Inter were brought crashing back down to earth after their Supercoppa Italiana win as they were deservedly defeated 1-0 by Empoli at San Siro on Monday.

Simone Inzaghi's side looked to be set for a big second half to the season after dismantling champions and rivals Milan in Saudi Arabia last week.

But the Nerazzurri's return to action in Serie A saw them completely out of sorts and beaten by teenager Tommaso Baldanzi's goal following a first-half red card for Milan Skriniar.

Defeats such as these may not now cost Inter in the race for Champions League qualification due to Juventus' points deduction, but any remote title hopes appear to have been quickly quashed.

Skriniar's dismissal epitomised an erratic first half from Inter, who could have trailed early on as Andre Onana saved unconvincingly from Nicolo Cambiaghi before Henrikh Mkhitaryan escaped punishment from the subsequent corner when his high boot caught Francesco Caputo's head.

Caputo continued in a bandage while Inter threatened only through Federico Dimarco, who had a volley well saved and also squared for Lautaro Martinez to stab awkwardly wide.

Skriniar, already booked, then became the second Inter man to kick Caputo in the head, and this time the foul was spotted by referee Antonio Rapuano, leading to his dismissal.

Inter showed precious little improvement after half-time and trailed when Onana, whose shaky showing had included another unorthodox stop, was beaten by a Baldanzi shot that was straight at him.

Stefan de Vrij headed against the post from inside the six-yard box but Inter proved as unimaginative in attack as they had been hapless at the back in a frustrating finale.

Kylian Mbappe became the first Paris Saint-Germain player to score five goals in a match as his side eased into the last 16 of the Coupe de France with a 7-0 win over sixth-tier Pays de Cassel on Monday.

The lowest-ranked side left in the competition, Pays de Cassel did not look overawed at Stade Bollaert-Delelis – the home of Lens – but PSG's vastly superior quality unsurprisingly soon shone through.

An 11-minute first-half spell saw the Ligue 1 leaders roar into an unassailable 4-0 lead, with Mbappe scoring three and setting up Neymar.

Mbappe continued his brutal exhibition after half-time with a couple of close-range goals either side of Carlos Soler's impudent finish.

Pays de Cassel gave a good account of themselves initially, putting together some intricate passing moves that brought huge cheers around their home away from home.

But PSG's breakthrough eventually arrived in the 29th minute as Mbappe met Nuno Mendes' cut-back and found the net via a significant deflection.

He then released Neymar to make it 2-0, the Brazilian dazzling the defence with his quick feet before firing left-footed through goalkeeper Romain Samson's legs.

Samson could only watch as Mbappe brought up his hat-trick before half-time with a pair of sumptuous chips.

But the keeper was culpable 10 minutes into the second half, completely missing Neymar's pass and allowing Mbappe a tap-in.

More great work by Neymar just after the hour left Soler to backheel over the line from a couple of yards out.

Soler was involved again 11 minutes from time as Mbappe completed the scoring with another poacher's effort from the Spaniard's cross.

 

Everton confirmed Frank Lampard's dismissal due to "recent results and the current league position" amid reports Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri wants to appoint Marcelo Bielsa.

Former Chelsea boss Lampard kept Everton in the Premier League last season with victory in their penultimate match, but they sit 19th in this campaign with 20 games played.

A 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham on Saturday proved the final straw for Lampard, whose side had lost eight of their last nine matches in all competitions.

Everton sacked Lampard earlier on Monday but only finally announced the "difficult decision" at 8:15pm local time.

"Everyone at Everton would like to thank Frank and his coaching staff for their service during what has been a challenging 12 months," a club statement read.

"Frank and his team's commitment and dedication have been exemplary throughout their time at the club, but recent results and the current league position meant this difficult decision had to be taken.

"We wish Frank and all his backroom team well for their future in the game. The club has started the process to secure a new manager and will provide updates on the appointment in due course.

"Paul Tait and Leighton Baines will take training until a new manager is appointed."

Everton's next manager will be their seventh permanent appointment since Moshiri, who was in attendance for the defeat at London Stadium, invested into the club in 2016.

The Athletic reported Moshiri, who previously suggested Lampard's future was "not my decision", is interested in bringing in former Leeds United head coach Bielsa.

Argentine Bielsa helped Leeds to finish ninth in their first season back in the top flight in 2020-21 but was sacked in February 2022 with the Whites just two points above the relegation zone.

Ex-Burnley manager Sean Dyche has also been linked with the role, while former Everton forward Duncan Ferguson – who has had two caretaker spells at the club – is another name speculated.

Everton are "the worst run club" in England and "demonised" their supporters after alleging safety concerns for board members at Goodison Park, according to Jamie Carragher.

The Toffees' board of directors did not attend the January 14 home loss to Southampton upon the advice of security professionals, citing a "real and credible threat to their safety and security".

Everton released a statement before kick-off to explain the situation was caused by "malicious and unacceptable threatening correspondence received by the club".

The Toffees' struggles culminated in Monday's sacking of manager Frank Lampard, but Carragher – an Everton fan growing up – focused his ire on the club's handling of the supporters' discontent.

"There was a protest that everyone knew about, it wasn't going to be during the game it was going to be at the end of the game," former Liverpool captain Carragher told Sky Sports. 

"Everton's board put out a statement saying there had been threats, and I'm not denying that – and if it is true then that's bang out of order.

"But I think someone should have been at the game, the statement they put out as a football club was bang out of order. To me, they demonised the whole fanbase, and I'm not saying they are telling lies in terms of threats, but that is the name of the game."

When concerns over physical threats and violence were put to him, Carragher responded: "There may have been but there was nothing reported to the police, you need to say that too.

"They threw the whole fanbase under the bus, you don't do that, especially in the city we are from. In Liverpool, you back your own whether it's your family or your football club. That's what you do.

"[The supporters] were there to criticise them and get them out of the club, but those supporters kept them up last year, don't forget that.

"Supporters are protesting that they want them out of the club, [the board] felt they couldn't go to that game. On the back of putting that statement out, how do they go back to the game or to Goodison. Lampard is gone but their banners aren't going anywhere until those people have left the club. 

"Until there is serious change there, they're not going to get the fans back on side and it was them who kept them up."

Everton sit 19th in the Premier League on 15 points following a 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham on Saturday, their eighth loss in their last nine matches in all competitions.

The Toffees' next manager will be their seventh permanent appointment since Farhad Moshiri – who was in attendance at London Stadium – invested in the club in 2016.

Carragher believes dismissing Lampard was the right decision, though his concerns remain over Moshiri's relationship with board members Bill Kenwright and Denise Barrett-Baxendale.

"It was right to change the manager, but no one knows a football club better than their own supporters," he added. "Their own supporters haven't got banners for Lampard, they've got banners for Moshiri and the board.

"I said this about six months ago, Everton are the worst run club in the country. I'm not saying that as an ex-Liverpool player, I'm saying that as an ex-Everton fan.

"When I made that comment, Everton actually got in touch with me and I thought fair enough, you're saying things in the media and sometimes things come back to you. But I didn't think I was wrong when I said it then and I don't think I'm wrong now.

"Moshiri doesn't know what he's doing but he's got a lot of money – and he's put a lot of money in. Why does every Everton manager fail? You've got to look at the top, and that's Moshiri. It's a mess.

"There's a massive divide between Moshiri, Kenwright and Denise Baxendale – what is the role of Kenwright? It's not financial and the owner is not listening to him. If they are there for expertise, they're not listening to them, why have them there?"

Patrick Mahomes is set on playing in the AFC Championship Game despite his ankle injury, says Andy Reid.

Mahomes sat out the second quarter on Saturday as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional round.

He sustained a right ankle injury while being tackled by two Jaguars defenders towards the end of the first quarter.

The MVP favourite was listed as questionable but returned for the second half and, despite struggling to move freely, helped Kansas City win 27-20 and reach the conference title game for a fifth successive season.

Mahomes said after the game he would be "good to go" when the Chiefs face the Cincinnati Bengals.

And coach Reid told reporters on Monday the 27-year-old had done "amazing things with limited time" as he looks to ensure he can feature.

"He's worked hard in the treatment and is doing okay," Reid told reporters.

"He told you guys. He mentioned to you that he's going to play. That's his mindset. Then we'll just take it day by day and see how he does.

"As far as the reps, I'll have to see how he feels as we get ready for practice."

Reid also suggested the injury is not as serious as that Mahomes suffered at the start of the 2019 season, also against the Jaguars.

Arsenal have further bolstered their squad for their Premier League title run-in with the signing of centre-back Jakub Kiwior from Serie A side Spezia.

The English top-flight leaders missed out on Mykhaylo Mudryk earlier in the window, but they have now brought in Leandro Trossard and Kiwior this month.

Poland international Kiwior has signed a "long-term contract" at Emirates Stadium, the club said, with Arsenal reported to have paid Spezia £22million (€25m).

"It's great that Jakub is joining us," said Mikel Arteta. "He's a young versatile defender who has shown huge potential and qualities with Spezia in Serie A, and also at international level with Poland.

"Jakub is a player who will give us strength and quality to our defensive unit. We welcome Jakub and his family to Arsenal and look forward to working with him."

Kiwior still had two and a half years to run on his deal with Spezia, whom he made 43 appearances for after joining from Slovakian side Zilina in August 2021.

He featured 17 times in Serie A this season and ranks joint-third for blocks (18) and fifth for clearances (68) among all defenders in the division.

The former Anderlecht youngster also started all four of Poland's matches at the 2022 World Cup, helping his side to clean sheets against Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

Kiwior will primarily provide cover and competition for Gabriel Magalhaes, who has played every minute for Arsenal in the Premier League this season. 

The new signing was in the stands at Emirates Stadium on Sunday to see Arsenal beat Manchester United, maintaining a five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table.

Manchester City have completed the signing of highly rated Argentina youth international Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield.

The 20-year-old is reported to have cost City £8million initially and has signed a deal that runs through June 2028.

Perrone only made his breakthrough at Velez last March, but the central midfielder quickly established himself as a prominent part of the senior team, even wearing the captain's armband on occasion.

His contract had entered its final year, and although City are said to be paying more than his reported £7m release clause, that was sure to be significantly higher if Velez did manage to secure his future into 2024.

Perrone is the latest in a string of exports to fetch Velez a considerable fee in the past six years, with Thiago Almada, Matias Vargas, Santiago Caseres, Maxi Romero and Nicolas Dominguez bringing in roughly £47m between them.

He is City's second recruit from Argentina over the past year, with Julian Alvarez joining from River Plate at the end of last season.

Alvarez was signed midway through last term before spending a period back on loan at River, though no such agreement has been struck for Perrone.

He will link up with City immediately once his participation at the Under-20 South American Championship in Colombia is over.

Perrone scored in Argentina's opening match but was unable to prevent his side losing 2-1 to Paraguay.

Argentina's final group game is on January 27 – if they are not eliminated, Perrone will likely join up with City in February.

Tony Pollard's exit from Sunday's Divisional playoff against the San Francisco 49ers cost the Dallas Cowboys dear.

Pollard was carted off in the closing stages of the second quarter with a low-scoring game tied at 6-6 at Levi's Stadium.

The running back did not return, and the 49ers claimed a 19-12 win as the Cowboys looked lost on offense in the second half.

Initial reports detailed a high ankle sprain for Pollard, but it has since emerged he also sustained a fracture to his left fibula that will require surgery.

Pollard would therefore have been unavailable for the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles even if the Cowboys had scraped through.

That never appeared likely without Pollard on the field at the end of a career year, however.

The 25-year-old finished the regular season with 1,007 rushing yards, the most on a Dallas team who ran on 45 per cent of plays – the seventh-highest rate in the NFL.

Pollard had nine rushing touchdowns and added a further three receiving scores from 39 catches for 371 yards.

In the Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pollard ran for 77 yards at an average of 5.1, well ahead of team-mate Ezekiel Elliott's 2.1 yards per carry.

Elliott, who had a comparatively difficult season, could not carry the load in Pollard's absence in San Francisco, finishing with the same number of yards from scrimmage (33) as the injured star despite playing the full game.

Quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledged afterwards Pollard's injury "hurt us", but the first-time Pro Bowler must now hope the serious nature of the problem is not the source of more hurt.

Pollard will become an unrestricted free agent in March, at which point he will still be rehabilitating his left leg.

Barcelona have denied allegations claiming president Joan Laporta broke club rules when handing out the Camp Nou development contract.

The 'Espai Barca' project was first approved in April 2014, when club members voted in favour of the massive remodelling job that would develop Camp Nou and the surrounding areas.

A further referendum in April 2021 ratified the financial proposal that took the project's maximum budget to €1.5billion.

It will lead to the stadium's capacity increasing by 6,000 to 105,000 spectators plus the installation of a retractable roof, while 40,000 square metres of land is set to be improved.

An announcement earlier this month confirmed Turkish company Limak would be in charge of remodelling the stadium, but a report by Spanish digital newspaper El Confidencial claimed on Monday the club's bidding process for the contract should have excluded the business in question.

According to El Confidencial, Limak should have been ineligible because it allegedly could not provide evidence of building a stadium with more than 40,000 capacity in the past 10 years and did not present two references of buildings constructed in Spain for greater than €150m over the same period.

The publication suggested the alleged oversight put Barca's building licence with the local council at risk, but the club insists the accusations are inaccurate, pointing to a "new tender process" dated from September 1, 2022.

A long statement began: "Barcelona wants to refute the story published today, Monday, January 23, 2023 in El Confidencial titled: 'Laporta broke the Barca rules to award the Camp Nou work to the Turkish company Limak'."

The letter highlighted five specific sections of the report followed by "FALSE" and an explanation, with most points coming back to Barca highlighting the start of a new tender process in September.

"The bid specifications for the restructuring work on Camp Nou were announced to all the companies that submitted bids and were effective date from September 1, 2022," the statement continued. "The terms and conditions set forth therein established no requirement for bidding companies to have built a football stadium with more than 40,000 seats or two constructions in Spain.

"Prior to this bidding process, there was a process that commenced in 2017, and which was cancelled in December 2020 by means of an official communication on the Barcelona supplier portal to all participating companies at that time.

"It was not until September 2022 when the new bidding process began, the outcome of which was for the project to be awarded to LIMAK as the best rated company.  

"There was no breach of the terms and conditions as these were associated to the new tender process, which is dated from September 1, 2022."

It added: "As we have set out previously, the document [that El Confidencial claimed to have seen] referred to is for the pre-qualification that began in 2017, and in no way corresponds to the requisites in the conditions laid down on September 1, 2022.

"The process of obtaining a building licence from Barcelona City Council is totally independent of the adjudication process for the company to carry out the construction.

"In no way is the building licence at risk because the name on the licence is that of Barcelona as the initiator of the construction, not the construction company."

Ben Shelton is juggling revision for exams with his hopes of going all the way at the Australian Open.

Shelton beat fellow American J.J. Wolf to set up a quarter-final tie with Tommy Paul – another compatriot – in Melbourne.

The 20-year-old is the lowest-ranked American player to reach a grand slam quarter-final since Todd Martin at the US Open 2000 and the lowest at the Australian Open since Michael Chang in 1996.

This trip Down Under is Shelton's first venture outside the United States, and while focusing on his budding tennis career, he is also taking a general business degree, learning via online classes.

"No exams yet, so it's going to get interesting when my exam dates might conflict with some of my matches," Shelton quipped. "A few assignments here and there. Pretty easy stuff.

"I'm taking classes at a bit slower pace than I was when I was full time in school. I don't have too difficult of a workload.

"It's very manageable while I'm playing tennis. So far in January I haven't had any problems or conflicts.

"I really want to get my degree. It's something that's important to me. That's something that I'm going to stick to and continue to do."

Shelton is one of three American players to have reached the quarters – the others Paul and Sebastian Korda.

It is the first time since the 2005 US Open that three American male players have reached the last eight at a major. It is the first time it has happened in Melbourne since 2000.

"It's definitely a surprise. I got on the plane with no expectations," Shelton said.

"I know that it's very hard to adjust to Australia from the United States just with the jet lag, time change and everything.

"It being my first time, never being out of the United States, I knew it would be a struggle.

"I think it has helped me a little bit, not having that expectation or the feeling that I have to perform, but being able to just go out there, be myself and play free. I think that's been a big contribution to my success.

"Each match that I've won here has felt the same. It's a mixture of joy, relief. I just have that feeling of ecstasy. When the last ball lands, I did it. To be able to do that on this stage four times in a row, that feeling over and over again, has been pretty cool."

Francesco Bagnaia confirmed he will be the first MotoGP champion in a decade to take the number one for the forthcoming season.

The 26-year-old will defend his crown in the 2023 season and becomes the first rider since Casey Stoner in 2012 to adorn the number on the front of his bike.

Rules allow for a defending champion to use the number, but it has largely been overlooked, with only four riders in MotoGP history taking up the honour.

Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo both elected not to take the number after their successes in the past two years, but the Ducati Lenovo Team star announced his plans to buck the trend.

"I decided to have both there and the 63 is still on my helmet. But it's been a long time since we last saw the number one in MotoGP," he said at the Campioni in Pista event.

"I've always admired people racing with the number one. I've always loved it. Respecting the fact that you are world champion is right.

"Number one represents who you are, it represents your identity as world champion. So, it's important for me to pay tribute to other world champions.

"Sixty-three will always be my number, I'll always have this number on my bike, but hopefully together with the number one."

The new MotoGP season begins on March 26 in Portugal, with pre-season testing to begin in Singapore next month.

Frank Lampard has been sacked by Everton under a year after taking charge of the Premier League strugglers.

Lampard was appointed as Rafael Benitez's successor on January 31, 2022, but less than 12 months later Everton are now on the search for yet another manager.

The former Chelsea boss managed to keep Everton in the top flight last season, with a dramatic 3-2 comeback over Crystal Palace in their penultimate match proving enough.

Yet Everton's struggles have carried over into this campaign and, with 20 games played, they sit 19th on 15 points following a 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham on Saturday. They have lost eight of their last nine matches in all competitions.

Lampard's dismissal was confirmed on Monday. Everton's next manager will be their seventh permanent appointment since Farhad Moshiri, who was in attendance at London Stadium, invested into the club in 2016.

After Saturday's game, Moshiri told Sky Sports a decision on Lampard's future did not rest in his hands, a statement that will only have fuelled more anger in a fanbase already protesting about the way in which the club has been run.

Lampard's record is poor. He has won only nine of his 38 Premier League matches, meaning his win percentage (23.7) is better than only that of Mike Walker (19.4) when it comes to Everton managers to have overseen at least 10 games in the competition.

However, Everton have also been hamstrung by financial difficulties caused by previous misspending.

Last season's top scorer Richarlison was sold to Tottenham in June of last year to appease Premier League profit and loss regulations, and the void left in the side has been clear, especially with Dominic Calvert-Lewin's injury issues.

Lampard's team have also struggled in defence, leaking 59 goals across his league matches in charge over the past 12 months.

This season, only Fulham (36.1) have a higher expected goals against (xGA) figure than Everton (34.2) in the top flight, suggesting they have been fortunate not to concede more tha than the 28 goals they have shipped.

Everton have not made a signing in January, but are reportedly close to confirming the loan acquisition of Villarreal forward Arnaut Danjuma.

Julian Nagelsmann dismissed any suggestion that Thomas Muller's omission against RB Leipzig hints that the forward's Bayern Munich future is uncertain.

Muller came on in the 83rd minute as Bayern drew 1-1 with Leipzig on Friday.

The 33-year-old has struggled with injuries this season and has played only nine Bundesliga games.

Muller also failed to spark at the World Cup, as Germany crashed out in the group stage.

Nagelsmann, though, says the media has made too much of Muller being a substitute.

"With Thomas, this is a bigger topic in public than it is for us," he told reporters ahead of Tuesday's clash with Koln.

"When you've been injured for so long, you're always challenging [for your place].

"Thomas also wants the competition. He has an outstanding character, but I haven't made up my mind about if he plays."

Muller could not get Bayern over the line against Leipzig, with the champions having struggled to create much in the way of opportunities in the second half at Red Bull Arena.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting put them ahead late in the first half, netting Bayern's 50th Bundesliga goal of the campaign, before Marcel Halstenberg equalised, but Nagelsmann wants more intensity in attack.

He said: "We didn't build up optimally, it was too slow. We sometimes had good actions after winning the ball, but we made wrong decisions.

"I also warned the team beforehand about Leipzig's strength in transition... There were one or two less-than-perfect situations on both sides."

Koln, on the other hand, go into Tuesday's game having thrashed Werder Bremen 7-1.

"I think the seven goals mean something more to Koln than to us," Nagelsmann said. "They do that very well, they're active and good at counter-pressing.

"[Coach] Steffen Baumgart does that very well. They always play with an open mind, very offensive. We have to be aggressive."

Novak Djokovic felt "fantastic" as he outclassed Alex de Minaur with his best performance of the year in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

The nine-time champion outclassed Australian De Minaur on Rod Laver Arena, winning 6-2 6-1 6-2 in two hours and six minutes on Monday.

A hamstring injury has been a concern for Djokovic as he bids to win a record-equalling 22nd grand slam title at Melbourne Park, but he was moving freely as he ruthlessly breezed into the quarter-finals.

The fourth seed from Serbia did not face a break point, delivering another returning masterclass and serving superbly to set up a meeting with Russian Andrey Rublev.

Djokovic has won 25 consecutive Australian Open matches – just one shy of Andre Agassi's record – and the 35-year-old rated his demolition of De Minaur as his most impressive of the year.

He said: "Definitely the best tennis I've played this year, this tournament, so far this season. Best match. I'm really glad because obviously as the tournament progresses, the matches are going to get tougher. I'm really glad to manage to win the way I did.

"To feel really great in terms of mobility and movement of my leg, which is great news. So all in all, perfect match for me."

Djokovic did not feel any pain as he brushed De Minaur aside to move into his 13th Australian Open quarter-final and the last eight of a major for the 54th time. 

He added: "We take it day by day. We do a lot of things. It's been honestly exhausting to be involved in a lot of different treatments and machines and stuff that we do.

"At the same time it was necessary. It is necessary in order to get myself in a condition to play. So I'm really glad that my body has responded really well.

"Tonight I didn't feel any pain. I moved as well as I have the whole tournament. It means we are progressing in the right direction.

"Some days you feel good; some days maybe not as. So, as I said on the court, I do not want to celebrate too early because I don't know how the body's going to respond tomorrow and for the next match. What I felt tonight is fantastic."

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