Manchester City are going to Wembley, again. City will return here on 16 May to meet either Chelsea or Leeds in what will be their fourth successive FA Cup final. If all goes to plan in these final weeks, in this strange crescendo of a season, it will be the second piece in a treble of trophies for Pep Guardiola’s side.

On a warm, hazy evening in London, City won this semi-final 2-1 but only after coming through an almighty scare against Southampton, who came desperately close to a memorable upset. Saints had soaked up waves of pressure before hitting City with a late suckerpunch when Finn Azaz spun and swept a beautifully arcing shot into the top corner of James Trafford’s goal.

Southampton’s half of the stadium went off, and anything that could be launched into the air went in the air: balloons, hats, scarves, limbs. But the elation didn’t last. Jeremy Doku’s deflected shot brought City level three minutes later, before Nico Gonzalez thundered in City’s winner from long range.

It was the right result on the balance of play and yet Southampton will go away feeling they had a famous win snatched away, in this place, in this year of all years, 50 years after Bobby Stokes’s goal beat Manchester United to win the 1976 FA Cup, the club’s only major trophy in 140 years.

Saints’ rearguard action was immaculate up to those final minutes. The captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis thwarted City with tackles and blocks, Caspar Jander spoiled their midfield patterns, Leo Scienza was excellent down the left and goalkeeper Daniel Peretz made a series of crucial saves.

In those brief moments when the score read 1-0, it felt like they really might make history rhyme half a century later. Southampton pushed this second-string City side right to the brink, so much so that Guardiola sent for Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva from the bench.

Guardiola had taken a risk rotating out many of his best players. Southampton were the country’s in-form team coming into the game, on a 20-game unbeaten run under young German manager Tonda Eckert. They had knocked out Arsenal in the quarter-finals, and this semi-final had a sense of possibility right from the start.

Oddly, Saints stirred to life after 12 minutes when they scored a disallowed goal. Scienza was quite clearly offside, but this was one of those moments when the assistant doesn’t flag until the scorer is celebrating in the corner and fans at the far end of the stadium are embracing strangers around them in delirium.

Yet when they finally came back to Earth, it was as if Southampton – both players and fans – now felt unbridled belief. This is half the battle in these imbalanced games: City should beat a Championship team nine times out of 10, but if you can survive the first 20 minutes, if you can show a little ambition, if you can offer a threat, then slowly a confidence begins to rise to the surface and everyone inside the stadium can feel it.

A set-piece whistles past outstretched Southampton toes and fans gasp. Phil Foden has the ball pinched from his feet and they cheer. Rayan Ait-Nouri can’t keep a heavy pass in play and the south half of Wembley roars like their team have scored the opening goal.

There were naturally some nervy moments to evade. Mateo Kovacic slalomed through Saints’ low block, but then did something a player who has played 13 minutes of Premier League football all season is likely to do when they enter the six-yard box for the first time in nine months, belting the ball as hard as he could without much thought. It blew away for a goal-kick and Kovacic gestured at his teammates like this was somehow their fault.

Omar Marmoush fired a low shot which Peretz repelled with his boots, and Foden wriggled into the area before being shut down as he tried to shoot. Southampton reached half-time all square but City’s pressure turned into an onslaught after the break. Marmoush jabbed over the bar from eight yards, then couldn’t get a touch on a low cross with the goal gaping, the sort of opportunity Haaland would have surely relished. On the touchline, Guardiola went apoplectic with his stand-in striker.

Saints sank deeper and deeper so that all 11 players were regularly inside their own box, which made sporadic attempts to counterattack all the more difficult. A goal was surely coming, and then it did: Saints strung some passes upfield where Azaz swivelled on the ball, 25 yards out, and bent a shot around Trafford’s diving hand.

But soon Doku was shimmying on the edge of the box and his low shot took a deflection off James Bree’s thigh past Peretz into the far corner. It was a cruel way to concede but a fair reward for City’s relentless pressure through the second half.

City went in for the kill and when the ball rolled out to Gonzalez, 30 yards from goal, he arrowed home a magnificent winner. And perhaps therein lies the difference: Southampton battled gamely all evening, and then a £50m player City barely use smashed the ball into the top corner.

World number two Nelly Korda saw her lead at the LPGA Chevron Championship cut to five shots despite equalling the event’s 54-hole scoring record.

After shooting two rounds of 65 on previous days, the 27-year-old American went round in 70 on Saturday to go 16 under par at Houston’s Memorial Park.

If Korda can get over the line on Sunday and win a second Chevron title in three seasons, it would take her to the top of the world rankings after the current world number one, Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, missed the cut.

Korda got off to a fine start too, with four birdies on the opening six holes but failed to break par on any more holes as she lacked precision on the greens.

“The front nine was great,” said Korda, who said she was going to spend time on the putting greens before Sunday’s final round of the first women’s major of 2026.

“Just got to reset and hopefully it goes my way tomorrow,” she added.

Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit hit a 69 so was able to claw back a shot and reduce Korda’s overnight six-stroke lead to five, despite a bogey on the 13th – her first of the tournament.

She sits on 11 under heading into the final day.

Pauline Bouchard of France is a further shot behind, alongside China’s Yin Ruoning, who scored a bogey-free 66, the joint-best round of the day.

Korda’s 54-hole score of 200 put her level with record holder Jennifer Kupcho, who was the third-round leader on 200 in 2022 – she went on to win by two strokes.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi appeared to be in considerable pain and had to be helped off the field after suffering an injury scare during Rajasthan Royals’ IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. The incident occurred during SRH’s chase of 229 runs, after Sooryavanshi’s brilliant century had helped RR post a formidable total. In the third over of the SRH chase, Sooryavanshi was running after a shot from Ishan Kishan when he suddenly slowed down and clutched his hamstring. He appeared to be in intense pain, and the team physio assisted him off the field.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is off the field due to injury! #IPL2026 #RRvSRH pic.twitter.com/LTce02epAE

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— Rahul Yadav (@Rahul3kr) April 25, 2026

➡️ FIRST : Ayush Mhatre already ruled out from IPL 2026 due to hamstring injury.

➡️ NOW : Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out off the field due to hamstring cramp. pic.twitter.com/jV3ZV89rfK

— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) April 25, 2026

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Earlier, following a whirlwind second Indian Premier League (IPL) century, Rajasthan Royals’ 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became both the youngest and fastest player to reach the 1,000-run mark in T20 cricket.

During the clash between two potential playoff contenders, Sooryavanshi wreaked havoc on the bowlers, powering his way to a 37-ball 103, which included five fours and 12 sixes at a staggering strike rate of 278.38.

He is the youngest player to reach 1,000 T20 runs at the age of 15 and also the fastest to the milestone in terms of balls faced, achieving the feat in just 473 balls. This puts him ahead of Australian rising star Mitchell Owen (533 balls) and late Australian legend Andrew Symonds (558 balls).

Sooryavanshi reached the milestone in his 26th innings, making him the fourth-fastest batter to 1,000 T20 runs in terms of innings played. Australian batters Brad Hodge and Shaun Marsh remain the fastest, having reached the milestone in just 23 innings.

Of the 1,069 batters who have aggregated 1,000 runs in T20s to date, Sooryavanshi is the only one with a 200-plus strike rate (212.2).

He is also the first uncapped batter to score two IPL centuries.

Additionally, he brought up his half-century in just 15 balls, marking his third IPL fifty in 15 balls or fewer. In doing so, he surpassed Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk, who had registered two such half-centuries during the 2024 season with Delhi Capitals.

With his 12 sixes in the innings, Sooryavanshi overtook Chennai Super Kings and India legend Murali Vijay, who had hit 11 sixes against the same opposition back in 2010.

In eight innings this season, Sooryavanshi has scored 357 runs at an average of 44.62 and a strike rate of 234.86, including one century and two half-centuries. At the time of writing, he holds the Orange Cap for most runs in the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals will need to defend their total of 229 runs to register their fifth win of the season, while SRH must chase down the target to secure their own fifth victory. Sooryavanshi (103 off 37 balls, with five fours and 12 sixes) and Dhruv Jurel (51 off 35 balls, with eight fours and a six) put their foot on the accelerator with a 112-run partnership. A late cameo from Donovan Ferreira (33 off 13 balls, with three fours and three sixes) helped RR finish strongly.

Eshan Malinga (2/38) was the pick of the bowlers for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Pat Cummins, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, and Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up a wicket each. However, Sakib proved expensive, conceding 62 runs in his spell

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Tushar Deshpande’s Brilliant Final Act Ensures Thrilling Win For RR Over Gujarat Titans

Terence Crawford has named the opponent he would “love” to see Gervonta Davis face upon his expected return to the sport.

The former world champion has not fought since March 2025, when many believed he was fortunate to come away with a draw against Lamont Roach.

Nevertheless, ‘Tank’ retained his WBA lightweight title and was set to face Roach in an immediate rematch, only to then negotiate an exhibition match with Jake Paul.

Rather than having a move around with the YouTuber-turned-boxer, though, Davis was forced to face allegations of domestic violence from his ex-partner, Courtney Rossel.

Since then, the 31-year-old has been named ‘champion in recess’ by the WBA, who have been urged by No.1 contender Floyd Schofield to either order their fight or present him with a vacant title opportunity.

Davis, however, has expressed more of an interest in rematching Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz at 140lbs, despite having outpointed the Mexican in 2021.

Crawford, meanwhile, has little desire to see ‘Tank’ face Schofield or Cruz, but would happily sit down and watch him collide with Shakur Stevenson.

Speaking with Danielle Pirrello, ‘Bud’ named the WBO world super-lightweight champion a perfect opponent for Davis, believing their potential encounter represents one of the best fights that can be made.

“I would love to see Shakur vs ‘Tank’ Davis.”

Stevenson has previously called out Davis on several occasions, while perhaps becoming increasingly doubtful that the Baltimore man will ever sign on the dotted line.

It is therefore unrealistic to expect an immediate fight between ‘Tank’ and Stevenson, especially after the latter’s dominant performance against Teofimo Lopez in January.

WNBA star Angel Reese appeared on Michelle Obama’s podcast earlier this week and opened up about feeling mistreated by fans and the media with the former first lady.

At one point during the interview, Reese admitted she would rather take a fine than speak to reporters after games.

“The media has not always been great for me. And I’ll take a fine. I’ll catch a fine, especially in a WNBA. I’ll have a fine before I have to go to media and feel like my back is against the wall,” Reese said, while Obama repeatedly expressed agreement.

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WNBA players are required by their collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which was just ratified weeks ago so players can get higher salaries, to be available to the media after games.

Failure to adhere to these rules can lead to fines, such as a $10,000 fine for skipping required sessions.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese reacts after being fouled by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in May as Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago Aug. 20, 2024. (Getty Images)

Obama’s brother and former college basketball player Craig Robinson, who co-hosts the podcast, told Reese during the interview that the sports media tries to “manufacture some stuff.”

“Sports is like reality TV. The media wants to manufacture some stuff. And I just want you to know that I noticed how you’ve handled yourself, and it has been absolutely with aplomb,” Robinson said.

Reese later said she likes to turn her phone off when she arrives home after Obama asked her how she stays sane.

“I love being able just to come home and turn my phone off and just relax,” Reese said. “I think the maturity of just understanding like social media isn’t real. … Years prior, I would comment back at things and let things continue to bother me.”

CAITLIN CLARK RETURNS TO WNBA COMPETITION AFTER 2025 INJURY IN FEVER PRESEASON GAME

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese walks on the court during the second half against the Connecticut Sun at Wintrust Arena in Chicago Sept. 3, 2025. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images)

Reese claimed she can’t even “go to the grocery store” anymore.

Obama previously commented on the attention surrounding Reese and her longtime rival Caitlin Clark in a podcast appearance last year.

During an August appearance on the podcast “All the Smoke with Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson,” Obama spoke during a group discussion about the impact of the Clark-Reese drama on the WNBA’s popularity, the impact on the players’ well-being and “hate” involved.

“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it. But that’s true across the board. I mean, we’ve talked about this on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand, because social media is such a huge part of the world,” Obama said. 

“There’s the hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because they’re making their living that way. I mean, now they are expected to stay engaged. 

“So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But I think, as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender. It’s just harder not to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.” 

Obama, like her brother, previously compared ESPN to reality TV during an episode of her brother’s podcast “IMO” in July.

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Michelle Obama speaks onstage during a recording of the “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” podcast at the 2025 SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, March 13, 2025. (Julia Beverly/WireImage)

“It’s all a sociological study. They think that sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘It’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said. “It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other and they don’t get along, you know?”

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Canelo Alvarez could be confronted with a path of considerable resistance if he attempts to become a three-time undisputed champion at 168lbs.

The 35-year-old has not fought since last September, when he lost his four major super-middleweight titles following a unanimous decision defeat to Terence Crawford.

Based on his performance, though, the Mexican is still capable of competing at world level, just not against a generational great such as Crawford.

But still, Canelo is set to secure a world title shot for his next outing, which is expected to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 12.

Among the names being mooted as possible opponents is Christian Mbilli, who was elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion shortly after Crawford’s retirement.

Prior to that, the Frenchman had boxed to an enthralling 10-round draw with Lester Martinez, featuring on the undercard of Canelo-Crawford.

As for the other champions at 168lbs, there is also Jose Armando Resendiz and Osleys Iglesias, while Hamzah Sheeraz bids to collect the vacant WBO world title on May 23.

Standing in his way is Alem Begic, who the 26-year-old must defeat on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven before targeting a showdown with Canelo.

Eventually, though, Sheeraz does see himself squaring off against the four-division world champion, telling Ring Magazine that he could use the WBO belt as a bargaining chip.

“I must admit, it would be nice to get Canelo. And, obviously, it would be far more lucrative if I win the world title before that.

“I am sure his plan is to try and become undisputed [champion] again so, God willing, I become world champion on May 23. I’ll be in the way of him becoming undisputed [champion].

“Maybe we will end up fighting for all the belts. I feel like that fight can definitely flourish in the future.”

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For an undisputed clash between Canelo and Sheeraz to materialise, the pair must respectively win their next outings and collectively dethrone the remaining champions in their division.

The New England Patriots didn’t have Mike Vrabel on hand for Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, for reasons that have been quite publicly established.

As announced earlier this week, the Patriots head coach stepped away from the team to attend counseling after the release of several photos showing him with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini in various social settings.

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Vrabel called the counseling necessary for his family while speaking with reporters Thursday, so it was curious when Peter Schrager reported on ESPN that he had been in constant contact with the franchise “via telephone and text message” over the course of Saturday.

Schrager later retracted that report, tweeting there was originally a plan for Vrabel to be in contact, but the Patriots “ultimately chose not to interrupt him and his family.”

Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf confirmed that was the case while speaking with reporters following the end of the draft, via the Patriots’ official transcript:

Q: Were you in contact with Mike at all today, and if so, how often were you guys in contact?

EW: So, last night we kind of talked through things and made the decision that the time away really needs to be time away, so we were not in contact with Mike today other than some just, ‘Hope everything’s going OK’ kind of texts early this morning.

Q: And just to follow up, when you talked to him last night when Day 2 ended, what kind of message did he leave you guys with headed into today?

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EW: Just words of encouragement. He knows he knows our process, and again, we talked about what kind of players we needed to add. We knew what kind of players that he liked, and obviously we drafted some of the guys that he had an affinity for today.

It’s unclear if Vrabel will be missing anymore activities for the Patriots following the draft, though the NFL has made it clear he won’t be investigated for possible violations of the league’s personal conduct policy.

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Patriots owner Robert Kraft has also voiced full support for him.

Russini, meanwhile, resigned from The Athletic last week and deleted some of her social media accounts not long before the draft started. She said she made the decision to not give the story “further oxygen,” but The Athletic is still conducting an investigation into her conduct.

This is a story that changed quickly for its participants, as Russini and Vrabel had previously downplayed the initial photos as a mere encounter during trips with their respective friends. That story seems to have fallen apart via questions from The Athletic and more photos of the pair in other locales, and Vrabel has now said “My previous actions don’t meet the standard I hold myself to.”

Super Eagles striker Sadiq Umar was on target for Valencia CF as they secured a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Girona FC at the Estadio de Mestalla on Saturday.

After scoring in Valencia’s draw away to RCD Mallorca last week, Sadiq was handed another start by coach Carlos Corberan in a crucial clash between two sides battling to avoid relegation.

Valencia started brightly, controlling possession and creating the better chances. Sadiq had an early opportunity in the 19th minute but fired wide from inside the box. Despite their dominance, the hosts were unable to break the deadlock before half-time.

The breakthrough came shortly after the restart when Largie Ramazani combined well with Javi Guerra before finishing low past Paulo Gazzaniga to give Valencia the lead.

Sadiq then doubled the advantage nine minutes later with a well-taken header from a cross by Jose Gaya. The Nigerian forward showed great movement to lose his marker and power the ball home despite pressure from the Girona defence.

Girona responded in the 63rd minute through Joel Roca, setting up a tense finish. Sadiq was later substituted in the 71st minute, with Hugo Duro coming on in his place.

Valencia held on for the win, with Sadiq’s goal proving decisive as they moved up to 11th place in the league table with 39 points from 33 matches.

The goal marks back-to-back strikes for Sadiq, who has looked sharp in recent games. With international fixtures approaching, including matches against Poland and Portugal, his form could catch the attention of Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle as he prepares his squad.