Everton have had their penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules reduced to six points following an appeal.

The Toffees were hit with a 10-point deduction last November after an independent commission found they had exceeded permitted losses under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) by £19.5million over an assessment period ending with the 2021-22 season.

An independent appeal board has now cut that by four points, which moves the club on to 25 points in the table and up to 15th place.

The club face a second PSR complaint for breaching rules over the assessment period running to the end of last season.

The complaint was laid on January 15 and under standard directions for PSR cases agreed by top-flight clubs last summer, the commission hearing in that case must conclude no later than 12 weeks after that complaint, which would be April 8.

Angels Dawn will return to the Cheltenham Festival seeking a Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup double after producing what was arguably a career-best effort when third in last month’s Thyestes Chase.

The nine-year-old gave trainer Sam Curling a day to remember last year when edging out Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown at the end of the amateur riders’ contest.

She would go on to finish a well-held sixth in the Irish Grand National on her next start, but following two outings over timber at the beginning of the current campaign, was back to her very best at Gowran when beaten just over three lengths by Thyestes winner Ain’t That A Shame.

Angels Dawn is now primed for a repeat of her Cotswold heroics 12 months ago, with Curling once again calling on the services of crack amateur Patrick King to do the steering.

“She ran great at Gowran and she likes soft ground but the ground was probably a bit too heavy for her,” said Curling.

“I would say that was a career best considering the two horses that beat her raced wide and that was the place to be on the day. She went round on the inside and still managed to run well, so I would say it was definitely one of her better runs.

“She ran a very good race and jumped super and she’s off a nice weight to get back in the Kim Muir and we’ll go back there now.

“It’s going to be a bit harder for her and she’s going to be at least 10lb higher this year, but she seems to be going well and improved from last year. She was quite busy last year, but has not been as busy this year so she will be going there a bit fresher.

“It was a brilliant day last year for us considering we just have a small team of horses and it will be great to go back there again with a bit of a chance.”

Angels Dawn also holds an entry in the Randox Grand National, but currently sitting 66th in the handicap and with a reduced field of 34 heading to post at Aintree for the first time, she is unlikely to make the cut for the Merseyside showpiece and therefore full focus has been placed on a Festival repeat.

“I would say she would have no chance of getting in there, so I would say it will be Cheltenham and then back to Punchestown and try for something there,” continued Curling.

“She’s going well, so we will head back to Cheltenham and see how we get on there.”

LeBron James and Darvin Ham were left frustrated with the officiating after the Los Angeles Lakers went down to the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers lost 123-113 in Arizona on Sunday, with Los Angeles awarded just eight free throws in contrast to Phoenix's tally of 19.

It was a season-low for the Lakers, who averaged 24.7 free throws per game heading into the game.

Of those eight free throws, none came in the second half, and James was left exasperated.

"A lot of people, a lot of coaches, a lot of teams are like, 'That's all the Lakers do is get to the free throw line,'" James said.

"It's like this narrative out there that that's all we do is get to the free throw line. I mean, we have attackers. That's what we do. We have attackers. Yeah, we shoot the ball from the perimeter, but we're not shooting 40 to 50 3s a game. We're not that team. We don't have the luxury of being that team. So, working it into the paint, that's what we're really good at.

"To have eight free throw attempts is definitely not us. I know, definitely, I got hit a couple of times when I got to the paint tonight that wasn't called. But it is what it is."

Lakers coach Ham, though, was left reserved.

"I'm not one to use referees as an excuse," he said.

"But it's becoming increasingly tough because of the inconsistency. I'm seeing our guys get the same contact on them as we're supposedly committing. And the whistle is not being blown."

Anthony Davis did not record a single free throw attempt for the first time in a game this season.

He added: "We live on getting to the line. We attack the basket.

"Especially how much we struggle from the 3, we're kind of up and down, so we try to live in the paint and get to the line.

"I'm not sure if it was just the refs missing it or they weren't fouling. I felt I got fouled a couple of times. But that's part of our identity, our DNA, is getting to the line and guys catching rhythms like that and then playing from there."

While the Suns are sixth in the Western Conference after the win, the Lakers are in ninth, with a 31-28 record.

In other news on Sunday, the NBA banned five players – including Jimmy Butler – for their involvement in an on-court spat in Friday's meeting between the Miami Heat and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Butler, Nikola Jovic and Naji Marshall were each suspended for one game without pay, while Jose Alvarado and Thomas Bryant were slapped with three-game bans.

Ben Stokes dismissed suggestions England lack a ruthless edge and expressed pride at how his team have fared in Indian conditions after not being given a “chance in hell” of success.

England succumbed to a first Test series defeat under the leadership of captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, as India moved into an unassailable 3-1 lead with a five-wicket victory in Ranchi.

India hit back from 177 for seven in reply to 353 to keep the first-innings deficit to 46 then England crumbled from 110 for three to 145 all out on a turning track and could not stop the hosts chasing 192.

The tourists have let slip promising opportunities on several occasions in this series but Stokes is not one for regrets and instead commended Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja for swinging this Test India’s way after they shared all 10 wickets in England’s second innings.

“Everyone goes into the game with their best intentions, when it doesn’t pay off people say we’re not ruthless but when they do, they say we are,” Stokes said. “I don’t really understand the saying.

“We try to do what we think is the best way to win the game. It can be a throwaway comment when people say we’re not ruthless enough. You can say everything is a missed chance when it doesn’t go well.

“When India have a sniff in conditions like that, any team is going to find it hard. When you’ve got three world-class spinners operating in those conditions, you know you’re going to be up against it.

“Nothing is impossible, I wouldn’t say that. But it was nigh-on impossible to operate how we wanted to. Cricket is always skill against skill. On this occasion, their skill was better than ours.”

The chase was far from straightforward for India, who slipped to 120 for five as Joe Root and Tom Hartley snared Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma before Shoaib Bashir claimed a three-wicket haul.

But an unbroken stand of 72 from Shubman Gill (52 not out) and Dhruv Jurel (39no) got India home to dash England’s dream of a series decider in Dharamshala, with the final Test starting on March 7.

India extended a proud winning record at home to 17 successive Test series against an England side who have relied on a rookie spin attack after Jack Leach’s tour-ending injury in the opening match.

“We didn’t have a chance in hell of even competing with India but even that wasn’t an easy win for India and I think they would admit that,” Stokes told the BBC.

He added in his press conference: “We always still felt in the game. Even with 30 runs left we knew that if we went bang-bang, all the pressure was back on India.

“I’m proud of how everyone stuck at their task even if their role was just to be a fielder. That’s what I want from everyone, to never give up because you never know where a game is going to go.

“It’s always disappointing being on the losing team. Obviously we want to win every game we play and win every series.

“You can have it all taken away from you at the click of a finger so why not enjoy every opportunity to play and make sure you are doing it with a smile on your face regardless of what is happening.”

James Anderson bowled a three-over spell but was off the field for much of the fourth day while Ollie Robinson was unused as Stokes stuck with frontline spinners Bashir and Hartley and part-timer Root.

Stokes revealed no risks were taken with Anderson because the 41-year-old was feeling tightness in his quadriceps, having sent down 94 overs in three successive Tests.

“Jimmy’s fine,” Stokes added. “There was no chance he was going to bowl at all in the (rest of the) game.

“You look at risk v reward, there’s not too much reward from Jimmy being out in the field if he’s got a pretty tight quad after playing three back-to-back Test matches in India.”

Liverpool beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday with a side containing a number of inexperienced youngsters due to a host of injuries to senior players. Here, the PA news agency looks at the fresh faces who took the chance to shine at Wembley.

Conor Bradley (starter)

A relatively familiar name among the group having been given an opportunity in the second half of the campaign in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Northern Irish right-back, 20, who spent last season on loan at Bolton, has shown promise for his attacking and defensive qualities.

Bobby Clark (substitute)

Another to have been given a handful of opportunities in recent weeks, the 19-year-old is an attacking midfielder or forward. The son of former Newcastle midfielder Lee Clark, he joined the club from the Magpies in 2021 and signed a long-term contract last December.

James McConnell (substitute)

Also 19, the midfielder has featured a handful of times off the bench after making his debut against Toulouse in the Europa League in October. Joined Liverpool as an Under-15s player after catching the eye at Sunderland.

Jayden Danns (substitute)

An 18-year-old forward who only made his first-team debut as an 89th-minute substitute in the 4-1 win over Luton last Wednesday. Has been with the club since the age of eight and is the son of the much-travelled former Colchester, Crystal Palace and Bolton midfielder Neil Danns.

Jarell Quansah (substitute)

Warrington-born defender who has established himself in the first-team squad this season. The 21-year-old, who had a loan spell with Bristol Rovers last season, is a ball-playing centre-half who has come through the ranks at Liverpool after joining them at the age of five.

Eddie Howe is confident Newcastle’s topsy-turvy season can still end on a high note as he targets FA Cup glory.

The Magpies slipped to ninth place in the Premier League table after a dismal 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday evening, and have looked some way off the pace they set last season, when they roared to a top-four finish.

But as they head into Tuesday night’s FA Cup fifth-round trip to Sky Bet Championship Blackburn, head coach Howe is convinced a campaign which has featured a famous Champions League victory over Paris St Germain, but also an untimely exit from Europe, could still have a happy ending.

He said: “We are still in the throes of deciding where this season ends up. Nothing is decided for or against us.

“I definitely want to squash that feeling that we are feeling sorry for ourselves because that has negative connotations. We need the players excited and ambitious, thinking brightly about the future.

“This season can still be very special for us, but we have to make it happen.”

Howe has been able to plead mitigating circumstances for much of what has happened so far this season with injuries having eaten significantly into his resources, but he was making no excuses for the horror show at the Emirates Stadium.

Instead, he refocused on progression in the FA Cup and the task of securing a European berth for the second successive season, even if the Europa League or Europa Conference League now look more realistic options.

He said: “Of course, qualifying for the Champions League was unbelievable last year. But if you can’t make that again, then we have to look for the next best alternative.

“That’s what we’re trying to do, and for me, they’re (the Europa League and Conference League) realistic objectives and we’ll give everything we can to achieve it.”

It is perhaps no coincidence that the Magpies’ difficulties have intensified since the loss of powerhouse midfielder Joelinton. He suffered a thigh tendon injury in the FA Cup third-round victory at Sunderland which is likely to sideline him for much of the remainder of the campaign.

Howe said: “We’ve missed Joe’s qualities, especially physically, his robustness, his abilities in duels, set-plays for and against.

“We’re very lucky to have a midfielder that’s as big as he is and as competitive as he is and whenever you lose those qualities, you notice when they’re not there.

“He’s a very unusual midfielder, really, a prototype. You don’t get many like him and it’s certainly been missed, what he can bring.”

The 27-year-old Brazilian has played a key role in the club’s resurgence since emerging from a miserable start to his career on Tyneside, and his future remains uncertain with a contract wrangle – his current deal expires next year – unresolved.

Howe said: “That’s always been in my mind as an absolute priority, to try to get him to stay at the club long-term. I see that as hugely important.”

The Philadelphia 76ers supporters may have jeered Doc Rivers, but the Milwaukee Bucks coach took the hostile reception in his stride as his new team won big on Sunday.

Rivers was dismissed by the Sixers eight months ago following a disappointing end to a season in which Joel Embiid was named the NBA's MVP.

Yet Rivers came out smiling after his return to Philadelphia on Sunday, with the Bucks having run out 119-98 victors.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (30) and Damian Lillard (24) combined for 54 points as the Bucks followed up their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with a statement victory over a rival in the East.

And while Rivers received a frosty reception, he was all smiles after the game.

"I didn't even hear it, to be honest. That means I was back at home," he quipped.

"It was awesome. Really. I had three good years here, not talking about basketball, just in life. I enjoyed my stay here and made friends for life here.

"The fans were good, too. There were a couple of hilarious comments. One guy told me that Larry David was looking for me to golf. I thought that was pretty funny."

Reflecting on his tenure in charge of the Sixers, Rivers added: "I'm happy with it overall, I just wish we could've gone further.

"I wish we could have had a chance to have Joel healthy in the playoffs.

"But overall, Joel became an MVP, and we established this team as a championship contender. That wasn't said the year before.

"You think about it, we had the James Harden trade, the Ben [Simmons] stuff. Some was under my control, some was out of my control, but overall, for me, if you don't win a title, you're never exactly happy. That's why we all do this."

The Bucks are 5-7 under Rivers, who replaced Adrian Griffin in January. Antetokounmpo, though, is relishing the challenge under his new coach.

"I love him," Antetokounmpo said. "It's been incredible playing for him. He just explains to me, what he wants from me.

"You respect him because he's been 25 years in the league. You've got to respect what he's done in the league, won a championship, won a lot of games, but when he comes in the locker room, he keeps it simple."

The Bucks are third in the East, four wins ahead of the 76ers with a 37-21 record.

"I thought we were consistent," Lillard said. "We got into the paint, we were willing to make the extra pass to find the open guy and we got quality looks.

"To play good offense you find quality shots and have a lot of mix. I thought that’s what we did."

Rivers added: "We had been putting such an emphasis on defense.

"The last few games we’ve been terrific. When you have Giannis on your team, if you can get stops and get him in transition, Giannis in transition is a problem for everybody."

Shark Hanlon is set to make a decision later this week on who will partner his stable star Hewick in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Jordan Gainford is the nine-year-old’s regular rider and steered him to a hat-trick of big-race victories in 2022, landing the bet365 Gold Cup, the Galway Plate and the American Grand National.

However, injuries have meant the young rider has not been on Hewick’s back competitively since his fall two fences from home in last year’s Gold Cup, with Rachael Blackmore steering him to a subsequent win at Sandown and Gavin Sheehan in the saddle for his most recent triumph in the King George at Kempton.

Having been sidelined since suffering damaged vertebrae in a fall at Naas in mid-December, Gainford made his return aboard the unplaced Fury Road in Saturday’s Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse and also had two rides for his boss Gordon Elliott at Naas on Sunday, but without success.

With the Cheltenham Festival now only a fortnight away, Hanlon is clearly keen for Gainford to enjoy a confidence-boosting success before making a final call on whether he will be recalled.

“We’re going to leave it until later on in the week, we’ll see if Jordan can ride a winner or two before we make a decision,” the trainer said on Monday morning.

“I was talking to the owner last night and that’s what we decided.”

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson rejected suggestions that throwing youngsters into the heat of a Carabao Cup final against a billion-pound Chelsea squad was a risk.

In truth manager Jurgen Klopp had little option after his list of injured players grew to 12 when Ryan Gravenberch was carried off on a stretcher after 30 minutes of the 1-0 extra-time win at Wembley.

He had been forced to select six youngsters on the bench – one of them, Trey Nyoni, is only 16 – with no sign of any of his absent senior stars being ready to return.

The 19-year-old Bobby Clark was the most experienced of them, making his ninth substitute appearance, James McConnell, also 19, came on for his seventh game while 18-year-old Jayden Danns, who only made his debut as an 89th-minute substitute against Luton on Wednesday, was centre-forward for the final 33 minutes.

When another academy graduate Jarell Quansah, who has been third-choice centre-back this season, came on in extra time Liverpool had five players – Harvey Elliott the other – aged 21 or under on the pitch.

But their youthful exuberance injected new life into a team which, after a draining fixture in midweek, looked out for the count and that allowed them to stay in the game until the 118th minute when Virgil van Dijk headed home the only goal.

“The academy has been put to use over the last two games, that’s for sure, but they did a tremendous job,” said Robertson after Liverpool extended their own record to 10 League Cup wins.

“We didn’t believe it was a risk. What else are we meant to do? That was our bench and the quality they have we can see at the training ground every day. We just wanted them to express themselves and that is what we tried to help them with.

“Credit to the academy coaches, how much hard work they have put in to produce these players, but also the experienced players and manager and coaches who have said ‘Go out and play with freedom on the biggest stage. Go and enjoy it and don’t come off with any regrets’ and I think they all did that.

“Bobby Clark, James, they were all different class but Bobby really took the game by the scruff of the neck. He showed composure as well. It’s incredible.

“It is about showing up on the biggest stage and they don’t get much bigger than that. Some of the lads have not even played a full game for the first team but they go on and play so well.”

Klopp has a good record of giving youth a chance but what is equally important as opportunity is attitude and Robertson believes the club have created the perfect environment for them to flourish.

“That comes from the coaches driving that into them and then when they come into the first team it is not allowing them to get too far ahead of themselves,” added the Scotland captain.

“I think the squad is really good at that but also the coaches, they don’t give them too much, too soon and I think that’s key to it.

“It also comes from their own mentality. They are all good kids who want to do well and when they have been given the opportunity you could see the excitement in them when they woke up they knew they were going to get a chance.

“That is all you can ask from young lads; they are going to make mistakes but it is up to us to help them and they were spot on.”

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez admits winning more trophies will not change manager Jurgen Klopp’s mind about leaving at the end of the season.

Klopp rated the 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea as “the most special” silverware he had won after his team overcame an injury crisis – 11 first-team absentees became 12 when Ryan Gravenberch was carried off after 30 minutes – to triumph with four academy players on the pitch at the end.

The German was emotional as he celebrated on the pitch with his squad and backroom staff in front of their fans after being encouraged by matchwinner and captain Virgil van Dijk to join him in lifting the trophy at the presentation.

But Gomez said even the manner in which they won the game, deep into extra time, and the scenes afterwards will not persuade Klopp to change his mind.

“Nah, definitely not,” said the defender.

“Understanding how long he’s been here, I think he knows he has done everything he can. He has won it all. Everyone respects his decision and we understand it.

“He is one of the wisest men we know and when he says he’s ready, he’s ready. It is what it is, we can’t dwell on that, we just have to do him justice.”

Asked whether there was extra incentive for the squad to give their much-loved boss a trophy-laden farewell – they are still competing in three other competitions – Gomez added: “It’s kind of like it is obvious, it doesn’t need to be spoken about.

“Everyone knows about the importance and we get that aura anyway in team meetings at the minute.

“We know it’s that last hurrah and we just want to give our all for him. We always did but now when the finishing line is in sight it adds that extra emphasis.

“It’s special and hopefully it’s the first of a few we can get this year.”

Liverpool currently lead the Premier League by a point from Manchester City and are one of the favourites for the FA Cup and Europa League as for the second time in three seasons they attempt to chase an unprecedented quadruple.

Two years ago they finished with a domestic cup double, missing out on the title by a point and losing the Champions League final by a solitary Real Madrid goal, but Gomez is hoping they can do even better.

“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves but we are in every competition and we are going to try to win every game. That’s the target and we will go again,” he said.

“We have a game again in three days (a home FA Cup tie against Southampton) so we’ll have to band the boys together and see what we can do.”

What the papers say

Luton midfielder Ross Barkley, 30, is a surprise target for Manchester United, reports The Sun. The former Everton player previously had a spell at Nice, where Sir Jim Ratcliffe is owner.

Ratcliffe wants United to draw up a new pay structure. According to the Daily Mirror, the new investor wants salaries to be more dependent on success.

Arsenal are targeting teenage striker Kenan Yildiz, although Juventus have set an asking price of £51million, according to The Sun. The 18-year-old has made 15 appearances for the Italian side since joining from Bayern Munich.

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 26, could be a target for Manchester City. The Daily Telegraph reports the Brazilian is a possible replacement for Bernardo Silva, 29, if he leaves the club.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Jack Harrison: The winger, 27, wants to stay at Everton when his loan move from Leeds ends in the summer, according to Football Insider.

Evan Ferguson: Arsenal are keeping tabs on the 19-year-old Brighton and Republic of Ireland striker, reports Football Insider.

Myles Turner scored a season-high 33 points and the Indiana Pacers pulled away in the fourth quarter to end the Dallas Mavericks' seven-game winning streak with Sunday's 133-111 victory.

Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 10 assists for Indiana, which broke open the game with a 20-4 run in the fourth quarter to earn a third consecutive win and hand Dallas its first defeat since Feb. 3.

The Mavericks got 33 points from Luka Dončić and 29 from Kyrie Irving, but failed to get late stops as the Pacers shot a sizzling 63.2 per cent from the field over the final 12 minutes.

Dallas cut an 11-point deficit early in the fourth quarter down to four when Irving got a jumper to fall with 8:56 to go to bring the Mavs within 104-100. 

The Pacers then caught fire from beyond the arc, as they hit 5 of 7 attempts from 3-point range during the pivotal spurt Haliburton capped with a layup that gave Indiana a commanding 124-104 lead with 4:15 to go.

Rookie Ben Sheppard scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and went 5 of 5 on 3-point attempts to lead Indiana's reserves. The Pacers also received a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double from Bennedict Mathurin, while Turner grabbed eight rebounds in addition to finishing 10 of 15 from the field. 

Bucks cruise past 76ers in Rivers' return to Philadelphia

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished just short of a triple-double while amassing 30 points as the Milwaukee Bucks made head coach Doc Rivers' return to Philadelphia a triumphant one by rolling to a 119-98 win over the host 76ers.

Rivers coached the 76ers for three seasons before being fired at the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign after the team lost in the second round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year. The accomplished veteran was hired by Milwaukee after the Bucks dismissed Adrian Griffin on Jan. 26.

Antetokounmpo added 12 rebounds and nine assists to help the Bucks keep pace with first-place Cleveland in the Central Division. The Bucks remain a game behind in the standings after the Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Damian Lillard scored 11 of his 24 points in the first quarter as Milwaukee opened up a 35-21 lead after 12 minutes. Bobby Portis had 11 of his 17 points in the second as the Bucks stretched their advantage to 69-48 at half-time.

The 76ers, still without reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid due to a knee injury, cut into their deficit early in the second half and closed the gap to 93-82 near the end of the third quarter. They never got any closer, however, and dropped to 4-11 since Jan. 25.

Philadelphia shot just 37.1 per cent from the field for the game, while the Bucks connected on 54.1 per cent of their field goal attempts.

Tyrese Maxey paced the 76ers with 24 points and seven assists, while De'Anthony Melton had 16 points off the bench.

Jokic extends triple-double streak, leads Nuggets over Warriors

Nikola Jokić compiled 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists for his third consecutive double-double to help the Denver Nuggets earn a season sweep of the Golden State Warriors with a 119-103 win.

Behind another massive performance from Jokic and 27 points from Jamal Murray, the Nuggets recorded their fourth victory over Golden State in as many meetings in the season series between teams that have won the last two NBA titles.

The Nuggets overcame a 16-point second-quarter deficit in this latest matchup, as the Warriors failed to hold on to a 56-40 lead they held 5 1/2 minutes before half-time and saw their three-game winning streak snapped.

Denver got back in it by outscoring Golden State by a 21-5 margin to close out the first half. Murray accounted for 10 points during the surge, and his 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds left forged a 61-61 tie at the intermission.

The game remained tight into the fourth quarter before the Nuggets broke things open with a 10-2 flurry - capped by 3-pointers from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Christian Braun - that turned a three-point edge into a 105-94 advantage with six minutes remaining.

Golden State shot just 29.4 per cent in the final period as the Nuggets maintained a lead of at least nine points the rest of the way.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 23 points off the bench and Stephen Curry had 20 for Golden State, though the two-time NBA MVP made just 1 of 10 tries from three-point range on the night.