Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to emulate the great Tiger Woods by never giving up in their title tussle with Arsenal.

City beat the Gunners 3-1 in a thrilling encounter at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to move top of the Premier League.

The defending champions have played a game more than Arsenal and are only top on goal difference, however, with Guardiola convinced his team have had some good fortune.

Yet he pointed to golf legend and 15-time major champion Woods – who returned to the PGA Tour this week for the first time since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021 – as a source of inspiration.

"Right now, we could be 10 or 12 points behind. We are a bit lucky," he told reporters ahead of Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest. 

"If [Arsenal] won at Everton when they played to win, we lost at Spurs, we lost to Arsenal then we are 10 points behind and the game is over.

"Now we could be 10-12 points behind even [with Arsenal having played] one game less. We're top of the league after two nights when they have been top all season.

"You never, ever, ever can give up. The biggest athletes never do. This weekend is the best weekend because Tiger is back. He's playing at the Genesis Invitational.

"We have to learn from the greatest and he never gives up. He is two over, one over, then finishes the last round with birdie, birdie, birdie. Never give up, continue until the end."

Guardiola said in the wake of City's win in north London that his first-half tactics had been "horrible".

Bernardo Silva was deployed as a left-back until Manuel Akanji replaced Riyad Mahrez early in the second half,  enabling the Portugal international to switch to the right wing.

City, who took the lead through Kevin De Bruyne but were pegged back by Bukayo Saka's penalty, went on to clinch the points through Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.

"I meant in general how I imagined the game, it didn't work, not because Bernardo played left-back," said Guardiola, explaining his post-match comments.

"If it works I am brave, if it doesn't work I am overthinking. Arrogant. 'What is Pep believing, changing tactics? Why don't you play Kevin De Bruyne all the time? Why don't you play the other ones?'

"Because Kevin De Bruyne cannot play all the games. He needs to be fresh here [in the head]. He has to get the message, he can do better.

"I cannot go to sleep or wake up in the morning, have something inside of me visualising what the opponent can do and think: 'The normal thing is play the starting XI that people around the world say is the best.'

"In 14 years, starting with the second team Barcelona, I never took a decision like: 'I am going [to show off].'"

Haaland's neat finish brought up his 26th league goal of the season, though City's use of their star striker had been called into question after the 1-0 loss at Spurs.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher went as far as to say Haaland "might have picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him".

Asked about Carragher's comments, Guardiola said: "I understand it. What can I say – I'm open to all opinions. So [Jamie] will have his argument.

"It's important I have the feeling that [Haaland] feels so happy here. Committed. Not because he already scored 26 goals, but it was a surprise for all of us, a real surprise.

"We didn't know him. We knew his stats, his numbers, his laughs when he played at Dortmund, but we are all of us really surprised at how he is as a boy – because he's a boy."

Guardiola is also hopeful Ilkay Gundogan will sign a new contract at City, with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.

The Washington Commanders are working to finalise a deal to make Eric Bieniemy their offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.

Bieniemy has long since been considered one of the finer offensive minds in the NFL, but his success with the Kansas City Chiefs has not resulted in a head coaching job.

Working under Andy Reid, Bieniemy has served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator since 2018, his schematic acumen helping Kansas City to two Super Bowl titles in his five seasons in the role.

Having won Super Bowl LIV in the 2019 season, the Chiefs reclaimed the title last Sunday with a thrilling 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona.

That proved to be a swansong for Bieniemy, who was not under contract for 2023, with the Chiefs' play-calling crucial in setting up an injured Patrick Mahomes to engineer a comeback after Kansas City went into half-time trailing 24-14.

The Chiefs led the NFL in points and yards on offense in 2022, as they did in Bieniemy's first year as offensive coordinator in 2018.

He now looks set to be tasked with overseeing an offensive turnaround for the Commanders, who have finished in the bottom half of the NFL in yards and points in each of the last five seasons.

Bieniemy would appear to be making something of a sideways move, however, with Reid operating as a play-calling head coach in Kansas City, a switch to Washington to work for Ron Rivera offers the former running back a chance to have full control of an offense, while it will also be the first multi-year deal he has received as an offensive coordinator.

Speaking on Monday after the Chiefs' Super Bowl win, Reid said of Bieniemy: "I hope he has the opportunity to go somewhere and do his thing, and run the show and be Eric Bieniemy."

That opportunity has now arrived, and Bieniemy will surely not lack chances to make an overdue leap to a head coach position if he can transform Washington's offensive fortunes.

France have recalled Jonathan Danty ahead of their Six Nations clash with Scotland.

Les Bleus' hopes of a second straight Grand Slam faded last week as they went down 32-19 in Dublin.

In-form Scotland head to Paris next week with a third straight win in their sights, but France will have centre Danty to call on.

Danty has won 18 caps for France and seemed set to be a key player for Fabien Galthie until he sustained a posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in late December.

He was expected to miss the entirety of the tournament, but in a boost to Galthie has recovered ahead of schedule.

Uini Atonio's suspension, meanwhile, means a call-up to the 42-man squad for Thomas Laclayat.

Napoli head coach Luciano Spalletti allayed concerns about the condition of Victor Osimhen after the in-form striker appeared to limp off during Friday's win over Sassuolo.

The Nigeria star scored Napoli's second goal in the 2-0 victory at Mapei Stadium after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring.

Osimhen's goal saw him become the first Napoli player to score in seven successive Serie A games during the three-points-for-a-win era (1995-96).

He was taken off six minutes from time and seemed to be limping as he headed for the bench, sparking some concern from supporters with a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on the horizon.

But Spalletti appeared confident his star striker has not suffered any lasting damage and will be fit on Tuesday.

"We have evaluated Osimhen's condition, but it doesn't seem like it's anything out of the ordinary," Spalletti told DAZN after the game.

"He's just a little tired because he can't stop himself. It always seems like he has to do the last two metres, then he just starts running after everyone until he's recovered the ball, so two metres becomes another 200 metres.

"Doctors are investigating, but it doesn't seem like it's anything serious."

After an entertaining first half, the game was much tighter in the second period, seemingly owing to Napoli's ability to see things out in their own manner.

But there was an intensity to their play throughout that undoubtedly contributed to Sassuolo struggling to impose themselves, particularly when they might have been desperately chasing a late lifeline.

Spalletti's post-match interview was conducted by former Napoli and Juventus great Ciro Ferrara, who likened Napoli's urgency to that of Pep Guardiola's classic Barcelona side.

The Napoli coach felt the need to pump the brakes at that comparison.

"You have to go easy on the comparisons," Spalletti said. "Then it becomes a problem. We must stay calm, very calm.

"It's true that we put a lot of determination into winning the ball back. We have the strength to go and steal it from the opponent, and we did it well today.

"But, beyond that, compared to the last few games, today it seemed to me that we were superior to our previous performances, even in small things like dribbling and [game] management.

"We were quick and assertive when moving the ball around. We suffered a couple of times because Sassuolo are a great team, trained very well.

"You can't have supremacy for 90 minutes. However, the team put in a great performance. Even though we're living a great moment, nobody is giving up on the ball. It's a good feeling."

Friday's win moved Napoli 18 points clear at the summit, though Inter can reduce the deficit back to 15 with a victory over Udinese on Saturday.

Daniil Medvedev was at his brilliant best as he ended Felix Auger-Aliassime's title defence at the Rotterdam Open.

Former world number one Medvedev committed just five unforced errors in a 6-2 6-4 win on Friday that saw him progress to the semi-finals.

"Today was my best match of the week, but I have to build on this," Medvedev said afterwards.

"Usually, the best weeks you play, many times you're going to play your best tennis in the last match, so that's definitely a goal.

"But I'm happy with my level today, beating someone like Felix in straight sets."

He will next face Grigor Dimitrov, who needed three sets to see off Alex de Minaur.

Dimitrov saved two match points in claiming a 6-3 3-6 7-6 (8-6) victory but seemingly has an uphill challenge having lost four of his six matches against Medvedev.

"I kind of know the plan for the game,” Medvedev added of his clash with Dimitrov. "The thing is, he is going to try to do the same, to make up a good plan. If we take the last two matches, it's 1-1. So I always say a new match is a new match, no matter the head to head. 

"I'm preparing for a tough one tomorrow, he's such a great player and today was a great match from him, a great comeback actually. So I'm ready for the tough fight tomorrow."

Jannik Sinner was just as impressive as Medvedev, cruising to a 6-1 6-3 victory over three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka.

Sinner, who won the Open Sud de France last week and has already dumped out top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, will face Tallon Griekspoor after the Dutchman's win over fellow home hope Gijs Brouwer.

Napoli's relentless charge to the Scudetto continued with a straightforward 2-0 win at Sassuolo on Friday, their key men at the fore yet again.

Victory at Mapei Stadium made it seven Serie A wins in a row since a 1-0 defeat to Inter in their first game back after the World Cup, extending the Partenopei's lead at the summit to 18 points.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put Napoli in front early on with a wonderful solo effort, before their other talisman, Victor Osimhen, made it 2-0 just after the half-hour mark to become the club's first player to net in seven successive top-flight games in the three-points-for-a-win era.

Sassuolo somewhat contentiously had a goal chalked off late in the first half, but thereafter Napoli's game management was exceptional, with the only shame for the visitors coming late on when Giovanni Simeone had a goal disallowed for offside.

It took Napoli 12 minutes to take charge as Kvaratskhelia breezed through midfield and coolly slotted into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards.

Armand Lauriente and Osimhen were both then denied by the post at either end, though the latter did not have to wait much longer to get his customary goal.

The Nigerian brilliantly held off two defenders before catching Andrea Consigli off guard with a ferocious effort hit early from a tight angle.

Sassuolo's Lauriente thought he had followed suit just before the break, only for his tap-in to be disallowed for an offside in the build-up.

Osimhen spurned a one-on-one opportunity early in the second half, and Andrea Pinamonti nodded agonisingly wide at the other end.

Substitute Simeone appeared to have added further gloss in stoppage time, yet VAR cut short his celebrations as Napoli had to settle for two.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Al Thani, chairman of the Qatar Islamic Bank, has confirmed the submission of a bid for a complete takeover of Manchester United.

A 'soft' deadline was reported to have been set for 22:00 GMT on Friday, with a Qatari contingent and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe expected to present offers.

The Old Trafford club's deeply unpopular owners, the Glazer family, put United up for sale in November after 18 years as majority shareholders.

The Glazers have been criticised by supporters throughout their stewardship, but it would appear their time in charge is indeed coming to an end, despite rumours suggesting some members of the family want to hold on to the club.

While Ratcliffe, owner of chemicals company INEOS, confirmed interest last month, Al Thani is the first to publicly declare the submission of a legitimate offer.

A widely reported statement read: "Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani today [Friday] confirmed his submission of a bid for 100 per cent of Manchester United Football Club.

"The bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch, and – above all – will seek to place the fans at the heart of Manchester United Football Club once more.

"The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim's Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports.

"The vision of the bid is for Manchester United Football Club to be renowned for footballing excellence, and regarded as the greatest football club in the world. More details of the bid will be released, when appropriate, if and when the bid process develops."

 

 

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Lee Mason has left his role "by mutual consent" after his blunder cost Arsenal a win against Brentford last weekend.

The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw in a London derby last Saturday, though Ivan Toney's equaliser should have been disallowed.

Toney headed in from close range after Christian Norgaard nudged the ball across the face of goal, but the latter had been offside in the build-up.

The goal went to a VAR check for a separate incident instead, with Mason – in charge of the technology for the game – not spotting Norgaard strayed just offside.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for referees in England, subsequently acknowledged it was a "significant error" and Mason was not assigned to a match for the coming weekend.

PGMOL then revealed on Friday that Mason has left his position with immediate effect.

A statement read: "PGMOL can confirm that Video Assistant Referee Lee Mason has departed the organisation by mutual consent.

"Lee was a Premier League referee for 15 years and oversaw 287 top-flight matches during that time, with his last coming during the closing stages of the 2021-22 season.

"His full career in the professional game saw the 51-year-old officiate in over 500 fixtures after he progressed to the Football League in 1998.

"We would like to thank Lee for his dedicated service to the professional game and wish him all the best for the future."

It was not Mason's first high-profile error of the season, having denied Newcastle United a winner against Crystal Palace in September when ruling out Tyrick Mitchell's own goal for what he deemed to be a foul by Joe Willock on Vicente Guaita in the build-up.

Aaron Jones will remain with the Green Bay Packers after agreeing a restructured contract with the team.

Jones was due to earn $16million in 2023 but has reportedly agreed to reduce that number by $5m.

In return, Jones will receive $8.52m of his $11m as a signing bonus.

Posting on Twitter, the running back wrote: "Year 7 is gonna [sic] be crazy in Lambeau [Field]. Honoured to carry the G and blessed to be back."

Last season, Jones rushed for 1,121 yards, marking his third 1,000-yard campaign in the last four years. However, he scored just two rushing touchdowns. As a receiver, he recorded 395 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Jones is third on the Packers' all-time list for rushing yards having amassed 5,284 during his five seasons in the NFL. His 43 rushing touchdowns rank fourth.

In 2022, he performed above average in yards before contact per attempt (3.06), yards after contact per rush (2.33) and yards per carry on rushes where there was a disruption by a defender (3.5).

But his efforts were not enough to earn the Packers a playoff berth as they finished 8-9, missing the postseason courtesy of a Week 18 defeat to the Detroit Lions.

Manchester United fan group Rainbow Devils expressed "deep concern" about the club's potential next owners on the day takeover bids were due to be lodged.

Qatari interest in United has been strong and reports have positioned a bid team from the Middle East country as the front-runner to buy out the Glazer family, who have been majority owners since 2005.

There has also been speculation of a possible offer from Saudi Arabia, while British billionaire and United fan Jim Ratcliffe may also look to acquire the club.

Tesla and Twitter magnate Elon Musk has been touted as another possible bidder, with a deadline of 22:00 GMT on Friday having been set for offers to be made.

The Rainbow Devils group, which was founded in 2019, did not specify which of the potential bidders it was concerned by, but said new owners must guarantee to be accommodating to those from all walks of life.

In a statement on Twitter, it said: "Rainbow Devils believe any bidder seeking to buy Manchester United must commit to making football a sport for everyone, including LGBTQ+ supporters, players and staff.

"We therefore have deep concern over some of the bids that are being made. We are watching the current process closely with this in mind."

United fans are anxious to see the back of the Glazer ownership era, and some have indicated they would have few reservations about who comes in to replace the Americans.

That was reflected in a stream of confrontational and dismissive quote-tweet replies to the Rainbow Devils' message, although some welcomed the group's stance.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have faced criticism over their human rights records, particularly regarding attitudes towards and treatment of women and LGBTQ people.

French giants Paris Saint-Germain have been owned by Qatari investors since 2011, while Newcastle United were bought out by a Saudi-led consortium in October 2021.

Son Heung-min is receiving no guarantees regarding his starting role at Tottenham amid a disappointing campaign on an individual level.

The South Korea star was one of the Premier League's standout players last season, sharing the Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah after scoring 23 times.

But in the 2022-23 season Son has netted just four in 21 league appearances, meaning he looks likely to fall short of 10 top-flight goals for the first time since his debut campaign in England (2015-16, four goals).

Son's per-90-minute averages of 0.2 goals, 0.26 expected goals, 1.0 open-play chances created and 0.36 goal involvements this season are all new lows for him in the Premier League.

Tottenham's lack of options in attack has perhaps contributed to Son keeping his place, but with the fit-again Richarlison pushing for a first start since before the World Cup after returning to action last month, the former Bayer Leverkusen man might find himself benched soon.

Certainly, Stellini – who is standing in for Antonio Conte again after he was ordered to return home to recover from surgery – does not appear to be offering Son any assurances over his place in the team.

"Every time when you pick the team, you have to leave someone on the bench, and normally it is not important the player you have to maybe leave on the bench, it is about the team that has to play," Stellini told reporters ahead of Sunday's visit of West Ham.

"It is important also that some important players stay on the bench for their effort when they come in. This is very important.

"We have experience with Sonny; we have experience with Richarlison; we have experienced with [Dejan] Kulusevski from the bench, they change the game.

"This is normal and it is normal for everyone, not because you have an important player he has to play compulsory.

"If he needs to play sometimes, also he needs to rest because we have a tough fixture [list]. We have a tough moment and we play many times. Sometimes you have to change the player and also to perform better."

Richarlison has made four substitute appearances since recovering from the hamstring injury he sustained in Qatar.

Stellini is "absolutely" convinced the Brazilian is now 100 per cent fit, hinting he sees him as a viable weapon as Spurs look to further their cause for a top-four spot.

Asked if he was looking for a way to fit Richarlison into the side, Stellini said: "Yes, this is our expectation for Richy.

"We were very unlucky with him because [of the injury] in the World Cup. We've missed Richy now for a long time. We missed Richy.

"In the best moment we had him at the start of the season, he was a player who changed our game.

"He changed the pace of the game during the game and when he started. He scored two goals in the Champions League and that was important.

"We've lost him sometimes and we have to accept it and work to have him back at the top, and his performance now I think could be good."

Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula will clash in a WTA Tour final for the first time after taking wildly contrasting routes through to the Qatar Open title match.

While Pegula was taken to three sets by Maria Sakkari on Friday, world number one and defending champion Swiatek required only 56 minutes to score a 6-0 6-1 drubbing of Veronika Kudermetova.

In windy conditions in Doha, the top two seeds set up a Saturday showdown that will have plenty riding on it in terms of their rivalry.

When Swiatek lost to Pegula in early January at the United Cup in Sydney, winning only four games, the Pole was left in tears.

The rematch will either see Swiatek reassert her dominance over Pegula, or see the American show she has the 21-year-old's number for now.

Swiatek won all four matches she played against Pegula last season, with French Open and US Open quarter-finals victories among that set, but their last match has put a fresh spin on the head-to-head.

Crushing Kudermetova showed Swiatek at her ruthless best, and the world number one said: "I feel great. I was pretty worried how I was going to cope with the conditions today so I'm glad I played a smart way and I'm pretty happy I was so solid."

She is relishing the chance to test herself against Pegula again, saying: "It always takes a lot to win against Jessie. She's a great player, a really solid one, and we'll see, honestly. I'm not going to predict anything or over-analyse, I'll just play my best tennis."

Pegula overcame Greek fifth seed Sakkari 6-2 4-6 6-1 in the first semi-final.

While Swiatek will be chasing a 12th WTA-level singles title, the 28-year-old Pegula is after a third such trophy.

Speaking of the Sakkari match, Pegula said: "That was probably the hardest conditions I've ever had to play in, wind-wise. I played very smart."

Simone Inzaghi says the heated on-field exchange between Inter team-mates Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku is understandable as both players were showing their desire.

Barella and Lukaku could be seen arguing during a frustrating first half for Inter in their goalless Serie A draw against Sampdoria on Monday.

Lukaku angrily wagged his finger at Barella after the Italy international had petulantly waved his arms in the air.

Asked to explain the mid-game dispute between his two players, Inzaghi tried to take positives out of the situation.

"Barella is totally committed to the cause. He has so much motivation and always wants to win," Inzaghi told Inter TV.

"The desire can at times spill over, but we all know what kind of person he is. I have confidence in him and the rest of the team."

Barella and Lukaku are in contention to start Inter's home league match against Udinese on Saturday as they look to return to winning ways in Serie A.

Inter may find themselves 18 points behind Napoli by then, with the leaders travelling to Sassuolo on Friday.

Despite having a big Champions League last-16 first-leg tie with Porto coming up on Wednesday, Inzaghi suggested he does not intend to rest any key players against Udinese.

"We will need to be at our best. I may be repetitive but despite the Champions League on the horizon, the focus is on Inter-Udinese," he said.

"I think that our biggest motivation tomorrow comes from wanting to win in front of our fans.

"I will make the necessary assessments. I will rely on all players, the starters and those on the bench."

Tiger Woods was accused of a "stupid" and misogynistic prank at the Genesis Invitational after handing Justin Thomas a tampon during his opening round.

Woods passed the sanitary product to his friend after outdriving Thomas from the ninth tee, with the 15-time major winner facing criticism on his return to the PGA Tour.

This is not only 47-year-old Woods' comeback event, having not played competitively since last year's Open Championship, but he is also the tournament host.

USA Today writer Christine Brennan wrote of the bizarre incident: "Woods' message to Thomas was obvious. It has been the go-to line of silly, often insecure boys for generations: You play like a girl. Really, Tiger?"

Brennan said Thursday's episode was "basic misogyny" and "a knee-slapper of a dig against female athletes".

Julie DiCaro, author of the book 'Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America', also condemned Woods.

She wrote on Twitter: "Ugh. All the guys think this is hilarious, but the joke is denigrating women. So played out and stupid."

Golf writer Shane Ryan, author of Ryder Cup book 'The Cup They Couldn't Lose', said Woods had reached a "new low" with his antics.

Ryan wrote: "Tiger Woods' humour has always been slightly lame, dumb-jock type of stuff, but becoming a prop comic? That's a new low."

Other views were available, and former professional golfer turned social media personality Paige Spiranac defended Woods, writing: "If anyone tries to cancel Tiger over this we riot. It's funny.

"I need a LIV vs PGA tour Ryder cup type event just so Tiger can give Phil [Mickelson] a tampon after out driving him."

Woods finished his first round with three consecutive birdies to score a two-under-par 70 . He dropped back to level par after bogeying two of his opening four holes on Friday, after starting his second round on the back nine, before making birdie at his fifth to repair some of the early damage.

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