournament, you feel like you’re getting very close to something very special, and it’s unfortunate if the body’s not responding in the way that you would like,” he continued.
“With Novak there’s always hope with him because of how great a player he is and has found ways out of difficult situations before.
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Andy Murray is set to discuss his future with Novak Djokovic following his Australian Open exit
REUTERS
“It just wasn’t to be this time.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic has revealed he’s set to discuss his future with Murray now his time in the tournament is over.
“We both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn’t talk about the future steps. We are so fresh off the court,” he said.
Alexander Zverev is set to play in the Australian Open final on Sunday following Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal
REUTERS
“I’ll definitely have a chat with Andy and thank him for being here with me, give him my feedback which is, of course, positive, and see how he feels and we make the next step.
“We are still hotheaded and disappointed, so it’s kind of hard to switch the page and start talking about what the next steps are.
“I think we both need to cool off a little bit and then we’ll have a chat.”
The Basque native spoke about former coach Marcelo Bielsa’s influence on his attacking approach in an interview with Sky Sports in 2023.
“I use a lot of exercises from Marcelo that I learned from him [at Athletic Bilbao],” he said.
“I use a lot of things, especially with the ball. He is willing to make all the runs to the space, he is ready to accept this kind of disorder, offensively.”
The key takeaway here is disorder. Whereas managers like Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot are all about minimising risk and avoiding chaotic game states, Iraola’s Bournemouth embrace them and are all the better for it.
The former Rayo Vallecano boss deploys a system that aims to apply both zonal marking and man-to-man pressing. Analysts these days call it ‘hybrid pressing’ and although Bournemouth are not alone in using such an approach, they are certainly far more effective than most teams at executing it.
Aiming to win the ball back as high up the pitch as they possibly can, Bournemouth’s hybrid press is generally most visible during opposition goal-kicks.
Sports
Luke Littler inundated with ‘requests’ from girls after darts fortune as teen gives update on love life
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler has revealed he’s been receiving requests from girls asking to meet up following his historic World Championship victory and recent 18th birthday.
The newly-crowned world champion disclosed that his increased profile has brought additional attention since his triumph at Alexandra Palace.
“Extra attention comes with me winning the world title and certain reporting restrictions are lifted at the age of 18 so that will have an impact,” Littler told the Daily Mail.
The young champion has chosen to ignore these advances, revealing he generally doesn’t respond to such requests.
Luke Littler is currently single
Reuters
“I have had a few requests from girls to meet up. But I generally don’t reply. It’s just people looking at me and the money I am making, and they want part of that,” Littler explained.
Following his parents’ guidance, Littler has opted to maintain his existing friendships rather than pursue new relationships.
“My mum and dad told me to keep the friends I have,” he said.
Littler’s focus remains firmly on his darts career, with dating taking a back seat for now.
“Give it a few years and I may meet someone along the way,” the teenage champion said, indicating his priorities lie elsewhere.
Luke Littler split from girlfriend Eloise Milburn back in JulyPA
His measured approach comes after splitting with previous girlfriend Eloise Milburn last year.
The young star acknowledges his continued success only adds to the attention he receives, noting: “If I keep winning, I’m not making it easier for myself, am I?”
Despite his newfound fame, Littler maintains close ties with his school friends who are pursuing various careers.
“I have a couple of good friends from school and a few friends from different schools,” he shared.
His friendship circle reflects normal teenage life, with Littler explaining: “They are doing well. They have apprenticeships, at Asda or McDonald’s, or want to be plumbers or electricians. All have good jobs and are trying to make money for themselves.”
Littler’s rise to stardom began during his remarkable run at Alexandra Palace, where he went on to defeat Michael van Gerwen in the World Championship final.
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Luke Littler won the World Championship earlier this monthReuters
His historic victory made him the youngest-ever world champion, bringing unprecedented attention to the teenage sensation.
During his championship campaign, his then-girlfriend Eloise Milburn was frequently seen at Ally Pally, supporting him alongside his family.
The relationship has since ended, with Littler now focusing solely on his flourishing darts career.
It has been a superb start to the season for Chelsea since changing managers in the summer with Sonia Bompastor stepping in after Emma Hayes’ successful reign.
Reiten says Bompastor has been “tough” and “demanding” but players know what is expected.
“She has been very clear on what to expect from everyone in their different positions,” said Reiten.
“You have to know your role but you also have to know the roles of the players around you. It’s been very clear.
“Sonia and Emma have one thing in common – they want to win games.”
As well as Bompastor’s arrival, the club strengthened the squad with France international Sandy Baltimore among those to join and make a big impact.
“I’m loving things here. Football-wise, I knew things would be really intense every weekend, but I’m loving it so far,” Baltimore told BBC Sport.
“At the start it was quite tough given that it was a move from Paris to London and there was lots of paperwork to sort out. Now I have gradually settled in some more.
“I really love the game and I love football so I think you probably could say I have settled quite quickly.
“Adapting to the English game has gone well. A lot of that is down to my team-mates and everyone at the club. They have made the transition easier for me.”
Tottenham Hotspur are being tipped to turn around their disastrous form – and ease the pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs were humbled 3-2 at Everton in their last Premier League game – prompting reports that their Australian manager could be set for the sack.
But the club’s owner, Daniel Levy, is believed to have assured the former Celtic boss his job is safe and that he will back him in the January transfer window.
Now, in a further boost, a Three Lions legend has forecast Spurs to win at the weekend.
Terry Butcher expects Tottenham to beat Leicester and Man City to edge Chelsea this weekend
PA
In his weekly round of predictions Terry Butcher, now leading inspirational keynote speaker , told GB News he is backing Spurs to beat Leicester 1-0.
If correct, the pressure would switch to the Foxes under-fire manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy who has failed to arrest the side’s poor league form since arriving at the King Power stadium.
Elsewhere, Butcher is predicting wins for Arsenal, Brighton, Liverpool, Newcastle and Aston Villa.
He’s also backing Manchester United to bounce back from their shocking home defeat to Brighton last weekend by going to Fulham at the weekend and winning 3-1.
In the weekend’s standout game he’s tipping Manchester City to carry on their resurgent league form by overcoming Chelsea 2-1 at the Etihad.
Butcher is also predicting two draws at the weekend. He thinks high-fliers Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest will cancel each other out and play out a 1-1 draw.
And he thinks it will also be 1-1 between Crystal Palace and Brentford at Selhurst Park.
Read on below for his predictions in full.
Terry Butcher’s Premier League predictions in full
Bournemouth 1-1 Forest
Brighton 2-0 Everton
Liverpool 2-1 Ipswich Town
Southampton 1-4 Newcastle
Wolves 0-2 Arsenal
Man City 2-1 Chelsea
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brentford
Tottenham 1-0 Leicester
Aston Villa 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 1-3 Man Utd
Only time will tell if allowing Kyogo to leave mid-season is a good move or not.
Selling a 30-year-old signed for £4.5m for a reported £10m, having enjoyed four excellent years of service, makes sound financial sense, but only if an adequate replacement can be found.
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton said on X: “The one thing I really am not keen on is Kyogo leaving in January, especially with the Champions League and domestic to play for.
“If that’s the case, his replacement will have to be pretty special and have to hit the ground running.”
Podcaster Paul-John Dykes, from A Celtic State of Mind, described news of Kyogo’s expected departure as “really disappointing”.
“You look at that moment where he’s changed his agency in the summer,” he told BBC Scotland. “You don’t want to lose the quality of a Kyogo, but I think that was the first sign.
“After the change of agency, there was that story link coming to Manchester City and, at that point, we wrote that off as being a means of trying to drum up interest. Then there was the MLS chat of the week that was apologised for, it was a mistake online.
“But the one thing now that’s really telling is the fact that Brendan a couple of weeks back said that if a player doesn’t want to be here then he can go. And that left us all guessing who could that be?
“He was always there in the big games. You could count on him on the big occasion. I mean, even the ghost hat-trick the other night against Young Boys, he’s left us with a memory that his finishing was unbelievable. His anticipation, his movement, was incredible. Very, very sad to see him go.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position where it’s going to be difficult to replace him like-for-like in terms of quality. We do need to go in and buy a player in January, otherwise we’re going to be short for the rest of the season.”
Sports
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul condemned for antics at Donald Trump’s inauguration after controversial boxing fight
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul have been blasted by fans after the pair were seen enjoying themselves at Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
The pair fought back in November, with Paul cruising to a comfortable victory at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
However, despite recently meeting in the ring, the pair appear to be on extremely good terms just two months on.
At Trump’s inauguration, Paul was seen holding Tyson on his shoulders – with Evander Holyfield and Logan Paul watching on.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul have been blasted by fans after the pair were seen enjoying themselves at Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday
X
However, with many still unhappy at the lacklustre nature of November’s fight, some users have taken to social media to express their anger.
“Was the boxing match just a money grab op? I very much think so,” fumed one fan.
A second simply wrote the word: “Disgrace.”
Another raged: “Those two laughed all the way to the bank a few months ago.”
A fourth said: “Remember that skit they were in two months ago?”
And a fifth hit out by saying: “I’ll never watch a Netflix fight.”
Tyson and Paul were hit with allegations that their fight was fixed, something both men have denied.
They did profit from the bout in Texas, however, with Tyson pocketing $20million – while his rival earned $40m.
READ MORE: Andy Murray makes ’embarrassing’ admission after Novak Djokovic quits Australian Open
Paul, when quizzed on the allegations last year, hit back by saying: “People are like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s rigged because look at him on the pads but he didn’t do this in the fight,’ because someone is f***ing punching back you dumb f***s.
“People don’t realize my power, and my jab and my speed and my ability, and my footwork to get out of the way of those punches, so then all of a sudden he’s throwing at, literally, air.
“He was hard to hit. He was elusive. I was missing a lot of punches.
“I don’t know how he gets off to the side like that… I wish he had put up a better fight so that I could’ve risen more and done more, and he was surviving.”
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Jake Paul puts Mike Tyson on his back while Logan films pic.twitter.com/stnL7WR98b
— Derek Utley (@realDerekUtley) January 21, 2025
His business manager, Nakisa Bidarian, also shut down those allegations and insisted they simply weren’t true.
“The only thing that bothers me is the continued kind of narrative and people saying the fight was rigged,” Bidarian told ‘The Ariel Helwani Show.’
“How would you have seen the contract to begin with that Mike Tyson couldn’t throw an uppercut?
“It’s beyond lunacy.”
Mike Tyson was beaten by Jake Paul in their controversial boxing match back in November
GETTY
He continued: “This was a regulated professional bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. And we were partners with Netflix, the biggest media company in the world, who’s a public company.
“For anyone to suggest that this was in any way a rigged fight, they’re either dumb or they’re looking for attention.”
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