A farcical finish, but a fantastic win for Pep Guardiola. He had waited a decade to taste victory at a full Anfield. When he did, with a comeback for the ages, seemingly capped by a goal from the halfway line into an empty net, pernickety officiating injected an element of absurd with a decision that no one wanted or needed.

And yet the overall outcome was the same. As Liverpool led, it felt as though Arsenal were about to be anointed champions. “The whole team knew before the game if we lost it then the title race was probably over,” said Bernardo Silva. Instead, he helped revive it. Erling Haaland, policed well by Virgil van Dijk, enduring a frustrating afternoon, suddenly turned catalyst. A manager who had visited Anfield 10 previous times, winning only in lockdown, got the triumph that had always eluded him. “It is so difficult,” sighed Guardiola. “Anfield is Anfield: the tradition, the history, the crowd.”

His historic triumph had considerable consequences for Liverpool. Dominik Szoboszlai had shaped up as the match-winner and ended up sent off and suspended for Wednesday’s trip to Sunderland. Arne Slot beat Guardiola at home and away last season. Now there has been another reversal in fortunes – indeed City’s first league double over Liverpool since 1937 – and a second defeat in three league games left the Dutchman bemoaning misfortune. “So many times this year we haven’t got what I think we deserve and this is another time,” sighed Slot. “I am feeling anger and disappointment.”

An extraordinary end was a familiar one for a team who have conceded four injury-time winners this season. If, for much of the match, this seemed a pale imitation of some of the epic encounters between Guardiola’s City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, the last half-hour brought drama to rival any. And, for Szoboszlai, a cruelty.

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It may be best to start at the end; with Alisson stranded in City territory, Rayan Cherki rolled the ball in from the centre circle. It was pursued by two scorers, former teammates and friends. Szoboszlai tugged Haaland back, then the Norwegian responded in kind to stop the Hungarian clearing off the line. And, as neither reached Cherki’s shot, City celebrated. A VAR check later, a needless intervention from Craig Pawson and, ludicrously, Szoboszlai was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity even as the goal seemed to be scored. A free kick was instead awarded. “Just give the goal, don’t give a red card, simple as that,” said Haaland, speaking for many. Guardiola concurred. “Come on referee, give the goal and go home,” he said. “It is common sense.”

So City only won 2-1 and so Haaland had the status of the scorer of the decider. He assisted the equaliser, too, heading Cherki’s cross down behind Van Dijk for Silva to slide in and score. The City skipper had been an injury doubt: instead the man Guardiola called “the perfect captain” completed the game and started the fightback.

Haaland finished it; officially, anyway. He still has not scored a Premier League goal in open play since Christmas. It is a statistic that seems to matter rather less when he has an ice-cool penalty at Anfield to his name, earned when Silva chipped the ball forward and Matheus Nunes was upended by Alisson; it was not the last time the Liverpool goalkeeper was found in the wrong place. Haaland drilled in the spot kick. His celebration was first wild and then calm, in his trademark meditative pose. He had taken off his shirt, willingly collecting his booking. Like Guardiola, he had unhappy memories of Anfield to exorcise: his only previous goal here came in a Red Bull Salzburg side featuring Szoboszlai.

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Cherki’s role in the victory should not be underestimated. A surprise omission, City missed his creativity. An inspired substitution, he helped turn the game. He might have joined Liverpool last summer, but they preferred to buy Florian Wirtz. Marc Guehi almost joined them on deadline day in September, was booed by the Anfield faithful and defended brilliantly. When he tugged back Mohamed Salah on the edge of the box, a caution seemed a price worth paying for pragmatism. Slot disagreed, more aggrieved by this decision than Szoboszlai’s sending off. “If you follow the rule book, it is a red card on Mo Salah,” he said. But Pawson was probably right there, Guehi was terrific and Liverpool got a glimpse of what they missed out on: of what they lost, too, as Haaland encouraged Pep Lijnders, Klopp’s long-term assistant and now Guardiola’s sidekick, to accept the City fans’ applause after the final whistle.

Meanwhile, Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose spot-kick saves had eliminated Liverpool from the Champions League last season, made a stunning save to deny Alexis Mac Allister a 98th-minute equaliser. “Out of this world,” said Haaland.

When the Italian was beaten, it was in stunning, spectacular fashion. “What a strike,” said Guardiola. Szoboszlai produced a free kick that may have been even better than his winner against Arsenal, swerving in via the far post, leaving Donnarumma motionless. It seemed to leave City exiting the title race. Superior in the first half, without scoring, they were looking inferior in the second. But then it all changed in a fightback to anger Liverpool and annoy Arsenal. “Six points is still a lot,” counselled Guardiola. “All we can do is breathe down the neck of Arsenal.” And that may leave Arsenal feeling uncomfortable.

German skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany’s first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital.

How did Germany win its first medal of the games?

Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany.

The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold. Italy’s Sofia Goggia took bronze in front of a home crowd.

The result marks Germany’s first individual Olympic skiing medal in 12 years.

Aicher told German broadcaster ZDF that the course had been aggressive over every jump, and that she had initially not been able to work out how good her performance had been.

“It just felt absolutely wild. Every jump kind of tore me apart,” she said. “To be honest, I didn’t think it would work out after the run.”

After learning about the medal, Aicher at first expressed frustration at narrowly missing gold before realizing the scale of her achievement.

“Emma is already a true star on the Olympic stage,” said German Olympic Sports Confederation President Thomas Weikert.

Aicher has long been regarded as a leading future prospect in German alpine skiing.

She first emerged on the global stage five years ago at the World Championships in Cortina, contributing to a team bronze.

How bad was Vonn’s fall?

Vonn’s big dream of a second Olympic gold after 16 years ended after just 13 seconds. The 41-year-old, who had torn a left knee ligament nine days earlier, was thrown off at the first tricky bump, somersaulted, and lay screaming in the snow with her legs twisted.

Rescue services evacuated her by helicopter using a winch.

“My heart goes out to her, I hope it is not as bad as it looks,” US teammate Johnson said.

Aicher also expressed her concern. “I immediately looked away; I hope it’s nothing serious,” she said.

Backdrop of protest 

The games began with an opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium on Friday, when US Vice President JD Vance was booed by the crowd on Friday. 

On Saturday, Italian police fired tear gas and a water cannon at protesters who threw firecrackers and tried to access a highway near a games venue. The protests were against the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials at the games as part of the US security detail.

ICE has faced criticism for their treatment of immigrants in the US, as well as the killing of two US citizens by its agents on the streets of Minneapolis.

Edited by: Zac Crellin

President Donald Trump expressed support for Bill Belichick after the NFL legend was blocked from entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot earlier in the week.

Trump brushed off a “controversial” couple of years Belichick may have had, with his personal life spilling out into the spotlight. Still, Trump said during his interview with NBC News that the former New England Patriots head coach should have been a shoo-in.

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Bill Belichick watches the Miami Hurricanes play the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

“I thought it was terrible. He’s won so much,” he said. “He’s won so many Super Bowls. (He) became a little bit controversial, I guess, after that, his little period after that. During it, he was just a great coach. I thought it was very inappropriate.”

“He’s had a little bit of a controversial year-and-a-half, two years, maybe, but what difference does that make? He should be in there right at the top,” the president added.

Trump didn’t mention anything specific. But Belichick’s love life with Jordon Hudson was thrust into the national spotlight as he got to work as the North Carolina Tar Heels’ head coach. The tipping point came during Belichick’s interview with CBS and Hudson shutting down a question about how they met.

Hudson’s presence with the Tar Heels raised eyebrows before the season started. The Tar Heels were 4-8 in Belichick’s first year as head coach.

As rumors that Belichick was going to be left out first surfaced, the president weighed in with criticism against the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

JORDON HUDSON GOES SCORCHED EARTH AFTER BILL BELICHICK HALL OF FAME SNUB

President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the economy at a rally Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Clive, Iowa.  (Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)

“It is the same mindset that gave pro football the new and unwatchable ‘Sissy’ Kickoff Rule, that made it possible for Bill Belichick to not be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both are ridiculous and should be overturned!” he wrote on Truth Social, touching on the league’s dynamic kickoff rules.

Belichick, who is currently the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, was 302-165 in his career as a head coach between the Patriots and the Cleveland Browns. He won six titles with Tom Brady as the head coach of the Patriots before he mutually parted ways with the franchise after the 2023 season.

He served as a defensive assistant under Bill Parcells with the New York Giants from 1979-1991. The team won two Super Bowls in that time.

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA football game against Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.  (Nell Redmond/AP)

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Belichick’s Patriots’ career wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows either. He was caught up in the Spygate and Deflategate scandals during his time, which may have been a reason why some voters didn’t elect him.

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Rashid Shaheed has braved several odds to arrive at the threshold of history, one game away from Super Bowl glory. While his path to this milestone has been anything but smooth, it is important to note that Shaheed is from a family of celebrated athletes.

His parents, Haneef and Cassondra, are undoubtedly the earliest athletic influences on Shaheed. But who are Rashid Shaheed’s parents? And how did they influence his interest and journey as an athlete?

Who are Rashid Shaheed’s parents?

Rashid Shaheed’s parents, Haneef and Cassondra, are track and field athletes. Haneef attended Arizona State University, where he was a sprinter, while Cossandra ran the 400-meter hurdles at the University of San Diego.

After Shaheed, Haneef and Cossandra had two girls, Aysha and Amirah, who were also track runners. The wide receiver also started out as a track runner before convincing his parents to allow him to play football.

In a 2023 interview with ESPN, Haneef recalled how he and Cossandra noticed Shaheed’s athletic trait as a kid. He said:

“We thought it was interesting that he immediately wanted to run everywhere. And as two track athletes, we thought, ‘OK, well, you know, the genetics are there for sure.’”

Despite his talent and early involvement in track events, Shaheed’s interest in football has always been apparent. Haneef put it thus in an interview with Mile Split:

“He ran track, but it was always to get better in football.”

Haneef’s involvement in his kids’ athletic development saw him coaching Aysha at Madison High School. He has also coached the youth track team Havoc despite working remotely for Anthem Insurance. While admitting that it’s challenging working with the kids, he hasn’t lost sight of the bright side. He said:

“It’s a blessing and a curse, but on the plus side I’m just glad to be able to help. I’m here for the kids.”

Both of Shaheed’s sisters are now college track athletes, with Amirah running sprints at Oregon State while Aysha runs at Texas A&M. With a home full of athletes, there is bound to be some form of competitiveness. Haneef admits this, saying:

“It is very, very competitive with them. They bring it up all the time — who has more championships and who has more patches on their jacket.”

However, when the Seahawks take the field against the Patriots on Sunday evening, Shaheed’s family will be united behind him and his teammates.